GameOnYou UK

This is the 21st century, and most of us are constantly “plugged in” and possibly helpless without our gadgets and wireless trinkets… Anyway, I’ve compiled a guide which shows you how you can enjoy a holiday in the wilderness, while retaining the electrickery which gets you through your day to day life.

Part One: What You’ll Need

This initial part of the guide outlines selection of things to bring with you on your venture into the heart of your deepest enemy… Nature

1. MP3 Player

This is one thing most of you are probably going to already have so make sure you’ve got a lot of listenable music you won’t get sick of… or if you’re not really into music then pack it full of podcasts (preferably GameOnYou podcasts) so you can get your fix of news and generally the

world of technology which you have temporarily left behind. Depending on your mp3 player’s memory, it may be recommended to ration these podcasts. If you can, bring an extra memory card packed full of entertainment.

2. Swiss Army Knife

Unlike the majority of people who buy these, if you get one before going camping you may actually have a use for it, be it fighting bears, midgets or the Swiss (fight fire with fire) the swiss army knife will prevail. Fortunately you don’t have to spend a lot of money such as the one pictured (I got a knockoff multitool for £7). For extra nerd points, you can pick up one of these (equally as) impractical bastards.

3. Mobile Phone

This may sound pretty obvious and, like the mp3 player, you’re already likely to have one. Bringing a mobile phone isn’t just for the technophiles… it’ll be likely to come in very handy. It could even save your life, but more importantly you can call your mates and ask them about the latest gaming ne

ws you’ve been missing. There’s no need to bring a gadgety phone as it’s battery probably wouldn’t last long - and you can bring individual gadgets which will do the same thing… better.

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The first o f the big three, and arguably the best conference was delivered by Microsoft this year. They not only made a reasonably beefy number of announcements but also covered a lot of highly anticipated games and gave us a deeper look into them.

They also introduced the new dashboard design, along with their infamous new Avatars which are due to hit Xboxes worldwide come Autumn (delivered via the mandatory Autumn update). Don’t worry if you bought any themes before the upcoming new dashboard… Microsoft assures that they will be compatible with the new dashboard, and Gamerpics are rumoured to follow suit.

Follow us for our comprehensive coverage of the Microsoft E3 Press Conference…

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Like any self-respecting British male who resists the nipple-toting allure of the red-tops and opts for The Guardian or Telegraph instead, we class ourselves as highly intelligent beings here at GoY Towers. Except that we read Ultimate X-Men.

To this end, we like to think we’re clever enough to outsmart even the wiliest of AI foe, and take great satisfaction in doing so. All GoYers have almost certainly set themselves personal targets whilst scouring the interwebs for E3 goodness, and I’m no different. My aim is to bring any games that look like they might command just as brain as brawn to your attention.

Enter Far Cry 2, galloping gloriously into our gaze like the proverbial gazelle which we’ll undoubtedly be able to shoot throughout the game:

I’ll be adding more to this post throughout the conference, and using my weblord powers to drag it kicking and screaming to your attention, should any updates occur. Not that I’m guaranteeing they will - maybe FC2 is the only decent thinking man’s game coming out in the foreseeable future? Hopefully Operation Flashpoint 2 might have something to say about that… we eagerly await Codemasters…

Firstly, watch this:

Now, some might say that Gears of War was just a generic shooter. Yes, it controlled well and yes, it looked nice and was tense enough to keep you going. But generic shooters don’t challenge for the top of the XBox Live playing charts for 8 billion years (until CoD comes along and topples it, that is). Generic shooters don’t have friends bringing their copy over to complete the co-op mode for what would be his tenth time. There has to be something else to it. And this is where Gears excels; in its details. So-effective-why-isn’t-this-in-every-game camerashake, for instance. Also, probably one of the best animations for a lumbering hulk of armour trying to sprint through a battlefield I’ve ever seen. Not to mention the most tactile-looking metal textures in video games. Ever.

These might not sound like massive issues, and certainly shouldn’t bring your game from a 7.0 to a 9.0. Or should they? I’ve been racking my brains for some of the games, off the top of my head, that have stuck with me - and what the first thing about that game is that flashes into my mind’s eye. I’m talking Resident Evil 4’s “Ello, stranga… whaddya buyin’?”; how Sony absolutely nailed the music track in Loco Roco - without which the game would’ve probably crashed faster than Allan’s Eee PC trying to record a podcast; all of the miniature challenges built in to Smash Bros Melee that become games within games.

Sure, set-pieces and massive boss fights will wow you on the first and maybe second run-through, or as Cliff puts it: “watercooler moments”, that keep you jabbering on to your non-gamer friends for weeks about how amazing this one scene was to the point of them shunning you from what little contact you had with society to begin with. But it’s the little character quirks and epic collective efforts to complete a game 100% that stick with most gamers, I’d wager.

These little pockets of developer-to-gamer love are all the more notable in their absence. Take Battlefield: Bad Company for instance. I’ve just been blasting my way through it at a frantically leisurely pace (we love our oxymorons), and while it’s undoubtedly a fantastic game - I’m not convinced that anyone will be scrambling to find a copy in ten years’ time, all giddy in the throes of a rose-tinted memory-specs haze. Little touches that may not seem like a big deal in beta, but make a massive difference to the longevity of a title’s reign, such as spawning 4 inches from the end of an enemy shotgun, make all the difference.

It’s for this reason that, although we’re initially disappointed, phrases like “it’s done when it’s done”, and “we’re scrapping the combat system and starting again. It’s not good enough”, from companies who can afford the luxury of perfectionism such as Valve and Blizzard, always make us smile just below the surface of our grumpy, pouting faces.

I guess what I’m trying to say is: “Look! When you shoot that dude, he actually moves like he’s injured and slows down. Sweeeeet…”

Hey folks, we’re trying a funky new feature out, which… in fact, it’s pretty self-explanatory.

We’ve created an Amazon Store. If anyone is interested in buying any of the games suggested, please do it through the store if possible. We get a percentage of your money from Amazon which will go towards the running of the site!

It might look a bit ugly at the moment, but we’ll keep adding to it as we go and let you know of any updates. Also, if you have any games that you’d like to add, please email us with your reasons why someone should play your suggested game(s) at least once before they snuff it.

I’ll add a link somewhere on the site so you can always find it in the future.

Thanks,

Dave

In a study based on <10 males aged 15-40, the GoYUK staff can officially announce that buying older games is now considered socially acceptable.

In an age where consoles cost more than an affordable car, it may be comforting to know that you’re not alone when you’re being tempted by Gamestation’s “4 for £20″ deals. There has been much discussion in the GameOnYou camp about, well, basically not being able to afford all the games we’d like to.

From gamer to gamer, we’d like to extend our unwashed, under-nourished hands to our beloved readers as we enter into a new age of cheapskatery, and being just that little bit more picky about which games to purchase.

Yes, there are some instances where we must have a game on release day (read: GTA IV, Boom Blox, Football Manager, Brothers in Arms). But titles such as Assassin’s Creed, Army of Two and the Battlefield: Bad Company saga have led us to rise and up say NO.

NO, we will not pay “full price” (whoever decided that all games should come out at £40 anyway?) for something that took 3 blokes and cat two months to shit out. NO, we will not fall for your pre-release hype and/or advertising and we would suggest that you should spend your money on titles that deserve it. Yes, Ubi, we’re talking to you. NO, we will not let games companies walk all over us and hold back content that should rightfully be in the game. And finally, NO we will not shell out our cash on games just because there’s “nothing good out for a few weeks”.

It’s not all doom and gloom though. The growth of the likes of Steam and XBLA mean that, more than ever, gamers have the ability to go looking for something outside the mainstream. What makes more sense; popping into town to pick up a 5-hour action game at £30, or paying less than a tenner to buy a puzzle game on Steam that will keep you entertained, off-and-on, for weeks to come?

We feel so strongly about this issue that we’ve somewhat changed our outlook. From this point on, we’ll throw a suitable price-tag on to each game review or quick playtest stating what we think the game is worth. That includes if we don’t think you should ever buy a game, regardless of the price.

As well as changing our review system (more details to come soon), we’re also starting a new feature, tentatively titled ‘Pocket Money’, where we’ll put together a monthly shopping basket worth £50 full of games that we think deserve your money. Old, new, “leet”, casual - we’ll throw together a mixed bag of quality at a suitable price.

To get us started, here’s something to whet your newly-born discerning appetite:

June is going to be one of the best months of gaming this year. There, I said it. I know I said it before for April (Month of GTA4) but June really is amazing. So amazing, in fact, that it receives the GameOnYou UK seal of approval! There are so many good games coming out this month, including a number of big names. Follow us as we explore why June is going to be a gamer’s paradise…
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The GameOnYou staff, as critics, have impeccable tastes in computer games. As gamers, however, we betray our best interests in the name of shameless fun. There are a number of titles which can be classed as guilty pleasures. They may be imperfect but we love them.

To see my personal list of modern failures which still make my fingers twitch, hop over the post break…
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Well, If anybody’s reading this (read: those who don’t have a copy of GTA4) it appears that May is our calm after the storm, with little in the name of jaw-dropping titles to be released. That is not to say that there aren’t any good games though, oh no, there are quite a few games to look out for this month. As the list may feel a little sterile we’re going to add something new into the mix. This month we’re going to not only deliver you our definitive list of games to look forward to but also an list of games to avoid. Here goes nothing…
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Been watching the idiot box recently? Well, my WAG has and occasionally my ears will prick up when I hear the ‘Wii noise’ or the words “Grand Theft Auto”.

The former is potentially one step too far in the direction of casuality. The ad lasts about 20 seconds and focuses on a family living room with Dad leaning side to side. the voice-over tells us that Wii Fit will “help with balance” among other things. Visually, the only game footage we see is pretty much a chart telling Dad he’s fat, and the coordinates of his centre of gravity. Now I’m sorry, but what the hell Nintendo? Who are you aiming this at? It isn’t Christmas (although Mother’s Day is coming up I believe?) You’re either assuming people (read: women) will latch on to your connotations of weight-loss and fitness (certainly not helped by the title’s misleading name), or you’ve just dropped the ball in terms of marketing.

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