February treated us to the wonderful Street Fighter IV (and Halo Wars, which I have only managed to play the demo of so far). March on the other hand didn’t really seem to bring anything new to the table that I was interested in. For a large number of gamers, Resident Evil 5 was at the top of the ladder. For me, I decided to go through some of my older games and pay them a visit.

Blue Dragon
This Japanese/turn-based RPG was purchased well over a year ago (maybe even 2). On my original play through I just couldn’t seem to connect with it. Maybe this was due to the game not meeting my expectations, or because I was suffering from some sort of gamerscore addiction.

RPGs take time to complete, and not many of them offer easy/quick achievements. The developers want you to undertake multiple playthroughs and explore every last inch of the land for that final collectible. I on the other hand have never quite been the patient type, so a game that requires as much dedication as this was unfortunately overlooked.

That was until this month. I felt I was finally ready to sit down and play through a game such as this. It was a tough choice between Blue Dragon and Lost Odyssey, but after much thought I finally settled for the lighter and more cartoonish option (with the intent on playing Lost Odyssey afterwards). Infact, part of my decision was based on the assumption that Lost Odyssey is better, so playing an enjoyable yet inferior game first will make the overall experience less disappointing than if I had decided to play them the other way around.

So, Blue Dragon is an excellent and very enjoyable turn-based RPG adventure for the Xbox 360. That’s all very well, but what game has been consuming most of my time this month..?

Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Vegas 2
Off all the online FPS games I have played, Rainbow Six games have always been my favourite. The “taking cover” mechanic really enhances the game and the controls feel really fluid.

This month (erm, march) I have been spending most of my time on this awesome game. It features numerous interesting multiplayer game modes and an experience system that unlocks new gear for your character. It’s also the only FPS (I think?) that allows you to scan your face using the Xbox 360 Live Vision Camera, how cool is that?

My aim is to reach the full 1000 gamerscore with this game. So far I’m just above 800 points, so not far to go now.

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Well, EA are at it again. Just two weeks after the release of their new game Godfather II (2), EA plan to release some pricey DLC for stuff that used to be included in games.

The Godfather II DLC will be as follows:

• The Pentangeli Map Pack: All-new Cuba multiplayer map and Junkyard multiplayer map. (540MS Points)
• Level 4 Weapons Bundle: Modern Dillinger, the .700 Magnum Impact, the Herzstopper, the MG-S1 Sniper Wolfe, and the Street Sweeper. (320MS Points)
• Jack of All Trades: Download Jimmy Lira – Lira starts out with the arsonist, engineer, medic, and safecracker specialties and comes equipped with a level 2 machine gun – the MP38. (320MS Points)
• The Corleone Bundle — All of the above (800MS Points)

So that’s about £10 to £15 for a multiplayer map, a playable character, and a few weapons. Why on earth were these not just included in the original game release? The answer is obvious, as so is the solution; do not buy DLC for EA games.

Godfather II should be out by next week (April 7th?), with the DLC coming out on both Xbox Live and the Playstation Network. I personally wont be buying this DLC, nor the game. Sure, my “protest” won’t affect anything much, but please spread the word about how EA are milking the crap out of gamers by leaving small features out that should be included in the original release.

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I stumbled across 360voice after viewing one of my friend’s Xbox 360 motto. I was curious as to what the site was about (although obviously it was something Xbox related), so I logged onto my PC and gave it a visit.

360voice is a site that tracks data about your Xbox 360. Upon signing up you add your gamertag and within a few days it begins displaying various statistics about your achievements, how often you play, and any challenges you have accomplished.

The great thing about 360voice though is that each day your Xbox 360 automatically blogs something about you (or it) whether you play or not (in quite a humorous manner).

360voice also has a great community where players arrange gaming nights and help each other complete games and obtain difficult achievements (where possible). The site even has it’s own form of “achievements” called “badges” which are earned by accomplishing various criteria such as playing/finishing certain games, winning competitions, and playing for a number of days.

Check it out today and get your Xbox blogging!

+ For those interested, you can track my profile here.

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Every now and then I get hit by the sudden urge to play through one (or some) of my older games. This weekend I blew the dust off one of my most favourite titles, Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Vegas 2.

For the first time ever I got to enjoy playing this on my (girlfriend’s) HDTV. Some have said that the graphics for this game have aged, but for me it looked gorgeous! I was also really impressed that the game was still incredibly popular online. For me, Vegas 2 (and almost all of the Rainbow Six games I have played since Rogue Spear on the PC) have been one of the most enjoyable gaming experiences. I was so happy to see this old game (well, over a year old) with such an impressive online community. Most titles nearly die after about 6 months, but the number of full servers/matches was staggering.

Another element I have also frequently enjoyed with Rainbow Six games is the attitude of gamers. I’m not sure what attracts them, but nearly everyone is helpful and sporting. People work together and play as a team. In all my matches (of both Vegas 1 and 2) I have never heard anything along the lines of “I’ve pwned you nooberz!”. It’s such a refreshing experience after playing such titles as Gears of War and Call of Duty.

So here I am, back on Rainbow Six Vegas 2 and absolutely loving it! I think I will stay here for a little while yet. If you are yet to try this game I strongly advise you do. It’s a lot more tactical and rewarding than most shooters, and as mentioned previously the community is really positive (although you may still be unfortunate to stumble across pockets of unsporting players, much like in any game). If like me you haven’t played it in a while, now is still a good time to return to it. The game is still thriving online and the gameplay is just as addictive as it has always been.

I look forward to seeing you all online

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For those of you currently enjoying Halo Wars, a useful “Tech Tree” has been created as a free download.

For those interested, the Halo Wars Tech Tree comes in PDF format and weighs around 9.11MB. It includes all the unit and building upgrades, with some other useful information about the hero units. To download this free Tech Tree, click here.

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