Jon Gracey's

Archive for the ‘PS3’ Category

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Games That Rocked My World – #13: Red Dead Redemption

In PS3, Xbox 360 on December 13, 2011 at 11:44 am

Title: Red Dead Redemption

Format: PS3, Xbox 360

Released: 21st May, 2010

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What a difference a song makes. I’ve recently been playing devilishly difficult 2D PlayStation platformer Rayman, and by Christ it is hard. Unfair, at points, but generally, just hard. And yet, such care and attention has been paid not only to the beautiful 2D graphics, with gorgeous sprites and animation that have aged far better than the unbalanced difficulty curve, but also to the music. Every level has a gorgeous riff or fill that conjures up feelings of excitement, derring-do, terror – whatever is required. It really does raise the experience from challenging platformer to absorbing adventure. Read the rest of this entry »

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Games That Rocked My World – #5: Grand Theft Auto IV

In PC, PS3, Xbox 360 on October 10, 2011 at 4:06 pm

Title: Grand Theft Auto IV

Format: PS3, Xbox 360, PC

Released: 29th April, 2008

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I often associate gaming with guilt. I love getting lost in luscious, fully-realised worlds, following the hero’s journey, developing a character from an underpowered weakling to an all-conquering powerhouse; it hooks me every time. And yet. When I play, there’s always a little snag jaggling at the corner of my mind, quietly whispering the words: “You’ve got better things to do, Jon.” Read the rest of this entry »

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Games That Rocked My World – #2: Deus Ex: Human Revolution

In PC, PS3, Wii U, Xbox 360 on September 19, 2011 at 3:26 pm

Title: Deus Ex: Human Revolution

Format: PS3, Xbox 360, PC

Released: August, 2011

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Deus Ex: Human Revolution is a sci-fi epic all about choice. Consequence. Making a mistake at any point leads to repercussions further down the line. Example: an early mission has you meeting your boss to sort out a “situation”. Not being told what it was, I ignored my boss’ repeated requests to come find him; I’d just been given a whole office to explore, and that meant picking locks, hacking computers, and stealing as many energy snacks as I could. Fine.

I stole a lot, spoke to well-rounded NPCs (non-player characters), and got a feel for the game world. Then: “Get here right away Adam; the situation’s just got a whole lot worse.” Hm? Turns the “situation” was a terrorist attack, and my pissing about has resulted in the termination of eight hostages. Ouch. Read the rest of this entry »