With the summer holidays kicking off hopefully many of you have found a bit more time this week to sit down and enjoy some game time, whether with friends, family, or for some long solo sessions. Even more fun awaits with August bringing a much-anticipated end to the recent drought we’ve been experiencing.
As you might have guessed, nearly all of us at TSA Towers have been plugging a few hours here and there into Bungie’s upcoming massively multiplayer shooter, Destiny. Well, apart from poor old Blair, that is. Deprived of a solid internet connection for yet another week, he’s had to look elsewhere for his gaming fix, also having to pass up downloadable title, Oddworld: New ‘N’ Tasty. For him, cutesy Wii U strategy game, Pikmin 3, has been filling the void, though he’s not sure it’s a game that will keep him permanently transfixed.
Helping himself to a second serving of Wolfenstein, Aran seems to be enjoying the game even more, finding a real connection with the game’s robust cast of characters. Of course, he’s also been playing the Destiny beta, which he says has already convinced him to place a pre-order. Currently, he seems intent on chasing bounties and relishes every time it pops up a completion message..
Another writer already convinced by Destiny is Dan J, having played it “a lot”. Instead of confining himself to the game’s PvP deathmatches in the Crucible however, he’s spent the majority of his time exploring the network of zones featured in the beta. Aside from MotoGP 2014, he’s also been playing The Swapper on PlayStation 4 for review, a challenging indie puzzle game with a great sense of atmosphere and a “philosophical twist to the story”.
Tuffcub has also been tinkering around with Destiny too, as well as Wolfenstein (which he finally completed), Killzone: Shadow Fall and Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes. Being the Metal Gear fan that he is, Tuffcub finds the omission of David Hayter a bit jarring, something I expect to find when I get around to grabbing my own copy.
However, game of the week by a mile is Borderlands 2 on Vita, the fact that they squished the entire game on to the Vita is a miracle and I am really enjoying having such a decent game to play on the commute to work. Yes, the frame rate is a bit wobbly sometimes, but apart from that it’s superb and I am getting plenty of envious looks from other commuters who are stuck playing Candy Crush on their phones.
Personally, my time with the Destiny beta was cut short. From what I played, I really enjoyed the game, but my time with the alpha meant that I was mostly retreading the same territory and will no doubt have to do so again when the game launches this September. So, I decided to jump into the Crucible instead only to find that *dun, dun, dun!* my PlayStation Plus subscription had finally dried up.
Of course, I intend to renew my subscription in a couple of weeks or so, but also found that this has given me a golden opportunity to tackle my backlog. First off, I blitzed Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception, finally bagging myself that platinum trophy. Without slowing, I immediately swapped to Tomb Raider, though my chances of finding anything other than bronze, silver, and gold is slim due to its abysmal multiplayer. Another gem I decided to revisit (and actually play for many then ten minutes) is Persona 4, and what a game it is!
One thing that really surprised me this week was seeing what my younger sister was playing. Usually flitting between Disney Infinity, Skylanders, and other games targeted at her demographic, she decided to boot up Red Dead Redemption instead. She’s a bit of a horse nut, you see, and not a serial killer in training as the tabloids would have you believe. From what I remembered of the game, it had some tough moments, even as someone well acquainted with the genre. That didn’t stop her from beating it in the space of a week.
Since conducting last week’s play log, I have been waiting to use this pun. After grappling with a particular section of the game, Dan has grown Knack-ered with a certain PlayStation 4 launch title. Though clearly not as enthusiastic about Knack as he was last week, he still maintains that the game is serviceable, stating that it’s just a bit “meh”. He’s also been been playing Destiny, though is less turned-on than most, praising the vistas but finding little else of value.
Finally, we have Dom, rounding out this week with another multi-platform medley:
Well, having had my birthday last week, I got an Xbox One to join the others under the telly family – it’s UI is far too complicated and messy for its own good but so far the games have been good fun – mainly Ryse which is pretty dumb but very pretty and Crimson Dragon which is probably the closest I’ll get to playing a new Panzer Dragoon. I played the tutorial for Titanfall and Killer Instinct but haven’t been back to either which probably means I won’t be playing them again.
Of course I haven’t abandoned my PS4 as the Destiny Beta has been on, and wholly enjoyable too. I just want the game now, and frankly, what can be left for Bungie to do?!
I’ve also had my weekly dose of Monster Hunter 3 on Wii U which is now my favourite handheld console. Shame you can’t play it outdoors mind you…
So, what have you lot being playing this week?
double-o-dave
BF4 as usual & Survival Mode on Resogun… Can I beat my high score which I got on my 3rd go on the day of release when I didn’t know what was going on??? Can I heck!
Also a couple of games of FIFA and a couple of goes on the Destiny Beta which I’ve decided is not my Destiny as I think it’s just boring, not that great looking and over hyped, but I’m sure 90% of people here will disagree –
Even after the beta it looks to me like it’ll be Run, shoot, run, enemies respawn, shoot, run, shoot, run, enemies respawn, new planet, explore, shoot, run, shoot, run, enemies respawn, shoot, run, shoot, run, enemies respawn, shoot and so on. ;)
Broonba
You forgot to add “run shoot level up” :P
Eldaveo
Since I’ve started studying from home in the evenings for my job I haven’t played a great deal really.
Checked out the Destiny beta for a few hours over the weekend and am still really looking forward to the final release. The penny-pincher in me says I should wait for a price drop but currently I have the Limited Edition on pre-order for a very reasonable 70quid at Tesco thanks to a discount code.
Other than that, my new laptop encouraged me to fish out my old Steam details and I fired up Tomb Raider 2. Given TR2 was the first game I played as a child back on my uncle’s PS1, the nostalgia levels were through the roof. Absolutely love that game and it will always be a favourite of mine.
Steelhead
Destiny beta on PS3, enjoying a great deal and I still haven’t got round to sampling the crucible yet. Also played Final Fantasy IV: Interlude and a tiny bit of Civ V.
Tovra
Double-0-dave,I’m going to have to agree with you there. I’ve played a fair amount, including the Alpha but it’s actually quite underwhelming. I enjoyed for the most part and playing with friends always makes a huge difference but I think it’s been over Hyped. I (foolishly) expected more than Boarderlands with a social hub. Ah well, back to Pokemon and Tekken.
double-o-dave
Yep, the best bit about the game is doing a bit of co-op with a couple of mates & that’s about it for me.
Youles
Can I be in your club guys? I thought the Alpha was SO boring, although I’m gonna try the Beta. It has all the “going from A-B” action of Fallout and Borderlands, and looks better, but with far less charisma.
This week I’ve played a fair bit of Valiant Hearts on PS4 which is ace! Also on PS4 some CoD Extinction (Invasion DLC) with AddictedAndy; and I got all the multiplayer trophies on Sniper Elite 3 with McProley.
On PS3 I played some Red Dead Redemption with gazzagb and R1MJAW. Always fun those meets and it’s incredible how well the game still stands up today – great music/sound, decent visuals, 4-player co-op. We achieved Gold rank in all Co-op missions in one sitting, and picked up a few trophies each. Think I’m on 30% trophies and I’ve not even started the single player!
Vita has still be gathering dust; just been fired up a few times to redeem some Borderlands 2 SHIFT codes!
Youles
…I also helped Crazy_Del with his last trophy for the Brink platinum on PS3. I’m such a name dropper!! ;)
Lyts1985
I’m with you guys – found the Destiny alpha very “meh”. Youles put it very well, like Borderlands without the personality and charisma.
I’ve downloaded the beta but I’m not sure I can be bothered with it… Maybe once I’ve finished Oddworld I’ll take a look
R1MJAW
Mainly Lego Marvel on PS4 this week which swiftly became platinum number 119.
Aside from that, it’s been a few short bursts of Trials and the Destiny beta story missions which I found quite enjoyable. I may well pick it up even although I have no interest in the multiplayer side of things (I don’t mind co-op but I’m not really a fan of competitive multiplayer).
On the PS3 side of things it’s been more Skate 2 multiplayer to help out Forrest and some RDR co-op missions last night with Youles and Gazza which was thoroughly enjoyable.
element666
This week I snagged the platinum for putty squad on PS4 as they finally got round to patching it!
Also I’ve finished episode 4 of The Walking Dead season 2 which I throughly enjoyed. And I’ve dabbled a bit more on rainbow moon on the vita :-)
freezebug2
Not played much in this insane bout of heatwave, also new job/weird shift syndrome. Managed to crack out a few levels of R&C 1 Vita which seems to be a very rewarding and enjoyable port, along with the weekly GT6 Monday meet.
If only we could we scrap Summer and Winter and have 6 months each of Spring and Autumn, damn Mother Nature! :P
Lyts1985
Started the week nabbing the last of the Sniper Elite 3 trophies that I’m able to on my own – without a co-op partner the platinum will forever elude me I’m afraid :-(
Other than that, I’ve been playing Oddworld since Wednesday and am really enjoying it. If my memory serves me well, I’ve nearly finished my first run through…
Oh, and a little bit of Donkey Kongs Tropical Freeze on the Wii U too :-)
tactical20
Finished Lego Movie game, but only at about 60%. Dunno if I’ll bother going for the platinum. Then a few hours of Destiny Beta.
ron_mcphatty
I found it more fun going back through doing all the time trials and challenges than the first play through, and it doesn’t take long. You seen the film yet? It’s awesome, but then isn’t everything?
tactical20
Yeah! Bought it yesterday. Funny stuff! Maybe I’ll go try some of the easier trophies…
Kennykazey
New Super Super Mario Bros U, which is basically a friendship-wrecker. Who thought letting the characters bump into each other was a good idea? I wanna slap that person, real hard, in the back of the head, with a mallet.
A bit of Titanfall, and… Oh yes, Destiny Beta.