New Site!

Hi all,

Just a quick one to let you know, this site has been replaced by a new style and flashy domain!

Plus navigate to http://www.underthefleece.co.uk in future.

Thanks

/Sheepy

5. The Secret Of Monkey Island

People fall at my feet when they see me coming.

Even BEFORE they smell your breath?

The Secret of Monkey Island is a point-and-click adventure game developed by Lucas Arts (back when they made games that were not based entirely around the Star Wars universe), and follows the story of Guybrush Threepwood, a young man who's dream is to become a pirate. After meeting the pirate leaders, he is set 3 challenges to prove himself - defeat the legendary swordmaster, find some buried treasure, and steal a statue from the Governor's mansion.

As he attempts to steal the statue he meets and falls in love with Governor Elaine Marley. However, Guybrush isn't the only person with feelings for Elaine - the ghost pirate LeChuck is also in love with her and has his crew abduct the Governor, taking her to Monkey Island. Guybrush gathers a crew of his own, buys a second hand ship from Stan the used boat salesman, and attempts to rescue her. On the way, he encounters a group of cannibals who, in return for the recovery of a voodoo artifact, give Guybrush a special ghost killing formula that turns out to be remarkably similar to root beer.

Guybrush returns to Mêlée Island to try to stop LeChuck marrying Elaine, but realises too late that she has her own plan to escape. LeChuck pummels Guybrush all over the island before they eventually arrive at the used ship yard, where Guybrush manages to defeat LeChuck by spraying him with root beer.

Graphically, the game is what you would expect from an 2D game -the characters and items are blocky and the backgrounds are not hugely detailed. Of course, with a game designed for the Amiga this is all perfectly acceptable and gives you a feeling of nostalgia for the days when all games looked this way. The sound is a continuous loop of music, with no voice acting and signature music that plays when characters such as LeChuck are involved. Again, this only adds to the atmosphere of Monkey Island.

On the gameplay side of things, there aren't too many games that I've enjoyed more. From working out how to get passed killer poodles (complete with a message confirming that the poodles are sleeping and definitely NOT dead), to sword fighting with insults (You're no match for my brains, you poor fool; I'd be in real trouble if you ever used them), Monkey Island is thoroughly enjoyable from start to finish. The witty, fun dialogue and plenty of in-jokes were a part of the reason why the first game I played on my brand new PC was not Half Life 2, or FarCry to see how far my graphics could go, but The Secret of Monkey Island.

/Sheepy

6. Metal Gear Solid

Metal Gear Solid (or MGS) was a continuation of the Metal Gear series that had made appearances on both the NES and, previously, the MSX2. The original Metal Gear is generally considered the father of the "stealth-em-up" where it was more beneficial for the player to remain out of sight of the enemy rather than running around shooting freely.

Metal Gear Solid was the first incarnation of this series on the Playstation console, and after selling more than 6 million copies and spawning spin-offs such as a comic, a novel and even a radio series, was followed by 3 more titles.

The story of MGS follows Solid Snake, a retired soldier who infiltrates a nuclear weapons disposal facility to neutralize the terrorist threat from FOXHOUND, a renegade special forces unit. Snake must liberate two hostages before confronting the terrorists, and stopping them from launching a nuclear strike.

Graphically the game was far better than average for a Playstation title - whilst it was not eye-poppingly detailed, it was still well designed and had only one real issue when zooming with binoculars or sniper rifle. In terms of sound, the music was a real high point - rather than changing to a different pre-recorded track when action was taking place, the tempo and texture of the current track changed seamlessly to reflect the tension on screen.

The gameplay is the real high point of MGS. From saving your friends when they have been left for bait, to disguising yourself inside a cardboard box to escape an alerted guard, MGS pulls you in and makes you feel like you are taking part in a blockbuster movie, rather than playing a game. The innovative boss fights where learning their weaknesses was the key to progressing, are another example of the work put in to make the whole experience of playing MGS all the more enjoyable. Having the use a different controller for example, in order to be able to successfully attack a psychic member of FOXHOUND was a particular stroke of genius.

On the whole, Metal Gear Solid is a game that any gaming enthusiast should play at least once - it's still enjoyable even when up against the PS3 and Xbox 360 games available today.

/Sheepy

You May Have Heard This Before...

Every couple of months I end up having to do this "sorry I've not posted for a while" thing, but this time I've got a scapegoat/fall guy/person to blame etc etc.

Blizzard.

It's all their fault.

In November, Blizzard released the World of Warcraft expansion pack "Wrath of the Lich King". At that point, everything else got put on hold as I got sucked in to playing my way through Northrend (twice). I'll get a full review up here ASAP but for the time being, lets just say it's pretty damn close to perfection.

I'm going to crack on with my top 10 and should hopefully have another couple up by the end of next week.

/Sheepy

Prototype

This looks like it could be a good'un

A Retraction

So, it seems I've got a retraction to make...

Cut scenes in MMOs CAN work when done properly (ie when done by Blizzard).

I stand corrected.

When I get some free time, outside of my new job, buying a home, and playing games, I'll start updating this blog regularly again.

/Sheepy

Where We're Going, We Don't Need Roads: The Future of Gaming

The 1980s - a time of dodgy music, dodgy clothes, and even dodgier haircuts, but also a time that introduced the general public to what could possibly be the future of gaming. With July’s US console sale figures showing falling numbers across the board, there’s no doubt that Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo are already looking to the future and searching for the next technological advancement in gaming. But what if that technology already exists?

By the late 1980s, there were few who had not heard of a new technology called Virtual Reality, popularised as it was by films such as The Lawnmower Man and Tron. The idea of using V.R. continued into the 1990s and has filtered through into games, such as Metal Gear Solid and System Shock, and films, like The Matrix. Could it be that V.R. is in line to make a reappearance in our lives?

You may be wondering at this point which institute I escaped from to be suggesting that, in order to progress gaming, we need to go back a couple of decades, but just think about it for a second. Would you not want the experience of being fully immersed in a game of Call of Duty – turning your head when you see movement out of the corner of your eye, bringing your Kalashnikov up to aim before feeling the kick of the rifle in your hand as you fire? How about playing Pro Evolution and walking out at Wembley Stadium to play in the World Cup Final for your country? How about loading up Rock Band and perfecting that solo on stage in front of thousands of screaming fans? It’s all about immersion – the more you feel part of the game, the greater the experience.

Of course there are down sides to V.R. The old Head Mounted Display (or HMD) systems did have a tendency to cause headaches from eye strain, and the glove control system occasionally made your hands feel like you'd just been playing Guitar Hero on Expert non-stop for the last 48 hours. Some people even believe that Virtual Reality will be the last thing mankind ever creates, and that once people see the perfect virtual world, they’ll never want to step back into their own existences again. Now everyone has their own choice but I for one will not be taking food intravenously, and I plan to keep as far away from catheters for as long as is humanly possible.

The advancement in the rendering of graphics and sound has improved significantly since the first launch of V.R. and is as close to realism now as it has ever been, and with the further development of the control technology behind the Wii, it’s not unrealistic to assume that someone, somewhere, will combine the two and present the world with Virtual Reality 2.0.

/Sheepy