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Spec Ops: The Line: uncomfortable viewing

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Not just viewing in fact; participating. The violence in the game is a bit overpowering at times, particularly in scenes after you've told your character to make a certain decision.  Yes, I wanted to kill the sentry, but I didn't really think it was necessary to pummel his face over and over again with the end of my rifle.  The main character, Walker, is a bit of a psychopath in cutscenes, which contrasts with his behaviour through the rest of the game where I'm quite cautious and willing to let my colleagues take the shots.  That's always the danger in story-led and character-led games - when you give the player the choice of how to play, you are losing the control over the character's behaviour.

Nevertheless, I'm enjoying this immensely.  I've played it for well over the "six hours" that many have said is the time it takes to complete, and have reached midway through Chapter 12.  I died twice trying to reach a helicopter and then called it a night - but there's no danger that I'm not going back to it.


Spec Ops: The Line: discretionary killing

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This wasn't next; Animal Crossing New Leaf was next, of course, but that's just ever present.

I've heard good things about this, in terms of the storyline, need to make decisions, the way in which the story is told, and the length. I've played through the first five chapters so far, and am enjoying it a lot - the action is varied enough without requiring constant relearning, and the setting is quite spectacular - the ruins of Dubai after a sandstorm, with several hundred metres of sand piled against buildings.

I'm finding it quite tough in places - I've died three times so far - but checkpoints are well placed. I just wish my teammates were a little less gung-ho - I keep on having to heal them in the middle of a battle.

Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney: Dual Destinies Demo: style and substance

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I said I might not buy this.  That may have been a bit of a rash thing to say, given that it came after playing through the Miles Edgeworth game which was a significant departure from the series - and given that I've just played through the demo of the next proper Ace Attorney game which looks absolutely magnificent.

Looking at past posts, I seem to have a love-hate relationship with the series.  I was pretty nonplussed to start with, but have completed all the games and found that Apollo Justice was a great character.  He seems to be back in the new game as well, though the main playable character is Phoenix.

I can't wait.

Assassin’s Creed II: even more completed

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I lacked the patience to collect all the flags in the first game, but the toned-down nature of the feathers collection meant it was far more manageable.  I armed myself with maps and ran around the cities, with little incident other than numerous guards on the rooftops trying to shoot me before they died.


The reward for collecting all the feathers? A short cut scene in which Uncle Mario shows himself to be a heartless monster, and the granting of a new cape and a new weapon.  The cape makes me hated everywhere I wear it, and the weapon is a hammer which leads to ludicrously over-the-top death animations.



All achievements collected as well; I'll never get full completion for the first game due to the fact I didn't talk to Lucy enough, but the achievements were well designed in this game.

So, what next?

Assassin’s Creed II: Completed!

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It took a while, but Sequence 13 was excellent and had me wanting more, so I played through the rest of the game.

After the build up I was disappointed to find that I wasn't able to explore Rome, but instead was constrained to a set tunnel to reach the pope. Assassinating him was easy - skirting along the rafters then diving from above - except of course it wasn't that straightforward. Lots of back and forwards, followed by a fist fight which was rigged so I couldn't best him before he'd finished his dialogue.

Then long cut scenes meeting god(s), credits, fights in the modern day, and a flimsy excuse as to why I can go back and collect anything I may have missed. I may well go back for the feathers, but I'll use a map if I do.

Great game, but with the DLC included it probably went on a tad too long. Had I skipped straight to Rome after the Spaniard had run off, I'd probably have appreciated it more. Having said that, Sequence 13 was excellent and varied, so I'm glad I got to play it ...