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2013 Review inc Game of the Year

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Looking back at my 2012 end of year review I managed to stick to my routine of watching less TV/Movies & enjoy gaming more this year. I also predicted last year that 2013 was going to be an amazing year for gaming thanks to my back catalogue, I did not manage to complete all the games I mention but compared to the 10 completed in 2012 I managed to complete a staggering 28 games !!

Scribblenauts Remix (iOS)
Uncharted 2 (PS3)
Skyrim (360)
Halo 4 (360)
Rolando (iOS)
New Star Soccer (iOS)
Little Inferno (iOS)
Ni No Kuni (PS3)
Borderlands 2 (360)
Fifa 13 (360)
Tomb Raider (360)
Lego City Undercover (WiiU)
Journey (PS3)
Clash of Clans (iOS)
Walking Dead (XBLA)
Forza Horizon (360)
Bastion (XBLA)
Walking Dead 400 Days (XBLA)
Red Dead Redemption (360)
Uncharted 3 (PS3)
The Last of Us (PS3)
Dead Space (360)
Mass Effect (360)
Spec Ops The Line (PS3)
Gears of War - Judgement (360)
XCom - Enemy Unknown (PS3)
Remember Me (PS3)
Assassin's Creed 4 (PS4)

Some of these games were truly an amazing experience & it was very difficult for me to choose a game of the year because there were so many great games that I had played from Skyrim, Ni No Kuni, Tomb Raider the amazingly fun Lego City Undercover to the beautiful Journey, Walking Dead, Last of Us, X-Com & Assassin's Creed 4. But above these all it was Red Dead Redemption that was my game of the year. I have always loved watching western movies from the classic John Wayne, Clint Eastwood's to the modern Tombstone, & 310 to Yuma. Rockstar gave gamers the chance to realise their love for the western genre in Red Dead Redemption & what an action packed gun touting adventure it was, like many others I look forward to the next game in the series..

Splurge wise it was a complete failure and I quote "I am really going to try and spend as little as possible this year on gaming, I will not be buying any of the new consoles on release & have no desire for a Wii U. With my iOS stack of games, back catalogue of 360/PS3 games & steam pile of shame I think I am spoilt for choice" I don't need to say any more apart from the fact that "I AM WEAK"

2014 Predictions then I plan to continue delving into my back catalogue especially to complete Deus Ex HR, Mass Effect 2/3 & the Bioshock games but my main focus will obviously be on the PS4 & waiting for the new games like Destiny, The Division, Watch_Dogs, Mad Max, The Order & hopefully Fallout 4. From the hardware I own the PC & the Vita have been neglected quite a bit so hopefully in 2014 I hope to at least complete a few games on each.

Happy new year !!

Red Dead Redemption – The Unexpected

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Aeris dying in Final Fantasy 7 was probably the greatest unexpected gaming event I've experienced. The sheer shock that a character you had developed over many hours was no more.

I thoroughly enjoyed playing John Marston but truth be told in could have been any character because it is the western setting that made the game. I'm a big fan of western movies and a chance to play that setting in a video game was an amazing experience. I only regret that it has taken me this long to finally getting round to play the game.

The scenery, the sunsets !! Oh my the sunsets, the duels, the swagger of cowboys with their no nonsense attitude. John Marston ticked all the western cowboy boxes. 

With the story events unfolding the way they were it should have come as no surprise when the law decided to attack the family ranch. Edgar Ross wanted to finish off the last surviving member of Duke's gang. Having used John to do his dirty work he arrived with an army of soldiers to kill one man.

Surely John must have known something like this was likely to happen? Why not uproot & move to Mexico under the watchful eye of Reyes. But John is a stubborn character & stayed put at the ranch.

Edgar & the army promptly attacked the ranch killing Uncle in the process. John fearing for his son & wife sent them off on horseback to safety.

In an alternative ending I now would have John riding out of the barn being chased by the law all the way to Mexico where Reyes men who are patrolling the crossing come to his rescue to kill the soldiers. Then with another set of missions John sets out to finish off the loose ends by killing Edgar, Archer & all who wanted him dead.

But alas that was not the story of John Marston. Instead he walks out of the barn shooting & taking out as many soldiers & lawmen before he is gunned down to his death. John Marston is dead.

This was always going to be the way he would die. The blaze of glory achieved in a gunfight except this time there was no crowning moment. Jack & Abigail return to the ranch to find John lying in a pool of blood. The story then moves on to Jack Marston looking over his parents grave & his thirst for revenge begins.

What follows is a disappointment, Jack should have been given a new set of missions which takes him all over the map meeting all of John's acquaintances & informing them of the death of John. The men involved in the attack on John should have been scattered all over & Jack follows clues before a showdown. 

Instead the game focuses on just Edgar Ross & you follow the clues to Mexico. Here you meet up with Edgar who is now retired & on a hunting holiday. You are then challenged to a duel & after Edgar is dead or in my case pumped full of lead that his body ends up floating down the river. The credits roll ...

No ending sequence or dialogue from Jack. Not even an epic monologue of John Marston to a wind rustling tune.

Maybe that is how it was in the Wild West the roar of a buffalo stampede followed by silence.

Red Dead Redemption – The Duke is DEAD

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Managed quite a bit of play time this weekend, completing all the misson's in Mexico. Both Escuella & Bill Williamson are dead & I helped Reyes start off the Mexcian revolution. Then you venture back up north to the town of Blackwater & help the Law enforcement officers take down the Duke.

There is a lovely sequence after you have killed the Duke & you are set free to return home a song plays on your journey called "Compass"

I was expecting a credits sequence to follow but luckily no I have more missions to do around my ranch :)


Red Dead Redemption – Horse in the ground

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A glitch I came across whilst some bandits attacked me.

I give you the Horse in the ground

Really enjoying the game, I have spent some time on the main story & I've attacked Fort Mercer now but Bill Williamson has escaped to Mexico.

Arriving at Mexico I am greeted by some friendly locals & Landon Ricketts, an old time gunslinger teaches me some more dead eye skills.

Red Dead Redemption – Challenges

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Dueling is a bit hit & miss I don't really know what I am doing & have been lucky so far, equally using the rope also needs some more practice. The random events sometimes it is difficult to know who is the law & who is the criminal & I have ended up shooting the law by mistake. Which I then have to reload the game, I think I am just going to ignore these now & I still have not managed to shoot off a hanging victim in these random events.

 Spent most of my time over the past few days on the challenges & side 
quests. I enjoy the treasure hunting challenge & sharpshooter but collecting the flowers is just boring. Making quite a bit of money from hunting animals I came across a pack of 15 wolves whilst treasure hunting & after skinning them made quite a bit of cash. I hate that there is no option to turn off the skinning animation with all the blood splats.

 I have not done any of the horse rustling side quests but have completed a few others you get from traveling the area. Really enjoyed the sharpshooter challenge of shooting 5 birds on top of the train. I have a big W on my map which I keep ignoring but I think I am at the point where I need to go back to the main storyline.

 Reading the above back it seems quite negative but actually far from it, the game is great fun & I love the setting & gorgeous scenery.