Your God Not Mine

Some weeks ago, a new God of War was announced. Well I suppose a new God of War game is, by now, inevitable as the tide, regardless of actual quality.

Honestly, I think the God of War games have the same problem the Tomb Raider games one faced: The trap of formula. Both franchises had a big hit with the first game but everything that's followed in it's wake is the same formula - hindered by a Player character who has plenty of brand recognition but is handled by writers who don't seem to have a clue what to do with the them.

Really, what can you do with Kratos? It's fair to say that the God of War games that aren't no.1 have wrecked what made Kratos initially interesting: Now he's just being angry for the sake of it. Kratos is a parody of himself and he's stuck there. Now, he's been angry for so long that it's now expected of him: if he isn't tearing shit up, his fans will call foul - and if he were to have a moment of introspection and/or actual character depth, he'll be called a pussy.

Personally, I can see some potential in the idea of Kratos being confronted with the constant carnage he's caused. What if he was cast into a desert where he has no one to fight? There, in amongst the silence, he is confronted with his actions and the countless people he has killed. Only problem there is a) the afore-mentioned danger of making Kratos a pussy and b) that doesn't sound like much of a game.

Another idea, which continues the wavelength from the previous idea is having someone else as the Player Character. They saw their wife being cut down by Kratos so the player character takes it upon himself to take out Kratos himself. True Yahtzee suggested this before but it would make an interesting iteration on the themes established in the first game. Only problem there is that game franchises without their established lead tend not to do well (Metal Gear Solid 2 anyone?).

Still Tomb Raider managed to do something new with it's latest iteration, so there may be some hope for the God of War games - but I sincerely doubt it.

Free the Elder Scrolls

So Elder Scrolls Online has gone Free to Play. What this means is that this game is joining the other MMORPGs on the same boat whilst WoW is continuing to stream-roll along unabated.

Okay seriously, I've played ESO and I will certainly admit that it has been fun. So to hear to go Free to Play is something of a mixed blessing. On one hand, it may generate new interest in the game and become something of a lifeline. But on the other hand, it is a step towards the graveyard where many other MMORPGs lie.

Ultimately though, I guess time, as ever, will tell whether or not ESO has enough clout to go in for the long-term but it would be interesting to see how things develop in the wake of the FTP announcement

Its a Sony

Recently I contemplated investing in a PS4. Not for one it's games, God no, but for the PS1 and PS2 games available on the PSN. As is often the case with digital distribution, I like the idea of having a classic game readily available that I can continue to enjoy long after the original console has claimed by the march of time.

Thing is, I've built up a large number of PS2 and PS1 games over the years so this does raise the issue of whether or not all of them are available to the PS4 in one form or another.

So let's take a look:

PS1:
Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
Darkstalkers: Night Warriors
Final Fantasy Anthology
Final Fantasy 6
Final Fantasy 9
Ghost in the Shell
Loaded
Metal Gear Solid
Raiden Project
Return Fire
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2
Wip3out


PS2:
Burnout 3
Final Fantasy 10
God of War
Gran Turismo 3
Grand Theft Auto 3
Hyper Street Fighter 2
Ico
Madden NFL 2004
Metal Gear Solid 2
Metal Slug Anthology
Okami
Prince of Persia: Sands of Time
Resident Evil 4
Shadow of the Colossus
Silent Hill 2
Soulcalibur 3
Virtua Fighter 4 Evolution


So we have seventeen games available out of twenty nine. And some of the omissions are glaring (No Return Fire?! But that game's great!). Geez Sony, you're not making a persuasive case for me to shell out for a PS4.

Okay seriously: I can see the appeal of having some of my favorite games readily available but I've spent hours on many of these games. In some cases I've achieved hard fought victories, other times I've achieved success through pure luck and other times still I've won through patience and careful planning (Final Fantasy X Sphere Grid anyone?). So is it worth doing it all over again?

Probably not

Hey Man Slow Down

Happy New Year!

Yep, I'm back after my Christmas Break, ready to take on the new year. And what better way to start the new year with an announcement....stating that I'm slowing down.

Yep, I've made the decision to update this blog solely on a irregular basis. Some of you may have noticed that many of my posts last year came late or were really strained for content. A telling sign as any that coming up with regular material for this blog has become increasingly difficult.

So the time has come to scale down material for Game Tumour. This, by no means, doesn't mean the blog is dead, it will just be updated when I have something to say. And I think you'll agree that quality the posts is far better than quantity.

Still, it would be interesting to see how the ongoing issue of My Hall of Shame shapes out this year...