Toomanywires

I'm writing a series of posts about the games and consoles of the seventh generation (PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii, PSP and DS). It includes a Top 20 countdown, thoughts on the industry and lots more. The Rules   20. DJ Hero 19. Wii Sports 18. Journey 17. No More Heroes 16. Dragon Age Origins 15. Grand Theft Auto V 14. Uncharted: Drake's Fortune 13. Grand Theft Auto IV 12. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare 11. Mass Effect 3 10. Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception 9. Yakuza 4 8. Assassin's Creed II 7. Burnout Paradise (The Ultimate Box) 6. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim 5. Shatter 4. Metal GearSolid 4 3. Red Dead Redemption Some called it Grand Theft Horses. They said Red Dead Redemption (2010) would be little more than a GTA re-skin, a new way for Rockstar to flog its crime sandbox. Skyscrapers, semi-automatics and scantily clad ladies of the night would be replaced by cacti, lassoes and pleasant rocks. That's what the

I'm writing a series of posts about the games and consoles of the seventh generation (PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii, PSP and DS). It includes a Top 20 countdown, thoughts on the industry, silly pictures and lots more. The Rules   20. DJ Hero 19. Wii Sports 18. Journey 17. No More Heroes 16. Dragon Age Origins 15. Grand Theft Auto V 14. Uncharted: Drake's Fortune 13. Grand Theft Auto IV 12. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare 11. Mass Effect 3 10. Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception 9. Yakuza 4 8. Assassin's Creed II 7. Burnout Paradise (The Ultimate Box) 6. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim 5. Shatter 4. Metal Gear Solid 4 On paper, there was nothing remarkable about Shatter (2009). It was another Breakout/Arkanoid clone, it came from a studio best known for rugby games and it didn't feature a single combat dog. However, Shatter was remarkable, thanks to a perfect combination of simplistic gameplay, high score chasing, inter

I'm writing a series of posts about the games and consoles of the seventh generation (PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii, PSP and DS). It includes a Top 20 countdown, thoughts on the industry, silly pictures and lots more. Games of the Seventh Generation wanted nothing more than to love us. Trophies and Achievements were constantly telling us how brilliant we were, even when we were doing little more than sitting through a tutorial or just pressing start. While I don't hunt down shinnies like I used to, I’ll still occasional peruse my trophies and will judge people on the number of bronze, silver, gold and platinum showing in their profile. For those of you who are interested, five and a half years of PS3 gaming has left me halfway through level nineteen, with nineteen Platinums, not that I care about that kind of thing. That is why I have nineteen Platinums. Achievement systems were an important part of gaming in the 7th Generation, so what better way to celebrat

I'm writing a series of posts about the games and consoles of the seventh generation (PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii, PSP and DS). It includes a Top 20 countdown, thoughts on the industry, silly pictures and lots more. The Rules 20. DJ Hero 19. Wii Sports 18. Journey 17. No More Heroes 16. Dragon Age Origins 15. Grand Theft Auto V 14. Uncharted: Drake's Fortune 13. Grand Theft Auto IV 12. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare 11. Mass Effect 3 10. Uncharted 3:Drake's Deception 9. Yakuza 4 8. Assassin's Creed II 7. Burnout Paradise (The Ultimate Box) 6. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Burnout Paradise (2008) wasn’t just about cars. It was about freedom, exploration and hanging out with friends, things you can appreciate even if you don’t watch Top Gear. Sega Rally aside, I never really enjoyed racing games before Burnout Paradise came along. My racing experience came via Gran Turismo and Ridge Racer, linear games that sent

  I'm writing a series of posts about the games and consoles of the seventh generation (PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii, PSP and DS). It includes a Top 20 countdown, thoughts on the industry, silly pictures and lots more. There was very little in it between numbers ten to seven, and I was still reorganising five minutes prior to posting. Seven and six will follow in the next couple of days. The Rules 20. DJ Hero 19. Wii Sports 18. Journey 17. No More Heroes 16. Dragon Age Origins 15. Grand Theft Auto V 14. Uncharted: Drake's Fortune 13. Grand Theft Auto IV 12. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare 11. Mass Effect 3 10. Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception 9. Yakuza 4 8. Assassin's Creed II Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception (2011) was never going to live up to my expectations, but it came bloody close. No other developer pushed the limits of the PS3 as consistently as Naughty Dog, and Uncharted 3 was another outstanding achievement of

I'm writing a series of posts about the games and consoles of the seventh generation (PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii, PSP and DS). It includes a Top 20 countdown, thoughts on the industry, silly pictures and lots more. If you've been following my series about the 7th Generation , you'd be forgiven for thinking that I don't have a bad word to say about the last eight years of video games. In fact, I disliked many things about this gen, and I've been saving them all for this post. In an attempt to combat the negativity and lighten the mood, I have illustrated this blog myself, using the Vita's Paint Park app. Unfortunately, I have fat fingers and am artistically challenged, but it was nice to have a reason to turn on my NGP. Where to start? Oh I know, fucking Online Passes. Nothing better reflects the collective panic among publishers and their distrust of the consumer than the Online Pass. It was the flyer that gradually replaced the instruction manu

I'm writing a series of posts about the games and consoles of the seventh generation (PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii, PSP and DS). This will include a Top 20 countdown, thoughts on the industry, silly pictures and whatever else comes to mind. A quick reminder of the rules: 1. Games for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii, DS, PSP and PC are eligible. 2. Although they have been out for ages, the Wii U, 3DS and Vita belong to the 8th Generation, so will not feature. 3. Re-releases and updates are excluded. My Favourite Games of the 7th Generation: 20. DJ Hero 19. Wii Sports 18. Journey 17. No More Heroes 16. Dragon Age Origins 15. Grand Theft Auto V 14. Uncharted: Drake's Fortune 13. Grand Theft Auto IV 12. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare 11. Mass Effect 3 I really don't know what to do with Grand Theft Auto V (2013). Is number fifteen too high or too low? Design-wise, it's a significant improvement on IV, so why have I ranked i