What We’re Playing – February 2011

With all the excellent content going up on the site in the past month it’s a wonder we’ve actually had any time to fit personal gaming in. However, we wouldn’t be hardcore gamers if we didn’t manage to slot some gaming time in somewhere and we’ve all had our fair share of excellent games in February. We’ve also added two new members to the team; Gemma and Hugh, so let’s all give them a nice warm Xboxer welcome! Then we’ll shoot them in the face on Black Ops.

By the way, if you haven’t done it already then click here to enter our current competition. You can win XtendPlay controller enhancements by answering a simple question, so what have you got to lose?

RICH

Twitter: @theberrytastic

This month I have mostly been playing:

1. Battlefield Bad Company 2: Vietnam

2. Call of Duty: Black Ops First Strike DLC

3. Gray Matter

Favourite game of the month: Battlefield Bad Company 2: Vietnam

Why?: Having put down BFBC2 for a while, I joined a few friends for a quick go on Vietnam. Needless to say the quick go lasted for several hours and the disc remained in my xbox until I had to remove it, not through choice, but because I had to review Deathsmiles.

Most looking forward to: Crysis 2

 

JEFF

Twitter: @Xboxer360Scoob

This month I have mostly been playing:

1. Dead Space 2

2. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic

3. Call of Duty: Black Ops

Favourite Game of the month: Dead Space 2

Why? This game is effing excellent, fact. If Dead Space 1 was the film Alien (tense, claustrophobic and jumpy), then Dead Space 2 would be Aliens; grander and more action-packed yet undeniably still scary enough to warrant prolonged sessions of therapy after playing it for more than two hours at a time. So what if the final boss battle was a bit bizarre, and – let’s face it – a bit too easy once you’d sussed a decent tactic?? There was enough fantastic content in the build up to warrant at least another play through, if only to smash through the earlier levels with your souped-up weapons and rig. The storyline moved along with almost breakneck pace and, even if the gameplay relied too much on Isaac’s “go here, fix this” skills, getting to each objective was filled with enough action interludes to render my mouth agog on more than one occasion, and the scares…oh god, the scares…Dead Space 2 scared me, far more than the first game. Especially the bit where (only kidding, I won’t spoil THAT part of the storyline for those who haven’t played it yet!), I very rarely run blindly through a level when playing a game but the suspense and familiarity of that particular section was just too much to bear. In summary, Dead Space 2 is a fantastic game – beautiful, frightening and a testament to the amazing franchise that EA and Visceral have created. Early contender for game of the year!

Most looking forward to: Dead Space 3 (and Deus Ex: Human Revolution)

 

TOM M

Twitter: @NoSignalInput

This month I have mostly been playing:

1. Two Worlds II

2. Just Cause 2 (still!)

3. Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood (again, still!)

Favourite Game of the month: Two Worlds II

Why? To be honest I probably spent more time writing about games in February than I did playing them. With the small amount of personal gaming time I’ve been fitting in I’ve mostly been trying to finish some of my older games, rather than buying even more new games. However, Two Worlds II was a review job (which you can see here) and, as such, I’ve spent more time with that game than anything else – even after I completed the review! As I’ve already said it may not be the smoothest running game in the world, plus it has many negatives, but I’ve thoroughly enjoyed traipsing around it’s massive world and finding more and more stuff to do. It won’t be my RPG of the year (that’s reserved for the Deus Ex‘s and the Dragon Age‘s of this world) but it’s still a damn good game once you get around its niggles.

Most looking forward to: L.A. Noire

JAMIE

Twitter: @JamieTarren

This month I have mostly been playing:

1. Test Drive Unlimited 2

2. Breach

3. FIFA 11

Favourite game of the month: Test Drive Unlimited 2

Why?: Test Drive Unlimited 2 happens to be one of the most detailed racers I’ve played on for Xbox 360. There are lots of areas to be explored, wrecks to be found and finally cars and houses to buy. I had never played the first game beforehand, and you don’t really need to as this game starts from fresh, leaving you to compete in the Solar Crown Championships. TDU2 also features dynamic weather, which changes on each island for everyone at the same time. As an MMO it focuses on communicating with other players, so there are lots of events for you to socialise in such as clubs, multiplayer races and even the car dealerships you go into, where a maximum of 8 players will be shown. The depth of customisation creates a game that allows you to stand out amongst the crowd, as you can apply stickers to your cars and new clothes to your avatar. I loved having the ability to do this, as I could use my creativity and make some really interesting designs such as a Lancia Delta with a police design applied to it. If you enjoy your racing games and equally enjoy games which give you the freedom to explore large areas, then this game is certainly the one for you.

Most looking forward to: Dragon Age 2

 

ALEKS

Twitter: @Aleks_LUFC

This month I have mostly been playing:

1. Test Drive Unlimited 2

2. FIFA 11

3. Call of Duty: Black Ops

Favourite game of the month: Call of Duty: Black Ops

Why?: Last month I couldn’t wait for the release of Test Drive Unlimited 2, but once it was released I was disappointed. The core game was great but it was let down by so many other issues and eventually I got a corrupt save so I turned my attention to Call of Duty: Black Ops. FPSs are still my favourite type of game and although COD games don’t seem to change much it terms of gameplay each year, Black Ops is still a fun game to play with friends. This is probably the only reason I did play it, one of my mates picked it up in the sale and we had a blast playing it. Black Ops has good maps, lots of weapons and tons of customisation options that make it a fun FPS to play and although It doesn’t require people to actually work as team to win the match I found that if me and my mate ran around with duel wielded SMGs we managed to top the scoreboard every time.

Most looking forward to: L.A. Noire

 

TOM S

Twitter: @tommysmithy

This month I have mostly been playing:

1. Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood

2. FIFA 11

3. Dr. Kawashima’s Body and Brain Exercises

Favourite game of the month: Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood

Why? It’s bloody awesome that’s why! I really like the whole history thing and how in depth you can go with all the characters and buildings. And there’s the freedom to nearly do anything you want, the graphics are smooth and crisp. It’s a joy to play. Favourite bit? The cinematic when you’re burning the Borgia Towers looks great.

Most looking forward to: Crysis 2

GEMMA

Twitter: @StarlightxUK

This month I have mostly been playing: Sega and Sonic All Stars Racing and Stacking

Favourite game of the month: Stacking

Why?: I haven’t had time to play xbox much this month due to working late and internet being down. Nevertheless I have found some time to play stacking which is a great wee game and I knew I would love instantly, it keeps me entertained and gets my brain working. I love the the simple gameplay which is always welcome after a stressful day of work and keeps my gamer rage at bay.

Most looking forward to: Bulletstorm

HUGH

Twitter: @Hugh_Stevenson

This month I have mostly been playing:

1. Costume Quest

2. Marvel Vs. Capcom 3

3. Bulletstorm

Favourite game of the month: Bulletstorm

Why?: Wow. Why the hell wouldn’t it be?! Bulletstorm brings back the scoring points system in a big way. I never cared for high scores in other games, but Bulletstorm can’t help but make you smile and laugh when you get 400 points for shooting someone in the balls, then kicking them in the head while they writhe in pain. Bulletstorm may have come about at just the end of this month, but it’s blown the rest of the games this month clear out of the water. (Also, the geniusly imaginative cursing should also get a strong mention!)

Most looking forward to: Dragon Age 2