What I've Been Playing

So, it's been a while since I did a little run down on my latest gaming experiences- so I reckon that now is a good time to give you one.


Ico (PS3)

Okay, so I've not played this for a few weeks, but that's no through lack of enjoyment. I got the Ico & Shadow of the Colossus Classics HD bundle for my 21st birthday, and I love Ico (I've been advised to play Ico before Shadow of the Colossus). It's different, it's clever and it's fun.

In Ico, you play a young, horn-bearing boy named Ico, who you must help escape a castle while tugging along the rather mute Princess Korda and protecting her from hordes of shadow creatures. It's in essence an action-adventure/platform game with some puzzle solving, but as I've said before, it is clever and something different.

Visually you can tell it's a souped-up PS2 game, but it doesn't look terrible- it's been up-scaled nicely and it probably still holds up against the best-looking Wii games (i.e. Zelda: Twilight Princess and Zelda: Skyward Sword) to date. It's got it's own defined style and I've not really played much like it. Can't believe I never played it on the PS2 All those years ago.


Torchlight (PC)

Apparently this is a lot like Diablo. I wouldn't know, because I've never played Diablo- but I still think it's awesome, and it makes me think I should probably get Diablo III when it hits.

A game I had gifted to me on Steam, Torchlight is an action-RPG, and is pretty much everything you would expect from a dungeon crawler. However, it's combat is addictive, the art design is charming and has a somewhat cartoony look to it, and I find myself going deeper into dungeons just to see what other loot I can get to beef up my character.

I can't seem to find a storyline amongst this- it's thinly veiled if present, but it doesn't really matter to me, because it's fun regardless.


Minecraft (PC)


I've been quite into Minecraft again lately. I started a new world once it hit version 1.0, and it ended up being a far more interesting world than my old one. I love how tunnels seem to make themselves and then you can find yourself discovering gaping caverns flowing with water and lava.

In addition, being able to join Matt and Richard on my buddy Jacob's dedicated server has been awesome. It's really well done and gives you even more stuff to do and places to explore. Minecraft's only limit is your imagination, it seems.



Saints Row: The Third (PC)

Many people have said to me that they didn't see this as being my kind of game. Well let me tell you, if you enjoying having fun then it's your kind of game.

This game does simply not take itself seriously, or anything seriously for that matter- it's just unadulterated madness. If you ever played Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas then it's like that, but with the cheat's turned on all of the time. The fact that it hands you ridiculous weapons and vehicles from the off and has a Casual mode which enables the player to destroy anyone or anything with the greatest of ease shows that Saints Row: The Third is a game that is inviting you- no, begging you- to just jump in, go crazy and have a blast.

I've been involved in a low-speed chariot chase (the chariots being pulled by leather-wearing gimps), randomly got into a devastating gunfight with a guy dressed in a rabbit costume, befriended a pimp who can only speak in autotune and have obliterated street gangs with guided missiles, and it's all been ridiculous, nonsensical fun. This game only cost me £10 (a bargain) and was well worth it.


Well that's what I've played lately- quite a few PC games huh? Keep checking back for more.