Daniel.Hjelmtorp.com

Dantes Inferno

This weekend I finished Dantes Inferno, and must say I AM disappointed. Last year the game that suprised me the most, after Batman Arkham Asylum that is, was Bionic Commando. After the beating that game took by critics and sales-wise, I didn’t have any high hopes. But after playing it, something hooked me and got me to look back on the time playing, and want to replay. Dantes Inferno, didn’t gave me that feeling.

Going into it I felt some excitement, but didn’t want to get my hopes to high. After hearing from friends that it was “okey, but not God of War” some hopes were still there. I mean, if the controls are almost the same as God of War, it can’t fail. But the enjoyment just wasn’t there. And the will to spend hours on it quickly flew out the window. I started playing on Hellish (Hard), but quickly lowered to Zealot (Medium). Not because it was to hard, but because I didn’t feel like playing this over and over again, unlike God of War. I never really felt that sense of total control over Dante as with Kratos. And when Kratos through s a punch, you FEEL it! I never got that feeling when combating Dante through hell.

On some level its not fair to compare with God of War, but it copies so much its unavoidable. While God of War had its share of brutality and gore, the setting and surroundings was something special. It felt big and as if it could have been living before the game takes place. Dantes Inferno in my opinion focus to much on gore and disgust. As if it have some sort of complex and need something really different to stand out. A bit provoking maybe…

When it comes to the story and character it falls behind as well. I find it hard to connect with a person who split enemies apart in the masses and then in whine and act all confused in the cut-scenes. They try to mimic GoW by making Dante a sort of anti-hero, but I could never really feel for him or look up to him as with Kratos. I finished Dantes Inferno feeling that was that. Always nice to get some Trophy’s.

From one of the founder of the world famous Pirate Bay comes a new venture, Flattr. What it does is literally making web clicks into a currency, were you click on the content you want to give money to. I have attached a video explaining the concept better.

I really think this can be something. Clicks are already a way to get paid today with system such as Google Adwords and other advertising tools. We like to “Like” things on Facebook and just pressing a button to join a group.  The big question mark is the man behind it, Peter Sunde famous from operating and defending Pirate Bay. Debating heavily in Sweden that things on the web should be free, its a bit strange that he develops a system for paying content creators on the net. Just a bit contradicting.

Yesterday when I was searching through all the system and account preferences on my PS3 to see if I could somehow change my account name, I found some hidden Facebook settings. Just out of curiosity I inserted my Facebook account information and then left it. And to my surprise, when I earn a Trophy it gets posted on my Facebook page. Amazing! A feature I really like and hope to see more of. Have been searching today on the web if Xbox have anything similar, but it doesn’t seem they have.

I knew Facebook and Twitter had come to Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 but didn’t find it to be that exciting. Just using the services on my console, with no extra or special features? But this PS3 Facebook connected thing was really neat!

Facebook PSN Trophies

Today it was time for me to receive the new Facebook interface design. Didn’t know it was coming until a few days ago when I recieved an invite to a Facebook group against the new design. That’s how my generation gets update on what happens in the world, Facebook groups invite.

Discussed it with some people at work today. They thought it was  quite messy, but I don’t see it as that big of a deal. Facebook probably have a good reason behind the new design and they won’t change back now. Everytime they update their site, people complain, but then we don’t hear them anymore after a while. I don’t rememeber the old designs I lived through.

Facebook New Interface

Bayonetta

One of the first big games to be released this year is the crazy Bayonetta from SEGA and Platinum Games (creators of Okami, Devil May Cry and other great games). When they announced it and showed screentshot I wasn’t that interested in it. Seemed just like a Devil May Cry clone but with more focus on sexiness. And boy is it sexy!

Once reviews started coming in and a lot of buzz talk from people who had imported the Japanese version, my interested increased. And just days before the game released I booked a copy. I never regretted that.

Bayonetta is really hard to explain to others, its simply something you have to see and play to believe. Its complete madness, but good madness. The game doesn’t take it self to seriously and know where it stands. A story you simply have to laugh at, but hinters at something deeper.

The most important part of this game is the game-play and action. And that’s what it does best. The controls are tight and not to much a copy of God of War. One thing you have to rely on all the time is the “dodging” effect called Witch Bullet. If you time your dodge correct everything slows down except you. In contradiction to the blocking in God of War you only have the dodging in this game.

And dodging is required a lot! This games is actually quite hard. Not cause the enemy’s are that hard, but because the penalty you get from using items, taking damage, taking to long time and dying! After every encounter you get a score of your performance and at the end of every chapter, the scores are calculated together. And if you have played okey on many encounters, the end result can be very low. It will probably result in some frustration second round of playing it, since I want good scores.

A second play-through is definetly gonna happend. This game just came and blew me away. It was a long time since I had such a enjoyable experience. Short but action packed to the bone. It really kick started this year with all the great releases coming. And better, they are coming soon.

Its always nice when a great game come where the expectations are zero and turns out to be really good!

Apple iPad

Okey now that the biggest hype about Apples new product have cooled down, here are my thoughts. It was hard to noticed or know anything about it if, like me, you had didn’t watch the key note and wanted to see if with your own eyes. It seems that for each new product Apple announces the crowd who follow it live over the web increase. The day after the unveiling of the iPad, even our Swedish tv news reported about it. Even a gaming site like Kotaku had what seems like 10-15 post in a row about the iPad directly after or during the announcement.

It seems the reaction wasn’t that positive as previous product announcements, like the iPhone. It feels like people still try to figure out if they really need an iPad if they already own an iPhone, iPod and probably an Mac. Those mixed reaction is understandable, as the bigger Apple gets, the pressure increases on each new innovation to top the previous one. I think many just don’t think this announcement really cut it.

I watched the key note presentation, haven’t read that much about it (didn’t need to thanks to the web were everyone talks about it) and tried to feel inside what I think. And in the end… I probably want one! I am not completely clear on why I want one, or if I have a need for it. I would probably use it as a portable computer were I can do some basic work with as well as what movies and have all my contacts in. And I can accually see myself playing games on this one.

One of the big thing that people have been discussing is if this will be a real competitor for Nintendo DS and Sony PSP regarding the hand held game machine market. I think Apple have an advantage regarding their brand. Regular people know Apple better than Sony and Nintendo. On the other hand, the iPad isn’t that cheap. So the installbase will probably not be that big, to begin with at least. One of the best moves they made is that all iPhone / iPod Touch games works on the iPad.

Not as innovative or revolutionary as previous Apple products, but I still want one

Today’s nice surprise! Since I have pre-ordered God of War 3 (but not just any version, the God of War 3 Ultimate Trilogy Edition!), today i recieved a redeem code to download the demo. This as a part of me pre-order a special edition of the game. So this evening I downloaded and played the demo.

If I was to name one game I look forward to more than other (see my previous post about games 2010 I wait for), God of War 3 would be at the top. And now I have finally tried it. And I am really excited now! Recently I replayed the first and second instalment of the series on the PS3 remake. The graphic in GoW3 is really something special. The style and feel of the first games is there, same goes for controls. Exactly the same as before. The core seems to be even more crazy from the older titles, but that’s most due to the more realistic graphics. All in all it was God of War, but more and better! The only thing that bugged me was the annoying chain sound when he uses his blades, and knowing God of War, it will be played alot!

Tomorrow I will pick up my copy if Dantes Inferno. In my opinion EAs answer to God of War and also available for Xbox 360 users. After playing the demo and following the stories and new screenshots, I think it will have a very hard time against God of War. The control are exactly the same as GoW, but they were still not the same. Something I can’t touch wasn’t there. As a game journalist friend said after playing it “Its okey, but its not God of War”. That sums up my expectation on Dantes Inferno quite good. Hope I still will enjoy it. Its from the makers of Dead Space and I really enjoyed that one. But the God of War team have had 2 games before really perfecting everything. It kinda feels more like the biggest competitor with Dantes Inferno right now is Bioshock 2! And thats only cause they will be released at the same day in North America. For us Bioshock 2 comes out next week and have asked 2K Games for a 360 copy.

God of War 3 is due to come out in March so I have some time to play through many games I have in the pipe to play before that. Just a two weeks before GoW3 Final Fantasy XIII comes out. Don’t know what to expect from the thirteen instalment.

GGod of War 3 Ultimate Trilogy Edition

Now that 2010 have started and I have done a list of what I found was best in 2009, I have a new list of what I look forward to this year. As for movies and music its hard to say. Games on the other hand I have a few favourites that I look forward to play. Here are some of the titles I wait for:

• God of War 3
• Bioshock 2
• Mafia 2
• Final Fantasy XIII
• The Last Guardian

Also what I really hope for in 2010 even if its only an announcement it would be Warhawk 2.

And this list is only of the titles that I know of.

As for music I don’t know what albums will be coming out this year, I can only wish for new albums and great music from:

• Equilibrium
• Heaven Shall Burn
• Neaera
• Anterior
• Children of Bodom

Movie is even harder to predict. Don’t know many movies that will come out soon. I would like to see a new Harry Potter movie this year, but don’t think this will happen. One I know I look forward to is Iron Man 2, after viewing the trailer I had to watch the first movie and really liked it. Other than this not many movies I am excited about.