This is probably the most frequently asked question I get on Twitter. Yet when I answer, I’m often met with blank faces, as I am actually old enough to have experienced a system that many haven’t…The ZX Spectrum.

This beast had 16 kB of RAM, an image resolution of 256×192, and sound was output through a beeper on the machine itself which was capable of producing one channel with 10 octaves. I don’t know how you have survived this long without one either!

On rainy days when me and my brother did nothing but argue, my Mum would load up Derby Day and once we had waited the 45 minutes for it to load, we would be occupied for hours betting on horse races.  Yes…you read that right…this is a betting game. I don’t know why I’m not addicted to gambling now, or why we even found it so fun to while away hours randomly splashing cash and hurting our eyeballs watching little horses blip along the screen but we did.

My aunt got this running on a emulator on Boxing Day last year and I still love this game and I’ve no idea why, maybe because it’s something different to anything else I do, or perhaps it’s the wit of the race organiser and the competitive element. It doesn’t stand the test of time like a Mario or Sonic game may, but I still play Derby Day to this day. I couldn’t find any footage on YouTube to share, so I may have to figure out a way of uploading some myself, in the meantime…

What was the first computer game you ever played? Share your experiences in the comments section for us all to enjoy

Let’s just get one thing straight before I start…I REALLY wanted to love this game. MMOs, along with RPGs are my favourite genre of game, and I love a lot of the Marvel universe…comics, films and characters, so I really wanted to love this experience…but honestly…I didn’t.

Marvel Heroes is in it’s Beta stage, and my friend and rather super sketcher HiggieBaby (Click his name to check out his work) was kind enough to pass me a Beta key, so when the game is officially released in early June, things may be a little different, but initally I was disappointed with what it offered.  I did eventually begin to appreciate it, (after trying a number of heroes and finding one that suited me best) but I can’t fangirl over it like I would like to. [The game does not support "screenshotting" at the time I'm writing this, so the screens here are from the game's official website]

Marvel Heroes is an MMO, in which you choose your character from the Marvel universe (26 are known to feature so far, including Thor, Hulk, Human Torch, Spider-Man, and Daredevil, and various other X-Men and Avengers) and play out a story in a massive online world, you are free to team up with other players, and you gain levels, which award points that you can choose to place on a skill tree. Think Diablo III meets DC Universe online.

The story is written by comic book author Brian Michael Bendis and deals with Doctor Doom stealing The Cosmic Cube (aka The Tesseract)…I assume to take over the world.

New Hero characters will cost money, as will customised outfits, however, Marvel do assure us all that anyone can unlock almost every character… simply from playing through the game. You can swap between your roster of Heroes at any time, which makes things tactical, interesting and potentially hilarious. The game uses the Unreal 3 Engine to render effects, so destructible environments feature, as do interactive objects.  The game has public combat zones, where players can gather and fight randomised bosses, social zones like towns, and solo or party-based dungeon instances that will scale in difficulty depending on how many players are in them.

Don’t get me wrong, there were things I loved about it, the motion comic cutscenes, the customisation that comes from building a skill tree how you wish, the choice of characters and combat styles on offer, and the dynamic boss fight events where a number of you all chip in, to rid the world of some well known Marvel bad guys. (Seeing Hulk revive a dead Wolverine is a little odd, I must confess.)

However, there is a lot of clicking involved, and using the keyboard to move your hero around is pretty impossible, the controls are clunky to say the least, and the less said about the camera angles and control the better. And all that clicking just didn’t feel justified, as at times, I felt unrewarded for my efforts and just wasn’t having fun. Different belts and coats, although supposedly enhancing my stats, did not make my character look any different, and the stat increases really didn’t make a difference in combat. This is something that is done well in so many other games, (hello Diablo 3 and Guildwars 2) so I really missed it. When I upgraded Wolvie’s suit, I expected him to be tougher and he just wasn’t.

At first I was concerned that my love of Marvel would taint my opinion, but looking past the characters, this is a lacklustre MMO, it’s a grindy, click-kill-run around-pick stuff up-level up-repeat, kind of affair, and there is a part of me that can appreciate it for that. I’d love it to have more depth, and for me to care about the story, and become immersed in the experience, but I am yet to feel I can do any of these things. If you want a superhero game that functions on a story or character level, this isn’t it (so far). Marvel need to put in more of a feeling of humanity into game, they do it so well in the films, I have hope for the game yet.

In short I love that I can play as a Marvel hero, with friends, but the way the game executes this, makes it difficult to love in a world that has the likes of Diablo, Torchlight and Guildwars, which are all doing this kind of thing, much much better. That being said, I remember the launch of DC Universe Online (yes I went there) and that was very similar…it is now however, a pretty decent title…so my faith remains in Marvel…for now, just don’t go into it expecting an Iron Man film type experience, because it’s more of a Hulk film…but it’s definitely not a Daredevil affair, and since it’s free to play, I say it’s worth keeping an eye on, and trying out, as although it’s currently not very fun to play…something keeps me going back to it.

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Sony are giving me games faster than I can play them, I’m still yet to sample Okami HD from last month, as I’m currently playing Tomb Raider! Here are May’s addition to you Plus roster.

• 1st May: Hitman Absolution
• 1st May: Catherine
• 1st May: Malicious
• 8th May: Sine Mora
• 15th May: Velocity Ultra HD

Guildwars 2 Crafting Guide

I always thought that crafting in games was reserved for the strict uber nerds that play an MMO virtually 24/7, that is until Guildwars 2 came into my life and made it accessible and fun to try…or perhaps I’ve just become an uber nerd myself…either way, I have attempted to explain how it all works below, in the hope that you will give it a go, let me know how you get on!

1) Choose 2 disciplines.

There are 8 crafting professions to choose from, you may train in 2 at any given time. If you want to change one of the 2, you can pay a master craftsman to switch, at a cost of 10 copper per level in the target discipline. Taking on a new discipline is always free, while switching back to a maxed discipline (at Level 400) costs 40 silver.

These 8 break down into 4 categories, you can make armour, weapons, accessories and food. The armour and weapon professions each contain 3 disciplines which are based on the different character classes in the game..eg. For weapons, you can be an artificer that makes staves, OR a weaponsmith that makes daggers, or both, but that would use up your 2 spots.

Here’s a rundown;

•  Armorsmiths craft heavy armor  (Used by Guardians & Warriors)
• Leatherworkers craft medium armor  (Used by Engineers, Rangers & Thieves)
• Tailors craft light armor  (Used by Elementalists, Mesmers and Necromancers)
• Weaponsmiths craft melee weapons and shields  (Axes, daggers, greatswords, hammers, maces, shields, spears, swords)
• Huntsmen craft projectile weapons and off-hand utility items  (Harpoon guns, longbows, pistols, rifles , shortbows, torches, and warhorns)
• Artificers craft magical weapons  (Focus, staves, scepters, and tridents)
• Chefs craft food which can be consumed by any profession and offers temporary buffs and bonuses.
• Jewelers craft Jewelry  (Earrings, necklaces, and rings) which can be worn in a character’s accessory slots.

So with each character you may chooses 2 of these to level up, most people go for the weapon type and armour that they use, so that they can make themselves some cool stuff! I, being the slightly odd person that I am, opted for jeweller and chef. (I dabbled in making armour, but actually found it rather boring, and decided I would experiment with food instead…short attention span you see, and being part of a guild means I can give a guild member materials to craft weapons for me!)

2) Gather and discover.

I’m assuming you have followed my beginner tips and have already purchased, equipped and used, gathering tools to collect materials…you need these to make stuff! These materials will appear in your inventory. There are 2 elements to crafting as I see it, discovering new recipes and crafting items using recipes already present in your crafting screen.

Discovery is done by dragging and dropping various elements into the right hand side of the Discovery tab as seen below, until the message displays you may have found something.

Discovery

Production is done by creating an item from a recipe already in your inventory – You will only gain experience from these if the text is not white.

Production

You can access new recipes by reaching the appropriate crafting level, you may need to first learn the recipe through discovery or a recipe sheet. Discovery tends to give you more experience, but crafting items in coloured, not white text that are already on your recipe list, also yields XP. You can only craft at designated crafting stations, which are located in every city and major outpost.  Some materials may need refining before you can make items with them, copper ore for example, needs to be refined, in order to make copper ingots, which make jewellery fittings. Some items of armour require you to make a few elements first, shoes may require both a sole and an upper, which you then combine to make a slipper for example.

Additional Points to note.

• Each discipline has 400 levels. Every 75 levels, a character gets access to new recipes for making basic crafting components.
• Crafting levels are grouped into ranks;

0-74 = Novice
75-149 = Initiate
150-224 = Apprentice
225-299 = Journeyman
300-374 = Adept
375-400 = Master

• Characters earn crafting experience (CXP) in a discipline whenever they craft recipes at that discipline’s station. In addition, characters earn normal experience at the same time, making it possible to progress a character all the way to level 80 through crafting alone!
• Every character race and class can learn all recipes and create the same products.
• If you level a crafting profession to 400, you do not gain any more experience for crafting items or even discovering new recipes.

So there you have it, get out into the world, chop trees, mine ore and farm food, then take that all to your local crafting station and experiment! Virtually all the armour I am currently wearing at Level 50 has come from one of my guild members crafting it for me (I repay them with amulets and rings that boost their stats!) so crafting can really give you an edge in the game. Fire any questions at me in the comments, or share your tips progress and stories with others there

Spring has finally sprung! Check out the Spring sale and the 48 hour deals on the store if you get a chance, plenty of discounts and offers on there at the moment. Here’s what’s up on the store for PlayStation Plus subscribers this month.

Playstation 3 content:

• 3rd April: Okami HD
• 3rd April: Lord of the Rings: War in the North
• 3rd April: The Cave

PS Vita Content:

• 10th April: Zero Escape: Virtue’s Last Reward
• 24th April: Thomas Was Alone

Many of you will have seen me harping on about how great Guildwars 2 is on Twitter for the past couple of weeks. I am aware that the majority of readers are console gamers, and GW2 is a PC exclusive game, so I thought I would type a little introduction and some tips for anyone curious about the game, and for those who would like to invest and join me. I’m going to be spending a lot of time there, for many years to come…10 years on, and I still play Guildwars 1, so that should give you an idea of the longevity of the game.

Firstly about the game itself, it’s classed as an MMO, but for the console gamers, I want to say it’s roots are firmly in Skyrim/RPG type territory, that’s the nearest thing I can liken it to. You create a character, watch the story unfold and have tons and tons of side quests and options of ways to spend your time in the game world. MMOs really are massive. You can play solo, or team up with friends or random strangers, and it’s just as easy to pick it up for 30 mins, as it is to lose a day in it.

So if you’re feeling like you want to jump in, here’s some tips for the beginners, for the more experienced players and my guildies, please add your own in the comment section below.

1) How do I play the game with you Kez?

I play as a human elementalist, on the EU server Aurora Glade, my main character’s name is Amygdala Bliksem and the guild I’m in is, The Enlightened Souls. (We are recruiting, and any civil players are welcome to join the guild, to play/chat/get some help)

2) Who should I choose to play as?

The race you choose determines your starting area in the game…your profession determines the skills/spells/weapons and style of combat you will have. I could post an outline on all of these, but the game explains them well. In brief ; Guardians are protective healers, Warriors are what you think they are, engineers use traps and bombs and get a little technical, rangers use bows and have pets to help in combat, thieves use infiltration techniques, elementalists are spell casters calling on the elements, mesmers are also spell casters but use illusions, and necromancers summon the undead to help fight alongside them. Each profession has a choice of weapons and suitable armour type, dependant on how close they like their combat.

3) Tips to help gain experience and level up.

• The first thing I advise people to do when they can is visit a merchant and purchase gathering tools. (The tools are used to gather materials for crafting professions, which each character can choose between) Whether or not you craft in the game, gathering materials gets you about 10XP every time you chop a tree or mine some ore…it takes seconds but really adds up and the tools are cheap.
• You main quest is listed in the top right of your screen, any yellow hearts are side quests which earn you experience, and orange quest markers are events which you complete with other people to earn experience, and often if it’s a boss fight, they drop some goodies for you too.
• When into the game a little, head to Lion’s Arch (Use the purple portals in your main town) and go for a walk exploring the areas, getting those waypoints (blue markers) and points of interest (yellow/orange small squares) all gives your experience level a boost.

I’ll be posting more Guildwars 2 content in the near future, but if you have specific questions or post requests, let me know and I’ll do my best!

I dislike lateness, and so would like to apologise for not reliably informing you of our March content sooner! I’ve moved house, to make space for more gaming…yay! Here’s what’s up on the store for you subscribers this month.

Playstation 3 content:

• Mass Effect 3
• Dead or Alive 5 
• Joe Danger 2

PS Vita Content:

• Metal Gear Solid HD Collection
• Puddle

I know, I know, this review is very late, but then again, I know a lot of people who are yet to pick up this game, so to you guys, this may be helpful! (The short of it: It’s great, try it.)

Dishonored is a first person, stealthy adventure/RPG game, set in a Steam-punk inspired era and world. You play Corvo, a guy who was framed for something, who then spends the game taking down people and attempting to get his life back. I’m keeping that broad so as not to spoil the fun. How you play the game is largely up to you, you can stealthily take people down, or none lethally silence them, whilst you get done what needs to be done. You have access to a range of weapons and methods, and also some strange and intriguing magical abilities/perks.

Although the game itself is fairly linear, it is very easy indeed to become completely immersed in the world, the attention to detail is excellent, the sound design compliments the dark and eerie feel too. Whilst playing, I can clearly see many many influences, Half Life 2, Bioshock, Deus Ex and Oblivion all spring to mind, but Dishonored still sits aside as a unique game.  It’s strengths being the combat, and choice of combat methods, the art style, and the way in which, at just the right moments, the main story takes a backseat and the focus becomes on the smaller side stories you create with each new mission.

The magical abilities are great advantages, but rather than leave that unbalanced, whilst using them, neither your health nor your mana regenerates ..powerful as they are, your resources are scarce, so missions require much thinking, and the game quickly becomes immensely challenging. I’ve replayed missions lots of times as I just get stuck, but to Dishonored’s credit, I still find myself returning for more.

Dishonored isn’t your “all bells and whistles” blockbuster, but it borrows from many, and all are good ones, the more I play, the more I genuinely hope people will buy this game and try it out, I worry that the majority of gamers have been reduced to buying sequels and very rarely try new franchises or indie titles, this rewards those who still enjoy a surprise.

My only gripes are with game mechanics; context-sensitive actions such as moving onto ledges and opening doors, require too much shuffling around for the right prompt to appear. Frustrating at best, fatal at worst. The AI is inconsistent in some missions,  spotting me a mile away some times, and in other contexts, I’m almost standing next to them and they don’t bat an eyelid.

Even with the weaknesses in mind, the gameplay satisfaction in Dishonored is something I haven’t felt, to this degree,  in a very long time, and I thoroughly enjoy the time I spend with the game.

General Scoring

Wildcards

Total Score: 84%

New month = New Plus content for us seasoned subscribers, and if you’re new to the service, then you timed it well, as it’s a great lineup this time;

Playstation 3 Content (From Feb 6th)

• Sleeping Dogs (Like GTA IV…Only better)
• F1 Race Stars (Multiplayer racer that doesn’t take itself too seriously)
• Quantum Conundrum (First person puzzle game)

PS Vita Content (From Feb 13th)

• Wipeout 2048 (Racing in the future, with spaceships)
• Lumines: Electronic Symphony (Music puzzler)

From 6th Feb for 2 weeks, a 3 month subscription to Plus will be reduced from £12 to £8, so if you were thinking of joining the ranks, now may be a good time!

Also, any Music Unlimited subscribers out there, may be pleased to know that towards the end of this month, a stack of old gaming soundtracks will be added to the service, including Assassins Creed, Silent Hill, Prince of Persia, Final Fantasy, Castlevania and R-Type.

Guildwars 2 is starting 2013 with some extra goodies and game updates. Launching tomorrow Flame and Frost: Prelude is the prologue to a multi-stage narrative that will bring big changes to Guild Wars 2 in the months to come.

Some improvements already announced include;

• Changes to the achievement system: You’ll get  a new achievement tracker in your UI to make it easier to track progress, and different achievements every day of the week to challenge you and keep the game fresh for the seasoned pros.
• Achievement Laurels: Fancy badges for daily and monthly achievements, which can be redeemed for ascended gear and infusions.
• Guesting: And I quote the official GW2 site on this one “With the new guesting system, you can play with friends on other worlds in the same region (North America, Europe) without changing your homeworld. Guesting is free, but going forward there will be a gem fee for transferring home worlds, so make sure you’re on the home world you want to permanently play on before 28 January!”
• New infusions, amulets and other gear as well as some UI tweaks and enhanced performance in World vs World. There’s also new stuff in the gem store for those who love retail therapy.
• Temple of the Silent Storm Week: From Jan 28th —February 4th, the regular 8 team/3 round paid tournaments will be replaced by 2 team/1 round, paid tournaments in the Temple of the Silent Storm map.
• After the week is over, the Temple of the Silent Storm will be added to the regular rotation of both free and paid tournaments.

Anyone playing Guildwars 2, or thinking of purchasing? Let me know in the comments!