Minecraft Xbox 360 Edition - First Impressions

Minecraft Xbox 360 Edition was released on to the marketplace today. I have played the game a reasonable amount and so far I'm very happy with it. The game definitely works well with the controller, even though many people including myself thought it may be too awkward for a primarily PC game. But, it works, simple as that.

One Week Until Minecraft on Xbox

The release of Minecraft for the Xbox 360 is now down to only a week. I for one am really looking forward to it, mainly because I am a big fan of Minecraft and because I'm not the biggest lover of PC gaming. I like the customization of PC Gaming with the easy addition of extra content such as mods and maps but i just prefer the ease of use of a console. Minecraft will obviously be successful on the xbox and hopefully a system can be put into place for mods and adventure/survival maps as they are huge additions to the game.

Story in Games - What The Fuck is Going On?

In the games I grew up with, story pretty much took a back-seat. Iconic characters such as Mario, Sonic, Pikachu, they all ran around doing what they did without any explanation why because it was obvious and would have took away from the gameplay. When you sat down to play Super Mario Bros. was there a moment when you said "yeah I can go and jump on a turtle, but where's my motivation?" and it was the same with sonic, not at any time did the question of why he needed these rings come up, because it was a collectible item and what do you do with collectible items? That's right, you grab all the fuckers you can while you still had the chance.

GRFS Beta - Looking Good

The GRFS Beta is out and so far, so good. To say the least, it looks awesome. The game already shows us that the maps and gamemodes provide many different environments and gameplay aspects which suit the different classes. So, this game looks to use the classes very well, giving each one equal advantages and disadvantages. The maps use both long, open areas for snipers to provide cover and small, packed objective points to provide a fast paced experience as well.

Series - are they a good idea?

My first true love was Pokemon Yellow for the gameboy color. It was the most iconic thing in my childhood and made it what it was, in fact I still have it hidden away for the day when I finally lose my mind altogether and the only thing I am still capable of doing is mashing buttons and seeing colours. The next couple of generations of pokemon games had me in the same hypnotic, sleep deprived state as the first, up until the remake of the original series. Then I had a sudden realisation that made me quite sad.

Halo 4: Can it carry on Bungie's success?

Halo 4 is set to release on November 6th this year. I for one, am very excited about the next installment of Halo and the beginning of a brand new storyline. But can 343 Industries carry on Bungie's success with the legendary Halo series?

Spec Ops: The Line Preview

A few days ago I got the chance to play a mission from the finished version of Spec Ops: The Line. I was really looking forward to this game, a third person shooter which has you making difficult ethical choices throughout. The concept of having to choose between two things that could have a drastic effect on the game or none at all is something that I really enjoy, especially when I don't know what difference these choices make till much later on.

It's also, as I mentioned before, a third person shooter. I love third person shooters. It's one of my favourite types of game, which is why I was so disappointed with the gameplay. There are some pretty good ideas in there but none of them actually worked quite like they should, especially the aiming. I've played some games with bad shooting mechanics before but every single one could be forgiven because there was so much more to the game, whereas here there just isn't. In the time I played I did nothing but shoot, which was strange for a game that promised regular difficult choices, I didn't have one during the entire session.

The parts I played of the game have made me very sceptical about the overall product. Unless the story makes up for it, or some other change is made later on through the game, Spec Ops is looking like it will be a disappointment.

Why I'm bored of shooters, and why I can't stop playing them

Last September I decided that all modern shooters were just cut and paste copies of each other, so me and two of my friends vowed not to buy any of the new 2011 shooters. My friends both immediately caved into the pressure from everyone and bought them but I stayed strong believing it would pay off in the long run, I'd have saved about £100. But a few months later I ended up going out and buying Battlefield 3, as much as going back on a promise to myself annoyed me, I craved the familiar tension, satisfaction, and rage that all came from this predictable but fun style of game.

The Savior of Tactical Shooters?

Many gamers love to play shooters and so many of them play the arcade shooter that is Call of Duty.  Be it an instalment from Infinity Ward or Treyarch, they are hugely successful and attract hundreds of thousands of people into their online game modes. They are hugely competitive online but are they really tactical?

Ghost Recon: Future Soldier

Tom Clancy is a big name in the tactical shooter world, known for both his Rainbow Six Vegas games and, the series we're here to talk about, Ghost recon. The latest instalment 'Future Soldier' takes the series to a whole new level, where the best tech rules the world of warfare, and teamwork goes hand in hand with survival. Here at Gaming Cow, we're all looking forward to it's release next month and will bring you the review the day after release. So readers, it's time to believe in ghosts.

RTS Reminiscing

Let me take you back to a time when the real time strategy game was truly at it's peak, back to a time when it was a full war with buildings taking place, outposts at choke points, when games took over an hour to finish, and back before it was just a single base in your own area, or it had become little more than controlling a squad from above. I'm talking, quite strangely, about 2004. This year was, of course, the year when Dawn of War was released. This game took WCG by storm, at least in my opinion, and, also in my opinion, is when Sci-Fi strategy peaked. I adored this game, even more than Age of Mythology, one of my all time favourite RTS's. So recently I've decided to get it back out, dust it off, and play some of the same amazing gameplay I would see almost daily all those years ago. I've even got a couple of my friends playing the game again, and nothing has been as much fun recently.

Loading in Progress - schedule change

To get things started, the first few updates will be put up weekly instead of monthly, so expect the next update on the 8th.

Nathan

Gears of War 3 Series

Hey everyone!

We have just finished uploading Gaming Cow - Gears of War Episode One. Check it out!
This will be the first in a a series so keep looking here or on our Twitter for updates on Gaming Cow!

Head to our channel http://www.youtube.com/user/GamingCowProductions

Hope you enjoy it!

Minecraft: Xbox 360 Edition

Minecraft is set to be released for the Xbox 360 on the 9th of May and shall allow many newcomers to experience the amazing game that is Minecraft. The game has been a colossal hit on the PC and is now being ported to the Xbox by 4J Studios. The game is going to be available on the marketplace for 1600 Microsoft Points and be released at the equivalent of version 1.6.6 on the PC. To give you a rough idea of how far behind it is, there won't even be a hunger bar implemented into the game.

With the game being so far between it's PC counterpart there will be no cross platform compatibility at this time but there may well be in the future if Microsoft will allow Mojang and 4J Studios to update the game as much as they are hoping. There has also been talk of Mod and Texture Pack compatibility in the future but this shall not be available for a while so default textures and skins it is for now.

But the reason many people are looking forward to this game is the split-screen feature, which means that up to 4 people will be able to play Minecraft together on one console. You can even then all go online with another group of players with Xbox Live multi-player going up to 8 players. Finally, you and your friends will all be able to fight of mobs and built epic creations from the comfort of your couch. Also it shall be the end of so much lag which curses so many players across the world, especially when they are hosting servers for their friends. The Xbox will finally see off the majority of the lag and also allow people who do not play or like the keyboard and mouse set up to finally experience Minecraft.

I believe that Minecraft: Xbox 360 Edition is going to be just as awesome as it's PC counterpart and will only get better as more updates and features are made available. So save up your Microsoft Points for May 9th.

Why Borderlands is The Best Game Ever

Yes it is, I don't care who says otherwise or why. They're wrong. This game combined everything that made gaming great into one package, and even if you didn't enjoy it, you have to admit that it had it all when it came down to what really matters. The opening was what made me realise it did, not immediately, but without the opening scene being that funny I would not have continued long. The four characters all look and sound great, also there is a character for every type of person: Roland. He was the only character one would need to not only complete the game twice over, but also enjoy it. Unfortunately after finishing the second playthrough with him he gets a bit boring, which is where the other characters come into play. Except for Brick, Brick sucked.

These characters were just the beginning, you are instantly submerged in an entertaining and hilarious world full of challenges and ridiculousness, I will admit that there was (almost) one environment that spanned the whole game, and that environment could only be described as brown. Nevertheless, every second was enjoyed and even grinding wasn't a problem, because it was almost non-existent, it was there but usually covered up in pointless side quests, which were hilarious. Any other game that would have you burning insane midgets to death still be a hilarious experience, if a bit dark, but Borderlands manages to make it funny again and again.

The reason I am writing this now is, partly because I now have an article, but mostly because I keep hearing about the sequel and I just can't wait. There is nothing I want to do more than jump back into this insane world for another adventure through its hilarious antics. But what I'm really looking forward to is the new guns, the new environments, the new challenges, the new characters, the new adventure, but most importantly, no Brick.

Loading in Progress

Starting today is the first of our new Articles, "loading in progress", this article will be my view on what's happening in the world of games. I'll be putting these out monthly.


Nathan

We're Back!!!

Helloooooooo readers! after a hell of a long time WE ARE BACK. Sorry for the unexplained absence but our account details were lost in the sands of time never to return... except they did. Look forward to more posts shortly!!!