Monday, August 4, 2008

Currently Not Playing: Black

I've given up on it. The complete inability to save during a level has been a dealbreaker for me. I wouldn't mind if I could save at a checkpoint, but no, the developers have decided that I can only save when I complete a level. Which means that I'm having to repeat tons of the bloody game because I don't always have the opportunity to replay from a checkpoint, which necessitates me turning the damn game off and restarting the level next time.

This Weekends Hiking - Ranskill and Area

We started out from Daneshill Nature Reserve, which offered a modest free car park, so that was a bonus. From there we walked out over some of the Millenium Pathway, which turned out to be less than impressive over most of the walk. Now I knew from the outset that the majority of the 7.5 mile walk was along country lanes, but I didn't expect them to lead past so many industrial estates fringed with razor wire, and the final entry to the back of the nature reserve - down an access road for a scrap yard - was uninspiring and poorly signed. Can't recommend the walk at all.

Friday, August 1, 2008

Currently Playing: Black

I'm not normally a huge fan of the FPS genre, my twitch reflexes are no longer up to it, but this one plays really well. It follows the Halo inspired limit of 2 guns, which forces you to make weapon choices without prior knowledge of the level, although the AK47 is my favorite, combining the sniping ability for the distance stuff, and the full-auto mode for up-close and personal. The AI is a little dumb, enemy soldiers consistently walking the same path, even when you're trying to cap them with a headshot, but it's entertaining. Allies seem to work extremely well, whether providing sniper cover during an advance, or as part of a combat team. The only thing that I feel lets the game down is the lack of save ability during a level. It's not always convenient to complete the level to save, and in fact several times I've just had to switch off part way through.