Tuesday, 1 December 2009

Random Ramblings of a Video Games Blogger : Are New Games All The Same?

 Mirror's Edge Screenshot

Being 14, I am still in full time education and when I'm travelling to and from the place I've nicknamed "Beelzebub's Lair", I have a lot of time to ponder random thoughts (much like Russell Brand's Ponderland but with less euphemisms and WAY less hair!). Today, I was sat on the epically slow bus that I catch to school everyday and I was staring out of the window (with a blank look on my face of course!) when I happened to see 3 of the same make of car zoom past. All 3were different colours but it did get me thinking, "are we seeing the same video games all the time but with miniscule variations?". There's a reason that Call of Duty: World At War was such a commercial flop in comparison to its predecessor, it was because developers Treyarch didn't bring anything new to the table. Modern Warfare was innovative and imaginative and that's why it was so successful. The likes of DICE's Mirror's Edge really pushed the boundaries of video game development as a "first-person free-running combat" concept had never been made before. While the game didn't do as well as DICE and publishers EA had hoped it did give many other developers the courage to create original IP's. So, as gamers we can only hope that more of there "out-there" games are produced in the future.

Monday, 30 November 2009

5 Top Tips : How to Pwn n00bs in Modern Warfare 2’s Online Modes

Modern Warfare 2 Multiplayer Screenshot

Image courtesy of Kotaku


Like many of my fellow online gamers, I have spent approx. every waking hour (besides school etc.) playing
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2! Within one day after release I had completed the game's main story mode but
from there I headed online, where the real Modern Warfare's at. Now I'm gonna be honest, I'm no "l33t" player
when it comes to MW2's online modes but having been ruthlessly killed by so many other player so many times
means that I have picked up some great tips & tricks on how to rack up a huge killstreak! Check 'em out below.

1.Get Low


Do you know how many times I was killed by the same guy today? 6! Within a space of 3 minutes he had made
me respawn 6 times! Now you're probably thinking to yourself "why on Earth didn't she just kill this crazy fool!?"
well I tried and failed. Each and every time I set up my aim to look around pump a few rounds into this n00b I was
killed! But then, the 6th time that I respawned, it hit me, the reason that he'd been able to avert my beady eyes
was because he'd been lying down. This simple feat can keep you easily hidden and provided that you lay fairly
still you can kill your enemies, undetected.

2. Stay Frosty


If you completed the story mode, chances are that you have, you will have heard one of your trusty comrades tell
you to "stay frosty". Now there's no literal translation for the saying (so don't Wikipedia [LINK] it) but what it basically
means is that you should keep an eye out. Every step you take, every move you make, take a look around as you
never know who might be running around like a mad-thing! Seriously, this really works,the amount of times I've watched
the kill cam playback to see that I was killed by a player who was just randomly aiming down his sights was unreal!

3. Find Your Nook & Cranny


In every game, online or off you will find that games often have a series of "nook & crannies". If you're reading this
and are confused then it's OK, you don't understand because you're not British. In the UK, particularly in England, we
use the phrase "nook & cranny" to categorise a small gap or space. By "find your nook & cranny" what I mean is that
you should find a place to hide in different maps, a place where you can easily kill people without being seen and is
difficult to gain access to without the proper know how. Your own little hide-out!

4. No Distractions!


Trust me. Got an annoying little brother or a delicious packet of Cheetos that is in your hand, just begging for your
undivided attention? Just ignore it! When you bought MW2 from your local GameStop or GAME store (Steam?) little
did you know, you enrolled. In the fictional "army" army of course, but you still fight wars (against hackers?). There is no room for distractions and you will find that you will kill more d00ds when the game has your full attention. 

*HINT* ~ look for enemies that are standing still with a blank look on there face = person on the other end has got
the munchies and abandoned them for packet of crisps (chips to you lot in the U.S).

5.Jump,Duck & Weave!!


Yeah that's two exclamation marks so you know that I'm serious! Being shot at? No you idiot! Not in a straight line!
Do you know how easy it is to shoot people running in a straigh line?Answer~Very. If someone is popping caps in
yo' a** run like hell, jumping about like a mad thing will make it impossible for them to hit you as will weaving. However, if
all else fails find that nook or cranny (see above) and duck!


*HINT* ~ the Marathon perk will help with the whole "running like the wind" thing.


*BONUS TIP*~ if a pop up shows up on screen saying "Nuclear Bomb at Base in x amount of seconds" there is LITERALLY
nothing that you can do!!!!!! Don't duck, don't dive  , don't even head for that nook or cranny (srsly just read the whole article!).
There's no solution. In "x amount of seconds" every player on the map will be obliterated and it will be announced that your
team has lots. Dramatically. But don't worry the nuclear bomb is worth a 25 killstreak and is virtually impossible to get.

Happy Holidays! 
X Jasmine :D


 

Sunday, 29 November 2009

MAG Beta Code Competition!!!!!

MAG Paratrooper Screenshot

MAG Paratrooper Screenshot via Joystiq

Have you ever heard of a little game called MAG? Sony’s little online gem is online only and boasts 256 player matches of FPS warfare all for your enjoyment. As of current the game is in beta and everyone wants a slice, including myself. A competition on the video games website Platform Nation was offering a chance to nab one of these much wanted beta codes and what do you know I entered an won(: D)! However, when I logged onto the PlayStation Network and entered my code I was told that it was invalid ( :( ). Anyway, I did a bit of research online and discovered that codes to the beta only work if you are a resident of North America. Now, being a resident of the UK I thought “what use is this code to me?” but then I had a fantastic idea! I could offer you guys the chance to win my beta code!

It’s a very simple competition and there are only a few things you have to do to be up for a chance of winning:

You can either

  • Leave a comment below saying why you should win

or

  • Head on over to Twitter and leave me a tweet saying “I want to win that MAG Beta Code” with the hastag  #SFN and the @ reply of @Jasmino924 (my Twitter username)

 

Alternatively, if you’re feeling a little low-tech you can always send me an e-mail at  GamingLowdown@hotmail.co.uk with “SFN MAG Beta Code” in the subject line.

Good l uck!

RE: Relaunch of System Fail News!

Hello everyone, my name is Jasmine, but you can call me Jasmino :D I first created System Fail News at the beginning of the year, as you can see from the archives. However, since then I have left the blog and gone on to create 2 more. Now you’re probably thinking “why should we believe that  she’s not going to leave the site again?” , well I’ll tell you why ; because after writing for my other two sites (both of which I have deleted) I have seen how I can improve my blog writing completely and now that I am back at System Fail News I know exactly what I want for the blog and how I can make it better . This why I have chosen to relaunch the site with even better posts and features to wow you all!

Now that the formal introduction and what not is out of the way  let me explain to you what the site is about!

I plan to make System Fail News a hub for all things to do with video games ; news & reviews , cool gaming products and previews of new games too , so check up on the site regularly to see all of the great posts that I will be putting on the site soon!

From Jasmine.

Monday, 17 August 2009

?????

I'm curious, what games are you readers looking forward to? Leave comments!

Thursday, 16 July 2009

What are YOUR top picks?

The other day I said that I would be relaunching the site with increased interactivity being one of SFN's new features. Thiseans that want to know what YOU the READERS are thinking. I want to know whatthoughs are about video games, past or present, your favorite video game character, basically whatever! Right now I'm kicking this brand new wave of interactivity by asking you guys what games you are all looking forward to. Leave comments to tell me your thoughts on some upcoming titles :D

What games are you looking forward to?

Leave comments!

Wednesday, 15 July 2009

I Just Couldn't Stay Away

I know that I said I was shutting down the blog, well I am a woman of many words and I have an awful lot to say and so I will post something new from time to time.

Though having said that I will need you guys to go all in :D Post commments and the like take a look at ads. Remember this isn't just a blog it's a community where gamers acrosss the world can discusss whatever the feel like (as long as its video game related!).

If you have something to say about games, send me an e-mail at gaminglowdown@hotmail.co.uk with System Fail News in the subject line and maybe I might post it!

Keep an eye for new posts comming soon

Jasmino924 :D