Wowee! It's been quite a while since I posted anything worthy of reading on the site (about 2 weeks) and for that, readers, I am really sorry. Late Spring/Summer is always rubbish time for blogging, for me anyway, as I end up with thousands of exams and then I have to revise and prepare so that I don't fail them all. Epically.
While exams, revising and just general school stuff has been taking up all of my time, that's not the real reason that I've been AWOL from the site. If any of you reading this follow me on Twitter, you'll know that a few weeks ago, my parents gave me the go ahead for a new site, about video games, just like SFN, that will have a proper '.com' web address and have a half-decent theme! It's going to cost a bit of money, hence the reason I've been asking you all to look at the ads etc. but I've been planning and anticipating the creation of said new blog for quite a while so hopefully all goes to plan!
I know that my About Me page says that I'll never leave the blog but strictly speaking that isn't what's happening, I'll just be making the site a heck of a lot better, as well as making it way more professional. Right now I'm trying to come up with names for the site, with no luck whatsoever as all of the generic names have been taken and my ability to be creative seems to have evaportated like a jug of water on a hot day! :(
The brainstorming process for the new site is going quite well but if you want to see anything in particular on the new site, please check out my Contact page and get in touch!
I'll be keeping you all posted about the new site as I get closer to launching it so keep checking out SFN, but for now,
Keep On Gaming!
From Jasmine :D (Jasmino924)
Sunday, 30 May 2010
Sunday, 16 May 2010
5 Big Changes in Little Big Planet 2
Little Big Planet 2 Announcement Trailer via me on YouTube
Before you ask, the amazing music in the trailer is Sleepyhead by Passion Pit!
Do you own a PS3? Raise your hand. Do you also own Little Big Planet? Actually, that’s a stupid question, because if you own a PS3, of course you own Little Big Planet! Although it was out way back in 2008, everyone still plays it and as of their May issue, the Official PlayStation Magazine (UK) has titled it the 3rd most essential game for PS3, after Uncharted 2 and Modern Warfare 2, both of which were sequels so it certainly says something that an original IP is that awesome!
We’ve been hearing snippets of info and rumours for months now (oh, those pesky rumours!) but it was finally confirmed the other day by Sony and Media Molecule that the game that all PS3 owners loved and that all Xbox 360 owners were jealous of, is getting a sequel. Not convinced that there should be another outing to the wild world of all things creative? Well, to convince you, I’ve gone to the liberty of rounding up the 5 biggest changes to Little Big Planet 2, a game that will not only be better than the original, but will blow all the other games out of the software sea.
1. Creation On a Bigger Scale
What made most of us buy the first game, was that Little Big Planet allowed us to “Play.Create & Share” and anyone who bought the game could design levels, outfits and even bad guys to go against. We were given full creative reign with people designing levels in which you could ride snowmobiles, get set on fire and I even played a level that was a game show from TV! Obviously LBP (1&2)’s developer, Media Molecule is eager to allow us gamers to be more creative and design even more outrageous things and with an improved ‘Popit’ (Sackboy’s inventory) we will now be able to make our own music, direct cinema masterpieces as well as create bigger, badder enemies to face-off against. Imagine going into an art studio and being given a blank canvas and all of the art tools in the world to work with, that’s what I envision Little Big Planet 2 to be like.
2. Massively Improved AI
The game’s website cites that LBP2 will feature “Intelligent Machines, Bosses,Puzzles & Vehicles” , not so different from the original Little Big Planet in which you could create any gizmo or ‘creature’ (now called Sackbots) each with its own ‘brain’ too. It seems that what Media Molecule has done, is that they’ve taken the system used to create the ‘brains’ as well as the mechanics that went into building vehicles etc. and they’ve simplified it to make it easier for us all to be more creative! This is a welcome change in my opinion because while I, like most people, did try my hand at level building in the first game, I never attempted to build any bots or cars because the whole system of how to do so baffled me. I guess you could say the “System Failed” ha! Do you get it?! Sorry, that was terrible…
3. The Game Itself Is Bigger
The first game was a blank slate. It’s taken up to now, almost 2 years after its release for users to come up with 2 million levels for each other to play but now that the first game has shipped and a sequel is on the way (Winter 2010) we will have not only the millions more levels to be created but we’ll also have every single one of the user created levels from the original Little Big Planet to play too! Not only that, as the announcement trailer above showed, we’ll be able to build whole entire sagas which means that we cannot just create fun but we can create great stories too. The kind of story that you’ll want to read to your child at night “…and then Sackboy jumped up and defeated the evil Sackbot and the entire Sack kingdom was saved!” Or something like that.
4. Hugely Game-Changing Power-Ups
To quote the song ‘Oh My God’ by the Kaiser Chiefs - “come back faster than a powered up Batman” it seems that that’s exactly what Little Big Planet 2 is aiming to do, with actual power-ups! So far, Media Molecule has announced that LBP2 will feature : a grappling hook and jump pads, to give Sackboy a spring in his step! The Little Big Planet 2 website says, on the subject of power-ups, “We’ve also got a few surprises up our fashion-conscious sleeves, so watch out!” which is a confirmation, straight from the MM team that LBP2 will feature even more nifty power-ups which shall be revealed soon. Personally, I am eager as ever to find out what other power-ups the MM team have in-store for us because with these cool in game tools, we can really change the way a level plays out as well as what our fellow gamers can do with it. Unlike some power-ups that just feel tagged on at the end of development, it sounds like LBP2 will actually bring us some awesome things to play with that actually make sense!
5. Colossal Amounts of Potential!
As the trailer that is posted at the top of this post says that Little Big Planet 2 won’t just but a ‘platform game’ but will actually be a ‘platform FOR games’. In the video there’s footage of a few in-game, in-games (!) that the MM team have created to show us the types of things that we’ll be able to make in LBP2. With the knowledge that we'll be able to create OUR own games, it suggest that there’ll be a massive amount of potential as not only will each game created have a story, it will also be unique, as created by the player. Even if you get bored of Little Big Planet 2 (which is not likely to happen) you’ll still be able to create your own fun, just the way you want it. Plus, the level designer in the original Little Big Planet, was said to be ‘an open door for young developers’ in which young people, like myself, who are interesting in the games industry could try their hands at level design. Well now, budding game developers, have a go at building your own games too!
By Jasmine Henry (Jasmino924)
*NOTE* – would you like to see more cool trailers and more great features like this one? Please look at (and possibly click on) the ads on the site to help SFN become even better and to keep it alive!
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Comment Questions
1. What did you love/hate in the first game?
2. What power-ups would you like to see in LBP2?
Saturday, 15 May 2010
Call of Duty : Black Ops Teaser Trailer , I Was Right!
COD Black Ops Teaser Trailer via me on YouTube
For any regular readers of SFN or those of you who’ve read my About page, you’ll know that I’m 14 years old, which means that I am still in school and at the moment I am studying my backside off trying to prepare for all of my exams. As a result my schoolwork takes up most of my time which equals a lot less blogging but never fear (!) as I am still here ready to bring you gaming content that will knock your socks off and rock your world!
Today, I bring you the teaser trailer for the game that everybody, including me, is talking about, Call of Duty : Black Ops! This trailer wasn’t released too long after my article revealing the game’s plot and I hate to be big-headed, but I think it was all down to my investigating and all that… I’m very glad to see that this isn’t just another ‘generic 1940…’ game because we all know how fun they are! Seriously, if a developer releases another WW2-era shooter in the next 12 months, I’ll probably buy it, however, I will promptly smash it to pieces, burn the fragments and throw whatever’s left out the window! Ahem , mini-rant over, it will be really interesting too find out if Treyarch can become the new ‘Alpha-Dog’ and take over the huge incredi-sized gap that Infinity Ward left behind.
*NOTE* – As I’ve already said on Twitter, I have great idea for a gaming website. It will be even better than SFN and will be community driven (it will help gamers and ask for your input etc…). My problem is that I don’t have enough money to set up the site, so if you want to see more excellent gaming videos and read some more awesome articles on gaming, please look at (and possibly click on) the ads on the site. Thanks!
Written By Jasmine Henry (Jasmino924)
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1. Do you think Treyarch can become the next Infinity Ward
2. Will Call of Duty: Black Ops be a slice of gaming heaven or an utter and total disaster?
Saturday, 8 May 2010
April Poll Results, Competition Winner Announced & More!
Here’s a thank you note before I kick off this post: I’d just like to say thank you very much to anyone who entered the Modnation Racers competition or voted in the monthly poll, I love it when readers interact with the site, it’s nice to know that some of you care enough to participate!
Last month I asked you avid readers of SFN whether or not you’ll be buying Nintendo’s latest handheld gizmo, the 3DS, which is set to be like the original DS but with some super special 3D graphics that will make our jaws drop and put money in Nintendo’s pocket. April’s poll got more votes than March’s which I was glad to see because I was really curious of the outcome of this one, and I have to tell you that I was rather surprised.
Since 2004 Nintendo have released the original Nintendo DS, the DS Lite, the DSi as well as the DS XL all of which have left more than enough holes in our pockets, you know that space where money should be but isn’t? Most of us have bought at least one DS in its 6 years of release, maybe even more if the screen popped off (which was prone to happen) and I had thought that you’d all be eager to buy the next instalment of the console but as the poll results showed, more than half of you (60%) voted ‘NO’ to say that you wouldn’t be buying the Nintendo 3DS though the other 40% of you who voted ‘YES’ to say that you would be buying a Nintendo 3DS can have fun with your terrible 3D-induced headaches and your blurry eyesight!
This month I’m asking you “What do you think about Sony’s Motion Controller?” You’ve probably read about ‘Sony Move’ everywhere, on Twitter, on TV and maybe even in the newspaper! Vote on your opinion of it in this month’s poll, over there –> –> –> –> –>
Next up I’m announcing the winner of the contest I held on SFN to win a Modnation Racers (PSP) Demo Code! Basically, I got sent an ‘early access’ code for the demo of Modnation Racers on PSP, however, I couldn’t redeem it because I live in the UK. Being a good sport, I offered readers (and Twitter users) in North America a chance to win. After using Twitrand (a very useful website) to randomly choose a winner, @koone23 won! Congrats, I shall be DMing you the demo code shortly and for everyone else who entered and didn’t win, I’m sure that more codes that are useless to me will show up in my E-mail inbox soon!
For a heads up on all of the latest SFN happenings as well as lots of ReTweeted, gaming goodness, you can follow me @Jasmino924 on Twitter!
Ok, ok, I’ll admit it, the “&more” featured in the post title is that I need your help! If you want to see more awesome posts about gaming and if you’d like to have the chance to win more cool gaming prizes, I’m going to need you to look at the ads on the site. The ads keep SFN running and while I love writing for you all, it may become difficult if I don’t have ‘.com’ web address instead of the’.blogspot.com’ site that I’m working with. By looking at and clicking on the ads on the site (if they catch your eye) not only can you help me to improve the layout of the site as well as motivate me to write even more great articles, you could also ensure that your favourite video game blog (is it?) never goes away (at least, not for a while) as I’ve heard about ‘.blogspot.com’ websites being randomly deleted for no reason! I would really appreciate your help readers, even if you only click on one ad, it would still mean a lot to me, I mean for crying out loud (!) it makes me happy when you leave comments! (<—the way to my heart if anyone cares ;D )
Keep On Gaming!
Written by Jasmine Henry (Jasmino924)
*NOTE* – Don’t have a Twitter page but want to contact me? Go to my Contact Page to find out how!
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Saturday, 1 May 2010
Modnation Racers Demo Code Competition!
I buy a red car. Hmm, wrong shade of red… How about a more rosy colour? Aah that’s better! Now what about me, I need to change my hair, my clothes and even my accessories! The chances are that none of you have conducted a whole wardrobe change just because of the colour of the car you’re in, for a start, most of us don’t have the time. It takes me 15 minutes just to pick a pair of shoes! Which is worrying because I only have 3 pairs to choose from…
With Modnation Racers, the new racing sim for PS3 and PSP, you get the chance to customise everything. It combines the best of Little Big Planet’s customisation and level design with Mario Kart's weapons and wackiness. It has the same old boost pads and jumps that you might see in any other cartoony kart-racer and then just turns it up to 11 (maybe even 12 on a good day!). If Gran Turismo 5 isn’t for you and you’d rather play a more laidback game, then Modnation Racers is for you.
It was officially announced for PS3 but it has been confirmed for release on the smaller-screened PSP too. I got sent a beta code from Sony for an early access code the the demo, though being in the UK, the code doesn’t work for me so I thought that I’d host a competition for any readers in the US of A to get a chance to win it!
All you have to do is first, follow me on Twitter @Jasmino924 and ReTweet this message:
“RT @Jasmino924 ReTweet this for a chance to win a Modnation Racers demo code! Visit http://bit.ly/6VyntS for more details! #SFNComp”
I’ll be announcing the winner on the 7th of May and I’ll DM the winner the code so remember to RT before then.
US Readers only! Sorry folks :(
Get ReTweeting!
*NOTE* – Modnation Racers will be released for both PS3 and PSP on May 25th, you can pre-order it from Amazon using the widgets in the sidebar –> –> –> –> –>
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Monday, 26 April 2010
SFN EXCLUSIVE : First Details of the New Call of Duty!
As I have stated both here and here, I am always on the hunt to bring you the latest and greatest info from the wonderful world of gaming, as well as all of the hottest exclusives that I know you all dream about! Today I have the biggest exclusive that you awesome readers of SFN have ever read : the very first details of the new Call of Duty! Rumours about COD games float about more frequently than the cold, but this time I can bring you this bit of juicy gossip that I am 85% sure is correct. I know, I know that leaves a 25% chance of error but my knack for investigative journalism as well as my gut, tells me that this is a bona fide piece of news that you will love!
If you’re a frequent reader of the site or if you follow me on Twitter (if you do, thanks!) then you’ll know that I read the Official PlayStation Magazine (@OPM_UK on Twitter) every single month and the very first games that I ever played were demos on PS1 which came with the magazine plus, I’ve been buying the mag for years. In this month’s issue which features EA’s Medal Of Honour on the cover (now on sale!) they have a full page poster ad stating that they’ll be revealing the new Call Of Duty, which will be developed by Treyarch, next month. Not wanting to wait until next month for the info, I scoured every page of the mag, from cover to cover, hoping for a tidbit of news about the new game. However, my search was unsuccessful until I went right back to the ad for next month’s issue.
The ad shows a simple image of a grenade, with no other suggestions about the game. So, using my instincts I headed to Forestle (an eco-friendly search engine) and did a few searches for “Grenades” , just to see the look of similar grenades. As expected, my search came up with tons of grenades that looked just like this and so I refined my search to “Vietnam Grenades” (because I’d heard the rumours) and by George, did I nab this exclusive!
My searching turned up an image form the site ioffer , which was offering a lot of war memorabilia for sale, including guns and grenades. The grenades that were shown were described a being used “during the Vietnam War” which, if you didn’t know was one of the battles fought during the Cold War between 1959 – 1975 and took place in Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos. You can see that the grenades form the mag and the site are almost identical and they both have long ‘scratch-like’ indentations going from the top to the bottom which only helps to prove my point even further. Also, these types of ‘lemon hand grenades’ were used by the US Army at the time which could indicate the chance to play as a US Army soldier for the umpteenth time (!) when Treyarch’s new take of the Call of Duty series is released.
Thank you for reading this, and if you’d like to support the site and encourage me to search for even more awesome exclusives, please take a look at the ads on the site (above the heading). I really do appreciate it!
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1. What other places would you like COD to be set?
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Saturday, 17 April 2010
Skate 3’s Improved Hall of Meat is Brutal!
Skate 3 Hall of Meat video via me on YouTube
Just when you all thought that you’d got lucky and I’d abandoned the blog, here I am back with a kick-ass trailer for Skate 3’s improved (and upgraded) Hall of Meat mode which is back from the original games. I’ve been playing a lot of Skate 2 recently as playing the ‘prequels’ is something I like to do before a sequel is released, just to remember why I loved (or hated) the series in the first place! What I’ve noticed from some footage I’ve seen of Skate 3 not just in my, admittedly poor quality videos, but in the screenshots floating about the interweb too, is that the graphics have improved from the 2nd game by a heck of a lot. It frustrates me that EA does this quite often, release a game with pretty rubbish features, release a sequel the following year with everything from the first game miraculously fixed but yet the sequel has brought with its release a whole host of new problems that can be fixed with another sequel. It’s what me and some of my fellow gamer buddies have labelled as the “sequel cycle” (patent pending) where publishers release sequel after sequel and so on. EA have a history of doing this with games such as the Need For Speed series but I feel that with Skate 3 everything has improved, the graphics, the physics and the career and multiplayer modes in which you have to sell loads of your own skateboards and create teams of skaters with your friends, these are all drastically ‘redone’ and the game looks all the better for it. The Hall of Meat is practically a different mode all together though the bails and the bone-cracking madness are still at the core. I really like what they've done, creating designated areas for Hall of Meat challenges as well as the option to rearrange your skeleton with a friend. I’m planning on writing a 7 questions review later in the week for the demo which I am downloading as I write this (a review that I might not get round to) but at the moment it looks like Skate 3 is going to be a recipe for delicious skating mayhem as opposed to just, plain, mayhem.
*NOTE* – at some point over the week (maybe next week) I will be posting a HUGE REVEAL about the upcoming Call of Duty game. You seriously don’t want to miss it. Keep visiting SFN for the next week to find out more.
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1. Are you fed up of sequels or do you absolutely love them?
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