The Final Year Project, Episode 2: Progression

I am back with an update into how the FYP is coming along.

I have been filming most of the scenes last week for the practical piece and I plan to have all the recording done for this or next week. Which will give me enough time to edit, render, upload and write up everything I need to be doing.

Here are a few of the videos I have rendered and uploaded thus far to give you guys an idea as to how the narrative is going to work out. The interactive portions wont be working as of this post but keep an eye out as to when I'll be looking for people to beta test the narrative upon it's completion. Have fun guys and I'll catch you later!

The Final Year Project: Episode 1, An Introduction

Hello everyone and welcome to a series of blog posts covering my progress with my Final Year Project (FYP) at University.

For my FYP I am covering the question "Does Narrative Help or Hinder the Video game?".
Now the question itself cannot be answered as a straight forward yes or no, it is more of a discovery as to where to see the majority of gamers lie.

In this project I will be looking into the opinions of professionals, in-industry developers, renowned gamers and the average day gamer. After receiving the opinions from these audiences, I will be able to sum up roughly where the majority of the gaming community lie on the matter of Narrative.

Some of the bigger names I aim to get responses/information from are:

Espen J Aarseth
Espen is known as a ludologist within gaming and is a true believer in mechanics over story. It's not that he does not like story entirely, far from it, his debate on the matter of Narrative helping or Hindering games is down to how the games narrative structure is built. In one of Aarseth's recorded lectures he goes on as to how Half Life 2 has a better narrative structure than that of World of Warcraft due to it's simple linear, mechanic driven structure rather than an open world, multi-bridged structure.
In my opinion, I believe Aarseth is missing out on the bigger picture of Narrative by staying with this idea. Many games that have a strong narrative are RPG's or MMORPG's where the reoccurring problem in game narrative keeps coming from the linear stories of most FPS's. After talking to a few gamers about their opinions on what makes a better Narrative, most of them came out saying that RPG's have a stronger narrative due to the choices they give to the player. These include dialogue options, side quests, open world scenarios and the choice to do what you want. They also came out saying how recently with FPS's how some games in the genre have pasted on narrative due to their concentration being set on non-story driven multi-player.
There are more things about Aarseth I do wish to go into however this is a little look into what Espen truly believes when it comes to the world of Narrative in games.

Obsidian Games
Obsidian have a great history of creating well thought out, story driven quest lines. Most of their work spans from one of my personal favourite series of games, Fallout. The post apocalyptic world, based off of the novel 'The Road', is a great and immersive environment that has spanned many games over it's time. The most recent addition, Fallout: New Vegas, was seen as an unsuccessful sequel to the very well anticipated Fallout 3. However in my eyes, although there were problems within the game, the narrative held up and proved to be one of the strongest aspects of the game.
I would like to get a hold of Obsidian in some way so that I can ask of them what they thought of Narrative within New Vegas as well as the other games in the industry today. Obsidian stands to me as a great company when it comes to building narrative in games, so hearing from them would be both a great pleasure and a great insight.

Blizzard Entertainment
Now when it comes to building Narrative there is one company that stands out, Blizzard. The guys behind the great Warcraft RTS games and the world renowned World of Warcraft MMO that has shown much success over the years. The company knows what it takes to create both an immersive world and an in-depth narrative, even when it comes to Transmedia storytelling.
The trick that Blizzard has up it's sleeve when it comes to narrative in WoW is that it has made use of multiple forms of story telling. For those that wish to get more in depth with the lore of the world they have a choice to look into the RTS games that explain the lead up to WoW & the expansions and there is also an array of books spanning around the world to go in depth into stories or into the races themselves such as the Pandarens in the newest expansion 'Mists of Panderia'.
By getting a hold of Blizzard I would be able to receive some great insight into the world of Narrative within games and be able to see whether the company believes that Narrative in game helps or hinders the final product.

Those are a few names that I look into getting in touch with in the near future when writing up my dissertation. I plan to get a hold of as many people and companies as possible from many different forms of contact so that I can get a firm idea on where the people stand on the question I'm trying to answer.

I hope you've enjoyed reading this instalment of my FYP progress, be sure to keep an eye on the blog as I will be updating it with how the project is going in the near future.

Until then, this is That Guy With The Trilby.....Signing Off.

My Top 10 Games To Look Forward To In 2013!

Howdy ladies and Gents and happy new year to you all!
Now as we are in 2013 I think it's time we look forward to the games of the year. Many people will have different tastes and different things they are looking forward to this year so in no way is this a professionally analysed list. These are my personal choices and heck it might even enlighten you to a game or two you haven't heard of. So without further ado let's take a look at my top 10 games to look forward to in 2013!

10: Capcom's Next Megaman Game

Capcom have come out recently stating that they are planning to release a very special game for the blue bomber this year in celebration of the characters anniversary. 2012, in my opinion, was not a good year for Megaman. First there was the scandal involving why he was not included in the roster of MvC3 or UMvC3 either in base game or DLC, then there was the funny but in some peoples eyes disappointing cameo of Megaman in Street Fighter X Tekken and lastly a game that was released with no advertising what so ever was swept under the radar of most fans, Street Fighter X Megaman. This game stayed true to the old Megaman style of gameplay but instead of involving Wily's robot master's it involved instead Street Fighter Characters such as Ryu, Chun Li & Blanka. I do suggest checking it out as it is both a great game and challenging. Plus the music that splices Megaman stage music with Street Fighter stage music is fantastic.
The reason why it isn't higher on my list is because the game itself has not been confirmed and plus the whole accusation of Capcom's DLC practices are still out in the open so we can only hope that the blue bomber gets a game worthy for him in 2013.

9: Kingdom Hearts 1.5 HD Remix

Now if you know me, you would know I frigging love Kingdom Hearts. It is a series that has captivated me alot over the years. Before the end of 2012, Square Enix released a trailer for Kingdom Hearts 1.5 HD Remix. This game will include the HD revised versions of Kingdom Hearts Final Mix, that has never had a proper western release, & Kingdom Hearts Re:Chain Of Memories. As well as this it was also announced that Kingdom Hearts 358/2 days would also be included in the collection. Many people have speculated that it will only appear as HD refined cut-scenes and not as a playable game but it has yet to be announced by the developers. This collection of some of the more classic games in the series has taken fan bases by storm and rumours have already been going around speculating that Square Enix will also be doing a remix collection for the other Kingdom Hearts games too.
It sadly doesn't go any higher on my list because we don't know if the game will even be released to western audiences in Europe and America. If it doesn't however people can still import the game since it is on PS3 but for it to be properly localised for western audiences would show that Square obviously cares about what the fans want. Cross fingers for this hopeful title.

8: Company of Heroes 2

With more factions, more units, more maps, more gameplay and more pure awesomeness, the sequal to one of the best RTS's in recent times looks incredible. My friend who introduced me to the original game loves the series as it takes a unique twist to RTS and stands out on it's own in comparison to the more advertised games in the genre. The game is promising to be 10x more brilliant than the original and I think I can safely say that it is shaping up to be just that.
Sadly It is not higher up on my list because there are games I am looking forward to more than this one. This doesn't mean that CoH2 is bad, it just means that I am looking forward to other games over this one.

7: Starcraft 2: Heart of the Swarm

Now since I am a huge RTS fan, how can I go about the new year of gaming without looking forward to the second in trilogy of Starcraft games, Heart of the Swarm. Originally I was very hesitant with getting the game after having people constantly force me into ranked ladder matches and to keep up with my matches in order to stay ranked in a ladder when all I wanted to do was enjoy the game and go into a match without having to worry about ladders and rankings. Luckily HotS is looking to continue the story of Wings of Liberty, continue to provide support for the modding community and has finally decided to rid themselves of the region lock that made me get two copies of the first game upon its release just so I can play with my European and American friends.
It is not higher on my list due to a similar reason to that of CoH2. There are games I am personally looking forward to more than this but it in no way makes me think that this game is bad.

6: Grand Theft Auto V

We have waited patiently, Rockstar have been hinting towards it and in 2012 they released it. GTA V is to be released in 2013 and I am stoked for it. From what has already been announced and released about the upcoming title it is looking to take what made GTA the best and elevate it to the next level & also make a new inovation in GTA with the storyline now, by the looks of things, covering the lives of three characters instead of just one. Funny religions, epic car chases, rag doll effects and more will make their return showing that this is going to be a must have this year.
Now the reason GTA V isn't higher on my list is because I have never really been a massive fan of the GTA franchise. I think it is more of a fact that I haven't played the games with friends when I know that the online experience and cooperative things you can do with your friends are just brilliant to experience. My opinions could change upon the games release but for now it stands a firm number six on my list.

5: Watch Dogs

Upon seeing the original gameplay trailer of Watch Dogs I was in awe of how awesome it looked. Being able to hack into peoples phone calls in order to hear what they are talking about, being able to sneak your way into clubs and VIP areas simply by messing around with the technology around the guards and being able to create pile ups and car crashes just by simply controlling the traffic lights on the fly. This game is showing great promise in 2013 and is definitely going to be an IP worth looking into.
Now Watch Dogs isn't higher on my list because I haven't seen much else of it apart from the trailer. I need to find some articles online and read into the game more but for now I can gladly say that I am definitely looking forward to this game and what is coming with it.

4: One Piece Pirate Warriors 2

The first One Piece Pirate Warriors game was released last year and damn was it fun. Taking full advantage of the Dynasty warriors style combat system, the game plays and looks amazing. The graphics keep the game looking like an anime/manga drawn style experience whilst the endless waves of enemies and the ability to play as all the straw hats just put a nice finish to the games overall fun factor. The sequel was announced just before the end of 2012 and it took me by surprise. However I am looking forward to the sequel as it is starting to now include fights that are more in check with the anime and manga as well as show off a few more of the boss fights from the past episodes and spin offs that die hard fans would not hesitate to jump into.
Now One Piece isn't getting any higher on my list because of the next game that has taken the number three spot. Although One Piece is my favourite anime going at this moment in time, the next game on my list just so happens to be one of the most legendary anime of all time.

3: Fist of the North Star: Ken's Rage 2

Now before I talk about the sequel allow me to inform you of my experiences with the original game. The original game was a good game but there were a few things holding it back from being a great game. For one the gameplay felt too slow for a Dynasty Warriors style game and the implementations of puzzles just made the game feel more slow and less playful. It felt as if you were being taken out of the fighting alot more than being in the fight and with Fist of the North Star you WANT to fight. I managed to play FotNS:KR2 at the London Comic-Con in October of last year and man was I pleased with what the developers had done. The game felt much faster with the fighting and general moving around, the moves and animations looked more flashy and improved from the original and the enemies are more numerous than ever before. As well as this the roster for the game seems to be amazingly big ranging from everyone's favourite hero Kenshiro to my personal favourite character Falco. The game promises to be a must have for lovers of the anime and is a consideration to anyone that fancies something different this year.
Now sadly It doesn't go higher on my list because the other two games I have been looking forward to way longer than this one. Although it is going to be awesome to split people in two and watch as heads explode, I feel as if the game was announced too late in comparison to the other game releases that have made it higher on this list.

2: Devil May Cry

Now at this point I already know what your probably thinking; 'Oh man, DMC sucks! Dante is a whiny teenager now and he has black hair! The series is dead to me, WAAAA'. Seriously? Your going to complain under the grounds that Dante is a teenager? This is a prequel you know people, this game is trying to show a part of Dante that has never been explained before and I for one am interested as to who Ninja Theory have gone about constructing young Dante's story. The fighting, the weaponry and the awesome enemy battles and boss fights all seem to make a great return to the series, so I personally cannot wait to try out the new Devil Hunter skills that Dante has to offer.
It doesn't get higher on my list because it is sadly not as big as the number one game. Sorry Dante, looks like you'll have to be second best for now.

1: Bioshock Infinite

Oh yeah, this is my number one sought after game of the year, the long awaited sequel to the Bioshock franchise. Bioshock Infinite takes what was built from the original and the sequel and keeps the plasmids and gun firing gameplay that has made the combat of the series. But, as well as adding new guns and plasmids, the games setting has changed dramatically. No more is Bioshock based around the city of Rapture 10,000 leagues under the sea, now Infinite takes the action sky high in a city that floats above the world below. The story promises to be interesting by adding in a co-operative mechanic with your partner who is able to manipulate time around them to bring items from the past back into reality. Everything from the art style to the gameplay has me stocked on this game and I cannot wait to get my grubby, British hands on it. I highly recommend either checking out the game for more info or pre-ordering it now as this will be one of the best games of the year. Also, be sure to check out the collectors edition, it looks like an amazing addition to anyone's collection.

So there you have it, my top 10 games to look forward to this coming year. Of course there are other games I am looking forward to that aren't on this list but tell me, what are you looking forward to this year? Is it a triple A blockbuster you are ready to pre-order or is it a game that not many people might have caught wind about? Why don't you post your most sought after games of this year in the comments below, it would be great to see what you guys are looking forward to.

So until next time, thank you for reading as always, this is That Guy With The Trilby......Signing Off.

A PlayStation Game That Started A Love

Howdy guys, hope your all doing well today.

Today, with this blog post, I wish to share with you guys my experience with one of the first PlayStation (PS1 not PSOne) games I ever owned. This game was one of the best experiences of my young childhood life and after looking back at that game from an older perspective, I can truly say it is a burst of awesome nostalgia. The name of the game is Ape Escape.

Ah yes Ape Escape, this game was truly amazing. A simple platforming adventure game that took it's own unique twist on the genre. How you may ask? By making the core goal of the game to capture all the apes (or monkeys, whatever you want to call them)! In this blog post I will be reviewing the game from my new perspective as well as voice my reasons as to why we should see either a HD Collection of all three classic games or at least a PSN release.

First let's start by talking about the story. The story starts pretty simply, Spike and Buzz, the names of the main characters in the PAL version of the game, are running to meet up with the professor who has been working on a brand new time machine. When they appear at the lab however there is trouble afoot, the monkeys have taken over the professors lab and has tied up the scientist as well as his assistant Katie, also known as Natalie in the NTSC Version. The monkeys seem to be led by this mysterious white monkey that is actually Specter, the little monkey from the amusement park that used to entertain audiences every day. With the help of Specter, all of these monkeys have been outfitted with PiPo helmets that increase their IQ as well as their strength to unimaginable levels. These pesky marsupials manage to start up the time machine and before you know it Specter, the monkeys as well as Spike and Buzz are teleported to different time zones. It is up to Spike to stop the monkeys from creating mischief and stop Specter's plans for world domination.
The story, even today, stands par to some of the other stories of the genre. The characters are developed really well as the game goes on with a few twists coming at the player every so often such as finding out that Specter has mind controlled Buzz to be his loyal and evil servant. Spike is a great lead character, although his voice actor makes him sound very much like a female. His passion for doing the right thing as well as save his friends is something reminiscent of the classic anime series such as Dragonball Z and even the newer anime such as One Piece. Overall the story gets you involved greatly as you cannot wait to get your hands on the evil white warlord.

Now let's talk game play. For it's time it was revolutionary. Released at the time of the first Dual Shock controller, Ape escape took full advantage of the two completely new thumb sticks. The right thumb stick would control Spike as the left would control your weapons whether you swing your stun rod, spin your radar around your head or even drive around a little remote controlled car. Combining this new element with the classic platforming antics of jumping, fighting enemies and solving puzzles makes the game a complete game play experience. However, the game play can only be complete thanks to one thing, the net. Without this brilliant gadget, catching monkeys wouldn't be possible at all, but how you can use it is pretty damn awesome. You can simply try your luck at running up to a monkey and swinging your net hoping to get him but sometimes the most effective method is to be sneaky. Whether it is using the RC Car to grab the attention of the monkey so you can capture them easier or simply flying above your opponent with the propellers so that you can simply drop down from above to land a very tricky but awesome Ariel capture attack. The diversity of the controls as well as the enemy types, types of monkeys and the puzzles make this game play experience that needs to be played to be truly believed.

One final thing to be brought up would have to be Specter himself. I have to say that he is one of my favourite video game villains. Why? It's simply a combination of his power, his need to take over the human race, his hate for what he has been doing all his life to this point and his fantastic voice actor in the PAL version of the game. It all adds up to make Specter one amazing villain, but of course a villain cant be as bad ass as how he looks. From the beginning of the game you see him in red pants and with a PiPo helmet, not the most intimidating of looks. That is until you next see him when he goes from cute and cuddly to lean and mean. He dawns some armour, a cape and also wears a unique PiPo helmet that increases his powers so much that he can now use his mind as a weapon. His hair is spiked up, his eyes are the kind that stare straight into your soul and the robots he uses to fight spike are just brilliant. Specter is truly one of my top five video game villains.

This is what Specter looks like as of the new Ape Escape anime series going on in Japan.

Okay so we looked at all the parts of the game that make it so awesome, but what score would I give it out of 10. Remeber folks, 1 means that the game was absolutely terrible and shouldn't have even bee created in the first place in it's current state whilst 10 means that the game is perfect in ever way, shape and form. My score to my first ever PlayStation game would have to be a great big 10/10 with my Badge Of Awesomeness!

I only give this badge to the games that have truly taken my breath away and that I can personally recommend to anyone and everyone. This game is truly a gem in the PS1 library and deserves a true HD remake, HD Collection or at least a PSN release. It is currently available on PSN in Japan, however I think it's about time we in the UK got bananas again.

If you have an experience with Ape escape that you would like to share please comment on the post, It would be great to hear what you have to say about this great game.

Until next time, I hope you have enjoyed another one of my Xplosive reviews, this is That Guy With The Trilbe.......Signing Off.

XCOM: Enemy Unknown Review

Howdy all you XCOM operatives. I hope you have all been enjoying the awesome, strategic, turn based, alien extermination extravaganza known as XCOM: Enemy Unknown. If you haven't then you better have a good reason as to why you havn't enjoyed the experience. Here ladies and gents is my review of one of the best strategy experiences I have had in quite some time (ever since being in the End of Nations Beta). I hope today you can just sit back, relax and enjoy my review of XCOM: Enemy Unknown for PS3, Xbox 360 and PC (I have the PC version in case anyone is interested).

Graphics/Art Style
First off lets talk how the game looks. Before we get deep into the subject just know that personally I don't care whether the game looks realistic or looks like a series of blocked out squares, I enjoy a game for its game play (which I'll be sure to get onto in a different part of this review.
XCOM's art style is a little cartoon like however it is pulled off magnificently. Everything from the humans to the scaliest of the alien scum are made out to look both beautiful and intimidating. The armour sets make any soldier go from a standard squad mate into a captain of the masses. Weaponry looks quite delightful in both design and firing particles. I was originally worried there would be little difference between laser and plasma fire, however I was quickly proven wrong by being slapped in the face by green bolts of gelatinous energy in difference to zapping alien hide with precision laser blasts. One massive worry I thought I was going to have was the art style of some of the similar enemy types, such as the Elite Muton, Sectoid Commander, Berzerker and the Heavy Floaters. However there are distinct differences in each model, for example: the Sectoid Commander isn't just a blatant re-texture of the original sectoid model. Instead it has distinctive head designs that go with the commander's mind controlling powers, making him look more like a fully developed sectoid hive mind rather than a simple infantry variant. Everything has gone into consideration with the art style and one of the big art style changes is the XCOM base of operations, dubbed by the Dev's as the 'Ant Farm'. The layout is much different from the original XCOM: UFO Defence but it works. You can see how big your bas has gotten, have a look at the individual people working in the different areas, you can even see a live alien in the containment tank (if you've captured one). Overall the art style is immense and should be enjoyed by all.

Storyline
The narrative is pretty simple to sum up so here it goes: You are put into the position as head of the XCOM Project (referred to as the Commander) and with this assignment it is up to you to both stop the alien forces from overthrowing the earth and understand why they are doing this. The story is pretty damn solid where it relies mostly on immersion to do the work for it. Putting you in command of the project rather than 'insert name here' is a much better approach to main XCOM feel like a more personal experience instead of a role-playing experience. In a weird way you could look at this game as an Alien Defence Simulator, which isn't too far off of what the original was intending. The story progresses with little cut scenes that either occur at random increments in the game or during major moments such as successfully capturing an Overseer or researching the skeleton key. Eventually you learn of the heads of the Alien operation, the Etherials. Once these guys get involved you are on the brink of end game. The ending however is very.......slapped on. It feels as if the Dev's had a firm idea for how the story should end however It was poorly delivered. I'm not going to spoil this for those yet to see the ending but when you do get there you might see what I am on about. The entirety of the narrative is very well put together allowing you to take the major role and allowing the game to become a more personal affair.

Single Player
The single player experience was something I was looking forward to. From everything I had saw previously from Dev walkthroughs and live streams, the single player looked to be a pretty solid remade experience. When I was able to play the campaign I can gladly say that I was not disappointed with what was delivered  The strategic precision and everything that came with it where all there and with more in store than ever before.
Now first lets talk base building, the behind the scenes action if you will. The building of your own personal Ant Farm is a really cool experience. Giving yourself the ability to mine downward into the Earth's crust, excavate building sites and build a variety of buildings from laboratories and workshops to power generators and satellite uplinks. Again this gives you the ability to make this game your own and to mix and match different build orders and combinations to get some really cool designs and profits.
Along with base building there are the three major areas of creation within your base: Engineering  Researching and Recruiting. Engineering allows you to create the high tech weaponry and super armour for going into battle as well as give you the opportunity to look into improving current equipment to make them more potent when out in the field or more efficient within the base. Researching allows you to do just that, research! You'll be able to learn of the aliens motives as well as their biological manifestation and be able to look into making more high tech weaponry and more potent armours for your troops.
Finally we have recruiting. This entails with your squadron of XCOM veterans. You'll be able to kit them all out with the best armour and weapons through out the game as well as send them off for Psi training to see if they are gifted with the ways of the inner mind. Not just do you get the chance to customise your current troops but you also get the chance to hire new troops into your squad if numbers are wearing a bit thin. These three additions do nothing but add to the true feel and attachment of your game play experience, just be sure to keep up with your money allowance.
Now lets get down to the business of the battles. One does not simply go into fights with aliens in XCOM, oh no. There are a few variants on mission types that can randomly happen. These include: VIP extractions, Terror missions, abduction missions, landed space craft, crashed space craft and even alien base infiltration. But the battle are only as good as the men that fight in them so allow me to inform you on the fights themselves. In the battles every trooper in your squad get two turns: a move and an action. This makes it so that the missions can be shorter and you can fit more in. You can however choose to use both of your turns to 'Dash' so that you can cover more ground quickly rather than have to wait after every alien phase to make your next move. Every soldier will eventually gain their own profession and their own ability set to go with it. For example with the heavy you can concentrate on suppression and heavy pinning attacks or you can look into making your heavy the ultimate explosives expert by kitting him out with different sets of rockets and variants of fire power. The negative side to this is that you cannot decide what class you want your soldier to be but it's like as if your soldier has realised his/her passion and so has taken the initiative to become a support, assault or even a sniper.
The battles can go from pretty simple to really hard within a matter of moments. Let me give you one of my scenarios for example. I had a sniper nicknamed 'Odd Job' since the very beginning of the game. He had been in many missions and never had any problems when it came to dealing with sectoids or floaters. However as soon as Mutons came into the mix, 'Odd Job' soon saw himself lying in a pool of his own blood after being assaulted by two flanking mutons with some serious grudges against snipers. With this in mind the game does slap you in the face when it comes to difficulty but you can counter this by being very precise and cautious with your moves. Its not called a strategy game for nothing so use your brain power and you will win!
The overall single player experience was pretty damn good and still is. Im currently on my next play through whilst writing this as I'm slowly gaining the experience and courage to go onto Impossible difficulty with Iron man mode on (Iron man mode make it so that you cannot go back to a previous save since the game will auto save after every major choice made).

Multi player
Multi player in XCOM was something I was not willing to experience at first, mainly due to the original not having any multi player capabilities what so ever. I was under the impression that the dev's would attempt to make a cooperative multi player experience rather than a competitive one since there is room to have a campaign mode or even a skirmish style of mode where its a matter of you teaming up with your friends in order to take out the alien menace, maybe involving the players to take up different regions of the world and then combat different or similar threats. However I was both shocked and awed by the competitive nature that was given to me in the XCOM multi player. The experience gives the player the ability to make an army out of Humans, Aliens or mixed so that you can combat against another team commanded by another player. Choose your troops well however as you have a limited amount of resource points available that allow you to kit out your troops with the armour and weapons of your choosing. The multi player for me was surprisingly a good addition to the game, it posses a different challenge to that of the single player as your kind of playing a game of alien killing chess with your opponent. The only down side to the mode is that there is really no reward for it. No rankings or leader boards show up when you go in or out of the mode and there's not even a variation of game types, there is just the standard mode of going into battle, facing your opponent and killing his squad. This could have been developed further by maybe adding a co-operative mode as well as a competitive mode but for what was on the disc, I truly cannot complain in all honesty.

In conclusion I have to say that XCOM: Enemy Unknown is one great strategic experience to behold. If you have the chance to play it whether that's at a friends house or buying the game then I hope you truly enjoy the experience as much as I have. There are a few clipping errors and bugs here and there with the game but in all honesty non of them take away from the fun you will be having. I look forward to what Firaxis Games do with the franchise in the future whether it is a DLC expansion or a sequel.

XCOM: Enemy Unknown gets from me a 9/10, along with the badge of awesomeness! This is a definite game to get for all you strategists out there and a considerable addition to your collection if your not as much of a strategist as others.

I hope you all have enjoyed the read. This is That Guy With The Trilby..........signing off!

Kingdom Hearts 3: Potential Playable Characters

*Spoiler Warning*

(I will be letting loose some of the plot and storyline from Dream Drop Distance so if you do not want the ending or any part of it ruined for you please do not read)

I am a massive fan of Kingdom Hearts. When the game was first announced I was like many people and felt that this was a joke. A Final Fantasy style of game with Disney characters? You have to admit that does sound a bit iffy from an initial perspective. But like everyone else that picked up the games I just fell in love with them. The story, the characters, the worlds and quite frankly the idea.

Today I make this Blog to talk about who I think we could potentially see as playable characters in the forthcoming and potential end to the Kingdom Hearts series, Kingdom Hearts 3. Lets get this party started!

Character #1: Sora

Now Kingdom Hearts wouldn't even be Kingdom Hearts without Sora. He is the main character that started it all back in Kingdom Hearts 1 and it is pretty much set in stone that we can see him again in the next game. However I hope this time around Sora's character starts to get a little bit more serious. In the Dream Drop Distance he was much more like a damsel in distress rather than an epic hero when it came to the end of the story. So if anything he needs to spend the game re-cooperating and turning into the hero we want him to be. Can we expect any new moves and techniques? I damn well hope so! In the most recent game we saw that Sora had more power over the power of Light, if he can develop his powers with some training then we can see some epic and damn right devastating attacks coming from this spiky haired hero.

Character #2: Riku

If Sora is the character that has the power of both Friendship and Light by his side, then Riku is his polar opposite. Still utilizing on the power of his friends Riku is going to be a formidable force in the next game. His character has progressed really far through the series and I have enjoyed seeing him utilize his powers of the Darkness to defeat his foes, showing that both Light & Dark can be used for justice. Now as of Dream Drop Distance, Riku is the Keyblade Master and now has a lot of new expectations. We could expect new moves, new Darkness powers and potentially a new haircut. Like Sora i just hope there is room in the game for his character to develop further and maybe going through a similar deal as Terra from Birth By Sleep where he contradicts himself as to where he stands in the battle against Light & Dark.

Character #3: Kairi

Okay now here we get to see the badass side of Kairi. In Kingdom Hearts 2 we saw that she could wield a Keyblade, that in itself was awesome and unexpected. Then out of nowhere at the Ending of Birth By Sleep it was shown that Kairi is one of the Guardians of pure light. Now the interesting thing will be what kind of character Kairi will be. I'm expecting her to be a Summoner character like Yuna out of Final Fantasy X. I can picture her having a relatively short range keyblade but have exceptional skills when it comes to using summons. It would also give a reason to bring back Stitch, Mushu, Bambi, Tinkerbell & Genie as Summons plus possibly adding into the mix either more Disney characters as summons or even bring in Final Fantasy summons. Now i would love to see Kairi summoning Bahamut and casting Mega Flare on a boss.

Character #4: Ventus

Ven is an interesting story. So at the end of Birth By Sleep he had successfully destroyed his Darkness counterpart Venitus and the X-Blade. However he was trapped in a weird world, kind of like the world Sora was trapped in when it came to Dream Drop Distance. We last saw Ven with a smile on his face but he was in Castle Oblivion with a lifeless body. His introduction into the game could be where Sora has to revisit Castle Oblivion to save Ven and as he goes through the Castle he explores and gets understand more of Ven's past and his memories. Regardless of how he comes into play in the next game, Ven will be a great additional to the playable roster.

Character #5: Terra

As it would be a good idea to have Sora save Ven, it would also be a great idea to have Riku save Terra. The reason why is because they are very much alike. All they want to do is save and protect their friends and will go to any lengths to become stronger. They both had a similar experience where the darkness became them, Terra was the vessel for Xehanort and Riku was effectively the Vessel for Ansem. Putting aside how he should be added into the roster, Terra would be good to have as a heavy hitter Keyblade wielder. Mostly using brutal, in your face attacks to get the job done. Could possibly see him use some darkness powers to his advantage but I'm not sure if that's a good idea since Riku is firmly set as the real Master over the power of Darkness.

Character #6: Aqua

Aqua is going to be an interesting story when it comes to Kingdom Hearts 3. We last saw her trapped in the realm of Darkness at the end of Birth By Sleep talking to a mysterious man in a black coat (who I think judging by the moustache is Ansem the Wise). Now she could be saved by Kairi and this is why it would work well. Aqua & Kairi are the conscience of their friends. Kairi is always telling Sora & Riku to get along and to fight with each other whilst Aqua is more of the mother figure for Terra & Ven, making sure that they are out of trouble and not causing mischief. By having Kairi saving Aqua you get to have a unique moment where aqua can truly feel Kairi's love for her friends and vise versa. Aqua will be a dominant magic user in the game and would probably have some of the more beautiful attacks out of the other characters on this list.

Character #7: King Mickey

Ah yes the first Disney character we could see ourselves playing as in the next game, the one, the only, the King: Mickey Mouse. His first real appearance in the series was with Kingdom Hearts 2 where we saw a much deeper side of Mickey and see how passionate he is about keeping the piece between worlds. My favourite part is when he thinks Goofy is dead and goes all serious mode (now that's epic Mickey). As for his fighting style we can see a lot of fast pace jumping around attacks as well as magic that will mostly consist of probably status effects and positioning spells that help mickey move around easier and faster. We can definitely expect this mouse to make a serious step on the series.

Character #8: Donald Duck

We can expect Donald to have a roll somewhere in the game whether its back to being Sora's magic wielding ally or even being his own character this time around. It would be an interesting twist to suddenly play as Donald. Weak attacks but complete dominant magical prowess. Aqua is good with magic but for donal his magic attacks would be huge! Possibly using new magic spells such as Meteo, Flare, Ultima and of course the elemental Ja spells (Curaja, Firaja, Blizzaja & Thundaja). It would be awesome to have Donal as a playable character but even if he came back as a sidekick character it would still be well received.

Character #9: Goofy

Similar to Donald Duck, we can expect Goofy to make an appearance one way or another in the game. Of course having Goofy as the shield wielding, heavy hitter would be awesome but just think of the possibilities of Goofy as a playable character. He would be the king of combo's, taking on opponents one by one in one big combo stretch and then ending the combo with either a massive uppercut or a debilitation charge attack. This would make him unique and fantastic to play as however I think it is more likely that we will see Goofy as a sidekick this time around.

Character #10: Lea/Axel

Okay who doesn't love Axel? Over the course of the games from Chain of Memories up till now he has had one huge road of character progression, ranging from the cocky evil character in Organisation XII to now becoming a promising ally to the team of heroes. At the end of Dream Drop Distance we saw Lea saying that he wanted to become a keyblade master but still hasn't managed to wield a keyblade. That is until he puts his hand out in front of him and BAM! Now he is a keyblade wielder. This is the reason why he is placed on this list, not just was the appearance of his keyblade unpredictable but the character itself is also unpredictable. Axel could end up being a channelling character, using either his melee attacks or magic attacks with so much more force than anyone else, kind of like how he used that explosive attack during Kingdom Hearts 2 on the Nobodies. It would be unlikely but damn would it be awesome to see Lea as a playable character when it comes to the fight against his friend Saix/Isa.

There you go people, the characters I could see as playable character in Kingdom Hearts 3. If you have your own opinions on these characters or anyone else I haven't touched on then please leave a comment.

Until next time guys this is That Guy With The Trilby.............Signing Off.

Comic Book To Movie Hero/Villain: Silver Surfer

Welcome to the first post in a series of posts named 'Comic Book To Movie Hero/Villain'. These are blogs explaining my reasons as to why I think these particular comic book stars deserve there own movie adaptation. Lets kick off the series with a major player in the Marvel universe: The Silver Surfer.

Okay so before i go into my reasoning some of you might be shouting at your computer screens saying 'but he was in one of the Fantastic Four movies!'. Your correct, he did appear in the second of the Fantastic Four films, however here is why I did not think Silver Surfer got a good ovation during that film. For one the surfer was portrayed as a man of evil so unless the movie was set before the surfer decides to break away from his masters rule then i personally thought it was wrong to put him in that kind of personality trait. He should have been seen as a non-welcome visitor and that he was simply running from the military because he did not wish to hurt anyone and simply warn them of the coming danger. What we got instead was Mr.Eviltastic, smashing into buildings and creating havoc all over the place until the Fantastic Four and Doctor Doom put a stop to him and manage to split him from his board. Its a small gripe with the character in the film but it was big enough to make me write this entire paragraph. So I hope you guys understand what I meant.

So onto the big question Why do I Think The Silver Surfer Deserves His Own Movie? Simple, he is the silver surfer! We've had movies done of: the X-Men a group of mutated individuals fighting for the rights of both humans and mutants, Spiderman everyones favourite webslinger and of course the Fantastic Four a group of four individuals (five if you include Victor Von Doom) that got caught in space during a catastrophic incident which caused them to receive special and awesome powers. The surfer is a different case which Marvel havn't explored yet. His planet of origin got destroyed by the most awesome bad guy in Marvel history (Galactus) and then he was forced to join him and forever be known as his messenger of death. But he manages to break his hold of Galactus and goes from planet to planet helping people in need and stopping Galactus from taking over the universe. You see with every Marvel superhero done so far we have had heroes that defend Earth (Thor is excluded from this list since he also defended his home world) and not had a single hero who is tasked with defending the entire universe. Its like making the Green Lantern movie, except only allowing him to defend the earth from destruction...........oh wait that happened..........DAMN!

But anyway on with my point here, the silver surfers origin story as well as his tragic hero tales of exploring the known universe and stopping Galactus would be an amazing addition to the Marvel movie series. Just think of it people, a massive battle in space featuring the surfer as well as the big reveal of Galactus on the big screen! Now if that's not awesome I dont know what is.

I guess the only real big question now is what kind of style i would like to see it in. Would it be best represented as a Spiderman movie where its more true to the comics than it is to real life? Or would it be best to put it in a real world scenario perspective where the Surfer Could end up saving the space station? Well to be honest I would like to leave that question to you guys, I have my opinions but I want to leave on something that you guys can get involved in.

Until next time guys this'll be That Guy With The Trilby, signing out!