Recently, my friends and I thought of an idea for a YouTube channel: GameCheese. A place where 4 gamers will being chatting, laughing at and insulting all things to do with games. Please understand; we love gaming, but there is so much to laugh at in gaming too!
We'll post a weekly vid-cast (or vlog.... or a weekly show? Don't really know how to define it) in which Jake, Josh, Daniel and I will cover the topics of the gaming news throughout the week, the shit game of the week, what we've been playing and a round or two of B.U.T.T.O.N. (the best party game ever!!!).
Also, over the coming weeks we'll be posting various other videos such as walkthroughs for the tougher missions of games (we're far too lazy to do a walkthrough of an entire game), some of our favourite games we've played, our personal opinions on games old and new and other videos to do with games in some way or form.
We're just starting out, so we've still got some flaws to deal with (the news section should NOT last for an hour and a half!) but it's still a laugh all the same. Give us some time, and we'll be the greatest YouTube channel ever!! Or not. But still, subscribe, watch and like our videos, laugh with us and support our new channel; GameCheese!
Tuesday 1 February 2011
Sunday 23 January 2011
Why GTA IV is one of the best games of all time
It takes a lot to make a game playable for weeks or months after purchase, let alone years. But that is exactly what GTA IV has done for me. It released on 29th April 2008, and I bought it about a year later. Now we're in 2011 and I'm still playing it at least weekly, if not daily. But how has it been so appealing that I just can't stop playing?
A huge, living playground
GTA IV, like most GTA games, features 3 large islands (you could argue there are 4 in IV). Each one makes up a borough of New York City, so already it feels slightly familiar. But unlike a few free-roaming, sandbox games, Liberty City feels truly alive in every sense. There are constantly people bustling through the streets and the roads are filled with cars getting from place to place. Even if you stopped completely, the city continues to live around you. And the fact that random things can happen at any point always keep me interested and involved. Unlike Red Dead Redemption (newest Rockstar game) with scripted 'random events', random events in GTA IV are really random indeed. I could be casually driving down the pavement when an explosion could go off. I'd rush to the scene to see a car blown up and an ambulance crew already on site. Nothing to do with my antics at all. Just life in Liberty City.
There is also the fact that Liberty City is a deep playground. It isn't just filled with solid towers and houses along the streets. A few are actually fully fleshed out buildings with interiors to explore and play in. After a year and a bit of playing, it was only the other day that I found a 4 storey building that I could enter and mess around in. I instantly got the cops on me, lured them into the building, and challenged myself to shoot my way out of the building, like creating my own 'mini mission'. Even though I've been playing for so long, this showed me that I surely have more to get out of Liberty City.
Amazing DLC
Downloadable content for games are usually just a few maps, a couple of skins and/or weapons, and the odd additional mission or two. GTA IV on the other hand gave me two full new stories to play through, each around 6 hours each! "The Lost and Damned" and "The Ballad of Gay Tony" both introduced a new character to play as and a new story to go through. Each story had its own feel to it, and felt vastly different to the main GTA IV story, but in a good way. In both DLC's, you are put into an entirely different situation than you were in within the GTA IV story, and it's this that kept it fresh. It was like being in a new setting, even though it is still set in the same Liberty City you've been in all this time. The missions were also more tailored to the character. For example, in TLaD, you play as Johnny Klebitz, a member of a biker gang. So many more of the missions are performed on a bike with a gang to back you up. This obviously wouldn't happen very often with Niko in the main story.
There is also the fact that each DLC brings with it new weapons, vehicles, online modes and game mechanics. A light machine gun is always a lot of fun, smacking a person with a baseball bat off a bike while driving along side them is very entertaining, and an APC Tank is pure badass. But probably the most enjoyable mechanic for me was the return of parachutes from previous GTA games. By implementing parachutes, the invisible ceiling was doubled in height, massive drops were now possible and its use in missions made it a crucial and great addition to an already awesome game. And having these new game mechanics made the entire game even more fun...
Online
Online modes in games usually take the game mechanics, put you in a small or medium sized stage and make you perform certain actions (e.g. kill each other). GTA IV on the other hand simply lets you loose in Liberty City. That's it. Just go wild with your friends! There are some set modes like Deathmatch, Race etc., but all are within the huge city. Personally, I just play free-mode with friends, and it's exactly what it says on the tin: free to do whatever the hell you want...mode. It is just like free roaming in single player but with more people. Also, since there are options for police and friendly-fire, things can get even crazier without consequence!
Unfortunately you can't play the story co-op, but there are a couple of missions to perform together. There is also a Cops N' Crooks mode where a group of player controlled cops aim to take out the main criminal boss whilst the lesser criminals have to defend the boss and get him to his escape vehicle. A rather unique mode which works very well with the open city. It is the online aspect of GTA IV which keeps the game going for a long time, much like it has done with me.
Swingset Glitch
Hours of fun.
Of course there are many things to love in Liberty City: the wacky radio stations, the borderline insane characters, random fist fights/ fire fights in the street. But you really have to be there to experience the world fully. Forget the stereotype - you don't just kill hookers and murder innocents (albeit that is a fair chunk of the fun).
A huge, living playground
GTA IV, like most GTA games, features 3 large islands (you could argue there are 4 in IV). Each one makes up a borough of New York City, so already it feels slightly familiar. But unlike a few free-roaming, sandbox games, Liberty City feels truly alive in every sense. There are constantly people bustling through the streets and the roads are filled with cars getting from place to place. Even if you stopped completely, the city continues to live around you. And the fact that random things can happen at any point always keep me interested and involved. Unlike Red Dead Redemption (newest Rockstar game) with scripted 'random events', random events in GTA IV are really random indeed. I could be casually driving down the pavement when an explosion could go off. I'd rush to the scene to see a car blown up and an ambulance crew already on site. Nothing to do with my antics at all. Just life in Liberty City.
There is also the fact that Liberty City is a deep playground. It isn't just filled with solid towers and houses along the streets. A few are actually fully fleshed out buildings with interiors to explore and play in. After a year and a bit of playing, it was only the other day that I found a 4 storey building that I could enter and mess around in. I instantly got the cops on me, lured them into the building, and challenged myself to shoot my way out of the building, like creating my own 'mini mission'. Even though I've been playing for so long, this showed me that I surely have more to get out of Liberty City.
Amazing DLC
Downloadable content for games are usually just a few maps, a couple of skins and/or weapons, and the odd additional mission or two. GTA IV on the other hand gave me two full new stories to play through, each around 6 hours each! "The Lost and Damned" and "The Ballad of Gay Tony" both introduced a new character to play as and a new story to go through. Each story had its own feel to it, and felt vastly different to the main GTA IV story, but in a good way. In both DLC's, you are put into an entirely different situation than you were in within the GTA IV story, and it's this that kept it fresh. It was like being in a new setting, even though it is still set in the same Liberty City you've been in all this time. The missions were also more tailored to the character. For example, in TLaD, you play as Johnny Klebitz, a member of a biker gang. So many more of the missions are performed on a bike with a gang to back you up. This obviously wouldn't happen very often with Niko in the main story.
There is also the fact that each DLC brings with it new weapons, vehicles, online modes and game mechanics. A light machine gun is always a lot of fun, smacking a person with a baseball bat off a bike while driving along side them is very entertaining, and an APC Tank is pure badass. But probably the most enjoyable mechanic for me was the return of parachutes from previous GTA games. By implementing parachutes, the invisible ceiling was doubled in height, massive drops were now possible and its use in missions made it a crucial and great addition to an already awesome game. And having these new game mechanics made the entire game even more fun...
Online
Online modes in games usually take the game mechanics, put you in a small or medium sized stage and make you perform certain actions (e.g. kill each other). GTA IV on the other hand simply lets you loose in Liberty City. That's it. Just go wild with your friends! There are some set modes like Deathmatch, Race etc., but all are within the huge city. Personally, I just play free-mode with friends, and it's exactly what it says on the tin: free to do whatever the hell you want...mode. It is just like free roaming in single player but with more people. Also, since there are options for police and friendly-fire, things can get even crazier without consequence!
Unfortunately you can't play the story co-op, but there are a couple of missions to perform together. There is also a Cops N' Crooks mode where a group of player controlled cops aim to take out the main criminal boss whilst the lesser criminals have to defend the boss and get him to his escape vehicle. A rather unique mode which works very well with the open city. It is the online aspect of GTA IV which keeps the game going for a long time, much like it has done with me.
Swingset Glitch
Hours of fun.
Of course there are many things to love in Liberty City: the wacky radio stations, the borderline insane characters, random fist fights/ fire fights in the street. But you really have to be there to experience the world fully. Forget the stereotype - you don't just kill hookers and murder innocents (albeit that is a fair chunk of the fun).
Wednesday 5 January 2011
Happy New Year!!
First things first - Happy New Year everyone! Here we are; a year closer to 2012. But never mind all that doomsday rubbish, hope you all had happy holidays and got all you wanted out of it. Concerning the New Year, I have actually made a new year's resolution: Post more on my Blog. But, like most resolutions, how well that goes is yet to be seen. But I'll try to post at least fortnightly. Forgive the small, insignificant posts that are sure to come.
Last post I talked about my difficulty choosing between a controller and a headset. In the end, I went for neither. The controller is made for pro competitive gaming, and I came to the conclusion that I just don't play competitively anymore. Single player gives so much more freedom to the player, in my opinion. And the headset; I've heard that it has a rather short cable, and I can't really have that. I don't have a huge room, but I do move around a lot. A short cable would significantly restrict me.
I did get some things though. Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit (Xbox 360), Sonic Colours (Nintendo Wii), a wired controller for my newest hobby of PC gaming (and to replace my dying wireless controllers) and an assortment of chocolate. T'was a good holiday indeed. I'll probably speak about the games at a later date, but it's safe to say I am thoroughly enjoying both of them.
Seeing as its January, I have to deal with the hell that is January Exams. I have to get them done well since I have now got offers from all my chosen universities. It was probably rather bad of me to only think "meh" when I got all my offers! I'm laid-back like that. I have 4 exams over three weeks to complete. Wish me luck!!
That's me done for the time being. With any luck, I shall be posting a lot more from now on, with more than just text for you to read!
Last post I talked about my difficulty choosing between a controller and a headset. In the end, I went for neither. The controller is made for pro competitive gaming, and I came to the conclusion that I just don't play competitively anymore. Single player gives so much more freedom to the player, in my opinion. And the headset; I've heard that it has a rather short cable, and I can't really have that. I don't have a huge room, but I do move around a lot. A short cable would significantly restrict me.
I did get some things though. Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit (Xbox 360), Sonic Colours (Nintendo Wii), a wired controller for my newest hobby of PC gaming (and to replace my dying wireless controllers) and an assortment of chocolate. T'was a good holiday indeed. I'll probably speak about the games at a later date, but it's safe to say I am thoroughly enjoying both of them.
Seeing as its January, I have to deal with the hell that is January Exams. I have to get them done well since I have now got offers from all my chosen universities. It was probably rather bad of me to only think "meh" when I got all my offers! I'm laid-back like that. I have 4 exams over three weeks to complete. Wish me luck!!
That's me done for the time being. With any luck, I shall be posting a lot more from now on, with more than just text for you to read!
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