Pro Evolution Soccer 2009 - nearly here

I find myself for the first time since 2001 without a copy of Pro Evolution Soccer to play. As anyone who knows me will know PES is and probably always will be my favourite series of video games. When I traded in my Xbox 360 a few months ago for the PS3 (still happy I did) I also traded my copy of PES 2008. It may not have been the best game in the series but I still really enjoyed playing it. I didn't think I'd miss not having a PES game to play but I really do.

I have refused to buy any games on the PS3 that I've owned on the Xbox 360 previously so no COD4, GTA IV or PES 2008. Although I hear that PES 2008 on the PS3 is a very bad port anyway. So with that rule in place I've been fairly restricted to what games I've bought or played on the PS3. I've bought and traded on the launch games and now I'm at a loose end. There is nothing really worth playing until October 17th (I think) when PES 2009 launches. It can't come soon enough really.

I know the 2008 version did a lot of damage to the brand, I for one was never able to get a game going online. However, I have every faith in the developers that they will get the series back on track with this one. For me the most anticipated new feature is going to be the Become A Legend mode, where you control just one player throughout their career. I can't wait to give it a go. I think I'll pick an offensive midfielder first as I think it will keep me involved in the match whereas a player on the wings might get a bit isolated. I also hope they have fixed the online component as it has been far too long since I was beating all comers online.

Just over month to go.

And then comes Little Big Planet...

Survivalist

In a development of no interest to anyone but myself I managed to get the survivalist challenge completed on a game of COD4 earlier. I survived the whole match without dying once and managed to rack up 13 kills. I was just camping out in a room that I found that only has one entrance so I didn't have to watch my back. I know it is considered to be camping playing in this style and it is frowned upon but I didn't like it. I much prefer running and gunning and usually end up with a neutral kill ratio.

Anyway, it was good to complete the challenge and a whole host of other challenges to as a result such as a 5:1 kills to death ratio challenge. It'll be back to running and gunning in the next match.

Missing Mass Effect

It has been a little over three weeks since I finished Mass Effect on the Xbox 360. I got the game a month before Christmas. The reason I got it then was I expected to get at least a couple of games over Christmas and I knew ME would be the type of game that would require dedication and time. The timing worked well as I got totally immersed in Bioware's universe and it was the only game in the 360's drive from the day I bought it until it was completed. According to the game's save file it took 35.5 hours to complete. When I say completed, I mean I have gone once through the game as a virtuous character. I do intend to play it through as a renegade, which should make for some interesting changes.

I took the long way around and did all the side quests I could find before continuing on the main story line. Bar some repetition with the look of many planets and the some missions I thoroughly enjoyed the game. So when I finished it I expected to jump back into it to continue on building up my character and make the opposite choices to those that I had made previously. This didn't happen though as a little game called Call of Duty 4 came into my possession. The point of all this is that I am looking around for mention downloadable content (DLC) for the game and coming up empty handed.

An article on IGN guessed that it would be very soon but I'd like to find a concrete date and some details. I hope that they make the DLC worthwhile with new missions and planets to explore. Also more time aboard the Citadel would be welcome but I do not expect them to further the main storyline. This would be risky as some people will not buy any extra content and will therefore miss out on the evolving storyline. These people would cry foul and rightly so. If the DLC gets announced and all that is there is new weapon and armour upgrades or other superficial stuff I will be extremely disappointed. I doubt that will happen though. After the team put so much work into creating such a large and complex universe why would they want to bring down the name with sub-par DLC. I expect we will have to pay for the pleasure but as long as the content is there that will be fine by me. Much like the issue over the iPod Touch 1.1.3 firmware upgrade.

The release of any DLC will renew my interest in playing the game but it will also allow me the opportunity to earn some of the Achievements I missed first time around. I know Achievements don't mean much really but they are nice to earn and being a perfectionist I like to get as many as possible.

So for now ME will lay dormant, waiting impatiently for some new content to arrive. Hurry up Bioware.

Popped the HD cherry

Was playing some Call of Duty 4 a little earlier and after being sniped yet again I decided to give it a break (after another promotion though).

So I switch off and switch over to the TV. I see that Star Trek: Insurrection is on Sky One but at the top of the screen is a message that they are broadcasting in HD. It is the first movie I've watched in HD on the new TV and it looked pretty damn great.

Shame about the movie though, one of the worst of the Next Generation series.