Life Is Just A Dream™

A LEGEND RETURNS



Wouldn't ya know it, you wait over a decade for your favourite games to be revisited and two timely updates come along at once (or something), and we've had two trips down nostalgia lane this month.
The first was the abysmal Duke Nukem Forever, a game so bad that it commits the ultimate sequel sin and makes you question why you like the original game in the first place. The second sees Nintendo celebrate it's finest hour by re-making what many believe to be the greatest game of all time.
The thing about Duke Nukem was that it tried to re-capture the charm of it's ancestor by crafting a hideously belated follow-up/re-boot/re-hash, rather than try something new, which was destined to fail. Ocarina Of Time 3DS on the other hand, has to present a masterpiece, not one filtered through the rose tinted specs of forgotten youth, but a bona-fide masterpiece, and somehow make it seem shiny, new and relevant. It's a testament to Nintendo that they accomplish this and so much more.

THE HERO OF TIME 





The most obvious elements this remake brings to the table are cosmetic. The 3D visuals are a brilliant advertisement for Nintendo's new hardware. From the tiny fairies that dance around Link's village to the sun shafts that blind you while you gallop through Hyrule field, the effect is far more than a gimmick, it brings the game to life.
Elsewhere, the functionality of the 3DS has been worked into gameplay in subtly effective ways. Aiming Link's ranged weapons requires moving the 3DS around in real space, as does using the camera, it's a mechanic that can seem disorientating at first, but emerges as fun and immersive. 
Aside from venturing into the third dimension, the visuals have also had an upgrade and, while there are still some obvious blemishes (jagged edges, sparse environments), the game looks sufficiently contemporary enough to not be pigeon holed as a hasty re-jig.


THE LEGEND LIVES ON






But what of the game itself? Does it still hold the charm and magic it did back in 1998? The easy answer is, why the hell did you just ask that. Ocarina Of Time is revered for a reason, it's the very pinnacle of Nintendo's classical approach to a captivating story and innovative game mechanics. Link is one of gamings greatest heroes, Hyrule it's most magical kingdom.
Key moment's in the game benefit greatly form the new 3D augmentation. Your'e first steps in Hyrule field are awe inspiring, and Links's graduation to the true hero of time is the single most stirring moment in both versions.


Its's the little moments that stay with you the most; playing the ocarina for the first time and making night change to day, using the hookshot, riding around on Epona. These moments formed the backbone of most of our gaming youth and Nintendo has given a whole new generation a chance to experience Link's greatest adventure. As for the rest of us, the ones that still have that N64 copy poised and ready to re-visit, you still owe it to yourself to own this version. Need reason to purchase a 3DS? Look no further.  




   

The Tournament Begins with there 7 Matches to play who know's who is gonna be The Winner. So first is the Qualifying Rounds.... and we split into 4 groups of 2's;





And first up in Qualifier 1 is Mayhem64 (Sagat) VS Stellar Zero (E.Honda)

Round 1; and it seem Stellar Zero thinks he can keep spamming the same move, and he keeps Mayhem in the corner for most of the first round and after a few hits Stellar Zero finally puts Mayhem64 down in round 1.

Round 2: but Mayhem64 starts to realize whats going on and puts sagat's tiger knee into to play, with a few Tiger's/Uppercuts. And @ 1:29 Mayhem64 gets Stellar Zero with a Super combo.... and with Stellar Zero trying his spamming tactic's Mayhem64 opens him up with a tiget upper cut to finish the round.

Round 3: In this round both players are aware of each others tactic's, but still Stellar Zero thinks he can still do his spamming move. Which hits maybe once but he catch's Mayhem64 with Honda's Ultra Combo and boy we wouldn't want to be face palmed by E.Honda, but again Stellar Zero reverts to his spamming which Mayhem64 full knows how to deal with and Finish's the fight with another Tiger uppercut.



In Qualifier 2 we have; Johnyrainbow1 (Guile) VS Hardstyle1989 (Balrog)

Round 1: And Johnyrainbow1 starts with some sonic booms, which don't seem to much trouble for Hardstyle1989. But its not lone before Jonhyrainbow1 catches him with a few as Hardstyle1989 tries to break through his defense, and when we thought Hardstlye1989 had Johnyrainbow1 with a Ultra Combo.... Johnyrainbow1 does something we don't see coming he uppercuts him with great time to finish this round off!

Round 2: and Hardstlye1989 goes right through one of Johnyrainbows1 Sonic booms with a hard darting punch, Hardstyle1989 does it agian but miss's as Mr ranobow1 jumps over his attack this round is quite a defense/offense fighting style. but after a few sonic booms, johnyrainbow1 catch's Hardstyle1989 with a Scissor kick to finish the Match off!


In Qualifier 3 we have; Traxxminoo 51(Ryu) VS Giof 007 (Ryu)

Round 1: It's Ryu VS Ryu and we know whats gonna happen usually when people pick Ken or Ryu! and its Ha-do-kens an Hurricane kicks all round, but then things get interesting as Traxxminoo 51 Dizzy's Giof 007 with his jabs and quick combos. Giof 007 does fight back but it ain't good enough as Traxxinoo 51 show's!

Round 2: Traxxminoo 51 plays with Giof 007 by canceling his move's or following through with combo's to keep him guessing, but @ 1:25 Giof 007 gets him with a Ultra combo. But it proves not enough as he Miss's completely with his Super combo... but Goif 007 aint going down without a fight and gives all he has got, just a shame he kept doing hurricane kicks as maybe Traxxminoo 51 wouldn't of caught him with his Ultra Combo and can we say what a Finish it is one of the Highlights of the Tournament its a must see!



So next is; Sci0n/Us (Juri) VS l6 Shingouki 9l (Juri)

Round 1: and we ask our self's why do we keep picking Juri? as she isn't our strongest character as we still need to practice with her, but i think we would rather try with her than just pick a safe bet like most players do plus were all ways up for a challenge, but that doesn't stop l6 Shingouki 9l catching us with a Shikusen and then l6 Shingouki 9l pulls off Juri's Senpusha which we try to counter with a focus attack, but l6 Shingouki 9l is quick with Juri's move's. We do catch him with a Senpusha and follow it up with it's kicks, and dont ask us why we pulled of the ultra when we did.... but we do feel as though we put up a good fight as we was finished of by a crouching medium kick.

Round 2: Is fast and frantic with us and l6 Shingouki 9l pulling off alot of Senpusha/Shikusen's, an we then get l6 Shingouki 9l in a throw putting his face into the floor, an then it's back to catch each other with Shikusens..... and we unleash our Ultra which give's l6 Shingouki 9l an opening and he take's by showing us how it should be done, then we get finished by a quick punch!


Now were on the Semi Final's; Mayhem64 (Sagat) VS Johnyrainbow1 (Guile)

Round 1: johnyrainbow1 proves to be quite the pro player with Guile, Mayhem64 still gets few good hits in. this round seems to be a close call until johnyrainbow1 starts doing his cancels and focus attacks.... after a missed flash kick and a blocked tiger uppercut, johnyrainbow1 finish's Mayhem64 with a Back breaker throw!

Round 2: Sonic boom's, Uppercuts, Tigers, Flash kicks are all pulled off as both players seem t be on the offensive. with Mayhem64 keeping Johnyrainbow1 at bay but even when he does get close Mayhem64 get's him with a few cheeky combo's and a tiger knee. But @ 2:14 johnyrainbow 1 lets his Focus attack do the talking and show's Mayhem64 how it should be done with following up with his ultra combo. aint over yet as Mayhem is backed into a corner knowing he cant jump over Johnyrainbow1 which give's him the opportunity to finish him with a sonic BOOM!


So up next in our other Semi Final; Traxxminoo 51 (Ryu) VS l6 Shingouki 9l (Juri)

Round 1: l6 Shingouki 9l is straight to it with Juri's Fuhajin, Shikusen, Senpusha... Getting right in Traxxminoo 51's face, but Traxxinoo 51 ain't no push over as he hits back with some good combos. which in turn brings down l6 Shingouki 9l health showing him brute force doesn't all-ways win, as a mistimed Ultra can mean everything in SSFIV And l6 Shingouki 9l know's this when he leaves him self open for Traxxminno 51 to pull off a Dragon Punch which ends the round!

Round 2: Traxxminoo 51 gets the first hit with a Ha-do-ken, l6 Shingouki 9l tries to hit him with a few Shikusen's but only connects with one. But does catch Traxxminoo 51 with a Focused Senpusha as both keep trying to connect to follow up with combo's l6 Shingouki 9l connects with 3 Senpusha's but Traxxminoo 51 hits back with a dragon punch cancels it to follow up with a nice focused one.... then tries to do a Focused hurricane kick on l6 Shingouki 9l, who unleashes his Ultra Finishing the round off!

Round 3: Traxxminoo 51 lets l6 Shingouki 9l know how he feels by taunting him... then jump in to Dragon punch him afte l6 Shingouki 9l tries hitting him. As hit, combos fly its clear this round is gonna be a close one. as l6 Shingouki 9l pull's off some of Juri's combo's to bring his health in line with Traxxminoo 5's, Traxxminoo 51 hits back with little but awesome dragon punch cancel to Focused Dragon punch combo! And then it happens just when we thought Traxxmino 51 had l6 Shingouki 9l he pulls off Juri's Ultra with devastating consequences which brings our Semi Finals to a close.




And here it is THE GRAND FINAL; Johnyrainbow1 (Rose) VS l6 Shingouki 9l (Juri)

THE GRAND FINAL: so Johnyrainbow1 decides to use Rose instead of Guile, will this be a bad choice is he confusing his opponent? So we decided instead of giving a brief talk over each round we urge you to watch it as its such a close call, and we are still asking ourselves why did he do that Ultra at that point in the match!!!

OR MESSAGE ME;

In 2000, Ion Storm, headed by genius designer Warren Spector, gave the world Deus Ex, a game that was as revolutionary as it was flawed. An RPG that utilised a deep character customisation system and open ended mission structure to create unprecedented narrative freedom.
Hero JC Denton could augment his body in a myriad of different ways, which allowed the player to approach mission objectives as they saw fit.
2003 sequel Deus Ex: Invisible War streamlined certain elements of the first game, which served to hinder the overall quality of the formula, but retained the bleak dystopian setting and conspiracy plotting.
Now, 8 years on, Ubisoft Montreal are hoping to counter the tide of brainless military shooters with Human Revolution, a prequel set in a time when the world is struggling to embrace genetic augmentation.



The game revolves around Adam Jensen, an ex-SWAT team member contracted to the security forces of Sarif Industries, a leading manufacturer of genetic implants and augmentations. After an attack on Sarif HQ, Jensen is fatally wounded and receives several bionic upgrades that save his life and turn him into a superhuman badass. Needless to say, becoming the most genetically augmented Detroit cop since Peter Weller walked into that warehouse, is just the beginning.

JOIN THE REVOLUTION
Human Revolution exudes a sense of slick style from the outset, from the moody thrum of the score, to the sleek menus and the achingly cool difficulty options (Easy= Tell Me A Story). Upon entering it's Blade Runneresque metropolis, it's clear that tender loving care has gone into creating this world. The soft amber glow that is the games primary visual motif, is a million miles away from the dull urban greys and murky browns of almost every other game out there. The design of future Detroit is somewhere between Ridley Scott's aforementioned masterpiece (a key visual nod to that film comes when Jensen enters his beautifully realised apartment) and the neon mega-cities of the Mass Effect galaxy.

Early impressions suggest that, much like in the first two games, Jensen will be sent out to tackle missions that are largely made up of corridors filled with goons (which will call upon the awkward, yet ultimately satisfying cover system), before being flown back to a central hub. Of course, this will only be the beginning of his journey.



The most fun part of Deus Ex and an element that will hopefully give it the edge in the ever increasing roster of FPS RPGs, is the augmentation. Players can evolve their character as they see fit, shaping to a chosen methodology, much like in the first game. Don't want to fuss around with terminals and locks? Boost your hacking skills. Want to take an unorthodox route through a level? How about the upgrade that lets Jensen punch through walls. Need that extra help during stealth? Increase Jensen's awareness so he can detect when enemies are no longer looking for him.
It's a skill tree like any other skill tree, but it's one whose rewards aren't some invisible percentage, rather they are a complete physical change in your character.

THE FUTURE IS BRIGHT


There are some niggles that hopefully wont make their way into the final game, namely some graphical inconsistencies and the ropey dialogue system, which has an NPC's mood change wildly depending on Jensen's choice of words (one early example has our hero trying to infiltrate a police station, where a disgruntled desk seargent confesses his hate for Jensen before calmly letting him pass). Overall though, Human Revolution looks set to be a solid RPG experience, the art design, score and brilliant augmentation system are unique enough to do the original game in the series justice.

2 Videos are up for your viewing pleasure...

PLESAE BE-AWARE THAT THESE COULD BE PULLED DOWN AT ANY GIVIN TIME, SO ENJOY THEM WHILE THEY ARE THERE....