Dragons Age - Origins (PS3)

6/10
I haven't been one for RPG's over the years but lately I've been trying to get into them. I heard a lot of great things from some quarters about this game, so tried it in anticipation. Firstly the graphics aren't great. Secondly, the combat system isn't great. You can take control over your player and others in your party assigning tactics and moves.

But the game is spent micro-managing everything in the pause screen it seems, tweaking this and that, only to see your character involved in unsatisfactory combat that just doesn't seem engaging. The characters though are engaging and so to the plot and story combined with a very good dialogue path. There's also plenty of gore on offer which adds to the realism.  All in all a game which is good occasionally but is just too frustrating and ultimately a little boring.

Kingdoms of Amular (PS3)

6/10
Kingdoms of Amular splits opinion when talking about aesthetics.  The colour palette is more vibrant and colourful than the grainy realistic palettes of other titles. But, I think it's a welcome change in this game as it looks beautiful and fantastical inter-twined with the type of story. The combat system is also very good. You have a plethora of weapons, potions and magic to use also to give the player enough variety.

Where the game falls completely flat is the sense of being generically mundane. Eventually you start seeing the same landscapes (not in terms of colour which I stress again is wonderful) but the layout of villages and cities. I swear, by around a few hours in I thought I had serious deja-vu on entering one town, which looked exactly like the previous three towns I had visited. I wasn't compelled by the story either or the characters themselves.  It's this department that the game takes a critical hit and after prolonged gaming I just wasn't drawn into the world at all.

PS3 sales now over 70 Million, Move reaches 15 million, 595 million games sold worldwide

16th, Nov. 2012 | Posted in News | by Rashid Sayed

Another landmark for Sony and it’s six year old console. The PlayStation 3 has just reached 70 million consoles sold as November 4, 2012. This is less than six years after the console was launched. The PlayStation Move motion controller has also surpassed 15 million units, which in my opinion is pretty impressive. That’s about 1 in every 4th PS3 owner has a Move.

In September 2012, Sony launched the slimmer version of the PlayStation 3, which apparently has been received well by the consumers according to the press release we got a few moments back. Cumulative number of software titles for PS3 has now  reached 3,590 with more than 595 million units sold worldwide.

The PlayStation 3 was first launched in November 2006 with two SKUs priced at a heft $499 and $599. Some analysts believed that it won’t even sell a million. But now we are, six years later, Sony must be pretty pleased with how things have unfolded for them. Their 10 year plan seems to be track and I won’t be surprised if they managed to sell a 100 million units by the end of that period.

What do you guys think? Will Sony PlayStation 3 reach the glorious 100 million mark just like it’s predecessor i.e. the PlayStation One and PS2. Only time will tell.
Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.

Read more at http://gamingbolt.com/ps3-sales-now-over-70-million-move-reaches-15-million-sold-595-million-games-sold-worldwide#RM0skJDB7mveEqyU.99

Dark Souls - Prepare to Die (2012) (PS3)

This game could have been really something.  Atmospherics, combat engine, immersion, it's all there.  But the monotony of doing the same thing over and over just to get to the bosses left me frustrated and in the end angry at the game.  Bought it, and traded it within three days.  Within those days I had some of the best 'one off' moments in gaming ever.  If only the bonfires were right before end of level baddies!

BUT, the fact that everything gets re-spawned after using the fires and then muddling through the same thing time after time only for the boss to hit you with one almighty blow was just too much in the end.  But for this (which is massive) I'd have given this game a perfect 6 stars; as it is it's an average 3.