Other Blog You Say?

Would you guys please be so kind as to check out my other blog for my university project, its basically a blog about being more employable, if you would be so kind as to have a look at it and share it with anyone you think might be interested it would be much appreciated.... http://tompollardmedia.blogspot.co.uk/

Thanks guys

Next LvL Gamers Podcast News

Has everyone will know there as been no updates on the blog regarding the new episodes for over a month now, dont worry though we have still been recording over that time we are just having problems again with iTunes, were expanding the podcast to facebook and youtube and this has created no end of problems, as of yet we haven't got back in a regular cycle but we are still recording weekly so be sure to check and update the iTunes feed regularly for brand new content and I hope I can post the episode by episodes descriptions again soon.

Please rate the podcast 5 star and iTunes and write us a nice review, we appreciate it so much and we'll read out the reviews on the podcast, on top of that there will be a prize when we get to a certain number of reviews.

Podcast News

Bit of an update for you guys concerned that the podcast has stopped, this is not the case we have recorded 2 podcasts since the last one that was available to download. The problem is technical issues that we have been trying to sort of for weeks now, although this does mean when the podcast is downloadable again there will be 3 episodes in one.

Sorry about the delays in episodes 18 and 19 but we are trying very hard to get the problems resolved. Keep checking back here for any updates.

Next Lvl Gamers Podcast Episode 17

Late again because of various podcast members moving out to University but still it is a quality episode of the Next Level Gamers Podcast 

You can download the show from iTunes or follow this link .. http://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/next-lvl-gamers-podcast/id525183508 

In this weeks show .. 

This week: Wordy has moved into university halls and can’t be arsed writing a description, Tom doesn’t know how to edit a podcast correctly, Alex reported missing, we discuss the latest gaming sales charts and news, the big ramble – why have some genres stayed popular whilst others have fallen, we discuss this weeks top 3 trailers including ZombieU and Warface, Tom xbox turns itself on, podcast love for Lara Croft, Tom gets annoyed…again and the usual features – which ones bollocks – identity crisis – gamebusters.

Please dont forget to rate and review 5 stars on iTunes and if you have any questions for the show tweet me at https://twitter.com/Tompollardss or email nextlvlgamerspodcast@gmail.com

Next Level Gamers Podcast Episode 16

Only two days late this week is the newest edition of the next level gamers podcast, and maybe even the best ever.

You can download the show from iTunes or follow this link .. http://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/next-lvl-gamers-podcast/id525183508

In this weeks show .. 

This week: Peace is restored, this weeks gaming charts, the latest gaming news, Alex has gone AWOL, we discuss podcast rebranding, what is our gaming history and what are our top 5 xbox/ps2 games, Jonny accuses Wordy of thieving, we discuss this generation of gaming and how lucky we are to be part of it, our top 3 gaming videos of the week, Tom forgets his point, LAN discussion, Sniper Elite V2, Battlefield 3/Premium, the new Need for Speed has roads made of ice, The Darkness 2, Spec Ops: The Line and all the usual features – Which ones Bollocks – Identity Crisis and Gamebusters.

Please dont forget to rate and review 5 stars on iTunes and if you have any questions for the show tweet me at https://twitter.com/Tompollardss or email nextlvlgamerspodcast@gmail.com

Next Level Gamers Podcast Episode 15

Once again another episode "a bit later than usual" as ever we apologise for this and will start to get them coming on time from now on ... hopefully

You can download the show from iTunes or follow this link .. http://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/next-lvl-gamers-podcast/id525183508

In this weeks show:

This week: We cover the latest gaming news across all platforms, this weeks top 5 best selling games, Alex is back with a more feminine voice and seems to have broken his microphone, how damaging will the new Xbox 720 be to other platforms? Wordy and Tom argue and have a fight, we discuss our top 3 trailers of the week – District 187 – Hitman: Absolution – Metal Gear Rising Vengeance. All the regular features you have come to know and love – Identity Crisis – Which ones Bollocks – Gamebusters, Wordy’s tries to play on a console and fails, we discuss why Ubisoft need to get a new CEO, Fallout 4 rumours, what are our top 5 role playing games? other discussions include – Shinobi, Sniper Elite V2, Dragons Dogma and 3 things that piss Tom off.

Please dont forget to rate and review 5 stars on iTunes and if you have any questions for the show tweet me at https://twitter.com/Tompollardss or email nextlvlgamerspodcast@gmail.com

Next Level Gamers Podcast Episode 14

Only one day late this time comes another episode of the award winning next level gamers podcast,
To find the podcast follow this link .. http://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/next-lvl-gamers-podcast/id525183508

In this weeks show ...

This week: The latest gaming charts and news, Alex has actually gone missing, Tom gets annoyed within the first 2 minutes, Wordy can see Magpies, awful links, what does it take to turn a game series into a good gaming universe? Spore, top 5 gaming enemies, Tom can’t count to 5, this weeks top 3 trailers, Dead Space 3, The last of us, Army of Two: The Devil’s Cartel, Tom encourages Piracy, Jonny thinks hes good at Lord of the Rings Online, top 5 games we want to make a comeback, Tom and Wordy have another fight, which ones bollocks, Sony still aren’t making ANY money, why Wordy doesn’t follow anyone on Twitter, identity crisis, Max Payne 3, Lollipop Chainsaw and finally Gamebusters.

Dont forget to leave them all important 5 star iTunes reviews

Next Level Gamers Podcast Episode 13 (A little later than usual)

Because of technical issues the podcast you all look forward to on a Friday afternoon will make its Monday debut this week.

This late week: Technical server issues, very similar features, the gaming charts, Tom claims AGAIN that we are award winning, we register Alex to the missing persons list, more shameless plugs, Wordy and Tom have an actual fight, the latest gaming news, is Sony making any money this week? More pointless PS3′s, How much would you be willing to pay for the new consoles? 5 favourite co-op games, Jonny needs to get double glazing, the return of Which ones Bollocks, Wordy does Gamebusters and we accuse Jonny of keeping little children in his bedroom. All this and more on this weeks late podcast issue.

Download the podcast here http://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/next-lvl-gamers-podcast/id525183508

And dont forget to rate 5 star on iTunes

Podcast Questions

The next episode of NextLvlGamersPodcast will be recorded tonight, if you have any questions to be answered on the podcast email ... nextlvlgamerspodcast@gmail.com
Or alternatively tweet me the question https://twitter.com/TompollardssA
ll questions welcome

And please don't forget to review the podcast 5 stars on iTunes

Sleeping Dogs Trailer

Excited about the release of Sleeping Dogs? check out this trailer 

Character Profile: Tali'Zorah nar Rayya

Before I start this "character profile" I must explain that this will be the first in a series of character profiles analysing all my favourite video characters, be that protagonists, antagonists, npc's and more, the character profile will go into who the character is and why I, and many more, like them. I will also document a "defining moment" that the character has that sums up their persona and why gamers love them. Throughout this series of profiles I will document many characters from the gaming universe but for now look forward to the first character profile in this brand new series.

Tali has a unique appearance 

So onto the first character profile ... Tali'Zorah nar Rayy 

Who is She?
Tali'Zorah nar Rayya is a quarian and a member of Commander Shepard's squad. She is the daughter of Rael'Zorah, a member of the Admiralty Board. Though young, Tali is a mechanical genius. When Shepard first meets her during the events of the first game  she is on her Pilgrimage, a rite of passage to prove her worth and bring something of value back to her people aboard the Migrant Fleet. Early in the second game, having completed her Pilgrimage, Tali has been entrusted with leading an important research mission for the Admiralty Board.


Why We Love Her 
There are many video game characters that appeal to us as gamers and the reasons behind this can mostly be derived down to them looking "cool" and being a "brave hero" and many other clichés, but once in a while a character will come along in a game that is much more than a cliché, a character that we can relate to, emphasise with, and love, a character that is much more than just a character, and for me this is the notion Tali embodies.

But what is it about her that I love, while I was asking myself this in preparation for this profile the first thing that came to me was that she is so easy to relate to, and the primary reason for this is the vulnerability that she shows throughout her time in the Mass Effect series. Tali's vulnerability comes from many things but the most prominent is her feeling of wanting to belong and to prove herself, this in essence is why she is so easy to like because she relates to us as humans more than most video game characters, she wants the same as us, all we really want is a place to be and be loved and a purpose in life. Vulnerability is something that links everyone together, and even though intuitively you would think that it would be easier to relate to human characters in the game it is this Quarian that I could relate to most, and it was Tali who's story I was most interested in.

It is important though not to confuse vulnerability with weakness, because Tali is one of the most metaphorically strongest characters I've seen in the video game world, and this is another big reason why she is more than a character, her strength is amazing. Anyone who has played any of the Mass Effect games will know that the in-game characters are facing the extinction of all life in the galaxy and are trying to combat that happening, as you would expect the pressure on the characters is immense so you forgive a character for feeling scared yet throughout the events of the three games Tali was always there in my game to share each problem my Shepard had. Tali had her own pressures to deal with, she had the fate of her entire race resting on her shoulders yet she would always talk to the other crew members and help them with there problems, even when the world around her was falling she would remain strong, and this strength in character makes the player envy Tali even more.

Tali's real face revealed in Mass Effect 3

You would not think that innocence in this environment would be a defining part of a character but when coupled with her vulnerability and strength of character it is a major piece of the puzzle that makes Tali a great video game character. Before embarking on this epic adventure upon the Normandy Tali was a recluse, as a result of this her people skills and social skills are practically none, this leads to initial problems when she is living with the other crew members on the Normandy, she starts off very uncomfortable around the other races, and although initially this is grounds for comedy it quickly turns into another emotional attachment between the player and the character with my Shepard always trying to help her grow as a person. I don't think Tali's innocence was defined better than in her romance with my Shepard, the journey that she made between being a socially awkward Quarian on the Normandy to learning how to better understand human emotions which culminates in a unbelievably emotional, and more importantly for a game believable, romance with Shepard.

Defining Moment
This may be a hard choice for most characters but for Tali there can be only one defining moment, the goodbye said between Tali and Shepard at the end of Mass Effect 3. For me one of, if not, the most emotional scene I've seen in a video game, after meeting this "alien" looking for a place to belong in the first game to growing to love the character by the third game and taking in to consideration all the events that happened in between is what make this an overwhelming moment, both characters knowing that there journey is about to be over as they face obliteration by the reapers. And the line that makes this the scene it is? when Shepard is forced to leave Tali to make is the very final assault on the reapers he says that he wants better for her, he wants her to go on living, to build a home on her native planet Rannoch to which she simply responds with tears in her eyes "I already have a home".

Next Level Gamers Podcast Episode 12

Once again Friday rolls around which means we will be serving you another dose of podcast goodness, on this weeks show ..

This week: Gaming charts, the latest gaming news, Tom claims we are award winning, Alex gets a back street sex change in Slovakia, Tom cant link between features, the big ramble what is the most important aspect of video games? Shameless plugs, Jonny doesn’t know the meaning of salt, what have we been playing this week? Project 8 and why Skate is better, top 5 greatest bad guys, top 5 open world games, Lord of the Rings Online, Wordy’s stomach has a turn for the worst, Transformers: War for Cybertron, Which ones Bollocks, EA makes more profits on PC than PS3, is Sony making any money this week? Azura’s Wrath, Inversion, Lollipop Chainsaw, Can top game franchises be stopped in their tracks? and Gamebusters with bad clues.

To download the podcast follow this link .. http://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/next-lvl-gamers-podcast/id525183508

Please dont forget to leave them amazing 5 star iTunes reviews

Assassins Creed 3 Multiplayer Trailer

Check out this brand new video footage of Assassins Creed 3's online competitive multiplayer.

Video Game Community and Culture

Gaming and the gaming community have changed and in hand significantly over the last 10 years, and continue to change every day, the gaming industry is one of the fastest changing industries in the world and this is also true of the community that it has spawned, thousands of people every single day check their favourite gaming website, logon to their favourite gaming forum and chat to friends they don’t know in person but consider good friends, but where did this all start and why is the gaming community in the modern world so extensive and ever changing, to analyse the building blocks that have built up the gaming community, first you have to study the foundation that it was built on.

If you ask any gamer over 30 what was their experiences being a gamer when they were younger there is a high chance that the word taboo, or stigma will come up, this is because being a gamer or talking about a piece of gaming news in the school play grounds or at the park was considered unacceptable, gaming was a very niche subject therefor there wasn’t a large community. The gaming community 30 years ago would have been considered an underground phenomenon, gaming was not as elevated in popular culture as it is now, therefore there was a certain stigma attached to it. Almost to the extent that if you wanted to go home and play a videogame instead of going out to play football or go shopping you were in some way a lesser person, less masculine or less feminine, the sad moral upshot to this is that as the stigma grew and it became less “cool” to talk about games, the amount and severity of the bullying did too, anyone who put themselves in the proverbial gaming community was a target.

Another important area to explore is the actual term gaming community; this itself is a complex idea that has transformed over the last few decades, if you jump to present day a gaming community is a group of regular people who get together to discuss and partake in what may be either their hobby or career, inside the community there is a strong level of diversity, a roster of people from all around the world that are not judged by religion, sexual orientation, race, gender or any other act of discrimination.

Sadly this togetherness has only been achieved recently in the last couple of years, again going back to the 30 year old gamer, he would tell you that when he was younger gaming communities featured mainly males, this is at least partially the fault of the gaming media of the time, advertisements for games would be aimed at males and would feature some content now deemed sexist, the women would be largely over sexualised, and would be shown as weak or victims which lead them to be by default property of the “powerful, brave” men. Many famous videogames would make the user rescue the stranded female because she is weak and  defenceless, a prominent example of this is the Mario series which is one of the biggest gaming franchises in the world, this game featured a female constantly getting rescued. The underlining tone of sexism in some of the early games caused some females to in sense boycott video games, and therefor would not be involved in the gaming communities of the time.

To begin to explore how the gaming community got to where it is today at a basic level you simply need to look at the word community, what actually is a community? A community is a social group of people who all are all joined together by one common interest. A common community that most people find themselves in is their neighbourhood community, in this example you are all linked by location, and the fact you’re so close to them means it’s easy for the community to build, but why shouldn’t this apply to a gaming community. You might be thinking that it is a total different subject area and the two can’t be the same but in theory it isn’t, the only difference is you’re not seeing the people in person but you’re still having relations with them, and in a lot of cases you are becoming good friends. In the gaming community that I involve myself in I have a lot of people I would call very good friends who I may have never met or only met a couple of times, and there is nothing wrong with this, don’t fall into the stereotype of thinking everyone online who you haven’t seen in person is crazy and out to get you, I have met many people in person that I first met online and we instantly got on like we had been friends for years and this is because we had.

Bullying although not as prominent in the gaming community as it used to be still exists in small pockets, I must explain that when I say bully I do not mean the stereotypical school sort of bully I mean real bullying, serious bullying that happens long after you leave school and can happen through life, be it bosses, friends or even family members. A bully may say that because you’ve got a lot of online friends that you don’t have friends in real life, this is completely not true, having friends in an online community is not opposing having friends in real life it is the same thing because they are real friends.

In this modern world the gaming community is a lot more prominent in the media and is now a friendly place where any social and cultural group is welcome, and will continue to grow for many years to come.

Next Level Gamers Podcast Episode 11

Another Friday as approached us which can only mean one thing, a brand new episode of the next level gamers podcast, in this weeks episode ..

This week: Alex is back from Maga! The latest gaming charts and news, amazingly composed jingles, Tom only drinks schweppes lemonade but why? How many “oooo’s” can we cram into the charts feature? Do we need new IP on the current generation of consoles? Jonny develops moving his microphone tourettes, Driver Francisco, is Sony making any money? What are the most underrated games of 2012? Tom doesn’t know how to track time, MORE Train Simulator 2012 and Wordy thinks hes now a train driver, Jonny thinks naming 5 good things about Sony will redeem the company, Wordy cant get a word in, The greatest game sidekicks! Tom has sexual feelings for aliens, purple vasers, NEW FEATURE: Which fact is bullshit? Gears of War 3, does Alex like soundtracks? Game of Thrones, Dirt Showdown, Someone does well at gamebusters but who is it? and can Jonny ACTUALLY shut a window?

To download to podcast for free follow this link http://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/next-lvl-gamers-podcast/id525183508

And finally don't forget to give a good review on iTunes. Thank you.

Crysis 3 Exclusive 18 Minute Gameplay Video

Check out this exclusive gameplay video showcasing 18+ minutes of Crysis 3 action 

Tony Hawks Pro Skater HD Trailer

Check out the first summer arcade game Tony Hawks Pro Skater HD right now on XBLA

Next Level Gamers Podcast Episode 10

Its friday again which as ever means another episode of the Next Lvl Gamers Podcast, in this weeks episode..

This week: Alex is back in Maga, this weeks gaming charts, does Tom's degree actually mean anything, Tom makes EVEN MORE mistakes, every game offends Tom but why? Spec Ops The Line, whats the biggest over-hyped let down? Tom and Jonny develop speech impediments, Jonny dies from pure disgust, Steam sales, LOTRO, Train Simulator, Batman Arkham City, will cloud gaming kill of PC gaming, Sony STILL aren't making any money, Tom cant be arsed to edit, a memorable Gamebusters and finally will Tom ever make a good link.

Please don't forget to rate and review the podcast 5 star on iTunes.

Pes 2013 Demo Release Date

The demo for the latest instalment in the Pro Evolution Soccor (PES) franchise will hit PC, PS3 and Xbox 360 on the 25th of July, Konami have officially announced.

The demo will feature eight teams, four international teams and four club teams, the international teams will consist of England, Germany, Italy and Portugal whereas the club teams will consist of the Brazilian sides Santos FC, SC International, Fluminense and Flamengo.

The full game is expected to release October 2nd.

ZombiU Gameplay

Check out the brand new gameplay video from ZombiU exclusively from Comic Con 2012, ZombiU is expected to launch with the new Nintendo Wii U

Next Lvl Gamers Podcast Issue 9

Its Friday once again and that means another issue of the award winning Next Lvl Gamers Podcast, in this weeks episode ... 

"This week: Tom is back....but a bit stiff, the latest gaming news, this weeks gaming charts, is sony making any money? Jonny never plays anything, are video gamers too cynical? are Square Enix starting a new Nazi regime? Tom hates superman and wants to kill all cheaters, how many bald actors can we name? why Wordy hates the marvel universe, boobs of the week, Tom has an orgasm over The Walking Dead, how shoddy and drawn out can we make gamebusters this week?"

To listen to the podcast follow this link ...  http://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/next-lvl-gamers-podcast/id525183508

And don't forget to rate and review the podcast on iTunes.

Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Future Soldier Review

On May 25 out came the latest Tom Clancy game, of which there are over 30 titles, but why should you care? what makes this one special? In a genre dominated by behemoths such as Call of Duty and Battlefield can this kid still hang? Your god damn right he can. 


Tom Clancy games have always been a relative success, spawning franchises such as Rainbow 6, Splinter Cell and of course Ghost Recon, but there as been a sense in the last couple of years that Tom Clancy games have grown stale and irrelevant and fallen behind the times somewhat, this is the exact feeling that Ubisoft wanted to squash with the release of Ghost Recon Future Soldier which takes the game in an entirely new direction. 


The very fundamental mechanics of this game have been kept the same, you are still in a small squad and still rely heavily on tactics but other than this the game takes on an entirely new appearance to any other in the series. As you may have figured by the title this game is set in the future, which in itself seems like a very simple thing to do to a game but the way the game has been moulded around this near future setting is unbelievable realistic, even though paradoxical in nature this realistic setting is the basis and foundation on which the game then grows.


Everything in this game screams futuristic, be that the invisibility suite, or drone control mechanic or the fantastic setting which sees you travelling worldwide with your squad to beautifully designed and rendered locations such as Russia, Nigeria, Siberia and many more. Each country you visit in the game seems unique and more importantly alive, some of the visuals at times will blow you away. Each location looks how it should, which as said before is essentially a paradox as its in the future, yet it still seems to work and you fully believe each location which is key to creating a realistic therefore exciting futuristic setting. As I've alluded to there are three main "themes" of this game and they are change, futuristic and realism, these three ideals are utilised in every part of the game. What is important to consider is that each of these aspects are equally important to each other, when one fails the others have to, that's why it was so important Ubisoft got this balance right. 
"Everything in this game screams futuristic, be that the invisibility suite, or drone control mechanique or the fantastic"


The game is split into three main parts, campaign mode, guerrilla mode and multiplayer mode, but I will focus on the campaign mode in this review. Staying with our theme of realism the story presents a realistic yet admittedly slightly generic story, which I won't spoil but will say like most games features Russians as the enemy (when will this trend stop?). But the story is often not the strongest part of games in this genre and this game is no different, the story is not terrible but not amazing either, its just acceptable, what makes the campaign special is the locations and the gameplay mechanics. 


Upon starting the first level of the campaign, you will notice straight away the complexity of the enemy AI, it really does stand out from the offset, you are not fighting cut and paste terrorists in this game you are fighting well drilled, well organised, smart soldiers. As much as tactics is important for you it is equally important for them, and this is only exasperated with each step up in difficulty. How does this come across in gameplay? well if you find your squad grouped together behind what you thing is the "safety" of cover dont expect the enemies to just stand there putting lead into a sandbag while you pick them off expect a grenade to come over the top, expect enemies to break right and left in an attempt to flank. The AI insures that you and your squad are always thinking, always moving and always on edge.

Make your own unique weapon with Gunsmith 

You can't talk about Future Soldiers campaign mode for long without stepping upon Gunsmith, which on the face of it is a new revolutionary way of customising your loadout, but underneath is a brilliant mechanic that changes the game itself in so many ways. I will start by just explaining what Gunsmith actually is, Gunsmith lets you essentially "open up" your weapons and then change single parts of the weapon before putting it back together. To give you a sense of how in-depth this customisation is I'll list you some of the components you can customise; optics, stock, trigger, magazine, underbarrel, gas system and more. What this means is that when you play the game you are having your own unique experience and as it says on the box their is "over 20 million combinations". But how does this affect the gameplay? every mission that you play, because of Gunsmith, can be played in different ways, in most games in the genre you will ask yourself, shall I go with an assault rifle or a sub-machine gun but in this game you will be asking yourself what trigger system do I want for this mission. All this adds to a unique campaign that will be played differently by every single person who plays it, and also makes the re-playability aspect high as you will ask yourself what you could have done differently.

Co-op increases tension greatly

The only thing that made playing the campaign more enjoyable for me was playing it in co-op, which added a variable that made the action so much more tense and exciting. When you are lining up targets to sync shot (a feature similar to that of Splinter Cell Conviction) in single player you know that your squad will always be in a position to make the shot but when you are playing with another human character you have get everything right, you need to make sure your count is synchronised, and that you are in a good position but also have a backup position ready if anything goes wrong. The co-op experience in this game is helped by the large sized playing area as this allows you to approach each area tactically, be that staying close together with the safety in number attitude or splitting up in an effort to not get sense, you are always thinking and planning when in co-op. 


There are many things that this game has to offer but a feature often looked over in games is the 3D mode, I am lucky enough to have a 3D TV so I have been playing the game in 3D and I don't understand the negativity towards 3D in gaming. In the game the 3D essentially puts your HUD close to you (as if on your helmet) and adds depths to the actually gameplay area, this immerses me more in the game because it adds to the realism and you actually feel like your looking through a visor. I will continue to get behind 3D gaming because to me it adds an extra dimension to a game which makes the over all experience better. 


Ubisoft set out the make the Ghost Recon series relevent again, by essentially re-inventing it, and in my eyes they have done that, they have offered an altirnative to the generic run and gun shooter games that clog up the market and offered a game that truly requires that you plan each approach, think about priority targets and worry about the position your in. Tom Clancy games have been put back on the map and with the release of Rainbow 6 Patriots and Splinter Cell Blacklist in 2013 their not going away any time soon.



Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Future Soldier - Buy or Rent = Buy              Score - 8.7/10

Total War: Rome 2 Trailer

Check out the epic new live action trailer for Total War: Rome 2 set for release in 2013

Sir Paul McCartney Writing Music For Bungie

Sir Paul McCartney has announced on his official Twitter account (@PaulMcCartney) That he is composing music for Bungie the makers of Halo.

"I'm really excited to be working on writing music with @bungie, the studio that made Halo,"

When questioned why he was making his first forage into the world of gaming he said that ..

"It's a fascinating market. A new computer game sells so much better than a new CD these days. Young people will hear my music for the first time in a game"

It is still unclear what specific Bungie game the Beatles star is working on but be sure to check out the soundtrack of the next game Bungie announce.

The Phoenix Rises ... A Little Later Than Expected

That's right JustHonestGameReviews is back, and even better. There will now be even more content produced to an higher level and I'm excited to bring forward the new podcast which I am host of... NextLvlGamersPodcast, check out this weekly podcast for reviews, news, games and general comedic gaming chit chat on iTunes or follow this link ...  http://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/next-lvl-gamers-podcast/id525183508

Phoenix Soon To Be Rising

As all my readers no I am currently on a hiatus because I'm moving houses but I can announce that Just Honest Game Reviews will be up and running soon, and even better than before, with more video reviews, written reviews and of course news.

In the mean time please listen to my brand new podcast "Next Lvl Gamers Podcast" (http://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/next-lvl-gamers-podcast/id525183508) I am the host of the podcast.

Please give them all important 5 star iTunes reviews, they help so much.

Next Lvl Gamers E3 Special

Check out our E3 special edition of the podcast, looking at all the games shown at E3 and much more comedy banter.

http://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/next-lvl-gamers-podcast/id525183508

Brand New Podcast

Next Level Gamers is a brand new weekly video game podcast brought to you by the people behind this site Just Honest Game Reviews. The podcast aims to bring honest yet funny opinions about all the latest video games, be that review, news or features. One of our main aims is to create a community of gamers who are all equal, this means anybody is free to game with the people on the podcast, there are too many podcasts who don't connect with their listeners and we aim to change this.

If you want to game with the host of this exciting and popular new podcast add this gamertag on Xbox Live - Xtrem3KilleR (X,K,R are capitals) and I look forward to gaming with you soon.

Please give it a listen and give them all so important 5 star iTunes reviews.

http://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/next-lvl-gamers-podcast/id525183508

Site News

Good news and bad news regarding the site. 

Bad news is that the site will be taking an hiatus until the 1st of July where it will come back stronger than every with daily features and a more concentrated focus on reviews and will also feature guest writers. So thank you all that have followed me on the site and I look forward to writing for you again in a couple of months time. 

The reason for this site "holiday" is that I am on placement over the initial summer period and following this I will be moving house so I am busy constantly and have no free time. Once I'm in my new house the site will be coming back stronger than ever.

The good news though is that during this period I will still be hosting the brand new "next level gamers" podcast which can be found on iTunes and at this link .. http://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/next-lvl-gamers-podcast/id525183508

Please listen to the podcast which is a weekly podcast and dont forget to leave those all important 5 star iTunes reviews. 

Thank you

Family Guy: Back To The Multiverse Coming "This Fall"

After a partial leak from online retailer Amazon the games publisher Activision have acknowledged the existance of the new Family Guy: Back To The Multiverse game and on top of this have implied a "fall" release.

" The hilarious Griffin family and their friends from Quahog are coming to gaming consoles this fall in an all-new Family Guy video game from Twentieth Century Fox Consumer Products and Activision Publishing Inc"

"Back to the Multiverse, the title will offer gamers an interactive Family Guy experience inspired by one of the most popular and notable episodes in the series' history"

As hinted in the press release the game will feature many assets from the TV show, including the writers and cast.

New Podcast

This blog is about to get its own podcast, the amount of views that the blog has been getting has motivated me to set up this podcast. The podcast will be called Next Lvl Gamers and is fully independent and set up by me. Your views have made this possible and I thank you for that. 

If you have any questions for the podcast please email them to nextlevelgamerspodcast@gmail.com

 

Microsoft Against Day One Digital Releases

In the light of speculation of how digital downloads will affect the next generation of consoles or if they will become more prominent in this generation Microsoft has come out and down played digital downloads. They have essentially said that they dont want games releasing on their games on demand system at the same time they are released in stores. 

Speaking to MCV Microsoft's UK product manager Pav Bhardwaj stated that their main focus is still retail 

"We don't do Games on Demand on day one, we focus on boxed retail for day one, That's where our focus has always been and will remain that way for the foreseeable future. We release a game roughly six months after it arrives at retail at full ERP. That's our model and we'll be sticking to that. It's a successful model, so why change something you don't need to? 

"The customer has the choice of going to retail on day one if they really want to buy a particular title, or to wait a couple of months and buy it full price from the Xbox Live marketplace. It's a successful part of our business, we're very pleased with the growth and it continues to do really well. Clearly there's an audience out there who are happy to purchase a product at full ERP six or so months after [its retail release]."

GTA 5 To "Steal E3's Thunder"

Video game research analyst Michael Pachter has recently predicted that an early announcement of GTA 5 will steal E3's thunder, it should be noted that Rockstar tends not to have much of a presence at E3 and haven't had an hands-on of a game at the event since the last Midnight Club racing game in 2008.

Pachter said of GTA

"They've outgrown the show. I think they're way too cool to go,  my read on those guys is they like stealing the thunder from everything else.

 So if I had to bet, I'd say you'd get an announcement on GTA 5 the day before E3 starts, that'd be Monday, June 4. They don't show up and all anybody can do is talk about GTA 5 at the show. 

Microsoft To Unveil New Music Service

Microsoft have taken note of the success of music streaming application Spotify as reports are suggesting they are to unveil their own music streaming service at this years E3 Expo. According to The Verve the app will be named Woodstock and will replace the Zune music service that is currently on the Xbox, the app will have strong ties to Facebook in much the same way the Spotify has now, so expect shared playlists and shared tracks from all your Facebook friends.

There are currently no specific details on the price structure for this surface but it has been suggested that existing Zune pass members will be able to keep their subscription with the new service.

Crysis 3 Trailer

Brand new Crysis 3 trailer 

Halo 4 Release Date

The next instalment in the Halo universe and the first game to be developed solely by 343 Studios has finally got a release date. Halo 4 will be released on November 6 has officially announced by Microsoft. This will be the first game since Halo 3 to feature both Master Chief and Cortana and will follow on their story four years on from the end of the third game.

Phil Spencer, corporate vice president of Microsoft Studios today addressed the game.

"We are beginning a new saga with Halo 4 and embarking on a journey that will encompass the next decade of Halo games and experiences, millions of fans worldwide have been eagerly awaiting the opportunity to step back into the boots of Master Chief, and with Halo 4 leading the charge, we're confident 2012 will be the most successful year in Xbox history"

Game of Thrones RPG Gets Release Date

Game of Thrones the upcoming action RPG based on the immensely popular TV show has finally got a release date. The game is developed by Cyanide and will hit stores in "early June" distributor Koch Media has confirmed. This of course should not be confused with the mediocre Game of Thrones Genesis. 

The game itself will feature characters and locations from the TV series and aims to be an authentic Game of Thrones experience. You will start the game as either Mors or Alester and began levelling up your character in true RPG style. It has also been reported that author of the  books, which the TV series is based on, has had "creative input" on this game, so expect a story that reflects the calibre of the TV series.

Demon Souls Offline

Demon's Souls the unofficial prequel to Dark Souls is having its servers shut down in North America on 31st May 2012. Although not as popular at retail as the newer Dark Souls it is understood that a large chunk of the success Dark Souls enjoyed is through some of the revelutional steps regarding difficulty that Demon's Souls took.

The games publisher vice president Tim Pivnicny had this to say on the server closure

"Regrettably, the online servers cannot be sustained forever and now the end draws near, thank you to the unparalleled passion and support of the Demon’s Souls community throughout these last two and a half years. The online adventure may end soon, but the memory of it–just like that of every boss strategy, every level floor plan, and hidden secret–lives on in the gamers for whom the game was so special."

It should be noted that although Dark Souls has come out since the original title there is still very much a cult following for the first game that will be saddened by this news.

Sony To Focus On Gaming

Top Sony staff have recently had discussions about how to overturn their massive losses from the last financial year, which are rumoured to be in the region of $6.4 billion and have caused over 10,000 Sony employees to lose their jobs. Although these massive losses are not primarily caused by the gaming side of the company but instead by sales of other devices such as TVs the fact the PS Vita weekly sales have dropped below 10,000 units in Japan are thought to be the reason Sony have taken notice of the problems facing their gaming business. Sony have therefore decided to focus more of their attention on their gaming platforms in the hope that the gaming side of their company can lead the company out of the red.

In a plan called "One Sony" Sony have outlined a series of ideas that will help the PS3 and Vita  become more successful in their ongoing battle with Microsoft with an overall aim of recouping some of the losses the other legs of their business have experienced. Although it is not fully clear what this will mean for Sony it can be strongly assumed that more capital will be put into development which is good news for any fans looking forward to a potential PlayStation 4

Max Payne Achievement List Announced

Rockstar has revealed the full trophy and achievement list for their upcoming Max Payne game that launches May 15 in Northern America and May 18 in Europe, excluding the secret ones.

Below are the list of official achievements

·         Feel the Payne
Story Complete [MEDIUM]

·         Serious Payne
Story Complete [HARD]

·         Maximum Payne
Story Complete [OLD SCHOOL]

·         Payne In The Ass
Story Complete [HARDCORE]

·         It's Fear That Gives Men Wings
10 Bullet Time Kills In A Row

·         You Could Hurt Somebody With That
Shoot 10 Airborne Grenades

·         You Sure Know How To Pick A Place
Discover All Tourist Locations

·         The Fear Of Losing It
Survive A Level Without Painkillers

·         One Bullet At A Time
300 Headshots

·         You Play, You Pay, You Bastard
         100 Kills With Melee

·         With Practiced Bravado
100 Kills During Shootdodge

·         Past The Point Of No Return
Take 100 Painkillers

·         A Few Hundred Bullets Back
Use Every Weapon In The Game

·         Colder Than The Devil's Heart
Kill 30 Enemies In 2 Minutes

·         Part I Complete
Complete Part I Of The Story

·         Part II Complete
Complete Part II Of The Story

·         Part III Complete
Complete Part III Of The Story

·         Out The Window
Get 6 Kills While Diving Through The VIP Window [FREE AIM]

·         The One Eyed Man Is King
Cover Passos With Perfect Aim

·         That Old Familiar Feeling
Clear The Hallway Of Lasers

·         Something Wicked This Way Comes
Get 7 Kills While Jumping From The Rickety Boat [FREE AIM]

·         Amidst The Wreckage
Destroy All The Models In The Boardroom

·         So Much For Being Subtle
Get 9 Kills While Being Pulled By A Chain [FREE AIM]

·         The Shadows Rushed Me
Unlock And Complete New York Minute Hardcore

·         The Only Choice Given
Get 8 Kills While Dangling From A Chain [FREE AIM]

·         Along For The Ride
Trigger A Bullet Cam On The Zipline [FREE AIM]

·         Sometimes You Get Lucky
Get A Headshot During The Rooftop Tremors

·         It Was Chaos And Luck
Get 6 Kills While Riding The Push Cart [FREE AIM]

·         The Road-Kill Behind Me
Total Everything On The Runway

·         Trouble Had Come To Me
Clear Everyone On The Bus Ride

·         All Of The Above
Finish All Grinds

·         An Echo Of The Past
Find All Clues

·         A License To Kill
Collect All Golden Guns

·         A New York Minute
Finish In A New York Minute

·         Full Monty
Complete One Of Each Game Mode Including All Gang Wars

·         Payne Bringer
Kill 100 Other Players

·         Max Payne Invitational
You Invited Someone To Play

·         Man Of Many Weapons
Unlock All Weapons

·         Man Of Many Faces
Unlock All Faction Characters

·         Deathmatch Challenge
Winner In Any Deathmatch

·         Grave Robber
Looted A Body

·         The Gambler
Won A Wager

·         Training Complete
Achieve Level Rank 50

·         Dearest Of All My Friends
Kill Someone On Your Friends List