Under Development + Other Things

As Promised, I am currently working on a full Far Cry 3 review and also working on some items in the lead up to the release of Grand Theft Auto V.


Also on the subject of GTA:V, I am currently working on a modification for the Rockstar Games / Take2Interactive releases, Grand Theft Auto 4, and Grand Theft Auto EFLC (The Ballad Of Gay Tony & The Lost And Damned).

This modification will NOT make major changes to the game, but moreso, smaller changes.
It is currently a very early release beta and is yet to be published online.


I do have plans to create a follow-on mod for the GTA:V PC release, but I am awaiting confirmation on details from R*

Far Cry 3 Review

Soon I will have a full FarCry3 Review to post here.

This is just a quick update informing this as I am also working flat out on some 3D Animations for a secondary project.

Until next time...

GTA V Confirmed Features (2nd Trailer Roundup)

Ok so here are the already confirmed features from the previous trailer and from some "leaks" (PR news releases) from RockstarGames

•  Animals are not just scenery (They WILL attack you if they are guarding something)
• High-end vehicles (such as jets) are guarded early on in the game and will be met with fierce resistance if you attempt to steal one (you've got to work for it)
• Money can buy more things than what you could in GTA 4
• THREE playable protagonists! With inter-playable switching available
• Flyable jets make a return to the game
• The pedal bicycle returns also
• The playable area is 30x (30 Times) larger than the sprawling deserts of Red Dead Redemption (making it the biggest playable area EVER created by RockstarGames)

Now for the confirmed information from Trailer number 2

• Parachutes make a return to the game with a sky-jump from a moving cargo plane (A possibility for piloting it perhaps?
• The buzzard from GTA 4 TBOGT makes a return, although possibly under a different name
• Dogs play an integral part of the game
• Arson, Theft, Mugging play high point in the game with a fair number of missions dedicated to it.
• Jet Fighters also make a return with high performance missiles equipped to them

Rumoured content includes the return of Mt Chiliad and a possibility of a "Area 51" style location. (However with the game set in only ONE region of San Andreas this could turn out to be nothing more than a red herring.

The second trailer overall reveals little of the games actual contents, but does pose some interesting questions regarding the mission layout and overall playout of the game.

Whether or not it will be a viable pre-order and release in Spring 2013 remains unknown but it does seem to be holding up the anticipation bullet from RockstarGames.

Well done! But please give us more in Trailer 3!

Until the next time...

WATCH THE GTA V 2ND TRAILER LIVE

Enjoy, We are now streaming the GTA V Trailer Live!

You can expect to see a full round-up of all the features in our next post (in just under 15 minutes time)

Enjoy!

Just 25 Minutes!

Please hold with us for just 25 more minutes as the GTA V trailer is unveiled.

Live coverage will be posted here as soon as the trailer is released.

New GTA V trailer coming soon!

Yes RockstarGames have released information about the much awaited new trailer.
While the content is still a mystery information has been released to state that the new trailer is to air itself on the internet on the 14th of November 2012.
While accurately the definitive time of release is not known, it could be assumed to be a derivative of 5, meaning it could be released at 5:55pm EST on the 14th November 2012.
This is only a speculation however.


Other info that has appeared on the internet is that the game will feature THREE protagonists to the story line and that you will be able to play as all of them.


Currently we have no further information but we will update as soon as we have more for you.


Until the next time.

Live GTA News!

From now up until the release of GTA 5 we will be covering everything there is to know about the game.

Please Click the GTA 5 logo in the menu on the right to see our dedicated page about the newest game to the Grand Theft Auto series.

We will also have a live twitter feed following the latest news about GTA 5, please note that we are not liable for the content in the twitter feed and have no control over the language used within it.

Until the next time.

GTA V is confirmed for 2013 release

Yes you read that right. Rockstar Games has officially announced that GTA V, (The latest addition to the Grand Theft Auto franchise), is due for a release in Q1/Q2 2013, that means to the lay-man, that it will arrive between March 1st and July 1st in 2013.

According to internet discussion a new trailer is due for imminent release on the 8th of November 2012, we will continue to bring you the latest news as soon as it breaks. Pre-orders for the game will start on 5th November 2012 (In the UK, as far as I'm aware).

Currently it is confirmed for the Xbox 360 and the PS3, a PC version is expected, but currently no details are out. Speculation does bring an air of questioning for 1080p (True HD) resolution gaming.

For now there is nothing more to tell, but I will leave you with some teaser art R* themselves put out.

Disclaimer:
Grand Theft Auto, GTA, GTA V, stylings, brandings, monikers and all other associated media are property of RockstarGames and remain so. This image is published under the notation that it is used solely to advertise the aforementioned company and game for free and incurs no financial gain in any way for this blog.

You can find more information regarding RockstarGames and GTA:V at http://www.rockstargames.com and http://www.rockstargames.com/v/ respectively.

This submission and its contents may be altered or redacted without warning under guidance from RockstarGames themselves.

Until the next time.

Windows 8: Day 1 Review

OK, so Microsoft has just released Windows 8, the latest operating system in from perhaps the worlds biggest technology company.

Since it's Day 1 I cannot give a full in depth review but here is a review of the things I checked out so far.


Tiles

Those of you who have taken the plunge and gone to Windows 8 may have notice the desktop no longer exists. Yep, Microsoft have done away with the traditional interface and replaced it with something altogether more weird, the tiled interface.

Showing all the latest news, stock information, games you have installed and more, the tiles interface attempts  to make everything feel that little more central. The only thing thats missing  is a direct link to the system settings, Who doesn't like Control panel?


Performance

Again Microsoft have advertised a new operating system as a performance boost, but in a moment of honesty it is anything but. The boot time increases by about 4 seconds (on average) and the shutdown time is catastrophic in the fact my shutdown time has increased 400% (See end of post for stats)

File searching is a godsend however, its almost instant in its results. I love that!



Compatibility

I've seen in posts on various forums that some programs are not compatible with 8, in the case of McAfee and AMD Catalyst Control Center (AMDCCC). They ARE compatible however you need to uninstall them before upgrade or clean install and then reinstall them afterwards. (its to do with merging files and settings between Windows 7 and 8)


Overall

Visually the system is pleasing and works well, but it needs some serious tweaks to make it better. For example remove the annoying delay in shutdown, add control panel to the tiles menu (for admins) and address the issue in which the startup programs get stopped without warning.


So Microsoft, please don't advertise faster speeds if it doesn't actually happen.

WinXP* Boot = 10sec
WinXP* Shut =  10sec

Vista Boot* = 15sec
Vista Shut* = 10sec

7 Boot** = 10sec
7 Shut** = 5sec

8 Boot** = 16sec
8 Shut** =  21sec

* = 32bit System
** = 64bit System

My thoughts on Pokemon Black 2 and White 2

Ok, So now I've officially completed the game I can look back and expound my thoughts without issue.

!! * WARNING, SPOILERS BELOW * !!

Having played the game I found it somewhat mismatched to its predecessors, I mean the plot didn't seem to feature the enemy team (Team Plasma) as much is it did before. I counted only 3 different events in which they appeared (en mass that is).

At times it felt a good wholesome game complete with some intricate puzzles and logical choices but in other times it just doesn't make sense.

I mean Victory Road is now in disrepair, yet no trainer I encountered mentions anything of the sort, the inclusion of the legendaries (Zekrom, Reshiram and Kyurem) all seem a little lite for my taste, perhaps a little back-story for those who haven't played the original version?

Some of the music doesn't fit the game, for example there is a decidedly Jamaican themed segment of music playing in one of the towns but it just doesn't make any sense for it to be there.
Having said that, it is really well done with the Gym Leader music, especially the final battle theme. A very nice remix.

Moving onwards, you also have the reappearance of Trainer N, who has reconciled his issues from the previous game. However I don't feel he has been used to his fullest extent, it just seemed as if he was dropped into the story as a filler and a way of catching a previous legendary (how else would Reshiram or Zekrom be available for capture since this game is set two years after the originals and both were initially caught by yourself and N)

My final gripe is that after the Elite Four you can venture towards Nuvema town (your original starting town in the previous game) to visit Prof. Juniper. However you encounter a pre-schooler who has a level 60-70 pokemon. How in the heck could he manage this? he's far too young to take on the Gym's required to gain the badges!



Overall yes its a good game, one or two glitches here or there to be taken care of, plus some minor plot inconsistencies, but yes I do like it. My only thoughts now are how are Game Freak and Nintendo going to expand the series further, they seem to be fast running out of Colour names to use as well as the 'Dex hasn't increased since Black and White (V1). Hopefully this wasn't the swansong of the series and we can look forward to a better edition next time.

If we are going to say goodbye to the series, lets go in style a nice round 700 Poke's and a decent plot to end all plots (new region would be nice also, perhaps a revisit to Sinnoh or Hoenn?


Until the next time.

Pokemon Black 2 and White 2 UK Release Day Review

OK, so the UK has just seen the newest addition to the Pokemon franchise with the release of Pokemon Black 2 and Pokemon White 2 and as promised here is a release day review of the new games.

!! * SPOLIER ALERT BELOW * !!

Overall since the release of the Black and White versions I feel that the game has grown in leaps and bounds, there are numerous changes to the game including some never before seen towns as well as some old faithful's in Pokemon such as Mareep.

In the terms of the plot, it seems as if it is somewhat shorter than that of its predecessors, almost as if it is chopping out some interesting key points to the storyline.

With the game set only two years after the events of Black and White it shows the player in a world where Cheren (a previous companion) is now only just a Gym leader, and Bianca is a assistant to the ever-helpful Professor Juniper. Team Plasma make a gratuitous return to the series with the group now split into two factions, one faithful to Ghetstis (who wants to control all pokemon) and the other faithful to N (who has now changed his ways and is all for trainers with pokemon), over the course of the game the two factions battle for supremacy in Unova. For the risk of spoiling the plot further I shall cease there with a plot overview.

Graphics have seen a major upheaval in the game, with new and improved camera angles to play with, some even visible from the outset of the game, admittedly the game does have a feel of the old-school about it, but thats the "joie de vivre" of the whole game and its legacy.

Music has also seen a major reworking in the game, with some incredible tunes making way into the game, it still maintains that feeling of the original Red. Yellow and Blue phase while incorporating some newer themes and genre.

Overall GameFreak and Nintendo have outdone themselves with the improved version, even if the game doesn't have its own title. I mean seriously, "Black 2" and "White 2"?  I understand the game is set after the events of "Black" and "White" but it seriously needs its own name. otherwise it just feels cheesy. Having said that a full overhaul of the C-Gear makes up for the name Faux pas so I'm happy there.


My only big bugbear is the fact that the Keldeo event for the game was surprisingly limited in the UK with little or no promotion anywhere, not to mention, furious restrictions on the methods in which it can be obtained.

I would have to say the follow about the game

10/10 for graphics
10/10 for music
5/10 for Events
9/10 for plot (somewhat short and over too soon)
?/10 for connectivity (to be tested)

Overall a score of 44/50 (not including multiplayer in the final score just yet)

Thanks GameFreak and Nintendo for a wonderful game and a glorious series, may there be many more like this.

The future

Welcome one and all.


Coming up in the next couple of weeks I have some wonderful updates, including FULL release day reviews of both Pokemon Black 2 AND Pokemon White 2.

Things will be sparse in the lead up to it, but things will improve I promise you


Ciao for now.

New Design and Future content

Hi Everyone,

You may have seen that this blog now sports a whole new lool. In fact some of you may say it is rather minimal.

I figured that instead of flashy, in-your-face graphics, a sleek, fast and efficient model was needed. So now we have that, we also have a very awesome style switch  on the left end of the nav bar, you can set whatever theme you prefer style you prefer best and it will remember it for you.

As a note, I also am working very long periods of time as a unpaid beta tester, glitch finder and coder for a few different companies. So if my updates are sporadic or very very random, please forgive me. I have a load on my plate right now and need to balance it accordingly.

Finally, all updates for future games will still go ahead, but due to some unforseen issues, my Halo 4 review will not take place, this is mainly due to a point where I won't be around on release day to purchase and test it. I will however be around for GTA V's release and the FULL onslaught of glitches and exploits inside.  (I should know, I helped discover over 50 different glitches for different R* games in 2011/2012)


Caio for now, my humble readers.

Oops Microsoft

According to some news sources software giant Microsoft has been told to stop using the name "Metro" to identify the interface used in the future released Windows 8 Operating System.

The partner that has requested the cease of the name is believed to be German retail giant Metro AG.

So as a public service annoucement (PSA) I will no longer refer to Windows 8 interfaces and/or the current Xbox interface  as "Metro". I will not edit my previous posts to reflect this as they are solely for legacy purposes. No copyright infringement is intended and if requested I will be more than happy to edit the posts in question.

I procrastinated again.

Ok, Again guys I am really sorry about the lack of posts that have been seen here.
Things have been really busy the lact couple of weeks with various things.

Most notably I have been involved in the discovery and notation of a few exploits in games recently. This has eaten a lot of my time as I tend to spend a large amount of time recreating the exact exploit to see the effects it has on playability and whether or not it could be classed as a serious bug that could affect gameplay.

I've also been heavily involved in the creation of a new website on the internet, mainly as a backend coder, trust me PHP, MySQL and Python are all fun languages to play with but it takes the cr** out of you when you apply them in real scenario's under a tight deadline. (Of course I'm just a volunteer for this site, I don't get paid for it at all).


A third point of note is that I'm currently awaiting the release of; Halo 4, GTA V, and the new Pokemon games, all of which I  will be reviewing later this year, (in correspondence to the relevent and respective release dates). I will also be reviewing Rockstar Games latest release Max Payne 3, with some indepth reviews and information as well.

Finally, I wish you all a good summer, or whatever season you're experiencing right now, lets hope the UK weather will sort itself out soon. I'm no fan of a 4 Seasons Day.

Ciao.

Misleading Advertisment From BT

First off, I'm really sorry I haven't been around here for such a long time. Things have been somewhat crazy the last few weeks. Anyways Given the latest tech news I'm sure I shall be around here much more in the future.


Secondly on to the reason of this post.

As you may already know Virgin Media, O2 and a few others have blocked access to certain websites that are "suspected" illegal filesharing sites of copyrighted material.

BT themselves are supposedly putting a block into place, but they've rather shot themselves in the foot on this one. By discussing musical preferences in the advert and then showing a character downloading the music by search engine WITHOUT paying for it.
Technically under UK law (unless otherwise stated) that would fall under illegally downloading copyrighted material.

Oops. Seems like your advertising campaign just became a little bit uneasy.
Oh I'm sure there is some legal bumpfh you'll feed us saying that it doesn't imply such a thing and that its fully legal.

A little disclaimer wouldn't go amiss.

Pokemon Black 2 & Pokemon White 2

Hey Everyone,

So Nintendo and Pokemon have announced that two new games are set to be released later this year (Around Fall in the USA and approximately September/October in the UK).

The new games return to the Unova region and are based around the pokemon Kyurem and its different forms (Hence the need for two games). It is unknown whether Team Plasma, Cherin or Bianca are making a return.

I will however be writing a full review of the game within days of its release, so never fear you will be kept afloat of the situation.

Until next time.

Windows 8 CPE & DPE(Consumer Preview Edition & Developer Preview Edition)

Ok, so I guess you all have heard about the new releases of Windows 8, they're most likely beta editions since they are marked as evaluation builds but they're pretty nifty as that at the moment.

However I have to be honest I don't really like it.

First off, the sign in method, why oh why is it nesscessary to use Windows Live as signing in method, I don't want my username attributed with my Live ID, Normally I'd choose something normal like Admin, but no! Windows want it to use my Windows Live Name.

Secondly The task manager, while I love the performance tab and network tab, what the heck is going on with the processes and applications tab. Its hideous, as a Windows veteran I am much more keen with the old version that shows you the process name and the value of memory taken in K.

Third and finally, I have been hearing rumours of a 14 second boot up speed, suffice it to say i ran it on
AMD Phenom ii x4 @ 3.4GHz, 8GB RAM, 500GB SATA HDD, Gigabyte GA-970A-UD3 and I got a boot time of 45 seconds to login and a total of 55 seconds to actual "desktop".
So a lot of tinkering there to get it to a 14 second boot.


So Microsoft, I think there may be cause for a few tweaks, and I honestlty hope that the Windows Live Authenticaton (Linking accounts) is only a beta feature. Others I'm sticking with 7 & XP Pro.

EU court to rule on ACTA legality

The European Union's (EU) highest court is set to meet over the legality of the infamous ACTA bill.

The Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (Acta) has been criticised by rights campaigners who argue it could stifle free expression on the internet.

EU trade head Karel De Gucht said the court will be asked to clarify whether the treaty complied with "the EU's fundamental rights and freedoms".

The agreement has so far been signed by 22 EU member states.

What is Acta?

• The Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement is an international treaty aiming to standardise copyright protection measures.
• It seeks to curb trade of counterfeited physical goods, including copyrighted material online.
• Preventative measures include possible imprisonment and fines.
• Critics argue that it will stifle freedom of expression on the internet, and it has been likened to the controversial Stop Online Piracy Act (Sopa).
• Acta has been signed by 22 EU members, including the UK, but is yet to be ratified by the European Parliament.

The Next Few Months

Forgive my tardiness in updating this blog, but I've been inundated with various issues in the past few weeks.

First off, I have planned out for the next few months, the following items:

• Grand Theft Auto V Release Day Review
• The Next Red Dead Redemption Review
• Release of all my previously found exploits (None will be released that are serious, only interesting/comical exploits).

Secondly, I'm currently working on a vast number of projects including:

• A film (Yes a feature film for the cinema's)
• 2 Game scripts/plots

I do have plans for a second film, but they are merely plans at the moment, the first film is actually a 387 page long movie from start to finish. I won't give away the theme, name or idea of the film, however I will say that when I submit the idea to a certain company I hope that it may make a whole new light in the world.

Until next time..

Dropping Skyrim

Good Evening All (Or Morning, Afternoon etc)

I am sorry to inform you all that I am having to drop the review of Skyrim owing to more pressing work that needs to be seen to, I will still be going ahead with the GTA V release day review and the Halo 4 release day reviews but I am unable to take the time to work on the Skyrim one.

I wish I had the time to sit down and work on it for you all but alas this is not the case.

Take care everyone, and I'll see you next time.

Glitch City

First off I apologise for not having updated in a while, I've had a few technical difficulties as well as a busy few weeks.

Secondly, I am now up to 28 glitches found in various games. I am currently compiling the list and preparing to send the documentation to the various game studio's

I am also working on a storyline for a game, as well as a sequel to a pre-existing game on the market. I hope in the future to send the sequel off for consideration. Suffice it to say I am looking forward to completing the work.

Until the next time.

Rockstar Glitches

Recently I have been hard at work bug hunting in various games by publisher Rockstar, currently I stand at 21 bugs (over 4 games) I also have uncovered 3 exploits which allow certain aspects of the games to bypass.

Example (not one of the exploits I've uncovered) the ability to freeze textures on a game.

I won't release my full list of bugs/exploits, however I am working on finding more of them, I have 2 more unconfirmed glitches to look into before they can be added.

Welcome Back

Eagle eyed readers will have noticed that .Horizon was missing from the internet yesterday, this was because it was involved in the SOPA Blackout.

Service is now fully restored.

LA Noire Glitches

Ok So in regards to the previous post about LA: Noire I have uncovered yet more glitches in the game, Even after Rockstar & Microsoft pushed out the lastest title update for the game.

Previous Glitches (Still present) include:

• Convertible cars (When driving without your partner) freeze on crossroads/intersections.
• Phelp's "Nash" car lifts up when driving on concrete paths (by the Tar-Pits, BEFORE the Black Dalhia case's)
• Sound is lost on some cutscenes (Only Phelps' speech)
• Steering can sporadicly lock and cause the car to jerk to one side.
• AI cars can sometimes pull out infront of the police car (With siren on) causing a crash.
• Graphics on close-up items (Such as envelopes, sheets of paper, white cups, and white shirts) Appears glitchy and blocky (Heavily compressed textures?)
• During and after the Black Dalhia case's Phelps is unable to enter the Nash car in parking bay 2 of the Central police station. (Bay 2 is defined by looking at the entrance to the police station from the outside (Stand in the street opposite Angels Flight, then face the police station. Bay 2 is the right hand bay, nearest to the intersection/crossroads)
  

The new glitches I have found are:

• Fall out of map (certain buildings, locations to be confirmed and cross checked)
• "The Badger Game" street crime glitches (rarely) where a V shaped section of wood impales the passenger side front wheel and straight up through the car bodywork, rendering the car undriveable.
• 4 Street crimes (Not yet completed) randomly appear and disappear from the map and mini-map on nearing the crime scene.

So Rockstar!! if your reading this, I think they might need to be addressed, I'm happy to look for more bugs and glitches for you. Hell, I'll even do bug hunting on GTA-V for you.