What are you playing at the moment?

[Aboobie]

Originally Posted by Haly

Finding I can't settle into a game since Fallout 3, I need something with a strong storyline again I think. I want a new RPG but I've played everything that's currently available :/

There's not much I've played that you haven't but you could give Blue Dragon another go. I really did enjoy it and wouldn't hesitate to recommend it.

There's also Kameo or Test Drive Unlimited. Both are corkers and offer a lot of fun for your money.

[NokkonWud]

Okay, much like those 2 show offs above, gonna write my own little thing.

Currently playing Fifa 09: Ultimate Team, the DLC for Fifa 09 which was just released. I was a bit unsure about it all, but after getting my head around it I must say, for 800mp it's a complete bargain and offers so much. It's like the best parts of Fifa and Forza 2 in one and had this been in the original release of Fifa 09 it could well be the main mode in it. Superb, possibly the best DLC I've ever bought.

Secondly is, or more accurately, was Fallout 3 which I scooped the full 1100/1100, although that now stands at 1100/1200 thanks to The Pitt DLC, which I purchased, downloaded and then found along with thousands of others that it simply doesn't work. Bethesda are at work fixing it and getting it ready hopefully for release today.

Then there is Resident Evil 5 which I've just got, but much like Dead Space I'm finding it a little slow to get into, but enjoying it as I play. Beautiful graphically, decent voice work, good sound and an intriguing story all make it an enjoyable experience, but something just isn't gripping me, I do think I made a mistake starting it in Single Player rather than Co-Op, thankfully I'm still near the start though so I can start it again with someone who hasn't played it through yet. Anyone?

[Haly]

Originally Posted by Aboobie

There's not much I've played that you haven't but you could give Blue Dragon another go. I really did enjoy it and wouldn't hesitate to recommend it.

There's also Kameo or Test Drive Unlimited. Both are corkers and offer a lot of fun for your money.

Good point I couldn't get into it initially but I know RPGs do take ages to get into. Might give that another go after Condemned.

I used to have Kameo but wasn't overly keen Just not my sort of thing. Work's got TDU so might rent that
Cheers for the tips

Nokkon: I'll have RE5 in about 2 weeks time if that's any good.

[Davey_Pitch]

Originally Posted by NokkonWud

Currently playing Fifa 09: Ultimate Team, the DLC for Fifa 09 which was just released. I was a bit unsure about it all, but after getting my head around it I must say, for 800mp it's a complete bargain and offers so much. It's like the best parts of Fifa and Forza 2 in one and had this been in the original release of Fifa 09 it could well be the main mode in it. Superb, possibly the best DLC I've ever bought.

Is it really that good? I'll have to download the trial and give it a go then. Can you explain what you do in it as I've not seen anything yet that gives a decent explanation of it.

[NokkonWud]

Originally Posted by Davey_Pitch

Is it really that good? I'll have to download the trial and give it a go then. Can you explain what you do in it as I've not seen anything yet that gives a decent explanation of it.

If I had to describe it as anything I'd describe it an almost RPG-esque addition which fits beautifully. For any mode you don't understand the Ultimate Team DLC will play a video tutorial narrated by Clive Tyldesley and Andy Townsend too, which is a really nice touch, so you always know what you're doing.

You start the game and are asked to give your team a name and an abbreviation for your team name, then you're presented with a pack of player cards (a starter pack) which contains several 'Bronze' level players, as well as playing kits (home and away), team crest, training ground and some additional cards such as training cards (ability to give player morale or fitness), injury cards (to repair broken legs or injured backs) or contract cards, to give players further contracts.

After you're dealt your cards you are asked to Create-A-Captain, a custom player (whose stats you cannot change to start with), similar to that you would have created for Be A Pro, he is given a long contract of 50+ games, so you don't need to worry. What I've found from playing online is that everyone had the same idea, a 6'7" monster .

All players contained within 3 catagories of cards, Bronze, Silver or Gold, the better players are obviously Gold. Amongst these 3 catagories are managers as well as further cards like those mentioned above (fitness/training etc..) as well as new shirts, new footballs, new crests, league crests etc... Gold cards are better than Silver which are of course, better than Bronze, so a Gold training card might add on +15 morale points where as a Bronze one would add +4. The cards also offer numbers on the 3 levels too, so for example a contract card that offers +20 to a Bronze player may only add +12 to a Silver player and only +7 to a Gold rated player.

Players are signed with 'contracts' which is basically just a number of games those players can play before they 'expire', purchasing or trading (I'll come to that later) contract cards can extend the length of the contract (the same must be done to Managers too).

Not only is it hard to keep your squad together, sometimes sacrificing one player to keep another, particularly your better players, your team balance is also important, with a flat back for having better teamwork if they all speak English for example, this system works all over the team, so you can't just expect a team to gel immediately. To do this you are constantly swapping and changing players in and out to try and build the 'Ultimate Team'.

Additional packs of cards can be purchased using points earned through winning matches, however this is where the trial for the game is particularly useless without buying it, which I'll explain in a second. Packs are in order, Bronze through Gold as you'd expect. Bronze cards are unlockable after 6 games have been played, Silver after 9 and Gold after 12, this is of course not difficult as if you've played Fifa, you know how addictive it is. The problem with the trial is you only get 5 games to play meaning you're left with the starter pack only. The cards also have different values, Bronze are worth 500 points, Silver are 2500 and Gold are 5000 points. A nice little touch is that you can get Gold players in Silver packs and possibly Gold and Silver in Bronze, but it's incredibly unlikely, but it's a nice idea.

Each game you play is rated on different things, you get more points for the more goals you score, possession percentage, pass percentage etc... If you've ever played the 'Lounge' mode in Fifa 09 you get the idea, as an example, a 3 or 4-nil victory on Semi-Pro difficulty will net you around 500 points. You can earn this points in either single or multiplayer games, which adds further depth to the MP mode found in Fifa 09 (those who own Fifa 09 UT I can never see playing 'vanilla' Fifa 09 MP again) however you won't be able to simply race to 12 games to buy a Gold pack because your player contracts will expire meaning you'll be spending 500 points every 5 or so matches to fill in some gaps, or you could use the trade section...

You aren't just limited to single games either, there are 24 trophies IIRC to win in the game also, which are won by entering online tournaments where you play a knockout competition to win trophies, each competition requires a certain number of 'Skill Points' to enter which are earned from playing offline or online single player matches.

The trade section is one of the areas where this becomes somewhat of a genius mode. Anyone who has played Forza 2 will be hard pressed to argue that the marketplace isn't the best thing about it, and you get almost an identical system here, where by you can sell your players on and people can search for specific players (possibly to try and keep players speaking the same language in a team, or to fill the collection book - mentioned below) and make a bid, for example, you can expect around 10,000-30,000 for a Ronaldinho or Rooney, so even if you buy a Gold pack you're not guaranteed a top player, many of the Gold players aren't even what you'd call top class, but certainly rank higher than Silver or Bronze, as an example, Luis Valencia of Wigan is rated Gold, as is Gianfranco Zola as a Manager, where as I don't think you'd necessarily class either as that in your head. However, there is a reason for this, because not only are you able to offer money for players through an auction system (you can set auctions much the same as eBay, 1 to 7 days and even add a 'Buy Now' price), but you can make offers for players with incentives such as coins and players, so for 2,000 coins, a Ribery and a Cannavaro you might get a Cristiano Ronaldo. You can check each auctions end time and attempt to snipe someone, or search out bargains, for example, a Gold player was listed with what I can only thing was an accidental '250 coin' asking price in the 'Buy Now' section when the player was going for over 1,000 for other people in standard auction format (you don't need to add a Buy Now price), sadly I was sniped, and no, I can't remember the player.

Now some people reading this might be thinking, 'Well I'm not gonna be able to sell any Bronze or Silver players', but again, EA have thought of this and added a 'Collection Book' which is most comparible with a Sticker book you may have collected as a child. You can get players and commit them to the collection where you won't be able to get them back or sell them. The book features EVERYTHING, literally thousands of things to collect, from players at teams to team shirts, crests, celebrations, footballs and stadia. The reason this has been added is because if you complete any team line up you are rewarded in handsome fashion, in mine I have started to collect players from the South African team 'Kaiser Chiefs', so if I complete their team I will get a substantial reward in coins - how much I don't know, it doesn't say, but I got 250 points just for getting the 'Coca Cola League 1' crest in a pack of player cards, so I'd expect a good chunk for a full team. The reason I started Kaiser Chiefs is because they are all Bronze players, and from looking at the Marketplace I may have possibly already collected a rarer player than others with 2 of their players appearing a lot, the one I commited to the book I haven't seen anyone selling. It's also a lot easier for me to place a Bronze player in there than a Gold player who are better.

EA have also added the option to literally buy packs of cards in the game for those without the time to play through the almost RPG element of levelling up by using actual Market Place Points, but in a total shock the prices aren't ridiculous, but are also high enough that people won't just take liberties, with the cards coming in at 20, 40 and 80mp a pack, a great deal if you ask me, and something I was expecting double the price (if offered at all).

To describe the depth is almost impossible, what I would say is that for 800mp you're possibly getting the best DLC I've seen from a game, if this was Fifa 09 I would have happily shelled out £40 for it, so that gives you my impressions. When you compare it to any other DLC out there for the same price it really does set a new benchmark, I would even say it offers more than anything that costs more! It even has that same level of excitement when opening a new pack that you had as a kid opening a pack of stickers!!

I've written this a bit all over the place, constantly remembering brilliant little things that are in it, so forgive me if it's a bit hard to follow, I'm happy to describe further.

[Haly]

Really like the sound of that Very tempting, and cheers for the summary

[Creature]

Been playing Call of Duty 2 all evening. Haven't played it for a couple of years and felt it was time to go through it properly. It's a lot easier than I remember it being, i've been through several level on vet with out getting hit. I am now stuck at the start of the famous D-Day level. God it's a bitch, but I know there's worse to come, with Hill 400 .

[Haly]

I'm looking forward to playing CoD2 on Veteran Still my favourite CoD game I think.

[Creature]

Jesus, you're catching up with me Jen, only a 2k game :O

[Haly]

Didn't realise the gap was so close.
Not even been whoring points much lately, I'll have to work on that if we're so close