It’s been an incredibly long time since I last updated this blog. A lot has changed over the last year, which has meant less time for gaming and more time spent trying to earn a living and beat the terrible effects of the recession. Things are starting to look up now, and whilst I’m working a lot of long days and nights, I’m managing to get back on track a little bit with my social life and chilling out (playing games!).

One of my main focuses has been catching up on some of my unfinished games. You know how it is, you get halfway through a great game, then another one is released that you just can’t wait to play, and before you know it, you’ve got a load of incomplete games that have you thinking “damn that was awesome.. why didn’t I finish it?”. I got Mass Effect 2 on release and that is still in it’s cellophane!

So, what games have I been playing lately…?

Resident Evil 5

I don’t consider myself a fan of survival horror games but this one really surprised me! I think mainly due to the co-op element. I always love games that you can experience with a friend. I just find them more fun. And what could be more fun than trying to survive a mad chainsaw-wielding zombie creature with limited ammo?

I also like how you can upgrade weapons and the search for hidden collectables. I’m working through this game pretty slowly at the moment, but am really enjoying spending the odd hour here and there working through it.

Darksiders

Darksiders is definitely one of those games where I thought “why did I stop playing this!?”. The graphic style is awesome, the characters are dark and interesting, and the story and gameplay really have me hooked! At first this game feels like a linear adventure game (a bit like crash bandicoot), but after about an hour it really opens up into a style of game similar to Zelda: Ocarina of Time. There’s loads of puzzles to solve, big bosses to fight, secrets to find and unlockables to upgrade your character. Great stuff!

Call of Duty: Black Ops

Those who have played online with me or have me on their friends list know that I’m an “achievement whore”. Not quite to the extent that I’m a completionist… I just don’t have the patience. But I love playing games and improving my gamerscore. I played Modern Warfare 1 and 2 online and didn’t really get into it. But, for some reason, Black Ops really pulled me in to the whole online multiplayer experience. Since Darksiders, I haven’t played this as much, but if I have some time to spare and some friends online, this is a game I get a lot of enjoyment from at the moment!

So, there’s a brief summary of where I’m up to at the moment and the sort of games I’ve been playing. There’s loads of new ones that I’m very eager to play (such as the new Deus Ex game), but for now I need to finish some oldies.

What games have you been playing, or feel you need to revisit and complete?