by Ashraf Abdalla
Summertime is coming to an end, all the people who left Kuwait for the summer are slowly trickling back and schools are starting. It has been a relatively low-key summer for gamers, despite the large amount of exciting announcements at E3.
We’ve only had two good things going for us this summer, the first of which was the release of the re-mastered edition of The Last of Us which I’d highly recommend to anyone, even if you have played the Sony exclusive in its original version on the PS3. For those who haven’t, this is a game that cannot be missed. It is a brilliant and emotionally moving tale about a man’s attempt to escort a young girl through a post-apocalyptic world ravaged by a fungal infection that turns infected humans into zombie-like monsters. The various stages of infection represent the different enemies you’ll have to sneak around or fight your way through, and that’s besides the horrible things people do to survive and the bandits and cannibals that will cross your path. The PS4 remastered edition comes with higher definition textures and graphics, and a much more solid frame rate than its original version. Yet it has always been the cinematic play that captures both the player and those watching. The remastered version enhances the storyline with DLC campaigns to give you the back-stories you may have wondered about, along with multiplayer maps released for the PS3 version. Rarely does a game move me with its amazing storyline. Yet with The Last of Us the cinematic play was so good, my wife watched the plot unfold like she would an amazing television series. Do not pass up on this if you’re looking for something to get you through lazy afternoons in the comfort of your home.
This summer everyone who has pre-ordered Bungie’s Destiny on any console, got two week’s access to the beta test and server stress test. I got my hands on three beta codes which I passed out among friends and gave the Level 8 capped beta a go and my oh my is this game amazing. Think, the perfect blend of Halo first person shooter gameplay, World of Warcraft-like MMO connectivity, and a simple, yet well fleshed-out, RPG skill system. This gorgeous game saw me quickly reach the level cap with all three classes on offer, and spend many hours playing co-op missions with my brother-in-law and friends overseas, as well as countless hours in its well balanced competitive multiplayer – which offers all the familiars of deathmatch and capture the flag games. Playing the hero of Guardian of The Last City on Earth is going to be incredible fun when this gem is released to retail on the 9th of September. This is just the beginning for Bungie as they look to revolutionize how we look at our first person shooters in the future. Destiny has also broken the record of the most preordered game in history. If you haven’t gotten a copy yet, I would recommend you do so immediately. It will give you some good progression and weapon bonuses at launch, which will definitely come in handy, and nobody should miss out on what will undoubtedly be a strong contender for game of the year.
Diablo 3’s Ultimate Evil edition is now released on the new consoles for anyone looking for some fun fast paced hack and slash action with their friends. This version will have the recently released Reaper of Souls expansion. And soon enough we’ll start getting swarmed with all the games we’ve been heard about at E3 and more recently at Gamescon in August. Publishers and developers have released tons of gameplay video of all the upcoming titles which have many a gamer foaming at the mouth. If you haven’t yet seen it, make sure to youtube Gamescom 2014 and start getting excited for the fall and holiday releases this year.
Which brings me to a painful piece of news. This month’s column will sadly be my last. The missus and I have undertaken a huge project to paint more than 300 miniatures from the board games we’ve purchased at Good Games. Not to mention the additional 400 that will be arriving in February thanks to a highly successful Zombiecide Kickstarter campaign. I’d be lying if I said I wouldn’t also be occupying quite a bit of my time with all the games that will be landing on our console and pc hard drives soon, mmm… Far Cry 4. Got to get to the controller before my wife does.
Remember, play nice and stay geeky!
