Thursday, 10 October 2013

GTA Online: Are we finally seeing normality?

Hello guys and gals,

As we all know there has been quite a few problems during these first weeks of Grand Theft Auto Online. The most annoying of course being the character deletion. I have been subject to this a few times which has been quite annoying, but you just got to deal with it I guess.
But it would seem that with the latest update which is now available on both platforms, PS3 & Xbox 360, they have (hopefully) permanently patched this problem up, as well as a few other bugs and annoyances.

Here is the full list:  

• Fixes multiple issues causing character deletion or other loss of progress
• Fixes issues causing infinite loading, infinite sky cams, and missing interface options between jobs
• Fixes an issue causing the "replay" option to be locked out on certain jobs
• Fixes an issue where a player would become stuck in the mod garage when respraying a Sanchez motor bike
• Fixes an issue where the Player became stuck inside Los Santos Customs during Online tutorial flow.
• Fixes an issue causing the loss of guns and ammo
• Fixes issues causing GTA races ending early because of players spawning too far ahead
• Fixes issues in Last Team Standing where sessions would not progress past the lobby
• Fixes issues with network errors when joining Last Team Standing using Quick Job
• Added clarifications around when a player is using a temporary character in GTA Online during Rockstar Cloud server outages
• Adjusts the monetary penalty for being killed in a One on One match



 I have been online today and haven't experienced any problems so far, so hopefully GTA Online can become the brilliant online experience we have all been waiting for?

I really hope so.

Take care

Brutal Atlas  :)

Tuesday, 8 October 2013

First Look At: Bioshock Infinite - Burial At Sea: Episode One

Hello people,

I have for your enjoyment, the first five minutes of the highly anticipated DLC of Bioshock Infinite, which as fans will definitely know, is set in the wonderful underwater world of Rapture.
Of course for those of you who don't want it spoiled for you, please look away now.


I really can't wait for this to be released, but as of yet there isn't a set date, except hopefully by the end of 2013. But when it does it's going to be sweet.

Take Care

Brutal Atlas  :)

Monday, 7 October 2013

Review: Might & Magic: Clash of Heroes

Originally I played this on the DS a few years back, but now that it is currently free to download on Xbox Marketplace I have begun to enjoy this addictive RPG puzzle game.
You command an army of varying types in turn based combat, matching colours and units to create attacks on your enemies health bar or walls for defending against enemy attacks. You match these up in vertical stacks and horizontal depending on what the enemy is matching up and trying to counter what they are doing.

I definitely prefer this on the Xbox rather than the Nintendo DS as sometimes it could sometimes feel like the battlefield was a little cramped rather then being on a nice TV screen. Even though the battle system is unique and complex as well as addictive, the story is easy to skip and really not important. Of course for some of you, you will probably want to immerse yourself in the story but for me personally I just like doing the battling and ranking up my character and individual army units.
The background environments are beautifully hand-drawn and is very appealing to fans of the old school RPG's accompanied by a lovely soundtrack.

There is also a multiplayer mode which is a great add on and a whole different challenge trying to anticipate your opponents next move. Even better with a friend.
This is a game you should really get your hands on, especially since it's currently free at the moment on Xbox Live. It's also available on other platforms. For anyone on Xbox live who downloads it and fancies a battle or two, then don't hesitate to send me a friend request: Brutal Atlas (Gamertag) or tweet me: @Brutal_Atlas

Take Care

Brutal Atlas :)

Sunday, 6 October 2013

Review: Power Up

I first heard about this game when I saw it appear on my twitter feed by the developer themselves, Psychotic Psoftware. After having a look at the screenshots and seeing that it was a classic side-scrolling shooter I went and downloaded it immediately as it was definitely right up my street.

Power Up is made up of various levels with the old school boss battle at the end of each level. The difficulty is depending on how you choose to play it: Easy all the way to Psychotic (Aha! I see what they did there). With a lot of other side scrollers you can get easily bored with the constant shooting the same gun and dodging everything else that gets close, but with Power Up you can switch and rank up different lasers to suit the constant flow of various enemies flying at you. This is great and adds a nice variety to the game, giving it a lot of re-playability.

The background music is very reminiscent of the old retro games and for those of you, like myself, who played all the old consoles back in the day will be transported back to their childhoods. Even the sound effects of the constant fire blast of the first laser is enjoyable. 

The game play, soundtrack and general look has a very retro feel and is for fans of games like R-Type and Axelay. For 69p this was a bargain and I would have paid more for this. I look forward to seeing what Psychotic Psoftware has to offer in the future. A great game over all and a constant reminder that we should all be supporting indie developers.

Take care.

Brutal Atlas :)

Wednesday, 2 October 2013

Teething problems for GTA Online





So the moment we had all been waiting for, the release of Grand Theft Auto Online, and to say there have been some issues is a bit of an understatement. It seems that a lot of people were not able to connect online as soon as it had become available. But to be honest, what were people going to expect, when millions were trying to log onto the servers all at once, of course it was going to send into meltdown. It's the biggest selling game of all time.

Give it time, which shouldn't take long at all, and all the problems will be resolved and we will all be able to connect with no fuss at all. But I have to say, I haven't had that much problem connecting really. Not like some people I know who can't even connect on or even get past the first race with Lamar.

I've managed to rank up a few levels and do some of the online jobs, plus some survival and death matches, and I have to say it is a really good addition to the game. It's a lot of fun and will provide so many hours of gameplay, especially with some mates.

But for now, let us all be patient and let Rockstar sort out these issues and let us all bask in the knowledge that Grand Theft Auto has surely kicked Call of Duty's back side.

Take Care

Brutal Atlas :)