The Top 20 Reasons Not To Live In Skyrim

Visit Skyrim...and let Skyrim visit you.

The northern lands of Tamriel, known collectively as Skyrim, are beautiful. From rolling hills to towering mountains, lush forests, to rippling plains, lazy rivers to roaring waterfalls, everyone finds their own heaven-on-Nirn somewhere in this stunning, diverse nation.

Except for one.

Our newest writer, James, has a different opinion of Skyrim.
(He hates it.)


Passionate about his position on the issue, James put together a list of twenty reasons to not live in (or visit or even look at) the gorgeous nation of Skyrim. Ignoring the general disapproval of everyone he knows, James managed to convince our editor-in-chief to allow the list's publication.
And so, unfortunately, here are the

Top 20 Reasons Not To Live In Skyrim

1. Dragons regularly destroy everything you love. 
2. Public racism is perfectly normal.
3. Powerful widespread assassin guild kills people every day.
4. Assassinations cost less than horses.
5. Drunk mages will blow up your town.
6. Someone will put a basket on your head and render you blind for the next 12 hours.
7. Bards can't hold a beat for their lives.
8. A civil war will rip your family in half.
9. You can't rely on basic physics.
10. Some son of a milkdrinker will swagger into your town, send your friends, family, kids and livestock soaring over a nearby cliff/waterfall using only his/her voice, then steal everything you own and ride away on your horse.
11. Soft, ambient music will play over everything you do. EVERYTHING.
12. Free speech gets you killed.
13. Evil, godlike demons love to mess up your life.
14. Adventuring will result in ambush, a crippling arrow wound, and a new job as a city guard.
15. Marriage is very rarely for true love, and more about healthy meals and the I-Set-Up-This-Shop-In-Our-Home-Deal-With-It Store profits.
16. Coming within 10 meters of someone will always start a ridiculously boring conversation about potatoes and war.
17. Dead bodies scattered across Skyrim, stripped of everything and naked become increasingly common throughout your stay...someone mentioned a "Dragon Born"...
18. Calming nature hikes will eventually end with 800 pounds of savage, roaring bear in your face.
19. Strangers force you to do THEIR work for 6 hours with no break and pay you half of minimum wage in carrots when you're done.
20. When you are inevitably killed, some arsehole will catch it on video, shoot you a few more times, strip your corpse of all worldly possessions (including your great-great-grandmother's diamond ring that had been passed down for generations), drag your limp, abused, dead body to the edge of a cliff, hurl it, laughing, into the abyss, then upload the damn footage to YouTube and get famous.

Disclaimer

Article is entirely a work of fiction (though based in half-truths, logic, and cynicism). Author (me--I'm James, what's up) does NOT hate Skyrim; he just hasn't played it in a while, but still loves it.

Article refers to The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, created by Bethesda Game Studios and published by ZeniMax Media. Don't sue us. Thanks.

Silent Hill - Downpour - Calling All Cars Trophy Achievement Guide

This vid shows the solution to the police station puzzle.
Codes:
D375
C466
B557
A648

Check out my channel for loads more guides.
http://www.youtube.com/user/MrReign420?feature=mhee

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8-N_DVUt29Y

Silent Hill - Downpour - Train Puzzle Guide

This vid shows the solution to the Train Controls Puzzle.
Easy - E A C Red Blue Orange
Normal - A B D C Blue Green Grey Orange
Hard - D E B A Grey Red Green Blue
Enjoy!

Check out my channel for loads more guides.
http://www.youtube.com/user/MrReign420?feature=mhee
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V_5IIo9QepI

4 Best pieces of Equipment in Skyrim (and none of it can be Crafted)

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is one of those games that allows an unprecedented amount of freedom when it comes to gameplay.

Those who have played the game know this, and those who haven't played it.............have almost certainly heard about it.

As with most games you're able to find out the majority of information regarding Quests, Levelling etc. via the Numerous Wiki's available on the internet.

However, when searching the internet for the best Armor and Weapons in the game, even the wikis fall short in that almost everyone says the same thing......A full set of crafted Daedric armor is the best armor you can get.

The same goes for weapons. As weapons go, Daedric weapons are considered the best you are able to get.

When looking at the games weapon and armor crafting professions (Enchanting and Blacksmithing) this is definitely true.

But when you play the game long enough....there are some things that stand apart from anything you're able to craft in the game.

These are 4 of the things you can acquire in the game that stand apart from the accepted norm and in majority of cases, are better than their Daedric counterparts.

Please note that this is certainly not a wiki or guide, but information regarding how to get them is readily available on the internet. 

1.) Konahrik Mask

Be warned..............this is a difficult piece of armor to acquire.

During the course of the main story line (and other story line's) you will end up fighting Dragon Priests. Many of these Dragon Priests drop masks that bestow specific abilities.

At first glance they may appear to be random (and not always the best pieces of armor), but in truth there are actually 8 masks to collect from specific Dragon Priests......for one main purpose.

If you manage to collect all of them, a trip to the central barrow (containing a broken shrine) in Labryinthian will allow you to collect a 9th wooden mask on the ground that allows you to collect the Ultimate Dragon Mask.

Putting the wooden mask on will allow you to travel back in time when the shrine is still intact. Putting all 8 Dragon Masks on the shrine will then open up the concealed middle section of the shrine containing the Konahrik Mask (The Ultimate Dragon Mask). All previous Dragon Masks are retrievable as well after unlocking Konahrik.....you know.......for sentimental reasons and whatnot.

This mask is entirely unique in that when the Player wears it they stand a chance to recover all their health when their health is low, knock back and damage all enemies around them,.................and occasionally summon a dragon priest to protect them.

Interesting to note is that this mask can be upgraded through Blacksmithing and has the highest armor rating in the game.

2.) Ebony Mail

Many of you might be saying "Ebony armor? That's a lower level armor type to Daedric?."

Very true. But......I never said Ebony ARMOR, I said Ebony MAIL.

I completely understand the confusion, but let me explain..........................

The Ebony Mail Chest armor is actually completely separate from the craft-able armor set via blacksmithing.

It is acquired through the Daedric Quest - Boethiah's Calling, and is probably the most unique piece of Heavy armor in the game.

It's also my favorite piece of armor in the game.

Providing an impressive armor rating, it has the additional benefits of allowing you to move silently (unusual for Heavy armor) and deals 5 points of poison damage per second to enemies in a close radius.

This is the only piece of armor to provide an automatic DOT (Damage Over Time....in MMO terminology)

Less important is the fact that when going into sneak mode or into battle, you're covered by dark smoke.

It just looks really cool.

3.) Ebony Blade

Again with the Ebony........Bethesda??? Are you trying to confuse us??

What is the most irritating thing about having a high-powered enchanted weapon?.....Soul Gems!!!

With any weapon we enchant, we need filled Soul Gems to give them power, and to be very honest it can get a bit annoying.

Firstly, we need to have the empty Soul Gems, then we need to either use the "Soul Trap Spell" or have an existing enchantment on our weapon to steal the soul.

Secondly, we need to actively recharge our weapons via the menu, worrying about how many charged Soul Gems we have, how many need to be charged, and how much weight are the Soul Gems taking up in our bag........blah....blah....blah!!!!

To acquire the Ebony Blade, you'll need to complete the "The Whispering door" Daedric Quest, and then on completing it (to get to it's maximum of 30 health points stolen per hit) you'll need to kill those who you've done good for or become close too. (yeah.....it's a complicated relationship with this weapon)

The Sword is NOT upgradeable by Blacksmithing.

Even though the Ebony Blade is not the most devastating of potential weapons, it is definitely a game changer. Coupled with the fact that you'll never need to use a Soul Gem again......TOTALLY WORTH IT!!!!!!

4.) Ring of Namira

One of the most unique pieces of jewelry in the game is the Ring of Namira.

Acquired after the Daedric Quest "The Taste of Death" (providing you eat the flesh of Verulus) , it provides you with some disturbing, yet interesting abilities.

When wearing the ring, you automatically have a boost of +50 Stamina.

The more interesting benefit is from eating corpses. (Disgusting, but beneficial)

Any humanoid enemy you kill (playable races) allows you to eat their flesh after, and therefore get a boost to your Maximum health and health regeneration for a short time.

In a bind, this is quite useful.......but avoid using it in cities........people don't seem to like it much. (not too surprising)




As the game progresses I'm sure there are still some items that surprise me. As I find them, I'll let you know.

But at the moment these are the most useful and powerful items (armor, weapon or otherwise) I've been able to find.

Silent Hill - Downpour Intro 1080p

Hello & Welcome,
This is a vid showing the intro scene to Silent Hill Downpour, the prison walk & bus crash. What an amazing game!
Warning Spoiler Alert!!
Enjoy!
Check out my channel for loads more guides.
http://www.youtube.com/user/MrReign420?feature=mhee

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7xk3zT8W7A8

Tiger Woods PGA Tour 13 - Tiger Woods Uses Kinect

How good is Tiger Woods at his own game using Kinect?

Check this clip out from IGN below to find out:

The Most Bad-Ass Heroes in Gaming (Part 1)

Video game characters are by far the most unique and interesting characters in any form of media available today. From Villains to Heroes (and everything in between), their personalities and traits are often way over the top and sometimes several times larger than life.

None more so than the Heroes we play.

However many of the heroes we play in Video Games aren't exactly squeaky clean. (often completely the opposite)

They are in fact anti-hero's. Wikipedia describes the anti-hero as the following -  "the anti-hero is generally considered to be a protagonist whose character is contrary to that of the archetypal hero, yet typically retains many heroic qualities."

Here is Part 1 of my list of 13 gaming "anti-hero's" that are as bad-ass as they come.

13.) Red Bird (Angry Birds)

He's Angry...He's Red...And he's Tough. The leader of the Angry Birds, he's generally first in line to be catapulted towards unsuspecting pigs. He's also ruthless, because he often chooses to attack the pigs during the holidays. Some may argue he's just getting his revenge, but the look in his eyes shows a hatred unlike any other bird known to man.....and maybe a glint of sadistic pleasure as well.








12.) Raynor (Starcraft 2)

The main protagonist from the Starcraft series (more recently in StarCraft 2:Wings of Liberty), Captain Jim Raynor has generally had a rough time at the hands of the Zerg.

He's used to war, and doesn't mind getting his hands dirty to make sure the job gets done.

He's an angry guy, but he keeps his cool under pressure.

Oh yeah, and he's still a bit upset with his old boss over losing the love of his live (Kerrigan) when she gets infested and turned by the Zerg into the Queen of Blades. Also, he also made one of his best friends turn against him.

I don't envy that guy one bit when Raynor gets his hands on him.







11.) Niko Bellic (Grand Theft Auto IV)

The Main Character in Grand Theft Auto 4, Niko Bellic is has a rough past to deal with. He tries his best to escape his old life by traveling from Eastern Europe to America, but his criminal past catches up to him (thanks to his cousin) and he ends up having to resort to some drastic and violent measures to get by.

He's willing to do anything to get by, and although he is a reluctant criminal, he finds the violence easy after his many years in the Yugoslav wars and his criminal background since then.

Stealing cars, Selling drugs and being a Hitman for hire are all in a days work for Niko these days. 








10.) Dante (Devil May Cry)

Dante love for demon-hunting is only matched by his love for Pizza and Strawberry Sundaes (preferably with extra strawberry's). 

Don't let that fool you though....Dante is definitely a badass!!!

Being half demon / half human he has some devastating powers available to him, but his ability to utilize massive swords and duel-wielding handguns are his primary form of attack.

.......and he wears a red trenchcoat.

 Nuff said!!!!








9.) Cloud Strife (Final Fantasy 7)

Cloud began his military career as a gentically enhanced member of "SOLDIER" (an Elite military group in the Shinra Army), and ended up as a mercenary for hire after leaving the group.

Constantly troubled by his past and unconcerned with anything other than the mission at hand, he struggles to deal with the losses he has suffered.

His sword (The Buster Sword) is one of the largest in gaming history and deals a great deal of damage (especially later in the game)

The only other Character more badass in Final Fantasy 7 was Sephiroth (Cloud's old Mentor and eventual Nemesis and main Antagonist) 









8.) Kain (Legacy of Kain)

Kain used to be a Nobleman, until he died and was turned into a Vampire. Kain is given the opportunity to kill those who killed him and to become human again, but after eventually killing his Assassins he decides against becoming human. Instead, he becomes a vampire lord who takes over the land for himself.

Kain follows his own motives and goals and is willing to do absolutely anything to achieve them.

Within the series, he has played Hero and Villain and is definitely both in many ways.

Further games in the series have seen the rise of another anti-hero - Raziel, who also deserves mentioning due to his soul-leeching abilities.










So that's the first 6 on the list.

Check back soon to see Part 2, and to find out who's number 1 on my list of gaming badasses!!!

Gearing up for Guild Wars 2 - The Character Professions

 We've all been waiting for Guild Wars 2,and now that we know it will be here this year,lets take a look at the professions available.I already know which Profession I'll be taking first,but for those who haven't chosen theirs,here's a look at what we can choose from:

The Mesmer:

Whilst your Mesmer may be able to carry weapons,they are not the character to choose if you're looking for fist to fist melee.Mesmers specialise in spells,but not the offensive kind,Mesmer spells are all about illusions and effects.Mesmers keep their enemies from finding them by casting powerful illusions that hide their true whereabouts,these illusions can also be shattered to cause damage to their foes.Lacking party members?Mesmers can cast phantasms,clone bodies who go forth and do the fighting for you.Mesmers also specialise in spells called Mantras,two phase spells.The first phase of the spell is a long cast,which can be done before heading into battle.After the cast the mantra slot is replaced by an instant cast spell that can be used during battle.

Want a ranged casting character who does wicked,mind blowing things to their enemies?Then the Mesmer is for you.

The Engineer:

 Another ranged character,the Engineer is a master of the machine.Engineers lay down turrets,making an area their own.The turret skill set allows Engineers to interact with their immobile mechanicle mates,triggering charged up versions of their attacks or packing them up for later deployment.Engineers also have weapon and backpack kits,these skill sets allow for different incendiary devices,such as grenades,to be deployed,and can swap out weapons at command.Over all this the Engineer has their tool belt,which enhances their mechanical and healing skills.

Looking for the Mad Alchemical Scientist?Then the Engineer is your pick.

The Thief:

Master of stealth,the Thief can be either ranged or melee.The Guild Wars 2 Thief relies on their stealth skills,like Shadow Stepping,to get them close to their enemies unnoticed and away before their enemies have time to react.Their combat is based on the weapons they wield in both main and off-hand,with skills that utilise both.Thieves also utilize traps for area control,with some like Shadow Trap that even allow for the creation of waypoints,activating Shadow Trap auto stealths your Thief and Shadow Steps them back to the predetermined point.The Thief,of course,also has Stealing.The Steal skill does not,however,allow you to lift items that an enemy is already carrying,rather it generates a weapon based on the oppnonent being stolen from.Stealing from a Moa bird,for example,gives you a fist full of feathers.Obviously these can't be used for damage purposes,but can be thrown at your opponent to fill the air,effectively blinding them.

Feel the need to wrap your self in shadows?Pick the Thief.

The Guardian:

The Guardian,master of tactics and virtues.The Guardian has three virtues: Justice-to burn through enemies, Courage-to bolster themselves against heavy attacks,Resolve-to passively heal themselves,allowing them to become meat tanks that can fight for ages.The Guardian also has Spirit Weapons,short-lived,unnattckable weapons that fight at their side that can inflict powerful attacks.Symbols,placed on the ground,can also be used to inflict damage on enemies,or to boon allies.Guardians can also place Wards,invisible walls that prevent the movement of enemies whilst allowing for the free movement of allies,and finally Aegis,a removable boon that blocks the next attack.Aegis requires the virtue of Courage.

Looking to be the tank?Choose the Guardian.

The Necromancer:

The Necromancer,Master of Death.Necromancers can summon Minions from the corpses of their foes,each minion  type has a second effect,they can be sacrificed to give a boon to their master,such as a health boost.Necromancers can also summon Wells,spells that provide an area effect,healing for allies and damge to enemies.They can also place Marks,spells targeted on the ground that work much the same as Wells,but have the potential to heal and damage at the same time.And if an enemy gets too close?The Necromancer can cast Fear,causing the enemy to flee in terror.

Enjoy commanding battalions of minions to do your bidding?The Necromancer is your profession.

The Ranger:

 

 The Ranger,loyal pet master.The Ranger differs to the minion master Necromancer in that their pets are loyal companions and not expendable hordes.The Ranger is a ranged attacker (har har),with a pet for melee and tanking.Rangers use traps,deployed at their location,when an enemy walks into these traps various effects are triggered.Traps stay active for as long as the Ranger wishes,although only one trap type can be deployed at a time.Rangers can also summon spirits that can influence the area around them,such as buffing or dampening effects.Mostly,Rangers use their pets,they control the evolution and modes,picking and choosing how they will act for them.

Never be alone again,choose the Ranger.

The Warrior:

 

The Warrior,master of weapons.The Warrior can weild a sword,jumping quickly between his enemies,leaving them bleeding in his wake.With an axe the Warrior delivers devestating blows,equipping a mace allows him to stun his enemies,disrupting their attacks.Hammers are used for area of effect attacks,staggering groups of foes,greatswords allow the Warrior to use his momentum to deliver group attacks.Longbows allow Warriors to deliver ranged area attacks,raining down fire.Rifles allow the Warrior to target a single enemy,useful for fleeing foes.The Warrior also uses stances,these change how he uses or saves his adrenaline.Warriors can also use shouts to buff alies and debuff enemies,and banners to give his allies an attack boon.The Warrior can also charge some skills,powering them up for a more devestating attack.

Like blades?You're a Warrior.

The Elementalist:

Elementalist,channeling the elements to deal your death.Fire elementalists burn the earth,taking out multiple foes with rains of fire,Air elementalists harness blasts of air and lightning to attack single foes.Water elementalists control their foes movements,slowing them down with ice and healing nearby allies.Earth elementalists harness the power of the earth to turn flesh to stone,creating awesome defenses.Elementalists can also use glyphs to modify her nature,signets to give her benefits,Conjure Spells to summon items and weapons and Area Spells to turn a battle field into a place of havoc.

The Elementalist will bring death and destrusction with all the nature around her.The fire Elementalist is my profession weapon of choice.

What's your choice?

Blades Of Time - First Look Demo Playthrough

Hello all,
In This Vid is a playthrough of the Demo version of Blades Of Time for Ps3.
I Pre Ordered it shortly after finishing the demo! Guides coming soon.
Enjoy!

Check out my channel for loads more guides.
http://www.youtube.com/user/MrReign420?feature=mhee
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=okcUtvtlK4Y

New Writers needed for Future Pixel

Hi Everyone,

Just a quick post to let everyone know that we are always looking for more writers.

If you feel passionate enough about games to write about them, please contact me at:

davidridley605@gmail.com

Send me a small sample article to see your writing style and we can look at bringing you on board.

Little Big Planet : Karting

So the creators of Little Big Planet and ModNation Racers did the old Fusion Ha! and have brought us LBP Karting. To this I say YES!

The last great (in this poster's humble opinion) kart racer on the Playstation system was Crash Team Racing for the PSX/PSOne. The one true competitor against Mario Kart. LBP Karting looks like it runs smoothly and could even host single player adventure, much like CTR. The multiplayer looks similar to that of the LBP multiplayer, with puzzle challenges for both co-op and competing purposes. Racing is obviously included and, if it's anything like ModNation's customization, could overshadow Mario Kart by simply having users generate the Mario Kart racetracks. I hope everything you've unlocked and bought for LBP 1 and 2 are made available, as that would be radical to the max, but I wouldn't expect it just yet.

Well, I guess a LBP Karting vs Mario Kart 7 is on its way!

What the heck is :"The Hunger Games"

So there's this book about some post-apocalyptic future where the rich subjugate the poor, who compete in an event that could set them for life and there's no cool future technology like iPads or KFC. I haven't read the book, as it only came out in 2008 and I've been too busy with my Pop Culture and Philosophy tomes, but it's been so well received that there's a movie coming out...

and a game...

a free game, on iTunes. Sadly, only on iTunes. No android release as of yet.

The game is a running survival, like Robot Unicorn Attack, except there are two levels of platforms to run and you have a bow to take enemies down with.

[WARNING] : I've seen this book being placed next to the likes of Twilight, so I'd be cautious. There is a love story plot, but it's more like some warped Romeo and Juliet thing, not some destroy-mythical-creatures thing.

Mario Kart 7 - Shortcuts

If you want that edge in Mario Kart 7, and knows you will, here's a nifty little video that could possible make you not swear as much...

Though heaven help you when those blue shells roll around.

Angry Birds : Space Released Tomorrow

The official sequel to Angry Birds is released tomorrow on IOS, Mac, Android and PC.

Titled "Angry Birds : Space", it will be using some interesting gravity-based features to add to the existing gameplay dynamic.

Check out the official trailer below:

Quantum Conundrum - The new Portal? (Demonstration Video)

Many of us enjoyed Portal, and even more of us enjoyed Portal 2.

There are few cases in games where a sequel is actually several times better than the original.

Many Video Game sites voted Portal 2 game of the year last year and at the very least....almost all of them considered it.

Now a new contender to the "Puzzle First Person Shooter" is coming our way and it has more than a few things in common.  

What makes it remarkably different though is that instead of the simplicity of the Portal Gun (The most predominant Weapon / Tool in the game), there is now a much larger selection of abilities to help you along.

Kim Swift who was previously the Lead Designer at Valve for the Original Portal, is now the Designer for Quantum Conundrum at Airtight Games.

Set to be published by Square Enix sometime later this year..........it looks to give us a truly unique experience in the way we perceive the environments and how we can further manipulate them. 

Check out the Demo Video released by Gametrailers.com below showcasing some of the interesting abilities available in the game - narrated by Kim Swift herself.

 

Resident Evil 4 HD - The Castellen Falls Trophy Achievement Guide

Allo Allo,
This is a storyline related trophy and cannot be missed. At the end of Chapter 4-4 you'll be racing up a tower to confront Salazar, once you make it to the top you'll see a Merchant a Typewriter and a doorway leading to Salazar. Defeat the hideously changed Salazar to earn this trophy.

Salazar is the trickiest boss fight in the game and has a lot going on at once.
Tentacles
Before we go on understand how this room is, you're on an elevated platform with two tentacles (one on each side) and Salazar's tentacle in the middle. Run to one of the sides of the room (I prefer the right side) to avoid Salazar's tentacle attack. If you are in the middle of the room he will do an unavoidable instant-kill attack. The tentacles will continuously attack you but every attack can be dodged with a contextual command. If the tentacle is too much for you to handle you can shoot it and it'll withdraw for a while.

Fight
Look at Salazar's tentacle, that huge yellow eye is its weak spot. You will need to shoot it to open up Salazar's actual weak point. You'll know when you shot the tentacle if your attack releases a yellowish splash. After damaging the tentacle enough it'll keel over in pain and Salazar's weak point will open up (he's atop the middle tentacle). Attack Salazar until his protection covers him again. Now repeat shooting the tentacles eye and then attacking Salazar directly until he dies.

Other
If you run low on ammunition you can drop down to the lower area. Salazar cannot attack you there, however there are infinitely spawning Las Plagas down there.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FCawyLI1g6g

Resident Evil 4 HD - Trophy Achievement Guide Part II

 Welcome,
In this guide:
A Terrifying Assassin - Turn the tables on Verdugo, the right hand of Salazar.

The Ties That Bind - Defeat Krauser, your former partner, in battle.

We're Going Home - Defeat Saddler in battle, and escape from the nightmare.

I realise that some of these Trophies are unmissable but I like making guides! Nuff said!

More than happy to answer any questions, all guides on Normal Mode!
Enjoy

Check out my channel for loads more guides.
http://www.youtube.com/user/MrReign420?feature=mhee
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mwiqERy59v8

Rayman Origins - Xbox 360 Review

There are many iconic characters in gaming when it comes to platform games.

Everyone knows Mario, Sonic, Kirby and the host of other characters that have us jumping around,collecting coins, stomping on some heads and just generally having fun.

That's what platforming games are all about, and although there's always been attempts at changing the dynamic of platform games, the 2D platformer has always been at the root of the genre.

Not everyone know about who Rayman is, but back in the day the first Rayman game released by Ubisoft was one of the best platformers out there.

Originally released on PC and Playstation 1, it was a typical platformer in that it mostly involved jumping on the heads of your enemies and collecting. The main character was of course Rayman and he was a wierd sort of creature, with disembodied hands and feet.

Rayman 2 and Rayman 3 were released which game us more of the same, but eventually the series took a strange turn with the introduction of the "Raving Rabbids" which had never been seen before, and were probably the most crazy creatures I have ever seen in any video game. Positively insane and also a little bit moronic, they marked a change in the series which eventually saw the exclusion of Rayman entirely to make way for their own list of deranged titles.

The Rayman Raving Rabbids games were considered a spin-off in the Rayman series, and instead focused on mini-games that used whichever motion technology was available at the time, with the first in the series being released on the Playstation 2 and eventually the Nintendo Wii.

Subsequent versions and sequels were released for numerous different platforms including the PC, Nintendo DS, Xbox 360 and the Iphone.

While incredibly successful and admittedly fun in their own ways, they had moved completely away from their roots.

In November last year, Rayman Origins was released for Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii and Playstation 3 and took us back to the roots of the genre with a platform game that was similar in style to the originals.

Recently I managed to pick up a copy and I was immediately impressed by the cartoony style that it was presented in. The Original game was stylized in a strangely claymation fashion, and was unique at the time, but Rayman Origins scraps this look entirely in favor of a cartoon style that you might expect from a Saturday morning cartoon.

That's not to say that it looks bad though. In fact, it looks fantastic and beautiful, and plays on this style with great ease, adding to the craziness that the series has become well known for.

Levels are cleverly designed, with many of the animations quite funny and unique. Even the environments are often constantly moving and occasionally make you stop to focus on some small detail in the distance that you might not have noticed before. 

The Gameplay is fun and enjoyable, and the game can also be extremely challenging, requiring quick reflexes in order to get through some of the more difficult areas.  Boss battles are also unique and a little insane, and need persistence t get through.

Rayman is not the only playable character here, and as the game progresses many unlockable characters (or versions of existing characters) become available to use. One of the stranger characters available to play is "Globox" who looks a bit like a cartoon frog who may have taken one too many happy pills.

The games starts with Rayman, Globox and others unintentionally disturbing an old granny in "The Land of the Livid Dead" who sends an army of monsters up the surface world to reek havoc and kidnap the Nymphs and other creatures from the surface who Rayman and his friends need to rescue.

There are over 60 levels within the game, with many of the levels only available after achieving certain conditions. 12 separate and fantastically illustrated environments are available to explore and take quite some time to get through.

Co-operative Multiplayer is included in Rayman Origins (for up to 4 players) and makes for an interesting variation to the single player experience. Players who die are transformed into a balloon that need to be popped by the other player in order to be returned to the game. Some sections of the game are only accessible when working as a team.

Rayman Origins is a fantastic example of a classic 2D platformer done right, but there's certainly enough innovation as well to make the game unique as well as nostalgic.

Loads of fun for all ages, the game is best played with two players, but is an equally enjoyable single player experience.

The game is currently available on Xbox 360, Playstation 3, Nintendo Wii, and should also be released soon on PS Vita and Nintendo 3DS.

8 / 10

Resident Evil 4 HD - Trophy Achievement Guide Part I

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8YlCu_Oxx_g

Hello all,

In this guide I cover the following Trophies:

It Begins With a Ring: Ring the mysterious bell. What happens after that, is up to you!

Do Not Shoot the Water!: Summon the master of the lake. Don't rock the boat.

A Rock and a Hard Place: Outmaneuver the rampaging beast, El Gigante.

A Bloodline Severed: Defeat the village chief in battle.

I realise that some of these Trophies are unmissable but I like making guides! Nuff said!
More than happy to answer any questions, all guides on Normal Mode!
Enjoy

Check out my channel for loads more guides.
http://www.youtube.com/user/MrReign420?feature=mhee