Prototype Xbox 360

I am quite far into this game and whilst it is really quite fun, I am struggling with the controls. There seems to be far too many options and far too many controls for my hands to deal with.

It is not that the controls do not work well, it is just that there are too many of them. It can take 4 hours or more to get to grips with what to do and then after upgrading you have to learn a whole new set. Because of this confusing control set I find I am not actually using my powers to the best of their ability because I forget even what I am allowed to do.

We have normal moves, extra super moves, critical mass moves plus moves which only work in a certain mode and it is all mind boggling. I think I need 2 extra hands to play it to it’s fullest. God forbid anyone play this that have a finger or two missing.

Well done to the developer for trying something different but I really think they could have simplified things a little. The end result is that I am not sure I have the willpower to actually complete this game.

iPhone Version 3.0 Irritations

Just a few irritations here.

1) Still cannot delete texts in bulk

2) You can view your itunes account information now (and redeem vouchers) except that viewing account does not work. It is stuck in a loop asking for my password.

3) SMS now called “Messages” – what was wrong with SMS?

4) It has deleted all my calendar entries !!!

5) Voice memos – Handy, but you need to speak really close to the phone to be able to hear it. You couldn’t leave it on a table and speak ala the speakerphone.

6) It has screwed up my app pages – the second page has only one app and the rest of the screen is blank yet 3rd and 4th pages are full. This is least annoying though as I only had to move the one to get it back together.

7) Voice memo app keeps opening from phone sleep despite me closing it.

As for the new features apart from the MMS, copy and paste & the ability to redeem an itunes voucher via the phone, I don’t see much that is exciting here.
My biggest hope of course is that it may fix the 3G calling problem I have per my previous blog post.

Odd iPhone Behaviour

I have a really strange problem with my iPhone 3G and nowhere can I find information on the exact problem.

Actually it is two problems but I think they are all connected to 3G calling.

1) Sometimes when making or receiving calls instead of the person I get a very loud shrieking down the phone like a fax machine on drugs.

2) Last two weeks I have had problems receiving calls – swiping the finger on the accept call does not accept the call and it keeps ringing. Sometimes it does swipe but does not accept the call and other times it is not swiping at all like the swipe is stuck. Yet if I hold the power off button, it successfully swipes to switch off – and that is the only way I can get the phone to stop ringing.

3) Third problem is linked to number 2 and actually is the most bizarre problem of them all. Last night someone called me and it got stuck not being able to receive the call. So I shut it down and the person called me on my house phone. Whilst I was speaking to them on their house phone, their same number was ringing me on my iPhone. It was like a delayed reaction and when I switched the iPhone back on it decided to carry on trying to accept the previous call – which was actually by then non-existant as the phone was being used in this other call. Sound confusing? Well yes it is hard to explain but basically my phone was ringing for a call that was made 2 minutes prior to that.

I am pretty sure that it does not exhibit these problems when 3G is switched off, but really I do not want to keep having to switch it on and off when I want a faster net connection.

I have spoken to Apple just now who have heard of random calling problems, but never ghost calls like described in problem 3. They want to take it in for surgery but I need my phone. Nearest Apple Care store is in London which is a bit too far for me. Or I can pay £29 and have a new phone sent to me at the same time they collect the other. I don’t see why I have to pay to not be without a phone.

I will try the firmware upgrade tonight when it is available and see if that helps to fix it but I really think the phone is actually faulty.
Has anyone else heard of these sort of problems before – especially interested in anyone who has had a similar problem as number 3.

To Twit or Not?

My blog has been a bit slow lately and I do apologise but I always seem to find other stuff to do – not necessarily more important stuff, just other stuff. Sometimes I would like to blog that I am playing a certain game, like for example today I have been playing Red Faction Guerilla, but I may not want to write a long post about it just mention it and a blog post with a few lines seems wasteful.

So now I thought I would give Twitter a go. It might suit me down to a tee because I have a 140 character limit on posts and it is designed purely for small posts. It will also give me a little space on my blog to talk about other things in my life apart from games that I do not want to involve the blog in.

I will do my best to get involved in this new fangled way of mini communication and if you wish to follow my boring life directly then you may see me over at my Twitter Page or just read it here. I promise I will not update it with the silliest things like having coffee

Oh and this does not spell the end of Sprites & Bites blog, its in addition and hopefully will complement it.

FREE Mobile Broadband Dongle

Three are running a good promotion at the moment where you can get a free mobile broadband USB dongle worth £29.95. All you pay for is the postage and packaging which is £4.95

It is of course a pay and go dongle and all you need to do is top it up with £10 worth of credit to activate it.

To get your free dongle head on over to www.3dongle4free.co.uk/

inFamous PS3

I have just finished playing inFamous which was out last week on the PS3. It is very much like Crackdown which appeared on the Xbox 360 a few years ago. The only thing different really is that you have super-human electrical energy powers and that the missions have more structure to them. Most of the side missions are very repetitive so after a while I didn’t bother doing those but concentrated on the main storyline missions. On the whole the game was enjoyable but there were times when the difficulty spiked from really easy to very hard and not much in between. Certain sections of the game were really hard they had me swearing like a grumpy old woman and throwing my controller.

One thing in the game that a lot of games do which annoyed me is nagging me to do things. For example I had to climb a high tower and activate lifts so my partner could get to the top of the building aswell. The game was nagging me and the partner kept shouting at me to hurry up and activate the lifts. There was no timer on these sections so there was no need for him to keep nagging me to get to the lifts. I am playing the game, I know what I am supposed to do, so stop rushing me!

Moans aside, inFamous does have flair and style and explosions aplenty and also the added bonus of being good or evil with your powers. There are times in the game you have to make moral decisions. This can increase your good karma or bad karma depending on which decisions you choose. Obviously if you are playing for a good character then you will want to increase your good karma as much as possible. Completing missions, committing good acts and so on give you experience points which you can spend on upgrading your powers.

It is a solid game and whilst it certainly for me is not game of the year material, I had a lot of fun and that is what games are about. If you can get past the difficulty spiking then this is definitely a game to try and maybe buy. There is a free demo on the PSN store.

sprites & bites

Gaming, iPads and a few biscuits on the side…