The Guildmasters

In recent weeks i’ve heard a lot of speculation about wether or not Sony will charge monthly fee for the Playstation Network.

My own thoughts on this is that I believe that would be pretty unfair, one the playstation network was one thing that kept Sony apart from other money hungry companies, Sony fans (especially myself) breathed a sigh of relief when signing up for PSN to find out it was free.

We know this could be a big extra profit for Sony should they go ahead with this idea but it isn’t necessary when you think about the amount they already make from game add-ons and so forth.

In the middle of a recession we are already switching to renting games instead of buying simply because we love playing the games but cannot afford them, you need to give something to loyal supporters that basically got you where you are.

I checked the playstation store out a few weeks ago and that great game fallout 3 had four add-ons, each was $9.99, that’s another $40 on top of the price of the game so you can’t tell me introducing yet another fee for PSN would be anything but pure greed and I never expected that from Sony.

When you visit PS Home you can already spend real cash at the virtual stores so there really is no need for a monthly fee, not to mention the amount of potential customers you’d lose by doing that.

For me there is nothing worse than paying for something every single month, I don’t like paying extra for add-ons on games i’ve already spent $50 or more on but without a doubt there is a market for it, even though I don’t like it i’ve bought add-ons myself.

Sony if your listening to your loyal fans that have stayed with you because you are the best ( i’ve had a ps1, ps2 and now ps3, as well as many other sony products) then please stay away from charging a monthly fee for PSN, it just makes sense from a business angle and from the view of playstation fans.

You can only get away with charging over and over again so long, sooner or later people are going to say enough is enough. You can’t get blood out of a stone people.

Well that’s my gripe for the day, and just in case a Sony man visits i’ll tell you this. I managed to talk all four of my sons out of buying the xbox360 and to go for the PS3, the deciding factor was simply the fee that microsoft charged for online game play, we struggled to afford the new systems and have to rent games before we buy so we don’t waste money, let’s face it who can afford to especially now, please bare that in mind when making your decision.

Feel free to add your pennies worth.

Tony

Hi again,
Time really gets away with me, been a while since my last post and that wasn’t my intention but with Christmas being such a hectic time of the year I just haven’t had the chance.

I will be posting some more new games over the coming days which are due for release in January and also give you all a heads up on new releases coming after that.

I haven’t had much time for playing much over Christmas although I did get to play a few hours on Madden NFL 10, it’s not my kind of game but if your a sports fan this game is probably as realistic as it gets.

I was talked into playing it with my son Eric who absolutely loves the game, there are loads of features in this game of american football, I just wish I could understand the game, especially the rules, it was good fun to play along with one of my boys though.

You can buy and sell players, upgrade them as you work your way through the leagues, there are mini challenges which can earn you extra points or players etc..

With me being a strictly RPG gamer it’s hard for me to give a sports game any credit at all so if I had fun playing this game then a sports fan would almost definitely want this one in their collection.

Well i’ll wish you all a happy new year and look forward to posting much more in the days and weeks to come. I will be frequenting PS Home as usual if anyone wants to pop over and have a game of poker so I will see you there.

Tony

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Hi all,
I’ve been messing around in the playstation home and for those who haven’t tried it out yet it’s pretty cool.

There is quite a lot to do there and more people than I expected hang out there, so what’s so special about playstation home?

First of all you have to create an account, it’s free (at the moment) and you just need an email address, it’s only for ps3 owners and it’s a fairly unique experience.

Once you sign up, you have to download the playstation home, then you will get your own crash pad which you can decorate to your liking, wallpaper, furniture, it’s all pretty basic to start but as you play games you can earn some cool stuff to put in your pad.

One of the things I did was play resident evil 5 and it gave me three of the character figures to put in my home at playstation home, they look pretty cool too, since then i’ve unlocked quite a bit of other stuff by playing games at playstation home.

There is a mall, theatre, bowling alley and much more, I even played a game of golf which won me a model boat and a t-shirt, not real, these are virtual products for your playstation home, there are tons of other ps3 owners there so most will have at least one thing in common, you can start your own club and buy upgrades for your playstation home, like a penthouse suite but these require real money.

Another cool thing is some items are rare and the latest news is that some of these rare items are actually being sold on ebay, a reaper outfit sold apparently for $66, how that works is you get redeem codes for certain things for playing certain games, the code is only redeemable once so if you want to sell your code you can, i’m not sure if it’s meant to be used like that but if it’s your code and you want to sell it you can make some money, cool eh?

I’m going to play some texas holdem poker at the EA sports section to try and win a bracelet for my apartment so if you want to pop over and try the playstation home out come and give it a go.

Oh yes and by the way, please forgive me if I don’t talk to you as I don’t have a headset or a keyboard for my ps3 yet so i’m not ignoring you ok? If I get enough people start to hang out at The Guildmasters then i’ll consider starting a club at playstation home, oh and another thing, you can even invite people back to your pad, how cool is that?

Pop on over and check it out, and if you notice me say hi, see you there.

Tony

Yes I knew you’d want to see the proof so here it is, computer choppers has come up with the ultimate gift, and this baby starts at around $5,000 and yes I did say starts.

I won’t complain no more about paying $400 for my PS3 , and in case your wondering i’m not affiliated with this company, just thought i’d show everyone this latest addition to gaming, I suppose there are some who would buy such a product, I don’t think I would be one of them even if I could afford it. It’s not going to play games any better, in fact if I owned something like that i’d keep it in a glass display case surrounded by lasers, lol.

Your thoughts on this one, please.

Tony

For those who are not aware of some of the newest releases for the PS3 and other systems i’ve decided to list some of the more popular/most anticipated or most highly scored in reviews, here are some of the ones that will sure to be big sellers over christmas and the new year.

First up is Army Of Two:The 40th Day, this is probably going to be extremely popular and even though it’s not in my own gaming genre it’s going to be a big seller, i’m sure the online participation will be huge, here is the overview:

Co-op is once again king as the Army of Two returns to take on a whole new enemy. When Shanghai is hit by an epic disaster, some might call it a case of wrong place, wrong time. For Salem and Rios, the warriors who make up the Army of Two, it’s a case of right place, wrong time for whoever’s responsible. Fight your way through a city under siege with a constant AI or co-op partner as you pursue the truth behind the disaster. New moves have been added to your co-op repertoire, giving you more ways to collaborate as you battle enemies and work to keep each other alive.

Next up is Darksiders,not available until the 5th January this one is on my rent list as I watched a trailer and it did look pretty awesome, here is the overview:




Enter a post-apocalyptic nightmare where evil forces have prematurely brought about the end of time. The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, originally sent to destroy Earth, have been betrayed by their master and stripped of their powers. Play as War, the First Horseman, and undertake a ruthless quest for revenge on the back of your phantom steed, Ruin. Use a modern and mystical arsenal to fight through a world, created by legendary comic book artist Joe Madureira, that lives by the sword and looks so sharp you’d think it was carved by one.

Up next is a game that apparently has been having a lot of problems and delays but is now due to be released on December 8th the highly anticipated Silent Hill:Shattered Memories, available on the PS2, PSP and Wii, here is the overview:



Silent Hill cranks up the fear factor with Shattered Memories. This re-imagining of the franchise’s first chilling installment tracks your fears and alters the experience to prey on them. Harry Mason wakes up after a car accident to find his daughter missing. Use the Wiimote as a flashlight and cellphone as you roam Silent Hill’s snowy streets looking for clues. Answers lurk in the darkness, but so does something much more sinister. Soon demons will shadow your every move. Your choices influence the locations you’ll find and the enemies you’ll encounter, which the game – based on your actions – tailors to your deepest fears.

Another release for christmas is on the 7th December and another highly anticipated game called James Cameron’s Avatar, here is the overview:



Become the ultimate biological weapon in this game based on James Cameron’s tangled sci-fi epic. The giant RDA corporation wants to harvest a rare mineral from the planet Pandora. The only thing in the way is the Na’vi, a resilient native people. To get what it wants, RDA has created the ultimate weapon – the Avatar. Learn to control a genetic hybrid that fuses the DNA of a human soldier with the genes of a native. Venture deep into Pandora’s jungles as the tension between RDA and the Na’vi escalates to full-blown war. With your DNA entrenched on both sides of the conflict, you must choose where your allegiance lies.

Avatar is available on PS3,Wii,XBox 360 and Nintendo DS

Another game on my personal rental list is Saboteur, I know i’ve previously posted about this game but it’s definitely worth another mention, available from 7th Dec on PS3 and XBox 360, here is the overview:



When rough-and-tumble Irish mechanic Sean Devlin visits Paris, it isn’t the sights he’s after. He’s come to pick a fight. The Nazis have no idea what’s about to hit them in this stylized, open-world WWII action saga. Slip into the seedy 1940s Parisian underground and swagger your way to revenge as a hero who’s bold, brash, and truly excited about blowing things up. Work with the Resistance to undermine the Nazi efforts. Derail trains, implode buildings, and fight through occupied territory as if it were a barroom brawl on a grand scale. Just try not to get captured or shot; it really hurts your ability to enjoy the nightlife!

Lastly for today I thought this game deserved a mention, I was just reading up on it and had not heard about it until today so don’t hang me if it’s a no go, called Rogue Warrior and available from 2nd December on PS3 and XBox 360 sounds like it might be fun, here is the overview for Rogue Warrior:



The unthinkable has happened. War has erupted between North and South Korea. And you’re caught behind enemy lines. You’re outgunned, outnumbered, and completely cut off from friendly forces. Lead your team back over the South Korean border without alerting your North Korean enemy in team-based tactical combat. Whether you’re playing the single-player campaign, four-soldier co-op, or 24-person online multiplayer, you’ll enjoy complete freedom to take on objectives as battle demands. Maneuver through prison camps, shipyards, submarine depots, and other never-before-seen North Korean environments. The tactics and weapons have been developed and chosen in conjunction with real Navy SEALs, so the action is as real as it gets.

I have to mention that this game is by Bethesda so this could be extremely good seeing what their last games have been like.

Before I sign off with this post i’d like to mention again that Gamefly is definitely worth joining, my motto now is that “I play before I pay” because games are so expensive now, it just makes sense to rent, you really should check out my review on Gamefly here, the rewards and benefits far outway the reasons for buying games that turn out to be crap.

Here is the link to my gamefly review.

Sorry haven’t posted in a few days but i’ve started the walkthrough for Assassins Creed 2 which is going to take quite a while. I’ll be putting my own spin on it and attempt to give a very accurate walkthrough and also try and make it easy to follow so keep an eye out for that in the coming weeks.

I’m also in the process of researching the latest RPG’s which are hitting the market from now until the new year and will be posting the best ones here so check back in a day or two, there are some excellent ones out already with some more on their way.

If your interested I saw an ad the other day that Target has the new PS3 250 gig but I cannot confirm that at this time, might be worth checking if your in or near a Target store though.

I’m writing walkthroughs in a forum which hasn’t been linked to the blog yet and i’m also thinking of throwing some games your way in the new year, or maybe some T-shirts, not sure yet so if you have any ideas i’m all ears.

That’s all for today, please post your thoughts, game experiences, what you’d like to see on The Guildmasters. I”m not necessarily looking for thousands of members, just trying to create a good gaming community where we can chat about our gaming experiences and a place to hang out and arrange some online play, a gaming site which is laid back, interesting, easy to relate to and to chat about what you really want to chat about as far as gaming goes.

Come on, join in, I don’t bite, unless you bite me first,lol

Tony

It seems this is the final day, yes I actually completed the game, now I know that seems fairly quickly but I only really completed the main story, there were more assassination side quests, beat quests, race quests and also not forgetting more treasures to find and feathers, I only found around 30 of the 100.

The only thing i’m disappointed in is the fact that I wanted it to go on forever, it is a great game, and the ending wasn’t disappointing either, there is definitely room for another assassins creed at a later date which could follow on.

I did complete all the codex pages which was needed to complete the game anyway, I didn’t get all paintings, i’m missing one, I did collect all armor and i’m one weapon short, don’t know what that one is yet.

I’ve just finished letting the credits role and it’s started me off in my room at the villa so hopefully I can complete the rest of what I didn’t do before the end of the story.

Ok this is cool, i’ve just run down to the fast travel spot and travelled to Venice and everything is still open, even the assassination contracts which I thought would go away with the completion of the game, all the treasures are still there to collect so even though i’ve completed the game I can still play through to complete the unfinished sections, that’s cool.

Well I don’t know if this play by post would actually help anyone, just wanted to write down my progress as I played. Now I will start fresh next week on the complete walkthrough, in my own words so it won’t be a copy of an original walkthrough or anything like that, and I will list everything, including all hidden treasures, seals, feathers, side quests and even trophies for the PS3 and how to get them so keep a lookout for that.

Tony

I’ve had to post for the last few days here in one as I lost my internet service provider and it’s taken this long to get back online so my apologies for that.

Well over the last few days it’s been an amazing game, i’ve ridden a boat, I believe they are known as “punts”, the ones used for travelling the canals of venice, i’ve also ridden a stagecoach, flown in Leonardo’s invention of an aircraft, primative but it flew enough to get me to where I needed to be for one quest.

One of the more difficult quests is the one where you have to get all six seals from Assassins tombs to unlock the large gate so you can acquire the rare armor of Altair, these six seals I have now acquired.

I’ve also managed to discover all but 5 of the Codex pages, each of which has to be decyphered by my friend Leonardo.

After many quests involving assassinations I realized that I shouldn’t have just been killing guards like I have been doing (but it was so much fun), I should have been more stealthy in order to keep my notoriety level down, you can hide the guards bodies in gullies on rooftops or in haystacks (after robbing them of their gold obviously).

I have strayed from the main storyline several times in order to gather “feathers” for my mother, or hidden treasure, which is various amounts of gold hidden inside chests, some are fairly obvious and easy to spot, others are either well hidden or make you really think “how on earth can I get to that?”.

Another amazing thing about this game is reactions, by you, by other people and even by the horse you ride, it’s so lifelike. I decided in a side quest (riding a horse to beat a time) to run a bunch of people over with my horse, sure i’d knock them flying instead of going round them, to my surprise I got knocked off my horse and even my horse fell over, probably exactly how it would happen in real life.

I think I might be fairly close to finishing the main storyline but it’s impossible to tell with this game, i’ll try and complete the rest of the codex pages tomorrow and some more assassination quests, it’s the assassinations which enable you to progress through the story.

I will be looking forward to writing the walkthrough, there will be so much to do and it will involve finding everything in the game and getting all the trophies, i’ll do that on the second time around, I look forward to that a lot.

Tony