Game Diary: Dirty Vampires

Just a quick update today as it has been quite some time since my last post.  I felt the need to play a driving game recently, and ended up choosing Dirt 2.  I completed the singe player campaign last weekend and thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it, so I hope to get a review up very soon.  Now I'm playing Dirt 3, and I'm not too far in but there are certain things that just aren't as well done as the predecessor in my opinion.  After that I have Dirt Showdown to play.  When I first saw what they'd done to the franchise I was horrified - an extremely simplified handling model, even more emphasis on Gymkhana and less on actual racing than ever before.  Now however I have started to appreciate the game for what it is rather than what it's not - a fun arcade style driving game, rather than a semi serious off road racer.  As long as this isn't the direction that Codemasters intend to take the series permanently, I'm fine with it.

I am also playing my way through the Dawnguard expansion for Skyrim, and it has added a new lease of life to that game. Around the new year I was started to tire of the main game, mainly because it seemed every quest that I tried was bugged, but the new content has got my hooked again.  This time around I am playing as one of the good guys, albeit a werewolf version that tears the throats out of bandits and devours they corpses in order the level up the new perk tree.  I may start new character so I can experience being a vampire lord as well, it really depends how distracted I get by new games.

I have a few things that I would like to pick up in future.  First there's Theatrhythm Final Fantasy, a rhythm action game featuring 90 or so tracks from the Final Fantasy series.  It looks great - definitely not everyone's cup of tea but the sort of game I enjoy playing.  To go along with this I may just buy the new 3DS XL.  I know a lot of people are against Nintendo's decision to release this new version of their handheld, especially without adding a second stick -  but after experiencing the DSi XL and how it breathes new life into old games with its big and beautiful screens I think it will be a sexy bit of kit to add to my portable pantheon.

Finally, I have been meaning to do this for absolutely ages, but I think that July 2012 will be the month that I actually buy myself a new Dreamcast.  Mine hasn't functioned properly for years now, and I've missed it. So once pay day comes around once more, I will be scouring eBay for a bargain console and dusting of my collection of classic Sega games.