RYKER FROST: Heavy Metal Cowboy

http://Rykerfrost.blogspot.com is the location of a new blog that will be the home of thoughts on video games and consoles. As stated in the intro most of the YouTubers like Ali-A and Ashlee Mariee are young and enthusiastic - but there are a growing band of  new 'kids' on the block who take a step back and look at what is on offer. So there will be no more articles relating to games and gaming on this blog.
Time for this blog to get back to basics for which it was intended. If you want to follow the games side the link is there

CALL OF DUTY: ADVANCED WARFARE

Go to Call Of Duty's Facebook page and 99% of the comments cry out that the franchise is dead.
For something that is 'dead' the midnight launch on the 3rd November seemed to be well attended and I was told that the version for the PS4 outsold those for the Xbox.


Whatever the view 'Advanced Warfare' came from Sledgehammer Games who were behind another CoD title 'Modern Warfare 3' (and is the first CoD game that I played.


'Advanced Warfare' is set in the future (2059) and follows the hero, Mitchell, from the chaos of Seoul, South Korea that has been attacked by troops from North Korea. Mitchell and his mate, Will Irons, are caught out while planting an explosive device on a rocket launcher. Will dies and Mitchell loses his left arm. Discharged from the Army, Mitchell is given the opportunity of a second chance by Will's father who owns the Atlas Corporation - a private military that goes anywhere for the highest bidder. This character is voiced by Kevin Spacey and the well constructed CGI is more than just a Spacey look a like.


The job in hand is to hunt down and kill a terrorist known as Hades. To do this Mitchell becomes part of a squad run by Gideon and Joker, his number 2. Although missions are completed I couldn't help but feel that something darker lurked beneath - and, yes, I have reached that point of the game where my suspicions were confirmed.


So for story construction there are no complaints and character development is excellent.


So far so good but there is a tiny problem with the gameplay with tiny being the operative word. There are instances when a series of buttons need to be pushed in order to advance the sequence. At one point the prompt looks like it is the front of the headlight; the second a logo on the base of the armoured windscreen. This was so small that I had to get close to the tv screen just to make it out. Messes up the flow of the gameplay with too many repeats to locate what is required.


Multiplayer is fun. Loaded with jetpacks on eco-skeletons the soldiers fly through the air with the greatest of ease. But it does not take long for the novelty to wear off. It is not like 'Titanfall', as many suggest - no Titans or wall running for starters - but the similarity is there. Having had the benefit of contextual lean on 'Ghosts' this way of looking around corners is absent - so, too, is 'Squads' which was a handy 'training ground' on 'Ghosts'.


And there, I think, there lies a problem with the Call Of Duty franchise is this lack of consistency - new ideas that occur in one game does not continue with the next.


Another problem is that with the introduction of the Xbox One I have had a problem with Activision games. Halfway through a multiplayer match the screen would go blank and then I would get a message telling me that I had to have a Xbox Live network to play 'Call Of Duty: Ghosts. My grandson had the same problem with the Activision/Bungie 'Destiny'. So  I avoid Activision games on my Xbox. Which brings this back to the beginning and comments made on the Facebook page for Call Of Duty. The real issues, it would appear, come with servers and hackers a subject that has yet to be addressed - no point in having a Facebook page and remain unresponsive to these complaints.


As for 'Call Of Duty: Advanced Warfare' - I enjoy the game and, so far, the multiplayer.

LARA CROFT: TOMB RAIDER

She's back.

Lara Croft was conceived back in 1993 and emerged on the gaming scene wearing a green tank top, brown shorts, brown knee length boots and a pair of pistols tied down on the the thighs of her tanned long legs. With a long pigtail flying out from the back of her head she climbed and swung her way into action as she solved puzzles to find hidden artefacts in a global tour of architectural sites.

Tomb Raider changed the way that women were portrayed. The first genuine heroine of gaming that became a household name - and became the subject of 'serious' debate. In one respect she brought girl power to gaming in another (the feminist view) was that men were able to act out some sort sexual fantasy.

Over the years she has been developed, re-imagined and re-mastered. Eidos the original creator gave way to Core who actually 'killed' her off in 'Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation'. But was brought back to life by Square Enix with an Anniversary edition that re-created scenes from the past. This was followed by 'Legend' and 'Underworld'.

'Legend' gives more of the back story to Lara. Her mother is killed following a plane crash in the Himalayas leaving a young nine year old Lara fighting for her own survival. Rescued by her father who never leaves her side until he disappears in the wilds of Cambodia when she is fifteen.
The story picks up with Lara's search for the legendary sword of King Arthur - a story that continues into 'Underworld'.

During these games Lara Croft evolved. The tank tops and shorts remained but were of different colours. Camouflage trousers and evening gowns were added to a growing wardrobe.

The legend of Lara Croft has grown - publicity wise the actress Rhona Mitra and the model Nell McAndrew have given her a physical form. Shelley Blond was the first voice actress and Keeley Hawes voiced Lara in the last three games. While Angelina Jolie brought Lara to life on the big screen in two movies (a third is being planned).

Add to the statistics the Tomb Raider comics that ran for 50 editions and three novels - then Lara Croft: Tomb Raider has been an icon in many ways.

Now she is back.

The image has changed - a darker Lara Croft has emerged.

This is billed as a prequel to a time when Lara was 19 years old and had joined a party aboard the ship Endurance who are searching for the lost kingdom of the Yamatai. As the ships enters the notorious Devil's Triangle a freak storm occurs leaving Lara shipwrecked. Frightened and alone she must find other survivors and unravel the island's dark secrets.

The clean cut Ms Croft is replaced by someone closer to reality. She gets cut, bruised and dirty and has to learn new survival skills. But, then, this is a kid who survived the everything that the Himalayas could throw at her ten years before. But then she hadn't faced anything that was as life-threatening as another human being.

I like this re-imagining but that doesn't mean that others will - Lara Croft will always be the heroine who broke the mould and led the way for other heroines to emerge.