20th May 2012

All mediums have had at least one definitive zombie injection. Literature fans are luckily enough to enjoy the works of Max Brooks, TV fans get the Walking Dead and motion picture fans have Dawn of the Dead with World War Z in the works. But what about us gamers? We haven’t had that one zombie banger, one that ticks all boxes. There’s been plenty of pretenders, lots of companies have tried, and in some cases come close, but none have nailed it. It may be down to my zombie snobbery but I need perfection from my undead blasters. Resident Evil always had crippling control problems that ruined many a gaming experience. Even the new control systems of the latest versions are convoluted and cumbersome (cut scenes for opening doors). Left 4 dead should have been a lot better than it is, a lack of story line and questionable graphics let it down. And that clumsy movement system that’s apparent in all Valve games was the final nail in the coffin. 

Bluplay fully supports a tax relief for video game developers. The simple fact is that the gaming industry is growing, especially in the UK.  Titles like Grand Theft Auto, developed in the UK, have smashed records for video games sales and challenged blockbuster movies for opening week sales. Similarly, upcoming games like Brink, designed by UK based Splash Damage, are expected to do extremely well.

Unfortunately, in a time of austerity, the Government doesn’t believe giving a specific tax relief to the games industry is a priority. In my opinion this is short sighted – investment in growth is incredibly important to the future of the economy. The Government part recognises this in their cutting of corporation tax for small companies, but this doesn’t go far enough. If they deem the film industry important enough to subsidise it, then the games industry is too. To successfully make this point to the Coalition, you need to speak their language – thrift. You will need to show the Coalition that providing a tax relief for the games industry can be offset by a saving somewhere else or prove existing funds can be used effectively for your cause. For example, asking the government to ring fence part of the regional growth fund for high tech companies specifically games developers.

Gaming has been part of my life for a long time. I started back at the age of 10 with an Amiga 600, and with the exception of a SNES and a brother’s Mega Drive, I was pretty much a PC gamer until I was lent a PS3 by a friend. After returning the PS3 I had to go out and buy one.

The fact is, I’ve been gaming for a lot longer then I’ve been interested in the opposite sex. Between the ages of about 11 and 21, a Sunday for me wouldn’t involve spending a day with the family, going to church and then having a laborious roast dinner. A Sunday for me would usually consist of me slumping out of bed at around 11 AM, grabbing a portable snack from mumsie’s fridge, and then hitting the PC in my slacking gear for the rest of the day. I would then plough through what ever game was big and current, and if there weren’t any decent games about, I would play a cocktail of God Games. Championship Manager was a favourite of mine that was worthy of a sacrificed Sunday.

A new Fifa has touched down and a new dawn arises. There is absolutely no need to whatsoever to dwell on who was the ultimate winner of lounge Fifa 10 – new game, clean slate. The arrival of a new game is difficult to prepare for as you haven’t played it before and playing the previous only makes it harder to switch to the new system, which wouldn’t be a problem IF THEY STANDARDISED CONTROLS FOR SEQUENTIAL GAMES. Calm down, re-position comb-over, continue with chronicles.

I’m actually telling half the truth, I had a chance to play Fifa 11 at the Eurogamer expo and got whipped twice in a row by my brother. Again, let’s not dwell on that. TGS is away for the weekend and his copy of the game arrives by post, I have to leave the flat to stop myself from opening it. Returning on Sunday after a blurry weekend and I find TGS in the standard fifa/aeroplane brace position, head in hands, red faced and elephant man grimaced. He seems to be struggling with the new system, adapting isn’t TGS’s strong point.  The slower style of play doesn’t fit TGS’s style, which is ironic given his size.  Despite only having played the game for a few hours, TGS is half way through a ‘be a pro’ season and he has created his own character.  He boasts of his characters likeness to himself “amazing how they can reproduce such a convincing character based on a picture of me”. I pause, take a look at the character, rotate my neck 45 degrees to re-face TGS and quip “ if by likeness you mean complete and utter opposite then yes I’d have to agree, which is essentially more articulate way of saying ‘yeah I agree, NOT’”. TGS chuckles but my venomous tone has changed the atmosphere - my retort could be considered as trash talk, which is an unwritten offence.

Code: FTSL15-1

We’ve left Fifa for a week or so since my last defeat, a defeat which wasn’t in anyway spectacular but large in gravitas given my pre-game cockiness. Did I take it badly? Yes. Did I continue the bravado as a defence mechanism? Yes.  I’m not particularly eager to pick up the sticks again – I’m like an unsure Jamie Carrager being recalled for England duty – I’m also equally as shit. Being English means to wallow is one’s own self pity, to look inwards for the answer to a seemingly obvious question, ‘why was I defeated by a better side?’ To have a mental crisis, recover having learnt nothing about the defeat and stick with the same flagging tactics. This is called the British Bulldog spirit.

The weekend comes around and I visit my often stoned friend. He promises, on what I know to be baseless, plenty of women swinging by his house later in the evening. Naturally this doesn’t happen - much to my relief as I’m more interested in a few Fifa friendlies before my lounge mode come back. Confidence still shaken, my big game talks sounds scripted  but I know I need to jump into the deep end to realise my greatness again. I offer to take the two of them on (some joke about Wayne Rooney would fit nicely here) to a confident chuckle from my often stoned friend. I select old faithful, Liverpool, the coalition starts with Tottenham – my often stoned friend’s preferred team of choice. 5-0 Mcgregortron. We replay. 3-0 McGregortron. They’re reeling, they change team to Real Madrid. 4-2 McGregortron.  Yeah, I smashed them - comfortably too. My often stoned friend is pretty nonplussed, being stoned will do that to you.

On the back an impressive (slightly fluky) performance from myself I’m feeling cocky. I’ve not trained since my last epic victory but hey, I’m a champion, and champions don’t train right? Wrong. 

TGS is fired up, he took this week’s defeat quite badly, I know this because he went to bed with no dinner, and this man likes his dinner. He’s been talking a big game all day over work emails and I know he’s been watching YouTube Fifa tactics footage, I’m not fazed though, I’m a champion. Plus I actually have work to do, well, I say work, I mean practising drawing Batman’s emblem. The clock strikes 17.29 and computer shuts down, 17.30 I’m out the door, 17.31 I’m confidently strutting my way down to the tube, ready to add to my lounge mode points.

Release Date: 20th August 2010

The first Kane and Lynch was one of the earliest releases on the PS3. It was a dark, action filled, funny 3rd person shooter. It had an excellent story line and a pretty cool co-op mode, which I actually played through with fellow Bluplay writer Jay McGregor. Expect this and more from the sequel. Here's some gameplay footage:

Below is a list of the cheapest top selling PS3 games. In this list you will find plenty of Playstation 3 essentials, and a few are bound to tempt you. We have trawled through loads of online retailers to bring you this list of best prices:

We’re looking for reviews and we’re looking for writers, so here’s your chance to win a £20 PSN card and possibly a job at Bluplay.co.uk. All you have to do is send in a review of any game we haven’t already reviewed.

The review will have to be between 1000-1500 words, we have no restrictions on style. 

The deadline is Monday 23rd August 2010 and the most creative and interesting review will be selected on Friday 27th August.

The winner will be asked, not obliged, to submit another review and possibly win a regular column on Bluplay.co.uk. 

The team at bluplay have embarked on regaling an epic battle of unwashed t-shirts, empty crisp packets and fifa lounge mode. Two former (Fifa) football stars, fallen from grace have locked horns in a ferocious pissing contest. Here, we can exclusively bring to you the chronicles of this struggle for overlordship which some say is the greatest story ever told (in length not grandeur). 

For those who don't play Fifa, grow a knob. Otherwise, to briefly explain, lounge mode is a setting on Fifa 10 (and previous Fifa's since 07) that allows up to 4 players to record all their games. It also records important bragging rights statistics like goals, corners, fouls, tackles, cards etc. To make it slightly fairer it is based on points rather than games won, points will be picked up from assists, tackles and so on. Once you select your favourite team, that is it, you must play with them throughout your entire lounge mode session. 

This year's follow up to Bad Company, blow up walls, houses, tanks, daffodils - whatever you want in this top class FPS.  

Run, strafe, climb, pick pocket and assassinate in the follow up to the original stealthy killers tale. Bluplay thumbs up for an absolute steal.