“Fresh from academy and in search of lost relics, a 21-year-old Lara Croft journeys to an island off the coast of Japan aboard the Endurance, a salvage vessel helmed by Captain Conrad Roth. Before anchoring at bay, the ship is cleaved in two by an unforeseen storm leaving Lara separated from any other survivors and washed ashore. She must endure physical and emotional torture in order to survive the island”

With her typically too-British accent, Tomb Raider should be arriving next year.

L.A. Noire is a unique game with a good sense of period atmosphere, good investigation mechanics (you can explore so much with this game) and a good story line that has the sense of horror that all good classic noir films have. In L.A. Noire you are a “good guy” character and this means that you cannot go around killing people. On the other hand you get to do cool stuff that many of us wish we could test our skills in, like interrogate suspects, decide who is lying and gather evidence while solving crimes leading to a bigger plot. There are many people who would enjoy the strategic detail in this game and to be honest I am one of them.

On the other side of the coin, Grand Theft 4 is a game where you are a guy working your way up in a world filled with gangsters. Naturally, you are going to be a “bad guy” quite a few times through the course of your missions but to be honest if you are like me you will probably enjoy this aspect of the game.

Personally, my preference is GTA 4 (I am not sure if this is due to if you prefer shoot’em up games and driving around exploring the environment. On the other end if you prefer to look for clues and solve mysteries L.A. Noir may just is the game for you. At the end of the day both games are pretty good and for many avid gamers the best option will be to buy both games. GTA4 can be found online for pretty cheap while the price of Le Noire may take some time before it comes down. To be honest it has been a few months since Le Noire came out and if you checked the internet thoroughly you could probably get some really good deals.

So as not to be one of those people who can’t seem to make up their minds I will give scores in percentages;

- L.A. Noire (82%)

- Grand Theft Auto (86%)

A lot probably has to do with the fact that I am a big fan of being able to complete a mission while being the good guy/bad guy at the same times. What can I say the driving and shooting is just so relaxing for me after a hard day’s work and you get longer game play from GTA 4 (40hours +other side missions compared to about 20 hours for L.A. Noire)…. I guess I am just a big kid after all.

You can purchase the PS 3 versions from Amazon by clicking the links below.

L.A. Noire

Grand Theft Auto IV: Complete

The truth is, gamepads have gone through a massive advances and I know plenty of people who are comfortable using them for racing games. Some of these people are the best racing games players. One gamepad became analogue game pad racing had become very controlled and tequnical. As Sony dominated the naughties, every control pad added to the racing experience. The DualShock 2 brought about pressure sensitve buttons and by DualShock 3 we were the R2 and L2 buttons had become trigger. Many racing games took advantage of this. Modern day racing games are pretty impressive and realistic on a game pad.

But for those harcore dedicated fans, steering wheels are just the way to go. You may look rediculous to others. But there is nothing like racing with wheel. Arcades have tried to simulate driving using racing seats and wheel for a very long time. Early console wheels were so fake and unrealistic sticking to a pad was porbably the clever thing to do. But the work that goes into them now is unbelievable.

Force Feedback

Many people not only feel like wheels make the game more realistic but that they are better drivers. This is due to much improvement over the years. An area of technology that has made leaps it ‘Force Feeback’. The Haptics on gmaes like GT 5 is unbelievably advance. You can feel every turn and bump. It is real simulation.

One thing to make sure you do is to research properly for which steering wheels is best which game and whether they are even compatible. If you can don’t go cheap, go for the best products.

This is a very insightful video. It is not for every one, but it explains how ‘vision’ works in Fifa and how it effects each player passing ability.

This video explains how the CPU decision is influenced by a player’s ability and also by those around him. Very interesting

This final video is a Q and A on Fifa 12. Ea have tried to listen to peoples suggestion and this video  explains what in the gameplay is going to change.

Well hopefully you have learn something that has exited you about the new Fifa.

The Fight Goes On

Since the release of ISS Pro on Playstation in 1999, FIFA has had only one true competitor. When Konami moved forward and Pro evolution was born, fans have been divided and have shown loyalty to one side. EA and Konami have tried for many years to steal each others ‘floating’ fans. In 2011 it seems quite clear to me which side has finally put themselves ahead in too many ways that for the other to recover, the latter would have to make a terrible mistake to lose it position now.

1 – 0 Fifa

For much of the mid ‘naughties’ Pro Evolution fans relied on one strength. “So what if FIFA has more licensees, more teams, more players and seems more flashy. Ultimately Pro is more Realistic”. PES gameplay was what it boasted about and what it held over FIFA. But as we ended the decade, to many people’s disapointment, FIFA and PES seemed to be taking lessons from each other and morphing into almost the same game.

As online gaming was becoming the norm, PES seemed to slip up with constant problems with their online gameplay having to many glitches. Since then it has appears that FIFA has taken the lead and it even seems that PES’s gameplay is no longer a strength for the Konami game. This is never more evident than in the latest installation of Pro. Scared of being left behind by FIFA, Konami have completely redesigned their  series.

The new (And Soon To Be Improved) Pro

The gameplay has gone through a major makeover. PES 11 is Konami’s attempt to regain it’s throne as the more realistic and the more sophisticated game for ‘true’ football fans. The game plays a lot slower than previous games and definitely needs more build up than in FIFA 11. This is due to a complete reworking and the new total control 360 passing system. Even seasoned PES players may take a while to adjust to this new system but I suggest that for those who are dedicated football game players, soon you will start to appreciate and enjoy the precise control this system allows a person to have. As this seems to be PES’s attempt to completely revamp itself, there is a lot of room for improvement and its fans will have to be patient.

2 – 0 Fifa

FIFA fans therefore can hold their hand up in victory for another year in my opinion. FIFA has become more realistic over the years and is no more lagging behind Pro, in fact some may argue it is even better. FIFA is more fun for all levels of interest and ability. It’s only real negatives are scoring from crossing is too easy and dribbling is actually a next to impossible skill. But overall all those who wait for the release of the two games before they decide which way to side, FIFA is probably going to win them over.

Click to purchase – Pro Evolution Soccer 2011

Click to Purchase – FIFA 11