Game Review - Grand Theft Auto 5 (POTENTIAL SPOILER ALERT)

Hey guys, welcome back to 3 Lives Left.

Apologies once again for a delayed post. A lot going on recently but I won't bore you with that, we are here to talk about games!

For the first game review I have decided to go with GTAV.

No doubt you have all played the game, if you haven't, you may find it wise to leave now.

Graphics

Rockstar has a rich history of making games that contain immense graphics, and GTAV is no different. I would say that this game has pushed the PS3 and Xbox 360 consoles to their capacity in terms of graphics. Its is no doubt the most beautiful looking game to released on this generation, and I cannot wait for a next-gen installation.

Gameplay

The gameplay is great. There are a few bugs and glitches, and of course the game suffered early on with it's 'Garage Glitch', issues with the Rockstar Social Club, and GTA Online etc. But all things considered the gameplay is really good.

The only negative is that I felt like that the maneuverability of the characters was limited in the sense that they felt very clunky and heavy. 

Story

Again, as expected with a Rockstar game... a huge story. GTAV is packed full of lots of things to do aside from the huge main storyline. It also offers Strangers and Freaks, which are basically side missions (but they don't feel like side missions). Then there are also the collectable items. Plus random map events that occur and show up on your mini map.

World

The world itself seems practically endless. I dare you to steal a speed boat and sail out into the Atlantic Ocean. The layout of the world is also extremely good and as a result the world and the graphics complement each other nicely, which is exactly how it should be.

There are also plenty of things to do! Such as Golf, going to the Cinema, Theatre etc. In addition to this Rockstar have also inputted more random characters that possess different behaviours in order to keep things fresh.

Score

9/10

This Saturday there will be no Handheld Fun or Film Night - Instead there will be a very special, one-off article. You will have to come back this Saturday to find out what it is!

- 3 Lives Left

One To Watch - Titanfall

Hey guys, welcome back to 3 Lives Left.

Apologies for not posting this week's article yesterday (Saturday 19th), but fear not, it is here with you now.

This week is One To Watch is...

Now, I know that I could have picked from a whole host of games; CoD: Ghosts, Assassins Creed 4, Dead Rising 3, and the obvious Watch Dogs. But this is a game that has definitely caught my eye.

I understand that Call of Duty has pretty much cornered the market with their annual installments, and a lot of other FPS games have attempted to knock them off of their perch (Battlefield, Homefront, Crysis), but none of them have quite managed. Let me tell you why I think this game will be different.

Firstly, and most obviously if you are a big gaming fan, is that Titanfall was created by the two people that gave you the Call of Duty franchise: Vince Zampella and Jason West. So we have two people here that possess a lot of experience in how to make a great FPS game.

Secondly, this has similarities to Call of Duty, but it is by no means a carbon copy. To me it seems like a hybrid between Halo, Crysis, and Call of Duty, but also having its own identity.

Lastly, Respawn Entertainment and EA have been working on this title for quite a while, something that cannot be said about the likes of CoD or Battlefield. They have given themselves time to push out the best game possible.

Upon the release of the Xbox One, and my eventual purchase of the console, this is definitely one of the first games I will be getting for it.

Anyway guys, that is it for this weeks post. I hope you liked it. Don't forget to get your copy of Titanfall.

3 Lives Left

Next-Gen Weekend - The One Tour

Hey guys, welcome back to 3 Lives Left.

As promised, today is Next-Gen Weekend, and there is some very exciting news for you video game lovers. Microsoft has announced that they will hold a worldwide tour that will give the lucky winners of their competition the opportunity to play the Xbox One.

People who wish to attend the event should do so very quickly as tickets are allocated on a first-come first-served basis. Microsoft have also announced the games that will be on offer to play at the event, these are: FIFA 14, Ryse, Battlefield 4, Killer Instinct, Dead Rising 3, and Forza 5.

I think this is a brilliant idea on Microsoft's behalf, to tour the Xbox One. It can only be a good thing to allow gamers who are still asking themselves 'what console should I buy?'. There is also still no word of whether Sony will do a similar thing in an attempt to trump Microsoft, but this is very doubtful.

In the UK the tour will take place in London from October 25-November 5, and in Manchester from November 18-27 (bad news for people nowhere near these cities). You can go here to enter for your chance to win, good luck!

There you have it guys! I hope you enjoyed this post. Next week's post is a Game Review, give a guess what it might be (haha).

Xbox One is available worldwide on November 22, 2013. £430 / €500 / $500 RRP.

3 Lives Left.

Handheld Fun - FIFA 14 for iPad

Hey guys, welcome back to 3 Lives Left.

As planned, today's post is Handheld Fun and I will be talking about the iPad version of FIFA 14.

FIFA 14 is free to download on all mobile and tablet platforms and promises a lot. However, as you would imagine, with a free version of such a huge title there must be costs somewhere along the line. These costs come in the form of having to pay for the privilege of playing Kick-Off mode and Career Mode, both costing £2.99/EUR 3.50/$4.79 each.

One good thing is that Ultimate Team is completely free and any activity that you do will sync to your console copy (if you have one).

It's graphics are pretty good considering the hardware lacks compared to consoles. The game also has full licencing so there has definitely not been any scrimping on game play experience.

There are two different ways to control the movement of your players/team.

One way is to use the Touch Controls. This method allows you to have more control not just over the player that has the ball but also players that don't have the ball e.g. being able to make an attacker go on a forward run and make space for a shot.

The second method of controlling your team is the standard button press commands (pass, shoot, sprint, etc).

One downfall is that every attacking move seems like it is repeated over and over. I don't know if this is down to the game design or if it is down to the fact that the game has to be limited as a result of it being on a handheld device.

Overall there is not much difference in the game other than the graphics and the platform that you play it on.

I would recommend downloading this game if you a FIFA fan purely because it is free and you have access to Ultimate Team.

Anyway, that is it for this week's post. Stay tuned for next week's article - Next Gen Weekend.

Thanks guys,

3 Lives Left