SNAKE!!!

So I'm back for another quick game related post! Todays topic is the controversial Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes.

A little back story is needed here. I have never played a game in the MGS series for more than perhaps 10 minutes, I'm also terrible at stealth games. Like awful.

With That Being Said, What did i think?

I quite liked it to be honest. The main problem that I've read about the game seems to be the length and value for money, which is fair enough, but for someone new to the series i actually saw this as a positive. The main mission teaches you everything you will need to be stealthy in a Metal Gear game if you have never played before.

Graphically its beautiful. I have had an Xbox One for about a month now and this is definitely the best looking game that i have played thus far. I also thought the voice acting was very good, even Keifer Sutherland becoming Snake was well done and made sense.

Artistically the ending was a little....well.... a little "Much". Without going into spoilers it just seems a tad over the top but having done some research that seems like a very Kojimi thing to do.

I haven't delved into the side missions yet but i plan to.

I'm now super excited for the Phantom Pain and i think that's the whole point of this smaller game.

So in the end, i award Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes a solid 7/10. Its a great game, just a little short for the £25 price.

The Last Peacock! Post - Launch Blog 25/01/14

So Firstly, Happy new year! I know its late in coming but i have been very busy in the past month!

The big development in that time has been the full release of my companies first game, The Last Peacock!

The Last Peacock! is an infinite running platformer, where you play as Percy the peacock in his attempt to avenge his family against a vicious dragon. The main twist being boss fights and randomly generated content which keep the game challenging.

All good stuff. At the moment the game is available on Google Play for £0.69! If you haven't picked it up yet please do! Support a little indie :D

So how has the post launch been? Overall, good! We have had some interesting responses and contact from a few places but sales have slowed down a little bit. As we are learning how to release games this is not a big worry for this game but it is defiantly the hardest thing we have come across so far. Its difficult getting a little game like this out there but we are learning!

So thats it for now, still getting back into blog writing but ill be more frequent from now on!

Heres the store link if the game interests you!

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.wildmelongames.thelastpeacock

The Last Peacock!: The Beta Launch Post!!

So the time is finally upon us, this weekend the tiny Indie Game team that i formed with my friends will be releasing our first game into world to be played by actual people. Its exciting, refreshing and most of all... Terrifying.

In this blog i will talk about the game, its development process and to be honest the reasons why i hope it all goes well.

First of all, The Last Peacock is a free running platformer that was built for Mobile Devices.

You control Percy The Peacock (yes i know its genius!!) as he attempts to escape the Evil dragon that chases him. Now i wont completely spoil the story, but hes also out for abit of revenge!

The game takes place over 2 different stages and uses randomly generated terrain to allow you to play for as long as you can, racking up the biggest score in the process. In the Full version of the game there will also be a boss battle or two chucked in for good measure! Overall its pretty fun to be honest, even though im clearly biased!!

Now this may sound bizarre, but that's the first time i have ever explained the game and the first time we have shown off any of the story. Its one of the many lessons about game development that i have learnt in the last 12 months, it becomes very difficult to see what you're doing when you're so involved within it. How are other people supposed to know what state the game is in if no one has told them? This is something we will improve in the next 12 months i am sure!

I have really enjoyed working on this game. Despite an engine change, 3 Project changes and many nights of "what's the point!?"  in the end i have really enjoyed it. I think we have built a fun little game that people will enjoy, i do! I want to do this for the rest of my life and i would love to do it with my team here at Wild Melon Games.

So back to the Beta! The Beta is basically the game minus a few features that need abit more testing such as the Boss battles. Then why release it? you ask. Well, firstly its a great opportunity for people other than our own little bubble to get some game time in and let us know what they think without spending money on it. Secondly we can test the game on more Android devices which is very important for us going forward. And lastly, we get to practise publicizing our games!

So if this has tickled you're interest or you have any questions please follow us on Facebook and twitter!

https://www.facebook.com/wildmelongames?fref=ts …
https://twitter.com/WildMelonGames

Wii U Chat: 09/11/2013

Back to talk about the Wii U, So what's happened in the last 3 months? Well.... GAMES!!

Wonderful 101, The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker HD, Lego Marvel Heroes, Rayman Legends, Assassins Creed 4, Splinter Cell: Blacklist, Batman Arkham Origins and Deux Ex Human Revolution Directors Cut. Gasp.

All of them are really good and different, if only there were a driving game in there and we would be able to point towards the Wii U finally becoming a viable main console. Now don't get me wrong, i know the HD twins are back this month and the Wii U will NOT compete with them, however, in my opinion i don't think that matters. Whenever friends or family ask me about the Wii U i say the same thing, its the perfect SECOND console. Just like the Gamecube before it. There isn't a console out right now that can compete with Nintendo's games, Knack is not Mario, Modnation Racers is not Mario Kart and Nothing is more fun than Smash bros. If you're reading this chances are you will be getting a PS4 or an XBONE, probably not both. But dont let that rule out the Wii U, its growing its own Niche and doing it well.

Anyway rant over!

What have i been playing?
Mass Effect 3: Special Edition

Lets prepare the humble pie.... so those who know me know how much i hated on ME3 on its Xbox 360 release. The ending ruined the series for me, seriously, it was that bad, like a kick in the balls. Due to that i couldn't bring myself to play it any more. So almost a year later i picked up the Wii U version on the cheap and i must say its great. The Wii U version comes with most of the DLC on other consoles which includes the extended (IMPROVED) ending.

The single player campaign is still fantastic, Mass Effect just does a great job of making the player fall in love with the characters and makes you care what happens. Its the best RPG experience on the Wii U so far and if you haven't played it pick it up!

Now the Multi Player, wow, i know its a glorified Horde mode from Gears Of War but its just so much fun. I Had know problem getting into a match, no smack talk from players and no lag. Nintendo cant do Internet eh?

It has some cool features too, i like that you have to press a button on the gamepad touch screen to talk, simple but effective. I like levelling up characters with perks like the single player and i like that it affects the single player.

Overall i would highly recommend ME3 for Wii U to any Wii U owners, for the price you can pick it up for now its completely worth it. And if you haven't played the past games, don't worry, the game has a large opening comic that helps you out so please check it out!

Next up for me on the Wii U games front will be Assassins Creed 3!

Thanks for reading, i swear ill structure the next one!!

Return of Dave!: 08/11/13

Wow, 3 MONTH!?!?! For once my blog hiatus was not of my own choosing...well sort of! I recently moved into a new flat with my better half and as a result have been without the Internet during the transition... and for whatever reason that has been 3 months but now i am back!

So what have i been upto?
Well aside from moving i have been working on Wild Melon Games debut title The Last Peacock! which will be releasing within a month for Mobile devices! In my opinion its a gameplay hybrid of Robot Unicorn Attack with a few elements of a more traditional Platformer like Super Mario Bros'. I like it and i hope you do too!

In terms of playing games i will be covering my latest Wii U exploits in a post later this weekend but i have actually been playing other consoles alot recently. I beat Dragon Age 2 out of sheer boredom at the lack of internet (its really not as bad as people say) and i have, of course, played well over 60 hours of Pokemon X on the 3DS. Its arguably the best game in the series too which i never thought possible, if you have a 3DS buy Pokemon END OF!!

So that's really it for my return to blogging, ill hopefully get back into the swing of things again soon so keep your eyes peeled!!

What have i been doing this week?: 16/08/2013

So its been a very quiet week as im trying to sort out moving house!!

What have i been playing?: The Wonderful 101 Demo - Wii U
Ive already had a pretty extensive blog on my thoughts of this demo, i love it, if i weren't moving house soon i would 100% buying this. Best game on the Wii U!

What have i been Watching?: WRESTLING!!

Yep i have been relieving my childhood by watching old wrestling pay per views. Spefically the Invasion era WWE. It used to be so much better then it is now.

Wii U Thursdays?: 15/08/2013

Its Thursday so lets start another little chat about the Wii U! Because...yeah lets beat that dead horse!
Today im going to be briefly giving my thoughts on the Wonderful 101 Demo that recently went up on the Eshop.

So what is the Wonderful 101? Well, its kind of hard to put into a genre but if i were to try then i would say its an Action Adventure game. Despite a striking resemblence to Pikmin it actually plays alot more like a traditional Action Adventure, more like Metal Gear Rising than Nintendo's plant-a-thon to be honest. Its made by the guys at Platinum Games (Famous for Bayonetta and Vanquish among others) and is the first part of there dual Nintendo published titles (the other being Bayonetta 2).

Right so lets get to the gameplay in slightly more detail. First off, it looks fantastic. It might be the best looking game ive played so far on the Wii U, its a perfect blend of a HD engine and Nintedo-esque art design that makes fantastic use of both of the Wii U's screens.

The main gameplay is very Bayonetta as mentioned above but the real touch pad gimmick is essentially a glorified weapon select. You draw a rough image of the item you want to use, press A and then you have that weapon. Its a cool looking gimmick but i feel that in a boss fight that may prove a problem. Other than that its a pretty good game, once you get used to how the game plays and can follow the sometimes hectic screen, you get a game that is really unique, smooth and most of all fun.

Also as a side note, i was only able to give the local multiplayer a little play but looks FANTASTIC. its plays in a co-op mission system that i think myself and my GF will have alot of fun with.

Overall this is the first step to making the Wii U a much more viable sale, its great and with this and Pikmin 3 being within a month, then having a great looking Zelda: Wind Waker remake coming soon after, its finally a good time to be a Wii U Owner.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xYjBRDxK3b8