So, I'm as boring as ever. I dabbled with the Spec Ops The Line demo for about 20 minutes, but most of my free gaming time has been spent with Trials Evo. I'm currently sat at 133 medals, just two away from the next unlock. Having given up trying to gold everything I've moved on to the mini-games and the tournaments, mopping up bronzes and the odd silver. I'm sure I'll hit a wall at some point, forcing me to give up, but for now I'm always making progress and enjoying every infuriating moment I spend with Trials. While other games might be more complex or larger scale, Trails Evo is currently my favourite game of 2012.
I need to hold my hands up on this one: I was wrong about Hitman Sniper Challenge. When it suddenly appeared, out of the blue, it seemed to be a further sign that IO Interactive was taking Hitman away from the subtlety and wit that defined the series in its previous instalments. To be blunt, it looked like a brainless, long-range shooting gallery.
Well, I eat my words. It is a long-range shooting gallery, but one that's been built with a very smart design. Brief though it may be, it requires precision, careful timing, and even a few flashes of murderous creativity. It also really tests your powers of observations, to the extent that it occasionally feels like Where's Wally: Nutter With a Gun Edition. It maybe a freebie (pre-order aside), but it's actually a well-designed little distraction that'll occupy you for an hour or two.
Look, I don't normally like making my VG Plays a game I've been reviewing that week, but this week I've just been playing Diablo 3. As in, I have just been playing Diablo III. It's been a bit of a rocky start, and that's frustrating, but do you know what else galls me? The box art for the third game isn't nearly as good as the second. The second game was a terrifying skeletal face succumbing to the forces of evil, and the third game just makes the Lord of Terror look a bit like he's a Prothean out of Mass Effect. Poor show!
But, yes, Diablo III is a great game and it reminds me how fortunate I am that my job allows me to sit around on my bum all week and play Diablo III during the day, not just because the servers currently tend to fall to pieces as soon as regular people come back from work at about 6pm. I'm taking my main character (a Wizard named Ozz) through Nightmare difficulty at the moment, and I'm still enjoying it a second time through.
