![]() ![]() That's probably why I've ordered myself copies of Kameo: Elements of Power and Perfect Dark Zero, as well as snaffling a copy of the original Viva Pinata. I just wanted to say that it's stuff like this, and the depth of the world in the Viva Pinata series, that has left me with a great sense of appreciation for Rare as a developer. Other people have already made that point several times over. I realise I'm a little late to the party with Nuts & Bolts, so I'm not going to wax lyrical about how awesome and innovative the game is, or about how more games should be providing this kind of experience. I've even downloaded the L.O.G.'s Lost Challenges DLC pack, in the hope of squeezing just a little bit more life out of this awesome game. With just nine Jiggies to my name, I know I've still got a lot more to see, a lot more to think about, and a lot more to experiment with. I can't wait to see what else is lying in wait for me in the future challenges. Instead of persisting with my first instincts, I took a step back, reassessed the situation, and made a vehicle better suited to my needs. Suddenly the creative juices have started flowing. I'd experienced "the moment", the point where I actually GOT what Nuts & Bolts is all about. I reached the allotted height in nineteen seconds, snagging not only the Jiggy but a nice T.T. As soon as the klaxon sounded, I lifted the antenna onto my Carry Copter's tray, jumped into the driver's seat, and flew towards the ceiling of the level. I retook the challenge, arming myself with my newly-built Carry Copter. After a brief run in the Test-O-Track to make sure it could actually fly, I leapt back into LogBox 720 and found Klungo. It was quite literally made for this challenge. I stuck a couple of poles onto my trolley, added the propellers, and voila: I'd made a helicopter! It flies. This got me thinking, and I instantly raced over to the Workshop to tinker with them. One of them contained a set of propellers. While there, I hunted down a couple of crates and took them over to Mumbo. After about five attempts which yielded nothing but notes, I decided to skip the challenge and head back to Showdown Town. Thinking I could approach it in the same way as the game's first few challenges, I opened up the vehicle editor with a hint of overconfidence and concocted a super-speedy version of the standard trolley, thinking its bigger engine would be enough to secure victory. The challenge was the one given by Klungo, to carry an antenna to a certain height within the level. Then came "the moment" Is this really what the inside of my games consoles looks like? The level was the first act of LogBox 720. I was enjoying Nuts & Bolts, but wasn't really seeing what Brad was talking about. I spent my first few hours with the game adjusting to the mechanics, mucking about in the Workshop and Test-O-Track, and completing some of the first few Jiggy challenges with some pretty rudimentary vehicular designs. Initially my opinion of the game was positive, but not especially high. It's funny, it looks absolutely gorgeous, it controls well, the gameplay is built on a very firm foundation, and the vehicle editor is accessible but also incredibly deep. Finishing off the Half-Life expansions, as well as feeling the need to return to my 360 after over a month of inactivity, prompted me to finally pick it up and start playing. I've been meaning to get around to playing Nuts & Bolts ever since Brad's glowing review encouraged me to pick up a copy from Amazon last Easter. Instead, I opted to fire up the Xbox 360 and play a little Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts. ![]() HALF LIFE OPPOSING FORCE BANJO KAZOOIE PSPMaybe even pick up the PSP and clear a few more outstanding missions in Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII. ![]() Maybe do a bit of creative writing, work on my novel to pass the time. Maybe read a little of Mrs Dalloway or The Faerie Queene in preparation for my Literature seminars next week. On this quiet Thursday, with University lectures cancelled and no pressure from essays or exams, I thought I'd just kick back and chill. I had the intention of voicing my opinions of the Half-Life expansion packs, Opposing Force and Blue Shift. I wasn't planning on blogging until the weekend. ![]()
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