The Multiplayer Diaries.

Games Games Games. What a rubbish title. I'm sorry.

2012-01-23T04:07:00.000-08:00

Games of 2012 - Jan to March

In what appears to be an interesting year for videogames with the announcement of new hardware such as the PS Vita and the Wii U it's not surprising to see that the release list for the start of the year.

There are however some titles worth mentioning which deserve your attention up until the fiscal year ends across all platforms. Some old, some new and hopefully all worthwhile of your hard earned money.

Resident Evil Revelations - Nintendo 3DS - £29.99 RRP - 27th January

Capcom are releasing the first of three Resident Evil titles at the end of the month on Nintendo's almost year old handheld device. A demo proved it to be a worthy successor to the series with some impressive visuals but the controls felt a little cumbersome without the upcoming Circle Pad Pro add-on which comes bundled with some versions of the game for a higher price.

Metal Gear Solid HD Collection - PS3/Xbox 360 - £29.99 RRP - 3rd February

For those who have missed out on some Konami classic games with Solid Snake should really get themselves this collection of the best Stealth Espionage Action game series of all time. This features Metal Gear Solid's two, three and Peace Walker all with their bonus content (and better camera) from updated versions. A must have this year.

Soul Calibur V - PS3/Xbox 360 - £34.99 - 3rd February

It seems bringing back familiar names is a common trend to the start of the year and the return of Soul Calibur is no exception. Expect more weapon wielding fighting fun with this sequel from Namco.

Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning - PS3/Xbox 360/ PC - £39.99 - 10th February

The demo, up now for you to explore, left with a good impression. A third person action adventure title with a definite Fable 3 flavour but with a much more immersive combat and conversation system. Loot drops similar to World of Warcraft and an upgrade system similar to Skyrim this is definitely one to keep your eye on.

PS Vita - £229.99 - 22nd February

Another handheld from Sony as previously covered in this here column. Games on launch are Uncharted: Golden Abyss, Wipeout 2048, Little Deviants, Lumines and Katamari. It will be interesting to see how this console stands up in a smartphone world especially considering there's been little to no marketing for the device so far.

Other games out before the end of March are; Syndicate, SSX, Mass Effect 3, Ridge Racer Unbounded and Resident Evil: Raccoon City. Not too bad, if you ask me.

Do we Wii-ly need it?

2012-01-16T01:00:00.000-08:00

This year in which we've been dragged kicking and screaming into promises to be one of the most exciting times for videogames, but probably not for the best reasons. New consoles are on the verge of either being revealed or actually getting released into the market and i'm more than anticipating them to arrive but the excitement comes from seeing how well they're recieved by the general public.

The Nintendo Wii and DS were outstanding sucesses, capturing a market no-one knew existed and firmly placing a console in hands of all generations but are those people ready for a new box which looks and feels similar to the shiney white box which rarely gets turned on anymore? It's going to take a stroke of marketing genius to recapture their imagination and make them forget that they don't really play their Wii anymore.

The 3DS is slowly building momentum with some familiar names such as Mario, Zelda and Monster Hunter but I still feel the first impression of the 3D effect/gimmick didn't really have the same affect that the original DS had. Maybe they need a new WarioWare game to show off how fun the system can be? I don't think another brain training game would do the trick.

The successor to the Xbox 360 is constantly being rumoured and I would be very surprised if we didn't hear something from them at this years E3 in regards to the new box of entertainment while Sony is still pretending that the PS3 is the best thing since their last but when your handheld can match your home console in terms of visuals with the PS Vita it's really time to think about creating a new box. But who will make their move first?

I don't mean to sound all doom and gloom at the start of the year, I am honestly very excited to hear about the new consoles as I always am but with graphics hitting an all time high with games like Uncharted 3 it's going to be tough to improve on that without making videogame development cost even higher.

It's definitely an exciting time for the videogame industry because I genuinely don't know what's going to happen with the direction each console is going to head in, they truly have become something completely different to how they started, from tape loading nerd devices to a console which can pretty much do anything you want it to on a TV, how do you really improve on that?

Time will tell.

PS Vita - Isn't that a swedish swear word?

2012-01-10T13:06:00.000-08:00

Up until recently the 3DS has been somewhat muted in its reception by the general public. Sure, the 3DS effect from the top screen impressed those who gawped upon it but the lasting impression failed to meet that of the Wii in terms of spectacle and left consumers wondering why they should rush out to buy the latest piece of hardware from Nintendo.

Sony will also have this problem come February 22nd but hopefully they have a launch lineup which is more compelling than the limp effort from the 3DS last March. Weighing in at £229.99 the newly named PS Vita promises to be a literal next step from the PSP with it offering you a console like experience in the palm of your hands. "The Ferrari of handhelds" is the ethos Sony like to adopt when releasing their new machine so ensure that when you pick the device up you sure don't want to put it down anytime after.

To coincide with the release of the new handheld we have some software which offers both familiar names in the way of Uncharted: Golden Abyss, Wipeout 2048 and what would a console launch be without a new Ridge Racer game to drain your time and money.
Brand new names are low on the ground but Little Deviants, a mini game collection from Sony themselves offers an experience to fully utilise the PS Vitas brand new functionality and capability. The PS Vita not only has a beefier graphical prowess but it also comes bundled in with arguably more features than the 3DS.

The front of the device offers a 5" OLED multi-touch screen with dual analogue sticks to ensure that every game not only looks impressive but controls just as well, too. The rear of the device holds a curiously impressive rear touch panel which allows you to interact with games like never before.

The PS Vita is sure looking to be a technical mammoth when compared to the 3DS but that didn't stop the DS from absolutely trumping the PSP worldwide and with the recent release of some high profile games from Nintendo lately and the ever increasingly dominant iphone market is there really a place for another piece of hardware in this mould? Time shall tell!

2011-09-11T01:31:00.000-07:00

Kinect Games

Don't do it. Just don't, please. Don't make your Kinect the "new Wii". Don't leave it sitting there with nothing to do until you place the mediocre Kinect Adventures disc into your console. We all did it with Wii Sports and we all did a horrible disservice to our Wii consoles by watching them collect dust and wondering why we spent over one hundred pounds on a Nintendo paper weight. These devices have games which you will enjoy, so I am here to provide awareness for the future of your shiny Kinect.

It's good to know that Microsoft have realised that the Kinect software lineup can be distributed across both a digital and physical platform. Xbox Live Arcade has become somewhat of a hotbed for new Kinect games and applications starting with Fruit Ninja Kinect which is a fruit chopping arcade game for eight hundred microsoft points and their Kinect Fun Labs which allows you to do funky things with your Kinect even if they don't work entirely as advertised.

Up and coming videogames for the downloadable side of things offer something for everyone it would seem. Burnout, the car smash 'em up is coming back for somewhat of a controversial return with Burnout Crash!. If you haven't guessed, it's a Burnout game devoted entirely to the crash mode seen in previous games. Played from a birds eye view you have to create some organised chaos in order to earn points, and what do points mean? achievements!

And for the younger generation of potential games enthusiasts we have Sesame Street: Once Upon A Monster which allows you and your young ones to interact and play with all your favourite Sesame Street familiars. A sure fire hit in the household, it will be.

If we head out of the online space and into a shop, we will see these purple cases sitting next to the overly saturated green Xbox cases which lets you know that these games are Kinect exclusive. While some games may feature a banner saying "Enhanced with Kinect" such as the upcoming Halo: Combat Evolved remake and Mass Effect 3, they don't require it. The purple cases for games such as The Gunstringer, a wild west shooting game in which you control a puppet on a string, do require the Kinect in order to function, however.

Gunstringer is out now and well worth your attention. It's a third person shooter in which you control the puppet with one hand and his incredible six shooter revolver with the other. Expect laughs aplenty with this game.

Other games which use Kinect are ones with big names, such as Minecraft, Ghost Recon, The Sims and more surprinsingly Steel Battalion. There most definitely is something for everyone!

A Serious Headline.

2011-08-29T01:58:00.000-07:00

Serious Sam Double D review.

In a generation of videogames where 2D games are being transitioned into 3D, it's quite refreshing to the opposite happen here with Mommy's Best Games' brand new spin on the crazy insane Serious Sam franchise, coming soon to an Xbox 360, PC and indeed PS3 near you soon.

SS:DD is a platform shoot 'em up in a similar vein to that of Metal Slug, Super Probotector and even has a slight whiff of Shadow Complex with its twin stick run and gun shooting mechanic which works extremely well given the fast paced nature of the series.

All the things which make a Serious Sam game fun are there bar a couple of missing features but for what it lacks in co-op and one liners from Serious Sam himself the game makes it up by adding one particular feature which absolutely seals the deal in making this game hectic, frantic and other things which sound like it's moving at 1000 mph. Which it is, by the way.

Gun Stacking is a unique feature in which you literally stack weapon upon weapon until you have up to a maximum of six weapons per stack (or which you can have eight stacks) and wreck complete havoc on the familiar enemy types such as Gnaars, Kamikaze's and even some impressive new additions to the crazy roster of baddies. I won't spoil anything for you as it's all part of the fun, but if you didn't like those Vuvuzelas then you're in for a weird treat.

As usual you start of in an Egyptian style environment with Natrisca offering you barebones mission data which is filled with self referential humour and even throws in a few popular culture references, secret locations and those pesky trap items which are key essential staples feature and make Serious Sam Double D more fun that it has any right to be in two dimensions.
There are challenges to be unlocked and offer even more enemies jam packed onto a screen with the task of killing X amount with a certain weapon type which add to the longevity of the game but it's such a shame the main game only lasts about four hours. I could've gone on for maybe just one more hour... or two.

Rampaging through eighteen levels was an incredible ride to be had and certainly whet my appetite for the upcoming "big box" version of Serious Sam with its third incarnation hitting this October but i'll be honest, if I can't stack weapons in the 3D version then I'll be a sad gamer. I bet Mommy's Best Games are proud in having created a feature which no other game has.
SS: DD is hitting August 30th for PC and later for consoles.

Head to Steam, Get Games, Impulse and other digital stores to get your copy now! It's bloody marvellous.

8/10

I'll have a robotic arm to go, please.

2011-08-22T04:24:00.000-07:00

Deus Ex: Human Revolution

It's been quite some time you got to play a lead role of Eidos Interactive's much loved franchise, Deus Ex, but this week you get to step into the shoes of Adam Jensen, the protagonist who has been augmented by science and technology to make him more than just a human.

In Deus Ex: Human Revolution, society is on the brink of a global meltdown with a majority of the population not reeping the benefits of the breakthroughs to humanity in the year 2027. As Adam Jensen, working for Sarif Industries you must found out who or what is causing all the problems in this futuristic world and survive an enslaught of enemies who are all out to have you killed.

Deus Ex: Human Revolution is a first-person role playing game giving off a definite Fallout meet Mass Effect 2 vibe. The ability to talk your way through sticky situations, break down certain walls and even sneak by enemies by being completely invisible are all at your fingertips thanks to the revolutionary breakthrough in human augmentation.

As you complete missions, hack terminals, find secret areas and kill enemies you earn experience points like any good RPG which allows you to improve your Adam Jensen and hopefully provide many unique ways to play the game.

Imagine a scenario which pits you crouching behind a wall in an attempt to deal with the on-coming group of enemies, how would you deal with the situation. Would you either prepare for a full on brutal attack with your special weaponry and deal with the outcome afterwards or alternately, if you have earned enough levels of experience to equip a cloaking device you can literally turn invisible and sneak right by the oncoming enemies and hopefully evade conflict all together, just make sure you don't knock into any objects in the world nearby, it could alert the guys you were intending to dodge.

Thirdly, you could indeed construct a way to evade the enemies without a cloaking device by placing a series of boxes, pallets and barrels to reach to areas which are out of view. This game certainly offers more than youe bog standard linear adventure.

Deus Ex: Human Revolution is a prequel origins story to the previous two games and is out this week on Friday.

CS: Go Go Go.

2011-08-15T04:35:00.000-07:00

Counter Strike: Global Offensive.

Rarely do I use this opportunity to promote news from within the games industry other than the week of E3 and Eurogamer but today I am writing to you with some very important news. Not only have Valve, the creators of Half Life, Team Fortress 2 and Portal announced a new game for a long running series of games but I am just excited that they have announce another game.

It's been so long since my hay-day of Counter Strike. I am in a clan, playing (poorly) online against other clans vying for whatever attention I could be getting and I loved every single second of it. If you're not aware of Counter-Strike, then I feel sorry for you. It's definitely one of the best, or at least it was before games moved on since.

Counter Strike: Source was released, quite astonishingly in 2004 since then we have had a huge evolution in how online First-Person Shooters are played from stat tracking to matchmaking in Halo and indeed Call of Duty it should be very interesting to see how this new iteration from Valve Software stands up in todays Call of Duty obsessed world.

The premise of the game is simple. Counter Terrorists on one side, each with their own unique look, sounds and weaponry against, you guessed it, Terrorists. Nothing too specific, just naughty people terrorising hostages, bombing delicate locations and indeed, if you're old school, murdering VIPs.

Each successful round will earn you money which in turn allows you to purchase new weaponry and equip your selected guise with body armour and grenades if you so desire. While this might seem a bit unfair that the winners get better the game is so finely balanced that even the strongest team with body armour can indeed fall against the under dogs, and that's when Counter Strike becomes incredible.

There's no word on pricing or even a screenshot of the actual game for that matter but I am still ultra hyped for this game. It's coming to PC, Xbox Live Arcade and PSN in the early months of 2012.

"Lock 'N' Load"

It's summer, play more games!

2011-07-25T09:21:00.000-07:00

Summer of Arcade

Remember when Arcades were the treat you got to see when you visited a relatives home by the seaside? No? Well then you are far too young to even know what I am talking about, but if you answered yes, then you would of sighed with nostalgia and heard within your mind the instantly recognisable tones of some classic Sega arcade games which almost always seemed louder than their rivals, all of which were asking for your hard earned fifty pence pieces.

Now we live in a new era of "Arcade" which isn't really an Arcade at all, more of a snappy title to label the interesting downloadable titles which are coming out thick and fast and more often than not provide far more enjoyable experiences than the full price retail boxed offerings as of late.

Microsoft are number one when it comes to promoting the best of the best Downloadable "Arcade"games with their Summer of Arcade promtion, releasing them when things go quiet in July so us gamers who blast through games have something to keep us occupied as we feverishly dream of the new, the shiny and the unexplored games.

Last week saw the release of Bastion from Super Giant Games, a company formed of just seven people who once worked at EA Games in Los Angeles. Bastion is a modern take on 16-bit action RPGs which will no doubt tickle the fancy of many older, experienced gamers as well as young and less jaded gamers. After finishing it I can safely tell you it's well worth the 1200 points.

This week see's the return of a genre which has somewhat fallen out of favour with the industry but as Telltale proved with the point and click genre; if you do it right, you will sell many copies. The "god game" genre returns with Ubi Softs From Dust game which pits you in the seat of a god who is able to manipulate the elements of a planet which resembles planet Earth in order to save the lifes of the natives folk who are faced with many natural disasters such as Volcanos and Tsunamis. From Dust will be 1200 Microsoft Points.

Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet arrives next week for 1200 MS Points and just by virtue of looking original and fun to play it made me excited to get my hands-on with it. You play as what seems to be a UFO flying around, you guessed it, an Insane Twisted Shadow Planet. The backgrounds provide the detail, colour and all round twisted look while the foreground resembles Outland where everything is sihlouetted. Expect Metroid-esque exploration and weapon upgrading in order to open new areas and battle new types of enemies.

On the lighter side of videogaming for Kinect owning crowd we have a game which I am not entirely sure what to expect. Fruit Ninja Kinect will be available Wednesday 10th August for 800 MS Points, go check it out as words won't really do this game any justice at all.

Last but no means least is a sequel to many peoples' favourite Tower Defence game; Toy Soldiers. Toy Soliders: Cold War is definitely more of the same but with new features including the ability to rewind back to a failed wave rather than fight your way through fifteen minutes of gameplay which you were previously succesful. A feature sorely needed in tower defence games, if you like it that way!

And before you know it, you'd of bought all these games and enjoyed them and then the big boys come back out to play with Deus Ex: Human Revolution in late August. If, however, you did purchase all of the Summer of Arcade titles you are rewarded with a free game in September. Crimson Alliance is a fast-paced action RPG and is being sold for 1200 MS points. A bonus indeed.

Damned by all..

2011-07-21T12:16:00.000-07:00

Yeah, yeah, okay, I admit it. I have only just gotten round to playing Bayonetta. Why? I hear you ask (I didn't, but let's pretend I did). Well, that's an interesting question, thank you for asking. There are some games in a life of a console which just get ignored, usually by individuals like myself or more rarely, by large groups of gamers who just watch a classic go flying by until they all collectively realise what a mistake they had made. ie Shadows of the Damned.

Shadows of the Damned is a game you have never heard of, possibly, but you should take it upon yourself to go explore beyond the first person shooter and sample this wonderful yet utterly crazy videogame from Grasshopper Manufacture comprising of some of the iluminaries of the videogame industry. Shinji Mikami, the creator of Resident Evil, Suda 51, the brains behind Killer7 and No More Heroes and last but not least is Akira Yamaoka, the wonderful chap behind the music in the Silent Hill series.

Now, if this doesn't appeal to you in the slightest, then please flick to the next page as the next paragraph will probably not warrant your attention but if anyone of those previous names of both people and videogames perked your eyebrows up then you need to read on. Shadows of the Damned plays similarly to Resident Evil 4 and of course 5 but with the added flavour of being able to move and shoot at the same time.

You play the role of Garcia F**king Hotspur, a guy who volountarily jumps into hell after his girlfriend Paula is kidnapped, murdered, brought back to life and murdered repeatedly by the wicked devil named Fleming. This isn't where the crazy stops, by the way. Alongside Garcia is an all round everyday floating, flaming skull named Johnson who has the ability to turn into a variety of weapons and course, a motorbike.

Along the ride you'll bump into things that probably wouldn't make a whole lot of sense out of context of the game and even then, you'll still be hard pushed to believe your eyes. The game really is that bonkers and that isn't a word I use often to describe many things, let along a third person shooter for the Xbox 360 and PS3.

It's out now and has sold pretty poorly but go out there and just rent it. You'll love it, I'm sure!

Here comes the sun... Diddoo Daddoo... Where's my 3DS!

2011-05-30T09:39:00.000-07:00

Summer Gaming

The sun is shining, glaring into your eyes, you are on top of the world looking down on your fellow man basking in the glory of the sunset enjoying a drink and having a quick game of cards which promptly breaks out into a fight. I am not talking about my experience with the summer sun but Red Dead Redemption, a game I will always associate with gaming in the summer.

It might strike some people as odd to play videogames when the sun is blazing and for the most part you may be right but video gaming in the summer has never been more acceptable and indeed viable for both us the games player and the videogames publisher.

If we look at gaming in the summer from the viewpoint of dedicated gamers what can we learn from them? Gaming in the summer for me usually involves something which is easily played without too much time constraint and while games like Red Dead Redemption and now L.A Noire disprove my theory we also have the release of Dirt 3 a game which I am most certainly dipping in and out of whenever I have the spare hour or two in the evening.

Not only does it reduce the strain of my wallet over the course of the year instead of stockpiling games at the end to hit the Christmas rush but it also allows developers such as Codemasters to sell me a game like Dirt 3 now rather than not at all if they were to release it in the winter, battling for precious shelf space both in-store and in my collection at home.

Devices such as the iPad, 3DS and PSP all certainly have their place in the sun even if the screen glare is a little bit too much to handle in direct sunlight. Everyone reading this must of had a Gameboy, DS or PSP on holiday by the pool finishing off your game of Tetris, battling your enemies in Pokémon or jumping on a turtle shell in an effort the save the fabled princess in the Mushroom Kingdom.

I’m not saying you should immediately lock yourself away every summer but remember folks, gaming is for life, not just for Christmas.

Don’t forget to check out www.unifiedgamersnetwork.com for a gaggle of fantastic gaming podcasts.

Portal Non-combat!!!!!

2011-04-24T01:20:00.000-07:00

Portal 2 review
PC/XBox 360/PS3

"Get off that stupid game" could well be one of the common terms heard from your parents if they feel you've been spending too much time on a videogame and one you will definitely hear when playing the latest and greatest game from Valve Software, Portal 2.

However, if such phrase is uttered from the mouths from the aforementioned parents just ask them politely to sit down and interact with the world of Portal and we'll see just how stupid Portal 2 is after ten minutes of pure confusion from your parent's face. Portal 2 is a fantastic game and will definitely make you a smarter, better person for getting involved. I literally haven't enjoyed physics in videogaming this much since its sister title, Half Life 2.

If however, you are the said parents in question who may yell such a phrase then be one step ahead of the game and go out and get yourself a copy of Portal 2. Play it when they're at school just so you can be prepared to quickly solve the puzzle in question when he or she is inevitably stuck so you can ensure that they are down those stairs before the dinner goes cold.

Portal 2 had the whole internet's expectation weighing down on their shoulders after the original Portal being a side order to the main dish but you'll be safe in the knowledge that Portal 2 is not only worth 12 hours of your time but also worth whatever price tag you see on the front (but it should be about £35, depending on platform).

You are armed with a contraption which is capable of essentially placing doorways also known as "Portals" where ever you see fit in order to solve the riddles laying ahead of you, that's right there is nothing to shoot from your point of view, it really is one of a kind series which I think should be experienced by the entire gaming industry.

Anymore talk about this game is probably unnessecary as you are no doubt aware of its behemoth sales figures of four million in its first week but if you don't know what I am talking about I am here to let you know that you are missing out on one of the many reasons why videogaming is better than television.

10/10

Pilotwings Resorts to Wuhu Island! Ugh.

2011-03-28T02:59:00.000-07:00

Pilotwings Resort Review
3DS

It’s been an awfully long time since Pilotwings, a series which fans thought had crashed and burned into an abyss of classic Nintendo franchises never to see the light of day again but here we are, fifteen years after Pilotwings 64, with a sequel which doesn’t as much soar but mildly float amongst the clouds.

If you’re not familiar with the series, Pilotwings is a videogame based around aerodynamics in various different types of flight and fall. The Super Nintendo version, arguably the best of the series had almost everything you could want from Hang Gliding to Trampolining across the sea in effort to secure as many points as possible to pass your test and progress onto the next challenge.

Pilotwings Resort is a bit of a mixed bag and while it’s true to say many of the players won’t have played a game like this before, Nintendo seem to have forgotten that the older player i.e myself are well experienced in flying planes through all sorts of nooks and crannies leaving a game which is all a bit too short, easy and lacking in variety which in turn makes the game a little underwhelming and lacking in any true surprise to the player.

That’s not to say there isn’t any variety amongst the main meal which consists of planes, rocket packs and hang gliders, we also see for one use only a flying squirrel suit which is particularly impressive when you’re free falling through the recycled Wuhu Island which features in Wii Sports Resort, another lacklustre feature which makes the whole game seem a little under thought and a bit bland.

Once you’ve managed to finish the mission mode and earned three stars for each there is a free flight mode which does have some tweaks and additions but ultimately is lifted directly out of Wii Sports Resort down the style of game play to the animation which plays when you crash your plane, a sore note indeed, Nintendo.

Obviously the draw to any launch game will be how well the 3D works but I am once again left underwhelmed with a 3D effect so over done you will often find yourself struggling to pop a balloon high in the sky which is soon doubled due to the overuse of the 3D effect leaving you with a penalty on your score and an eventual restart is inevitable.

While Pilotwings Resort doesn’t feature multiplayer, lacks in variety and offers no longevity there is some redeeming game play to be had here but just don’t go spending full RRP on it, you will definitely feel short changed.

6/10

MAGNETIC!

2011-02-05T04:28:00.000-08:00

Magnetic
iPod Touch/iPhone

It’s a rare treat to see a brand new game come out from Team Joypod but they have crawled from underneath the woodwork with a puzzle game which will have you scratching your bald dome until it weeps yolk. Magnetic is one of those games which will sap both your time and iPhone battery if you succumb to its deceptively cute yet evil game play but don’t let that put you off from fighting the evil Turnip from his conquest for world domination.

Matching three or more is the key with Magnetic but here we have a delightful twist on the genre. During your time with Magnetic, the 6x6 grid in which you play will seldom malfunction which creates the magnetic field on the perimeter of the aforementioned grid to fail. Tilting your iPod at these key moments will allow you to jumble your non-movable pieces into what would hopefully turn into a solution to your head scratching problem. If this is successful, you are rewarded with a Capone which can be used in-game at the shop to purchase new themes, songs and avatars based on the aesthetic look to the game.

You take the role of a Fox named Michael with the goal of defeating the evil Turnip after the ridicule he has taken over the years fighting over a series of puzzle matches you move onto various worlds via the entrance and exit of the Portal gates. While these seem over-used, Magnetic definitely has a unique twist to a much derived genre and art style which is well worth checking out.

While there doesn’t seem to be any story along the lines of Heavy Rain the game definitely delivers in game play by the truck load, the simple yet effective mechanic of matching three rivals’ behemoths such as Bejewelled 3 and Zoo Keeper and it’s definitely worth your fifty-nine pennies.

It could very well knock off Angry Birds off the top spot for your iPhone but with less birds and more idle foxes.

8/10

Games out this week

Test Drive Unlimited 2 – PC/Xbox 360/PS3
B.U.T.T.O.N – Indie Game, Xbox Live
Stacking – Xbox Live Arcade

Don’t forget to listen to the IDKFA Podcast which features myself, Dezm0nd and a good friend and co-host James ”Mijmeister” Perkins. If you enjoyed that then you’ll definitely enjoy GamerDork and The Digital Cowboys. We all like free stuff, right?

In space they can't hear you eat Ice Cream

2011-02-01T04:45:00.000-08:00

Dead Space 2 Review
PS3/Xbox 360/PC

At the time of writing this game has already been shot to the number 1 slot in the UK all format charts, knocking behemoths such as LittleBigPlanet and the never ending seller Call of Duty: Black Ops off the top spot. Reportedly, the game has sold 70% more than the original game did on release and it’s rightly deserved too - Dead Space 2 is one of the finest games I have ever experienced.

As Isaac Clarke, you find yourself in a brand new environment called The Sprawl, a man made metropolis which contains various and familiar locations such as a school, shopping centre and most importantly a church which worships The Marker and the legion of zombie like enemies more commonly known as The Necromorphs which are bigger and meaner than ever before.

Right from when you press “New Game” you are presented with one of the slickest, polished and well executed cut-scenes which detail why Isaac Clarke is in the condition he is in and it’s definitely not a good one. Isaac is slowly but surely going slightly crazy after the events of the first game and scientists are fascinated as to why his brain can resist the lure of The Markers call to turn him into one of them horrendous creatures.

As per usual the way to glorious victory is to cut the limbs off your never ending supply of cannon fodder which creep and pop their way out of ventilation shafts and grates but with this new iteration we are equipped with new weapons and brand new ways of maiming the transformed humans which attack you.

Shooting certain glass panes in space will indeed pull you and any other unfortunate life form out with it, it’s just up to you to shoot the emergency panel before you end up floating free into oblivion miles above your home planet, Earth. Alongside this fantastic feature we have the ability to use the Necro’s limbs as weapons once dismembered from their appendage via the use of the most familiar Kinesis ability. This plays massively in the combat with the eventual possibility of pinning a Necromorph to a wall with its own sharp menacing talon. It certainly delivers satisfaction in spades.

Dead Space is a survival horror game which moves the genre leaps and bounds ahead of its competitors, most notably Resident Evil and Silent Hill. There is no Heads up display (HUD) to be seen on the screen and is incorporated seamlessly into the human design which is prominently displayed in front of you at all times.
Overall, Dead Space 2 is the perfect sequel.

The presentation of the mind blowing cinematic events after almost each chapter keep you hooked into the progression of your protagonist and his mental stability which are all brought together with perfect controls and sound design to make you leap out of your seat.

And after all is said and done there is a multiplayer mode which while at first glance seems a bit of a bold and pointless move turns out to be a fun experience resembling Left 4 Dead in many ways.

This game is the perfect sequel and is not to be missed.

10/10

Two Worlds are better than one.

2011-01-24T01:47:00.000-08:00

Preview
Two Worlds II
Xbox 360/PS3/PC
Rated: 18+

High-fantasy, a term used to describe what basically boils down to a Lord of the Rings style aesthetic in whatever type of entertainment media you prefer to experience such a genre. Topware Interactive, the publisher behind this sequel to the largely unknown Two Worlds is firmly putting their stamp on the high-fantasy genre with Two Worlds 2.

In a world named Antaloor, you embark on an epic journey across treacherous terrain with the intention of slaying a majority of beasts, humanoids and dragonkin. It’s certainly fitting the bill so far, especially for those who literally cannot wait for a brand new Elder Scrolls game. The world of Antaloor is largely free-roaming for you to explore at your will and deal with the consequences if you happen to step down the wrong pathway and end up getting flash mobbed by a group of axe wielding brutes.

Accepting quests, dealing with villagers problems and find a solution will see your created character traverse the entire world(s) of Two Worlds 2 allowing you to collect armour, weapons and even alchemy ingredients for you to create potion as wild as your imagination can take you. Struggling to get by a group of evil orcs? Then why not create a water walking potion to bypass them or even better, an invisibility potion for the even sneakier effect.

As with all Role Playing Games, earning good armour or “loot” as its known is the basic fundamental hook into keeping you interested in seeing your character through to the end. If you find yourself with too much loot, then you can break it down into their basic parts and pieces for you to upgrade your current favourite piece of armour to ensure that no piece of loot is wasted which is definitely an interesting way of keeping your character on the brink of his potential power.

Two Worlds II is coming February 5th 2011 and has been out for a little while now in Europe earning itself some favourable review scores. Look forward to a review right here in this very newspaper for my opinion on Two Worlds 2.

Out this week: Dead Space 2 on Xbox 360, PC and PS3.

If you like videogames, then why not check out some podcasts. The IDKFA Podcast featuring myself with James ‘Mijmeister’ Perkins. If you enjoy that then check out GamerDork and The Digital Cowboys. All on iTunes for free, right now!

2011-01-20T12:21:00.000-08:00

Preview
Bulletstorm
PC/PS3/Xbox 360

Are you bored of running down a corridor fighting a virtual war which is supposedly based on real world events? Do you find yourself playing with your grenades out of boredom rather than throwing them at your enemy? Then look no further, Bulletstorm is here to inject some fun into your life with one of the craziest first person shooters in recent years.

People Can Fly isn’t a special move in Bulletstorm but instead it’s the name of the developer of a cult classic PC game called Painkiller and the aforementioned title which is being supervised by the Gears of War team, Epic Games. Using the unreal engine, Bulletstorm see’s you in a first person shooting environment which rewards you for killing your enemies in unique and stylish ways that you can conjure up by using your fantastic little brain. These are dubbed “Skill Shots”.

While not all types of Skill shots have been revealed to us eager gamers there have definitely been some exceptionally unique ways of taking down your foes with the lightning blue electric whip which can pull enemies over to you while slowing them down in the process. Imagine the possibilities and shotgun, a slow flying enemy and your mind could get up to. Couple this in with a firm kick via the press of a button and you could most definitely kick an enemies flying corpse into a cactus for a very nice spike in your points earned.

Bulletstorm is not just a single player blast-a-thon it also features Co-operative and competitive multiplayer modes which should definitely keep the longevity up with the community across all three formats. With its tongue firmly stuck in its cheek, Bulletstorm is crammed with one-liners, cheeky gags and you can definitely expect to see some nods and homage’s towards others well known videogames in the same genre. I’m fully expecting some Duke Nukem Forever reference in the game, but I guess we’ll have to wait and see.

If you’re interested in Bulletstorm and you own an Xbox 360, you could be in for a treat if you are a fan of Gears of War. The Bulletstorm: Epic Edition has guaranteed access into the beta in April for Gears of War 3 which is a definite incentive to lay down your money for the game. Bulletstorm is out February 25th, if it tickles your fancy then you will be in for a treat.

You couldn't always look up, you know!

2011-01-11T09:27:00.000-08:00

A brief over view: The first person shooter.
It’s hard to deny that the first person shooter genre is at its peak in popularity thanks to the majorly successful franchises such as Halo and Call of Duty. This genre of videogame has proven to be so popular that even celebrities are talking about kill streaks on TV and no one bats an eye lid. The first person shooter of today is probably one of the many “gateway” videogames to use when introducing gaming to a friend, most commonly Male in their 20’s, I find.

Now, you may or may not know this but the genre has been around for longer than you have probably been alive. Id (pronounced idd, not I.D) are arguably the most revered amongst gaming enthusiasts such as myself creating such gaming names as Quake, Doom and Wolfentstein all of which are considered breakthrough games within the genre. For those of you who are not aware of the term First-Person Shooter, let me give you a brief paragraph of what it is and why it’s become the most popular genre in gaming history.

The first-person shooter is a videogame which takes places through the eyes of your protagonist with the ability of aiming and firing a firearm at the enemy with pin point accuracy against either AI controlled enemy units or preferably online with your consoles internet capability against other players either friend or foe.

It all started with Maze War way back in 1974 and was developed by one man. The genre was then evolved enormously by the aforementioned Wolfenstein in 1992 which saw you take on the evil forces of Adolf Hitler, a controversial move for the time.

The success of the game wasn’t a surprise for id software who had created such an impressive engine for the era and decided to move onto another brand new first-person horror game called DooM, one of my most memorable videogames which I still enjoy playing to this very day. DooM was taken to a whole new world, literally. Set on Mars see’s you blasting all sorts of alien life with fantastically designed weaponry, anyone remember the BGF 9000?

Since DooM and Quake we’ve seen leaps and bounds of improvement coming from all sides of the globe now with Goldeneye 007, Half Life 2 and Halo being the most notable videogames in the genres lifespan but there are plenty more to come. Keep an eye out for id softwares new game coming in September called RAGE. It looks like another game changer.

Happy Fragging!

Another year, another bundle of games!

2011-01-03T07:08:00.000-08:00

Coming soon in 2011.
I know this is a crazy thing to talk about what with the previous coming and going leaving such an amazing impact on the gaming industry with its sheer amount of quantity and quality titles out each and every month but I think it’s safe to say that the next twelve months ahead are looking to equally exciting.

January brings a couple of exciting winter warmers starting with a game which is relatively quiet across the board is Two Worlds 2. If you enjoy your fantasy RPGs and cannot wait for the end of year release for Elder Scrolls VI then this could be for you. If you own a PS3 and have not yet checked out the glorious Mass Effect 2 then this is your chance with a release that comes with all the downloadable add-ons included on the disc. Ending the month on the 28th January will see the release of both Dead Space 2 and LittleBigPlanet 2. It’s safe to say that I am most definitely excited about the sequel to Dead Space and I cannot wait to see the next adventure for Isaac Clarke.

February is certainly no slack when it comes to weekly releases with the hotly anticipated Homefront on the PC and Xbox 360, expect something along the lines of Call of Duty and Half-Life and you know what to expect from THQ’s latest game. The same week will bring the sequel to Test Drive Unlimited with a similar mechanic of open world racing which is always “live”. The following week in February has CapCom punching and kicking their way onto store shelves again with the fantastic Marvel Vs CapCom 3but if Spiderman kicking Ken in the face isn’t your thing then maybe Lego Star Wars 3 will be more your thing. The final week in February has Killzone 3, Kirby’s Epic Yarn Brink and my most wanted game: Bulletstorm. Keep an eye out for that one if you like your crazy, over the top first-person shooters.

This is only two months into this year and already there’s potential for some of the best games for us to experience. I haven’t even begun to talk about the Kinect software which is coming let alone the Nintendo 3DS in March. It’s time to get saving that pocket money, folks. It’s going to be a good one, again!

DKRap? No, it's pretty good, actually!

2010-12-20T06:36:00.000-08:00

Donkey Kong Country Returns
Nintendo Wii

It always surprises me how difficult these games which feature such incredibly cute, cartoon characters are but here I am once again at the end of another difficult game basking in the satisfaction of completing it. Donkey Kong Country Returns is an all new 2D platform game making nit a true sequel to the Super Nintendo titles in every fashion.

The game begins with Donkey Kong’s banana hoard going missing and it’s up to you and another player if you desire to get the bananas back from the Tiki Taki Tribe. Enabling co-operative play with a friend allows them to play as Diddy Kong who is able to run free about the level if they chose to do so but if you find things are getting a bit too hairy, get Donkey Kong to put Diddy on his back for one of the best piggy back rides of your life.

This brand new adventure is set on an Donkey Kong Island which spans both old and new terrain for the tried and tested 2D platform genre, the themes ranging from Jungle to Factory offers so much fun and diverse game play you wouldn’t have seen in any 2D platform game before. Each level within the themed zones has some optional criteria which can be met if you have the skills. As seen in previous games, collecting the letters ‘K O N G’ in a single run through of the level will reward you with new image and music item to collect but hunting down the well hidden jigsaw pieces will earn you something very special indeed.

Using the Wii Remote turns sideways; the game is accessible to all players and doesn’t require any additional attachments for the two players to enjoy. Controlling in this method is fine for the majority of my experience but when it comes to the latter part of the game and the motion controlled actions I seldom found myself being worse off because of the slightly confusing methods required to perform certain actions. Don’t let the difficulty of this game put you off, though, the game supports Super Guide which will take control of Donkey Kong for you and happily finish off any level you’re finding too tough to complete.

Donkey Kong Country Returns is a fantastic game which, if you enjoyed New Super Mario Bros Wii, shouldn’t be missed. It s presentation is what you would expect from Nintendo and the overall package doesn’t disappoint.

Merry Christmas!

9/10

GOTY 2010!

2010-12-20T06:35:00.000-08:00

It doesn’t matter which console or platform you prefer, what type of game you like or how much you play games it’s hard to deny this year has been absolutely fantastic and even evolutionary for the gaming market with Sony and Microsoft’s debut into motion control gaming.

Starting off almost a year ago, Mass Effect 2 hit in January of 2010 from Bioware on the Xbox 360 which set the bar extremely high, if you remember my perfect score review then you’ll know why I loved this sci-fi RPG more than any RPG I have played. Weeks later the sequel to the much loved Bioshock was released from a brand new developer with much scepticism. The original Bioshock was such a great stand-alone product that hardly anything thought this would work, but it did extremely well.

Heavy Rain gave PS3 owners something to shout about with this unique and exciting story-based action game with God of War 3 bringing the greek mythology with its traditional over the top epic action. The Bad Company squad were unleashed onto the scene with an above average singeplayer but a multiplayer component more thrilling than any Call of Duty could offer.

The next two games were sent to development hell being work in progress for almost five years each. Splinter Cell conviction impressed with its traditional espionage action and Alan Wake showed us that not all shooting games need to feature only destroy enemies with a weapon but with a torch, too.

Saddling up to be a strong contender is Red Dead Redemption, another game which faired extremely well across the board with Super Mario Galaxy 2 impressing me just as equally for the Nintendo Wii.

Pacific City gets over run with zombies in Crackdown 2, which was a better game than people didn’t give it credit for and then Starcraft 2 is launched which totally blows other RTS games out of the water.

In the run up to Christmas we see the triple-A titles coming out with FIFA 11, Halo Reach and then the revolutionary Microsoft Kinect was launched. Call of Duty Black Ops, Assassins Creed: Brotherhood, Need for Speed, Donkey Kong Country Returns and WoW: Cataclysm make their last minute appearance but overall StarCraft 2 has won my heart for game of the year. A real-time strategy game which has been in development for almost twelve years and every year waiting was worth it.

It’s a game like no other which goes from strength to strength with it’s professional esports tournaments gaining my interest and a game which even after all these months I still find myself going back almost every single week.
Congratulations Blizzard, you sure know how to gain the attention of almost every PC/Mac gamer in the world.

Majin and the Forsaken Kingdom review!

2010-12-07T05:15:00.000-08:00

Majin and the Forsaken Kingdom
Xbox 360 / PS3
Rated 12+

Another month, another third-person action adventure game, it really feels like Devil May Cry and god of War have a lot to answer for. NamcoBandai are at it again with a brand new IP but just like their other game, enslaved, it certainly doesn’t disappoint. It’s not just the publishers name which this game and Enslaved: Journey to the West have in common, they’re both fantastically produced third-person action adventure games with an AI controlled partner which helps you out in both combat and puzzling situations.

Majin and the Forsaken Kingdom is set in a fantasy universe in which the very generic enemy “The Darkness” have taken over and is seizing the land of its beautifully lush environments and people. You play as Tepeu, a young thief who has befriended this large, magical yet simple creature known as the Majin whose back story is revealed to you over the course of the game.

The story in Majin and the Forsaken Kingdom is kept relatively simple throughout the games lifespan of about twelves hours which is definitely the impression the game gives off within the first hour of play. The opening tutorial level holds your hand more than you would like which is often interrupted with cut-scenes which don’t really have a lot to do with the games story overall.

Don’t let that last paragraph put you off from experiencing this wonderful gem of a game. Once you leave the tutorial level the game world expands into something much bigger than most other third-person action adventure titles leaving you free roaming round the world map solving puzzles and earning new abilities as you progress leaving an impression similar to a Zelda dungeon.

Combat is kept relatively simple yet satisfying with an interesting twist. Upon knocking an enemy down, the spirit from the corpse is then absorbed by your Majin which heals him. If you ever find yourself with low-health and covered in The Darkness, your buddy with happily remove it from you and replenish your health.
Co-operative moves are also available in combat alongside a basic yet functional upgrade system to Tepeus health, strength and friendship with the Majin which allows you to access bigger and better moves further on in the game.

If you’re interested in an original and exciting game for your Xbox 360 and PS3 then look no further than Majin and the Forsaken Kingdom. While it might not satisfy your narrative needs it provides excellent core game mechanics in spades and that’s fine by me!

8/10

This town, is nothing but a Ghost Town

2010-11-21T13:34:00.000-08:00

Pac-Man CE DX review.
Out now for Xbox Live, Nov 27th for PSN
All aboard the ghost train. Pac-Man is back once again with a unique twist on such a tried and tested formula but yet he still stands proudly amongst some of the world’s most popular gaming mascots and holds his own. Pac-Man has had enough of being pushed around by Inky, Blinky, Pinky and Clyde and has turned the tables in his favour in a Pac-Man game like you’ve never seen before.

The fundamental elements of Pac-Man are still here. We have a maze full of pellets which increase your score, we have fruit, ghosts, power pellets and even the short yet instantly recognisable theme tune but this is where the similarities end. Pac-Man CE DX is set out to chomp through so many ghosts you’d think that if this was out in the 1980’s it would’ve put the Ghostbusters to shame.

Upon starting a maze and game type, of which there are many to choose from, you’ll instantly see that the maze isn’t littered with pellets. You’ll see there are ghosts sleeping and how those pellets are carefully placed around them. When Pac-Man sprints off and the techno music kicks in you’ll head straight for the pellets which will then alert the sleepy, dozy ghosts nearby whose immediate and only reaction is to get revenge. The key to this Pac-Man game is to eat all the pellets on one side of the screen which in turn will spawn a piece of fruit which will activate more sleeping ghosts upon consumption.

If you’re still with me after that paragraph then repeat the process two or three more times but with each time getting progressively trickier and quicker until you reach the time of devouring the fifty odd ghosts following you right about now. When activating the power pellet the tide turns and Pac-Man will chomp his way through as many ghosts as he can see fit until it runs out which results in one of the most satisfying feelings in a videogame.

Pac-Man Championship Edition DX is one of the most enjoyable downloadable titles of late and truly brings out the word Arcade in Xbox Live Arcade with faithful sound effects and even a leader board which will hopefully be populated with all your friends’ high scores.

Who ya gonna call? Pac-Man, of course! 9/10

It's on, like Donkey Kong!

2010-11-16T03:48:00.000-08:00

Donkey Kong Country Returns
Nintendo Wii

It would be a fair to say that Donkey Kong is one of the most recognisable characters in videogame history even having a game named after him with the 1981 arcade hit “Donkey Kong” featuring ‘Jumpman’ who later became the plumber we all know and love, Mario.

In typical Nintendo fashion we see the classic franchise being resurrected from the depths of their ever growing catalogue of intellectual properties (or IP, to you and me) and given the simian duo the spotlight for a brand new game, Donkey Kong Country Returns. Expect to see a game which plays very similar to New Super Mario Bros Wii but with the typical barrel blasting, animal riding twist which is what the series is most commonly known for.

Once again the banana hoard which both Diddy and Donkey Kong live for has been stolen but this time the Kremlings are nowhere to be seen. Under the evil hypnotic control of the Tik Tak Tribe, the animals of the island have unwillingly captured the precious banana hoard and you are given the reins to get it back into your possession.

Donkey Kong Country Returns is a direct sequel to the Super Nintendo titles featuring traditional 2D gameplay with 3D graphics, expect to see some glorious jungle environments and frantic mine cart chases which involve you collecting various bits and bobs on your way for secrets and unlockables.

As ever with Nintendo games you can expect to see a two player co-operative mode which based upon my brief experience at Eurogamer 2010 earlier on in the year is coming along very nicely indeed. Diddy and Donkey work together to overcome obstables, enemies and even reach inaccessible areas if you were playing on your own.
There are other features which are aped from New Super Mario Bros Wii such as the Super Guide whichwill appear if you die more than eight times in one level with the console showing you how to complete a section or even the entire level if you are feeling out of luck with the game. These features which have appeared in previous Nintendo titles are essential to ensuring that all audiences can enjoy the title through to completion.

Donkey Kong Country Returns is being developed by Retro Studios, the creators of the excellent 3D Metroid Prime series so it should be very interesting to see them working with a brand new type of gaming experience for both them and us. It’s out December 3rd for the Nintendo Wii exclusively which is certainly something to beat your chest over when everyone else is playing Call of Duty.

Majin and the Forsaken Kingdom trailer

2010-11-12T01:51:00.000-08:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KmHaeFt0AsE

Check out the latest trailer for the new third person action adventure game Majin and the Forsaken Kingdom. The demo is out now on the Xbox Live marketplace and is due for release at the end of november. Look forward to my verdict in the near future.

Kinecting the world with motion controls

2010-11-10T13:40:00.000-08:00

Kinect for Xbox 360
Feature
Released: November 10th

It only seems like last week I was ranting on about the reinvention of Microsoft’s Xbox 360 and how it will drastically change the way people will be playing videogames in front of their TV but before I know what’s happening we see ourselves with Kinect cameras all over the store shelves.

The Nintendo Wii has been out for five years and Sony’s imitator has just been let loose in the wild and last but not least is the Xbox Kinect, the controller-less device which is fighting for the space underneath your TV with the Wii sensor bar and the PlayStation Eye. It sure isn’t cheap being a gamer.

Judging from reviews and impressions from American websites and podcasts the technical side of the Kinect seems to be leaving a positive vibe but what good is a piece of hardware without its software to show it off.

There’s an abundance of games due out this week to coincidence with the unleashing of the camera all with a slightly marked down price tag to help your wallet survive the initial £129.99 spend.

Kinect Sports from Rare Ltd seems to be the most impressive game with a whole variety of sports and mini games to take part in.
Dance Central from Harmonix is another killer app providing those of you enjoy dancing around your living room just don’t go expecting a multiplayer marathon as the game only supports single player mode probably due to the amount of room needed to swing your appendages around in your room of choice.

Kinectimals is for the animal lovers out there with the ability to have certain pets which would be impossible in reality. Imagine petting and training your very own black panther, not many games can put that on the back of the box.

There’s almost a game for everyone with the launch line-up ranging from Sonic Free Riders, a hover board racing game similar to a Mario Kart game in which you have to lean around the corners and throw the weapons yourself to Ubisofts fitness game with Your Shape: Fitness.

The only major problem with the initial launch line-up is that there a quite a few games released which all look and sound similar so make sure you research before you purchase and ensure your Kinect experience is the best it can be.

If you decide to grab a Kinect and check out Kinect Adventures which is included in the box you might want to give some of the above games a look, there’s definitely something out there for you.

MaMa Mia - That'sa spicey Meat Boy!

2010-10-18T00:33:00.000-07:00

Super Meat Boy
Xbox Live Arcade – 1200 Points (Now)
Wii, PC and Mac (November)
www.supermeatboy.com

Pixel perfect platform gaming isn’t an easy thing to design and rarely do few games get it right but Super Meat Boy hits the nail on the head. Is it a just coincidence that this game has an acronym identical to Super Mario Bros or is it a cheeky nod to it. I’ll go for the latter.

The premise of Super Meat Boy is simple. You control a tiny, adorable yet slightly manic cube of meat who is trying to rescue his beloved girlfriend Bandage Girl at the end of the level. The controls in Super Meat Boy are tight, simple, and responsive which work perfectly within the short, sweet and saw-blade filled levels for Meat Boy to navigate. If you’re lucky or quick enough you will be earned the rank of A+ but I won’t spoil the fun which is rewarded to you for doing so well.

Featuring over 300+ levels, the design in Super Meat Boy is wildly varied yet it never feels cheap. It’s perfectly crafted for both speed runs and your regular suicide mission which seemingly has hidden collectibles to pick up which either unlock new characters and therefore abilities or brand new style of game modes which will whisk you off into a nostalgic trip into gaming history. My favourite so far is the Game Boy land where the screen is green and the music is “bleepy”.

It reminds you that videogames are still fun no matter how hard they are. You will die repeatedly but you don’t mind because you know that you made an error rather than the game cheating you. You don’t mind risking your cute little Meat Boy for a bandage and then seeing him plummet to his death only to be respawned instantly because that was your choice to improve your game and hopefully reap the benefits. If however, you do manage to complete a level or one hundred (which is what happened to me and a friend on the first night) you will be greeted with a replay screen of each and every Meat Boy who was sent to his doom which is guaranteed satisfaction and hilarity at the same time.

Team Meat have done a fantastic job of ensuring all gamers both new and old will enjoy the superbly crafted aesthetic look with a nod towards the people who have inspired them the most. See if you can spot the cameo appearances from major and minor videogames out there.

Super Meat Boy is out this week on Xbox Live Arcade for 1200 Points and coming soon to Wii. It’s definitely worth it especially considering that two guys made this game. It’s an incredible feat that not a team of twenty or so could manage. It’s quite possibly the best Xbox Live Arcade game to date.

10/10

Free tupay

2010-09-20T10:32:00.000-07:00

Feature
Free to play MMO’s and others.
www.lotro.com
Almost six years ago, Blizzard disrupted the PC and MAC market with an MMO so popular it would send Dollar, Pound and even Yen signs appearing in the eyes of publishers across the globe who were after a piece of the delicious pie that thousands of gamers were happily putting money into each and every month.

World of Warcraft has been gripping the globe with over eleven million subscribers with no signs of slowing down any time soon. In the time it’s taken Blizzard to create such a phenomenal user base, gamers have seen many games of a similar come and go – either into oblivion or to a new subscription method known as free to play.
Free to play is exactly how it sounds, you can play for free, with restrictions of course.

Paying zero a month for a game which used to cost approximately seven pounds a month will ensure your experience within the world is enjoyable and tolerable but also offering you enticing features for you splash out on if you so desire.

The most recent case of this new method of luring players into the foray is Lord of the Rings Online. This game was certainly no slack but due to the obscure timing of its release three months after the second World of Warcraft expansion, The Burning Crusade, saw that not much of a user base bought the game home to begin with and has struggled to maintain it during the events of WoW: Wrath of the Lich King and now WoW: Cataclysm.

Choosing from the major races in the game which belong to the wonderful world which J.R Tolkien created and taking part in the immense war is the game’s biggest draw. Yes, you can play as a hobbit if you so desire.
Head over to the official website if you have always wondered about these massively multiplayer games but never wanted to pay a monthly fee for one of them, you will certainly get an enjoyable time with the free-to-play account and before you know it you will be slaying beasts with friends you have met in the fantasy land of Middle Earth.

If the elves, dwarves and hobbits grab you, try out League of Legends. A free to play strategy game which is dubbed the spiritual sequel to Defence of the Ancients (or DOTA, if you will).

Best Releases out this week
Dead Rising 2 (Xbox 360, PS3, PC)

Brrrrrrrrrrains... Brrrrrrrrrrargh my brains!

2010-09-06T05:52:00.000-07:00

Review
Dead Rising: Case Zero (Rated 18)
Xbox Live Arcade, 400 MS Points

Zombies have certainly been flavour of the month for many years now with a release featuring some sort of Zombie whether it’s cute, fluffy and fun Zombies in the excellent Plants Vz Zombies or the more serious and crazy tone with Left 4 Dead and Call of Duty: World at War making them a mode of play within a World War 2 First Person Shooter.

The original Dead Rising started this generation off with an excellent concept which was struck with problems no thanks to its awkwardly built-in against the clock system and horrible save feature which could see you with no way out and having to restart the entire game again.

The release of this game before the full blown retail release is to get players excited for Dead Rising 2 when it hits stores late September and for a measly 400 MS Points it’s safe to say that Capcom have done their job correctly by offering you a “starter” meal before the main dish for a tiny price.

You play as Chuck Greene which is plagued with a horrible situation in his hands. His Daughter has been bitten by a Zombie and is looking for a cure to stop the infection from taking over. Losing his vehicle and therefore his supply of “Zombrex”, a drug which delays the infection for twelve hours you are left in a small remote town outside of Las Vegas (where the main game is held) with the task of finding the aforementioned Zombrex.

Gameplay remains largely unchanged with survivors needing to be rescued within a certain amount of time as well as racing around the small town finding the drug so you can administrate it your Daughter before the military arrive and take her into quarantine.

The game now has multiple save slots and a checkpoint system to help you’re never stuck within the game world and completing the objectives can be done so thanks to the more lenient time restriction you have on you.

The main draw comes from eliminating the undead and it’s never been more fun thanks to the weapon combination system which allows you to create all sorts of weaponry ranging from a nailed baseball bat or an oar with chainsaws attached to it.
Whether or not it excites you for the full priced retail box is another matter entirely. Definitely give it a shot and keep the zombie infection at bay!

7/10

A War in the StarCraft

2010-08-02T00:36:00.000-07:00

Starcraft 2
PC
You might not have heard of Starcraft. It’s only had one previous game and an expansion pack released way back in 1998 but as the name implies, it’s kind of like Warcraft but set amongst the stars. Blizzard might have not had the best idea for naming what was to be the most popular RTS game on the planet but they most certainly got everything else right when it comes to execution and presentation.

The main premise of the game is to build and command an army and lead them into battle against the opposing force which has been beautifully crafted by its overlord. The Terran represents the human forces who are armed with to the teeth with the traditional machine gun and tank, The Zerg are an alien race who can burrow underground, spit acid and even infect their opposition with a plague and last but not least, The Protoss, a humanoid race with psionic abilities and the most advanced technology out of the three.

These three races were balanced to near perfection in the multiplayer aspect in the original starcraft making it a professional sport in Korea. A game taken so seriously you’re given a free copy by your parents upon turning the required age to play it. The Multiplayer is definitely the meat of your meal here offering a fair matchmaking system making sure you’re never outclassed beyond your training matches. This is serious business indeed.

If you find yourself a little bit outclassed by the other players online then rest easy in the knowledge that a fully fledged single player campaign mode is waiting for you, even if you’re not very good to begin with.
Blizzard has ensured that all players are welcome one way or another, ensuring your skills are being developed at all times no matter what mode you’re experiencing. The single player mode offers experiences which will not be recreated anywhere else in the game, generously giving you missions with the most enjoyable objective types seen in a real-time strategy game.

So, if you enjoy games like Command and Conquer, Age of Empires and other such top-down war games definitely pick this one up. It’s accessible to everyone and this is why the game has already sold over 1.5 million copies. Not everyone does that in its first year, let alone week.

10/10

The best releases this week
Castlevania: Harmony of Despair – Xbox Live Arcade – 1200 MS Points

Refilling the cracks.

2010-07-19T23:28:00.001-07:00

Review
Crackdown 2
Xbox 360

Being an Agent in Pacific City when playing the original Crackdown was one of the most surprising and fun games to grace the consoles presence back in 2007 and we find ourselves in pretty much the same spot today with Crackdown 2.

Three years have passed since the original story was unfolded and Pacific City has never looked worse. The town has been run down by an overwhelming number of ‘Freaks’ and you’re back to stop the madness before it totally gets out of control.

As an Agent of the Agency, you find yourself in familiar boots. Levelling up your skills are exactly the same as before. You shot someone? You get experience points for your shooting skill. You’ve blown something up? You know where I’m going with this and that’s part of the problem with Crackdown 2, it’s all very predictable.

While the main campaign objectives are incredibly repetitive there are enough side missions to be getting on with while you’re progressing through and you can even play the whole with with up to three other players to make the whole thing a little less tedious.

Playing solo in Crackdown 2 really won’t be showing you the game in its best light; it really needs to be experienced with some friends who you can talk to and sort out what you’re going to do next and how you’re going to do it.

The variety of weapons available is small in numbers but become highly effective if you manage to select the right combination against the certain types of enemy which is where the co-operative action really comes into play. Jumping around hurling rockets and grenades which can attach a friend’s car to another friend’s helicopter really is an experience to behold and this is where the game shines brightest.
Toy Box gaming is Crackdown 2’s forte. Being in a playground on your own is no fun and neither is Pacific City. You can run about and collect the many orbs, level up your strength and throw a friend across the river or even accidently get a shotgun which will launch him off a tall building.

If you have never played a Crackdown game before then you would probably be better off buying the original at a cheaper price considering they’re so similar but if you’re looking for more Crackdown then here you have it - pure co-operative fun in a box.

8/10

The best releases this week

Limbo – XBLA – 1200 MS Points

My name is What? Who? Slim Xbox!

2010-07-13T03:41:00.000-07:00

Worst kept secrets are a tradition in the videogame industry and this week is no exception to the rule with Microsoft bringing a brand new flavour of their Xbox 360 home console dubbed the “Xbox 360 Slim”. The officially named “Xbox 360 S” is to replace the original white box for new consumers which hosts new features and a pleasant new aesthetic look and best of all no Red Ring of Death.

The Red Ring of Death is what users have called the unfortunate but common error of your Xbox 360 overheating but thankfully alongside the new features Microsoft have decided to fix this issue by simply powering down your machine before it overheats thus avoiding the tedious task of sending your Xbox back to Microsoft in Germany.
Inside the new slick, glossy black box is a newly designed 250GB hard drive which is hidden inside the machine instead of on top and sitting side by side to the hard drive is the much sought after built-in Wi-Fi adaptor for wireless internet connection to Xbox Live.

The new console is designed for everything Xbox related. While some argue the features should’ve been in there from the consoles birth it’s good to see Microsoft are willing to make a change for the better for both present and future experiences such as the upcoming Xbox Kinect. Those of you with the original Xbox 360 console will have to power the Xbox Kinect camera separately but with the Xbox 360 S you’re able to plug it straight into the box for an easier and tidier experience with the motion control camera.

If you’re thinking of picking up one of these consoles then rest easy in the knowledge the machine is a lot quieter than the original and includes a brand new control pad, a headset and features touch sensitive buttons on the console for more user friendly experience. Just be warned in the knowledge that if you wish to trade in your original Xbox 360 you might be wasting your money unless you don’t mind losing out on save data and a high definition video cable.
Priced at £199 RRP and out tomorrow (July 16th) there has been no better time to get into the Xbox experience.

Best releases out this week

Deathspank – Xbox Live Arcade – 1200 MS Points
Toy Story 3 – All formats

Don’t forget to check out the weekly podcast I co-host on iTunes: IDKFA Podcast.

Super Mazza Pants

2010-07-05T01:06:00.000-07:00

Review
Super Mario Galaxy 2
Nintendo Wii

Gamers don’t play Mario games for story, right? Unless it’s the RPG series of games in the Mario Universe he is largely considered a bland character who merely serves a purpose for us to experience his superior game worlds with pin-point control and excitement.

In a rather strange move, Nintendo have decided to create a direct sequel to a Mario game, something which hasn’t been done since Super Mario World 2: Yoshi’s Island but a couple of generations later here we are back in the colourful abyss that is space and it has never been more enjoyable.

While keeping the traditional template of collecting stars to defeat the evil Bowser by jumping in and out levels performing back flips, wall kicks and even riding on the back of Yoshi – Nintendo has gone and created a game so full of ideas and originality I’m surprised they didn’t flesh it out and make three or four games out of it.

Throughout the six worlds, which is now navigated by a much easier to use Map screen, you will enter levels and witness pure originality throughout with the exception of one or two mechanics making a reappearance. Nintendo have made sure that not only are you experiencing brand new and interesting ideas in each level you also won’t see it resurface for probably the rest of the game.

Re-introducing the “help mode” from New Super Mario Bros Wii helps players who struggled before and there’s even a DVD which should be viewed before playing if you’re new to Mario games to help ease the process. This game is hard, it will challenge any gamer out there to the very end but don’t let that put you off. It’s also one of the best games ever made. 10/10

Review

Duke Nukem Manhattan Project
XBLA/PC

Taking Duke Nukem back to his roots as a platform-shooter might of not been the best idea, even way back when it was released in 2002 for the PC. While keeping the traditional Duke themes of funny weapons, quips and enjoyable equipment such as Jetpacks and Pipe Bombs the levels themselves don’t seem to suit any of this. I often found myself lost within the labyrinth levels which led to either boredom of frustration; luckily this does get better with further progression.
It’s definitely a “marmite” game and should be trialled before buying. I have a love hate relationship with the game mainly for the unfair one-shot kills and undirected boss fights but overall it does turn out to be better than average platform game which unlocks a nice avatar jetpack upon completion.

6/10

Don’t forget to subscribe to IDKFA Podcast on iTunes.

The Sony e3 Press Conference

2010-06-29T03:18:00.000-07:00

The third and final major press conference at E3 came from Sony with all things Playstation that apparently does everything. Everything from 3D gaming to motion controls I couldn’t help think that Sony are doing things the wrong way which didn’t leave me very excited about their upcoming games and ideas for games.

The third dimension added to the home console requires a brand new TV capable of such image and also an expensive pair of glasses to experience Killzone 3 in the new style which is sweeping the globe but I can’t help feel that they’re going about it the wrong way.

The rumoured PSP2 would’ve been a fantastic fit for 3D gaming ala the 3DS but there was not only no PSP2 announcement but also next to zero games showcased for the PSP which was a huge disappointment to me and shows that Sony have pretty much given up on the handheld after God Of War : Ghosts Of Sparta.

On a more positive note, Little Big Planet 2 looks to bring a definitive sequel allowing players not only to create levels but actual brand new genre experiences within the game. You could easily create your own version of Tetris if you so desire. It’s a joy to see Sackboy back but it’s something which I don’t really get on with but I’m hoping that with these new genre experiences within LBP2 I can get involved with the community games and levels which are sure to be both excellent and weird at the same time.

The Playstation Move, Sony’s answer to the Nintendo Wii and Xbox Kinect left me slightly underwhelmed and uninterested. Sony’s plan is to offer motion controls with “realistic” graphics to hopefully grab the attention of gamers with an interest in games like Tiger Woods, Socom and even retro fitting the control scheme to existing games such as Heavy Rain and Resident Evil 5.

While Sony had some nice surprises such as a Twisted Metal and the announcement of Valve (half life, portal) games finally appearing on the PS3 I couldn’t help feel slightly cheated by Sony with their Playstation Plus announcement. This new feature is an online subscription for fifty pound a year to gain access to free games, downloadable content, early game demos and worst of all, automatic downloads for updates.

While this won’t affect your current ability to play online if you don’t subscribe I find it frustrating that some features within this paid subscription aren’t worth paying for and should be free from the get-go. If you’re paying for “free” games then are they really free? It’s just a bit confusing which can only end in tears from all sides.

E3 - The Nintendo Press Conference

2010-06-21T06:34:00.001-07:00

Nintendo had a very surprising change of heart with this year’s E3 press conference, targeting their sights at the loyal gamers out there in favour of the Brain Age/Wii Sports consumer. This isn’t to say that the more “casual” experience out there wasn’t on show, Nintendo were more than keen to showcase the sequel to the popular Just Dance with Just Dance 2, featuring 8 player dances.

First off was the long awaited return of Link with a demonstration of the new Zelda game for Nintendo Wii called The Legend of Zelda: The Skyward Sword. Zelda: Twilight Princess might of been a Gamecube port at its core but here we Nintendo delivering on their promise with a brand new way of controlling Link with full motion support of both the Shield and Sword using your Nunchuck and Wii Remote.

Traditional franchise names were definitely a priority this year; bringing back not only Zelda but even the franchises you thought were never going to see like Donkey Kong Country Returns. Fittingly named Retro Studios, the developers behind the return of the Kong also brought you the return of Metroid Prime are offering a true return to monkey form with 2D platforming action and keeping that fantastic art style us older games know and love.

Alongside the primate in their Wii debut arrives Kirby with Epic Yarn which, based on the trailer, seems to be the most impressive and interesting 2D platform game in years. The ability to manipulate the environment which is fabricated of yarn and other pieces of material give the game a very unique graphical look and some very creative game mechanics.

Nintendo seems to have been digging up old names for the Wii but they haven’t stopped there with their brand new handheld console the Nintendo 3DS, a fully 3D handheld glasses without the need for glassed to enjoy the full experience.
A piece of hardware succeeds by the software so Nintendo have pulled out all the stops here by re-introducing Pit from Kid Icarus (NES) Pilotwings (SNES), Metal Gear Solid, Resident Evil, Mario Kart and many more.

As pictured, the hardware itself keeps the much loved design of the DS Lite with some interesting changes such as a larger top screen which can perform 3D graphics, a camera with two lenses giving you the ability to capture your own 3D photographs and the ability to save games to the handhelds internal memory.

With the absence of the PSP2, Nintendo are surely dominating the handheld market even with the iPad involved and I congratulate them for being the first to lead with this brand new technology, too.

Don’t forget to subscribe to my podcast on iTunes. IDKFA Podcast is a weekly audio mp3 podcast about videogames.

E3 - Microsoft Press Conference 2010

2010-06-15T07:14:00.000-07:00

The electronic entertainment expo (E3) went off with a flying start on Monday with Microsoft presenting both games and hardware we should be expecting to be released before April 2011. Rumours and speculation all pointed towards Project Natal revealing a brand new name, software and to be bundled in with a new Xbox 360 “slim” console to be released together this holiday.

The show started off with a familiar green backdrop, you could hear the journalist crowd getting comfy, with their laptops as they live blog the event to the whole internet, spreading news of what they have been hearing and seeing in what is the undoubtedly the largest videogame even of the year.

Call of Duty: Black Ops is the first title to be shown, showcasing vehicular combat inside a helicopter of which you pilot after stealing it from an enemy base after the dark and dank tunnels of Vietnam. Unsurprisingly, Activision announced an exclusive deal for the downloadable content for the next three years ensures that the best way to play Call of Duty will be on the Xbox 360.

Sneaking his way backstage emerged Metal Gear Solid creator; Hideo Kojima introducing first game play footage of Raidens latest foray into the videogame action with some of the best sword action I have seen, it’s a total departure from the espionage that the franchise is known for but it’s wise to keep your eyes on Metal Gear: Rising.

Cutting a short story shorter, Gears of War 3 introduces 4-player co-op and looks like a Gears of War game, definitely not a bad thing and Fable III also looked like the game you know and love but with a better co-operative experience.

If it feels like I’m rushing through the “core” games it’s because Microsoft pretty much done the same thing with quite a number of the games, all in preparation for the mammoth unveiling of “Kinect” the new name for Project Natal, the controller free camera based videogame revolution.

Similar to your Nintendo Wii, Kinect will offer videogames based on motion detection but this time it’s with your entire body. The games on show felt very Nintendo-esque with Kinectimals (pictured) being similar to Nintendogs and Kinect Sports being similar to Wii-Sports.

Microsoft are trying to expand their market and with this new piece of hardware out this Christmas, it’s going to be a family hit for sure.

E3 should be a global bank holiday

2010-06-03T04:25:00.001-07:00

The Electronic Entertainment Expo, E3 aka "Geek Week" is set for a comeback. The annual event which showcases all the upcoming videogames hardware and software will be dominating the internet sites come June 14th.

Amongst the other gaming conventions round the world, e3 is arguably the largest. Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft each have a live streamed press conference in which millions of gaming enthusiasts dodge sleep and sit in front of their computers to soak in the barrage of information coming their way.

While E3 has definitely seen a low point a couple of years ago, the show is definitely on for a comeback with what could well be the most interesting show since the unveiling of "Project Revolution" or the Nintendo Wii to you and me with the curtains being drawn to show the true potential of Microsofts Project Natal, Sony's Move controller and Nintendos 3DS.

While hardware reveals are exciting on stage they live or die on their software to prove to both the audience and the online viewers that their piece of kit deserves your hard earned money. Wii Sports definitely showed us what the machine is capable of but if Natal and Move don't offer anything new to the industry then they're certainly going to have a big struggle to persuade both gamers and casual gamers alike.

What am I most excited about with this years E3? I'm honestly looking forward to Valve showcasing their new projects, the sequel to Half Life 2: Episode 2 has been a long time coming and i'll be very surprised if that or Portal 2 doesn't make an appearance. Nintendo have strong competition with the home console market this year, the playstation move is a direct competitor to the wii and microsofts natal certainly seems to be aiming for the same niche. I hope they can pull something original and inventive to the table but i'm also worried they have run dry of ideas for the console. Wii Vitality Sensor anyone?

The press conferences are definitely where we will benefit the most and I will be using both IGN.com and Gamespot.com for my live streams, so head to your website of choice and keep upto date with the industry breaking news on June 14th to the 17th, it certainly is going to be a good one this year.

Happy E3!

The best games out this week

Super Mario Galaxy 2 - Wii
Green Day Rock Band - PS3, Xbox 360, Wii

You've caught a rare Nintendo DS game!

2010-05-31T05:37:00.000-07:00

Jam with the Band
Nintendo DS

Rewind to 2005 and you will see me playing this game in Japanese under the different name of Daigasso! Band Brothers. It’s taken almost 6 years to see this game hit European and American DS owners but yet the game hasn’t aged in quality even after the glut of Guitar Hero, Rock Band and DJ Hero games.

Plastic peripherals are all the rage these days evolving from the sticky dance mat to the fully featured four-piece Rock Band set up which dominates your front room resulting in what looks like Fisher Price invading your private home quarters with each and every generation.

While the Nintendo DS has seen its own brand of plastic instrument with Guitar Hero, there is nothing better than the Nintendo DS itself to perform music on the move. Such musical delights on the portable machine ranging from the crazy Rhythm Paradise and Elite Beat Agents to the more serious tone of Jam with the Band.

Jam with the Band is deceiving. It may look simple and kind of boring in its aesthetics but underneath the visuals is the most difficult music game I have learnt to play but that does not stop it from being a thoroughly enjoyable and unique experience, one of which eases you into the difficulty levels intuitively and fairly.
Introducing you to the game is a very odd looking woman named Barbara who will teach you how to play the game and grade you based on your performance from one of the sixty instruments in the game across fifty different songs. While the game may sound fairly generic so far, the real genius lies within each song containing seven to ten different types of instrument for you to master giving you an huge library of pieces of music to play.

Amongst the sixty instruments featured is the more traditional guitar, piano and drums to the more unfamiliar steel drum, banjo and even the NES console system which leads to a worldwide variety of music for you to sample.

As you can see in the screenshot, the game follows a series of button presses for you to get in time with in order to create a part of the music and if successful, you will please your fans and unlock new ranks of difficulty and even some new songs.

There’s a real incentive to get your Nintendo DS connected to the Nintendo WiFi connection. Gaining access to the in-game music download store offers you fifty songs of your choice to download for free and even though you can’t delete the songs you’ve downloaded you can’t really complain for them expanding your game by almost double.

9/10

A PUN ABOUT BEING AWAKE ROFL

2010-05-18T11:39:00.000-07:00

Alan Wake Review
Xbox 360
Rated 15

Episodic gaming is the new kid on the block which is usually associated with bite size gaming on the downloadable platforms but in recent years we have seen a slow income of retails games which divide the main course into smaller, separate episodes and even include a “previously on...” video to remind you of previous events in the story similar to what you’d see in the current episode of Lost.

This is not the only thing reminiscent of Lost in Alan Wake; the story is shrouded in mystery and at one point even results in trees being torn down by an unknown shroud of black smoke making sure you’re kept in the dark and in suspense.
Alan Wake is a famous novelist writer with a serious case of writers block and is in dire need of a vacation to escape the pressures of fame and the inability to create the next blockbuster novel.

Settling down in a log cabin in the remote town of Bright Falls which is very reminiscent of the popular TV show Twin Peaks results in Alan Wake and his wife being separated after a seven day blackout. The story maintains an exciting pace with the end of each episode with a cliff hanger plot line to ensure you want to come back and see Alan Wake’s story to the end.

Calling the game a survival horror and comparing it to something like Silent Hill would be apt but the game is definitely more of a thriller, the game rarely does the traditional scares that you might expect from an atmospheric, tense videogame which gives the game a definite action thriller feel to the entire package.

Games like these live or die on their core game play elements but thankfully Remedy have managed to provide a simplistic yet entertaining combat experience, offering you only the bare minimum in weaponry and tools to use against the enemies which are interestingly designed without leaving the roots of reality. Shrouded in a black gas cloud, the enemies will ambush you in dark and only then will you have to fend yourself with a variety of light based tools to ensure you keep The Taken at bay, over exposure of a light source weakens the enemy to a vulnerable state in which you can kill them with your weapon of choice leaving a greatly satisfying combat mechanic which doesn’t wear thin by the end of your time with Alan.

While the on-foot action is exhilarating and tense there are a few moments of down time which take place in the vehicles, showing the games roots as an open world venture. Hopping into a car or a truck handles surprisingly well and feels good to eliminate The Taken with your headlights but ultimately the driving experience is flat and soulless which feels more filler than an enjoyable experience, I had really hoped they would have used this to provide the player with some exciting chase scenes but you are left with a poor excuse of padding out some game time.

Alan Wake has some excellent set pieces in each episode which is connected by a roller coaster ride which Remedy has created. It might have taken six years to see the light of day but overall the game is a mighty fine action thriller which will no doubt entertain you for the brief time you’re in the eerie town of Bright Falls.

8/10

PEOPLE, TO BATTLE! (Dot net)

2010-05-12T04:04:00.000-07:00

Everybody, run inside! A blizzard is coming. An epic duo of games is set for release this year for both PC and Mac formats. Blizzard Entertainment, creators of the globally famous Diablo, Starcraft and Warcraft series have decided to give the players the key to unlock Starcraft II from the depth of development imprisonment for you to Zerg Rush your fellow strategists at the end of July.

It’s been a whopping twelve years since the original Starcraft hit retail shelves offering a Real Time Strategy so popular it’s played live on Korean television equal to any sport over here, people cry when their favourite Starcraft professional win the equivalent of the FA Cup and recently Starcraft professionals have been known to take bribes in their games.

As crazy as that sounds please do not let it put you off playing Starcraft 2: Wings of Liberty, it’s without a doubt the most enjoyable RTS game I have played and offers gaming for everybody with a love for those games similar to Command and Conquer.

The first of three chapters is due out on the 27th July and offers a fully fledged 30 mission campaign based on the human storyline aka The Terran. Alongside the story mode will be the meat of the dish, the multiplayer component for you to tackle alien races in co-operative and competitive game modes.

Starcraft is to have sold 9.5 million copies across the globe which was quite impressive back then, even if 4.5 million sales were in Korea. Starcraft II will no doubt beat those records if what I have played is anything to go by.

Another titan to see a release this year is World of Warcraft: Cataclysm. An expansion to the most popular MMORPG of all time will see the world torn asunder with an earthquake so large it’ll change the existing World of Warcraft forever.
Introducing new playable races such as the Goblin and Worgen (werewolf) will surely entice new players into the MMO and with a brand new set of quests, zones and raids for seasoned veterans like myself it’s sure to be a must have for anyone with an interest in online gaming for the PC/Mac.

Although the expansion set has yet to be given a release date, I am sure we will be seeing around the autumn time or possibly soon after, they don’t want to be steal Starcraft 2’s thunder now.
This year is a great year to get involved with PC gaming and 2011 sets to be a corker too, Blizzard third mega seller series, Diablo 3 will get a release as well as (hopefully) a sequel to Valves Portal and/or Half Life 2.

May I introduce to my games?

2010-05-09T13:47:00.000-07:00

As gaming becomes more expensive to develop, publishers are finding new ways to breach into our wallets and negotiate with the Queen who lives inside. Summer gaming is infamously a time for the “other” games to be released. The games which would be lost inside the Christmas rush, but things are changing.

Now more than ever is the number of Triple-A quality games being produced each year and while they would all stick their head above the sand for a Christmas release there is a slight chance that a good half of them wouldn’t sell enough to break even on the millions of dollars invested in them. What is the answer? Summer gaming is here and along for the ride is a whole host of new names and popular games to keep you busy during those typical rainy summer days.

Looking back a week or two has already seen the release of some fantastic games which shouldn’t be ignored. Monster Hunter Tri makes its debut on a console other than the PSP on the Nintendo Wii. A landmark achievement for both Nintendo and Capcom trying to reach their impressive title to a whole new audience with an online 4 player co-operative mode it certainly is treading new ground for most Nintendo Wii owners, I’m sure.

FIFA World Cup 2010 has seen its premature release to keep FIFA lovers entertained. Improving upon a familiar feel adding some new features but also removing the key 20 player online mode makes it a good, but questionable purchase if you already own FIFA 10 but if your desire is to take Kazakhstan to World Cup glory then don’t let anybody get in your way.

Looking to the month of May begins with Capcoms alternate to Monster Hunter for PS3 and 360 owners with Lost Planet 2, expect to see a fully fledged co-operative mode which will see you and three other friends hunting monsters, surely this is no coincidence?

Alan Wake has been six years in the making with the fear of it going the way of Duke Nukem Forever but here we are with a single player horror game, one for the Silent Hill and Resident Evil lovers out there but if you’re looking for something a bit more light hearted then you can hop on board for Skate 3 on the 14th May.

The following week has another long-awaited game finally reaching to consoles is Red Dead Redemption. The creators of Grand Theft Auto have decided that if you replace cars with horses and have cowboys participate in a bar room shoot out would be a good idea and I agree but if you’re more interested in the four wheels of transportation then Split/Second Velocity will suit your petrol head needs.
Split/Second is a spiritual successor to the Burnout series with the ability to destroy the race track around you, ever wanted to blow up a bridge behind you and see your enemies tumble to their demise? Well now you can.
Also due for a return is Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands which will also see a movie tie-in around the same time so expect to see Jake Gyllenhaal taking the lead role of the Prince and expect the typical ledge grabbing action you have become to know and love.

All these titles are due on May 21st but if for some reason none of the above tickle your gaming fancy then one week later will unleash a final blow to your wallet with the sequel to the fantastic UFC Undisputed.

As if May wasn’t overloaded with more than enough videogames to last anyone a good year or two, Nintendo has decided that the most anticipated game of the year will be released in the first week of June. Judging by early reviews, Super Mario Galaxy 2 is shaping up to be the best 3D Mario title to date.
These games are just the cream of the crop, there are loads of other games due for release so keep your eyes open on various websites for the game you’ve been waiting for.

Splinter Cell Conviction Review

2010-04-27T02:10:00.001-07:00

Splinter Cell Conviction Review
Xbox 360 (Rated 15)

Sam Fisher has been in the shadows for some time, biding his time, waiting for the right moment to strike.

Splinter Cell Conviction was first announced on May 23^rd 2007 and had a totally different look and feel to what a traditional Splinter Cell game should be. Sam Fisher was exploring large environments with the ability to blend into crowds and utilise the scenery to his advantage. One year later the game was put on indefinite hold presumably due to the game looking and playing a lot like another popular series from Ubi Soft; Assassins Creed.

The primary goal with Splinter Cell Conviction was to make it more accessible to players who struggled with the previous games by introducing new features such as Last Known Position, Mark and Execute and Sonar Goggles. That’s right; we no longer have Night Vision. Sam Fisher is also more versatile with a brand new user interface for players to navigate the levels with. Context Sensitive actions are a definite improvement but can rarely get in the way when the game spirals into chaos leaving the player vaulting over a desk into death instead of opening a door or climbing up a ledge.

Last Known Position will leave a silhouette behind where you were last spotted by the enemy, giving you a better idea of where the enemies’ attention will be heading to for the next minute or so leaving them vulnerable for attack. Searching for Sam Fisher gives you prime opportunity to set up another surprise attack by climbing onto ledges, pipes or hanging out of windows to execute your foe in sight.

Performing a hand-to-hand takedown will earn you the ability to Mark and Execute, a feature which really does what it says on the tin. Pressing the RB button on your Xbox 360 control pad will mark up to four enemies depending on which weapon you have equipped and pressing the Y button when all marks have illuminated to red will see the game take control and execute all enemies in the area. A fantastic risk/reward idea which is probably a little too overpowering at times leaving the game a little too easy even if it’s ultimately the most satisfying feature in the game.

Sonar Goggles replace the traditional three green lights of night vision which allows the player to see through walls but will distort upon movement to prevent you from unbalancing the game overall. It’s a shame that the Sonar Goggles don’t have the ability to see in the dark and the overall effect is no way near as satisfying as before but they do come in handy from time to time. Upon obtaining the Sonar Goggles somewhat removes other functions from the game all together such as peeking under doors and hiding behind cover to see what’s coming next.

The fifth in the series follows on the storyline from Splinter Cell Double Agent but for the most part the story was lost on me, luckily this didn’t intrude on my enjoyment of the single player mode while it lasted. Only lasting around six hours of single player time leaves you wanting more which is where the handy co-operative modes come in handy.

Unfortunately there’s no Spy Vs Mercs competitive mode which is a real shame but instead we do have a whole new story mode to be played in co-operative either online or split-screen. Introducing six new levels for you and a friend to navigate and communicate around shows the games true colours.

Alongside we have ‘Deniable Ops’; a co-operative mode which involves you and a friend to take out terrorists room by room, it’s simple but effective and if you’ve played Rainbow Six’s ‘Terrorist Hunt’ mode you’ll know exactly what to expect.

‘Infiltration’ is one of the hardest modes to play with the objective of reaching the goal without being spotted and another not-so interesting mode which sees you defending an EMP against hordes of enemies.

In order to make your way through these levels you are in need of weaponry and gadgetry which Splinter Cell Conviction over provides the player will too much choice which results in neglect and confusion. Why would I ever take a gun without a silencer? Sure, most guns in the locker room can be upgraded by earning P.E.C Challenge points which will see a silencer placed on the end of your weapon of choice but does anyone really use anything other than a silenced pistol? I know I didn’t for about 95% of the game.

As well as offering too many guns for the player you will also find yourself overloaded with gadgets which I found myself throwing, placing and exploding all over the place just because I could. Ubi Soft could’ve kept the gadget count down a little bit to give the player a little bit more sense of tension rather than making the game far too easy when combined with the aforementioned features in the game.

Ubi Soft have probably swung the pendulum too far in the other direction compared to other efforts in the series, making it far too easy for players thus removing a lot of the tension out of the levels. Hopefully while keeping the new features and tweaking them a little bit more for the next iteration of Splinter Cell we could see a true gem here but with these over powering problems and a graphical look which is both sub-par and for most of the time is spent in black and white it prevents the game from reaching the dizzy heights of Assassins Creed or Prince of Persia.

8/10

I hear people in my earlobes

2010-04-19T10:33:00.000-07:00

Do you ever find yourself without the latest gaming news and no time to keep checking websites to keep up to date? Maybe podcasts about videogames are your answer. Podcasts have grown in popularity thanks to Apples ever increasing user base with the iPod series of mp3 devices which inevitably created hundreds of podcasts no matter what your hobby might be.

This week’s article is to inform you of which podcasts should be listened to no matter on what your tastes may be. The gaming category could well be split into many more segments than what they are due to the vast amount of personalities and styles of podcast are on offer.

Where the usual format for a podcast is three to four guys sitting around a table discussing the latest news and which games they have been playing there is also a minority of podcasts which delve a little deeper into the gaming industry. The Digital Cowboys and Robert Ashley’s A Life Well Wasted are two prime examples of gaming podcasts which tread beyond the line into a more serious discussion but with A Life Well Wasted be prepared wasting a life waiting for the infrequency of the podcast, sadly.

The main format for a podcast is the aforementioned round-table of a selected group of journalists speaking their intellectual videogame knowledge on the latest and greatest videogames. Here we have The Giant Bombcast which features a very lengthy and weekly podcast. A group of four American guys have the best general knowledge of videogames in which they go into detail without the boring bits. If you prefer a more English/Scottish flavour then check out GamerDork UK, the polarizing personalities go really well together and has a small but fantastic community prodding them with queries and questions each week.

If you wish to listen to a more alternate perspective on gaming, listen to Gamers with Jobs, a select group of alternating members which each have a unique personality and opinion on videogames, this one is a little more serious mind so for those with an interest in the more humorous side to podcasts then check out Rebel FM, Sarcastic Gamer and for something closer to home, listen to Joypod with a co-host from Milton Keynes.

There are many more which I listen to, but these are the cream of the crop for my tastes. Give them a whirl and even if you don’t enjoy those, itunes will certainly point you in the right direction until you hit your niche, they’re free after all!

Virtual Console thought.

2010-04-12T11:30:00.001-07:00

The Nintendo Wii has brought gaming to a lot of new people ranging from your niece to your grandfather but I bet they didn’t know that the history of Nintendo runs deep long before the motion controlled sensation.

Taking advantage of the wireless online functionality of the Nintendo Wii will open up an ever growing catalogue called The Virtual Console which is full of classic (and some not so classic) videogames some dating as early as the 1980’s.

Firstly, the games are priced in Nintendo Wii Points depending on which consoles history you wish to experience. These points’ cards can be bought from any videogame retailer online and in stores; prices may vary but for 2000 points should cost you £17.99. Upon revealing the code on the back of the Nintendo Points card, you must redeem your points by inputting the code into the Nintendo Wii’s menu to grant access to the games on the digital shop.

The Virtual Console offers a wide range of retro consoles which aren’t just Nintendo manufactured.
Sega make an appearance with both the Master System and Mega Drive but for the gamers out there with a more obscure history lesson can take a plundering dive with the Neo Geo, MSX,Turbo Graphx 16 (aka PC Engine) and the classic Commodore 64.

As the generations evolve so does the pricing, we’ll begin with the 8-bit era with the NES, Master System and Commodore 64 at a rather modest 500 points. Evolving to the Super Nintendo and Sega Mega Drive earning an 800 point price tag and most expensively is the Nintendo 64 with 1000 points.

Higher quality isn’t always reflective of the higher pricing with some of the best games featuring on the NES which must not be missed as well as some classics on the Nintendo 64 so i’m here to give you a few tips on which games to check out on a console generation basis.

First up we have the Commodore 64 which is probably the trickiest to get back into with only one decent game that should be checked out. California Games is one of those games which always wondered to me why it hasn’t been remade for Xbox Live Arcade. Here we have a whole host of summer street sports featuring rollerblading, BMX freestyle and hacky sacking all in a great multiplayer title to compete against your friends.

Now we enter Nintendo’s territory with their first home console; the NES. Your first port of call should be Super Mario Bros games, they’re the foundation for what made Nintendo the near on god-like status they have today. Alongside Mario is another hero who begins with M; MegaMan 2 is one of my favourite NES games and if you enjoy that you should also check out the others in the series, they’re all fantastic.

The rival console was SEGAs first entry with the Master System; while probably not as good as the NES it definitely has its share of quality games. Sonic the Hedgehog had games which were similar in name but a lot different in game design, he uses hang gliders at some points which is something I don’t really want to see again but it’s still interesting to see how Sonic has evolved. Other notable mentions are Fantasy Zone and Wonder Boy in Monster Land.

Jumping ahead like Super Mario into the next generation of videogames sees the famous Sega / Nintendo rivalry in full effect, Mario and Sonic had a face lift in their classic 16-bit games with Sonic the Hedgehog and Super Mario World. Mario took things to a whole new level though with the introduction of Super Mario Kart, arguably the best Mario Kart game to date. The original game features items, features and tricks which fans are still asking for with each evolution of the series.

The 16-bit era has more than a handful of games worth mentioning. Here’s a quick list of what should be filling up the empty spaces on your Wii menu screen. Donkey Kong Country, F-Zero, Pilotwings, Secret of Mana, Super Ghouls ‘N’ Ghosts, Super Mario Kart, Super Mario RPG, Super Mario World, Super Metroid, Super Punch-Out and Zelda: A Link to the Past.

Next up is the king of the castle, the best console to ever grace our televisions featuring the best games on the Virtual Console. The Nintendo 64, despite the higher price tag really does have some outstanding games. Your usual Mario, Zelda and F-Zero games are available but there are a few games which didn’t really get a successful run despite their fantastic debuts on the platform. Waverace 64, 1080 Snowboarding, Lylat Wars and Orge Battle 64 are well worth 1000 points each.

So make sure you have a wireless modem and the ability to get online, sit down and get ready to witness some of the finest in videogames history. It’s been magnificent what this entertainment medium has brought to our lives and I am happy to see that the younger, upcoming players can still experience these games which have now been given the gift of immortality thanks to the wonders of the internet.

Half Life 2 replay: Day Two.

2010-04-07T05:04:00.000-07:00

So, I just reached the airboat section and decided to call it for today. My deathcount is only 2 at the moment but I can see many more incoming from the next section.

I am taking screenshots on my travels and will try and get some sort of animated flick book going of the game when it's all done!

Welcome to City 17...

2010-04-06T01:31:00.000-07:00

Half Life 2 is quite possibly my favourite game of all time. I say possibly because it's one out of three games which have been fighting to the top spot on the podium ever since I have experienced and loved them to pieces.

Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Half Life 2 and Goldeneye 007 all scrabble at the top on my imaginary ladder and have been ever since the day I lived my virtual life through the eyes of Gordon Freeman.

With the recent news of Robert Culp, the voice of Dr. Breen passing away at the age of 79 (and the fact i've acquired a new graphics card) I have been inspired to head back into City 17 and re-experience the fantastical adventure of which I know pretty damn well.

Rise and Shine, Mr Freeman...

http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/99412-Voice-of-Half-Life-2s-Dr-Breen-Dies-Aged-79

Goodnight, Perfect Dark!

2010-04-05T04:56:00.000-07:00

Perfect Dark Xbox Live Arcade

Retro gaming is evolving naturally. As the years goes by, new gamers both young and old are missing out on a vast catalogue of classic games and thanks to the current generation of consoles they now can experience the classics which came before regenerating health and checkpoints.

Perfect Dark was originally released in the summer of 2000 and was quite possibly the most anticipated game on the console. Acquiring the label of “The spiritual sequel to Goldeneye” is spot-on. Rareware Ltd was no longer in control of the James Bond licence and had free reign over where to take their revolutionary game mechanics and this is what became.

You play as Joanna Dark working for the Carrington Institute who has been sent on a mission to recover Dr Carroll from the opposing faction, DataDyne, an evil corporation who have ties in acquiring a lethal alien mega-weapon. Starting the game sees Joanna Dark in the Carrington Institute building, here you can learn the basics on controls, earn medals in the firing range with weapons you’ve found in the single player game and computers with information on literally anything you could want from the universe in which you’re in. The single player levels in Perfect Dark have various set objectives which help move the story along and must be completed before you are allowed to progress onto the next and this is where the game will either impress you or not. There are no checkpoints per level which means a death will result in you starting from the beginning which can sometimes feel really punishing if you’ve made a mistake which isn’t your fault, luckily this doesn’t happen very often. Replaying the missions on higher difficulties will require more from you, you will take more damage and new objectives will emerge which have not been there previously.

To make a first person shooter enjoyable is by no means an easy thing to do. The weaponry plays a huge part and luckily Perfect Dark delivers in spades, here we have no rules in how many guns and gadgets you can carry and if you can find it you can use it. Each gun has a unique secondary firing mode which offers some of the best moments games have to offer. Imagine throwing a gun on the floor which is secretly an explosive, they’ll never see it coming.

Much like a typical James Bond flick, there are gadgets aplenty here ranging from mini remote controlled cameras which sedate your foes to a pair of goggles which allow you to see through walls and doors which puts you one step ahead of the somewhat dated A.I enemies throughout the levels.

Unfortunately the A.I in the game hasn’t received the technical upgrade the graphics have and this show in enemies often getting stuck behind corners or running in circles pointlessly and while this takes you out of the experience slightly, it can often become a blessing in disguise when the going gets rough.

The story mode can be played in different game types, too, offering a full co-operative experience over Xbox Live and the much under used game type counter-operative which pits one player as the enemy trying to stop the other player from completing the level. Why this hasn’t appeared in a call of duty game is a bit baffling to me and is definitely a great way to experience the game with a friend.

Multiplayer was the biggest draw ten years ago and but unfortunately this feels the most dated of them all even with the inclusion of Xbox Live play. That’s not to say that it’s not worth checking out, four players on one Xbox can go online and have a fun time for a short while but multiplayer has definitely evolved beyond deathmatch and the other modes aren’t really worth checking out which is a shame as it has some of the most customisable features seen in a videogame.

Inside the multiplayer menu is a series of challenges; pre set rules which put you and friends against the devilishly evil A.I control bots aka Simulants, another feature ahead of its time. Most of the fun will come here when it comes to multiplayer and showcases how flexible or chaotic the multiplayer can be. Will you defeat the evil Dark Sims?

The transition to high definition TVs seems to have a knock on effect when aiming your weapon with the right stick leaving it feel far too twitchy but this is a minor setback which will soon be addressed in an upcoming title update.

Perfect Dark on the Xbox 360 is how I remember it ten years ago. A true gem which needs a proper sequel and if you’re interested in the history of the first person shooter then this is one stop you will need to make, it’s groundbreaking even today despite its flaws with the controls.

9/10

Wiiiise from your gwaaave.

2010-04-05T02:25:00.000-07:00

Crikey,

It's been over a year since I have updated my blog. I have a new job, despite it not being my choice. A new place to live, again not my choice and a whole host of new games to talk about.

Hopefully I can keep updating this place with regular pieces of information which reside in my brain, i'd be a fool to stop again!

Rent Reviews!

2009-03-30T03:29:00.000-07:00

I've been renting a few games lately. I've become bored of buying games and selling them on when I know I can complete the games I don't truly love within the weeks timeframe you're given.

So I tried out Quantum Of Solace and 50 Cent : Blood in the Sand, both of which I finished within 3 days each.

Here's a quick review about how long it took, how much gamerscore I took from the playthrough and how much I enjoyed it.

007 Quantum Of Solace

Nights spent playing : 3 out of 7 nights allowed

Gamerscore Achieved : 420GS

Pros : A competent first person shooter, CoD 4 gameplay. Good representation of film scenes

Cons : Doesn't really feel like you're James Bond during gameplay, could be anyone. This is due to lack of Bond type gadgets

Overall Rent Rating : 6 out of 10. Bit short and despite the competent core gameplay, they do little to change it up.

50 Cent : Blood in the Sand

Nights spent playing : 2 out of 7 nights allowed

Gamescore Achieved : 380GS

Pros: It's an arcade version of Gears Of War. Feels exactly the same with a kill-combo mechanic and a fun co-op mode. Fun vehicle modes. Easy to pick up and play. Taunts are hilarious. 50 Cent music is good for the "fans"

Cons : 50 Cent. It's really really short, but should be replayable easily.

Rent Rating : 7 out of 10. Despite the super short nature, the core gameplay is great fun with some fun (not crap) vehicle sections to give the game some difference in gameplay.

YEAH BITCHES!

Prodigy is 8-bit

2009-03-25T15:47:00.000-07:00

If the Prodigy music was created on a NES, it'd sound a bit like this. I guess. Pretty novel :)

New Punch Out Wii trailer.

2009-03-24T01:20:00.001-07:00

Awesome.

http://www.vg247.com/2009/03/23/new-punchout-trailer-shows-proper-gameplay/#more-26868

Mevo and the Grooveriders - PC Indie

2009-03-21T06:28:00.000-07:00

During the week I noticed Joystiq reported an article saying that a game called Mevo and the Grooveriders was coming out on steam soon with the whole set of unlockable characters from Left 4 Dead were in it.

I was intruiged to say the least, I looked on steam but I couldn't find much on it due to it not being out yet. I wake up this morning to find that there's an indie sale going on in there, I decided to check it out.

Mevo and the Grooveriders was in there, for £5.39, with a demo to sample a taste, I downloaded it in no time (the full game is 67mb) and tried the first few levels.So far it reminds me of a level from Rhythm Tengoku, where you have to press the button to the beat of the music whilst playing a platfotmer.

Whilst not being exactly the same, it's as close as I could get to it in my mind.Your little Evo character, called Mevo, seems to be stranded in a strange world where music doesn't exist and it's your job to run about and restore music back to the world blah blah.The first tutorial starts you off a slow pace, telling the player than when your automated mevo runs into a blue left arrow, you must time your left shift button press to achieve maximum points, alot like your typical DDR/Rock Band style play.

There's also press and hold buttons too.Level 1 kicks in and things pick up the pace a little bit, with Mevo running across all sorts of terrain making sure you're keeping your eyes are where he's about to go and what arrow is coming up. After the level had completed I was rewarded with a silver vinyl award and I was asked if I wanted to go for gold, highlighting that told me what I needed to do in order to achieve this goal.

I decided against it for now.During my time on level 1 I picked up green notes both in the air and for getting a massive combo, upon completion you can upgrade your Mevo with new styles (L4D skin plz) and some new dance moves. I chose the only one available, ballet dancing! It cost me 0 music notes. Why not? Oh and I slapped a snorkel on him too.

Level 2 was my final level before I decided to plonk money down, it really put a spanner in the works and enjoying it dearly, an underwater level which consisted of quick presses and octopus arm sliding.

Completing the third level unlocks a new body for your Mevo, which consists of powerups.I was given one for free which allowed me to go Auto-pilot for 10 seconds, which is handy because I just got ruined on a combo before!

It has a leaderboard, achievements (not steam), rewards and a funky home-made soundtrack. Not bad for an indie game, actually.. it's pretty Groovy! *hides*

Video uploadedhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=--KBW...e=channel_pageExscuse the misses, i'm not rubbish honest All this was taken from one level, Jungle 2. using fraps' 30 seconds timer put me off!! I swear!!

GTA DS is absolutely amazin

2009-03-20T04:36:00.000-07:00

Grand Theft Auto : Chinatown Wars
This dropped through my letterbox this morning, I was a bit sceptical about it all to be honest. An old style GTA game set in Liberty City. I originally had it on pre-order, cancelled and re-ordered purely based on Eurogamers 10/10 review.

I opened the box to see that the layout of Liberty City is the same as GTA4s version, this got me a little bit excited to be honest, something to relate to, i'm familiar with Liberty City and the areas. The game starts out impressively well, the two screens lending themselves to both a gameplay and text story.

Presentation is slick as can be on a DS, controls are honed to perfection and from what i've seen so far, the two touch screen events i've performed are neither gimmicky nor frustrating.I completed my first missojn and decided to take a cruise around the city, checking the "Badger OS" PDA is just as good, if not better, than the other GTA games.

The GPS has POIs now to make it a bit easier for the player to choose where to go.You have constant contact via emails with people in the PDA, stats, briefs, access to online multiplayer too, which surprised me a bit.The cel-shaded graphics work wonders for the machine and it really looks great. This is a true Rockstar product put into a DS.

Humour plays a very big part of the game, i've already had some comedy both in cut-scenes and gameplay. Willis Wash and Lube being your new pay 'n' spray.I've yet to play a mission which involved shooting so I can't comment on combat just yet but if the game continues to ooze quality like this i'm sure it won't dissapoint.

This is a GTA title 100%. The fact it's on the DS doesn't diminish the sheer enjoyment of the series.Having not bought a DS game and giving my DS to my mum for a long term loan, she'll be gutted to know that the DS is back for us gamers.

This and Henry Hatsworth are definitely worth purchasing especially at the play.com prices, but if it was only one, it'd be this one.An absolute surprise and well done to R* Leeds for yet another brilliant portable GTA game.

And yes, I really did buy this game.

The DS is alive!!! ALIIIIIIVE!!

2009-03-19T12:26:00.000-07:00

This week see's two very good games for the DS. Being very good is a bonus, i'd 'of accepted these titles if they were mediocre purely based on the fact the DS is now made for your Mum (arms) and Sister (arms). Further more, their prices are super bargains, purchasing both wouldn't leave you feeling robbed.

Henry Hatsworth in The Puzzling Adventure.

£14.99 at play.com - 7/10 from Eurogamer.net

http://www.play.com/Games/DS/4-/6362836/-/Product.html?searchstring=henry&searchsource=0#

Love puzzle games, but also love an adventure? Now you can have both in one game with Henry Hatsworth in the Puzzling Adventure, an exclusive Nintendo DS adventure-puzzle game that adds a new element of fun by combining the action of an adventure game with the challenge of a puzzle game all in one

Grand Theft Auto : Chinatown Wars

£17.99 @ play.com - 10/10 from Eurogamer.net

http://www.play.com/Games/DS/4-/6072242/Grand-Theft-Auto-Chinatown-Wars/Product.html

Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars is an entirely original entry into the series, built from the ground up as an exclusive title for the Nintendo DS by the highly skilled team of developers at Rockstar Leeds. Working along with them, some of the key members of the GTA team at Rockstar North and Rockstar NY have also lent a guiding hand on the project, pulling from over a decade's worth of Grand Theft Auto's groundbreaking design and innovation.

The gypo gamer, I have become.

2009-03-09T06:59:00.000-07:00

I have recently become more tight in buying games straight away, in many previouisly years i've seen games prices drop dramatically and the trend is still happening.

Games like LittleBigPlanet, World of Goo and UT3 are three games which i've happily put aside from my gaming shelf until they have become cheaper.

LBP is £12.99
World of Goo was £4
UT3 was £8

These three titles alone cost less than mediocre title for 360 and I'm enjoying all three, I have only played a little bit of World of Goo but it looks good, LBP I played on the weekend, local co-op and it was a good platformer but it's yet to blow me away.

So far it has a very repetitive nature to the level design but I will play it more as and when I play local co-op with a friend.

UT3 is just your usual unreal tournament vibe with Gears of War graphics. It's not especially amazing but it's one of those games which you don't really have to put alot of attention into. Just mong out and listen to some music or a podcast while playing. Good fun for £8!

I got my PC back and finally got some more DoW 2 missions under my belt. That game is quality, a great take on Real Time war game with more focus on 4 squads rather than a large battlefield. Very worth the full price tag.

Another game which will be getting my full price tag is Resident Evil 5. I think the entire internet is loving to hate this game but i'm sure once it's out the moaning will stop. If anyones up for co-op online, hit me up when i'm on.

Invaders Must Die!!!

2009-03-02T05:42:00.001-08:00

Prodigy is top of the charts which is great news for me and the Prodigy people out there. For those who didn't buy it, you can download it at Amazon for no more than £3.01.

It's £3!

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B001QR8RYM?ie=UTF8&tag=cookviny-21

Hell has frozen...

2009-02-27T06:02:00.000-08:00

I have purchased my first Graphic Novel, aka, a comic book. Nerd alert threat levels have hit red and alarms are wailing.

I purchased Watchmen, for £15.99 at WH Smiths today in excitement of the film trailer. This will be the first graphic nerd book I read and hopefully it'll start a new hobby in my life which I can love.

Recently I have seen Gran Torino, which I thought was Grade A film making, with some ultra funny racial quips flying around from all races. I think i'm the only one in the world who finds all those words, which I won't type here, hilarious.

Clint Eastwood is the MAN and someone you clearly wouldn't want to mess with.

I've had a Gaming PC kerplode on me shortly after a Dawn of War 2 play, a free Street Fighter 4 fightpad from a super cool mate and the new Prodigy album turned up, all 3 copies. When they say 3rd time is the charm, in this case it was actually true. The 2 I ordered from the official website had a chance of turning up signed.

I got one :)

So lately i've been playing alot of Street Fighter, GTA 4 and.. well not Dawn of War 2 right now, but I will be once my PC has been sent back to the company who sold it to me.

Paradise Parties, Liberty Love and Coming soon!

2009-02-18T03:23:00.000-08:00

Criterion are onto a winner, i'm sure. Burnout Paradise : Party Pack which is a downloadable option for 800 MS Points is a brilliant addon for same room, pass the pad multiplayer.

All in all we had about 10 players for the party, which is a shame, because it's only upto 8 players. We set it to 8 rounds of random action and we all had a great time.

People who don't play games, people who are confused when more than one button is being pressed at the same time played this game and it's definitely something of a miracle which the Wii is starting to work.

People now see games are more of an entertainment becuase of the Wii and are willing to give things a shot, there's no way if this came out 5 years ago that people would give it a shot, especially females.

The games industry and its audience is maturing and this is definite proof.

The Lost and Damned is out now and it's brilliant fun. The story telling is amazing and it ties in perfectly with the Niko adventure we all played and enjoyed April last year. Go buy it now, it's 1600 MS Points, 2GB download and adds so much content it's hard to see it all in a week!

Coming this week... is a load of turd apart from...

Street Fighter IV

See you in the streets .. of fighting!

GTA IV : The Fun Edition

2009-02-12T11:46:00.000-08:00

GTA 4's expansion pack, Lost and Damned sounds so much more fun than the original GTA 4. Check out the multi-player modes over at the CVG website.

http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=208193

There's some awesome trailers lying around, check the links below from gametrailers.

It's out next tuesday, costs 1600 MS Points. See you there :)

Lost and Damned : Business is Business

http://www.gametrailers.com/player/45452.html

For any more, see the related videos on that page.

Out this week w/c 9th February

2009-02-10T02:50:00.000-08:00

I'm going to choose one or two new releases from each entertrainment section from play.com and link it below to show my love!

DVD

Burn After Reading

"An all-star cast, including George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Frances McDormand, Tilda Swinton and John Malkovich, come together in this outrageous spy comedy about murder, blackmail, sex addiction and physical fitness! "

Quality movie from the Coen Brothers, really worth seeing!

Music

I would link to The Prodigy - Omen getting a digital release early on Itunes but I can't, so just boot up Itunes and buy it, 79p aint gonna break the bank

Games

Wii

It's finally coming!

Mr Bean Wacky World of Wii - My 2nd Wii title i'm credited for.

but otherwise there's a load of shovelware coming not worth mentioning, so i'd go for last weeks release of

House of the Dead Overkill

360

F.E.A.R 2 Project Origin

PS3

Nothing new this week, but Criterions Burnout Paradise : The Ultimate Box came out again, with new DLC and a cheaper price point!

DS

Nothing but a pile of turd, it's like the PS2 all over again!

Vote for The Prodigy - Omen!

2009-02-09T12:02:00.000-08:00

Please, it won't take long.

It's on the right hand side, under HOT NEW ONES. Just click vote and you'll recieve a pop up window confirmation.

http://www.myspace.com/mtvtwo

Cheers

It's just another day in Paradise (City)

2009-02-09T05:01:00.000-08:00

My ordered copy of Burnout Paradise : Ultimate Box turned up today while I was bimbling through Tomb Raider Underworlds poorly hit detectioned levels. I finished the level and quickly fired it up to check out the new content which Criterion have been relentlessly adding ever since I gave the game up ages ago.

Firstly I noticed the new front end which is alot more user friendly than it used to be. Firstly you're taken to the news page, where you're never going to miss on the latest DLC and other goings on within Paradise City.

Next up is a very simple menu for either your Car Licence or your new Bike Licence! I didn't realise Criterion had created a whole new licence for bikes. What a great idea.

I promptly checked out the bikes and was surprised how easy it was to use, usually bikes are a nightmare to control in games but I quickly and confidently performed a 7 minute burning lap event round the city!

The only things which have dissapointed me with the bikes is that the crashes are no way near as cool as being in a car. This is most likely to keep the age rating down, but it'd still be nice to see your dude fly through a car window or something other than dissapearing into thin air.

I had a quick peek at Party mode which is an offline multiplayer, pass the pad mode only. You choose how many players, events and which ones you'd prefer to do.

I did a stunt challenge and it asked P1 to land a certain type of jump. Success would reward you with 250 points and failure would give you zilch.

The whole front end is a total change of style for the game, colours everywhere, party noises in the background and just a more user friendly look to the game will surely be more inviting to any player who is intimidated by its serious look.

After checking it out, it suddently dawned on me how satisfying the takedowns are in the game. I did a Road Rage event and was swamped with satisfaction after taking down 5 cars in a row (frenzy!)

Looking to the future for Burnout Paradise would get any player excited, a whole new island called "Big Surf Island" and a new mode called "Cops and Robbers" is being added via DLC.

The future of Paradise City!

So, Griptor, bring it on!!!

Tomb Raider : Shoutin' Lager Lager Lager

2009-02-04T21:34:00.000-08:00

Finally! The Postman has waded through the blizzard and posted me my copy of Tomb Raider : Underworld yesterday. I managed to cram a quick half hour sessi0n into my lunch hour from work and my first impressions are good.

Despite only playing a tiny bit i'm already excited about the games potential to be more about puzzle solving and less about the crappy shooting. I don't know why but TR games have never hit their mark when it comes to combat.

The first level is the obligatory tutorial, which is set in the mansion! but wait, before you sigh, you'll find out that it's actually set in the FUTURE (by a week) and is on fire with her buddies shooting at her. A mystery! How fun.

It then presents you with a ONE WEEK EARLIER screen and Lara is sitting on her boat, talking to her buddies aka future enemies about some crap I didn't really care about. The one thing I did notice is that how much this Lara model is based on Angelina Jolie more than before. I think it's just the big lips to be honest.

After the cut scene plays out you're told to just go swimming in the ocean, the game does a brilliant job of conveying the scope of the ocean and doesn't seem to have a barrier. I have to admit, I don't like water in games, ever since Dizzy games when he drowns... eugh. I think i'm scarred for life.

Swimming about harpooning sharks and solving one puzzle and all is good so far. Lara feels a bit twitchy when it comes to the jumping malarky but i'm hoping i'll get used to it as things move on.

Amongst the post was two seasons on DVD of Lead Balloon, written and featuring the famous grumpy funnyman, Jack Dee!

Check this video, it's such a classic british sitcom, I love it :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z9Eci0OJbJw&feature=SeriesPlayList&p=CC2637A8A0FCFC08&index=4

Anyway time for work, bye!

Fraggin' hell

2009-02-02T08:33:00.000-08:00

I've been playing a few games of Quake Live (pictured above) recently only to find out that super humans are still alive and roaming the deathmatch scene.

I haven't had my ass handed to me this much in years and it's a destroying my gamer confidence.

On the good side, it's bloody brilliant. If you've played Quake 3 you know exactly what to expect. Really fast, really hard, make ya eyes bleed and ya testicles cry, shoot-em-up.

It all runs really well within the browser, much better than Battlefield. Graphically it looks good even today and the gameplay stands up just as much as it did way back when.

This week I shall be playing...

Peggle Nights
Burnout Paradise
Rainbow Six Vegas 2

So check back on my next day off for a little slice of my brain put into words.

Cheers

Just browsing...

2009-01-31T05:49:00.000-08:00

So i'm in on another fully 3D game which is played entirely in your web browser. Quake Live. I'm hoping it'll grip me more than the Battlefield Heroes Beta didn't.

I'll let you know with some impressions soon!

Happy Fraggin'

Other entertainment media incoming...

2009-01-30T07:31:00.000-08:00

It's crazy I know but there are various other entertainment which I spend my spare time doing. Ranging from Music to Films to TV I do like to step away from the Videogame scene every now and then for a brief hour or two.

Februrary is an exciting month for me, musically and moviely.. (not a word)

Coming on February 23rd the long awaited true Prodigy album is coming, hard beats which will make Michael Darbo even more sure that white people are indeed crazy.

The album has 11 tracks on it and you can preview them on the link below!

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Invaders-Must-Die/dp/B001QR8RYM/ref=sr_1_13?ie=UTF8&s=dmusic&qid=1233081540&sr=8-13

Also incoming is the new, third straight-to-dvd film Futurama : Into the Wild Green Yonder.

I have no idea what it's about to be honest, but that's the way I roll. Looks interesting from the front cover and if it's anything like the other films it'll be wicked. Got my Bluray pre-order waiting over at http://www.play.com/

Today I bought The Dark Knight on Bluray. Heard so many good things over the last month or two that the release of the Bluray has been eating away at me until I snapped and bought it. I'll be watching it tonight so i'll be sure to update this pile of space with some words. Hopefully i'll have a good time with it!

Coming soon to Bluray which is worth watching...

Burn After Reading
Pitch Black

Coming soon to DVD worth watching...

Ghost Town

Cinema films worth seeing...

Bolt

Cheers for your time, bitches!

The return of the gamer rant.

2009-01-29T09:51:00.000-08:00

I have returned!

As if by magic I found this amazing blogging tool which doesn't restrict my word count to about 1000 words like what happened to me at 1up.com.

I will be writing about my games from outside the games industry now, for I lost my employment at Mastertronic due to the credit crunch. Nevermind, I am now working back at Morrisons and i've never moved so much in the last 18 months. It's tiring.

I have stopped playing WoW. This is breaking news and the decision was made this morning. I have seen all there is to see in the new expansion pack and I thought it was time to hang up my druid boots for a little while.

! I just noticed that this tool saves drafts while you type, hah, suck on that 1up.com.

Anyway, this means i'll be talking about normal games again, at the moment I am currently playing:

GTA 4 - Finishing a few achievements which I couldn't be bothered to get before, and reaquanting myself with Liberty "FUCKING AWESOME" City. That place is sexy. Waiting for the expansion pack!

Lost : Via Domus - Fanboy of the show, got this game for cheap. Tells a story which was made up because they wanted to make a game. Seems interesting, the gameplay isn't so hot.

Rainbow Six Vegas 2 - Late comer to this, but another cheapy. Real easy shoot 'em up fun, same as the first.

Resident Evil 5 demo - Played this online co-op with a friend and had a riot. It's just a shame that the game doesn't seem to keep up with modern game design. People will call it the "Resident Evil Charm" which is kinda true in a way, but i'd be more charmed if they fucking just sort it out.

On my pre-order list...

Burnout Paradise : Ultimate Box. £24.99 at play.com
FEAR 2 £29.99 at play.com
Street Fighter 4 £27.99 at play.com
Resident Evil 5 £34.99 at... guess where :P

Look forward to a more constructive post about games soon, this is just a quick get up and go while i'm on my lunch break from work.

Byeee!!