Console Gaming

Super Mario 3D Land - Nintendo 3DS Game Review

2011-12-12T11:09:00.000-08:00

As a Nintendo 3DS owner I feel like my money has been spent on the future rather than the present. The majority of games that made me excited for the 3DS have either been held back by Nintendo or set back for later release dates. Kid Icarus Uprising is the main reason I chose to purchase the latest Nintendo Handheld, however with that pushed back to somewhere in early 2012 hopefully, my choices have been few and far between. Mario is the mascot of Nintendo and always provides fans with great games from every genre, I was extremely thrilled when Super Mario 3D Land was announced, as well as Mario Kart 7. As we look forward to some of the big titles that will be hitting the 3DS I finally start to feel like this was a good investment and 3D Land is definitely the way to kick things off.

What you notice from the beginning of 3D Land, is that this is the first game truly made for this system and it's 3D effects. Playing in 3D actually makes the game less frustrating and allows you to choose if the effects pop in or out of your screen. The games I have played for the system so far have only felt like they have used "depth" as a way of showing off the 3D gimmick, but in 3D Land gameplay is integrated with the 3D effect making for a much better 3D experience.

There are sections in the game when a 3D symbol is actually alerting the player to turn on the 3D because these sections of the game require 3D to be able to complete some of the tough platforming stages that haunt players later in the game. The developers have managed to create a platforming experience matched by no other, because rather than using 3D as a gimmick like all other games on the 3DS, 3D Land implements new mechanics that make the player rely on the 3D effects to complete some of the more challenging sections of the game and this is exactly what I wanted to get out of my gaming experience when I purchased a Nintendo 3DS. Seeing Mario bounce out of the screen after jumping on a mushroom or dropping down to a lower level truly feels like more than just a sense of depth.

The game does start off fairly simple, mixing together the best of the classic 2d era with some of the ore modern aspects of games like Super Mario Galaxy. While the game starts off easy, it always remains enjoyable and never allows the player to feel like the game is a simple walkthrough, the enjoyment each of the wonderfully crafted and beautifully designed levels bring is one of the highlights of 3D Land. For any gamers like myself who enjoy a challenge, just hold on until World 8, that's when you can expect a tough challenge.

From World 8 onwards new mechanics are introduced which change the gameplay and test the ability of the player much more than the beginning 7 do combined. The medal collectors out there are in for a rough ride, it can be quite a tough task locating them all in each level but this is not a bad thing, rather than frustrate the player it tends to just make you more addicted and keeps you playing for longer.

One thing I was really impressed with was the level design. Each world seems like it was created by a different team, because each is unique and wonderful in it's own way. These memorable levels rival even the classic Super Mario games and you can see they took allot of inspiration from Super Mario Galaxy 2, one of the more recent games in the franchise that fans have adored for many of the same reasons.

If you take the time to explore each area carefully you can expect to find a ton of hidden gems just like in previous Mario games. The game also forces players to plow forward with the time limit attached to each level, this can be extended by gathering clocks scattered throughout the levels but just having this time limit forces players to jump before thinking in many cases, creating a much more fast paced and well rounded platformer.

There are a number of power-ups to gain in the game which are integrated with the gameplay to create tougher challenges and obstacles. These power-ups are fun to use and each has it's own unique advantages. The Tanooki Tale allows the player to float, just as you could with Yoshi in Super Mario World 2. The Boomerang Suit allows Mario to toss a Boomerang at an enemy. My only criticism is that with the Tanooki tale the game is much easier, basically it allows you to float and gives you just enough time to recover from a jump that is in the wrong direction, or leading to certain death. The Boomerang can become quite useful because if you manage to hit the angle just right, you can attack flying foes that trouble your path ahead. On the other hand the game manages to balance itself out by making you loose any of these abilitys if you get hit just once by an enemy, this makes each suit a treasure you won't want to let go of, especially in the later levels which can be some of the hardest stages in any Mario game.

I have mentioned the Super Mario Galaxy series quite a few times in this review and that is just because this game is simply a scaled down version of a Galaxy game. By scaled down I mean the levels aren't as open as a Galaxy game, they are more like a classic 2D Mario stage with 3D elements from Galaxy implemented into the game to make the world feel bigger than it actually is. Each of the worlds are stunning and definitely provide some of the best graphics we have seen on the Nintendo 3DS to date. Bright vibrant colerfull creatures and objects burst out in beautiful 3D which has never looked this good before. The little touches make the difference here, so many other games have gotten away with simply being in 3D, Mario is in 3D but at the same time it looks great and this is the difference. This game has set a high standard for 3DS games to match in the years to come.

If you are a Nintendo 3DS owner like myself and haven't gotten everything you expected so far, please don't panic just yet. Super Mario 3D Land is the beginning of great things to come for this little handheld console and things can only get better. 3D Land contains a beautiful world with some well designed stages that will test even the best platformers out there. It is the best game so far and it shows just what is capable with the 3DS. If you like platformers, or just want something fun and charming to buy this holiday season then Super Mario 3D Land is just what you are looking for.

3D Land is the start of great things to come 9/10

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Killzone 3 Playstation 3 Game Review

2011-02-13T17:52:00.000-08:00

Killzone 3 is arguably the most anticipated Playstation 3 game of the year, fans expectations and the hype surrounding the games release are at an all time high, will it live up to the hype or disappoint fans ?

There have been many First Person Shooters in recent years but not many manage to make you feel like you are the person behind the gun, allot of the time it just feels like you are turning a camera angle. Killzone 2 made players feel as if they were actually in a warzone, weight made every gun, every movement, and everything in Killzone 2 feel as real as it possibly could in a video game. Combine this with a futuristic Sci-Fi setting and gorgeous visuals and you get one of the best FPS's of all time. Killzone 3 improves on some of the technical issues Killzone 2 had and adds some fantastic new additions to make the gameplay feel fresh but familiar.

Killzone 3 separates itself from the rest of the FPS's on the market with it's incredible sense of immersion. The combat is much more savage and brutal than the other shooters out there, gameplay feels different from any other shooter because of the realistic weight to movements and guns, and the intense chaotic action makes Killzone 3 a frantic fight for survival. With a solid story and unbelievably brilliant online multiplayer, players will find themselves engrossed in Killzone's phenomenal atmosphere, huge action sequences, and hollywood movie style moments that make this feel like much more than just a game. Guerilla's attention to detail and passion for this franchise will be noticed almost immediately when you jump into the harsh world of Killzone 3.

The story in Killzone 3 revolves around two factions of Humans. On one side we have the ISA, the good guys. On the other side we have the Helghast, the bad space Nazi's with the cool red goggles. Anyone who completed the second game in the franchise will feel right at home immediately because Killzone 3 picks up right where Killzone 2 ended, with a small group of ISA soldiers struggling to survive after being effectively cut-off and left on the hostel home world of the Helghan. You play as Sev, the returning hero from the second game. His goal is simple, survive long enough to do as much damage to the enemy before he is captured, killed, or rescued.

I have heard allot of negativity about the story from websites such as IGN and Gamespot, but considering those websites give games like Call Of Duty a 9.5/10 i decided not to pre-judge Killzone 3. The story is no masterpiece but it is far from what you have been led to believe. The only downside to the story is that it feels like it was constructed in a way that would place together all the amazing action packed sequences, rather than focusing on the structure of the story. The characters on the ISA side are not as interesting as the Helghast which is a shame but the game provides plenty of moments that will have you glued to your television screen. I found that i was more exited to see the next cut-scene of the Helghan leaders, rather than listening to Sev and his fellow soldiers argue amongst each other. The story is what it is, an action packed beast full of insane moments that would only be possible in a video game, lacking some creative dialogue and depth to characters personality's. It's not a bad story, it's just not going to make you feel the same as Bioshock did.

However, even with the slight disappointment of the story Guerilla have managed to yet again prove that they are the best at making the most visceral First-Person combat on the market. The biggest difference in the controls is down to the weight of movement, everything feels tighter and more responsive. Some purists might miss the feeling of weight when yanking a huge gun around the battlefield but this slight change helps to make games run much smoother and more accurate. There is still considerably more weight in Killzone 3 than other well known First-Person-Shooters such as Halo or Call Of Duty and this is what makes Killzone 3 feel so unique.

The action is mixed up in a nice way which creates a well paced feel throughout the entire experience. The game constantly switches between action on foot and in a vehicle. Each skirmish and event in the game is so intense and visually satisfying that you will forget about the hiccups with the storyline.

But everyone knows that Killzone 3 is all about multiplayer and it really should be scored on the quality of it's online features rather than the campaign, normally i wouldn't say that about a game but with Killzone we all know what we want. There are three modes on offer here, ranging from standard Team Death Match to Operations, a new mode focusing on objective-based options. There is also a new and improved levelling system that allows you to unlock new Perks, Weapons, and other items at the expense of valuable skill points earned through the online battles. The maps are gorgeous and help to enhance the online experience even more with realistic visuals, great cover areas, and the addition of Jet-packs really does create a whole new dynamic online. Killzone 3 online is simply fantastic, there is not a better shooter on the market right now.

One last point to mention, for anyone playing on one of those expensive new SD Televisions, Killzone 3 has 3D and it is great. Is it worth buying a new 3D TV just for Killzone 3 though ? I'll leave that one to you.

Overall Killzone 3 packs a great bunch of new and exiting features into a franchise that is on top of the First Person Shooter market. The game looks absolutely stunning and while the campaign is fun but lacking an imaginative story, the multiplayer makes up for everything and provides the best online experience to date.

Killzone 3 is a must own for Playstation 3 owners 9/10

Dead Space 2 Game Review

2011-01-31T10:48:00.000-08:00

Dead Space 2 is not a game for the light-hearted, it's full of scary, intense, action-packed moments that will have your heart racing. Everything that made it's predecessor great is back and improved upon, to make one of the best games of 2011. Dead Space is by far the best horror franchise to grace the next-gen consoles, it's the modern-day Doom and one of the best gaming experiences on the market to date.

Even though it has been three years since the events of the first game, our protagonist Isaac Clarke is still having a rough ride. At the beginning of Dead Space 2 he awakes on a space station known as The Sprawl. He finds the station overwhelmed with an outbreak of reanimated corpses called Necromorphs. The action is right in your face from the get-go and it never gives you a chance to rest, even when enemies are nowhere to be seen, the game makes you feel like every corner, hole, or shadow could be hiding a deadly secret.

The main goal in Dead Space 2 is to find the religious artefact known as The Marker. The story behind the Marker and the events that took place because of it is great but in Dead Space 2 Isaac is fighting his own internal war which helps add another level to the story and really captures the mood and feel of Dead Space perfectly. During his time on the Spaceship Ishimura, Isaac saw things no man should have to see and because of the events of the original game, it has left Isaac a worn down wreck of a man and it really makes you feel a certain degree of sympathy for him and what he has to go through. What haunts him most is the death of his girl friend because it was he who encouraged her to work on that spaceship, his guilt and pain are tearing him apart and on top of this he has to avoid Necromorphs, creatures that will literally tear you apart. Isaac's internal conversations and hallucinations are one of my personal favourite aspects of Dead Space 2.

The combat has been greatly improved from the first game as well. Isaac is fas on his feet and he can stomp crates and melee attack bodies to gain loot with ease. Grabbing and throwing objects with your telekinesis is much more responsive this time around and mixing all this together with some of the most outrageous, gory, and brutal weapons ever seen in a video game is a blast. Blowing off or severing a limb from one of these Necromorphs and then using that same limb to impale another Necromorph just sounds insane, but in Dead Space 2 it's possible.

Dead Space 2 feels like the greatest haunted house attraction ever made. Visceral took out everything that slowed down the first game, backtracking, getting disorientated, and the overall sluggish controls and replaced it with a new fresher and much faster game while managing to retain the suspense and fear the first game is well known for. Dead Space 2 pressurises the player into situations that bring on emotional responses and real life human feelings that are very rarely felt in a video game. You go from point A to point B through some narrow and creepy corridors, with some open areas to break up the action. In the video game industry the word "linear" is usually used in a negative way, but here it works well and makes the tension and suspense in the game feel all the more better and creates the perfect cl; claustrophobic horror feeling that is needed in a game like Dead Space. Environments range from creepy elementary school class rooms to pitch black rooms were sounds is all you have to guide your path. The sound in Dead Space was outstanding and in Dead Space 2 they have managed to do it again, to put it simple, the sound is flawless. The sound is 50% of the fear factor in this game, it can make you panic and feel overwhelmed by the task ahead of you, it is inspirational to see the level of detail just placed into the audio of the game.

The weapons in Dead Space are extremely fun to use and the Ripper is my personal favourite. There are new weapons as well as the old ones and all can be upgraded for maximum use. When you start a new campaign the weapon upgrades will follow through and you will be able to play again with your weapons maxed-out. This adds to the fun and replay value of the game, making it a must buy for anyone who enjoys horror games or movies.

If you are the type of person (like me) who prefers the "Hardcore" experience you can get from games like Demon's Souls, then the Hardcore mode will please you. It's sadistically brutal and limits supplies to a minimum, enemies are at their toughest, and there are no checkpoints which means if you die you restart from your last save. To put it plane and simple, it's too much for the casual gamer to handle. Oh! and you can only save three times during the entire game on hardcore mode.

Multiplayer was a disappointment for me, i don't think a game like Dead Space needs multiplayer. Much like one of my favourite games of all time (Bioshock) the addition of multiplayer didn't help in any way. You can tell it was just added in to extend the replay value of an already fantastic package, it's good that it is here but unless it is going to be done properly then there really is no need for it. The five modes/maps are all fairly standard and don't really do anything new in the world of online gaming. Players are broken into two teams, Humans and Necromorphs. Humans have goals to achieve and the Necromorphs simply have to deny the Humans of achieving these goals at all costs. The online doesn't capture the true feeling of Dead Space's campaign and left me with a vague feeling. Don't let this stop you purchasing this game though because the single player campaign is by far one of the best survival horror games ever made and worth the full price on it's own.

If you get this game on Playstation 3 you will also get Dead Space Extraction as well as an added bonus so that's an extra incentive for any PS3 owner.

Overall Dead Space 2 follows on from the fantastic first game and improves on many aspects while adding some brilliant new additions. The game is beautiful and brutal at the same time, with a phenomenal sense of detail put into sound and lighting to create one of the most horrifying games of all time.

Dead Space 2 is a terrifyingly brilliant experience 9/10

ilomilo Game Review XBOX Live Arcade

2011-01-16T22:26:00.000-08:00

The first thing you will notice about ilomilo is that it is possibly one of the most adorable and cute games ever to hit the XBOX Live Arcade. The bizarre, yet extremely beautiful patchwork world of ilomilo is reminiscent of games like LittleBigPlanet, but manages to retain it's own unique feel and art direction. The two little stars of the game are ilo and milo, adorable little plush creatures who want nothing more than to be reunited. These two delightfully cute little guys always seem to end up stranded apart from each other and it's your job to reunite them, solving the puzzles and using the strange gameplay mechanics to successfully reach this goal. This is a wonderful little game full of charm and fun.

As i previously mentioned, the goal here in each level is very simple, reunite ilo and milo. The characters will begin at opposite ends of the cubic maze and you can switch back and forth between the two, controlling one at a time. The game begins cheerfully with it's cute adorable charm, but soon begins to get extremely difficult. You can manoeuvre various types of blocks around the environment and they will create new paths and ways to reunite you with your missing friend. Special carpets can be used to walk over the edges of cubes, changing the direction of the cubic maze, and the maze itself is filled with pesky critters who want nothing more than to get in your way. The key here is planning ahead, to solve these challenging puzzles you will need to visualize your next move three steps ahead, to work out how to get where you need to be.

Not only do the eye-catching visuals look great, but the game mechanics add to this as well. Walking on those magic carpets will spin the entire world around, making ceilings and walls into floors, one special block that can be carried, will gobble up ilo or milo and spit them out on the opposite side, flipping the entire level upside down. This storybook world is constantly in motion, adding to the difficulty and challenges you will face in the later levels.

There are other goals to achieve in ilomilo other than reuniting the two lost souls, in each level there are three animals to collect called Safkas. When you collect all three in a level you will unlock bonus puzzles. There are also polaroid photos to pick up and records to collect which can all be enjoyed at the Gallery on the main menu. As levels become harder players might end up focusing on just reuniting ilo and milo, forgetting about all the extra goodies available. This will mean that players will have more incentive to go back and play again to reach a 100% completion state. Another unique little hidden gem, is an unlockable NES-style 8-bit mini-game, although the gameplay is not as engrossing as it's visuals.

ilomilo can also be played cooperatively with a friend, however, there is sadly no XBOX Live support which is disappointing. It was also disappointing to see that the co-op sections are exactly the same as the single player experience. Players take turns solving the same single player puzzles, which is fun, but it would have been nice to see some exclusive levels dedicated to the co-op sections.

Overall ilomilo is a great little title to hit the XBOX Live Arcade. It's cute, adorable, charming, and down right gorgeous. It has plenty of challenges that will test even veteran puzzle gamers and the delightful music and characters make this one of the best puzzle experiences on XBLA. It is sad to see a lack of effort put into co-op because the potential here is enormous, but hopefully this just means we will see more in the future.

ilomilo is a great way to start 2011 8.5/10

Lost In Shadow Nintendo Wii Game Review

2011-01-11T22:47:00.000-08:00

The Nintendo Wii was definitely the stand-out console of 2010 when you look back at the exclusive titles released for the system, this has continued into 2011 with the release of "Lost In Shadow" an inventive and unique platformer that follows the shadow of a boy and it's journey up a tower to be reunited with it's master. If you have played ICO and Limbo, think of what a mixture of those two games would produce and that's what to expect here.

The simple, yet genius idea of how light and shadow interact is the concept that makes Lost in Shadow such a unique platforming experience. Sometimes the complex level design and difficulty can get in the way of what is truly a wonderful game, however the solid gameplay and fantastic art direction make this one of the games not to miss out on in 2011.

Lost In Shadow takes full advantage of it's simplistic approach and this works for and against it at times. It doesn't try to be fancy or go over-the-top, from the music, to the gameplay, to the story, the developers have just created something which is fun and most importantly, something that works. Players won't be overwhelmed with excessive details, crazy plot lines, or gameplay that takes weeks to master. The story does still contain a few twists and turns, however this is merely to help enhance the mood and tone of the world around you. The game is singular in it's focus, this may seem strange to modern gamers but focus is not a bad thing.

The same balance between focus and complexity applies to the gameplay as well. Shadow is a platformer at heart, players will move their nameless character through each floor of the tower, leaping over and manoeuvring the many obstacles that lay ahead. There are also a variety of various creatures that lurk in the darkness, players will have to deal with them as well as the traps. The unique thing about Lost In Shadow is that, while the world contains many objects and places, the whole game takes place on the shadows that these objects and the world create. I've never seen anything quite like it and it felt extremely refreshing. For example, if there is a bridge in the world, you will be controlling the shadow of a boy on the shadow of the bridge, rather than platforming on the bridge itself. I'm very rarely impressed by such a simple concept, but i just thought this was a brilliant idea. The foreground and background are kept quite close together and the developers have managed to really capture an excellent atmosphere which feels claustrophobic, isolated, and extremely lonely.

Each floor in this giant tower seems to operate with a similar set of conditions, players start at point A and must reach point B, while collecting three Monitor Eyes (Keys) in order to progress to the next stage. The majority of the 60 stages stick to this formula, however each stage manages to feel new and fresh, preventing the game from feeling repetitive. Collecting the three Eyes can become a bit tedious, but some of the games best puzzles are constructed around forcing the player to acquire a certain object. So the inclusion of these Eyes really is required to make this feel like a complete package.

Back to the unique interaction between the shadows and the light. The game doesn't just ask players to platform along the shadows in the background, players will need to manipulate or find ways to move objects in the foreground in order to make the shadowed path take them to their goal. Some 2D stages (shadow corridors) will allow players to rotate the entire world like a cube, changing the entire perspective of the level's shadows. This can sometimes be quite confusing and difficult, but ultimately the creative and innovative puzzles will leave you with a feeling satisfaction on completion. These puzzles combined with the phenomenal atmosphere really bring this world to life in it's own impressive way.

Graphically and audibly, Lost In Shadow is not setting any new standards, but it does look absolutely great. The developers have went for a particular style and mood here and they have perfected it. The animations look great but the textures and framerate has a few issues. Don't let any of that put you off this fantastic and extremely fresh experience though.

Overall i thought Lost In Shadow is just a great game filled with fantastic platforming sections and puzzles. The games concept is brilliant and i haven't been this blown away by an idea for a game since Mirror's Edge. The graphics and sound are good but nothing ground-breaking, however with 60 levels to play through, players will have a blast with this game.

Lost In Shadow is another fantastic Nintendo Wii Exclusive 8.5/10

LittleBigPlanet 2 Game Review

2011-01-05T17:14:00.000-08:00

Little Big Planet 2 has had allot of Playstation 3 fans on the edge of their seat in anticipation ever since it was announced, it should come as no surprise that this game is an almost perfect masterpiece in modern gaming. The platforming has been greatly improved (although it was already brilliant), the community tools are much smarter, the levels feel even more clever and unique, and all the new additions make this an early candidate for 2011's game of the year awards.

Little Big Planet 2 contains 30 fun filled levels that tell the story of Negativitron, a horrible beast which has invaded Craftworld and is gobbling up all the cities on the planet. Just as you did in the first game, you play as Sackboy and you've got to travel to various spots on the globe and run, jump, shoot, grab, or fly your way to saving the day. The storyline is not exactly the games strongest point, although it definitely doesn't try to be. This game is all about cuteness and fun, both of which you will find plenty of on your adventure.

The majority of your time will be spent platforming in similar ways to a Super Mario game. The goal of each level is very simple, make it from point A to point B, while avoiding the many obstacles and enemies along the way. The goal is simple but getting there can be a challenge. There are three planes for Sackboy to live on (Background, Middle, and Foreground) and you move him between them with your controller. There are various items to collect on-screen, including point bubbles which act as the rings in a Sonic The Hedgehog game. If you need a bit of company, there is always the option to team up with three other Sackpeople online or locally.

Media Molecule has outdone itself with these absolutely brilliantly designed story levels, they are not only a delight to look at, but playing through them is just gaming fun at it's best. Each world feels unique and the platforming challenges created in each new area provide a tough test for even veterans of the genre. The game is at it's best when you are riding on the back of a giant Bumble Bee shooting honey in a classic shoot-em-up style side-scrolling game, it's simply brilliant. The beautiful graphics and well designed levels combine to make what is one of the most enjoyable platforming experiences you will ever find on the Playstation 3.

Beyond the traditional jumping and swinging platform levels, there is allot of other thing's going on here. Little Big Planet 2 has head-to-head challenges that will see you rapidly mashing your buttons faster than your opponent, races that will have you piloting a Caterpillar up a tree trunk, and much more. The Single-Player sections are just as creative and wonderfully unique, you will constantly be amazed by the ideas the developers managed to incorporate into this gem. The new found focus on creating games in the game really shines through here, you have complete access to these creation tools and options and that alone is enough to keep you playing this game for months on end. This game feels like it is a game for making games at times, it is truly impressive to see the level of detail and effort put into making this really feel special.

After the short but sweet story mode i wanted to begin my creative journey. The tutorial system has been greatly improved, they are now all in one big list rather than having you search object by object. It feels much more effective and the ease of accessibility makes learning to create just as fun as creating itself. Switches and Modifiers have big connection cones now so that you can see how thing's are supposed to go together, you can add your own voiceovers with a microphone, create movies with the cut-scene
camera, and so on. Media Molecule really understood what fans wanted this time around and made everything much more comfortable to use. It's going to be truly phenomenal to see what out-of-this-world insane stages and ideas people can come up with and that's what excites me the most about Little Big Planet 2.

Media Molecule have managed to whip up challenges and levels that will stay in my mind for years to come. After spending countless hours on the first LBP game, editing and creating levels, i didn't think i would be willing to spend the time i spent on that game in this one, but i am addicted already. I have been inspired by what has been achieved here to achieve more of the same by myself.

The beauty of Little Big Planet 2 is that you can be as involved as you want to be, you don't have to go crazy and stay up until 3am creating new stages to gain a fulfilling experience. You play what you want, when you want. For those who have no interest in the creation side of thing's, there are over 3.5 million user-created stages from the first game which are available to download and play on LBP2, 30 story stages to have fun with, and countless challenges that will have you addicted for months, so really there is more than enough for you in this fantastic package. Oh and don't forget all the user-created stages on the way from the this game which will likely be even more fun and impressive. Even if you are not the most creative person in the world, there is something for everybody here.

There are a bunch of new items that effect the way Sackboy platforms through each level making their debut in Little Big Planet 2. Jump Pads (My personal favourite) launch Sackboy into the air, Creatinators are helmets that fire out whatever you want them to, and the ability to swing around these crazy stages with grappling hooks is possibly going to be the most enjoyable aspect of all these new additions. I can already Imagen the Spider Man levels that users will create with this new tool.

The only downside i found with this game is that load times haven't been improved much, it's still longer than what you would expect from a modern day game, however the rest of the game makes up for this slight problem.

Little Big Planet 2 also introduces Versus levels which are levels specifically designed for head-to-head battles. These act as little mini-games in addition to the 30 story levels, you can hop into these levels with friends or family and share the experience.

One of the biggest and most important new additions is the easy way you can share your own experience in Little Big Planet 2. After creating your perfect level, all you have to do is press a button to get it online with your description and details, it's that simple. But of course, the real fun comes when you look through other peoples work. After playing a level you can rate it with a smiley or frowny face to symbolise how much you enjoyed it. If you like the author then you can click over to their page and heart their work, you can even see what work they have given a heart to and all this makes it so much easier to find what you are looking for. Media Molecule clearly want's to have a much more functional community this time around, this is evident in the their new website LBP.me. On this website you can create levels, search for new ones, and peruse profiles. It's all much more user friendly and it makes the community feel much stronger. In the game Media Molecules offers recommendations and you also have ratings to search for the best content available.

Overall Little Big Planet 2 is a refreshing game to hit a market filled with generic shooters, it's got so much variety that it will blow you away. The content here is not only in the game, but it's in every other user who purchases this game as well. Visually, it's phenomenal, gameplay wise, it's perfect, and everything together completes a package that is arguably an early contender for game of the year.

Little Big Planet 2 is phenomenal, there's no other way of describing it 9.5/10

No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle

2011-01-03T22:35:00.000-08:00

In 2008 the Nintendo Wii seen the release of a surprisingly violent game in "No More Heroes". This game had brutal violence, sex, bloodshed, and seemed out of place on the otherwise squeaky clean Nintendo Wii console. Suda 51 invented a unique world which felt half-way between his previous works and something far into the future, mashed-up with Japanese cinema, punk style, and classic spaghetti westerns. While the game lacked polish and had far too many issues to be considered a modern day classic, it became a cult-fan favourite and deservedly so.

It should come as no surprise that the highly anticipated sequel "No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle" follows in the blood-soaked footsteps of it's predecessor, improving in almost all disappointing aspects of the first game and delivering a much more solid experience this time around. You return as Travis Touchdown to the world of ranked assassin battles, after walking away from it all two years ago having reached the #1 spot. The world of Santa Destroy, and the people in it, have gone through a hell of allot of changes in Travis's absence and this time there is more to fight for than just the #1 ranked assassin spot.

For the most part, Desperate Struggle doesn't change too much about the No More Heroes formula. Combat is still extremely frantic which does provide some intense pressurised action sequences, however the lack of any guard-break or option to roll out of the way means you will constantly be trading shots with enemies. You also don't have any camera control and in the modern day some people might fight this just awkward but in my personal opinion everything here works very well for this game. I am not trying to put you off the game, but if you really didn't enjoy the first game then it's likely you won't enjoy the second. The game has many changes to help improve the overall experience but the core of the game is as it always was.

As for the rest of No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle, every aspect of the game has been turned on it's head. While i had fun bursting through the world of Santa Destroy on my overcharged super bike, the clumsy overworld really made it feel like more of a chore than an enjoyable experience. Thankfully this is gone and the whole game feels much better for it. Everything is more streamlined, allowing you to head out of your No More Heroes hotel and instantly find what your looking for. Of course you still have load times, but with one easy-to-use vertical menu, you'll spend less time in transit and far more time decapitating enemies in gruesome ways that seem unsuitable for the Nintendo Wii console.

Everything is where it was in the first game and with the option to fast-travel from the menu, you can go straight to the beach and play the coconut mini-game. This also means no more stressing out when you screw up a battle-based revenge side-mission. The game is much more fluid and feels like everything we hoped the first would be. Those who hated the cash system in the first game are going to absolutely love the changes made in Desperate Struggle. Ranked missions are free to enter and cut scenes can be skipped (although i would advise you don't as they can be hilarious). There's never anything holding you back and if all you want is to blow through the main story, then you can. The game allows players to play the game how they want, rather than forcing you to do countless things you have no interest in, however it's extremely likely that you will want to spend time on more than just the story in this fantastic game.

What No More Heroes 2 does more than any other game, even the first game as well, is that it oozes personality and originality. It's extremely refreshing to see a game which feels unique and Desperate Struggle is certainly just that. There is a huge variety of extra thing's you can do, in your apartment alone you will have plenty to do, such as working out with your overweight cat Jeane, a free-to-play arcade game on your TV showcasing a fictitious Anime called BJ5 (make your own jokes with that one) complete with a fully-animated faux intro to the series as a reward for beating levels, and much more. You can even read up on wrestling moves and switch out your gear at the dresser, before hitting the road. You can also unlock more decorations and items for your apartment as you play.

You will also have the Job mini-games (like old-school classics) to complete which can be responsible for some of the most satisfying sections in No More Heroes 2. Bug-Out for example, is a combination of Luigi's Mansion and Pac-Man, as strange as that sounds, but it's absolutely brilliant fun. Coconut Grabber is amazing as well and it's my personal favourite, as well as the space-themed Getting Trashed level. The others are pretty basic, even emulating previous No More Heroes mini-games, but everything has been improved and i found myself spending countless hours on these side attractions and this really added to the value of the whole package. Once you earn cash it can be used for whatever you want. Due to the fact you no longer have to pay to unlock story missions, you can spend all this hard-earned cash on new clothes for Travis, new weapons, and sink cash into Travis's gym. The two games at the gym are also much like old-school retro games and add more entertainment value.

On the other hand, while No More Heroes 2 is all about pushing style before anything else, this does create a few problems, but very little. The up-side to this is that you are constantly bombarded with new areas, new bosses, hilarious story elements and cut-scenes, new playable characters, and simply off-the-wall insane situations that will have you addicted to this game for months. It's obvious that the developers had great fun developing this game and when that happens, you will usually find that the final product is a blast. Travis transforms into a Tiger during battle, there is a gigantic super robot fight in Santa Destroy which will have you towering above the city in one of the most insane, yet great moments in recent gaming history, and the Anime scenes are just down right hilarious. When all this is put together you get one of the most unique, stylish, brilliant games to ever hit the Nintendo Wii. You instantly know to expect the unexpected throughout this 12 hour experience, however the amazing thing is, the game still manages to shock and amaze you countless times.

But like i said, all the insane out-of-control action is not without it's shortcomings. The main problem is the lack of camera control you have, creating problems during battle and leaving you with no option but to run around in a circle just to get a direct view of your opponent at times. You can centre and lock-on but at times it just didn't work very well and i found myself looking at the wrong thing allot of the time. The other main issue is due to the fact that No More Heroes is a straightforward beat-em-up at heart, which means you will be fighting the same old enemies for hours on end. This can lead to some stages that drag on with spawn after spawn. I was never bored, annoyed, or frustrated while playing this game, but i did wish for a few areas to end earlier than they did at times just to avoid the same overused enemy facing me. Don't let this fool you into thinking that No More Heroes doesn't have a good list of creative and unique enemies to decapitate, because it does, it's just that some are overused in areas far too much.

The most noticeable thing about No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle is the artistic style which oozes with creativity and beauty. It's simply just a feast for the eyes and it will likely be the reason most people pick up this game, it's that good. The game is bright and bold while managing to capture the dirty gritty nature of the assassin battles extremely well. It's arguably the best looking Nintendo Wii game alongside Mario Galaxy 2 and Red Steal 2.

Overall No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle has managed to correct and improve upon the mistakes and shortcomings of it's predecessor. The game is an outstandingly beautiful sight and it is full of entertainment from the start. The characters, fights, and locations are all unique and creative and the whole game feel extremely refreshing from the rest of the games we have on the market today.

No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle is simply brilliant 9/10

Sin and Punishment: Star Successor Nintendi Wii Game Review

2010-12-29T19:07:00.001-08:00

The guys at Treasure have been delivering some of the most thrilling intense action-packed games since the early 90's, games like Gunstar Heroes on the SEGA Genesis and Ikaruga (a personal favourite of mine) are just a few of the almost legendary titles released by Treasure. Now they are attempting to "wow" us with their signature run-and-gun style gameplay on the Nintendo Wii with "Sin and Punishment: Star Successor". This is a sequel to a cult Nintendo 64 game, only ever released in Japan. This is a strange choice for release in western country's but it is without a doubt one of the best decisions made by Treasure as this is one of the best shooters to hit the market.

To be honest, the story here really isn't important but it goes a little something like this, There is a girl who is not quite human that you need to protect from some bad guys who can transform into gigantic monsters, there really isn't much more to it than that.

From start to finish the game doesn't give you a moment to catch your breath. Around every corner you will find something new, exiting, and unique to make your experience feel as fulfilling as any other shooter on the Wii. The boss fights are some of the most memorable battles in recent gaming history and are reminiscent of old Japanese monster movies.

Playing Sin and Punishment is like jumping into one of those crazy Japanese action movies, Treasure have created a roller coaster ride of amazing sights and intense gunfights. The term "On-Rails Shooter" doesn't quite fit here because you can freely control your character and move him/her around the screen just as in Ikaruga or Space Harrier. The camera will rarely sit still, zooming in and out of action to create the most dramatic visuals possible. You can shoot your gun, lock onto enemies, charge attacks, dash to avoid obstacles or enemies, and melee attack. There is a great deal of variety to this shooter and the term "on-rails" really devalues what is a shooter with a great deal of depth.

There are also a number of control options available as well such as the GameCube controller, Classic Controller, and Wii Zapper but the Wiimote and Nunchuck work just fine. There is also a co-op mode were another player can join the action, however you will only get an extra cursor on screen rather than another player which is quite disappointing considering the game has 2 main characters. Star Successor is a shooter in the purest sense, there are no RPG elements such as levelling up, new weapons, new items ect, it's just hardcore shooting straight out of the arcades and it's glorious.

The game is extremely difficult and will take allot of time and patience to complete, however it's a game which feels rewarding when you do complete a stage. Even on the easy difficulty there will be a challenge for most, so there is no shame in selecting the easy mode to start off, i personally never go below normal. The game doesn't ever become frustrating or annoying due to the number of checkpoints scattered throughout stages. The game encourages you to fail and learn patterns, way's to defeat the bosses, it is essentially what you would call a "trial and error" game. The game is far too short and will last around 4 or 5 hours, on a high difficulty it can last around double that. But with such a rewarding and satisfying feeling gained from each completed stage and online leaderboards to compete with players all over the world, you will likely want to playthrough this game multiple times, alone and with friends.

Overall Sin and Punishment: Star Successor is an absolutely fantastic shooter for the Nintento Wii. The game is very short but it's also incredibly fun and you will want to playthrough it multiple times before it begins to feel repetitive. The boss fights and action on screen is gorgeous and just down right crazy at times and anyone who is a fan of on-rail shooters, although this is not an on-rail shooter, you will fall in love with this game.

Sin and Punishment: Star Successor is insanely good 9/10

Fragile Dreams: Farewell Ruins of the Moon review

2010-12-22T22:36:00.000-08:00

Ever since Fragile Dreams: Farewell Ruins of the Moon was unveiled in Japanese videogame magazines, a long time ago, I've wanted to play and love this game with a passion. Everything i could see from the early pictures and videos of the game made me believe this was a game made just for me, a mysterious storyline set in a world reminiscent of Silent Hill (with less violence), fantastic art and high production values highlighted by beautifully rendered cinematic's, Ghosts and Demons, as well as the feeling of isolation and desperate hope for answers. Everything about this game screamed success from my point of view. While some might find the dated and sometimes awkward controls a reason to avoid this game, this did not effect my decision and i am pleased to tell you this game is a modern day classic.

(The beautiful sky brings the world alive, while retaining the feeling of isolation)

In Fragile Dreams: Farewell Ruins of the Moon you play as Seto, a young "fragile" boy who awakens in a desolated world to find his last living companion, an old man, dead. After he buries the body of his beloved one in a shallow grave, he sets off in the hope of finding other survivors. Throughout this dark gloomy, yet phenomenally beautiful world there are signs that mankind befell some horrible fate, what that is however remains a mystery. It's a smart intricate concept which engrosses from the start and always leaves the player wanting to discover more and continue with the adventure. The story is told via a great combination of real-time voice-overs (the actors did a great job) and meticulously rendered cut-scenes, which just look utterly beautiful. Xseed Games, the publishers behind this modern day masterpiece, have included the original Japanese dub with English subtitles as well as the English dub. This will likely please purists and fans of the Anime, it really shows how much care and passion they had for this product and the detail they wanted to achieve to give fans the best experience possible.

Fragile Dreams is a straightforward adventure with action and some light role-playing elements thrown in to the mix. Seto wonders through the immense, lush world in search of clues and bumps into a silver haired vixen who runs off into the night before he has a chance to pursue her. This game is at it's best when you have one simple goal to explore, old depleted train stations with remnants of high technology that far exceeds our own, haunted hotels, rusted amusement parks, and old laboratory's are where some of these creepy and unique mysteries unravel. The games vast variety of locations help to add a sense to the mystery and the main thing you take away from each area, is an eerie atmosphere which reminds me of a little game by the name of "ICO". Developer "Tri-Cresceo" really deserve high praises for the love and passion they put into each area. The games locations are some of the most creative, beautiful, and imaginative locations you will ever see in a video game. It's not just an amusement park, it's an amusement park with a dark creepy atmosphere brought on by the lighting and colour of the sky, by the sounds you hear and in the areas you are able to explore. This is what the game does best, it allows the player to fully immerse themselves in this world and it creates a feeling of isolation and panic, without pressuring you with 100 enemies on screen. It's truly remarkable the way this game can bring on such feelings and emotions.

Seto controls awkwardly, however this is a great thing, Seto is a Fragile young boy without much strength so it's only fitting that he should find attacking enemies a tough challenge. The game manages to portray Seto as a young helpless, weak boy extremely well with the way it makes it's controls challenging to master. You control Seto using the Wii's Nunchuk's and the Wii Remote is used to point Seto's flash light. The whole experience is extremely similar to a Silent Hill game, the way you manoeuvre with the flashlight is allot like Silent Hill: Shattered Memories. The light responds to your every command and in very realistic way's it will light subway tunnels, underground hallway's, and even wide open terrain. The game doesn't have a lock on targeting system which most will say makes combat feel clumsy, however if you take into consideration the fact you are a young boy who is extremely fragile and weak, you can appreciate how the lack of a targeting system makes the games atmosphere feel allot more frantic and adds pressure to the combat which is needed to create such a unique world. I love how the awkwardness of the controls helped to pressure me into frantic situations and made my whole experience with this game allot more than it would have been had i been hand-held like most games do these days.

Other than the control issues there are not allot of reasons why people might not fall in love with this game, there is quite allot of backtracking but in my opinion it just makes the whole world feel that much more claustrophobic and isolated, if the game just skipped to a new location after you were finished with one, it just wouldn't have the same unique atmosphere.

As i previously mentioned, Fragile Dreams: Farewell Ruins of the Moon does posses some light RPG elements which work extremely well with the game. Weapon and item retrieval, damage upgrades, and an inventory slot you can manage and control what you hold onto and let go allow the player to have a sense of individuality while exploring the world. The majority of weapons in the games are thing's like sticks or sling shots, small weapons which break easily and this means you will spend allot of time searching for new weapons. When Seto hits enemies it shows how much his hit points increases which is always fun. The best thing about items and weapons is that you have a briefcase system which means you are limited to very little, much like in real life you wouldn't be able to carry 20 different weapons. Knowing you don't have much protection and that the protection you do have could break in a split second, will really make every battle feel intense, worrying, and extremely dangerous.

Overall i was utterly amazed and blown away with this game. Normally when you fall in love with a game years before it's released, one of either two thing's are sure to happen, The game is either bad or just doesn't get released at all. Thankfully Fragile Dreams: Farewell Ruins of the Moon lived up to everything i had dreamed and even went further than i could Imagen. The main thing i took away from this experience was the immense atmosphere, it's reminiscent of Silent Hill and ICO. The game is one of the best looking games i have ever seen, not just on the Wii but in my entire life. Graphics are not always what makes a game look great, it's the art direction, colour tone, mood, setting, and design all together that really makes a game look beautiful and Fragile Dreams has all of this and more. There really isn't enough i can say about this, all i can say is go and buy it now.

Fragile Dreams: Farewell Ruins of the Moon is possibly the best game on the Wii 9.5/10

A Space Shooter For 2 Bucks! Game Review

2010-12-21T23:43:00.000-08:00

With so many big-budget video games being released in time for Christmas, It's surprising that "A Space Shooter For 2 Bucks!" is what my attention has been focused on. This little gem from the minds at Frima Studio is the latest Playstation Mini to be released and it's actually really fun.

When the Playstation Minis started rolling out last year they didn't do much to impress or overwhelm Sony fans. A Space Shooter For 2 Bucks! might well be the first of these "Minis" to consider purchasing. The game is incredibly fun, contains slick controls and solid gameplay. Everything here is simple, but done very well. The most impressive part about this whole thing though, is that you can purchase this game fore a mere $2. It's not the next Mass Effect or Call of Duty game, but it's a fantastic little gem that can keep you entertained for a few hours a week.

A Space Shooter For 2 Bucks! is a vertically-scrolling arcade shooter, much like the old classics, with a bit of a twist. The games 16 stages are split into two eight-stage zones, and the stages in those zones can be selected and played in any order. This makes the game feel less linear than the old classic arcade shooters and gives you a sense of freedom and exploration never seen in games like this. It's a really smart idea by Frima Studio. Some stages are ancillary with uninspired bosses, but the majority of stages are home to the primary bad guy's. Each stage has it's own unique purpose, defeating the ancillary stages will upgrade your ship and make it's defences stronger, while taking out each of the games bad guy's will allow you to use their special attacks in future stages, giving you a stronger attack.

The game has lot's of depth for a $2 Playstation Mini and provides many options. In addition to stage select and enemy weapons, there is a great deal here to keep the game feeling fresh and continuously fun to play. Defeated enemies drop "Remnants" the games currency, which can be spent at the games in-game store on a variety of upgrades. These upgrades are essential and will make later stages in the game easier to complete.

But there are more ways to customize your experience than just upgrades and stage selecting, in addition to all that there are also four difficulty settings and a Survival Mode. Remnants carry over into Campaign Mode and Upgrades carry over into Survival Mode, the developers where smart in making each mode worthwhile as well as fun and challenging. As well as all this the game hosts an in-game achievement list and goals to aim for which add extra incentive to keep playing and make the whole experience a much longer one.

Apart from the solid gameplay, A Space Shooter For 2 Bucks! also presents some pretty impressive aesthetics and has a sense of high production value which most Minis on the Playstation Network don't have. While the download is only 54 megabytes, the game manages to pack in all the necessary tools to make it a quality product. Great story telling, graphics, and gameplay are all here and make for a great arcade shooter. The game doesn't make much sense and sometimes the voice acting can be a bit over the top, but at a mere $2 you don't even notice the faults. It's got more in common with games like Death Spank with it's light hearted comic feel.

Overall A Space Shooter For 2 Bucks! is one of the best deals on the Playstation Network and by far the best Playstation Mini available. If you just want something to pass the time in between more serious affairs, then this is exactly what you are looking for. If you are a fan of the old arcade style shooters, you will love it.

A Space Shooter For 2 Bucks! is great fun 7/10

999: 9 Hours, 9 Persons, 9 Doors - Nintendo DS Game Review

2010-12-16T18:32:00.000-08:00

For the last few nights i have been delightfully surprised and astonished with an unexpected Nintendo DS title, 999: 9 Hours, 9 Persons, 9 Doors. This game has shocked me and impressed me in so many way's, delivering one of the most immersive and enriching gaming experiences of 2010.

999 i what you would call a "Text Adventure" or "Visual Novel" translated for the western market and given an M-rating (for mature content) which is a rarity for a DS game considering the majority of DS games are for a younger audience, with a family friendly atmosphere. But more than anything the game is just one big mindf*** that will drive your brain to the brink of insanity, before delivering you with the most satisfying experience you will ever find on a hand-held system.

The 999 experience begins with our hero Junpei, an average collage-aged kid, waking up in a haze of cloudy memory in a place he's never seen before. As he begins to regain his senses, he begins to realise the grim situation he is faced with, he's been kidnapped. Already the players interest has been captured with this gripping opening and from here thing's just get better and better. He soon realises that he's not only been kidnapped, but kidnapped and left somewhere in the middle of the ocean on a ship. He soon meets up with eight other victims and together they discover the truth, they've been gathered together by a madman to play through a sick twisted human experiment called "The Nonary Game". At this point, even so early in the story i could tell this was something special, something we don't often see in gaming any more and it made me want to unravel this mystery.

It's a game of life and death, death being the far more frequent one of the two. The victims striggle to work together, following the rules that the kidnapper, "Zero", has laid out for them. Thing's get bloody very fast, as the various personality's clash and the self-preservation of each individual begins to show.

To make thing's worse, as the name suggests there is only 9 hours to complete their task before the ship they're on will sink, killing them all. If you thought that was bad, each victim has a bomb inside their body which will explode if any rules are broken, so you begin to wonder just how Junpei and the other eight victims will be able to escape. This all adds to the mystery and helps to create a thrilling storyline which is just as engaging and exiting as any game you will play this year.

That gripping premise is really just the beginning of your journey through this visual novel. After 999 set's itself up you then begin to take control of the path the narrative takes. You will make the decisions that effect the storyline along the way and ultimately determine the outcome of your story. You will make critical decisions such as, which of the eight fellow victims Junpei will team up with, which of Zero's deadly numbered doors to enter, and even seemingly unimportant casual responses to questions in dialogue with other characters. So the game is very heavily based on your own decisions which will give each player their own individual experience.

But this is where 999 really starts to grip you in and make this a truly addicting game. Nearly every decision you make is critical to the outcome and while other games may give you certain options like Mass Effect 2 for example, they don't allow you to have as much impact on the entire story as 999 does. Whether you live or die over the course of your nine-hour playthrough, everything could hinge on the most innocent of decisions made around hours 3, or 5, or 7. The doors you select and conversation options you choose can open up entirely new paths for your story to unwind. It's truly amazing to play this game because there are countless possibility's which will always amaze and shock you no matter how many times you play through the game. 999 has six possible endings to achieve and you'll be so engrossed in the mythology, conspiracy theories and the intricate way's in which characters backgrounds are interwoven with one another that you won't be able to let go of your DS for day's.

The majority of your experience with 999 will be spent with other characters in dialogue, as the term "visual novel" suggests. But in-between these sections of dialogue are the actual gameplay portions of the game, Puzzle solving to escape the various traps set up throughout the ship by Zero.

If you've ever played "escape the room" Puzzlers then you'll have a good idea of what to expect here. Junpei will find himself locked in a series of rooms containing challenging puzzles and riddles. Always paired with different teams of characters from the pool of victims, Junpei must solve the puzzles and riddles in each area before he can move on to the next set of tough challenges that stand in his way. This plays out by taking the DS stylus in hand and cycling through each scene, touching items on screen and picking up some items to use as keys and tools. This helps to immerse the player into the story, making it not only a visual experience but also one in which the player can really interact with.

It all works wonderfully well together. Puzzle-solving and exploration has been seen on the DS before, but the tension and terror surrounding the storyline and characters in even the most simplistic of tasks in 999 is absolutely unmatchable by any other game on the market, it has set a new standard for visual novels in the future. If you mess up in 999 you will really feel it, the sense of reward and loss is so strong that it can have you thinking about every decision for long periods of time before actually deciding what to do.

The game is intended to be failed once or twice, forcing the player to use whatever they have learned from their mistakes the first few times around to help guide them through the game, choosing different paths on subsequent runs. The game activates a fast-forward feature which allows you to skip through dialogue you may have already read once or twice, that rarely happens though, and grey's out decisions you have previously selected just in case you can't remember what you choose on other playthrough's.

You would think that by the third playthrough thing's would be less of a mystery, but it's on your third or fourth playthrough when thing's really begin to confuse and twist your mind. No matter what path you choose, however you approach the game, the game will manage to inspire you with an utterly unbelievably brilliant story which comes together in spectacular fashion and is truly a modern-day masterpiece.

I am beginning to make 999 sound like the perfect game and it's really hard not to, but there are some minor faults, nothing big enough to put you off buying this fantastic game, something i strongly encourage you to do if you are a DS owner.

Firstly, there are portions of the game where characters will joke with each other and make snappy comments which is all fine, but when you have 9 hours to live it really takes away a bit of the urgency that each character should be portraying. Some conversations can take up to 15 minutes long which, in the circumstances, is ridiculous considering they have 9 hours before their body explodes leaving them as the ships new paint coat. Also as there is no countdown metre it really doesn't matter how long you take to read dialogue and complete puzzles, if there was a metre it would have forced the [player to rush and in some cases make silly mistakes due to the fact that they are under pressure, something which would really happen in a situation like this. The final thing i didn't really like is how much detail the game uses to explain puzzles and certain areas, it can seem a little too friendly in some areas but all of this is just a small mark on an otherwise outstanding game.

Overall 999: 9 Hours, 9 Persons, 9 Doors is the best game i have ever played on the DS. The twisted, thrilling, frantic, pressurising storyline and plot here is absolutely outstanding. The game is perfect in almost every way, the few minor negative details i touched on are not worth thinking about when considering whether or not to buy this game. This is definitely one of the top 5 best games of the 2010 year.

999: 9 Hours, 9 Persons, 9 Doors is the best Nintendo DS game of all time 10/10

Mario All-Stars Limited Edition Game Review

2010-12-14T22:06:00.000-08:00

For anyone who grew up with Mario, the thought of him turning a quarter of a century old is daunting. Well, Mario has just hit the 25 year mark and Nintendo have decided to celebrate their flagship Mascot's birthday by rewarding fans with Mario All-Stars Limited Edition game package for the Nintendo Wii. It's a repackaging of an old Super Nintendo game with a few extra goodies, but is it worth your money ?.

If you ever owned the original Super Mario All-Stars then you will know exactly what to expect here. This is a collection of the four NES-based Mario games, from Super Mario Bros. 1 to 3, including the addition of "The Lost Levels" (originally in the Japanese version of Super Mario Bros 2). All of the games come in their SNES form with improved visuals and character designs. For any hardcore Mario fans out there this will sound like heaven, however causal fans might need a bit more to capture their interest.

Nintendo were hesitant to change anything and didn't add any additional prompts to help players learn which Wii controls to use at the beginning of the game. The might have been almost too faithful with these ports, even any on-screen directions are displayed with the original SNES Pads which will surely please old-school fans of the franchise. It would have been nice to see Super Mario World included here, it feels like Nintendo took the least expensive route for this release.

Collectively these well known games represent the birth of a genre and a step forward in the gaming industry at the time. It's hard to Imagen how important the original Mario games on the NES were when we see games like Mass Effect 2 and Uncharted 2 entertaining fans, but everything began with an A & B button. These games are classics in every sense of the word, they have stood the test of time because they are just as fun in 2010 as they were on their release date. Even Super Mario Bros 2, which added the strange mechanic of throwing vegetables at an unconventional set of enemies, is a fantastic game in it's own right. There is also Super Mario Bros 3, arguably one of the greatest video games of all time, it's not the pedigree of the games on display here that is in dispute, just the price.

This limited edition package not only includes Super Mario All-Stars (unavailable on the Wii's virtual console) but it also contains a soundtrack and booklet tracing the history of this fantastic franchise. Both are welcomed additions but not nearly as comprehensive as true fans would like to have seen, at a retail value of $29:99.

The surprising thing about the soundtrack included in this package, is that it has 20 music selections from Mario's entire legacy, all the way up to Mario Galaxy. So this might have fans feeling like there is alot on offer here, however the reality sets in when you realise half of the music is just sound effects. It really feels like Nintendo could have done allot more for fans of their top mascot. For example, the sounds can range from the ping of a coin, or the two second sound you here as Mario enters a warp pipe. To label this a selection of 20 soundtracks seems a bit misleading and almost like they are cheating the fans. There are only really 10 arrangements from Mario's past adventures to enjoy on the soundtrack and that's just not good enough in my opinion. The Mario franchise is host to some of the most spectacular music in gaming history, the Mario Galaxy series alone has enough quality material to replace everything on the soundtrack that Nintendo have included. They only included one of these great themes and i found that very poor by Nintendo's standards, i have always been impressed by the amount of detail and effort Nintendo have put into their top franchises, but here i feel slightly let down.

The other huge disappointment is with the booklet tracing Mario's 25 year history. Yet again fans are mislead by the description of a booklet "covering Mario's 25 year history". This really is just a quick look rather than a thorough in-detail look at the legacy of Mario. The book fails to mention anything about Mario's gameboy adventures, his appearances in many other Nintendo games, or even Super Mario World 2, so you begin to understand why i feel a bit ripped-off by Nintendo when they are selling it to me as a book covering Mario's entire 25 year history. Mario has had an enormous influence on the gaming industry and this booklet was the perfect opportunity to display this, but it's just another failed opportunity.

It was impressive that Nintendo managed to gather some of Mario's notable creators including Shigeru Myamato for commentary, however, the remarks are limited to a sentence or two at best in selected games. There is not enough depth here to get exited, it would have been wonderful to hear other creators (outside of Nintendo) talking about how Mario, or Mario games had influenced their careers and thoughts on the gaming industry. It seems like Nintendo took the cheapest and fastest route and it really shows with the bellow average content added alongside some classic game ports. The possibility's here are limitless and fans really deserved a better package than this.

Overall you can't go wrong with the games included in the Mario All-Stars Limited Edition game package, however, the extra content which was really the whole reason to get exited about this package is lacking any real depth or passion. This is something that i could have put together myself with my own computer and i feel very disappointed with the lack of imagination put i9nto the design of this celebration of one of gamings most treasured franchises.

The games are fantastic but the additional content is disappointing 7/10

Fluidity Game Review

2010-12-13T11:49:00.000-08:00

Fluidity is one of the more unique and creative titles to hit WiiWare this year. You play as a body of water, however you don't control this protagonist directly, you help guide and move the water around some delightfully visually impressive worlds by rotating the environment. The game is not a new idea, i still remember playing hand held versions of this concept as a child, but it's refreshing, fun, and a great way to spend a few hours of your day.

Your adventure begins inside the Aquaticus, an enchanted storybook that has been infected with a black goo called the influence, similar to games like the recent Wii hit "Disney's Epic Mickey" or "Mario Sunshine". Unlike the two games i just mentioned Fluidity is a 2D affair, the goal however is still the same, clean up the mess. To do this you will need to hold the Wii remote horizontally and tilt it side to side (exactly like the toy's they make for children) rotating the environment which will cause the water to move in many way's.

The challenge in Fluidity comes from the fact that you can't directly control the fluid. Water moves in many way's and controlling it with precise perfection can be a tricky task, this is what makes Fluidity a challenging but fun experience. Simply watching the water physics in the game is enough to please on it's own, the game looks fantastic and the water manoeuvres through the environmental obstacles almost as you would expect it to in reality. This makes the game feel very real and responsive, as well as providing a great deal of satisfaction every time a new challenge is completed. The only thing i didn't like was the jumping, i never knew water could jump, and in Fluidity the controls for jumping are just awkward and don't really work well. To jump you have to jerk the Wii remote upwards to make the water leap into the air, this gesture control works 50/50 at times, leaving it down to luck most of the time and it would be much more effective if this action was assigned to a button.

As you make your way through the pages of the Aquaticus you gain new ability's such as the three forms of water. These ability's will allow you to do thing's like gather all your liquid into a ball and make transporting yourself around the environment much easier. You will also be able to stick to walls as an ice block, or float around as a steam cloud. They are very simple ability's but they manage to mix up the action enough to keep thing's interesting and fun, also adding new challenges for the various ability's.

There are four chapters in the Aquaticus, each containing several pages. Throughout these pages are hidden Rainbow Drops which must be recovered in order to save the book. For example, you may need to get a Rainbow Drop behind a door, but the only way to open the door is to manoeuvre the missing mechanic back to the door in order to get it working again. With the obstacles in the way this is obviously a hard task to complete, but one that is extremely rewarding.

There are many other secrets to find other than Rainbow Drops, for example, if you find enough hidden puzzle-pieces in one chapter you can unlock a mini-game (or "playroom") that you can play at any time.

Visually the game is fantastic. The whole game is presented in the style of a storybook, the menu, boss fight's, everything and it works very well. The colours are bold and help bring the world to life and with the great physics everything just seems to fit very well together in one neat little package.

Overall i think Fluidity is one of the best games on WiiWare right now and definitely a game that would please anyone with a Nintento Wii. It's fun, challenging, and beautifully presented.

Fluidity is a great package 7/10

TRON: Evolution Game Review

2010-12-07T21:15:00.000-08:00

TRON is a movie franchise that should have great video games, however, the usual tie-in movie games with the release of a big budget film have disappointed gamers in recent years so what can we expect from TRON: Evolution.

TRON: Evolution fills the gap between the original 1982 film and the upcoming sequel. You play as a system monitor who is trying to stop Clu's rise to power. It's a third-person action adventure game with allot of Parkour (just think of Mirror's Edge) and combat. Although it's not as good as any of these games it's sort of a mix between Mirror's Edge, Assassin's Creed, and Prince of Persia, but glow-in-the-dark. If you are a big TRON fan then you might find the story rather interesting considering it explains what happened to Flynn and expands on the TRON universe while answering a few questions, but it's nothing ground-breaking. Also the very sexy woman from House MD "13" does all the voice work, that was the thing i enjoyed most about this game to be honest.

The world looks pretty amazing on first glance, a futuristic neon glow is always going to catch the eye, but after that you realise it's just pretty much the same thing over and over again and it looses it's charm. There is a slight change later in the game but simply changing from blue to orange, or blue to green is not much of an aesthetic change at all.

The stiff animations prevent the awesome moves from looking, well, awesome. It's really a shame that the animations feel stiff and sloppy because there are some spectacular moves here which would have looked absolutely fantastic if only they were animated correctly. Whenever i did pull-off a move which looked great, the poor camera angles would cause me to miss it and it's really frustrating at times.

For anyone who is lucky enough to get one of the new fancy 3D TV's this Christmas, you will be pleased to know that TRON: Evolution supports 3D. Sadly the 3D effects are terrible, all they do is slow down framerate and make characters seem as if they are floating off the actual world. The cut-scenes aren't even in 3D and it just feels like a gimmick used to help sales, the game is dreadful in 3D to put it as plane as possible.

The wall running death defying leaps and magnetic ziplining all look crazy at first, but after a few hours the become very boring and do little to satisfy the player. The game usually just boils down to "find the only glowing thing in the world and run towards it" at times the game just feels like it's playing it'self. There is very little here that left me feeling rewarded or satisfied and i just wanted the experience to be over after a while.

Combat is a mix between melee attacks and light disc throws. You can pull-off some combos and special moves but most of the time you will find yourself just mindlessly button mashing, as it's all you can really do. Playing on hard is the only way the game forces you to develop a strategy, but even then you are just button mashing and running around in circles to refill your special attack metre.

In addition to the constant wall running and combat you can jump into the Light Cycle and Light Tank. These sequences are sprinkled throughout the game. The Light Cycles are quite fun and i did look forward to each one popping up, but there is only one type of level, escape from exploding stuff, it feels like a waste of TRON's most iconic element. It was fun the first time but with each level containing the same concept, it just gets tiresome, in fact the whole game is just tiresome. The Light Tank is slow, clunky, lethargic, and not even worth thinking about.

Multiplayer is where the game finally feels like TRON and might possibly be the only reason to consider buying this game. You can compete in Death Match style Grid Games, as well as Light Cycle based events. This is where you get to play Light Cycle Games the way they where supposed to be played, having a 10 player Light Cycle match is just down right insane at times and definitely the most enjoyable thing about this game. The modes seem to work better as team-based modes rather than free-for-all. There are smaller maps which don't allow the Light Cycle, but nothing beats the bigger maps.

Overall TRON: Evolution is a terrible single player experience, however, a fun multiplayer portion of the game might just be enough to keep TRON fans happy. The single player is poorly made and just feels like a sloppy add on for the multiplayer section. The multiplayer on the other hand is very fun and although there is not allot on offer it will keep you entertained for a few good weeks.

TRON: Evolution is a very poorly made game with a fun multiplayer 5/10

Red Dead Redemption Game Review

2010-12-06T20:36:00.000-08:00

The American West is the setting for many great movies and novels, but when it comes to video games this setting has been ignored or overlooked. Rockstar, the team behind the phenomenally successfully "Grand Theft Auto" franchise, have decided to give this setting the time and credit that it truly deserves by offering fans a Grand Theft Auto-like experience in the wild west. Red Dead Redemption sets the standards extremely high for future westerns, no developer has approached this time period in the video game industry with as much passion and heart as Rockstar clearly have and this is the reason we are looking at the best western game ever made.

One of the main achievement's Rockstar has managed to pull-off in Red Dead Redemption is the authenticity of America's history. Allot of delicate modern-day issues like racism, immigration, federal government power, and personal freedoms are in Red Dead and Rockstar has an uncanny ability to hold a mirror up to society and remind us all that these issues are deep within the history of America.

Rather than preaching politics to you, Red Dead Redemption places you in the shoes of the fairly neutral John Marston. Marston, a former outlaw gone straight has found out that history has a way of catching up with you. Those who were once his friends have now become enemies, leaving Marston alone in these cruel, harsh, lawless lands to fight for his and his family's survival. While this may sound slightly cliché, the game is anything but cliché and provides one of the most enriching stories and plot twists you will ever see in a video game.

The outstanding storyline of Red Dead Redemption will take you across a massive landscape that straddles the U.S and Mexican border. Along the way you will meet a cast of fantastic supporting characters as Marston attempts to see this world for what it truly is. These supporting characters are absolutely phenomenal at times and really give the land a unique variety of wonderfully well-thought-out life, to make this experience feel as real as possible. On top of this the voice acting and dialogue are as impressive as a top-budget Hollywood movie. Red Dead Redemption also provides a shattering climax which manages to force emotion onto the player and really makes you feel like this was more than a game you just spend countless hours of your life with.

The game is roughly 20 hours long, but with a huge landscape and so much variety in side-quests, exploration, creatures inhabiting the land, and just allot of extras outside the main storyline, players will likely spend over 100 hours with this game.

Red Dead Redemption simply offers one huge fulfilling package, rarely these day's do you see a game offer so much content. It's almost tradition in modern gaming to release a half-full title and then release the rest of what should have been in the starting content as DLC (Downloadable Content), more money is the most important thing on the game developers minds. The likes of Halo and Modern Warfare (Call of Duty) come to mind, but Rockstar have truly outdone themselves and given fans more than expected in this package and they really should be praised for supporting and rewarding their fans, it really makes you feel like Rockstar appreciate the fans.

Herding cattle and breaking Mustangs (a Horse), taking down outlaws for bounty (dead or alive), treasure hunting, sharpshooting challenges, playing horse shoes or poker, or Epic shootouts at gang hideouts are just a few of the side-missions and events that take place in the wild west of Red Dead Redemption. Yet again Rockstar have proved they are the king of sand-box games. There is also the Rockstar Social Club (a free online community which connects to the game) offering additional challenges and leaderboards to encourage even more replay value. If you are looking for a game which will last you months and months, this is definitely it.

Something i loved about the world of Read Dead was, as soon as you begin to make a name for yourself the world adapts and changes with your fame. Rather than having pre-set conditions which would make the game feel pre-determined, this allows for a much more personal experiences and makes you feel like your story is your own. The question of ethics and morality is left up to the player, if you want to be a drunk who robs stagecoaches and assaults women, that's entirely your prerogative. On the other hand you could do the honourable thing and help out the needy, while not beating women to a pulp, but that doesn't sound fun. Though some events can not be decided, the majority of people, places, and outcomes are all up to you so feel free to take the high or low road on your journey. There is a little morality metre, alongside a separate fame bar which tracks your actions and the citizens you come across will begin to react to your renown. It's a system which allows allot of freedom and rewards you for exploring it.

Just as with Rockstar's famed franchise "Grand Theft Auto" Red Dead Redemption is more than likely going to ruffle a few feathers. Several of the actions at your disposal will be considered indecent by some and cause allot of controversee, this is why i personally love Rockstar and stand by them. They constantly push everything g to the extreme and they are not afraid to show the reality of a situation or the truth behind a religion, country, or race of people.

But all this is left up to the player and as it turns out there isn't just allot to do, there's allot to see. With every corner you turn having a new surprise. Birds come squawking out of bushes as your Horse rides by, Trains whistle while storms fill the ground with puddles and turn the dry desert dirt and sand into pools of slushy wet mud. You might run into a gang of robbers in the middle of robbing a poor woman's carriage or one of those one-hit kill annoying Cougars might rush up on your Horse and knock you off, it's almost impossible to get up in time before the Cougar returns with a second deadly blow, this time on you. The world is simply bursting with believable life and events taking place.

Walking through town will deliver some sights of it's own. You might walk past a drunk assaulting a prostitute, as hilarious as this is, you can help her if you want to. You might also see a lynch mob dragging some poor soul through the dusty main street in the town, or someone who has caught wind of your fame and has come looking for a duel with you.

The most impressive thing though can just be hopping on a Horse and riding through this western sand-box, it's extremely addictive and down right fun to take some time off the main game and just go riding. Red Dead Redemption is an absolutely gorgeous game with an extreme attention to detail. The art direction, particularly the colour pallet and geology is superb and something to be admired and appreciated on it's own, I don't know how Rockstar managed to capture the wild west with as much perfection as they did but i am so happy they found a way. Exactly the right amount of red is used to make the dusty hills come to life, the sunsets look breathtaking, and the purple mountains call out with the majesty their known for. It's easy to stick a few hills in a video game and let players explore them, but what Rockstar have managed to do here is make players want to explore these hills because of the detail and presentation they have put into them. Very rarely do game developers spend as much time and effort on the game outside of the main focuses, but here Rockstar have yet again shown us why they are the best. The areas you can explore are dotted with towns, ruins, and other places which feel uniquely crafted to fit this landscape. Just ride towards a sunset while listening to the soundtrack and you'll feel like you've been transported to an entirely different world.

None of the animations in the game are canned creating some awesome outcomes every time you explore the wastelands. The animations also animate with almost near perfection, a bandit being dragged from a Horse by a robe or falling from a Horse and getting his foot caught in a stirrup looks fantastic. Shooting a bandits hat will cause it to fly off his head and if you shoot a specific body area which is not life threatening, the bandit will react by holding his arm or stumbling if shot in his leg ect.

Some people may describe Red Dead Redemption as Grand Theft Auto in the Wild West" and in some sense they are correct. Many of the same presentational elements used in the GTA universe are used in Red Dead as well, the included extended conversations while riding to a mission location, the layout of the mini-map, and the way the overall game controls feel extremely similar to a GTA game. However, all these familiar elements have been greatly improved and Rockstar did a fantastic job at selecting just the elements of GTA games which worked and adapting them to a western setting. GTA veterans will feel right at home here. It's a good thing that this game feels allot like a GTA game, not a bad thing and it's so much more than just Grand Theft Auto in a western setting.

The Dead Eye slow motion effect makes you feel like a real gunslinger. The confluence of a huge open-world setting and turn of the century technology offer the perfect mix of civilization and wilderness as well as a greater emphasis of ambient missions and random encounters make the west seem as wild and untamed as any actor could portray it in a Hollywood movie.

Outside of slightly dodgy Horse controls, everything here feels great. The Targeting Assist option when shooting can make gameplay slightly easy but without it the game would be too hard in certain areas. The cover system feels spot-on and shooting feels just as satisfying as a Call of Duty game.

Even after you have beaten Read Dead Redemption and completed 100% of the side missions there is still plenty to keep you entertained for countless hours. The game continues online with cooperative and competitive modes for up to 16 players simultaneously. The competitive action includes team and free-for-all game types including standard shootouts and a capture the flag style game. These can be quite fun and will keep you interested for a while, especially considering each match begins with a classic pistol-draw duel witch each player lining up with another standing directly across from you. These little shootouts were actually more fun than they competitive game modes on offer and it would have been nice to just select this as a mode on it's own.

The real reason to keep coming back to Red Dead Redemption for months and months, possibly a full year is the Free Roam mode. This is a sort of game lobby which has been turned into a game it'self, Free Roam allows up to 16 players to jump into and explore the entirety of the single-player world map, and the map is absolutely huge. If you stray away from a group of friends it can take a long time to catch back up to them again. You can form posses and take part in little skirmishes, Shoot each other in the face (or genitalia), assault bandit hideouts and forts as a team, or just ride across the countryside as a team while taking part in the various challenges on offer. I found it particularly enjoyable when 2 groups of friends who had formed a large posse each would attempt to attach each other and it would end up feeling like a real western movie, hunting down the other gangs in the world and taking them out one by one as they flea when they realise they are no match for you.

There is a wide range of distractions from the single-player game here, as well as a whole set of extra little challenges to complete. By completing these missions, killing other players, or playing in competitive games you can gain experience points to level up and unlock new modes and better mounts to ride from Horses to Buffaloes to Zebra Donkey's, the variety and depth on offer here is truly amazing. Free Roam is essential just a whole new game on it's own and it would be worth the full price of the game it'self, it's really that good.

There are new DLC packs which add even more variety, modes, missions, animals, weapons and items to this beautifully created game, but to be honest the starting package has more content than you ever need in a video game.

Overall Red Dead Redemption is just simply breathtaking and is a true gaming masterpiece. The world is alive with so much creativity and feels unique will capturing reality it'self. The characters and animations are perfection and there are not enough words to describe how great this game is.

Why are you still reading this, go buy Red Dead Redemption now 10/10

Nail'd Game Review

2010-12-02T22:28:00.000-08:00

Nail'd is an off-road arcade style racer which focuses on speed and chaos rather than real physics. We have seen this in recent racing games like Pure and the Motorstorm franchise, but the majority of modern-day racing games focus on realistic physics and arcade racing fans have been left with little to cheer about. Nail'd is the latest arcade-racer to hit the market and although it's not perfect, it's extremely fun.

The games setup is very simple, the main focus is on Career Mode, where you can race with either an ATV or MX Bike where you can race through several leagues and courses in quest of winning the Nail'd Championship. Most races consist of 3 laps around a course, however, Nail'd will sometimes mix the action up a bit, "mutators" add quirks such as infinite boosts, or no collision with other drivers to races. Or there are Stunt Challenges were you will have to complete tracks within a specific time while performing some of the many impressive tricks to gain a high score. There is a great deal of variety with the tricks, however, something as stupid as running another player off a track can be considered a trick which is a bit strange. The game also contains multiplayer racing for up to 12 players at one time, this will likely be the portion of the game which will hold players interests for a long time.

The object of Nail'd is not to precisely turn corners with perfection, avoid collisions, and perfect your race. The object of Nail'd is to complete your race in the fastest time possible, while managing to pull off the most chaotic moves in frantic and thrilling situations. There is nothing more thrilling than hitting a ramp at a thousand miles an hour and avoiding hot air balloons that block your way. If you are looking for a realistic racing experience, then look somewhere else. Nail'd is the complete opposite of a game like Forza or Gran Turismo. Nail'd is just pure arcade adrenaline fun at it's best. You will more or less always be in control of your bike or ATV leading to crazy moments of in-air manoeuvring and blood-rushing moments of insane and unreal jumps.

One of the biggest disappointments for me was the wreck and respawn system which just doesn't work as intended, rather than keeping you on course, the respawn system will often lead you astray. The games momentum is ruined because there is no indication of what is acceptable here, you will find your'self exploding after landing in an area from a jump which seemed to be part of the track. When i play an arcade-style racer i never look for realism, but when my vehicle explodes with the slightest touch from anything off the track i find it to be really cheap.

The multiplayer was slightly disappointing as well, i found that the courses were the reason i beat my fellow competitors rather than my actual racing skills. The main problem i have with Nail'd (as a Huge Pure fan) is that it doesn't deliver anything new or unique and whatever it does deliver is average. I would much rather play Pure again or even one of the games in the Motorstorm franchise because they have the depth and unique additions that Nail'd lacks.

Overall Nail'd is not a bad game at all, it's quite fun and players will have a decent experience. However, if you have played any of the recent modern-day arcade-style racers such as Pure or Motorstorm, you will be very disappointed with the lack of inventive unique additions to this game genre. The game is poorly made in certain areas and feels like an out of date title.

Nail'd is a fairly good arcade-style racer suffering from too many problems 5.5/10

Splatterhouse Game Review

2010-12-01T21:56:00.000-08:00

The development of Splatterhouse was originally given to Mark of Kri developers Bottlerocket Entertainment back in 2007. Namco snatched the title away early last year and gave it to the team behind 2008's Afro Samurai game. After 4 long years we can finally play Splatterhouse, but was it worth the wait ?, no.

Splatterhouse starts off more or less the same as the classic 80's arcade hit original, protagonist Rick is lying in a pool of his own blood as Dr. West drags his girl friend Jen away. An ancient mask offers Rick a deal, put on the mask and destroy Dr. West and all his creations, if this is done Rick will save his girl friend Jen. From then on the game is pretty much a bad VHS horror movie gone wrong from the 80's.

Splatterhouse rolls around in Lovecraftian themes that feel pretty tired in 2010, but the games slightly goofy sensibility takes the edge off of this somewhat. The game does nothing new and feels standard at best. The game follows the basics for a traditional third-person action game, light and heavy attacks, upgrades and better combos, quicktime kill moves, and hordes of pawn-like enemies followed by one oversized tougher enemy. This is the standard layout for a game like this and Splatterhouse doesn't even attempt to add it's own unique feeling or twist on this traditional layout for a third-person action game.

The gameplay is not bad, it's just not that good and with an extremely poor framrate on top of this, it really feels like a poor job. On top of the poor framrate are technically flawed camera angles which add nothing but frustration and annoyance to the players experience. The framerate problems hurt the already slow and unresponsive controls which plague the game, as well as the camera issues creating problems such as cheap hits from enemies you can't see. The game feels like it is still in productions and not like a finished product, it's a sloppy final product which gamers will be very disappointed with.

The side-scrolling sections of the game, reminiscent of the original classic from the 80's, really had me exited when i first heard about them. Sadly, all the issues in the rest of the game are carried through into these sections. Slamming a 2x4 into hordes of enemies works just fine, but the timing-based hazard puzzles are a chore with laggy analog stick response, and jumping feels like gravity is non-existent. Towards the end of the game the platforming sections are brought over into the third-person portions of the game and fares just as poorly, adding infuriating instant death moments which take away any of the fun or enjoyment that the game could possibly have left.

There is no doubting the fact that Splatterhouse is attempting to appeal to a particular type of audience, with it's over the top gore. The game has more blood and body parts flying all over the place than any game i have played in recent memory but while this will no doubt impress people visually, the games gameplay mechanics and control issues are too big of a disappointment to ignore. Players will be able to treat enemies very badly, enemies can be disembowelled, decapitated, beaten with their own severed limbs (or yours), ripped in half, impaled, and sodomized with spikes and other objects including Rock's fists. So anyone with a sick mind is going to have many sadistic way's to entertain their mind for hours.

About half way through the game, Splatterhouse begins to recycle the same enemies and themes over and over until the point you feel like the developers just ran out of ideas. The music is okay but just feels like it was a late decisions, crammed in to appeal to the metal crowds and doesn't seem there was allot of thought put into the selection of tracks. The graphics are okay and the blood and gore effects do look quite good, but it's nothing you haven't already seen a million times before.

Sadly this is all there is to Splatterhouse. It's an old-school classic which has failed to cross over into the modern day gaming era, There is nothing new, inventive, unique, or moderately satisfying here. without any real care or passion it seems the developers have created a mediocre, at best, game.

Splatterhouse is a boring game suffering from a lack of passion 4/10

MotionSports Kinect Game Review

2010-11-28T20:48:00.000-08:00

With a less than impressive line-up for the launch of Microsoft's Kinect, a system which uses motion sensing technology, MotionSports Kinect is just one of many games which fails to impress. Ubisoft's MotionSports features six different sports that are broken down into various challenges. The big problem is MotionSports fails to deliver the accurate, engaging, and enjoyable experience that Kinect Sports provides.

In MotionSports your real body movements are mapped onto your on-screen character, using the Kinect technology. You'll compete in various challenges, set in a variety of sports such as football, skiing, soccer, boxing, hand gliding, and horseback riding. The list of sports contains some familiar well-known sports, but there are some strange additions here. Even stranger is how the challenges in each sport don't seem to represent the sport very well. For example, playing football (American) will consist of you running down a pitch avoiding tackles and throwing the odd pass, rather than actually playing a game of football.

The majority of challenges in each sport don't control well, especially the running challenges and kicking challenges in the football and soccer sections. In the football category you will have to duck and doge tackles or high hurdles, but on numerous occasions i would duck and nothing would happen. The controls feel poor and unresponsive at best. At times you will have to completely fall to the ground before it will read your body movement, even then it's not consistent.

Boxing, the sport i was most looking forward to, was the biggest disappointment. I would throw punch combinations and find nothing happening on screen, at times the only way to fight was to throw the same type of punch (jab) over and over just to get any kind of contact on your opponent. This made the game feel extremely repetitive and really frustrating.

The structure of MotionSports seems non-existent at times. The majority of the game is unlocked from the start and whatever is not unlocked, has no explanation on how to be unlocked. The game doesn't explain anything to you and it just feels like a lazy approach. It might be easy to work out that winning medals and performing well will unlock new items, but it would still have been nice to have some sort of indicator for the unlocks available in the game. The game dosen't even give you any indication of what challenges you have already completed.

These frustrations and annoyances extend throughout the game into the design, including the commentary. Although the announcer has a great amount of energy, his pre-canned lines will often play out at the wrong times. Sometimes the game would even address me (the player) as the wrong sex. These types of embarrassing and lazy mistakes really make the game feel like one big gimmick, for an even bigger motion sensing gimmick.

At least there are some fun reasons to spend time with this game. The hand gliding stages are much more accurate than the others and they can actually be quite fun to play. The hang gliding challenges will have to manoeuvres through a series of aerial gates while maintaining speed and altitude. This mini-game requires a delicate touch and was surprisingly refreshing compared to the rest of the game.

The horseback riding was also quite accurate and provided an enjoyable experience for a short time, it will take precise input to proceed throughout the course and eventually complete. The main thing with all these game modes is that after a while, they are just not fun any more. They all begin to feel repetitive and boring.

Most challenges in MotionSports have multiplayer, which also includes split-screen options for certain events and four-player hot seat options for others. The hot seat section is poorly organized and doesn't even indicate which player should be stepping up to take a shot. The whole game is like this and it's just disappointing.

Overall i was extremely disappointed with MotionSports Kinect. The game has very little variety and feels extremely rushed and lazy. There is no rewarding satisfaction to be had here and it will likely only entertain small kids. The game is really not worth your money and it all seems like one big gimmick for the Kinect motion sensing technology, which is not even impressive in this game. The controls are poor and frustrating and if you really want a sports game for Kinect, there is always Kinect Sports.

MotionSports Kinect is bad 2/10

Disney Epic Mickey Game Review

2010-11-25T20:19:00.001-08:00

Mickey Mouse was once an icon loved by all, he was in countless animated films and shorts, even some great video games. His fall from grace has seen his reputation slowly taken away from him, he is no longer the household name which captured the hearts of everyone back in his early days. Mickey is more of a corporate symbol these days, rather than an actual character. He is on merchandise all over the world but he has been in fewer films and he has had a notable absence from the video game industry for quite a while now. It's a shame to see a once beloved character reduced to this, however, Disney Epic Mickey may just be his ticket back to the top.

In developing Disney Epic Mickey, Warren Spector and his newly-formed Junction Point team sought out to recapture the magical feeling Mickey used to portray. The game manages to show one thing above all else, Mickey is just as capable, if not more, at supporting a Pixar-like adventure which not only amazes us with it's spectacle and design but tugs at our heart with it's strong character development and remarkable love for Disney lore. While there is allot holding this game back from being a truly great game, the passion the developers clearly had while making this game is enough to provide us with an utterly brilliant story and some delightful nostalgic moments worth our money.

Much of Epic Mickey's strong characterisation comes from someone other than Mickey himself, Oswald, though not exactly the villain of the game, is one of the most memorable characters Mickey will encounter on his journey. Oswald is ruling over a warped world called Wasteland.

In the opening cinematic our hero's curiosity gets the better of him, he damages a magical world with powerful paint and thinner chemicals. Mickey runs away, unaware of the lives in the Wasteland that he has effected. Months later Mickey's actions come back to haunt him, the Phantom Blot (a creature unleashed during the accident) seeks out Mickey and pulls him into the Wasteland. Mickey eventually realises he must destroy this creature in order to correct all chaos he created in the Wasteland.

Mickey begins to discover the dark depressing truths about the Wasteland, the Wasteland acts as a place where all the forgotten, unappreciated, overlooked characters from Disney's lore have been forced to live. This is an absolutely great way of bringing back these characters from the past, it makes you see these amazing characters as real people and you almost feel sorry for them. Oswald ( the Rabbit) is the leader of these forgotten souls and his evolution as a character not only adds to the story, but helps enhance Mickey's status as a hero. The emotion felt in this story is truly remarkable, the game developers manage to make you feel real sympathy for the characters who have been overshadowed their whole career and it's on par with any of Pixar's offerings. This world will appeal to all ages, the characters will attract young and old and the level designs and just fantastic.

It's really disappointing to see a lack of in-game voice acting in the Wasteland, we all know the voice of Mickey and although there are some terrific cut-scenes in full CG it does feel lazy that in-game we are reduced to only subtitles and a few charming noises..

Powerhouse Animation (an outside studio) created the 2D retro-inspired cut-scenes that typically introduce a new world, quests or concepts. These cut-scenes are fantastic and really capture and enhance the games feeling. These animated clips manage to produce some of the best acting, character development, and animation i have ever seen. It really does impress when you see Mickey's many emotions and expressions, but even more impressive, each character seems to have just as much detail and work done as the main character which is amazing. The way Powerhouse manages to precisely hit comedic notes with consistency is truly exceptional.

The idea behind the paint and thinner concept in the game is clever, but does have consequences. You might wish to manipulate the world in various ways, however, only pre-determined areas can be manipulated which may make the game feel extremely linear to some players, you can also only paint something into existence which has already existed. The biggest problem is the game seems to forget what you have changed if you leave an area, and when the game focuses on the consequences and actions theme, it's problematic that it seems to forget such important changes.

Bosses can effect this world as well. Depending on how you approach one, not only will the gameplay of the boss fight and the rewards you receive change, but it will also have an impact on the way the world eventually heals towards the end of the 15 hour experience. For example, using thinner may be the easiest way out of a conflict, but that character will then not be able to help rebuild the Wasteland. Ultimately effecting the final cut-scene cinematic which reflects you're choices throughout Mickey's journey.

The camera control is awkward at best, it will cause allot of unnecessary deaths and at times it can be very frustrating. In the early stages of the game it's not really a big problem, but when the game gets harder and level design requires much more precise control, it can cause allot of problems. The camera is definitely the biggest complaint i have with this game but it's the only thing i didn't like about the game that actually frustrated me, other than this i found the game an absolute delight to play through.

Discovering new environments and finding hidden treasures is a satisfying experience which will leave players feeling extremely rewarded. It's a blast to discover corners of the world which can be erased, help inhabitants, or just simply explore.

Combat is not great, but not bad. There is a lock-on-target system which works well in one on one situations, but with multiple enemies on screen it can become confused far too easy and become more of a disadvantage than an advantage. This is mainly down to, yet again, the poor camera issues.

Thankfully the camera and control issues are the only downside to this remarkable experience. Disney Epic Mickey is graphically, a beautiful game. The developers took a page from Super Mario Galaxy, focusing on a style which was expressive and worked well within the Wii's limited capability's. The minimalistic aesthetic associated with cartoons helps a great deal, and the imaginative recreations of famous Disney attractions helps prevent the game feeling bland.

While most of the game will take place in the Wasteland, Junction Point was eager to embrace Disney's history with Mickey and Oswald's earliest "Black and White" days. This brings me to my favourite thing about this game, the 2D platforming levels that link sections of the game together are some of the most enjoyable sections of the game. It looks phenomenal to see these 2D black and white classic locations brought to life, they feel very nostalgic and carry with them their own personal charm which will capture the hearts of anyone lucky enough to play through them. Locations like OsTown or the Big Easy are what make these 2D platforming moments truly magical, i would actually prefer the whole game to be made this way.

Even the music in Disney Epic Mickey manages to recapture the magical feeling of the past, while finding a new fresh direction which makes it feel uniquely it's own. Composer Jim Dooley, who worked on The Simpsons Movie, will no doubt impress hardcore Disney fans with his ability to twist classic Disney themes and make them feel more suitable in Oswald's Wasteland world. Junction Point have managed to give life to the forgotten, disregarded, overshadowed Disney characters and make them stars in their own right.

Overall i was blown away by the level of passion which is so obvious throughout this game. The characters are absolutely fantastic, the game looks and sounds amazing and the poor camera and control issues are hardly noticed due to the fact everything else has been done to perfection.

Disney Epic Mickey is a magical experience 9/10

Donkey Kong Country Returns Game Review

2010-11-24T22:00:00.000-08:00

The reason that Nintendo are able to compete with their rivals (Sony, Microsoft) is the fantastic catalogue of games based off their many successful franchises. Donkey Kong is the latest character from our childhood to make a "HD return". Donkey Kong Country Returns is an almost perfect remake of one of Nintendo's classics and with nothing to complain about, other than the brutal difficulty, fans will be ecstatic with this latest choice from the Nintendo archives to receive a High Definition remake.

The developers seem to have approached this game with old-school values, mixed in with new-school techniques to appeal to modern fans. It is a game made with love, you can really see the passion the developers had for this franchise and the final product is phenomenal, it joins New Super Mario Bros and Kirby's Epic Yarn as a modern day 2D classic.

With the power of the Wii, the prerendered graphics style has been replaced with real-time visuals. Other than this change, Donkey Kong Country Returns plays almost identical to the NES classic we all know and love, Donkey Kong Country. The game feels fresh, new, clean, and everything the original did, for the new generation. DK's banana horde has been swiped and his jungle buddies hypnotized by a new troupe of bad guys. Unlike the original, Donkey Kong Country Returns makes it clear why a giant banana horde has been stolen and although purists may be disappointed with the omission of the original cast of baddies, this is what makes DKCR's it's own unique experience. The new cast of baddies and bosses are just as imaginative and creative as the originals, in some cases even more.

Retro Studios stuck very close to the blueprint laid out by Rose in the Super Nintendo Original, so many of the levels stayed within the restrictions of the classic designs. For people who played the original it might feel a little underwhelming, i did expect allot of big changes, but after a while i couldn't complain about anything in this masterful game.

With every completed challenge, the player will feel more and more satisfaction. The game gets better with every step you take on you're journey through this chaotic jungle. Levels begin to get more creative and start to expand on the basics laid out in the beginning. The first 5 worlds will have you enjoying the game as a High Definition version of you're favourite childhood memory, but after world 5 you will be enjoying the thrill of every new experience that lurks around each corner. The classic run and jump, barrel-blasting gameplay is enhanced with the traditional mine cart runs, but Retro added their own take with rocket barrel runs where you'll have to navigate through hazards simply by boosting up or falling down.

The one thing i initially realized was that Donkey Kong Country Returns is the opposite to the highly successful, Kirby's Epic Yarn. While that game is easy to access for new comers and will encourage and help you, DKCR''s feels like an extremely punishingly tough test for hardcore platformer fans. If you are attracted by the pretty visuals, delightful characters, and creative environments then this might fool you into having an extremely frustrating experience. This game is brutally hard and is made for experienced gamers who were addicted to the original back in the day. There is nothing wrong with a game that presents an extremely difficult challenge, i personally welcome the challenge as it makes the game last longer and feel all the more satisfying after you beat it.

The only way to complete the game 100% is to collect all the pick-ups (KONG letters and puzzle pieces) in each level. On top of this, each level has a time trial which can become addictive to try and beat, especially considering the high difficulty. Running through these levels as fast as you can is frantic, thrilling, and tense.

The game doesn't completely discourage new comers with it's difficulty as it incorporates the very successful "auto play" feature which was welcomed in recent games like New Super Mario Bros and Super Mario Galaxy 2. After you find you're self stuck at a certain area, you gain the ability to let the game play for you. It's a great addition because players like myself who will complete a game by their self without any help can just choose to skip this option every time, but for players who just want to advance and keep enjoying the game the feature will serve as a valuable tool throughout their journey.

Something is was disappointed with was the fact that you can only play as Diddy Kong in co-op, if you are the second player. In single player mode, Diddy is relegated to a power-up status. I love the way the Diddy mechanic forces you to change between the two, allowing for new game mechanics. It would have been nice to take the little monkey out with his big loveable brother at times but it's just a small thing i miss in this outstanding game.

The game plays with the Wii remote exclusively, or the Wii remote/Nunchuk paring. I found the Wii remote on it's own to control much smoother and precise than both controllers together. Depending on which direction is being pressed, the game will require some waggle motions for such thing's as ground stomps, or quick rolls. These were quite annoying as it never feels fully under you're control, i would constantly be having cheap deaths with these situations and it was frustrating.

Retro also added a few new gameplay mechanics to the standard Donkey Kong Country design. Climbing is the main and this makes sense considering what Donkey Kong is, you can climb on grassy areas simply by holding a button. There are some absolutely great levels designed to combine the platforming gameplay with the climbing and it all works extremely well together. The other mechanic, blowing, just seems out of place. You can blow by holding down and waggling the controller, making DK blow breath. This blow mechanic can be used to blow items and obstacles out of the way to advance or discover hidden treasures. This mechanic feels a bit unnecessary and at times distracted me from the game, looking for new objects that i was able to blow.

Each of the 8 full worlds are filled with action, but the most impressive thing about them is the way they look. The game is visually outstanding, the character animations are phenomenal and the vibrant colourful environments are just a pleasure to play through.

Overall Donkey Kong Country Returns is a modern day masterpiece. It brings back all the fantastic memories we have of the original classic, improving and bettering them. The game is one of the best looking games i have ever seen on the Wii and with the perfect gameplay and challenging levels, this game is truly one of the best platformers of the year.

Donkey Kong Country Returns is absolutely fantastic 9.5/10

Majin and The Forsaken Kingdom Game Review

2010-11-23T21:41:00.000-08:00

The one memory you will likely take from Majin and The Forsaken Kingdom, is the abysmal voice work for the loveable monster protagonist. While the game it'self is rather fun and provides a fair deal of variety, the constant child like phrases that you have to listen to, become repetitive and annoying.

The games story is told through beautifully designed 2D cut-scenes, it begins with Majin who has failed to fulfil his duties as a protector. A hundred years ago, Darkness infected the kingdom's leaders and plagued the countryside., causing the death and destruction of almost everything and everyone. You play as a young thief in the present day who has the ability, much like Dr. Doolittle, to communicate with Animals. You meet Majin in a sad way, tied up and left to starve in a castle, the nameless thief rescues Majin and the pair team up to take on four Dark Generals and the King, with the hope of restoring the land to the way it was.

Although you can't climb on Majin and catch a ride, you do get to control everything he does. Issuing commands is very easy, Majin is essentially a well trained dog and he'll follow, attack, eat to replenish his health, wait or crouch for you. After he regains some of his lost skills, you can command him to use them on enemies, or specific parts of the environment to open up new areas. Majin is fairly obedient but his clumsiness can sometimes leave you feeling frustrated.

With the giant stripped of his former powers, you'll fight to locate massive berries which will recharge his strength, stamina, and abilities of fire, wind, lightning and purification. Throughout you're journey together, there will be various types of darkness-infected creatures to survive. Killing enemies releases gems which level up the thief and help strengthen the bond between the two heroes. There are some cool finishing moves which depend on how strong the bond is, this is the reason to battle and work together.

Combat is fairly simple, hacking and slashing is assigned to one button and then two other buttons are used to unleash a more powerful lunge. If you can sneak up on an enemy undetected, you can finish them with one devastating blow. You'll likely have a hard time defending you're self against the darkness in the early stages of the game before you have levelled up the young thief. If you're health is lowered you will be covered in dark matter until you die, death however is not a final end, you're giant furry pal will have a short amount of time to bring you back from the darkness of death. The frustrating thing is Majin focuses on fighting more than helping you, so it can become really annoying when you really need him and he is more interested in an enemy.

There is never a dull moment on the battlefield and you'll constantly be fighting for you're life. One of the thing's i personally really enjoyed was the way the game introduced various enemies with different fighting styles. You will fight many strange thing's such as weird bat-like creatures, as well as archers and all of these enemies will provide a tough test.

Battling is only one part of the action. Each area incorporates some light puzzle elements, like reaching a switch to open a door to acquire some delicious berries for Majin. Unlike the great deal of variety and effort put into the enemies, the puzzles seem too standard and there is really nothing unique here, expect to pull allot of switches. There was only one puzzle, towards the end of the game, which caused me any real trouble. The map lists how many treasures and hidden items are in each area, i loved this, it was like collecting the riddler's clues in Arkham Asylum. When you know how much to look for, it makes the search and discovery feel exiting and satisfying.

The bosses in the games also incorporate a puzzle element to them, you can never defeat them with brute force. It was actually really strange though, the bosses got easier as the game went on, instead of harder. With only 5 big challenges it really feels like a disappointment considering it's tougher to get Majin to follow his orders, than defeat a boss.

The biggest disappointment though, is the lack of a good fast travel system. You will have to run back and forth through areas you have already been quite often in the game and it all feels a bit boring and time wasting. Fast travel is unlocked in the latter stages of the game, but it's even quite far to walk to the transportation room. The game uses save statues, so i think it would have been much better to transport to any save location rather than a general area.

Finally, the game does look nice and has a variety of colourful places. The animations on the characters are solid for the most part but it's not anything new or unseen before in a video game.

Overall Majin and The Forsaken Kingdom is a bit too cliché for me, the loveable giant "Majin" is just not as loveable as he should be. His voice acting is annoying and commanding him is not satisfying. The game looks good and the cut-scenes are arguably the best part of the game, but with no real depth to combat and poor puzzles the game falls short in the most important areas.

Majin and The Forsaken Kingdom is a good game, but far from great. 6.5/10

Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood Game Review

2010-11-17T06:31:00.000-08:00

The Assassin's Creed franchise has been extremely successful since the first game was released in 2007. Assassin's Creed II followed up on it's predecessors success, improving on everything we loved about the first game and replacing what we didn't enjoy. Now fans have a new experience to look forward to, Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood. This is a continuation of the story in the second game and while fans might be disappointed that they will have to wait a little longer for Assassin's Creed 3, Brotherhood delivers yet another fantastic experience with multiplayer to keep fans happy for now.

Brotherhood might have a harder time proving it's worth, it's not set in a different time period and continues the story from Assassin's Creed II. One of the thing's i love about AC games is exploring for the first time and getting to see these beautiful cities. So when i am playing in a setting i spent countless hours on not that long ago, it makes everything feel slightly less astonishing. In Brotherhood the action shifts it's direction towards the capital of Italy, Rome. Like previous titles there's also a modern-day component. The game is once again framed by the on-going battle between the Templars and Assassin's, and players are actually assuming the role of Desmond who lives in the present day and is able to experience the memories of his ancestor Ezio using a device called the Animus. The game switches between the two time periods with the bulk of the action taking place in past-time, renaissance Rome.

Throughout the release and hype of Brotherhood, Ubisoft Montreal have stressed the fact that there will be enough new innovations and evolutions to keep the gameplay and overall game experience feeling new and fresh. They are not lying, there is just as much content here as in Assassin's Creed II. It's absolutely fantastic to see this level of work put into a game which is not a full title, reminds me of that hugely disappointing, lazy, and overpriced game "Halo ODST".

I won't spoil the ending of the second game, but just know Brotherhood picks up right where the second ended. The story picks up with Ezio ready for some well-earned rest, however, Cesare Borgia (son of Rodrigo Borgia) is ticked off and mounts a full scale attack on the Assassin's. The villa in Monteriggioni is destroyed and all the work you put into getting the best armour and weaponry in the second game are gone, just like that. It would have been nice to be able to start with everything you achieved in the second game but this is just what happens in video games.

This leaves Ezio with no other choice but to set off in the direction of Rome to deal with Cesare. The city is divided into 12 districts, each of which is overseen by a Borgia tower which represents the control Borgia has on the area. The people in the area are oppressed, shops remain closed, and soldiers are out in force. None of this will change while the towers remain standing. You're goal is to assassinate the tower's captain and burn it to the ground, the area will then open up for business. Ezio is then able to renovate blacksmiths, banks, stables, and much more. These all add to his income in much the same way that renovating Monteriggioni did in the second game. The more shops that are open, means the more items and perks Ezio will get. With every bank that opens, Ezio can carry more cash. The more tailors you have, the more throwing knifes Ezio can hold. There is an extremely rewarding feeling every time a tower crumbles into ash and this is why the game can be so addictive at times. Each defeated tower will open up another assassin appreciation spot as well, so there are plenty of rewards to make all you're hard work feel worthwhile.

An important factor to note, while Borgia towers are a key element to Brotherhood's structure, you can complete the game without ever dealing with one of these towers. These towers determine how hard it will be to complete missions in that area, and what good you will have as an Assassin. So technically you don't need to burn any of these down, however, if you do you will be greatly rewarded for you're efforts.

So how do you get to each captain? well, that's up to you. Each tower is surrounded by a compound where the guards are on high alert, so it's up to player's to work out the best path for each captain. There are a few easy towers but for the most part they are quite challenging and more importantly, it's fun. The tense stealth approach can take allot of patience but the reward is worth it, i was tempted at times to strike a guard and had to hold myself back.

As with most other open-world games, allot of the player's time will be spent on missions which don't advance the plot. The game is extremely addictive and at times you will find you're self spending hours and hours just searching for hidden treasure chests, taking on assassination contracts, doing missions for various guilds, or just exploring and climbing the beautiful landmarks (Coliseum) and environment.

Leonardo da Vinci is back as well and with more weapons for Ezio, he has also been pressured into creating war machines for Cesare. It's up to Ezio to destroy these plans and prototypes. You will find you're self mounted on a horse and cart while wielding a chain gun, piloting a boat with a naval cannon, gliding about in the paraglider (modified to fire bombs) and manning a renaissance-era tank. These new additions add a great deal of variety to the gameplay and help break up the pacing of the action, they will feel like frantic high paced car chases from a Hollywood movie at times.

The three major changes are, The Assassins guild, the tweaks to the combat, and the ability to ride you're horse anywhere. Recruiting assassin's, who can be called upon at the press of a button is obviously the biggest one. Witch each tower destroyed, a slot opens up for Ezio to recruit regular citizen of Rome. Calling an assassin is as simple as clicking the LT/L1 button on the XBOX 360 and Playstation 3 controllers. It's extremely fun to watch the different way's you're assassin's will take down the selected victim, it really feels like you are the powerful leader of some underground organisation. Once you have six assassin's you have three groups that can be called, with a cool=down period of a few minutes for each.

Assassins gain experience through combat but they can also be sent off around Europe to complete various contracts. The greater the difficulty of a mission, the higher the XP and cash reward will be. If you are willing to gamble on a lower assassin completing the tougher challenges then you could end up with an extremely experienced assassin rather quickly. These assassins can die but it's very rare, so there is not much to worry about unless it's a tough contract.

The assassin recruits also help give a sense of scale to this fight, no longer is it just one man, now with the help of a city Ezio can take down this ruthless tyrant. It makes everything just feel much bigger, and more like a war. The only downside to having all these assassin's at you're command, is that it lowers the difficulty of the game. Assassin's Creed II was a tough game and extremely challenging in some areas, this game does have some hard moments but for the most part it will feel allot easier than the previous two games in the franchise.

The assassin's are not the only new addition making Brotherhood feel too easy. The inclusion of the crossbow, a personal favourite of mine, means you no longer have to watch you're step on rooftops. In the past games you would sneak up on a guard or hang from a rooftop before pulling him off, not any more, now just simply target them from another rooftop and fire you're trusty crossbow. This does feel very satisfying and it's allot of fun to do, but the Assassin's Creed games have always been about a sneaky stealth approach. Now it just feels a little too easy.

I should also mention that looting dead guards body's is far more rewarding than in ACII, you can top up on smoke bombs, crossbow bolts, poison, bullets and medicine with ease. Compare this with the significant financial investment and effort required to stay topped up in the first game, and everything begins to feel like a walk in the park.

Combat in Brotherhood is absolutely fantastic, as usual with an Assassin's Creed game. Dodging and countering may be two simple thing's, but in AC games they just feel extremely satisfying and fun to pull of correctly. Now however, Ezio can also kick people which staggers them and leaves them open for an attack. This new addition to the gameplay opens up the combat system in many way's and allows player's to string combinations together with much more ease.

The highlight would have to be the sub-weapon, why just stab someone with a sword or dagger when you can shoot them in the face after slashing their neck. These new combo kills are brutal, thrilling, and will never get boring or repetitive thank's to the many beautiful realistic animations.

Ezio's ability's on horseback have also been greatly improved upon. Now he can take the horse almost anywhere within the city and summon one with the press of a button (PS3 triangle, 360 Y) as well as leap from one horse to another for a kill. There is also the option to stand on horseback and jump off so the developers certainly added allot of extra gameplay mechanics to the horse riding and they all work perfectly.

The massive city of Rome is an impressive sight, it looks gorgeous and it has all sorts of systems that can impact on Ezio and be used by player's. Killing people in public will raise you're notoriety, and guards will pay much more attention to you. To lower it you can do a few various thing's, rip down wanted posters, bribe heralds, or kill witnesses. You could always avoid this approach and just blend in with the crowds. While anyone who has played Assassin's Creed II will already know about the way Ezio can blend in with crowds, anyone who missed out on that game will find these ability's rather fun and enjoyable for a while.

But possibly the most exiting new addition to an Assassin's Creed game, is multiplayer. The multiplayer is inventive and extremely different from anything i have personally ever seen before. In a strange, but cool twist, you actually play as the bad guy's (Abstergo Agents) the modern day Templars. Turns out this is how they're training to hunt the assassin's.

Multiplayer is a simple but extremely effective concept. You are given a target to hunt, while also becoming a target for another player. So while you hunt you are being hunted at the same time. This felt really unique and i don't think there is anything quite like it. The radar helps you track you're target but the game takes place in bustling locations full of NPC's, giving you're target the opportunity to blend in with the crowds. Some special ability's give you the ability to transform all the people around you into an identical copy of you're self, making it much harder for whoever is pursuing you to find you. One ability even let's you change character models altogether which is really useful once you have been spotted, just loose you're pursuer and change character models so he was to find you all over again.

Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood has four multiplayer modes. Wanted and Advance Wanted are both the same but with the latter being a slightly harder version with some tweaked rules to the action. They are both free-for-alls and extremely fun to play. Advance Wanted is my favourite because the radar only narrows things down to an area but doesn't give away who is the assassination target easily. This provides some of the most tense and patient games i have ever had on an online game. It would be constantly worried about making one slight awkward movement that would indicate my position to anyone watching. These two game modes are definitely a great addition and provide allot of extra hours of fun after the main game is finished. Alliance splits player's into partners of two, while Manhunt divides player's into two teams. In Manhunt one team hunts while one hides, the team who must hide gain points for remaining undetected and the closer they stay to one another, the more points they will earn.

Overall Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood is a fantastic package which contains just as much, if not more than AC2. The game looks outstanding and gameplay has been improved upon in a few critical areas. The game is quite easy in some areas and will not last too long but with multiplayer fans will surely be enjoying this game for months. The multiplayer is fantastic and really shows the potential Assassin's Creed 3 has to become something truly special.

Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood is a fantastic game and not to be missed 9/10

SingStar Dance Game Review

2010-11-16T08:07:00.000-08:00

The SingStar franchise is well known throughout the Playstation community, with it's simple concept appealing to many of us around the world. You buy the game, along with a microphone and begin you're karaoke dream in you're very own living room. You can try to fill in pitch and timing bars with you're voice to earn points, but we all know the only reason to buy this game is to blast out you're favourite tunes along with a group of friends and feel like celebrity's for the night.

The SingStar franchise has always been about singing, however, now they have taken advantage of the Playstation Move's motion sensing technology and added dancing to the mix. Now the 30 songs also have dance routines and this certainly adds much more value to the content. As always the singing part of the game is fun and great entertainment in a party environment, the dancing however, is just a frustrating mess.

I am not a fan of these dancing games which seem to be popping up quite frequently these day's, they only seem to be any kind of fun when playing in a party and i personally like to play solo when i am playing a game.

One of the biggest problems with this game is that you never know what's coming on the dance floor front, unless you have seen the routine before. Whenever i would start a song, i would find myself failing almost all of the first half of a song. The game doesn't even provide any information on how to correct you're mistakes. If this was meant to be a solo experience then it would feel less frustrating, but this is a party game and when a group of friends get together all they want is to jump into the game and get started. When a party game doesn't feel easy to access and frustrates you then you know it's a complete failure. It's also likely a group of friends won't want to hear the same song over and over again, this would mean learning each new song and that would take hours. The game just doesn't deliver the fun party experience and enjoyment that other top franchises in this genre do.

With the success of Microsoft's Dance-Central, a game which uses Kinect motion sensing technology, SingStar will likely be thought of as a failure in comparison with this game. That game allows players to see what moves are coming next on screen, as well as slowing down the action in practise mode to nail a routine. SingStar does neither of these two valuable things, it's just a trial and error game. The on-screen character doesn't hold a move controller, so while you can watch him dance it can sometimes be slightly confusing. You will also need a large area of space to play this game (especially if you play two singers & two dancers). There are various way's to play the game, just sing, just dance, dance and sing, but no matter what way you play it's never fun and when the Move controller gets involved, everything becomes a mess.

Perhaps the saddest part about it all is that SingStar actually comes with a great track-list. While allot is reused from previous SingStar games, songs like NSYNC's "Bye Bye Bye" never loose their place on the karaoke and dance floor. It's just a shame that these great songs can't be enjoyed because of a poorly made game.

It's also important to keep in mind that only the 30 songs on the disc are functional with the "Dance" part of the game (using the Move controller), so any imported songs will not work. This also feels like it is just one big lazy package.

Overall i was not impressed at all with this game. It was made for a party environment, yet it doesn't feel easy to access. The song list is great but there is no fun to be had here with poor controls, lack of modes, and i would recommend you skip this game.

SingStar is just a waste of money 3/10

The Undergarden: Xbox Live Arcade Game Review

2010-11-15T08:16:00.000-08:00

There is no doubting the fact that The Undergarden is an adorably beautiful game, it is cute, brightly coloured, and really satisfying to view. When you read the description of this game and realise it's all based around underwater gardening, you might make the mistake of brushing this game aside. This is a game made with the intention to please and relax whoever is playing. It's not hardcore, you can't kill people with a mini RC car or stab someone in the back, but you can appreciate the beauty this game has and find enjoyment in many other way's.

The Undergarden is unlike most games we see today, it focuses on creating rather than destroying. You play as some sort of underwater Monkey fairy with one goal, create a beautiful underwater garden of plant life. You navigate through dark caverns, brightening them up with the glow of you're vibrant plants. You can never die or fail in this game, however if you get stuck at any of the obstacles along the way, you can re=load you're last checkpoint.

The game doesn't challenge players with tough puzzles or place immovable obstacles in you're way, instead it simply allows the player to enjoy the exploration and sense of freedom in this beautiful little underwater world. You're character gathers pollen from green sacks throughout the caverns and uses it to bloom plants and flowers around the world, this is all done by simply gliding past and bumping into any of the caverns walls. The flora burst from the cavern walls in various delightfully bright and vibrant way's, illuminating the underwater world with vivid colour and dramatic shapes that manage to make everything feel alive.

The Undergarden world doesn't just look beautiful, it sounds beautiful too. Players alter the world through music as much as colour. You can bloom flowers once by passing over them with pollen, however, if you want to change their appearance again you will need to gather up musicians and bring them to the flora. Musicians all have a specific instrument and taking them along with you changes the music you hear, depending on what instrument they are carrying. Taking them is completely optional, but the addictive nature of the game will have you entranced with every sound, colour, and the need to grow more. The game is extremely addictive and manages to make you feel like you have stepped into a whole new world, this sense of immersion is rarely seen in video games, let alone an arcade title.

If you want to get a 100% bloom rating then you will need to do allot of exploration, but just like everything else in the game it's optional. The game doesn't force, or tell you to do anything. You play the game as you wish and make it you're own experience. Players who enjoy collecting everything or reaching a 100% completion state will have a much richer experience, but at least you have the option to skip through levels if that's what you want to do. The Undergarden is full of collectibles in each level but i personally didn't find any need to search for them. The game is much like listening to the sounds of ocean waves, rain fall, Dolphins or Whales under water. After a while it becomes a bit boring so it's best to play the game in short bursts rather than hours at a time.

The puzzles in Undergarden help break up the pacing but none of them are unique or creative and they shouldn't cause any problems. Special plants are grown which yield fruits that posses special quality's. Some of these fruits will have the ability to float or explode, these ability's are used to manipulate stone machines and blocks so that players can proceed through caves. The majority of puzzles boil down to simply using fruits to push switches or bombs to blow up stones. There are some nice challenges towards the end of the game but there are not enough to really consider this a true puzzle game. It's really disappointing to see some of these mechanics being implemented in the latter sections of the game because it shows the potential this game has to be something truly unique and wonderful.

The addition of multiplayer is a nice idea, pulled of extremely poorly. It's just not fun at all and will cause allot of frustration, the complete opposite of what this game is meant to be. The camera focuses on player one at all times which is annoying because the second player will constantly drift off screen, much like Tales in Sonic The Hedgehog 2. It feels like they just wanted to include multiplayer to help sales, it's lazy, poor, awkward, and not fun.

Overall The Undergarden is more of a distraction in my personal opinion. It is great when you have nothing to do, it feels relaxing and everything you create in the underwater caverns is an absolute delight to view and hear. There is not enough depth to the creation though to keep this entertaining for long.

The Undergarden is a great distraction from you're favourite games 6/10

Mario vs Donkey Kong: Mini-Land Mayhem

2010-11-14T05:40:00.000-08:00

The Donkey Kong and Mario rivalry has been responsible for some of the most enjoyable hand-held puzzle games over the past few years, and Mario vs Donkey Kong: Mini-Land Mayhem is no exception. This fantastic little puzzle game for the Nintendo DS is fun, colourful, and fans of both franchises will be delighted with the final result.

The plot is very simple, Donkey Kong has made off with Mario's girlfriend (Pauline) again, and Mario will require the help of Mini-Mario toys to get her back. This is just a simple set-up for what is an awesome puzzle game. You won't care too much about a story when playing a puzzle game but it's nice that they have added something for fans.

Much like the plot, gameplay is extremely simple and straightforward, get the Mini-Mario's from point A to point B (B being the exit area). You never get to control the toys directly, you use you're stylus to set them in motion and provide a safe passage way through any obstacles in their way. If you have ever played the classic game "Lemmings" then this will feel reminiscent of that, just simplified. The game starts off fairly easy giving players only one job, place and replace the red girders we all know from the original Donkey Kong. With each new world, comes new tools for you to exploit, such as warp pipes, conveyor belts, and ladders. The trick here is to use what you have at you're disposal intelligently. You are only given a limited supply so you must choose the correct time to use one of you're valuable tools, otherwise you might find one of you're little Mario's in a pit of spikes.

The most disappointing aspect of the game is that none of the puzzles really felt challenging. At times i would get stuck but it was more of a timing issue rather than being puzzled. This didn't effect my experience too much due to the fact that the puzzles still feel satisfying to work out and the Mini-Mario's just look adorable, in fact the whole game looks adorable. While guiding you're little Mario toys to the exit is rather simple, collecting everything else such as the coins, M-tokens, and Mario cards is a much different scenario. For any one out there who enjoy's collecting everything a game has to offer, there is plenty to keep you coming back for more, including extra levels outside of the campaign that can be unlocked.

Mini-Mayhem is far from perfect, there is no speed-up option so in the early levels especially, it can become frustrating to watch you're Mini-Mario's take their time even after you have completed the puzzle.

There are eight brightly coloured and themed worlds from Haunted Houses to Jungle areas and Desert Sands. This variety helps make a simple repetitive puzzle game feel fresh and new with each world the player experiences. Each of the eight stages culminate in a boss fight with none other than Donkey Kong himself. These battles are similar to the classic game, you will manoeuvre the Mini- Mario's towards the top of the screen (Where the ape holds Pauline captive) using the various girders available. The boss encounters are enjoyable because the break up the fairly repetitive normal action and add a new challenge to the puzzles.

The game does a great job of showing appreciation to Nintendo's long history, the game is full of nostalgia, remixed melodies from both Donkey Kong and Super Mario games fill you're ears with delight which is fantastic from a fans point of view. Enemies, characters, and obstacles have been plucked from fan favourites like Super Mario Bros 2 and Super Mario World. For any hardcore Nintendo, Mario, or Donkey Kong fans out there, this is likely the only puzzle game which will capture you're time, money, and heart.

For anyone who is creative there is also a Creation Zone to visit, you can create you're own puzzles and upload them for other users to play online. Player's have access to everything Nintendo did when making this game, so expect to see some puzzles made by other users which are just as impressive as the ones already in the game, and possibly better. The online community can also vote and share creations together which is really enjoyable and adds extra hours to the title making it feel like a full package that's worth you're money.

Overall i really enjoyed this little puzzle game, it did everything i expected it to and more. The game looks vibrant and colourful, there is a lack of truly challenging puzzles but with an option to create you're own and play others online, i can't complain. It would have been nice to see a bit more variety and depth to the gameplay, otherwise it was a fantastic little game worth picking up.

Mario vs Donkey Kong: Mini-Land Mayhem is great fun and worth picking up 7.5/10

Dance Central Kinect Game Review

2010-11-11T21:50:00.000-08:00

So far Kinect has been less than impressive with a string of prommissing launch titles, crippled by Kinect's poor motion sensing technology. Dance Central is the first family-friendly Kinect party game from the people at Harmonix. This game will require you to do more than just tap you're feet in sync, you will use you're whole body when playing this game and it will take allot out of you at times. You will need a happy attitude to play this game with friends or family because the game is only fun when you play it in a group. The game is far from perfect, but if this is what you are looking for then you will likely have allot of enjoyment here.

Dance Central uses Kinect's motion sensing technology to read player's body movements, movements which should be in sync with the on-screen prompts for you're dance to be successful. These "flash cards" each represent one move, and that move can range from a simple shuffle step to an advanced series of upper body motions. There are more than 30 songs in the game providing a great deal of variety for every taste. There are new hits (Cascada - Evacuate The Dance Floor) and old classics (Jungle Boogie) so there is something here to get everyone up on the dance floor. Each track has three different difficulty settings which must be unlocked in order.

Each level of difficulty builds on the dance moves of the previous routine, the hardest mode is truly challenging. They are not just hard, they feel too hard and times. The game frustrated me allot when i was not playing on one of the easy modes, and when you do play on the easy mode, it's just far too easy. The difficulty was the main reason i did not enjoy this game.

There are a few helpful modes in Dance Central for new dancers to learn the basics, but it still doesn't prepare you for the toughest modes the game has to offer. Break It Down is the only way to learn some of these routines, as it cycles through each move one at a time. Players can also slow down the moves until they feel comfortable which is nice. This mode is completed with an announcer who shouts out the moves in order to help players learn which is great.

Break it Down is essential if you want to make it to the hard dances, but what is extremely disappointing is the fact you have to go through a whole routine, even if you just want to learn one specific move. This was really annoying at times when all i needed was to practise a certain move, and i had to wait until that move came along.

Workout mode is quite a nice addition, but i doubt it will be used too much considering this is a party game. In this mode player's enter their weight and the game keeps track of their calories over the course of the play session. This mode is nice to have, but more than likely people will just ignore it in favour of the dancing.

Kinect did a solid job reading most of the body movements, which was surprising to me considering most other Kinect games have had problems with the motion sensing. There are times when you will pull off a move extremely well and the game just won't register it, when this happens it can be frustrating to see all you're hard work count for nothing, but for the most part the motion sensing technology does a good job here.

The routines are fairly realistic for the average person, although they can be a bit cheesy at times. There are no back flips or handstands in Dance Central, however, there are some challenging moves that will take allot of time, patience, and practice to pull off. They will be fun for people who enjoy dancing, but if dancing is not really something you want to do then this game will just be a frustrating, waste of money.

Dance Central is at it's best with a group of friends or family, it can be allot of fun just laughing at each other attempting to pull off moves which you know are impossible. The game is also a good work out and i found myself sweating heavily after a few hours of playing with friends.

The game has too many problems for me to recommend spending you're money on it though. Poor menu navigation has you frustrated before you even begin dancing and the lip syncing of the on-screen characters can be terrible at times. The biggest disappointment is the overall feature set, you would expect much more from the developers behind the highly successful "Rock Band" franchise. Although there are a few unlocks such as costumes and dance venues, there is no actual career mode to play though and every song is unlocked from the start. There is nothing here to make players come away feeling rewarded. For anyone playing solo this will be an extremely short experience with nothing to achieve really.

Dance battles are fun but it would have been nice to have some tournament modes or some way of competing with you're friends in a big party, there is a lack of content here and really do you need to pay £34:99 to dance ?.

Overall this game really disappointed me. There is no variety or depth here, you are paying allot of money just to dance. The poor menu system, lack of modes, and unlocks really make this game feel like there is nothing to achieve. I never once felt rewarded when playing and the only fun i had was when playing in a large group of friends, and even then i was having more fun laughing at people attempting to pull off the overcomplicated moves, than actually playing the game. If you are looking for a dance game then this will be the best choice on the market but if you are looking for a good Kinect game, this is not it.

Dance Central is just not worth the money 4.5/10

Final Fantasy XIII Game Review

2010-11-10T22:34:00.000-08:00

The Final Fantasy franchise has stood tall above any other Japanese role-playing game for years now. With fantastic characters, emotional storytelling, and outstanding visuals, it's one of the most recognised video game names in the world. Surprisingly, Final Fantasy XIII (13) abandons allot of the well-loved features Final Fantasy games are known for. The game is much more linear and straight-forward compared to previous titles and this has left allot of fans sceptical. Let go of any concerns you may have, i can honestly say this game is outstanding, it manages to provide characters with unique personality's, in a story and world worth experiencing.

The lead role of Final Fantasy XIII has been given to Lightning, a beautiful but deadly woman who fits the Final Fantasy world perfectly. She is one of six characters you will be able to control. Although the game does stress the fact that Lightning is the primary heroine, it is much like VI in the sense that you control different characters frequently. This multi-story approach, as well as flashbacks, is not only clever but creates a strong structure and a story which will have you on the edge of you're seat at times.

Final Fantasy is not a game series with traditional or predictable outcomes, the dynamic established between the two worlds in XIII (Cocoon & Pulse) is really amazing. It evokes feelings of real emotion and the god-like beings (the Fal'Cie) that protect humanity are extremely important to the plot. The game manages to capture the types of emotion and feeling inspired by Religion with the relationships between Humans and their Fal'Cie counterparts.

The game also manages to create a much more believable story with the tremendous voice acting, the characters all sound excellent and the cast did a fantastic job. Even villains and side characters sounds more impressive than main characters in other games, it's truly inspirational to see this level of work and effort put into a game.

All this is great but a role-playing game is nothing without a decent battle system, thankfully XIII has a great one. What starts out as an extremely simple menu-driven system, slowly begins to transform into one of the most challenging and complex systems I've ever seen in a Final Fantasy game. The level of depth here is truly amazing and will have hardcore RPG fans licking their lips. At the systems roots is the classic ATB (Active Time Battle) principle which has been so successful in the past. When standing in a neutral position, a gauge above you're list of commands will fill up. This gauge is segmented, which means, as it fills other segments are available to be filled. Every action a character can take requires a certain amount of expenditure from the gauge. This new way of battling is fantastic, rather than just selecting one specific attack, players can now build up combos and attack with much more intent.

You can only control one character at a time, however, the actions of all three of your party members are dictated by their roles. There are six roles in Final Fantasy XIII and each character will have access to each of these by the end of the game, each character will be gifted in three of the six roles though. Unlike previous games in the franchise that use a job system, Final Fantasy XIII's roles are invaluable and must be used to survive this harsh journey. The great thing about these roles is that they also effect how you play the game, The Sentinel will constantly be provoking enemies and distracting them, while the Medic will be focusing his/her time on healing. These roles help keep each battle feeling new, fresh, exiting, and above all else, unpredictable. This is why i personally think this is the best battle system in any Final Fantasy game.

Before entering battle players must set up a deck of Paradigms (roles). The Aggression Paradigm, for example, refers to a party composed of two Commandos and one Ravager. The Combat Clinic Paradigm stands for two Medics and one Sentinel. There is a great deal of variety and depth to discover and anyone who is a fan of role-playing games will have a blast with this combat system.

The great thing about the Paradigms is that players can prepare several outside of combat, then switch between them during combat to get the best system suited for each enemy. This might sound simple and unnecessary, but it's not. It's a critical system which you will need to use in order to survive in Final Fantasy XIII, it adds tension to the game and it really felt great using all the Paradigms.

The tension is heightened even more with the chain gauge above each enemies head. As you attack an enemy, this gauge rises. Max this out and you will force you're opponent into a staggered state, allowing you to take advantage as he/she will be more susceptible to damage. Some of the harder enemies can only be defeated in this state, so it's an important aspect of the game which players will need to focus on.

Each battle has a target, if you manage to defeat whoever stands before you and you're goals within the time, you're score will greatly improve. This score effects more than just what spoils you collect from each battle, it also helps build you're technical points. Technical points allow you to perform powerful moves like summons and much more. This gives player real motivation to perform well during battle rather than taking a cheap, or easy way to victory. This is a problem in most RPG's these days so it's great that Final Fantasy XIII fixes this.

It's very easy to understand why so many people love this franchise when you play one of these fast paced, high tension, frantic battles. There is even more satisfaction to be had, players can sink experience points into the Crystarium System. This is essentially just a pretty version of the Sphere Grid from Final Fantasy X. This makes choosing skills, or levelling up you're character feel extremely rewarding and satisfying.

Of course every game must have something fans will complain about and when it comes to Final Fantasy XIII, the biggest complaint from fans is that the game is linear. The first 25 to 30 hours of the game are so linear that you might think you have bought the wrong game, for example, Dungeons are just a series of pathways through various environments. This will likely really frustrate long-time fans of the franchise but i personally think change is needed to keep everything feeling new and fresh, it also helps invite new fans to the game.

The game does open up much like previous games around the 11th chapter (of 13) but some fans might feel like this is a little too late. There are a ton of side missions once it opens up and some incredibly unique beautiful environments to explore.

Something i did miss though was the traditional mini games which have been present in previous games, Blitzball (from Final Fantasy X) being my personal favourite. So outside of the battle-oriented missions there is not much to do. This really isn't a huge deal as the game is outstanding and extremely fun throughout.

The linearity will likely draw in a new crowd of Final Fantasy fans, making it easier and more accessible for beginners. The only problem is towards the end of the game there will be an immense challenge which will push even veterans of the franchise to their limits. This challenge is one of the games high points but could be extremely difficult for the new crowd that the game is attempting to attract.

One final thought to consider, if you own both a PS3 and XBOX 360, grab the PS3 version. They each have the same content, however, the 360 one has noticeably lower resolution and it's spread out across three discs. With a game that looks as phenomenally beautiful as this one, it's best to take advantage and grab the best looking choice available.

Overall the production value on this game is just outstanding. The game has to be one of the most visually impressive i have ever seen, it's simply a work of art. The new combat system works great and feels rewarding, satisfying, and fun to use. The linear approach will be great for new-comers but likely put off hardcore fans, don't let this discourage you from playing one of the greatest games ever made.

There are not enough words to describe a game like this, Breathtaking 9.5/10

Call of Duty: Black Ops Game Review

2010-11-09T08:52:00.001-08:00

The Call of Duty franchise has grown ridiculously fast over the past few years into the Hollywood blockbuster game we know and love. The game which truly addicted fans to the series was Call of Duty: Modern Warfare. It took the series from a World War II setting into the modern battlefields we see on the news every day. Treyarch's latest instalment to the franchise, Call of Duty: Black Ops, has had fans anticipating something big and although it doesn't do anything really new or unique, it provides fans with yet another COD experience.

You begin the campaign as Alex Manson, a soldier who is being interrogated for information he can't remember. You play through Manson's memories in search of the information. The story has some twists which will catch you off guard, the middle does seem to loose track but unlike Modern Warfare 2, Black Ops gives you the big finale you would expect. The story is definitely the strong point this time around which is quite a welcomed surprise.

Disappointingly the AI for both friendly soldiers and enemies is poor and can become quite frustrating after playing through the campaign. At times enemies would stand still and stare at me, and my own allies would shoot at random thing's like a rock or empty car. There are far too many flaws and bugs for such a big-name title like COD. The Battle of Khe Sanh doesn't even explain what you have to do and even misdirects you. It's poor to see such a sloppy final product.

Despite these faults there is finally a story here in a COD game which actually matters, characters are well thought out, Sam Worthington, Ed Harris, and Gary Oldman really nail their respective characters. The twists make this feel like a Hollywood war movie and the plot rarely disappoints.

The real reason people play a Call of Duty game though, is the multiplayer. The first-person shooter multiplayer has been perfected with this franchise and that's why the fans keep coming back for more. Call of Duty: Black Ops is almost identical to Modern Warfare 2 with a few slight changes. The biggest change is the addition of CoD Points. Earning experience points and levelling up now handles macro stuff like unlocking more custom class slots, Create-A-Class, new modes to play, and the availability of certain weapons and bonuses for "purchase." Everything else (Weapons, Perks, Killstreak bonuses, Emblems) is bought with CoD points.

The whole system feels overwhelming at first, especially for any new-comers. Once you get used to it it's quite fun and rewarding. When you level up you're handed 1,000 CoD points to spend however you please. This system allows players to sculpt who they are and how they play and really does a great job of making each player have their own individuality on the battlefield. The only disappointing aspect i found is that once you have bought something, there is no going back. It would have been nice to sell weapons you don't want any more for a cheaper price to other users but without the ability to sell it does make each weapon harder to unlock i guess.

The new Wager Match modes are designed to highlight the importance of CoD points. These modes can be fun but nothing like the level of enjoyment i got when playing either of the Modern Warfare games. Most people will likely miss the traditional levelling mechanic but i personally think a big change is needed to hold interest in a franchise which is beginning to get repetitive. My favourite mode was "One in the Trigger" a mode in which everyone has only one bullet and if you miss the only way to kill is with a melee attack, if you do shoot someone then you get another bullet. This mode was allot of fun and requires allot of accuracy, patience, and skill. The standard modes such as Team Deathmatch, Domination, and Headquarters are all here and great for levelling up. If you do hit 50 then Prestige Mode is back with more challenges to make it feel rewarding and worthwhile. There is nothing really new or unique to give fans that "WOW!" feeling, but if you are a fan of the CoD franchise you will likely have fun with the new maps and CoD points.

The CoD points also add a higher level of customisation to Black Ops. Not only can you customisation you're title and emblem, but you can write you're clan tag on you're weapon, change the colour and look of you're targeting reticule and much more. Everything you customize on you're character will cost valuable CoD points, so make sure you really want it before you purchase it.

Once you are in a game you will notice the level design is well thought out, with dynamic elements that change each time you play. Firing Range, for example, puts target dummies in different locations each time you load a map to keep the game feeling fresh. Nuke Town (My Favourite) has parts for every style of player, Snipers have their little hideouts to rain down fire, Campers will have various locations to hold down, and the other players will have lots of closed and open areas to run around like kids on Ritalin.

The new perks are fun but there is no tactical nuke to be found. My personal favourite is the RC Car and although it's slightly overpowered, I'm sure it will provide the most fun for fans of the series. It's a blast chasing someone around with a little remote control car-bomb and watching them jump as they realise there life is about to be taken from them, by a toy. Veteran CoD players might not like this addition as it only takes three kills to earn the RC Car and I'm sure there will be times when this perk will be abused.

All of this multiplayer action can be captured with Black Ops new theater system, players can cut out embarrassing deaths, clip together killstreaks and show all this to friends. I don't personally spend any of my time in Theater Mode, but i hope others do because it's a great new addition to the franchise. The disappointing aspect is that you must upload videos to CallofDuty.com, rather than YouTube or Facebook which would have been more convenient.

Since the game has only just launched this might not be too much of a concern, but allot of lobby's have kicked me out or failed to connect. There are a few problems and this is surprising but will likely be cleared up within the first few weeks.

Outside of the competitive multiplayer, there's also the return of the incredibly popular Nazi Zombies Mode which fans loved in World at War. It's clear Treyarch understood what the fans enjoyed and made the effort to expand on it while still retaining that frantic fun and tense experience we loved the first time around.

In Black Ops there are three types of Nazi Zombies, the first is pretty standard and will have you defending an old theater. The second is the best by far, placing players in the shoes of either JFK, Fidel Castro, Richard Nixon, or Robert McNamara. It's hilarious at times to run around as one of these guys and so far it's the most fun i have had with Call of Duty: Black Ops. These first two modes are fun and the gimmick of the famous people to control will entertain fans for a while, but they are nothing new or unique to the franchise. The third version of Nazi Zombies however is astonishing, I'm not going to spoil it for you but just know, there will be a big surprise.

The visuals help enhance the fast paced frantic action and stay fairly solid throughout the whole game. There are moments when textures take too long to load and glitches with dead body's appear but not enough to cause any frustration. Framerate is solid throughout as long as you don't play in 3D, the 3D technology causes the framerate to drop and visuals look less impressive. The whole game looks like a Hollywood movie with constant explosions and action going on. It's very unlikely you will want to play in 3D because it just doesn't work well.

Overall Call of Duty: Black Ops improves on some things, but not enough to make it anything unique. The game has a decent story and definitely the best of any CoD game so far. The game looks great in most areas and the traditional CoD gameplay which has been so successful is back and just as good as ever. The new perks and additions to the game will provide fans who are getting bored of the franchise with something new to hold their interest for a while. The game is sadly not anything really unique compared to the other games and if you are expecting something big you might come away feeling disappointed. At the end of the day it is another CoD game and if that's all you are looking for then you will be happy.

Call of Duty: Black Ops is a great game but it's nothing special 8.5/10

Sonic Colors Wii Game Review

2010-11-08T21:46:00.000-08:00

Back in the early 90's there was only one king on the SEGA Genesis, Sonic. The little blue mascot was praised with every instalment the franchise produced. It's hard to understand what went wrong with Sonic, the 3D era of gaming saw him drastically fall from grace. A few games showed potential (Sonic Adventure 2: Battle) but none truly captured what made Sonic our childhood hero back in the 90's. From slow boring games to fast games ruined by werewolf stages, we lost all hope. However when 2010 hit we were blessed with two of the best Sonic games since the early 90's. First was Sonic All-Stars Racing, an unexpected hit to the arcade racing genre which was reminiscent of games like Mario Karts. Next up for Sonic fans was the return to Sonic's traditional 2D roots with, Sonic The Hedgehog 4: Episode 1. This was an absolute masterpiece in the eyes of Sonic fans, recapturing the glory days with new HD visuals to impress everyone. It might be hard to comprehend that SEGA has saved their best for last, but they have. Sonic Colors is a phenomenal game with vibrant, unique, imaginative stages which all Sonic fans will appreciate.

Sonic Colors takes place on a bizarre interstellar amusement park, created by Dr Robotnik, or Egg Man for anyone who didn't experience Sonic's golden day's. Dr Robotnik has enslaved alien creatures called Wisps, chaining their planet (and others) to his space station. SEGA have been very smart with the story here, it's cute, smart, and with a new voice cast, very easy on the ears.

The plot is really just an excuse for the developers (DIMPS & Sonic Team) to throw a wide variety of unique and imaginative themed levels at you, and i am extremely happy that they did because some of these levels are outstanding. The traditional grassy meadow and casino themed levels are here but my personal favourites are Sweet Mountain, which sees Sonic racing through pits of popcorn alongside mountains of cake, and Starlight Carnival which is one of the most impressive Sonic stages i have ever seen, zipping through space on an energy road feels very satisfying and the backdrop makes the whole experience feel like something out of Mario Galaxy or tron. The developers really show their imagination and passion for the franchise with the amount of unbelievably great places in Sonic Colors there are to see.

Sonic Colors is not just a pretty game, the gameplay is fantastic. Smart physics and precise controls make Sonic feel just as he should, he is fast, frantic, thrilling, and explosive. The real unique feature Colors has though, is the addition of the Wisps. Each color of Wisp grants Sonic a unique temporary power. Yellow Wisps give Sonic the ability to drill through ground, Cyan Wisps on the other hand give Sonic the ability to bounce off walls and other surfaces just as a laser would. There are eight colors in all, each feels unique and fun to use. They add a new level of depth to Sonic's traditional gameplay and in my personal opinion they are a very welcomed addition.

The new additions to the gameplay open up more challenging level designs which will test even veteran Sonic or platform gamers. This might be a shock to die-hard Sonic fans because Sonic is no longer a game full of homing attacks and holding forward. The design and execution resemble side-scrollers like Mario and offer a new experience for Sonic fans. There are alternate routes which can only be explored when certain Wisps have been caught, as well as Red Rings in each level to collect. There is allot more to do in this Sonic game than previous titles combined.

Sonic Colors feels very fresh, it's great to see everything we love about Sonic, mixed in with some crazy, yet outstanding new ideas that help create a more fulfilling title. Unlike most other Sonic games, Sonic Colors requires skill to complete the game. It's not just about running fast and jumping, and this is what makes it arguably the best 3D Sonic experience we have ever seen.

This is definitely the hardest Sonic game. There are no alternate paths or way's around areas you get stuck at. It's a trial and error game at times and it's fantastic to see this challenge in a Sonic game. Although it is challenging it never becomes frustrating because every level looks so beautiful, it's just a joy to play each stage over and over again. On the other hand it can be a bit too hard towards the end with the lack of checkpoints in frequently difficult areas.

Sonic Colors has co-op but it's unlikely you will spend any time here as it's just not fun, it's great to see the developers attempt to create a co-op experience, but one screen is just not enough for two Sonic's. You can complete the co-op stages on you're own which is extremely helpful though but that's not the point.

Overall Sonic Colors is a game which takes all the aspects we love about Sonic and mixes them with some new fresh ideas. The themed levels are amongst some of the most creative and beautiful i have seen in any platformer, and the gameplay feels spot on. The game can be hard and children might become frustrated but this level of challenge is welcomed in a Sonic game. If you are looking for a 3D Sonic game, this is the best. It's phenomenally beautiful, rewarding, and satisfying.

Sonic Colors is absolutely outstanding 9/10

PokePark Wii: Pikachu's Adventure Game Review

2010-11-07T20:28:00.000-08:00

The Pokemon franchise has seen huge amounts of success on hand-held systems in the past few years, but never really impressing on any main console. Though there are Pokemon games on the Wii, none are worth you're time or hard earned money. PokePark Wii is the latest instalment of the franchise to hit the Nintendo Wii and this time it might just be worth a look. This little RPG is heavy on mini-games and while it is directed at the younger audience, it can still provide a fun enjoyable experience for anyone.

You're magical adventure begins when the Legendary Mew seeks out Pikachu and his friends, Chikorita, Charmander, and Piplup to help save the PokePark from certain destruction. Former friends and rulers of the PokePark regions, Venusaur, Blaziken, and Empoleon have drifted apart and the lack of friendship has shattered the Sky Prism, scattering it's pieces all throughout the land. The Sky Prism is what keeps the Sky Pavilion (Magical fortress in the heavens, Mew's home) floating. If this was to fall it would crush all the Pokemon bellow, so this is a very serious issue in the world of Pokemon.

You play as expected as Pikachu, using the Wii remote horizontally you're goal is to become friends with 193 different Pokemon, solve problems, gather berries, and complete the various mini-games to gather all of the fallen Sky Prism pieces.

There is a great deal of variety at the park, you will go to places like the Beach Zone, Meadow Zone, Flower Zone, and a Haunted Zone are just a few of the various colourful places to explore. Pokemon stick to their own areas and although some of the areas feel bare and show little signs of life, they all provoke a different mood and feel which is great. The Beach area is fun, brightly coloured, and seems like a fun place to hang out. The Haunted area on the other hand is creepy and mysterious. The game manages to make the player feel like everywhere they explore is a new and fresh adventure. Some areas will need you to complete a specific challenge before it will unlock for you. Saving the game will require you to make lots of friends.

It's not as easy as you would think, becoming friends with one of these strange little creatures will take some work. Some Pokemon will want to quiz you on you're knowledge of Pokemon, while others will want you to battle, find food, or even compete in some fun challenges with them.

Despite all these ways to add new friends to you're ParkPad, the one thing you will be doing more than anything else is playing chase. Most Pokemon just want to play a quick game of tag, if you're fast enough to catch them, you'll headbutt them from behind and this is surprisingly satisfying. I would have liked to spend more time doing the other mini-games but for the most part there is no feeling of repetitiveness here which is good. Children will likely have a blast running up to other Pokemon and bumping into them like little bumper cars, you can do this even when you're not playing a mini game which is also fun.

Obstacle Hop, a mini-game in which Pikachu's goal is to reach a Pokemon on higher ground, is the most annoying and frustrating way to make new friends. This is due to the below average controls and poor camera angles which make it frustrating even with the amount of time you have available.

Becoming friends with other Pokemon also nets you some berries, you can also call upon them to help you out in some events which is very useful. Motion controlled mini-games are present in each zone so this is extremely important because certain types of Pokemon will perform better in different attractions. Water Pokemon will do better in water related events just as fire Pokemon will be much more helpful in a fire related event. So making new friends is not just for fun, it's a necessity. It does cost a small amount of berries to compete in these challenges but the rewards are great, a ton of berries and Sky Prism pieces will encourage anyone to play even the more frustrating events.

There is a good variety when it comes to the attractions, they will range from racing to shooting. This creates a much richer experience and will hold the players interest for much longer. The only real test is the poor controls and camera angles, once those have been mastered the game will be far to easy for adults, but still fun.

The battles are really refreshing to see, they are not turn-based like the hand-held Pokemon games. Players will navigate the 3D space attempting to stun the opponent with a Thundershock attack, leaving them vulnerable for the Dash or Iron Tale attack which will remove some of the opponents HP. There is not a great deal of depth to the combat but just having it is great. The disappointment is Pikachu's aim is dreadful, with poor camera angles it makes the controls feel awkward and unreliable. This however is a step in the right direction for other Pokemon games which involve battling and should be continued in the future.

Berries are the only way to increase Pikachu's stats, you can't do it through combat. Berries act as currency and while there is not a great deal of depth to Pikachu, it's still fun to improve his moves and stats.

Overall PokePark Wii: Pikachu's Adventure is a fun and delightful little game for children, it can provide some enjoyment for adults, but not much. The game is bare but beautifully coloured and the variety really adds a great deal to the overall experience. There are lot's of fun mini-games which would have been more fun if it wasn't for the poor controls and camera angles.

Definitely fun for Pokemon fans, disappointing to everyone else 6/10

Kinect Adventures Game Review

2010-11-07T02:22:00.000-08:00

Kinect Adventures places you in the boots of a typical adventurer, with a variety of games and challenges to complete and explore. Players will use Microsoft's Kinect motion sensing technology to compete in these beautiful and colourful events which are fun for the first few hours, then thing's start to feel repetitive. There is allot here for players to enjoy but this mainly feels like a small package of games showing off Kinect's potential.

Kinect Adventures is a bunch of mini games packed into one family friendly package, it comes with the Kinect device itself and provides a taste of what you can expect in the future from Microsoft which is great. You play as a fun-loving adventurer who travels the world in search of new challenges. This all sounds promising, but once you realise the "adventurer" of Kinect Adventures is actually just a man repeating the same 5 mini games over and over, you begin to feel less adventurous. If you're looking for a full game experience then look somewhere else, as previously mentioned this is nothing more than a few mini games showing Kinect's potential, the charm will wear off fast.

The game fits perfectly with the Kinect device, a family friendly interface and cute music to back up the famous adventure theme, there is allot here to experiment with. Players can engage in sets of mini-games in the adventure mode, which gives those competing different goals to complete. There is also the option to select a specific game mode if there is a particular game which interests you. There is also a time trial mode and multiplayer to keep players interested, as well as the ability to take photos during events and share you're experience with friends.

Each of the five game modes, 20,000 Leaks, River Rush, Rallyball, Reflex Ridge, and Space Pop copy the players movement and project it onto the avatar on screen. You will likely need plenty of space to play and equal amounts of energy.

These mini-games are all extremely easy to get into and provide entertainment for the first few hours of play, after this you will begin to loose interest. 20,000 Leaks puts players in an underwater tank which is being attacked by fish, causing the tank you're avatar is in to leak. The gamees concept is very simple, simply move you're hands and feet to block the water leaking into you're tank. This as you would expect might be fun at first with the Kinect motion sensing gimmick, but after a while you feel tired and the repetitive gameplay will bore you. River Rush on the other hand is a racing game which places the "Adventurer" on a river raft, you head down the river leaning from side to side in order to steer you're raft and jumping will make the raft jump. This is the best looking game and really showed what Kinect is capable of graphically, however there is no depth or any real reason to continue playing after you have played through it a few times.

As you complete tasks in the game you will unlock "Living Trophies". These trophies can animate with you're real body and become quite amusing at times, It's always fun to hear you're voice coming out of a cartoon creature.

The problem with Kinect Adventures is that nothing changes over time, once every race or event has been experienced you will only have the option to re-play that same thing again. There is not enough here to keep you're interest for more than a week. Once the initial gimmick of Kinect wears off you will likely not touch this game again, no one wants to race the same track 100 times or pop the same bubble over and over again, there is just simply not enough here.

This game disappointed me because it was the first Kinect game i have played which felt very accurate with the motion sensors, the game always seemed to read my body and unlike the other launch titles it never felt awkward or frustrating, i just wish there were more game modes available as well as much more variety and depth to each specific game mode.

If you buy this game expecting a full title then you will come away extremely disappointed, however if you approach this collection as a demo for Kinect to show off it's capability's, you might just have some fun. Families and small children will likely have an absolute blast and be entertained for quite a while, the hardcore gamer on the other hand will not find much here to be impressed about.

Overall Kinect Adventures is not much more than a collection of mini-games to show off what Kinect's technology can do. It has some very cute music with extremely impressive visuals. There is some fun to be had here but it might be worth saving you're money until some bigger games are released.

Kinect Adventures is a good demo for Kinect 5/10

Kinect Joy Ride Game Review

2010-11-06T08:27:00.000-07:00

Joy Ride was originally going to be a free download for everyone on Xbox Live but Microsoft decided to make it one of their main launch titles for the highly anticipated "Kinect", which uses motion sensor technology. I'm sure everyone has pretended to drive some sort of imaginary vehicle with their arms at some point in their life, i personally used to do this at McDonald's drive through with friends, but the point is Joy Ride finally makes this a reality.

Joy Ride drops players into the world of casual arcade racing powered by Microsoft's motion sensing system, Kinect. The game is full of vibrant beautiful colours and lots of challenges, providing a very fulfilling package for anyone who chooses to give it a test drive. The game is designed to feel approachable for anyone, it feels like it has something to keep everyone happy but the only problem is the controls, Kinect just seems to ruin what would otherwise be a fantastic Xbox Live Arcade title.

To play Joy Ride it's very simple, simply hold you're hands out just as if you were controlling a steering wheel. Turning you're hands will change the direction of the car and pushing out you're hip will force the car to drift. There is also the option to boost by pulling you're hands in close to you're chest and then pushing them forward. Finally, when you are in the air if you bend you're hips it will perform a trick. The controls are very standard and easy to learn which is great for anyone who just wants to jump straight into this game and have some fun.

Acceleration and Breaking play no part in this racing game which might seem really unusual to racing fans, it gives the impression that this game was made for kids. Controlling a cars speed is one of the main joys for any racing fanatic, it takes skill, concentration, and this is what determines who is the best racer on the track. This takes away from the players sense of immersion which seems odd considering that was meant to be the whole point of Kinect.

The biggest problem with Kinect Joy Ride is the poor steering. You will constantly crash when attempting to turn a corner which would otherwise be routine with a controller. This poor control really ruined my experience and made me wish this game had been released as an arcade title on Xbox Live rather than a Kinect game. The boosting is also just as poor, the game would often fail to recognize me pulling back my hands in attempt to boost which made the whole Kinect experience feel like a waste of money considering it's a very expensive piece of equipment to purchase.

The reason i am so disappointed with the poor controls is because other than this the game is great, it feels like a fantastic package full of rewards. After you collect enough fans (in Challenges) you will be able to unlock new cars and tracks. These tracks provide great depth and variety to races, plenty of modes such as standard races, battle races, stunt challenges, drag races, and much more are available. The game has so much content and feels great considering most are also used in multiplayer. The only problem is, no matter how fun and rewarding it feels to earn new medals and tracks, at the end of the day if the controls are poor then you just can't enjoy the game the way you should.

All cars in the game are almost identical as well which makes unlocking new cars feel less rewarding. The game was made for kids but it would have been nice to have cars which handle different so players could perfect their own vehicle and feel more individual.

Overall Kinect Joy Ride is a game crippled with Microsoft's less than impressive Kinect technology. If this game was played with a standard Xbox 360 controller it would feel like the perfect arcade racer but Kinect ruins the most important aspect of the game. On the other hand the game is full of fabulous looking tracks, vibrant colours, and creative and imaginative experiences for any child who enjoys racing games. Just make sure you are prepared to crash allot.

Joy Ride is a fantastic little arcade racing game, poisoned by Kinect's poor controls 6/10

Kinectimals Game Review

2010-11-04T22:36:00.000-07:00

Christmas is approaching fast and for anyone considering buying Microsoft's Kinect, they might be interested in Kinectimals. The game is extremely cute and places you in a world where you can take care of you're favourite big cat species. The game looks absolutely fantastic and will surely find a place in the hearts of most children, even some adults.

Kinectimals may well be the cutest game ever made. There are over 30 felines in here and every one looks adorable, cute, fluffy, and most importantly they look real. The animations are outstanding and really help bring these little guys to life. Everything looks beautiful, the environments are colourful and feel full of life and this helps make the game feel like it's more than just a video game. Young children will be blown away the first time the get to select a little friend, the Black Panther is my personal favourite.

On the island of Lemuria you're guide is Bumble (Talking Lemur fairy) voiced by Richard Horvitz from Invader Zim Fame. He accompany's you to the Bonding Circle where you can select which Cat species to adopt. At the beginning you've only got a limited selection to choose from, all the Big Cat's are there though, Lion, Tiger, Cheetah, Leopard, and my favourite little guy the Panther. After giving you're chosen feline a name and petting him for a while you are off to begin a magical journey together. There is a loose story which alerts the player to the fact that there could be treasure on the island or other hidden goodies, Bumble can become slightly annoying for the older players but his cuteness will likely win you over.

After this you are left to do whatever you want, explore, pet, wash, play catch, jump rope, drive RC cars and much more. As this is a Kinect game all actions are done through motion controls. You will be able to reach out and pet you're cat on TV as if he is really there in you're room, toss small balls for him to fetch and kick bigger ones. The games does a great job of making the player feel like they are really looking after one of these beautiful little cubs. You can even teach you're friend to do tricks. Each toy starts a microgame experience with specific goals, for instance, if you select a Frisbee, a little box will appear asking you to throw the Frisbee a certain distance or hit a target. This adds depth to the game and makes it a longer lasting experience.

Everything you do with you're pets earns you money and experience points (extra for completing the pop up tasks) which can be used to unlock additional toy's and furniture for you're house. They can also unlock new game content so there is a ton of unlockables for anyone who loves to collect everything that a game has to offer. Each area has it's own Discovery Bar which tracks you're experience progress. As the bar fills up you will unlock five mini-games which you can complete to open up new areas to explore together.

The structure of the game makes it feel extremely satisfying. You will find that you're unlocking new items and goodies at an almost constant pace which feels very rewarding and made me want to play more and more. The game never stalls or feels boring and you're Cat will constantly bring you toy's and thing's he wants to play with, expect to be extremely tired after playing for a while.

The game is no doubt perfect for what it is in almost every area expect motion controls, and when a game is built to use motion controls that should be the most important factor of the game. Tossing balls can result in a mess. Balls fly in all directions and even fall out of you're hand at random, the jump rope just seemed to slip out of my hand and trip my pet up on every occasion. The mini games all require you to get a high score in games that revolve around tossing something and this just makes the game frustraiting at times. Overall i was disappointed with the motion controls considering Kinect is very expensive to purchase, i just expected more.

The other big criticism i had with the game is that it's far to menu heavy. When i play a game like this i want to feel as if my pet is real, not like he is a character in a video game. When i want to play with my pet, if i want a toy i will have to hold my arms out for a few seconds, then wave them to select a box, then wave again to select a type of toy, it all just feels to much at times and really takes away from the experience and belief that this little cub on my TV is real. I also think it might be hard for children to navigate the menu as well and could cause allot of problems. It's even quicker to travel to the other side of the island than it is to do something as standard as tickle my cat behind the ear.

Overall i was extremely impressed with the variety and depth of the game. The Cats look absolutely outstanding, they are cute, fluffy, colourful, and animate realistically. The game is very charming but as with most Kinect games from launch, poor controls and a terrible menu system take allot away from this otherwise fun and delightful experience.

Kinectimals is fun and beautiful with poor motion controls 6.5/10

Sonic Free Riders Kinect Game Review

2010-11-03T20:13:00.000-07:00

Microsoft's Kinect has finally arrive and there are a bunch of titles already available, most of which are family party games for kids. Sonic is the only big-name franchise to hit Kinect with Sonic Free Riders. It's definitely one of the more exiting titles and if players take the time to learn the controls they might find this hoverboard racing game with Sonic and friends a delightful experience.

As previously mentioned Sonic Free Riders is a hoverboard racing game which has seen entries on the Gamecube, Nintendo Wii, and Playstation 2 in the past. Players race around closed circuit tracks launching of ramps, attacking each other with weapons, grinding, gliding, and boosting their way to victory. None of the previous titles have received much success but with the gimmick of Microsoft's Kinect to back the latest game, Sonic might see more success this time around.

There really isn't much of a story, Sonic must utilize the power of the Extreme Gear (a hoverboard) to teach the Babylon Rogues (a group of wack Birds) some manners. Somewhere along the way Dr. Robotnik (or Eggman) shows up and the Chaos Emeralds play a part in the story. There is nothing here to make you care, or even interest you about the story, it's just about classic arcade racing fun. Disappointingly all cut scenes are done with talking heads, at least they are all voiced by a completely new cast which finally makes Tales sound like a little boy, Jet however manages to sound even more annoying than ever.

Players control the board by standing with their feet parallel to the screen, just as if they're on a snowboard. Bending at the waist is how you navigate the board, leaning further back to turn sharper corners. Players can boost by kicking their leg forward and striking back as if they where pushing a skateboard faster. When approaching a ramp or jump players can crouch and jump to pull off tricks in the air. Each of the weapons have a specific motion control as well. The bomb is thrown like an American football, the Bowling ball is bowled ect. The famous golden rings present in every Sonic game are scattered across the tracks and if collected they will level up a players hoverboard. Once you level up you're board will become faster, however if you get hit by an enemies attack you will loose some of you're rings which will cause you're board to level down.

Sonic Free Riders also contains bikes, players stand facing the TV with their hands out as if they're gripping onto handlebars. When on a bike the boost and attacks are controlled the same way as the boards. You can even sit down while playing on a bike which some people might prefer but it does get tiring on you're arms after a while.

The controls have to be pulled off exactly as the game wants otherwise it has trouble reading you're actions, simple things like not throwing with the same arm as the on screen character was using would cause it not to work. It was frustrating at first but as i played more the game became more fluid and responsive and i was able to pull off the actions with much more ease. None of the previous Sonic Riders games have impressed me at all, i found them all boring but this one seems to capture the arcade feel very well and does provide allot of fun.

Sonic Free Riders story mode is broken up into a variety of missions, with each team having their own individual missions. They all seem to similar and feel like extended tutorials. Players begin by learning the various skills each character has before heading into full races. The game breaks up races so you are not just doing race after race, in between you will have to collect rings and pull of skills which does help stop the feeling of repetition slightly.

The motion controls are extremely frustrating in the poorly designed menu, however surprisingly good voice commands make this less of a disappointment. Players can simply say "Free Race" to select that mode. It is a bit much to ask players to remember the names of all the courses and gear parts though.

As players progress through the campaign they will earn new boards, gear parts, and rings which can be used to purchase additional items. All boards have their strengths and weaknesses but the real depth comes with the gear parts. Each board has two slots which can fit gear parts, whichever part of the board is facing forward is the part that is activated. These can be anything from skills that allow players to grind rails to a shield that pulls in rings for a power-up that gives players a bigger jump in the air. Choosing which gears parts to add to you're board will effect the way you play the game, this was a delightful addition to the game which I'm sure everyone will welcome.

Each of the 16 tracks has a number of shortcuts and secrets which open up different strategy possibility's. They're all well designed, feel unique, and they are all vibrant and beautifully coloured. The big problem i have is that 90% of every track is just going in a straight direction, it's extremely boring when essentially you are just going in a straight line all the time. This also makes me doubt Kinect's capability's. The game does run beautifully though and it is very pleasing when Dolphins jump over the track or Temples crumble.

The online multiplayer is where the game really shows the importance of having a strategy, players will need to know the tracks and know how they want to play these tracks to compete online. The co-op is fun as well, the mode "tag" links two players boards together. The mode is quite hard to master but it is extremely satisfying when you get two players synchronized together pulling of a special move or trick. On the other hand though if the two players don't work well together it can become a bumbling mess.

Overall Sonic Free Riders is probably the only game worth picking up for Kinect at the moment, but it's nothing more than a regular arcade racer using the Kinect gimmick to improve sales. The game does have some interesting depth which was a surprise as well as some impressive visuals but the disappointment with the tracks, poor menu, and nothing new or creative makes this passable.

Sonic Free Riders is not the reason to buy Kinect 6/10