Pro Evolution Soccer 2011 Game Review

Pro Evolution Soccer 2011 is Konami's latest venture into the Footballing world and with the slogan "Engineered for Freedom" what can we expect this year after the phenomenal success of Konami's rival EA Sports with their Football franchise, FIFA 11.

PES boasts loudly about freedom and that is definitely what it does this year. The passing system feels much more fluent and responsive this time around and when you get that right in a Football game, your job is nearly done. Passing the ball from player to player feels satisfying and more consistent than the previous game allowing for a richer and more realistic gaming experience. Players will also anticipate passes that go too far and make runs in attempt to help the player, always breaking into space to offer multiple options and creating a much more realistic football experience. When defending in the previous game, awkward ping pong possession would become irritating and frustrate the player in his attempts to regain the ball. This has been corrected and feels much more natural in PES 2011.

This is all due to the fact PES 2011 focuses more on the positioning and timing aspects of the gameplay and chances are if you get on the right side of the opposing player you will be able to defend the attack with much more ease. The game is more rewarding when it comes to simple mistakes, however if you give your opponent too much space and he knows what he is doing, then be prepared to be passed into submission. While the defenders are much improved you should still expect to see the same mistakes from the keepers, while less frequent than previously they are still there and happen often. Let's just hope you are playing with a Jabulani ball, then you have an excuse at least.

Dragon Ball: Origins 2 Game Review

I'm sure everyone will know about DragonBall Z but before DBZ came Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball: Origins 2 follows from it's predecessor taking on the next chapter in the story and for fans of the first game or Dragon Ball in general, this is a great thing.

Origins 2 picks up where the first game left off and continues through the next few sagas staying true to the TV show. Goku travels to the frozen north and fights the Red Ribbon Army before returning to meet up with Krillin, Yamcha, and Bulma. This game is created with the fans in mind and really if you have never watched the Dragon Ball series or read the Manga you might feel a bit lost, however this shouldn't put you off experiencing what is essentially a great and fun game.

Like i said before, this game is made with the fans in mind and keeps very true to the TV series basing each level loosely around an episode from the show, all the important plot elements are told through cut scenes. You play as Goku fighting through Humans, Animals, and even Dinosaurs before attempting a boss battle. The combat revolves mainly around Goku using either his fists or Power Pole, it is fluent and fast passed rewarding players who complete stages within certain time limits.

Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days Game Review

Kane & Lynch 2 is the sequel to the highly controversial game, Kane & Lynch: Dead Men. Dead Men was riddled with problems, awkward and frustrating controls, lack of any online co-op features, and a story which fell apart are just a few of the issues which plagued the first game. Dog Days follows on with the story in a violent and mature fashion continuing the brutal unforgiving theme of the first game, this time using handheld video camera style graphics which make the game stand out from any other on the market today.

Unlike the first game Dog Days is a rather streamline experience, you spend most of your time shooting and moving on to the next area of action. This is not a bad thing as the other parts to the original game such as heists, or stealth missions were really not too impressive anyway. This is quite refreshing and makes the game feel allot more like what you would expect from a story about two desperate criminals on the run.

The only downside is the game can feel slightly repetitive at times now that you seem to be doing more or less the same thing most of the time, but to be honest when the thing you are doing constantly throughout the game is being chased by cops down the streets of Shanghai fighting for your life, who can complain.

The shooting mechanics and cover system in Dead Men were frustratingly poor and were responsible for most of the criticism for the first game, thankfully in Dog Days improvements have been made. Although the game still feels slightly behind the times compared to other third person shooting games like Gears of War 2 and Mass Effect 2, it still manages to feel very responsive and reliable for the most part. Weapons have a much lower accuracy and at times they can make what should be a simple kill a tougher test than needed. This is meant to make the weapons feel more realistic and personally i think it is something that should be welcomed as it creates a much more challenging and realistic experience and adds to the tension and frantic pace of the action when you are on the run.

Super Scribblenauts Game Review

Scribblenauts amazed the gaming world with it's creative charm and imaginative world when it was released late 2009. Now we are introduced to Super Scribblenauts, This sequel fixes all the problems with the previous title such as the awkward controls for our hero, Maxwell , and even manages to expand the Scribblenauts universe. The sequel is even more fun and creative than the first game, retaining all of it's charm and providing a delightful puzzle platforming experience for any Nintendo DS owner.

Scribblenauts is a game which can create any non-trademarked item and then that item will act as it would in reality. For example, you can create God, yes GOD! and even give him an AK-47 if you wish to. Next you could create the Devil and hand him a Lazer Gun. Now as you know God and the Devil are not best of friends and when equipped with a weapon they will fight to the death. This provides almost no limits of imaginative and creative way's to entertain your mind.

The major new addition to Super Scribblenaughts is the ability to add adjectives to anything you summon. So for example, if you summon a cute little Dolphin then feed him an exploding fish, the Dolphin be blown to pieces leaving you either sad, or extremely delighted and thrilled with your sadistic creativity. I have spent countless hours just messing around on the main menu which allows you to play the game without any missions, sort of like a practise mode to help you learn by yourself. Lately i have had a Seal killing fetish for some strange reason.

Dead Rising 2 Game Review

First of all if you were not a fan of the first game then Dead Rising 2 won't be for you. The sequel is essentially the first game improved in every way. Everything that worked so well in the first game has been multiplied insanely to give fans of the first game an even better experience this time around. Capcom have also managed to fix the pre-release issues allot of critics were complaining about such as, the frame rate, and extremely long loading times.

In Dead Rising 2 you will play as Chuck Greene. Chuck's wife was gobbled up by Zombies years ago and his daughter infected by the same incident however with a daily dose of Zomberx he is able to save her from turning into the walking undead. As a contestant on "Terror is Reality" Chuck must mutilate the undead for money, however after the show there is a mini Zombie uprising which Chuck is framed for. The remaining survivors hold out in the Fortune City safe house to await rescue in 3 day's leaving Chuck with no option but to fight the undead, find his daughters meds, and clear his name.

Dead Rising 1 was basically complete a mission in the various locations casino/hotel/mall before the time runs out, gain experience points, use the experience gained to level up more health, more moves, and more inventory spots. Then repeat the process. So if you were not a fan of this then you won't like Capcom's latest version which is really just the same thing but with enough new features to make the game feel fresh enough to spend your money on.

Spider-Man Shattered Dimensions Game Review

Over the years fans of Spider-Man have been given some good games, but never anything we could call great. The latest Spider-Man game Shattered Dimensions places you in 4 of Spider-Man's worlds as Amazing, Ultimate, 2099, and Noir Spidey attempting to deliver something for everyone. After last years success of Batman Arkham Asylum, not only the best Batman game of all time but the best super hero game of all time we now have a new Spider-Man game which will attempt to please Spidey's fans the way Arkham thrilled Batman fans around the world.

Spider-Man Shattered Dimensions begins when a powerful magical artefact is shattered leaving Spider-Man to collect all pieces of the shattered artefact across four different dimensions, each representing a different period in Spidey's history. All this will be completed under the watchful gaze of the mysterious Madame Web.

The great thing about Shattered Dimensions is the way each Spidey has his own unique personality helping to create a better and more varied experience than any previous Spider-Man game. Spider-Man will constantly crack jokes with Madame Web using phrases fans will know from Spidey's comics and TV shows. Villains will also open up opportunity's for Spidey to crack more jokes and show off his sense of humour with pop culture references, however sometimes this can be a bit to cliché and expected especially during boss battles when Madame Web will annoyingly and frustratingly repeat the same dialogue over and over again. This however is not frequent enough to ruin the game and overall the dialogue does a solid job creating a classic Spidey sense of justice with a sense of humour.

Sonic The Hedgehog 4 (Episode 1) Game Review

There is no doubting the fact that SEGA's mascot has fallen from grace over the past decade after his transition from 2D gaming into the 3D era. Sonic The Hedgehog 4 Episode 1 is SEGA's latest attempt at reviving the little blue platforming king and restoring his pride, recreating 4 zones each consisting of 3 acts and a boss battle from the original 2D classics we all know and love from our Genesis days.

Since Sonic made the transition into the 3D era fans have been left disappointed for the most part with the exception of Sonic Adventure 2 : Battle, a personal favourite of mine. Sonic has lost his speed and charm which made him a household name back in the Genesis days however SEGA's latest attempt with Sonic sees him return to the 2D classic Sonic games and it is exactly what fans have been waiting for.

Dr Robotnik, or Eggman as they refer to him now is back and up to no good again. In Sonic 4 you will play through four zones each consisting of three acts and a boss battle, finally attempting one last boss battle which will test even hardcore Sonic fans.

Each zone is inspired from the original Sonic games on the Genesis however they take the inspiration and use it to make the game feel new and fresh. The first of the 4 "Splash Hill Zone" will look very similar to Green Hill Zone and will not show much difference from the old Sonic games other than the graphical differences. After the first zone you really see the designers inspirations come out in the next few zones. The Lost Labyrinth has areas where you will need to carry a torch lighting your way through dark corridors in search of the exit, and lighting dynamite to blow up obstacles in your way to advance further. My favourite of the 4 zones is Casino Street, this zone was very nostalgic to me and brought back allot of childhood memories and emotions. There are now poker style playing cards which Sonic flips when he runs past either rewarding the player or punishing them. The Mad Gear Zone asks the player to run across giant gears opening up new passageways for Sonic to advance through the stage, and the vacuum tubes most memorable in the Chemical Plant Zone of Sonic The Hedgehog 2 are BACK! and for me this is great since Chemical Plant was my favourite Sonic stage.

The Special stages are back with slight differences to keep this feeling like a new experience with old friends. You rotate your stage much like in the old days while Sonic falls through collecting all the rings before the timer cuts off.

Sonic 4 is a game that looks as great as it plays, the designers manage to create a game that retains the old school art style with a modern day twist. Colours are bold, bright and vary in each zone making you feel like you are always somewhere new. The old orange and yellow checker'd platform areas now look as though some of the squares go in deeper than others and waterfalls now look fantastic. It is also great to see all your old favourite enemy's with up to date visuals and effects, such as my own personal favourite the little red Piranha fish. Sonic looks better than ever and leaves trails of smoke when he runs, and when he jumps he will throw his hands in the air. Sonic also has lots of facial expressions for anything effecting him now which just adds to the detail and presentation.

Power ups are back but they haven't changed much. All the old ones we know and love such as, superspeed, invincibility, and bubble shield are all here with no real changes other than their theme tunes.

The only significant difference in gameplay is the introduction of the lock-on targeting system which works so well in Sonic's 3D adventures. You can now attack enemy's with precision accuracy from almost any position and it's not only for fun. You will be required in some areas to use this such as when the floor is covered with spikes and the only way to continue is to target the hovering enemy's above them. This is something allot of fans from the old days might not be so willing to welcome but i personally think it's great and shows how Sonic has advanced through out the years. The game will also feel faster when blasting through a row of enemy's then continuing down a hill before clearing another looped path way. The only reason people might doubt this feature is because it does make the game less difficult than it otherwise would be without it but that is only a small complaint.

The big disappointment with Sonic 4 is co-op, there is none. While i understand the goal was to re-create Sonic 1 and bring Sonic back to his roots it would have been great to have a friend play along side me as Tales after all this is Sonic 4 and we should be progressing not going back. I think it would have also been nice to unlock some other playable characters for fun such as Shadow (who i would really love to see in a 2D game) or Knuckles but that might come later as this is only episode 1. We do get Super Sonic which is great and more fun than ever.

The music in Sonic 4 is wonderful, all the old sounds are back like the springs that repel Sonic through the stages, the pop's when Sonic blasts through an enemy, the warning when Sonic is running out of air, air bubbles when Sonic is under water, and even the crumbling sounds of the breakable walls Sonic can speed through. The stage music is just as cheesy and joyful as ever delivering an old retro feel in a modern way. Boss battles feel just as fun as ever when the music begins to change as well and you know that big Egg is after you again.

The only other drawback with the game is it's rather easy difficulty level for anyone who spent the majority of their youth locked away in a basement with the little blue hedgehog. This can't be helped though Sonic is what it is and the only way to change the difficulty for anyone who is a Sonic pro would be to change the whole concept of what Sonic is. The final boss fight however is ridiculously hard compared to the rest of the game. After playing the game through and meeting the end boss you feel like each boss was just a warm up fight for this guy who uses all of the previous bosses methods to take Sonic down. It's long and frustratingly hard and if you are not a die hard Sonic fan this might be the reason you turn the game off. Personally i think the game needs this testing end and when all episodes are complete we should have a few more ultimate boss battles which make the complete Sonic 4 a tougher game than any of the previous ones.

Sonic The Hedgehog 4 is going to be released in episodic forum, most likely we can expect to see 3 to 4 episodes each consisting of 4 zones, 12 acts, 4 boss battles, and 1 ultimate boss battle so there is lot's to look forward to in the future from SEGA.

Sonic is a franchise i will always have a place in my heart for. I am a huge Sonic fan and for me SEGA has finally gave the fans what we have been asking for. If i was an unbiased reviewer i would give Sonic The Hedgehog 4 Episode 1 an 8/10, however i want to score this game as a fan.

As a fan this is everything i have been waiting for an more, however as Sonic 4 is going to be released in episodic forum i can't give this a 10/10 so my final score is 9/10