For the twenty contestants from around Europe competing for a grand prize of a Sonia Bravia TV as well as £2,500 in prize money, the incentive must certainly have been more than just the taking part.

(Notice your faithful scribe caught in the act of posing with a statue fourteen seconds in…)

Hosted at Proud Galleries, Camden, the King Of The Iron Fist Tournament aims at determining the one Tekken player with the chops to compete under pressure against the best of the best. For those not competing it offered an open bar, plentiful swag (which we snagged a bundle of to give away to you lot) a wicked atmosphere, some brilliant spectator games and some great people to just hang out with and talk games with.

The Double-Throne Of Power

The room itself was laid out simply; a semi-circle of Tekken 6 booths, a small corner bar, the stage, cough, huge TV and projector screen behind it, and the odd couch.

Events got under way with the first round instantly throwing the real contenders into sharp relief. Whilst the overall quality was high, UK entrant Ryan Hart, French Tekken representative Norman Chatrier and Alessandro Ajello the Italian were clearly leagues ahead and destined to meet in the finals. Custom sticks at the ready, these boys knew how to bring the Tekken pain; chaining massive juggle combos and capitalising mercilessly when they managed to floor their opponent in the corner. It was seriously humbling watching these guys play, and they demonstrated ably just how tactical a match of Tekken can be; reflexes are also needed but no amount of quick button presses could break down the deadly combo of a well timed guard followed by a clever counter.

Winner Norman Chatrier and his custom stick

A good range of characters were used but some were obviously favoured as top-tier tournament choices.  Paul, Bob, Kazuya, Steve and King (not the author…) all saw a lot of action, but especially impressive was seeing Jack(!!) played very well, likewise a highly aggressive Dragunov, and a tasty Jin. All in all the character roster in Tekken 6 looks seriously impressive in motion, and it’s great to know that such a variety of characters can stand up to competitive play; a testament to the fine-tuned balance of this fighting game.

Below is the winner’s final in all its glory! (Courtesy of randomhajile2 via the Namco-Bandai channel)

The final fights of the day, (see above) were uproariously received. After a few libations the crowd were avidly cheering, shouting, sighing heavily in despair at every punch doled out or received, every KO (and double KO!) depending on their chosen Tekken champion; the atmosphere as a whole explosive by the eventual climax which was taken to its last possible game, of five, two games and two matches each.

Here is a mini-photo slideshow!

We want to say a massive ‘thank you!’ to Namco-Bandai Partners, Proud Galleries and everyone else enjoyed in making this such a great day for everyone involved and a brilliant, competitive celebration of gaming. It’s days like this that reignite my passion for gaming as not just a hobby and in industry but a social past-time.

Don’t forget to keep an eye out on the site for the Tekken 6 swag giveaway!

The matter of sex. Sex in games. In-game sex. In-game nudity. Penises. Penii?! Well that is a perennial debate so I will shy away like so many chaste maidens from that particular issue.  More accurately, the portrayal of sex in games and why it’s so controversial when it is portrayed, despite the utter saturation of it in other mediums.

The Lost and Damned, whilst developed by an (aptly-named) studio who already have a good pedigree in controversy, managed to shock, delight, confuse many with its cock-sure depiction of a male member (of congress, no less). With The Ballad Of Gay Tony, the closing chapter of the GTA 4 saga dealing in part with another aspect of sexuality, Rockstar are certainly one of the few developers not afraid of raising a few issues about sex and sexuality, and it’s these I’m interested in.

For one, if we, as a community of gamers wish to be granted ever-more respect by the mainstream media, we must, as a rule, respond to issues of sex and nudity in a mature fashion. I don’t wish to imply that people are not, just that it is an important foundation to lay. We must be able to enter into a dialogue about sex in games in the same way as developers must be able to depict it in such a way as to facilitate mature discussion. Now, Japanese developers have a vivid history of sex games, but cultural differences abound; I’m talking about the way forward for a western audience and industry. What have we learnt from Hot Coffee, J. Thompson, blue aliens and japanese dating sims?

"Let's get it oooon..."

Mass Effect spawned an absolutely hilarious reaction in the media upon its release (if you somehow haven’t seen it before, it’s absolutely hilarious how ignorant some people were about it…)

Aside from being laughably under-researched (my favourite line is ‘the ability of players to engage in graphic sex’) the feature linked above highlights all that is wrong with the interaction between the mainstream and video games. Especially surrounding the issue of what is, ultimately, no matter how many different religious groups believe otherwise, a perfectly natural act. Again, fun as it would be, I’m not offering a diatribe against either Fox (Megan or the TV company), the media, religion, your mum, or Bioware (the twisted, predatory corrupting influence that they are). This video is timeless, but seems especially relevant once again as Bioware are set to release Dragon Age: Origins, a game that we’re told (or perhaps warned) has a good deal of on screen hanky panky.

Yeah, this looks like fun...

Let’s cut to the chase: I propose that the only way we are going to make progress in the matter, is for more games to have sex featured in them. The problem is how to present it. The power of suggestion is as powerful as ever, and to my mind the sex scene in Mass Effect is both tasteful and effective. ‘Sleeping’ with hookers in Grand Theft Auto is not tasteful but it’s certainly not offensive or gratuitous. So far so good. Let’s take a look at a few more examples.

Sex in Fallout 3 is possible but inconsequential, unrewarding, and ultimately pointless from a gameplay or narrative perspective. A non-committal depiction shall we say. Fable 2 takes another interesting approach by letting you only hear the act of coitus. If you’ve played Fable you’ll also know that having a child is amusing but again, ultimately a gimmick; I call this a morally neutral stance. Both are fine, but one is sincerely lacking in ambition to drive the matter forward, understandable after the fiasco that the ratings boards conjured over the naming of in-game drugs

Where is the sex that adds to the drama? Think about the potential of sex scenes in films and literature to really evoke emotions, to create powerful drama and motivations between characters. How games developers, backed into a corner by ratings boards and neurotic censorship endorsed by a morally perplexed billboard society continue to shy away from a responsible yet vivid depiction of all things sexual baffles me.

"That is one massive penis".

I’m hoping that Heavy Rain, the TIMJ hands-on preview of which you can read here, with its ostensibly ‘life-life’ portrayal of a believable scenario will feature a real, bar-setting sexual event or relationship. If games are ever going to cross over the threshold from entertainment to art-form, from wasted artistic potential to responsible medium of expression, we all need to get virtually laid a little more.

Explaining the appeal of the recent XBLA release Trials HD is like describing something  funny but complicated you overheard a week ago; you really have to be there to get it. This HD update of the original PC versions is also series developer RedLynx’s first foray into console territory, and it’s a trial they pass with aplomb.

You’re telling me you’ve never seen a giant ramshackle loop-de-loop with flaming barrels and explosives in an abandoned warehouse before?
The game’s premise is simple enough: you have a dirt bike and you’re confronted with increasingly ludicrous-looking obstacle courses to traverse on it. You only have control over the throttle and your weight distribution, a set-up deliciously simple but elevated to sheer brilliance when you consider the game’s strict and admirable adherence to a realistic physics model.

I’m supposed to do what now?!
Of course, you’re eased into things quite gently. Anyone remotely familiar with Trials 1 and 2 on the PC will breeze through the opening levels, requiring as they do only some careful braking and the odd lean. Things, however, swiftly become a little more tricky with the introduction of giant boulders, initially impossible-looking jumps and frankly life-threatening see-saw mechanisms. Oh, not to mention the exploding barrels (and warheads) that the devious track designers have somewhat carelessly left lying around.

For every new difficulty level (the stages are broken up into difficulty categories) you will receive a brief tutorial explaining a central, essential technique based around shifting your virtual body weight. About mid-way through the total track listing (as it were) you will definitely be confronted with an environmental puzzle that makes you stop, put down the controller, and back steadily away from your 360.

The beauty of this game is made evident upon (hopefully…) your completing of each stage as you look back and realise just how skillful you have actually been. When you revisit tracks in pursuit of the gold (and eventually Platinum) medals and shave precious seconds off your time with a perfect run through and a few short-cuts, the course layouts reveal themselves to be inspired.

One of the best features in regards to the much-coveted re-playability factor is the ability to check out replays; not only your own, but those of the top ranked players from the leader-board. If this sounds like it reduces the competition, rest assured; watching someone do the course perfectly in no way translates easily into doing it perfectly yourself. What it does give you is the chance to alleviate some pent-up frustration by having a guideline to follow. You can’t, of course, see these replays until you’ve completed a race so you will still experience the massive satisfaction of working things out for yourself first.

Besides all of this, the extra challenges are inspired. Ranging from trying to traverse a simple track… but on top of a giant mesh ball (or inside it!) from having rockets attached to your bike and skis attached (hilariously) to your feet and gunning for the biggest jump you can manage (by pressing ‘Y’ and bailing at high velocity), they represent a real challenge and crucially, are actually fun. Even better, they all involve some kind of painful end enhanced by the rag-doll physics.

What goes up, must come down...

Check me out… NO HANDS!
The graphics are more than functional, and the frame-rate never dips. XBLA titles rarely impress by dint of their graphics, but Trials has some nice bloom effects, nice textures, and enough zip in the hood to make sure that when you’re stuck staring at a giant, insurmountable rock for 5 minutes you won’t at least notice many visual shortfalls. The frame-rate is solid throughout, and the option (though fairly limited ) to customize the appearance of your rider and bike can make the visuals a little more appealing.

The stages themselves, whilst not really having any chance to show off in terms of beautiful rendering, are nicely cluttered; objects everywhere and broken bits of track trailing off in the background don’t distract but give a nice impression of 3D.

Like music to my helmet
Likewise, the music is functional but doesn’t do anything special. The somewhat scary cock-rock sound-bites of the title screen are amusing novelties and the engine sounds are meaty and satisfying. Particularly well done are the grunts and yelps of your hapless rider as you force him to careen around at lethal speeds. I’ll never get tired of the noise he makes after suffering a badly landed drop, his bike and skeleton crumpling under the G force.

I break less limbs less than you do on any given course… so nerrr!
Multiplayer is technically limited to leader board support across all game modes, with the afore mentioned replay option mixing things up a little.  However, Trials actually works brilliantly in couch co-op or vs, as you pass the controller around in an attempt to complete a stage or get the best time on one. Thanks to the inevitable, gruesome bails and the fact that it’s such a pleasure to watch (schadenfreude or no), Trials is perhaps best enjoyed with a few friends. Add the fact that laughter (and you will laugh) is a great remedy for any potential frustration you might (will) feel and it becomes very easy to recommend Trials HD as a multiplayer game.

Worth the Trial?
Trials HD won’t initially appeal to every gamer. RedLynx have however developed a rare thing: a game that can be enjoyed by hardcore and casual gamers alike; the simple to pick up, (extremely) hard to master core gameplay, the fantastic physics, more than 50 unique stages (plus level editor) and utter uniqueness make sure of that. A trial by fire certainly, but one you will emerge from unscathed and grinning broadly.

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