Platform: Xbox 360

Naughty Bear: Panic in Paradise

Post author By Phil Ubee
Post date November 7, 2012

Teddy Bears are the absolute symbol of childhood innocence. Soft, cuddly, harmless creatures stuffed with fluff and designed to be cuddled to sleep every night by a loving child, right? While that may be the case ninety-nine times in a hundred, there is always an exception to the rule and that exception goes by the name of Naughty Bear.

Naughty is the polar opposite of what you expect from a Teddy Bear, with a penchant for breaking everything he sees, scaring his kin and killing everything in sight with the aid of everything he can find. In fact, Naughty takes so much pride in torture and violence that he could be confused for the lead in the latest Tarantino movie or worse. The Killer question is how much fun can you have with a cuddly toy?

Read on to find out.

Tags 505 Games, action adventure, Naughty Bear, Panic in Paradise, PS3, Xbox 360

Serious Sam 3: BFE

Post author By Matt Parker
Post date November 5, 2012

The first Serious Sam was released back in 2001, and gained fans thanks to its fast-paced action and ludicrous enemies. The people at Croteam have been refining their series, with Serious Sam 3: BFE being launched back in November last year for PC. Recently we got the release of Serious Sam 3: BFE for XBox Live, along with its DLC ‘Jewel of the Nile’.

So, what’s Serious Sam all about? Well, think along the lines of old-school shooters like Doom and Quake and that’s what you have here. Serious Sam 3 is a throwback to a bygone era. Is this a good thing though? Has that era of shooter gone by for a reason?

Tags Croteam, Devolver Digital, DLC, review, Serious Sam 3, xbox, Xbox Live

Halo 4

Post author By Ray Willmott
Post date November 1, 2012

343 Industries have an incredible amount of pressure resting on their shoulders. Bungie pioneered a multi-billion dollar franchise with Halo and left a legacy that will stand the test of time in the video-games industry. However, with them moving over to Activision to work on a brand new AAA franchise, 343 are left to pick up the pieces

Is it even possible for a debut studio to make a game befitting of such a rich heritage, regardless of an infinite budget and a wealth of enthusiasm? Is one of the world’s most revered franchises truly in the right hands?

Guess it’s time to find out…

Tags 343 Industries, Bungie, Cortana, Covenant, Domination, Halo 4, Master Chief, Promethean, Regicide, Spartan Ops

R.A.W. (Realms of Ancient War)

Post author By AJ Thompson
Post date October 28, 2012

Suffice it to say, there have been a lot of fantasy video games over the years. More and more keep coming, and as gamers we can only hope each one stands out in its own way. Hopefully each one has something unique to offer.

Sadly, RAW doesn’t have anything new to offer. In fact, it doesn’t have anything good to offer at all. While it’s not a terribly flawed game, it never goes beyond the level of mediocre.

Tags focus home interactive, raw, realms of ancient war, WizarBox

F1 2012

Post author By Phil Ubee
Post date October 25, 2012

I have to be honest and say I am not a huge fan of driving games. However, not many sports fans don’t have at least a passing interest in the Formula 1 and you all know I’m a big sports nut. So an F1 video-game automatically becomes a kind of “between a rock and a hard place” affair. Does F1 2012 reach out to my sporting desires, or is it just another racing sim in shiny F1 clothing? Read on to find out.

Tags Codemasters, drivers, F1, FiA, formula 1, PS3, Xbox 360

FIFA 13

Post author By Phil Ubee
Post date October 17, 2012

Love it or hate it, football is almost always in the news. From players tweeting inappropriately, or the age-old debates about diving and goal line technology; to what constitutes world-class, and the latest YouTube clip of another Messi wonder-goal; you just can’t get away from it.

The battle for supremacy on console football is almost as passionately fought these days. Having seen what Konami produced with PES 2013 I was given the task of seeing how EA Sports FIFA 13 measures up. Read on to find out.

Tags EA Sports, EA Sports Football Club, Fifa, FIFA 13, Football, PC, Pes, PS3, Reviews, Soccer, Ultimate Team FUT, Xbox 360

XCOM: Enemy Unknown

Post author By Ray Willmott
Post date October 9, 2012

Strategy games have rarely been a great fit on home consoles. Sure, we had Halo Wars and that was a bit of fun, but realistically, it wasn’t a patch on the Total War series or anything else of a similar ilk.

Undeterred however, Firaxis are not only rebooting legendary PC franchise, XCOM, but they’re determined to make it an engaging fit for 2012 audiences.

How did they get on?

Tags 1994, Enemy Unknown, Firaxis, PC, PS3, Sid Meier, Tactical Warfare, Xbox 360, Xcom

Dishonored

Post author By Ray Willmott
Post date October 8, 2012

The shadows remain a comfortable place for many gamers. They offer an alternative path both tense and undisturbed. Yet, while this method of exploration is prevalent in most games, it has perhaps never been so integral and significant as it is in Dishonored. Yet at the same time, so completely irrelevant.

Dishonored is one of the first games to allow the player total freedom to play how they want, when they want.

This is both its greatest strength and biggest weakness.

Tags Arkane Studios, Assassins Creed, Bethesda, Dishonored, flame, shadow, Splinter Cell, Stealth, Steampunk, thief, Victorian

Mark of the Ninja

Post author By Trent Pyro
Post date October 5, 2012

I’ve always had an uneasy relationship with stealth. Sneaking about in shadows for ages, cutting one throat per hour has never seemed like much fun and I’ve never been very good at it. I’m the guy who stays hidden just long enough to take a position of advantage before unleashing merry hell with whatever weapon the game deems to give me. While I recognise the Hitman and Splinter Cell series’ as respected behemoths, I’ve never really got on with them.

It’s odd, then, that my favourite XBLA game of the year so far is a stealth title. Not a game that involves stealth; a proper sneak-em-up where one false move can spell instant death and where killing while hidden is about the only way you can do it. Klei Entertainment, the visionary creators of Shank, have not only managed to craft one of the best stealth games ever made but craft it so well that even life-long avoiders like myself cannot stop playing it. Let me explain…

Tags 1200MSP, 2D, cartoon, Klei Entertainment, Mark of the Ninja, Microsoft Game Studios, Ninja, Platformer, Shank, Side-Scroller, Stealth, sword, XBLA

PES 2013

Post author By Phil Ubee
Post date September 23, 2012

There are certain things that are synonymous with Autumn; blackberries, leaves falling from the trees, the heating going on for the first time since Easter, and the release of big video-game sporting franchises. This year, Konami have given us PES 2013 a little earlier than usual, perhaps to get a head start on their big rival in that all-important battle for supremacy.

I, like many journalists, was fortunate enough to receive the review copy of the game in advance of release with a view to giving you, our beloved reader, the low down before the game hit the high street on Friday 21^st September. However, Konami decided that they were not going to enable the servers to allow online play until that date so, unlike many of our larger more professional peers, we made the decision to delay posting our review until this part of the game could be fully tested. This enables us to give you all the facts.

So to coin a phrase, does PES 2013 “hit the ground running?” Read on to find out.

Tags Football, Konami, Master League, PC, Pes, PS3, Soccer, Winning Eleven, Xbox 360

Rock Band Blitz

Post author By Trent Pyro
Post date September 19, 2012

Since it shook the rhythm action genre in late 2007, Rock Band has become the epitome of the genre. Far from remaining the new breed nipping at the heels of the already-aged Guitar Hero series, it quickly matured into about the most fun you could have with a plastic guitar. Its song store is absolutely overflowing with thousands of tunes of all genres, opening up the game to all tastes and preferences. Despite Activision’s cruel axing of the entire series in 2011, developer Harmonix carried on regardless, continuing to support past games and develop new ones.

One look at the online statistics and song downloads for Rock Band 3 tells us we don’t need another full release quite yet. Good job Harmonix recognise that and have instead blessed us with Rock Band Blitz. Billed as a more arcade-oriented, score-juggling version of the style we know and love, Blitz takes its cue from one of the companies old releases, Amplitude. A fresh idea back then, it was never really emulated and remains a gem of the PS2 era. Can Harmonix rekindle the love many people had for that game and keep its trademark Rock Band joy?

Tags 360, amplitude, arcade, blitz, Guitar Hero, Harmonix, Music, PS3, PSN, rhythm, rock band, Xbox Live

Borderlands 2

Post author By Ray Willmott
Post date September 18, 2012

Ah, sequels. They’re both the scariest and most exciting thing, aren’t they?

Borderlands is the most successful new IP in recent memory, so 2K were always going to commission a bigger, badder and better sequel.

Did they get exactly that?

Tags 2K Games, Bajillion Guns, Bandits, Borderlands, Borderlands 2, Gearbox Software, Joy-Puke

Joe Danger 2: The Movie

Post author By Ray Willmott
Post date September 13, 2012

It’s not as cheap to go to the cinema as it used to be, is it? It’s unfortunate, but with the cost of movie development going up and recessions all over the place, it’s not hard to see why. Still, the movie world goes on, and that certainly doesn’t stop them looking for the next star.

The question is, does Joe Danger fit that bill?

Tags hello games, Joe Danger SE, Joe Danger The Movie, xbox, Xbox 360, Xbox Live

Tekken Tag Tournament 2

Post author By Ray Willmott
Post date September 11, 2012

Tekken has truly become the fighter for the modern-day warrior. Sure, Soul Calibur V was a huge release earlier this year, and the crossover with Street Fighter was a big deal, but this has always been the jewel in Namco Bandai’s crown.

After a long, arduous absence, dating back as far as the PS2 launch, Tekken Tag Tournament is back, but is it still the greatest show on Earth?

Tags Fighting games, Heihachi, Kazuya, Mishima, namco, Paul, Tekken, Tekken Tag Tournament, Tekken Tag Tournament 2

Sleeping Dogs

Post author By Trent Pyro
Post date August 29, 2012

Action cinema is something we take for granted these days, but back in the day we had to settle for John Wayne cowboy movies and the occasional Steve McQueen thriller to satisfy our cravings for visual violence. Then along came a little-known Chinese director who changed everything: John Woo.

With just two films, The Killer and Hard Boiled, he revolutionised the way we viewed the gunfight, crafting almost poetic sequences with a flair and aplomb never before seen. He directed the actors like dancers and used the physicality of stars like Chow Yun Fat to create a whole new style of cinematography dubbed balletic gunplay. Pretty much every dual-wield dive through a plate glass window, modern gunman showdown and slo-mo bullet death owes a debt to Mr Woo. Without him there would be no Matrix, no Max Payne and now, no Sleeping Dogs.

Originally a fresh IP from little-known developer United Front Games called Black Lotus, it was quickly snapped up by Activision and rebranded as True Crime: Hong Kong in an effort to rejuvenate the old franchise for a new generation. Some time later the corporation declared that the game “…just wasn’t going to be good enough.” and dropped it in the lurch, leaving its future in question and United Front with an 80% finished game and no publisher.

Fast-forward a year and Square Enix London are among the companies being courted by the ailing developer. Claiming they’d found a diamond in the rough, the Japanese company picked it up and immediately began working with United Front to release the game under a new title: Sleeping Dogs. It’s finally here and the big question is, has it lived up to expectations? Squeenix said that Activision must have been crazy to drop the game, so let’s find out if they were right.

Darksiders II

Post author By Ray Willmott
Post date August 14, 2012

Death waits for no man. It can’t be outrun. It can’t be outsmarted. There is nowhere to hide.

The representation of the Grim Reaper varies from place to place; both appearance and attitude are depicted differently by culture, race and imagination. This is as true of the protagonist of Vigil Game’s Darksiders II as anywhere else. As such, there is no right or wrong way to see the world’s most feared executioner. We’re unified in our belief that the Reaper walks a path of destruction, leaving nothing alive in its wake, and that’s all that matters.

Thankfully for THQ, however, the path set before us in Darksiders 2 is one we will all want to walk and see through to its conclusion.

Tags Armageddon, Darksiders, Darksiders II, Death, Famine, Pestilence, thq, Vigil Games, War

Deadlight

Post author By Ray Willmott
Post date July 30, 2012

Rarely can a studio debut knock you so far off your feet that you’re still scrambling to get up days later.

With Deadlight, Tequila Works have not only accomplished that, they may have just put forward the finest Xbox release this year…

Tags Alan Wake, America, Cormac McCarthy, Deadlight, Fez, Flashback, I am alive, Post-Apocalyptic, Seattle, Shadow Complex, shadows, Tequila Studios, The Road, XBLA, Xbox 360

Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater HD

Post author By Phil Ubee
Post date July 30, 2012

One of the best things about XBLA is getting to play the HD remakes of all those games you grew up with. One of the worst things about XBLA is having to play some of those games you grew up with. That might seem a little contradictory but put in layman’s terms, for every R-Type Dimensions there is a Crazy Taxi.

Similarly, the major plus of writing for a gaming site is getting to play games you would never usually play, but the flipside is sometimes you have to play games you’d never usually play. This brings me to Tony Hawks Pro Skater HD, a reboot of the 1999 original from Developer Robomondo.

As a youngster I had a brief and unsuccessful flirt with skateboarding, before very quickly realising that tall and heavy wasn’t the best body shape for balancing on a small piece of wood while going up and down ramps. So I had little interest when the original Tony Hawks launched. However, as a large number of my close friends were heavily into the sport and purchased the game, I had to endure my share of nights trying to pull off all those tricks in the virtual world that had eluded me in the real one. As such, I wasn’t exactly excited by the prospect of the reboot; but here we are, and the big question is can it change my mind?

Tags Activision, PS3, Robomondo, Skateboarding, skater, THPS, Tony Hawks, XBLA

Zuma’s Revenge

Post author By Phil Ubee
Post date July 20, 2012

Over the past decade or so, PopCap games have taken the idea of casual gaming to previously un-thought of heights. They are now at a point where their games are at the forefront of almost every gaming platform known to man (or woman), from internet and social media sites right down to smartphones and hand-held consoles.

The vast majority of these titles sit comfortably in the puzzle category and are incredibly simple in structure, offering a gentle challenge and an uncanny knack of making you play just one more game. The original Zuma was a shining example of this, and the recently released sequel Zuma’s revenge looks to build on the ball-firing addictiveness of its predecessor. Read on to find out if it succeeds.

Tags PC, Popcap, puzzler, XBLA, Zuma, zuma's revenge

Game of Thrones

Post author By Ray Willmott
Post date July 17, 2012

George R.R. Martin’s fantastic fantasy series has taken the world by storm, thanks in part to the hit HBO series which debuted last year. With so many dynamic, unpredictable and interesting characters, coupled with a luxurious, beautiful landscape, the Seven Kingdoms has sucked us in with sickening virtuosity.

However, with a world so vast, a game is necessary to help fill some of the gaps in the lore. Enter Cyanide Studios and their RPG interpretation. A title that prompts incredible promise and expectation, but is this all we want it to be?

Tags Clash of Kings, Dance with Dragons, Feast for Crows, Game of Thrones, George R Martin, Lannister, Stark, Storm of Swords, Westeros

Lollipop Chainsaw

Post author By Michael Charge
Post date July 13, 2012

It’s very rare that I can’t physically finish a game due to its content. As someone who writes about games, I feel like I need to play something all the way through in order to give a proper opinion on how a games eventually roll out, seeing as nearly all of them pick up later.

Unfortunately, Suda 51’s Lollipop Chainsaw is just so offensively uninteresting I can’t finish it. Which is a shame, as the story has the potential to be really funny but the rest of the game just won’t let me get there.

Tags action, Beat em up, Grasshopper Manufacture, Lollipop Chainsaw, Suda 51, Warner Bros

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim – Dawnguard (DLC)

Post author By Trent Pyro
Post date July 12, 2012

Since it hit the shelves in November last year, many of you have spent an inordinate amount of time in Skyrim. It’s surely a testament to the depth and quality of Bethesda’s latest Elder Scrolls world that it remains in many people’s most played lists despite having no multiplayer to speak of.

Even so, there’s only so much to do and so much to see in Skyrim and Bethesda know this. Like any good developer they’ve been teasing us with the promise of ‘less but bigger’ DLC in comparison to Oblivion, and they recently made good on that promise with the release of Dawnguard.

With a hefty price tag of 1600MSP (about £14) and the world of Skyrim already pretty full, is Dawnguard worth the purchase? Unfortunately this is one of those tricky things that entirely depends on what you’re expecting, what you’ll be happy with and how much you hope to get out of it. I’ll lead you through my experience of Dawnguard, as well as my overall impression, and you can make up your mind.

NOTE: This is simply my playthrough of Dawnguard, following one of at least two possible paths. This is by no means the definitive account of the Dawnguard experience but an impression of my time with it.

Tags armour, Dawnguard, fantasy, perk trees, Riften, RPG, Serana, Skyrim, The Elder Scrolls, vampires, Weapons, Werewolves

Magic: The Gathering – Duels Of The Planeswalkers 2013

Post author By Phil Ubee
Post date July 6, 2012

If you are anything like me, the idea of a card trading game fills you with about as much excitement as watching paint dry, and the idea of playing such a game on a console is like pairing Mary Poppins with Mr T: it just shouldn’t happen.

Naturally, this means I had absolutely no prior knowledge of the Magic: The Gathering series. I’ll be honest and say when I was asked to review Duels of the Planeswalkers, my first thought was one of questing across vast planes in a scaled down Action/RPG for XBLA. Obviously I was a little shocked when I first fired the game up, to find the latest release in a series I now know spans almost twenty years and is the most popular card trading game on the market, with over twelve million players.

Having overcome my initial shock and after spending a little time looking at the series’ history, the question is would I add myself to that number? Read on to find out.

Tags Card Trading, Dules of the planeswalkers, iPad, magic, Magic: The Gathering, mana, PC, Planechase, PS3, PSN, Steam, Wizards of the coast, XBLA, Xbox 360

Spec Ops: The Line

Post author By Michael Charge
Post date July 4, 2012

Morality is something games really struggle with at the moment. They seem to really focus down on being binary: good or bad, positive or negative. Jaeger’s Spec Ops: The Line throws this idea out the window as it presents you with choices no man should have to pick from. All this takes place inside of a story that makes me want to put this game up on a pedestal as a truly adult game.

Tags 2K Games, cover shooter, john konrad, Spec Ops, spec ops: the line, Walker, yager

Turtle Beach Earforce X12 Headset

Post author By Trent Pyro
Post date July 1, 2012

Sound. So often sidelined when reviewing games, yet it’s amazing how much difference it can make to an experience. Much of Arkham City’s atmosphere and wonder is owed to the fantastic score and exemplary sound design. Dead Space would be nothing without its eerie soundscapes, the Ishimura simply a dead ship without its creaking and groaning and breathing. Many of us are content to play our games on HDTVs which, on average, have fucking awful speakers. Tiny, tinny little cones jammed into our flatscreens, washing out our audio and filtering out all those gorgeous frequencies that the sound designers spent so long putting in.

You could buy an expensive soundbar or surround sound system. You could even hook up your console to your hi-fi system. Or you could spend much less and pick up one of Turtle Beach’s world-renowned headsets. Specifically engineered for gaming and designed to work as both headphones and headset, many of these prized peripherals come with a hefty price tag, making them unaffordable for most. Enter the Earforce X12 for Xbox 360 and PC. For the price of a new game you can experience surround sound, rich lows and shocking highs. I bought one and my days of listening to my games through my cheap TV’s speakers are gone.

Tags Chat, earforce, headphones, headset, mic, noise cancelling, quality, sound, surround, turtle beach, value, x12, Xbox Live

Ghost Recon: Future Soldier

Post author By Andy Corrigan
Post date June 18, 2012

Despite a lot of the gaming community being divided on the merits of the Ghost Recon series, with the likes of Halo and Call of Duty leading the way for shooters, I can safely say that Ubisoft’s series has been a firm favourite with me since the very beginning. It was my first taste of a punishing, more realistic type of shooter. One shot was enough to down you easily and brutally, and the use of camouflage and your available teammates was essential to succeed.

Although the game took a step towards the future in Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter and its direct sequel, the core principles of the game remained intact. Slow burning, tactical combat ensued, and it was gloriously fun.

Ghost Recon: Future Soldier is the name of Ubisoft’s next foray into the Tom Clancy’s universe, and there is change afoot after a five year hiatus. More change than the series has ever seen before, I might add, but is that change a good thing?

Tags Conflict, Decoy, ghost recon, Ghost Recon: Future Soldier, Red Storm, Siege, Third Person Shooter, tom clancy, Ubisoft

Dragon’s Dogma

Post author By Trent Pyro
Post date June 15, 2012

Skyrim. The Witcher. Dragon Age. These names all say one thing; adventure. Massive worlds with endless hours of exploration and battle. Mad kings, demons, dragons and monsters the likes of which we couldn’t imagine. Fantasy, intrigue, betrayal and death. Exciting, enthralling and irresistible.

Yet it’s odd to think that, for all their brilliance, none of these games contain much adventure at all. Quest markers and in-depth descriptions tell you where to go and what to look for. Everything is orchestrated and set in place for you to succeed and enjoy being the hero.

Capcom are set to change that with Dragon’s Dogma. A new breed of adventure that truly captures the danger, fear and threat of true exploration, it has already been misunderstood and swept aside by much of the media and public. I’m here to set the record straight and to tell you that Dragon’s Dogma is the first true adventure game since they had graphics.

Tags action, Adventure, capcom, Combat, dogma, dragon's dogma, dragons, level up, magic, Monsters, Open world, Party, pawns, RPG, swords

Prototype 2

Post author By Phil Ubee
Post date June 13, 2012

Back in 2009, when Activision were still largely talked of as the darlings of the current generation console owner and COD was still hailed as a fairly innovative franchise, developer Radical Entertainment produced Prototype, a sandbox game with a difference. Instead of moody Eastern Europeans, car theft and an abundance of firearms, we were given super powers and a plot rammed to the brim with conspiracy theories and double-crosses.

Roll the clock forward three years and much has changed in the world of video-games. Activision are now often criticised, and amidst a wealth of AAA titles the likes of which we once could only dream of, even COD, the game of all games, gains critics quicker than a turd gains flies. What hasn’t changed is that Radical Entertainment still falls under the ever-growing umbrella of Activision. They know how to do conspiracy and intrigue too, as Prototype 2 takes everything its predecessor taught it and ramps it up a notch.

Tags Activision, Alex Mercer, Blackwatch, Infected, James Heller, p2, Prototype, Prototype 2, PS3, Radical Entertainment, Radnet, Xbox 360

Max Payne 3

Post author By Andy Corrigan
Post date June 4, 2012

It’s been nine long years since we last saw Max Payne, and nine years is a long time for a franchise that in 2001 was already ahead of the curve. When the first Max Payne hit, it was revered for its deep story of a cop relentless in pursuit of the truth, after being framed for the murder of his family. With its gritty noir style, it set the bar high for video-game storytelling and, in many ways it has not even come close to being matched. Throw in the then-ground-breaking bullet-time gameplay, and Remedy’s game was an undeniable classic.

In the time since the equally well-received sequel, developer Remedy decided to step back and start new projects, starting with a new pun-named character in Alan Wake. The Max Payne license has criminally sat dormant with Rockstar Games for nearly a decade.

When Rockstar finally decided to show their hand, it wasn’t what people were expecting. A fat, bald Max Payne walking around the streets of the uncharacteristically bright locals of Sao Paulo, Brazil? Many were worried, and I have to admit that in spite of Remedy’s involvement and backing to the project, I too was concerned that the series was stepping too far away from its roots.

As it turns out, we needn’t have worried. Rockstar have offered up one of the best shooters this generation has ever seen.

Tags Alan Wake, Bullet-time, cover shooter, Max Payne, Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne, Max Payne 3, Passos, Remedy, Rockstar, Shooter

Trials Evolution

Post author By Stephen King
Post date May 29, 2012

Despite having zero experience with the previous games in the series, Trials Evolution seemed to call out to me, beckoning me to indulge in its absurd racing goodness. You’ve probably already guessed since I am writing this review that the game’s beckoning became unbearable and I eventually made the purchase. So, after all the foreplay of getting the game, I got down to some serious playing.

“There’s something you should know about me… I just happen to like Trials!”

This is just a small snippet of the lyrics to the first song you will hear when you boot up Trials Evolution, and coincidentally it turns out to be fairly close to my feelings on the game.

Tags 1200 Microsoft Points, Microsoft Game Studio, Redlynx, Trials Evolution, Trials HD, Xbox 360, Xbox Live Arcade

The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings Enhanced Edition

Post author By Andy Corrigan
Post date May 25, 2012

Having never really been a PC gaming kinda guy, it goes without saying that my direct experience with The Witcher has been somewhat limited. From everything I’ve seen previously, it’s always given the impression of the type of role-playing experience that would appeal to me, but without a PC powerful enough to run it, I thought I’d never have the pleasure.

Thankfully, developer CD Projekt RED hadn’t really forgotten about us on the ‘lower tier’ of gaming; as their sequel, The Witcher 2, finally made it to Xbox 360.

Is it the adventure I’d been hoping for? Let’s see…

Tags CD Projekt, Combat, Geralt, Muff, Mutant, RPG, The Witcher, the witcher 2, Triss Merigold, Troll

Battleship: The Game

Post author By Trent Pyro
Post date May 18, 2012

To me and probably everyone else in the universe, Battleship will always be a tricky board game played by many and part of the hall of fame that includes Monopoly, Yahtzee and Guess Who. However, we now have another entity confusing Google; Battleship the movie. When it was announced I laughed along with many others. So many movies based on best-selling video games had gone under (Halo, Gears of War) and here was the bozo responsible for that cringe-worthy Modern Warfare 3 ad actually getting funding to make an action movie, about probably the most sedate board game this side of chess… with Liam Neeson and Rihanna.

Of course, as is written in the Holy Book of Hollywood, the movie (which did relatively well at the box office) has been followed by a tie-in game, lest Hell open and swallow us up. Developed by Double Helix and shoved in front of our faces by Almighty Overlord Activision, it looks to combine thrilling FPS action with tactical ship combat. I’ll dodge the typical movie tie-in intro spiel; I think we all know what we’re expecting. Instead I’ll just get on with it and explain why, against all odds, Battleship: The Game is actually alright…

Tags Activision, Aliens, battleship, COD, double helix, FPS, halo, Hasbro, military, naval, RTS, ships, shooting, US

Silent Hill: Downpour

Post author By Stephen King
Post date May 14, 2012

The fog has descended and the rain is beating down hard. From the nothingness, the enemies begin to approach. This can only mean one thing; you are in Silent Hill now, and it doesn’t want to let you leave.

The Silent Hill game series sates a particular hunger for me, as I was a huge fan of this style of horror games as soon as consoles could support them. It came to the forefront for me once Resident Evil (my previous favourite) began to take a more action-oriented approach to things. Meanwhile, Silent Hill attempted to remain as true as ever to the original formula by barely iterating over the span of eight games. I find myself pleased that there are still people who insist on maintaining some of the classic styling of the series, but at the same time, I am concerned.

Silent Hill: Downpour is the latest in the series and once again, the production of the game has been farmed out to a team who have no experience in this game style. So will this bring a fresh approach to how we play Silent Hill, or is it going to be a disappointing experience? Keep reading, because it’s going to be a bumpy ride.

Tags Konami, PS3, Silent Hill, Silent Hill Downpour, Xbox 360

Tiger Woods 13

Post author By Phil Ubee
Post date May 10, 2012

Tiger Woods has had his reputation somewhat tarnished over the past few years both off the course and on it, as the new breed of European superstars have taken over the top of golf’s world rankings following that split. However, in terms of golfing video-games, Tiger is still in a league or his own. It would seem EA Sports have no intention of ditching the title sponsor from their annual PGA Tour game.

Usually, when a new TW game is released, the sun is shining and the temptation to go out on the course for real is high for any golf lovers. Not so this year, with the release being closely followed by the most consistent downpour we’ve had for several months. Even a trip to the driving range is down at the bottom of the list for things to do with my weekend, so I’ve taken the opportunity to play my golf from the comfort of my armchair instead. The question is: how does it compare?

Tags EA Sports, golf, Kinect, PGA, PS3, Tiger Woods, TW13, Xbox 360

Bloodforge

Post author By AJ Thompson
Post date May 7, 2012

Yep, it’s that game again: the ‘revenge against the Gods’ game. It’s been done a dozen times already, and here we are again with a new game taking a shot at the subject. Revenge has been driven into the ground by now hasn’t it? Perhaps it has, but if so, the developers of Bloodforge didn’t get the memo.

So why is yet another vengeance game worth any attention? Or is it? Though it may be the same idea rehashed, this game is still pretty fun, and good-looking too. In fact, one of Bloodforge’s greatest strengths is the new visual twist it puts upon the ancient ideas of mythology.

Tags bloodforge, XBLA, Xbox Arcade

Fable Heroes

Post author By Ray Willmott
Post date April 30, 2012

Despite Molyneux’s departure, Lionhead’s focus remains clear. Lots more Fable, but not in ways we’ve seen it before. This year will see the franchise branch out in two very different ways, with one experience being solely dependent on Kinect, and the other, Fable Heroes, considering itself an equal to the likes of Castle Crashers.

It’s hard to believe that this is the same franchise which sees a dog following you around hunting for digspots, giving you empires to rule, families to maintain and treasure rooms to fill. Fable Heroes is refreshing perhaps, but is this really what we want for Microsoft’s flagship RPG series?

Tags Albion, Balverines, Castle Crashers, Fable, Fable Heroes, Hollow Men, Side-Scroller, The Simpsons, Turtles, X-men, XBLA

Skullgirls

Post author By Phil Ubee
Post date April 30, 2012

It is fair to say that we have seen a sudden uptake of the old-fashioned arcade brawler in recent months, with a wealth of titles looking to challenge for the crown once so comfortably worn by Street Fighter. Skullgirls is the latest off the conveyor belt and it makes no excuses for the obvious influence from Capcom’s granddaddy of the genre. Reverge Labs have produced a 2D fighter that at face value is as much an homage to the old school as it is a modern, complex, involved challenge.

Personally, I have to say that arcade fighters have always proven to be a bit of a challenge for me. Back in the old days of hitting the local arcade and crowding around a cabinet, I was always over by the likes of Football Champ and Double Dragon, rather than facing the inevitable embarrassment of yet another five second drubbing on the aforementioned Street Fighter. However, it is a genre that has given me moments of pure gaming joy that just don’t come around too often, so I was pleased to get the opportunity to take on this review.

The question is, does Skullgirls welcome in a novice like me, adding to those moments of gaming joy; or does it add to the humiliations of my youth?

Tags 2D brawler, arcade fighter, Autumn Games, capcom, PS3, PSN, Reverge Labs, skullgirls, XBLA, Xbox 360

Rayman 3 HD

Post author By Phil Ubee
Post date April 16, 2012

Rayman is one of those game franchises that anyone over a certain age will have some sort of history with. The original, back on Sony’s Playstation in 1991, was something of a breath of fresh air at the time and looked to take on the giants of Sonic and Mario head on.

Like its contemporaries, the Rayman franchise has given us a loveable lead character, a somewhat inferior yet humorous sidekick and a wealth of colourful, enjoyable games across multiple generations. However, unlike the other big franchises, Rayman’s iterations have been somewhat irregular in release, with the third part coming a full eight years after the original.

With the recent success of Rayman Origins, Ubisoft have seen fit to give Rayman 3 the HD makeover for XBLA and PSN. Priced at 800MP, I have been looking at whether it was worth the effort and if it still stands up in today’s market.

Tags Globox, hoodlum havoc, PS3, PSN, Rayman, Ubisoft, XBLA, Xbox 360

Ninja Gaiden 3

Post author By Andy Corrigan
Post date April 12, 2012

Even as someone who’s never had the pleasure, I know that Ninja Gaiden’s brutal reputation often precedes it. Known for crushing difficulty and the need for continual mastering of combat to just about scrape through, it’s often seen as one of the last bastions of the hardcore gamer. That may have just changed with the latest iteration, courtesy of an Itagaki-less Team Ninja…

Of course, having not played the previous games myself, I’m in no position to compare Ninja Gaiden 3 to its previous majesty. With no prior point of reference, I can only review it for what it is and on its own merits.

Captain Ignorance… AWAY!

Tags boring, Hack and Slash, hack n slash, Hayabusa, ninja gaiden, Ninja Gaiden 2, Ninja Gaiden 3, Ryu, Team Ninja

Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning: The Legend of Dead Kel (DLC)

Post author By Trent Pyro
Post date April 10, 2012

It’s always baffled me why the biggest games seem to get the biggest chunks of DLC. While MW3 gets flimsy maps instead of a booster to its blink-and-you-miss-it campaign, enormous games like Oblivion and Mass Effect get entire new areas to explore, complete with quest-lines and characters galore.

Colour me unsurprised then, when I heard that the first expansion to the unexpected (but much deserved) hit Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning was a whole new island full of side-quests, new characters and tons of loot; all for a credit-crunching 800MSP. Being such a fan of the vanilla game (read my gushing review here) I picked it up as soon as possible and it doesn’t disappoint one bit. In fact, it puts many other, less extensive chunks of DLC to shame.

Tags 38 Studios, Big Huge Games, DLC, EA, gallows end, kingdoms of amalur: reckoning, loot, PC, pirates, PS3, quests, Steam, the legend of dead kel, Xbox 360

Sine Mora

Post author By Jesper Hauerslev
Post date April 5, 2012

We gamers are spoiled for choice when it comes to blowing stuff up. We can indulge our primordial urge to destroy things in many different ways, but with so much choice, it can be hard for any one game to stand out. Especially one that doesn’t sport the latest in photo-realistic graphics, real-time physics modelling and really big guns.

Sine Mora is one of the few that does, despite having none of the above. Instead, it relies on a brave combination of old-school gameplay mixed with some clever new twists, that makes it easily accessible for newcomers yet challenging for hardened veterans.

Tags Reviews, shoot em up, sine mora, xbox

Shoot Many Robots

Post author By AJ Thompson
Post date April 5, 2012

Do you have at least three friends who enjoy playing video games? Hopefully you do, because if you’re interested in playing Shoot Many Robots, you’re going to need all three of them. This side-scrolling, ‘bot-shooting mayhem of a game will require all four of you to be ready to kick some robot tail.

The game is one big parody of the American South, and it’s a hilarious romp. It’s not the best multiplayer game I’ve ever played, but it’s a pretty good time and a good way for friends to have fun killing robots together.

Tags Demiurge Studios, PSN, Robots, shoot many robots, shooting, Ubisoft, xbox

Devil May Cry HD Collection

Post author By Ray Willmott
Post date April 3, 2012

Capcom gave us a lot of reasons to be happy during the days of the Playstation 2. From Resident Evil 4 to Okami, and a little series called Devil May Cry.

The series is renowned for its over the top penchant for blood, violence and destruction, and remains a beloved classic among gamers the world over. Yet, it is with trepidation many look toward the Ninja Theory Series Reboot later this year. With big lore changes, gameplay style and art direction, the new DMC has caused a huge divide among its potential audiences.

Adding further fuel to the fire, Capcom have also decided to re-release the games that made the series famous, leaving us with two very important questions.

Are these games still any good? If they are, will these HD reminders serve as an unintended death sentence for Ninja Theory’s forthcoming efforts?

Tags capcom, Dante, Devil May Cry, DMC 1, DMC 2, DMC 3, Ebony, HD, Ivory, Sparda

Defenders of Ardania

Post author By Phil Ubee
Post date March 30, 2012

It seems that Tower Defence is going through something of a purple patch at the moment, with social networking sites and modern-day smartphones seemingly a perfect platform for the genre. In a world where “quick fix” gaming is rife, the two seem to make perfect bedfellows, and titles like PopCap’s Plants Vs Zombies can match some of the world’s best puzzlers in terms of mixing a fairly simple concept with addictive gameplay.

In the world of home consoles, however, the stakes are higher. The competition for gamers’ play time comes up against the industry’s big hitters, which can totally immerse you in their sprawling worlds with well-structured storylines and breathtaking visuals. Having said that, I am rather partial to a bit of Tower Defence and I was quite keen to get my hands on Most Wanted Entertainment’s latest offering: Defenders of Ardania. Especially when I saw the press release that added it would “include light RTS elements.” What could be better, right?

Tags defenders of ardania, fantasy, most wanted games, paradox interactive, PC, RTS, Tower Defence, Xbox 360

Binary Domain

Post author By Andy Corrigan
Post date March 27, 2012

Binary Domain has been a bit of a weird one. I’d heard bugger all about it until a few weeks before it was released, and Sega haven’t exactly been backing it with the big marketing bucks. Neither of those scenarios are a good sign, let alone both, and my thoughts harked back to the shoddy mess that was Alpha Protocol.

Thanks to a postal error, my review copy turned up a few weeks late. Up to my eyeballs in Vita reviews and not feeling too optimistic about the game’s chances at that point, I can’t admit to being too deeply disappointed with the delay. Now? I’m still glad that it arrived late, but not for the reasons I had originally thought…

It’s a game that’s been largely ignored by the buying public and having now played it, I think it deserves a second look. This delayed review might just get people to give it that much.

Tags binary domain, cover shooter, dystopian, Futuristic, Gears Of War, multiformat, Multiplayer, Robots, Sega, Shooter, Terminator, Third Person Shooter

Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City

Post author By Trent Pyro
Post date March 23, 2012

Resident Evil is the most immediate franchise for many when considering horror games. Its first incarnation on the PS1 in 1995 revolutionised fear in video-games, and taught us that less can definitely be more with sparse resources and solitary gameplay. Fast-forward to today and Resi fans have been spoilt, both by the bar-raising Resident Evil 4 in 2005 and the gorgeous action-fest of Resi 5 just a few short years ago. Patient as always, followers of Capcom’s franchise have had numerous editions of the last proper game, plus mobile spin-offs to keep them occupied until the inevitable release of Resi 6 later this year.

What to do until then, I hear you cry? Well, not one to make us go too long without a shot of the old T-Virus, Capcom have recently released Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City. Following the course of an Umbrella clean-up team trying to cover their employer’s tracks after the monumental outbreak in the city, it takes a much more action-based approach in the the form of a co-op shooter rather than a survival horror. Controversially this instalment is developed by an external studio, Slant Six Games and only published by Capcom.

Is this a sign that the company is abandoning the survival horror roots of the series and letting it become just another action title? Well, not exactly…

Tags capcom, Claire Redfield, cover shooter, HUNK, Infected, Jill Valentine, Leon Kennedy, Operation Raccoon City, Raccoon City, Resident Evil, Slant Six Games, Umbrella, Zombies

Asura’s Wrath

Post author By Stephen King
Post date March 21, 2012

Asura's Wrath

Having had a look at Asura’s Wrath when the demo was released, I was left with two very different feelings. My first thought was that despite the game’s promise, it felt like I was actually performing very little in regard to actions. Almost as if the game was playing itself and I was just along for the ride.

The second thought, however, was that there was something about Asura’s Wrath that just caught me a little off guard. There was something here, buried under the quick time events and limited control. Having played through the entire game, I can now tell you that I was right; there is something very special about this game.

Tags anime, Asura's Wrath, capcom, CyberConnect 2, PS3, Xbox 360

Street Fighter X Tekken

Post author By Stephen King
Post date March 13, 2012

Since the start of the year I have started to play more and more fighting games. In fact, I play a tournament every month now and take part in weekly play sessions, so the release of this Street Fighter X Tekken piqued my interest. In recent times the beat ‘em up genre has made a massive comeback, what with the massive success of Street Fighter IV; and its many sequels.

So, when Capcom made the announcement that they were going to be developing the first in an unexpected crossover with Namco’s Tekken, many fans were excited, although this excitement was met with some concern over balancing the two different game styles.

I am pleased to say that they have made a damn good go of it.

Tags capcom, namco, PS3, Street Fighter, Street Fighter X Tekken, Tekken, Xbox 360

Mass Effect 3

Post author By Ray Willmott
Post date March 9, 2012

We made it. I don’t know how we managed it or what kept us going along the way, but we’re here. Mass Effect 3 has finally arrived!

It’s a game that comes with a ton of expectation and a lot of promise, but has also elicited its fair share of concerns. Step forward Multiplayer modes, Kinect support, greater combat emphasis. Over the last two years, Bioware have piled on the announcements, all of them frightening die-hard fans, rather than exciting them.

Of course, now I have the game in hand, there’s only one final announcement left to make. Is this the fitting conclusion we all want it to be, or did Bioware unceremoniously sabotage this memorable journey at the last hurdle?

Read on if you dare…

Tags Arrival, Bioware, Chobot, Death, EA, Galaxy, IGN, Invasion, Kinect, life, Mass Effect 3, Politics, reapers

I Am Alive

Post author By Phil Ubee
Post date March 6, 2012

Let me take you back to June 2008. Shane Warne led the Rajasthan Royals to victory in the inaugural Indian Premier League Cricket, Hilary Clinton won the democratic primary, the Australian army withdrew from Iraq and UbiSoft unveiled I Am Alive at E3. In the (near) four years since that reveal trailer made the world sit up and take notice, Spain have become football’s European and World Champions, the USA has elected its first Black President and the UK has seen a major Royal wedding and a Coalition government take to power.

It’s fair to say that I Am Alive has seen a relatively similar level of change itself in that time, going from what most expected to be a full retail release to a download only title. Even the main protagonist has had something of a change in look and feel (not to everyone’s taste).

It’s a game I’ve followed quite closely in that time and I am very pleased to say that the wait is almost over.

The question now is, was it worth it?

Tags I am alive, platform, PSN, Puzzle, Reviews, Survival Horror, Ubisoft, Xbox 360

Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning

Post author By Trent Pyro
Post date March 6, 2012

I’m sure I’m not alone in saying that when I hear the words ‘New’ and ‘RPG’ in the same sentence my cynicism kicks into overdrive. So many times have we RPG fans been promised the next step in role-playing only to be given another failed attempt. We’re faced with either playing it safe and defaulting to the reliable classics, like Final Fantasy, Elder Scrolls, anything by Bioware, or risking our hard-earned moolah on another probable turkey.

So when I read about a little-known new game called Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning, my hopes were not exactly in the clouds. Developed by 38 Studios and Big Huge Games, it promised slick combat, a vibrant world and epic quests, but so do they all. It also boasted direction by Elder Scrolls alumni Ken Rolston, story by novelist R.A. Salvatore and art by legend Todd McFarlane. Still my cynicisms were not banished. Imagine my surprise, then, when the demo blew me away to the point where I pre-ordered the game.

Picture the scene as my heart melted and I uttered the words ‘This is my dream game’ closely followed by ‘I hope the full game doesn’t get boring’. Well now it’s out and about, I can tell you I was right. Here’s why…

Tags 38 Studios, action, Big Huge Games, EA, fantasy, Ken Rolston, kingdoms of amalur: reckoning, new, origin, PC, PS3, R.A. Salvatore, RPG, sorcery, Steam, swords, Todd McFarlane, Xbox 360

Warp

Post author By Jesper Hauerslev
Post date March 6, 2012

Aliens kidnapping humans and submitting them to painful tests is nothing new. How refreshing then, that puzzle game Warp turns this age-old cliché on its head, by letting you play the role of the alien desperately trying to escape your human captors.

Using, of course, some nifty alien abilities while solving some clever puzzles.

Tags Metal Gear Solid, Portal, Puzzle, warp

Review: The Darkness II

Post author By Trent Pyro
Post date February 29, 2012

When I bought my first Xbox 360, I had just enough cash to grab a few bargain games to play on it. These ended up being the massively popular Gears of War, the Xbox hit Fable and a little-known-to-me shooter called The Darkness. I had no idea that it would end up being one of the most original and enjoyable FPS games I’d ever played.

Based on the successful Top Cow comic series of the same name, it followed mobster hit man Jackie Estecado as he discovered an ancient secret that had cursed his family for generations. Manifesting as a malevolent voice and deadly, snake-like tentacles in equal parts, The Darkness was hell-bent on taking full control of Jackie and using his body to exact its grim will on the Earth. The game translated this very well, with players controlling Jackie as he discovered his dark family past and fought with The Darkness, as well as his mob-boss uncle Paulie.

While the last game was popular it didn’t break any records and its palpable, noir atmosphere and visceral shooter/melee combo combat was lost on many. It seems it did well enough to warrant a sequel, however, so let’s see if it was the right choice to make one.

Tags 2k, action, cel-shading, comics, darkness, Digital Extremes, evil, first person shooter, Hell, mike patton, relics, The Darkness, the darkness 2, top cow

Final Fantasy XIII-2

Post author By Andy Corrigan
Post date February 29, 2012

Call me crazy, but I’m in that bracket of Final Fantasy fans that absolutely loved the divisive iteration numbered XIII. Sure it was linear, but you know what? So are 80% of other, decent, JRPGs. Sure it took a while before it offered exploration, but guess what? Most JRPGs are linear by nature, especially in their approach to storytelling. Even the series’ golden child, FFVII, started slowly and took many, many hours (most of them climbing the stairs in the Shinra building) before it offered anything resembling the freedom that people assume comes part and parcel of the genre.

Still, I could see and recognise people’s complaints. It was, admittedly, slightly more restrictive than some JRPGs. It was missing the towns and cities that we all love to explore, where we would help charming townsfolk look for lost puppies and find the shops with the best equipment. I could see all those arguments, it’s just that those things didn’t matter to me compared to what the game did well.

I loved the setting, I loved the characters, I loved the strategy involved in the combat system, which many missed the point of. It became only the third Final Fantasy game that had taken me through to completion, and I loved every single second. It was the first Final Fantasy game since FFVII that I felt warranted an expansion on the universe and those characters, and my prayers were eventually answered.

So, while the announcement of Final Fantasy XIII-2 left many bewildered, thanks partly because FFX-2, the last direct sequel, sucked ass; and partly because people didn’t resonate with FFXIII as they’d hoped; I on the other hand, was relishing it.

So, it’s here in a relatively quick turnaround. Have Square Enix addressed the concerns of the majority?

Disclaimer: I haven’t yet completed Final Fantasy XIII-2, though I am on the final boss. I just haven’t found that winning strategy… yet…

Tags Caius, Etro, Final Fantasy, Final Fantasy XIII, Final Fantasy XIII-2, Lightning, Motomu Toriyama, Noel, Pokemon, Sazh, Serah, Snow, Tetsuya Nomura, Valhalla, Yeul, Yoshinori Kitase

NEXUiZ

Post author By Ray Willmott
Post date February 27, 2012

Few developers have truly bottled the arcade, pick-up-and-play feel of Epic’s Unreal Tournament since its initial 1999 debut. Many have tried, even Epic attempted to recapture past glory, but most have fallen shy of the mark.

Enter Alientrap Software. Back in 2002, they formed a low-key independent studio and started work on little-known title, NEXUiZ. Over the years, the game has been tweaked, adjusted and balanced from devoted fan feedback, and an overwhelming desire for perfection.

Now in 2012, NEXUiZ has become part of Microsoft’s House Party Promotion, remastered and rebooted for a current generation, but is age-old gameplay still relevant for a current-day demographic?

Tags Capture the Flag, Cry Engine 3, Epic, Forsellian, Kavussari, Nexuiz, Team Deathmatch, thq, Unreal Tournament

Alan Wake: American Nightmare

Post author By Michael Charge
Post date February 27, 2012

Well, Alan Wake is now back on the menu it seems. The PC version has just come out (reviewed here) and now Wake is back fighting the darkness on Xbox Live.

This version takes more from Tarantino than Stephen King, and is way, way shorter.

Tags Alan Wake, Kasabian, Mr Scratch, Old Gods of Asgard

Syndicate

Post author By Ray Willmott
Post date February 24, 2012

The world of Syndicate isn’t new, but upon playing Starbreeze’s re-imagining of the series, it may as well be. Thrust into the role of an agent protecting the interests of global leader, Eurocorp, you face a world that has long resisted war, yet failed to escape its anarchistic clutches.

Moving away from the RTS origins of the series, Starbreeze have gone for a whole new approach with Syndicate, now fifteen years since the series first debuted.

Is it the right one?

Tags Blade Runner, Bullfrog, Deus Ex, FPS, Riddick, Sci-Fi, Shadowrun, Starbreeze, Syndicate

Gotham City Imposters

Post author By Phil Ubee
Post date February 23, 2012

Batman is arguably the single most recognisable comic book hero ever. Dating back as far as 1939, The Caped Crusader has been seen in numerous TV shows, Movies, thousands of comic book stories and, I might add, a fair few video games. Via all these mediums, the Dark Knight has been portrayed as a supreme detective and crime fighter with unquestionable moral beliefs, determined to clean up the streets of Gotham City.

Naturally, a hero of such magnitude is bound to pick up a few fans along the way, some of whom are likely to be a touch on the wacky side (Andy Knight, I’m looking at you buddy) and it is from here that Monolith Productions have invented Gotham City Imposters. Never mind taking the role of Batman, you will take the role of a man who thinks he’s Batman in an effort to stop another man (who just so happens thinks he’s The Joker) from running amok in your City.

So can a game of wannabes elevate itself above the crowd? Read on to find out…

Tags batman, d, dark knight, gotham city imposters, monc comics, olith, PC, PS3, PSN, warner brothers, XBLA, Xbox 360

Metal Gear Solid: HD Collection

Post author By Jesper Hauerslev
Post date February 16, 2012

Hideo Kojima’s series of spy-games remain one of the most controversial game series’ in history, equally dividing the gaming masses into those that love the series for its unique quirkiness and those that despise it for the exact same reason.

The first game “snaked” its way onto the PlayStation in 1998 and since then, the series has successfully carved its very own niche in stealth-based gaming. Because of this, it’s remained unopposed thanks to its unique mix of stealth, gunplay and incredibly elaborate spy-plots exploring everything from loyalty and patriotism, to genetics and technology.

There is no denying that a Metal Gear Solid game is unlike anything you’ve ever played before and the Metal Gear Solid HD Collection brings three of the core entries together and presents them in glorious HD, for fans and newcomers to enjoy.

However, can it convert the non-believers while keeping true to the legacy that endeared the series to fans in the first place?

Tags Hideo Kojima, Metal Gear, Metal Gear Solid, Metal Gear Solid 3 Snake Eater, Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker, Metal Gear Solid: Sons of Liberty, Naked Snake, Solid Snake

VICTORiOUS: “Time to Shine” and “Hollywood Arts Debut”

Post author By Ray Willmott
Post date February 16, 2012

Ask me what’s hot on Nickelodeon these days, and I’ll give you some narrow-minded, deluded answer like ‘Rugrats, surely?’ My aging vessel long since removed from vegetating in front of cartoons and children’s channels, I naively still assume I know what the current trends are. So, imagine my surprise when VICTORiOUS for Kinect and Nintendo DS turned up in my mailbox with Nickelodeon plastered on the front. Eyebrows quirked, brow furrowed, I asked the box art point-blank … ‘Just who are you?!’

When it didn’t answer, I was left with two choices. Wikipedia or morbid curiosity. Well, you can call it curiosity, insanity or something in-between, but regardless, I fired up the games and embraced the craze one Saturday morning. I was in an experimental mood.

Tags 3ds, DS, Hollywood Arts Debut, Kinect, Microsoft, Nickolodeon, Nintendo, Time to Shine, VICTORiOUS, Xbox 360

Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary

Post author By Ray Willmott
Post date February 14, 2012

For me, playing Halo Combat Evolved Anniversary was a reminder of how far First Person Shooters have come in a decade. Admittedly, I sometimes take narrative arcs, physics and mechanics, multiplayer components and level design for granted, but reliving this Anniversary is the wake-up call I desperately needed.

Has this trend-setter aged as well as Microsoft would like to think?

Tags Anniversary, Battle Creek, Cortana, Firefight, halo, Halo Combat Evolved, John, Johnson, Kinect, Master Chief, Microsoft, Sidewinder, xbox, Xbox 360

NeverDead

Post author By Phil Ubee
Post date February 13, 2012

Even for someone who regularly follows the video-game industry via the internet, social media, TV and various other outlets, there will inevitably be one or two games a year that get launched without you knowing a great deal about them. Normally these titles will slip under the radar without any fanfare, suddenly appearing on the shelves of your local video-game shop and as such rarely feature at the top of the sales charts regardless of any qualities they might bring to the table. NeverDead is one of those games.

More often than not, games that have this distinct lack of flash PR and OTT marketing campaigns will sit at one of the two extremes of utterly rubbish or complete gem, and large quantities of the gaming public might just miss out on a potential classic.

The question is, does NeverDead sit in the former or latter of those categories? Read on to find out.

Tags action adventure, bryce, Devil May Cry, Duke Nukem, Konami, neverdead, PS3, Rebellion, run and gun, XBOX360

SoulCalibur V

Post author By Rik Wortman
Post date February 9, 2012

There’s no series that gets my fingers tingling quite like the SoulCalibur games. Why, you ask? Well, it’s rather simple. After picking the first one up when I was much, much younger I fell in love with the characters and what they had to offer. The originality of the mechanics, such as odd swords and unfeasible simulation may seem stupid to some people, but the stretched imagination really fits well with my inability to endure reality for a long period of time.

Oh, wait, this was a review wasn’t it, not a look into the workings of my psyche. My point is that I managed to get hold of SoulCalibur V, and while my personal life took a bit of a tumble (down Mt. Everest), I did get a chance to play it. Does the game live up to the past series? Let’s take a look.

Tags Ezio, Fighter, Fighting games, namco, Soul Calibur, SoulCalibur V

The Simpsons Arcade

Post author By Ray Willmott
Post date February 8, 2012

It’s funny how one of my most anticipated games this year rolls in at a mere 18 megabytes. Of course size isn’t everything, but when you consider some demos breach the 2GB mark, it’s clear times have changed.

I grew up with Konami games in the Arcades, and getting the chance to own Turtles, X-Men and now The Simpsons is like a dream come true for my inner retro-enthusiast. Not only can I relive my childhood, catering to the longing pangs of a cherished yesteryear, I’ll finally be able to see the end of a beloved arcade game without having forced my parents to take out a second mortgage.

They’ll welcome back those jingling pockets with open arms, I’m sure.

Tags 1990, arcade, Bart, Bart vs Space Mutants, Homer, Konami, Krusty's Super Funhouse, Lisa, Maggie, Marge, The Simpsons

Quarrel

Post author By Ray Willmott
Post date February 7, 2012

The definition of a 21st Century argument is, unfortunately, regularly defined by swearing and/or derogatory racial/sexual slurs. Sure, the focus starts out with differences in opinion, but as tempers flare, tongues loosen.

How much different would life be if the definition of an argument boiled down to who can make the best anagram out of a series of jumbled letters? What if ‘Bums’ wasn’t the last word used to end an argument, but ‘subsect’ was?

Now that Quarrel has come to Xbox Live, the term ‘fighting words’ has taken on a whole other meaning.

Tags Microsoft, Quarrel, xbox, Xbox 360, Xbox Live

Catherine

Post author By Diogo Miguel
Post date February 6, 2012

Ever wonder what people mean by counting sheep? Catherine, the latest video-game from Atlus, has the answer for you. Turns out that dreaming about sheep is not a good sign at all… or at least it isn’t when playing Catherine. The game tells the story of Vincent, who starts having terrible nightmares when he finds himself connected to two very different girls. There is much more at stake, however, as Vincent finds out soon after in a deadly climb into his worst relationship-based fears.

Tags atlus, catherine, katherine, love is over, stray sheep edition, vincent

Scarygirl

Post author By Trent Pyro
Post date February 3, 2012

Comics are forever being made into films, TV series and games, so full are they of good ideas. From the legendary Sin City and Walking Dead to the indie hit series Scott Pilgrim, comics have been the go-to medium for inspiration for ages. While most developers are content with stripping the big names down and hopping on various cultural bandwagons, it seems TikGames have gone the opposite way entirely and brought a cult-hit graphic novel to XBLA.

Scarygirl, in its native form, is a character and brand encompassing a range of toys and said graphic novel, which is apparently critically acclaimed and much-loved. How creator Nathan Jurevicius managed to get a game made of his work, little known outside the comic book world, is a mystery. How he got Squeenix to publish it is an even bigger one!

No matter though, because it’s out now and I opted to take the plunge and see what all the fuss is about.

Tags 2D, action, blister, graphic novel, Nathan Jurevicius, platfromer, scarygirl, sice-scroller, Square Enix, TikGames

Unstoppable Gorg

Post author By Michael Charge
Post date January 30, 2012

The name Futuremark should be one that most people who like tinkering with their PCs should know quite a lot about. They make 3D Mark, perhaps the most famous benchmarking tool for the PC to date.

What most people don’t know is that Futuremark also make games; their first was a PC first-person shooter called Shattered Horizon, which looked fantastic but was deeply flawed at launch. Then they made Hungribles for the iOS, which was a little more successful, and is supposedly quite fun. Now they have returned to Steam with the Unstoppable Gorg, a new and different take on the good old tower defense genre.

Tags Futuremark, Tower Defence, Unstoppable Gorg

Dungeon Defenders

Post author By Ray Willmott
Post date January 24, 2012

Fantasy dungeons filled with maleficent creatures, enchantments and treasure always make for a great set piece to base your game against. In that sense, Dungeon Defenders already starts off on the right foot.

Though is it a pace of a fast nature, or one that trundles and bumbles along, desperately clinging onto the butt-end of an ogre’s club in order to try to keep up with the competition?

Tags Dungeon Defenders, Dungeon Keeper, Gears of War 3, Horde 2.0, Microsoft, playstation 3, Sony, Torchlight, World of warcraft, Xbox 360

Iron Brigade

Post author By Michael Charge
Post date January 16, 2012

Tower Defence is one of the ‘in things’ at the moment. From Gears of War 3 to Assassin’s Creed, games are forcing in moments where you place traps to defend your favourite buildings from the angry hordes. Double Fine has tried their hand at this with their latest game, Iron Brigade, or do I mean Trenched?

Thanks to a Portuguese board game maker, Trenched had to have its name changed and its European release delayed. Unfortunately for a co-op game, this has affected its gameplay. This is a damn shame, as it is perhaps one of my favourite games of 2011.

Tags Double Fine, Iron Brigade, tower defense, Trenched, Trenches, XBLA

Kinect Sports: Season 2

Post author By Ray Willmott
Post date January 13, 2012

What would a motion sensing peripheral be without a quintessential sports game in tow? Kinect was never going to be any different, but that’s okay. Not only was the original Kinect Sports a highlight of the launch line-up, after a few beers, the competition of looking the biggest prat in front of your mates merits some genuine laughs.

So who wouldn’t want to make a sequel, apart from a weird dude that didn’t like money, or a timid dudette allergic to success?

Question is, did Rare use up all of their cool party tricks last time, or have they been saving up their best ideas for a sequel?

Tags American Football, Baseball, Darts, golf, Kinect, Kinect Sports Season Two, Microsoft, rare, skiing, tennis, xbox, Xbox 360

All Zombies Must Die

Post author By Phil Ubee
Post date January 9, 2012

If there is one thing that I can’t stand in video-games it’s zombies. In fact, zombies in general just aren’t my thing and I am yet to have a truly enjoyable experience via film, game or television with these brain-eating creatures.

It is also fair to say that this generation, zombies have been done to… well… death, really. We’ve had the FPS team-based Left 4 Dead and the stereotypical B-movie style slug-fest of Dead Rising with pretty much everything in between, including a tower defence game which arms you with nothing but a few plants.

Imagine my surprise, then, when the code for yet another zombie-based title came into the TIMJ offices just before Christmas, and I was handed the task of taking Double Six’s new action-RPG for a test run. Could All Zombies Must Die finally give me an experience worth shouting about, or is it just another mind-numbing slug-fest?

Tags action rpg, All Zombies Must Die!, DoubleSix, PS3, psn. AZMD, XBLA, XBOX360, Zombies

Off-Road Drive

Post author By James Sheppard
Post date January 1, 2012

It was Colin McRae’s Dirt that first introduced me to off-road racing in video-games. Eschewing standard rally tracks at times for simply getting down and dirty in the mud, it was a solid racer that glorified 4×4’s and off-road buggies, with slick, slippy-slidy fun.

Yet you could say that Dirt was presenting off-road driving in a fantasy world. Sure, the mud made handling your vehicle a challenge sometimes; but there was no on-the-fly fiddling with differential gears or tire pressure, no rocking backwards and forwards in vain hope to break free of deep slurry, and no winching yourself out of otherwise hopelessly sticky situations.

What’s that? None of that realistic stuff sounds like any fun for a video-game? Oh. It would appear that 1C Company didn’t get the memo, because in an attempt to show how off-road driving should really be simulated, they’ve released, erm… Off-Road Drive

Continue reading “Off-Road Drive”

Tags 1C company, 4x4, DiRT, lace mamba global, land rover, off-road drive, racer, racing, Simulation, suv

Lord of the Rings: War In The North

Post author By Ray Willmott
Post date December 23, 2011

When fair-weather folk talk about who took down Sauron and his armies, that furry-footed hobbit, Frodo, gets all the credit. He took the ring to Mount Doom, they say, and he cast it into the fires from whence it came, they cry. Sure, his Fellowship get a lot of credit as well, but everyone outside of that group seems to be forgotten. Middle Earth is a big place, you know.

Clearly as affected by this as I, Snowblind Studios have a little story of their own to tell, and it isn’t focused on a Baggins. War In The North takes place at the same time as Lord of the Rings, but is focused on another, smaller fellowship created by a Man, an Elf and a Dwarf.

With a laundry list of high-profile releases at the end of the year, WITN is in danger of being forgotten under the Modern Warfares and Just Dances of the world. Being a film tie-in, you’re probably thinking that’s just as justified.

However, I’m here to tell you that War In The North is one of the most fun cooperative experiences I’ve had all year…

Tags Agandaur, Aragorn, Bilbo, Bree, Frodo, Gandalf, Lord of the Rings, Middle Earth, Peter Jackson, Rivendell, The Hobbit, warner brothers

Need for Speed: The Run

Post author By James Joell-Ireland
Post date December 16, 2011

After the impressive efforts by Criterion with Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit, it was a little disappointing to see the masters of arcade racers being pushed back from developing EA’s latest entry into the NFS franchise.

It gets to a point now whether you wonder if the series is ever going to be consistent year in and year out, and with that apprehension in your mind, it’s no wonder why fans of the series tend to get nervous. As the franchise itself is so heavily ingrained by high sales figures it is little wonder why EA chop and change developers, and some would argue that the series’ bold new direction this year is backed up by the idea that it needs new hotness to progress onwards for another decade. Is NFS: The Run another solid effort, or is this one worth taking the next exit to avoid?

Tags blackbox studios, Electronic Arts, michael bay, need for speed, playstation 3, review, the run

Review: Joe Danger: Special Edition

Post author By Ray Willmott
Post date December 14, 2011

The term ‘exclusive’ certainly doesn’t have the same meaning in the gaming industry as it did just six years ago. Back then, if you chose a console, you could expect to play a certain catalogue of games that no other system would ever receive. However, with contracts taking on new guises, and in the extreme financial climate we find ourselves in, developers need to adapt to the market in order to survive.

Joe Danger has been a PSN exclusive for a long time, with the developers themselves self-professed Playstation fans. Yet, just a few weeks ago, it was announced Hello Games were bringing their enormously successful game to Xbox Live, but also giving it new features not before seen on Playstation 3 (ouch).

Being an older game with a few new features, and a new platform to appeal to, is Joe in danger of wearing out his welcome?

Tags hello games, Joe Danger, Playstation, PSN, Special Edition, XBLA, xbox, Xbox 360

Review: Sonic CD

Post author By Rik Wortman
Post date December 14, 2011

It’s not like we’re unfamiliar with this certain species of hedgehog anymore. Sonic’s been around the block so many times now that it’s a huge shock when someone asks who Sonic is. “Who?!” I may reply, my voice struck with disbelief. “You disgust me!” I’d probably add.

Yes, Sonic’s been on pretty much every console, and he’s not afraid to admit it. Like the video-game swinger, he’s not alien to ignoring when his games get released either, so here we are, looking at a(nother) Sonic remake. Déjà vu? I don’t blame you.

Tags 3, 360, 7, Adventure, amy, Android, battle, DC, Eggman, generations, hedgehog, iOS, knuckles, Metal, metalix, Nintendo, PC, phone, Playstation, PS3, rose, Sega, Sonic, Tails, the, Windows

Review: Daytona USA

Post author By James Joell-Ireland
Post date December 12, 2011

Oh, times at the arcades were fun. The innocence of throwing away your mother’s hard-earned cash. ‘Just one more go…’ I would say. Growing up, I used to go to the arcades in Southsea every other weekend. I was a sucker for many of Sega’s arcade boards; titles such as Virtual Striker are still etched in my mind. I will always remember stumbling across an arcade in 1994 at a small town called Playa De Aro in Spain, where there was a two-storey arcade with its focus point around an Afterburner cabinet that spun three-hundred-and-sixty degrees.

Then there were some of Sega’s iconic racers, Sega Rally and Outrun being the two most noteworthy, but all this time I left Daytona USA out like it was the kid at school that never got picked for a soccer game. Now the game has returned on a console I own, it was my chance to see what everyone was banging on about when I was younger. Is this game actually any good?

Tags Daytona USA, playstation 3, review, Sega, Xbox 360

Review: Kinect Disneyland Adventures

Post author By Ray Willmott
Post date December 12, 2011

No matter what the critics say, you’re never too old to go to Disneyland. Sure, the kids get a kick out of hugging Pluto or watching Sebastian the Crab scuttle around during the parade, but the adults still have a ton of fun with the various thrill-seeking endeavours on offer. It truly is a Magical Kingdom, but sadly, it’s a place that many families will never get to visit. No matter how ‘affordable’ travel companies claim it can be; for some, it’s just not low enough.

Which is where the beauty of Kinect Disneyland Adventures comes in. Finally, the adventures can be had in your own living room, exploring the wonder and excitement of the resort whilst interacting with familiar Disney characters. Oh, and it’s a lot cheaper, and can be used whenever you want.

Almost sounds too good to be true…

Tags alice in wonderland, Disneyland, Disneyland Interactive, Donald Duck, Kinect, mickey mouse

Review: LEGO Harry Potter: Years 5-7

Post author By Ray Willmott
Post date December 9, 2011

Harry is very attached to his wand; you could even say he uses it more than a mobile phone (who does that these days!?). It’s definitely got him out of some tough scrapes. It’s also provided him plenty of laughs. Whether he’s summoning a patronus to quell dementors, or splattering cake in the face of his distant relatives, Harry is pretty invested in his little wooden wonder-stick.

However, as he grows older, so his problems get much worse. Whereas Years 1-4 of LEGO Harry Potter were filled with a great deal of wonder and excitement, in Years 5-7, darkness is definitely spreading and the only way to stop it is to confront Lord Voldemort once and for all.

How does the generally charming, easy-going LEGO franchise deal with such ferocious source material?

Tags harry potter, Lego, LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4, LEGO Harry Potter: Years 5-7, magic, Magic Wand, travellers tales, Wizard

Review: The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

Post author By Trent Pyro
Post date December 8, 2011

This is going to be an odd review, mainly because it isn’t one. I’ve always found it interesting when games such as Skyrim, with hundreds of hours of gameplay to offer, can be summed up on release day, plot and all, by publications far and wide. The chances of them having actually completed the storyline is very slim, even if they received the game weeks before release. Even if one poor soul had to rush through the main quest so he could write about it, in doing so he would have missed the point of Skyrim; to get side-tracked, drawn in and generally lost in the world. No one can give a full impression of a game this massive after only a week on the shelves.

So this won’t be the definitive TIMJ review of Skyrim. It won’t even be my definitive review of Skyrim. Unlike pretty much any other game out there, it’s impossible to give you guys a normal review even after playing it every night since release day. I’ve only just scratched the surface, and even if you too grabbed a copy on the 11th, I doubt you will have got much deeper than me. It’s a vast game with an incredible amount to offer, way too much to experience in just a week. So instead I’m going to talk about how Bethesda have put the work in and improved almost every aspect of The Elder Scrolls since the diamond classic Oblivion, and look at a few areas where the ball has been dropped, as well as give you my overall impression so far.

Tags Bethesda, Cyrodiil, Dragonborn, dragons, Elder Scrolls, elder scrolls V, Oblivion, Skyrim, Tamriel

Review: Rayman Origins

Post author By James Joell-Ireland
Post date December 8, 2011

I always said that in today’s modern technology age, a venture back into 2D platforming games could only be a good thing. Back in the 16bit heyday, developers were somewhat limited by the architecture the systems had at the time, and the 2D platformer was the most that could be technically accomplished. We aren’t limited by such constraints nowadays, but like some video-game revival, we’ve nonetheless had a good few in this classic genre released in 2011.

Ubisoft’s Michel Ancel has thrown Rayman back into the arena, and this time there are no pesky Rabbids in sight; in fact it’s more akin to the classic 1996 PS1 side-scrolling platformer we all loved. What has modern technology bought to the plate in terms of freshness, though? Is Rayman Origins a prime example that the days of 2D gaming are far from death?

Tags Platformer, playstation 3, rayman origins, review, Ubisoft, ubisoft montpellier

Review: Who wants to be a Millionaire: Special Editions

Post author By James Joell-Ireland
Post date November 29, 2011

Quiz games are pretty common these days, thanks to the emergence of downloadable content delivery systems. Unfortunately, many publishers use this delivery method to push forward to consumers a product that is of no real quality. In fact, the last quiz game to really deliver a punch was ‘Buzz!’. The ‘Scene It?’ series on Xbox 360 was complete rubbish, and other quiz titles out there haven’t encapsulated what is required to make these games a return winner.

Along comes Who Wants To Be A Millionaire. It has had more comebacks than Charlie Sheen’s coke addiction. Big question is, is it any good?

Tags Deep Silver, PlayStation Network, video game, who wants to be a millionaire, wwtbam, Xbox Live

Review: Saints Row: The Third

Post author By Andy Corrigan
Post date November 28, 2011

Saints Row and I have had something of a mixed history. The original game was one of the first that I actually got paid for reviewing (man, I cringe so hard, reading that review back), and without a comparable experience on the system at the time, I adored it. At this time everyone was comparing it to Grand Theft Auto and, to be fair, the comparisons to Rockstar’s games from last-gen were there for all to see.

Since then, the two franchises have taken different directions. GTA matured over its three iterations, leading to a bleaker, grittier piece of social commentary in GTA IV, while Saints Row took no time in filling the void of pure, unadulterated childishness. Volition undeniably ramped that aspect up something chronic in the inevitable sequel, to the degree where the two franchises were no longer competitors.

Somehow, though, despite my best efforts, that sequel just didn’t click for me in the same way it seemingly did for everyone else. My indifference led me to start it, and give up pretty quickly; something that I just wasn’t expecting to happen. There were probably just more interesting games to me at the time and that, coupled with the game’s slow start (who would have thought a prison break would be a slow start?) left me feeling apathetic towards it on every level. It just wasn’t meant to be.

Still, everyone else adored it, and that success has ultimately led to the recent release of Saints Row: The Third. A title expected to skew the series’ sketchy perspective on reality even further.

Silly it might aim to be, but is it a good game?

Tags Awesome Button, Johnny Gat, OTT, purple, Purple Dildo, Quick jacking, Saints Row, Saints Row: The Third, Shaundi, The Boss, The Third, Volition

Review: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3

Post author By Rik Wortman
Post date November 23, 2011

It’s almost as if an introduction isn’t needed for this game. If you haven’t heard from the franchise before then you’re most definitely not a gamer, or at least an incredibly bad one. The possibility of being able to trawl through a video-game shelf in your local store without coming across one of the Call of Duty titles has gone so low I can’t even see the amount of numbers after the decimal points, let alone count them.

So reading this review is like entering a home you’ve already become accustomed to. Welcome in, make yourself at home. Would you like some tea? Your favourite cup is where you left it last time; shall we talk about Modern Warfare 3?

Tags 2, 2011, 3, 360, Activision, anticipated, army, Battlefield, biggest, campaign, first, FPS, Game, Infinity Ward, it, Microsoft, modern warfare three 2, Multiplayer, one 1, PC, person, Playstation, returns, shepard, Shooter, soap, Sony, Special Ops, Steam, try, two, War, xbox

Review: Assassin’s Creed: Revelations

Post author By Ray Willmott
Post date November 17, 2011

Synchronising three timelines together into one story is a difficult narrative arc to get right. Some writers struggle trying to convey one character’s journey, let alone trying to handle three adventures at the same time. It’s a bold undertaking from Ubisoft, not only trying to draw conclusion to the story of Ezio Auditore, but to allow Desmond Miles’ adventures to continue, whilst revealing new secrets and details about the life of the original Assassin, Altair.

Yet, here we have Revelations, confident that it can juggle such a responsibility, preparing us for the ultimate experience. Is this the definitive Assassin’s Creed game that Ubisoft have been striving to make since the very beginning, or is this a series that should disappear back into the shadows from whence it came?

Tags Altair, Assassan's, Assassins Creed, assassins creed revelations, Blade, Brotherhood, Ezio, Multiplayer

Review: Forza Motorsport 4

Post author By Matt Swindell
Post date November 16, 2011

My brother-in-law and I differ greatly when it comes to gaming. For example, he can belt through a game in a matter of hours; I can take days if not weeks. He will run through the main campaign of a game and then move on to the next one, and I will sit there for many an hour until I have 100% of everything. He prefers the FPS warfare-based games like Call of Duty and Battlefield, and I (with the odd exception here and there) like sports and driving games.

This brings me to Forza Motorsport 4 on Xbox 360.

Tags cars, Forza 4, jeremy clarkson, Kinect, Microsoft, Motion Control, racing, speed, top gear, turn 10, Xbox 360

Review: Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3

Post author By Ray Willmott
Post date November 15, 2011

Uniting established fictional universes can either be a masterstroke of genius, or an impending experimentation of doom. For something so drastic and enterprising, there is no middle ground for it to sit back on. That’s why the ambition rarely reaches the stage of execution, and if it does, either lives on in infamy or is razed to cinders, never to be heard from again.

One of the more successful efforts sees Marvel, with its web-slinging super hero and victims of scientific experiments gone wrong, going up against Capcom and its justice seeking lawyer and camera-snapping zombie hunters. The house that built Iron Man against the sponsor of the world’s greatest Street Fighters.

It’s a unity that seems to work harmoniously together, and yet creates a beautifully anarchistic play-pen for these characters to throw down the gauntlet and blow chunks out of each other with offensive arsenals.

Now the radically glorious brawler is back for a second turn this year, but with a few added bells and whistles. Question is, with so much rich competition out in the final months of the year, can it possibly be worth another glance?

Tags capcom, Captain America, Chun Li, Darkstalkers, Fighters, Frank West, Hulk, Jill Valentine, Marvel vs Capcom, Marvel vs Capcom 3, Mega Man, MvC, MvC3, Phoenix Wright, Ryu, Spider-Man, Street Fighter, Street Fighter IV, Venom

Review: Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine

Post author By Andy Corrigan
Post date November 15, 2011

I’m going to put this out there before I go in-depth with this review: I know shit-all about Warhammer and even less about Warhammer 40,000. I know that Warhammer as a brand is a fantasy table-top game, sold in Games Workshop stores around the globe, and I know that people spend hours meticulously hand-painting the figurines to play with. I know that there are some games on the PC that are related to this franchise and that they’re mainly RTS games. That’s where my knowledge ends.

So, it was a huge surprise to me when Relic Entertainment’s Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine took my fancy following the demo. Still not entirely sure what the hell was going on but eager to learn, I volunteered to tackle the full release…

Tags 000, bolter, chainsword, Chaos, Forge World Graia, hack n slash, Leandros, Orcs, orks, Power Axe, Raven, Sci-Fi, Shooter, Sidonus, space marine, Titans, Titus, Ultramarines, Warhammer, Warhammer 40, Warhammer 40K

Review: Batman: Arkham City

Post author By Jesper Hauerslev
Post date November 14, 2011

Welcome to Arkham City. If you are looking for clean streets, green parks and a peaceful existence away from the hurly-burly of modern-day city life… you’ve really come to the wrong place! Here you’ve got criminals roaming the streets, buildings decaying all around you and a severe bat-infestation, but if that is your thing then make yourself at home. Just be careful, because once you are in, you might not want to leave…

Tags 360, action, Adventure, Arkham, asylum, batman, city, combo's, comics, Fighter, multiformat, PC, PS3, Rocksteady, The Joker

Review: Rugby World Cup 2011

Post author By Matt Swindell
Post date November 14, 2011

I have to say that as an avid rugby supporter of many years, I’m very excited by the Rugby World Cup 2011 tournament. Being a Welsh boy, and having a team this year who had a good showing in the Autumn International matches, there’s added interest for me. After all, my country stood one of the best chances out of the Northern Hemisphere sides to move their way through to the knock-out stages.

However, I had mixed emotions when it came to the game version of the tournament. The version I played was on the Xbox 360 (of course, other game consoles are available). This was not a reflection on the idea of a Rugby World Cup game, but more because its predecessors had not managed to do as good a job as I had hoped. So, the burning question is, did this version live up to my not-so-high expectations, or blow them out of the water?

Tags playstation 3, rugby world cup, rugby world cup game, Wales, Xbox 360

Product Review: Microsoft Wireless Speed Wheel

Post author By Andy Corrigan
Post date November 10, 2011

It’s funny; when Mario Kart Wii was announced, complete with motion control and a free plastic wheel, I felt a little insulted. I mean, sure, turning the pad is a decent concept, but did we really need the gimmicky wheel along with it? I recently reacquired a Wii, packed with Mario Kart, and after trying the wheel for myself, I have to admit… it kinda worked. Where trying to steer with just the pad left me feeling detached with chaotic results, the wheel helped it all fall into place, with gameplay feeling smoother and more enjoyable.

On the other side of the fence, Microsoft have obviously realised that not everyone wants to use Kinect for steering, or has the room for the big-ass official force-feedback wheel. Not ones for being left out, they’ve released the Speed Wheel controller for those of us who sit between both of those options. Fresh from my positive experience with Mario Kart, I was eager to see how it worked, and picked one up bundled with Forza 4 at a bargain price.

Still, I couldn’t shake that feeling that this kind of thing is fine for the Mario Karts of the world (light and breezy racers that are more about combat than the actual racing), but it couldn’t possibly work just as well with a serious racer, could it?

Better, in fact, but you might still want to keep that controller handy…

Tags Daytona USA, DiRT 3, FORZA, Forza 4, Microsoft, Outrun: Online Arcade, Race Driver: Grid, racing, Speed Wheel, Wireless, Wireless Controller

Review: Dark Souls

Post author By Ray Willmott
Post date November 10, 2011

There are ways of punishing yourself without being as dramatic as to end it all. You could disallow yourself from eating your favourite food for an amount of time, you could lock yourself up in your room and refuse to let yourself out, you could say that you’re not allowed to buy the game release you’ve been waiting months for, or deny yourself watching the film that everyone is talking about.

That, or you could play Dark Souls; a callous, venomous, merciless beast that will not stop punishing you until you break down and cry in front of your television set.

Believe me, this isn’t a company line that has been spewed out to all journalists. One thing we can all harmoniously agree upon is that Dark Souls is a punishing experience that will rob you of your dignity. It will make you question your abilities as a gamer.

Playing this will hurt…

Tags Dark Souls, Demon Souls, Dragon, fantasy, high fantasy, Open world, RPG, Undead

Review: Tropico 4

Post author By Trent Pyro
Post date November 10, 2011

If the recent revolution in Libya has taught us one thing, it’s that freedom and liberty are more than worth fighting for. As we watch millions of people brave gunfire and regime reprisals to make their voices heard, most of us are counting our blessings and feeling pretty lucky to live in a democratic nation.

Many of us even support our Arab neighbours; I myself give to the Red Cross and was pleased to hear that they got support to the Libyan rebels extremely quickly. What must it have been like for Gaddafi, watching his people rise up against him and take up arms to overthrow him? Can we possibly understand what that’s like?

Well, not really. None of us run a dictatorship, let alone one that has been active for 40 or so years. Yet many of us are fascinated by the prospect of running a country, and through many games over the years we’ve had our chance.

Now Kalypso Media and Haemimont Games have returned with the fourth iteration of their Tropico series, a game which lets you start your own little tropical paradise and attempt to lead it to prosperity. Having played Tropico 3 a lot and thoroughly enjoyed it, I jumped at the chance to see what improvements and innovations the new title brings.

Tags Gaddafi, Haemimont Games, Politics, Politics sim, Simulator, Tropico, Tropico 4

Review: The Sims 3: Pets

Post author By Andy Corrigan
Post date November 9, 2011

It seems that after a lifetime of not really bothering with the Sims as a series, with this very piece I’ll have reviewed two of the games in relatively quick succession (with another on the way). The Sims 3: Pets is the latest title out of EA’s stable (fnar fnar!), introducing dogs and cats (and horses, in the PC version) into the plate-spinning life simulator that is the Sims 3. What separates this Pets edition over the previous expansion from Sims 2, is that you can now control the animals that are in your household; after all, they’re part of the family!

Released as an expansion pack on PC, but as its own separate game on other formats, EA have put a lot of marketing power behind this title. Do pets win prizes or is it a big, steaming dog turd?

Tags Cats, Dogs, EA, horses, Karma Powers, Mysteries, Pets, Plumbob, Simish, The Sims, The Sims 3

Review: Dead Rising 2: Off the Record

Post author By Ray Willmott
Post date November 9, 2011

One thing you can say for the 21^st Century, we don’t suffer for a lack of Zombies. Whether you’re reading a book, watching a film, following a TV series or playing a game, Zombies are everywhere and they’re coming for your brains.

So, naturally, to keep things interesting, the entertainment industry has to try and keep Zombies as fresh as they possibly can (even if they do smell of shitty nappies and pissed-in pants). Popcap decided to make a game about Zombies, but added some plants into the mix. Seth Graheme-Smith decided to take Jane Austen’s classic novel Pride and Prejudice and give it a sprinkle of Zombies. Even Simon Pegg decided to put his own spin on things.

Let’s not forget Capcom and Dead Rising. Dead Rising initially seems as if it’s one mans struggle in a survival horror situation against a horde of Zombies; on the inside, it’s a bit of a different animal. What they’ve actually done is put you in the shoes of a character in a survival horror situation, and allowed you to tackle it however you see fit, using whatever weapons you can find, dressed up however you like. It’s this sense of freedom that’s made it such a firm favourite among Zombie fans.

That in mind, now Capcom are back with Off The Record, and are ready to put us to the test all over again. Is Zombie Fever still all the rage, or is this setting ready to start rotting away?

Tags capcom, Chuck Greene, Dead Rising, Dead Rising 2, Frank West, Off The Record, Photography, What if?, Zombies

Review: Crysis

Post author By Ray Willmott
Post date November 8, 2011

There are few games that can boast such incredible horse power that only a select few machines can handle them and make a somewhat playable experience. Back in 2007, Crysis was one such game, renowned for its overwhelming system requirements and face-melting visuals. With such a legacy, it’s little surprise that the thought of it ever coming to consoles remained a pipe dream.

However, with the arrival of CryEngine 3, designed with consoles in mind, the reality has finally materialised. Now that Crysis is finally ready to hit Games on Demand, the question is, has the market moved on?

Tags Crysis, Crysis 2, Crytek, EA, first person shooter, Freedom

Review: Battlefield 3 (Console)

Post author By Andy Corrigan
Post date November 4, 2011

Before I go on, I’ll have to say that I’ve been a huge fan of the Battlefield series since the second game hit the original Xbox back in 2006 (nope, never really been a PC gamer). It’s one of the few series that’s had an online mode which kept me going back for well over a year after release, and not the month or so I usually spend online with other games of its type. With that in mind, I, like everyone else, have been eagerly awaiting the release of DICE’s new effort, getting more excited with every passing trailer.

Well, it has finally hit shelves, and with EA eager to make sure that all critics got the day-one patch before reviewing, I spent all week on the Xbox 360 version to see if it lived up to the hype. What I found was a game of two sides…

Tags Battlefield, Battlefield 1943, Battlefield 3, Battlefield: Bad Company 2, Call of Duty, DICE, Digital Illusions CE, EA, Electronic Arts, Shooter

Review: Bejeweled 3 (XBLA)

Post author By Ray Willmott
Post date November 3, 2011

The arcade version of Bejeweled 3 had me excited for several reasons. After playing and reviewing the game on PC back last year, I noted a few issues with the game which I was hoping Popcap would explore in future releases.

Now the Xbox version is out in the public domain, I can report back my findings. Did I find what I was looking for?

Tags bejeweled, Bejeweled 3, gems, Popcap, puzzler

Review: Sonic Generations

Post author By Diogo Miguel
Post date October 31, 2011

It seems like ages since fans have begged Sega for high-definition ports of some of his early adventures. It did take Sega ages but the publisher finally caved in (to a certain extent) this year, with the arrival of Sonic’s twentieth year in the video-games industry. Sonic Generations is not your usual Sonic game, since all of the zones in it are remakes of those found in previous games.

Recent games might not have been in the hedgehog’s best interests, but there is no denying that people still have fond memories of the Mega Drive games. Is it enough, though, to call for development of a new game consisting of old Sonic levels, or is this another step in the wrong direction?

Tags Eggman, Sega, Sonic, sonic generations, Sonic Team, Sonic the Hedgehog, Tails