Games reviews | Dealspwn

Wed, 10 Mar, 10

Author:
Neil Davey

Category:
Games reviews

Tags:
Games reviews, hack and slash, Japan, Role playing game, Way of the Samurai

Way Of The Samurai 3 Review

Dealspwn Rating: 5/10

Platforms: PS3 / XBox 360

Developer: Agetec

Publisher: Agetec

The year is 1560. Which, as any fule kno – cough, splutter – is the Sengoku Era, when Feudal Japan was in a violent political mess. Yeah, who says games can’t be educational?

Actually, that’s about it as far as the history lesson goes. It was, as that movie voiceover chap would have it, a time of war and that makes it a very good setting for this hack-and-slash title with a bit of a twist. You are an inexperienced Samurai. There are three factions battling for supremacy: the Fujimori Clan, the Ouka Clan and the villagers. Will you choose sides? Will you play one off against the others for your own gain and greed? Will you be a power of good through the land? Or will you be nasty and kill anyone who crosses your path? Your choices will determine what sort of game you have.
Only, of course, they won’t. Well not fully. For all the claims that Way of the Samurai is an “open world” game, with far-reaching decisions that will change your game, the AI for the billed “cause and effect” angle just isn’t quite up the level needed to make this a truly satisfying experience.

Way Of The Samurai 3 Review

After an impressive start – a cut scene that wouldn’t look out of place in a Jet Li movie or, perhaps more likely, Season Two of Heroes – your Samurai (I called mine Daveymoto, because I’m such a wag) is in bad shape and is found by two passers-by. If you’re vaguely polite here, your Samurai will pass out and come round in a pretty little village called Takatane. If you’re aggressive and pull your sword – you regularly have a choice of flashing the blade or kneeling in submissive apology – you’ll make a startling recovery, terrify your potential rescuers and find yourself running through a gory battlefield… Either way, however, you pretty much end up in the same place: wandering around places trying to work out what the hell is going on.

Click here to read the rest of Neil's review...

Leave a comment

Tue, 9 Mar, 10

Author:
Matt Gardner

Category:
Games reviews

Tags:
Final Fantasy, Games reviews, PS3 games, Role playing game, Xbox 360 games

Final Fantasy XIII Review: Is It Hip To Be Square?

Dealspwn Rating: 7/10

Platforms: PS3/X360

Developer: Square-Enix

Publisher: Square-Enix

We’ve been waiting for this for a little while. Final Fantasy XII came at a time when the 6^th generation console were beginning to hit their stride, proving not only that the PS2 still had life in it, but that it was capable of truly astonishing graphics. The thirteenth instalment comes after something of a hiatus and the release of startlingly pretty, but desperately mediocre titles (especially on the Xbox 360) that have simply made us release how good we had it. With titles such as The Last Remnant and Infinite Undiscovery showcasing a beautiful but pretty vapid side to the Square-Enix catalogue, we’ve been on the edge of our seats waiting for the demiurge of JRPGs to return and reclaim its throne, or at least I have.

Yeah, about that.

You know the cliché how you’re on along bus or train journey, and there’s always one kid incessantly prodding their parents in the ribs and in a piercing whine asking ‘Are we there yet?’ and all you want to do is tear your eyes out in a violent expression of frustration and use them to plug your ears, well the first few hours of Final Fantasy XIII aren’t exactly that bad, but they’re certainly a bit of a slog. You can kiss goodbye to such series staples as towns, side quests and NPCs as you press forward, always fighting, fighting, fighting. In fact, the vastly improved AI is so good at its job that you can probably get through the first 10 hours or so simply by pressing up and A, turning the game into an incredibly pretty sequence of barely interactive cutscenes.

Final Fantasy XIII Review: Is It Hip To Be Square?

Final Fantasy XIII does its utmost, in fact, to try and put you off, constantly asking the question ‘Do you really want a Final Fantasy game?’ before slapping you across the face and demanding that you continue grinding through narrow pathways dungeon-crawler-style. It’s worth pointing out that this is deliberate, with game director Momotu Toriyama having said that Square-Enix were looking to capture an ‘FPS style vibe’, but instead of sucking players in to this marvellous game world, the game’s important first quarter feels sterile, clinical and cold. This isn’t helped by the game deciding that you’re clearly incapable of working your way around an RPG during this lengthy period. You can only control one player and you don’t get to decide your party’s development or indeed its make-up. The focus is so absolute that it runs the risk of boring you to tears.

Only it doesn’t.

Click here to find out why FFXIII is a game of two halves...

5 Comments

Mon, 8 Mar, 10

Author:
Matt Gardner

Category:
Games reviews

Tags:
Click To Play, SteamBirds, Turn-based strategy games

Click To Play: SteamBirds

Here at Dealspwn we’re all about getting the best games for the least amount of financial effort, and we often tend to forget that some of the most addictive offerings out there are completely free. With that in mind, welcome to Click To Play, a new weekly feature where we’ll be hunting down the best browser-based games each week so you don’t have to. Check in with us every Monday to spice up your coffee breaks for the week!

This week: SteamBirds

Far from being a cooking technique for poultry, SteamBirds is a turn-based strategy game that sees you dogfighting over the maps of Europe in an alternative, fictionalised history where the airborner battle of WWII were fought between planes that had harnessed the power of low-temperature fusion and were powered on super-heated steam. Hence the name. That concept probably doesn’t sound hugely thrilling, but SteamBirds proves not only to be a fantastically engrossing little game, but also offers a suprising level of tactical gameplay in a seemingly simple package.

Everything here is mouse-driven and, peering over the combat maps from a top-down view, you set about organising flight paths for your small squadrons of aircraft, attempting to line up the perfect line of attack and obviously avoiding enemy fire. For added strategic fun, each plane comes equipped with a couple of special features, often taking a turn or two to recharge, and ranging from being able to pull a useful 180 degree turn, to speed boosts, poison gas and damage shields.

You’ll progress through the levels, facing increasingly more challenging numbers and types of enemy aircraft as you go, only able to open fire when you come within a certain range, so you won’t just be able to go ploughing through the game expecting to tailgun with ease. What does occur is an excellently implemented game of cat-and-mouse; you’ll find no base building here, and no way to simply accumulate units until you can crush your enemies trough brute force. This is a patient tactician’s dream, with the later levels really requiring some serious forethought.

The visual design matches the gameplay as simple, yet elegant, the militaristic topographical relief maps perfectly bringing the themes of aviation and strategic plotting together, and the atmospheric soundtrack is a nice touch indeed. It is utterly refreshing to see a flash-based strategy game that isn’t just another take on the boring and stale defence model, and with a development team with some cracking games to their name (including Fantastic Contraption, Canabalt, Super Meat Boy and Bunni) it’s no surprise that this is an absolute firecracker of a game.

Click To Play

Leave a comment

Sun, 7 Mar, 10

Author:
Brendan Griffiths

Category:
Games reviews

Tags:
PC games, Peggle, PS3 games, Puzzle games, Xbox 360 games

Peggle (PSN Review)

Dealspwn Rating: 8/10

Platforms: PS3 (Reviewed)/360/PC

Developer: PopCap Games

Publisher: Sony Online Entertainment

Old news for PC and 360 gamers, but Peggle has finally made its way to PS3 via the PSN service. If you enjoyed PopCap’s other games like Bejeweled 2 and Zuma then there’s every chance you’ll love this too.

The aim is to rid the screen of all the orange Pegs. You do this by shooting a ball at an angle from the top the screen, then simply sitting back and letting gravity take care of the rest as the ball bounces of walls and blue and orange Pegs. Pegs light up when touched and disappear a few seconds later, longer if the ball is still pinging around lots. Eventually the ball falls to the bottom of the screen, either into a hole or into a moving bucket which lets you use the ball again. You get ten balls to clear all the orange Pegs out, but more balls can be earned by saving them at the bottom or racking up a large combo by bouncing off lots of pegs. Once the last orange Peg has been hit the ball lands in one of five pits for an extra score bonus.

What makes Peggle so different from most puzzle games is how you don’t really have a lot of control over the ball. Once you’ve launched it, you watch it run its course in eager anticipation and hope.

This on its own would get boring pretty quick so each character that you’re given in turn for a few levels each during the Adventure mode has their own unique talent that you can activate by hitting a green Peg. This could be altering the trajectory of the first bounce in advance for a few shots. Or maybe the green Peg will act like a bomb destroying nearby Pegs. A later one adjusts your next shot to the best angle to get the most hits on the way down. A large fireball is a handy one for clearing a straight line too. The only one that requires you to do something after the ball has been fired is the lobster flippers which put pinball-style flippers at the sides for you to flick the ball back up for more.

Peggle (PSN Review)

Generally though it’s quite a relaxing game to play and makes a nice change from the usual frantic re-arranging of Bejeweled or the quick aim and fire of Zuma. There’s not even a bonus for finishing levels quickly, so relax, have fun with it.

The main Adventure game has 55 levels and after that you’ll want to check out the 75 challenges which are tougher levels with you aiming for a high-score or a larger number of orange Pegs. Master Dual is where you can face off against any of the game’s characters by taking turns on a single map to get the highest score.

If you can find anyone online to play against there are similar dual options for multiplayer, but you can play locally too. If you’re still desperate for more, there’s already an expansion pack out called Peggle Nights. You can even get the Nights pack on PC for free at the moment. Have a look at Neil’s article for more information.

Pros

Totally addictive gameplay
Plenty of levels
Nailing a double shot with your last ball and landing in the 100,000 point bucket. Absolute win.

Cons

May frustrate players who want more constant control
Online servers a little barren
We’re already late for work

The Short Version: Does what PopCap Games do best; steal the nights from underneath you. You know when they’ve nailed it again when you sit down for a quick game and don’t move for three hours. The gameplay is pleasantly relaxing for a change too.

8/10

Peggle is available now on the PSN store for £6.29 and the Peggle Nights expansion is £3.19.

1 Comment

Fri, 5 Mar, 10

Author:
Matt Gardner

Category:
Games reviews

Tags:
Bad Company 2, Battlefield, First person shooter, Games reviews

Battlefield: Bad Company 2 Review – Modern Warfare Who?

Dealspwn Rating: 8/10

Platforms: PC/PS3/X360

Developer: DICE

Publisher: EA

With Kotick and Co. Recently grabbing the headlines for all of the wrong reasons, no doubt put under some severe pressure by this less-than-innocuous release, EA have not-so-quietly slipped in and set up camp. This was always going to be judged against Modern Warfare 2, and rightly so. With Activision taking over the reins as Big Bad Publisher Enemy No. 1, EA had to do something. Thankfully, they’ve responded where it counts.

Considering DICE’s precedent, you can forget unforgiving linearity; you can leave your tight corridors and one-dimensional cover-shooters at the door for a very simple reason: give your enemies half a chance and there won’t be any cover to hide behind. The original traded in wanton destructive fun, with the gloriously vulnerable environments firmly staking DICE’s claim to be the genre leader in Blowing Things Up. It was flawed in a number of ways, but it was an expansive change from the guided thrills of more conservative first person shooters. The single player campaign belligerently invites comparisons to Activision and Infinity Ward’s effort. From the sly, dry remarks peppered throughout the game’s rather more seriously-minded dialogue, rubbishing the very notion of guns with heartbeat monitors, to the Modern Warfare-esque OTT setpieces, this is game that isn’t afraid to stand in the face of last year’s blockbuster and have a pissing contest.

Battlefield: Bad Company 2 Review Modern Warfare Who?

Unfortunately, it doesn’t quite work out that way, Bad Company 2 does a fair job of trying to marry the series’ foundations with a more linear and crafted approach, but it still falls someway short. Remember the thrill of freedom of playing the first Halo game and gunning your way through the Silent Cartographer level that plonked you down on an island, gave you a handful of objectives and told you to get on with it? Open gameplay has long been a staple of the Battlefield franchise, but it’s been heavily curtailed for this game to allow for a more focused campaign experience. The levels are still large, and it is by no means as narrow in terms of space as some, but it jars quite a bit.

Click here to see what Matt thinks of the multiplayer though...

5 Comments

Thu, 4 Mar, 10

Author:
Brendan Griffiths

Category:
Games reviews

Tags:
PS3 games, Racing Games, Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing, Wii games, Xbox 360 games

Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing Review

Dealspwn Rating 8/10

Platforms: PS3 / 360 / Wii / PC / DS

Developer: Sumo Digital

Publisher: Sega

Considering kart racers are supposed to be a heavily populated genre, it’s surprising that there aren’t really any on the PS3 and Xbox 360. There are a few film spin-offs like Pixar’s Cars and PSN titles like Gripshift and Smash Cars but it’s almost like nobody’s got the guts to take on Nintendo and Mario Kart.

No longer though. Sonic’s star may have fallen in all manner of horrific ways over the years, with him even having to hop into bed with the porky plumber to pay the bills, but make no mistake Sonic and pals are back in contention with this top racing title.

Offline options include single races and six four-race Grand Prix tournaments which won’t take you long to burn through. Most of your time will be spent trying to get a AAA ranking (a nod to Sega’s classic Out Run series) on the 64 Missions. These include the gradually more difficult (but at a steady curve) list of races, drift challenges, avoiding pots, hitting pots, running creatures over with a giant egg and so on. It’s typical, crazy, Sega-flavoured madness that works great on your own or as pass-the-pad party minigames. Time Attack mode is also available for all the tracks where you compete against Staff Ghosts and leaderboard toppers.

Sonic & SEGA All Stars Racing Review

Taking Aim

Tracks are littered with plenty of random weapons and power-ups to keep events tightly contested. These consist of the usual rockets, speed-boosts and enemy vision impairments in the form of a trippy rainbow. There are also variations on the classics such as giant rolling bombs that you fire down the track like a TNT stuffed bowling ball, giant boxing gloves that bounce off the track walls or a shotgun-like fog horn.

There’s more. One swine of a weapon turns your world upside down and reverses the controls; fortunately it doesn’t appear too often. Every character has their own unique star move too, although they’re only given it when they’re getting battered towards last place. They really bring you back into the thick of the race though, even up to a podium position as there’s a semi-auto-pilot feel to it too with you only having to move side-to-side to hit opponents in your strengthened form. Think of it like the Bullet weapon in Mario Kart.

Sonic & SEGA All Stars Racing Review

Sonic’s turns him into his golden Super Sonic form with bashing X giving even more speed boosts. AiAi’s power puts him and the other racers into Monkey Balls as he bounces them around the track. Dr Eggman gets to unleash a lethal barrage of auto-rockets at anyone nearby; he never did play fair though.

Every character has their own vehicle with their own stats, with them all feeling fairly balanced and plenty more to unlock with Sega Miles. There are plenty of Sonic characters, supported by members of Virtua Fighter, Space Channel 5, Shenmue and so on. Thankfully there’s no story at all so you don’t have to sit through any dire cut-scenes.

Click here to read the rest of Brendan's review...

7 Comments

Tue, 2 Mar, 10

Author:
Neil Davey

Category:
Games reviews

Tags:
Games reviews, Karaoke, Music Game, PlayStationEye, PS3 games, Wii games

Karaoke Revolution Review

Dealspwn Rating: 5/10

Platforms: Wii / PS3

Publisher: Konami

Developer: Konami

You almost have to admire Konami’s bold naming strategy here. Karaoke Revolution? Surely this then will be the domestic singing title to turn the market on its head and give the punters what they want? Which is, of course, the chance to grab a microphone and sing famous songs, either solo or with their friends. Unlike other karaoke titles which have allowed punters to, er, grab a microphone and sing famous songs, either solo or with their friends… Oh. Right. Yes.

If you’re anticipating more of the usual then, you won’t be disappointed and, to be fair, on that level, Karaoke Revolution does the job.

It might do it via a blandly ugly interface, but it’s not without its positives. There’s a decent song selection: 75, in fact, before you go online for any additional content. Game play is moderately varied, with the usual karaoke aspect bolstered by a career mode (of sorts), multiplayer elements – up to 16 – and the chance to customise your singing avatar or the venues in which they’re performing.

Click here to read more about Karaoke Revolution...

Leave a comment

Mon, 1 Mar, 10

Author:
Brendan Griffiths

Category:
Games reviews

Tags:
Level 5, PS3, PS3 games, Role playing game, Sony, White Knight chronicles

White Knight Chronicles (PS3 Review)

Dealspwn Rating: 7/10

Platform: PS3

Developer: Level 5

Publisher: SCEE

I don’t want to say JRPGs are like buses but come on! In little over a month, starved console gamers are getting Star Ocean: The Last Hope, Final Fantasy XIII (9^th March) and now the very late in translation PS3 exclusive, White Knight Chronicles. The Wii even got a Final Fantasy game too!

Well, enough complaining – just book the whole of March off and get stuck-in! RPG fans may be interested to know that this game is from Level 5, the well respected developers of the critically acclaimed Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King, Dark Cloud and Rogue Galaxy.

The story is a typical save-the-Princess/revenge saga. The only defence I can think of for such simple storylines in many RPGs is that anything too complicated would be hard work to write, bearing in mind the many hours between story scenes we spend levelling-up grinding and exploring – FFX-2 being a prime example of ‘what the hell was all that about.’ Even so, we’re not seven years old! White Knight Chronicles is clichéd up to the nines, but still managed to suck me right in – eager as I was for a solid RPG and enjoying the momentum of the story and the characters anyway.

White Knight Chronicles (PS3 Review)

Click here to read the rest of Brendan's review...

2 Comments

Mon, 1 Mar, 10

Author:
Matt Gardner

Category:
Games reviews

Tags:
Armor Games, Click To Play, Sushi Cat

Click To Play: Sushi Cat

This week: Sushi Cat

Some games just put a smile on your face, and Sushi Cat is one of them. Bouncing along the pavement one day (quite literally, the cutesy animation is enough to make to giggle before you’ve even begun playing), our intrepid hero the Sushi Cat chances upon a glimpse of his heart’s desire behind a window: a pretty, pink girl cat. But, alas, love is not on the cards as he can’t make the automatic sliding doors into the building open because of his lightweight frame. This is where you come in, helping to feed the rotund feline all of the sushi he can muster so that the cat can get the cream, or in this case the girl.

You help the Sushi Cat pile on the pounds by dropping him from between a pair of chopsticks down a vertical slalom, replete with obstacles, and watch him bounce off of everything like a chubby pinball with a beatific smile as he om-nom-noms his way through rows of raw fish. Imagine if Calvin’s tiger Hobbes ate a load of pies and then flung himself down a Peggle board and you kind of get the idea of what this game entails.

There are fifteen levels in all, with the later levels requiring some tactical thought, and a few power-ups that give you extra turns and transform you into a sushi hoover to fizz things up a bit.Admittedly, the game is pretty one-dimensional – once you let your sushi cat go, there’s nothing to do but sit back and chuckle at the superb art direction and the comical munching sounds – but the entire thing is so delightfully done and gloriously effective that it just capture your full attention. Sushi Cat really has no right to be this compelling, but it’ll immediately brighten up your day and put a smile on your face, and that’s good enough for me.

Click To Play

Leave a comment

Thu, 25 Feb, 10

Author:
Neil Davey

Category:
Games reviews

Tags:
8-bit, exciting, funny, good game, Hlaf Minute Hero, PSP, RPG

Half-Minute Hero Review

Half Minute Hero Review

Platform: PSP

Developer: Marvelous Entertainment

Publisher: XSEED Games

I am, I’d like to think, a very open-minded soul. I’ll try anything once (except, as the old adage has it, incest and morris dancing). However, my open-minded philosophy is generally tested to its limits by Japanese role playing games.

While I would never claim this job – I’ll add a “ha!” here on behalf of everyone I know, particularly my wife and my old career’s advisor – is tough, when you’re left completely baffled by a game that’s supposedly aimed at a 10-year old Japanese boy, and attempting to grasp the strategy and insane button combos while confronted by an interface in the colour of migraine, you start to think that maybe you should have become an accountant instead.

You can imagine my joy then with the announcement that there was a new one on the way and that this one – but of course – had a twist: every challenge had to be completed within 30 seconds. So, not only a RPG but one that needed more speed? I could feel the headache building already.

Half Minute Hero Review

It’s not only a pleasure to advise that Half Minute Hero is an utter joy then, it’s something of a surprise. It’s also proof of something I’ve been saying for years: it’s not about the graphics, it’s about the gameplay. In the week that Heavy Rain is released and the gaming world is ooh-ing and ah-ing over the cinema quality visuals, along comes Half Minute Hero in all its – get ready for this – 8-bit glory.

Click here to find out what makes Half-Minute Hero so entertaining...

3 Comments

Mon, 22 Feb, 10

Author:
Admin

Category:
Games reviews

Tags:
DSi XL, Games consoles, Games previews, Nintendo

Nintendo DSi XL Preview

With the release date of the new Nintendo DS now approaching we take a quick look at what we can expect from this chunky addition to the DS family.

The Nintendo DSi XL will be the 4^th member of the Nintendo DS family when it is released on March 5^th 2010. Following hot on the heels of it’s 3 predecessors the original DS, the DS Lite and the DSi, Nintendo will be hoping that the DSi XL will build on it’s 100 million strong customer base by appealing to both new and existing players with several new and exciting features.

The Nintendo DS is very strong among the younger gaming audience and the DSi XL will be trying to extend Nintendo’s reach into the adult and mature handheld device market with a couple of new features to make it more accessible to this demographic.

The principle change to the DSi is the size upgrade, making it a bigger and more substantial device and so more suitable to bigger hands. Tied in with the bigger overall size is of course the biggest and most exciting upgrade; the increase in screen size from 3 inches to 4.2 inches. With two 4.2 inch screens rather than the original 3” screen, this is a 93% upgrade in total viewable screens, a result of this and a modified design is to offer a wider viewing angle screen. Two other features that make the DSi XL look like a more mature device are the the available colours (Wine Red and Dark Brown) and the bundling of a bigger stylus in the form of a Touch Pen, a larger and chunkier version of the original stylus.

You know what they say about those with large hands...ahem...perfect for the DSi XL

The XL will of course be bundled with the upgrades found in the DSi version. These include several key features such as the built in WiFi Web Browser and the ability to download titles and apps from the DSi Shop. It will also include SD Memory card support, include the camera with image editing software and the ability to listen to and play about with your music and sounds. Perhaps the most relevant of these features for the XL is the access to the DSi shop, which will enable owners to download ebooks, which in conjunction with the bigger screen and larger size makes it much more appealing as a device for the growing e-boox market, an essential feature given the competition from Apple products and Sony’s ebook Reader.

Despite the larger size the XL will have improved battery life, a nice feature considering it’s larger size.

In a move that looks like Nintendo are trying to bring added value to first time buyers or existing DS owners looking to upgrade their model, the XL will come bundled with pre installed software. These include DSi Ware title “A Little Bit of Brain Training: Arts Edition”, which will allow owners to instantly play this recent Dr Kawashima’s Brain Training title, the Dictionary 6 in 1 with Camera Function software and the Nintendo DSi Browser. The browser in particular is increasingly becoming a necessary inclusion with any mobile device.

Dr. Kawashima crops up everywhere these days

Nintendo’s DS devices are always high quality products and loads of fun for anyone who buys them. With mounting pressure from Apple in the mobile gaming market though Nintendo will need to keep improving their products and offering to keep gamers with their brand, particularly older ones. Attempting to increase their presence with the more mature market should see software developers creating titles relevant to these new customers, a much needed development as Nintendo owners become increasingly disenchanted with the lack of mature, grown up titles.

This guest article was provided courtesy of Game Hub, a leading video games blog.

1 Comment

Mon, 22 Feb, 10

Author:
Matt Gardner

Category:
Games reviews

Tags:
Click To Play, Starmageddon

Click To Play: Starmageddon

Here at Dealspwn we’re all about getting the best games for the least amount of financial effort, and we often tend to forget that some of the most addictive offerings out there are completely free. With that in mind, welcome to Click To Play, a new weekly feature where we’ll be hunting down the best browser-based games each week so you don’t have to. Check in with us every Monday to spice up your coffee breaks for the week!

This week: Starmageddon

Sometimes the best games out there are the simplest, harking back to more retro times, when and sucking you in with a delicate combination of simple accessibility and a challenging difficulty curve. Starmageddon is one such game, a space shooter in the style of the R-Type Series, with more than a passing resemblance to the scrolling combat found in Ikaruga. It’s not as hard-as-nails as the haiku-toting classic, but Starmageddon is certainly entertaining enough to keep you occupied as you blast your way through your lunch break.

You man a little space fighter with some aggro issues, as your little winged death-bringer appears to have jammed its firing systems, constantly spewing forth blobs of energised doom. This means that all you have to worry about is ducking and diving away from your enemies as your automatic plasma cannons do the dirty work for you. You earn coins and diamonds as you defeat your foes, making for lots of tasty upgrades, until finally you can turn your fighter into a near-indestructible ship able to rain down destruction in 360 degrees.

It’s a lot of fun, pretty to look at, and with some impressive boss battles, but Starmageddon suffers from one big flaw: it’s far too easy. Games of this type have always traditionally been hardcore, nerve-shredding affairs that require expert timing, Skywalker-esque laser dodging and a certain degree of anger management. By contrast, Vibe13’s game is something of a walk in the park once you’ve upgraded your ship to a certain level, although the final boss was pleasantly taxing. An entertaining space romp then, perfect for the casual gamer, but a little on the easy side.

Click To Play

1 Comment

Fri, 19 Feb, 10

Author:
Brendan Griffiths

Category:
Games reviews

Tags:
Aliens vs Predator, First person shooter, Games reviews, PC games, PS3 games, Rebellion, Sega, Xbox 360 games

Aliens Vs Predator Review

Platform: PS3 (Reviewed) / 360 / PC

Developer: Rebellion

Publisher: Sega

Cinema’s favourite monsters haven’t exactly flourished on consoles. The Alien franchise hasn’t had a good game since Alien Trilogy on the PS1 and Predator is still waiting. PC gamers have enjoyed the clash of these mighty beasts for many a year though, and finally, so can the rest of us.

The plot of the new Aliens Vs Predator video game is pretty basic and shares a few small similarities to the first AVP movie; thankfully the awful Dawson’s Creek-esque sequel has largely been ignored. The Marine plot is filled in better if you pick up audio diaries, similar in nature to those in Bioshock 2. Just as all three stories begin to get interesting though, they finish, leaving you disappointed but tellingly, wanting more.

With the way the game has been promoted for its multiplayer elements you may even be surprised to hear it has a single player mode. It’s good to see the effort has been made where others couldn’t be arsed though, ‘cough…MAG… cough.’ However, the graphics seem to have been neglected a bit, they’re not bad, they’re just so lacking in effort.

There are three separate campaigns to play through in single player as a Marine, Alien or Predator, who each have five missions. Locations are shared but with different routes. Most importantly though they all feel different enough to make it feel like a fresh experience each time. If you don’t try and hoover up all the collectibles there’s only a few hours’ worth of gaming for each species, but in all honesty their general purpose is to give you some practice before you brave the online universes.

Click here to read more of the Aliens Vs Predator video game review...

4 Comments

Tue, 16 Feb, 10

Author:
Brendan Griffiths

Category:
Games reviews

Tags:
Games reviews, Gravity Crash, PS3 games, Puzzle games

Gravity Crash Review

Platform: PSN (PS3)

Developer: Just add water

Publisher: SCEE

Gravity Crash is another retro-style 2D shooter for the Playstation Network and probably the harshest one yet. Your space-ship handles similarly to games of yesteryear like Thrust and Gravitar; if this means nothing to you, it’s like a hockey puck slowly sliding across the ice, with little thrusts to control changes in direction. The game’s enjoyable to look at in a minimalist way, with its simple yet striking visual style of solid lines making up the maps and lighting them up with a neon glow.

The left stick controls movement and the right one aims your unbearably inadequate weapons. Thrusts have to be applied gently because the more momentum you pick up, the longer it takes to slow down, meaning you’ll overshoot your turns and slam into rocks and die. Floating downwards is a key way of navigating the maps and narrow, horizontal gaps are best survived by pointing your ship upwards and waddling through sideways like a cardboard cut-out of a sumo wrestler (it’s fair to say my mind snapped at some point during this game). Your ship is actually easier to pilot when travelling through water and makes you wish the whole game took place there.

Click here to continue reading the Gravity Crash review...

2 Comments

Mon, 15 Feb, 10

Author:
Brendan Griffiths

Category:
Games reviews

Tags:
Games reviews, Heavy Rain, interactive drama, PS3 games, QTE, Quantic Dream, Sony

Heavy Rain Review: Thunderous Applause or Damp Squib?

Heavy Rain Review: Thunderous Applause or Damp Squib? Platform: PS3

Developer: Quantic Dream

Publisher: Sony

Released: 26th February 2010

This PS3 exclusive is the long-awaited ‘interactive drama’ from Quantic Dream. For months we’ve been wowed by the stunning character models and promises of a unique experience. Of course we’ve also been worried that the whole thing may descend into a never-ending line of Quick-Time-Events (QTEs). Read on for the full verdict.

Heavy Rain Review: Thunderous Applause or Damp Squib?

Think of Heavy Rain as a chilling murder-mystery crossing the relentless search for missing persons, a serial killer hunt and horrific trials set by a lunatic. The Silence of the Lambs and the cruel trials of Saw (but less gory here) are amongst the key influences on the plot, but not in a lazy rip-off way.

You might also draw comparisons with the old multi-path adventure books. You know…’turn to page 96 to enter the demon’s dark cave’ or ‘turn to page 53 to go through the field to the fair.’ The developers should have let you hold L2 to let you recreate the moments of: ‘Oh crap I died, but my finger is still on the other page so I can go back.’

The Plot

The Origami killer has been killing children for years and now another has gone missing. Needless to say it’s full of twists and surprises. You’ve probably heard the first hours’ worth of them already if you’ve been following the game. I’m not going to go into any revealing details though, just go and enjoy it.

Finding the killer is the central obsession of the four main characters you control. Ethan Mars is the emotionally distraught father and one of the game’s most interesting characters. Madison Paige is a photo-journalist who has garnered most of the game’s attention so far for getting naked (oh no!). Norman Jayden’s a Federal Agent on the trail of the Origami Killer. Scott Shelby is a classic noir-style Private Investigator, hard-assed but heart of gold for the dames and owner of a quality 50’s car. The story has you swapping between their narratives with the possibility of them crossing paths based on your decisions.

Heavy Rain Review: Thunderous Applause or Damp Squib?