Review: 'Red Dead Redemption'

The round-up on Rockstars’ latest masterpiece.

Released on: Xbox 360, Playstation 3

Although it’s often said that appearances can be deceiving, Red Dead Redemption could easily serve as the perfect example for this sentiment; what may seem to be a derivative, unimaginative and all too familiar Grand Theft ‘western’ at first glance is, in fact, a unique and innovative tour-de-force that brings more quality, originality and polish to the genre than any other before it.

In a nutshell, believe the stories - the game really is that good.

Set during the mechanical turn of the 20th century and told amid a dying, cantankerous Old West fast approaching technological maturity, this exhaustively enjoyable cowboy romp centres around criminal-gone-straight John Marston and his somewhat clichéd attempt to bring down the crooked gang-mates who callously left him for dead some years previous. While the script for this epic is fantastically gripping, the gameplay is completely enchanting and the voice-acting to match is of an equally high calibre, the true star of the show is actually the landscape itself, however. With simmering orange sunsets cascading into veils of scarlet, heavy, furious monsoons unfurling over cities full and bursting with verve and activity and a vivacious world that is very unmistakeably alive, Rockstars’ latest is quite simply the most astounding show in redolent detail, meticulous depth and stunningly evocative beauty that you could hope to find on any current generation console.

And it’s not just a pretty face either, as there’s a lot more to this title than would initially meet the eye; aside from the main and myriad, engaging side-quests available throughout the twenty or so hour escapade, you can alternatively indulge in bounty-hunting, racing, body-guard duty, duels, cattle-herding, night watches, treasure searches, wildlife-hunting, shootouts, gambling, card-play, breaking in horses and more (frankly, there’s not enough space to list them here), and the level of detail given over to each and every activity or misadventure is utterly astounding to the point of ridiculousness, especially considering how many there are. This attention to detail is absolutely thrilling, boiling down to a weighty longevity that could easily match most RPGs.

Fortunately, it’s also time you’ll willingly give away; from clearing out grimy bandit hideaways to a gentle ride out upon your horse (sadly difficult at first due to slightly fiddly controls), almost everything within this game has been polished, honed and refined until it reaches a level damn-near perfection. In the case of the afore-mentioned steed, for example, each and every animation has been extensively motion captured to achieve a level of authenticity rarely seen in the medium before, with muscles visibly rippling beneath the skin and a true, believable weight behind each and every movement. Better still, this dogged and meticulously thorough work-ethic also demands that boredom is never on the agenda, and so we’re left with multifaceted, surprising and oft thought-provoking random events that are scattered across the entire world - be it theft, lynch-mobs riling up the town, robbery, executions, bar fights, suicides, energetic hunts (usually you with the wrong end of hungry teeth) or the subtle art of the con - to liven up your day when excitement is at a particular low.

Thankfully, you can approach these delicate matters however you want or not at all, if you so wish (or if you’re being particularly lazy); you’re never forced to do anything you don’t want to. Fancy being a hero and saving the girl? Feel free. Want to rob a train? Knock yourself out. Want to lay said girl across the rails like some mustachio twirling villain and then rob the train? Yup, you can do that too. Make no mistake, the biggest and best playground on the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 now has now officially opened.

Before you start questioning Rockstars’ taste and ethics, though, I’d like to point out that there are consequences for your actions regardless of the course you happen to take; Red Dead Redemption is one of those games that not only reigns you in by attacking your morality and conscience realistically and mercilessly, but also by defining how the world sees and reacts to you depending on what you have done. Sport low honour by whoring, drinking and stealing the precious daylight hours away? Then more law-abiding folk will react accordingly by trying to do you in at the first opportunity they get. Act the knight in shining armour during every spare moment? Then expect witnesses to turn the odd blind eye to any misdeeds you may commit, or to receive store discounts from grateful patrons every now and then. Either way, don’t expect a shallow and unsophisticated experience where consequences don’t stick.

Indeed, (and much like the Grand Theft Auto games from the same award-winning developer), if you do happen to break enough of the rules and cross that invisible line then you will quickly find the hard hand of the law coming after you fast, not just in town but across the whole state and on the back of a wagon or good horse to boot. And chase you down they will; whether in suburbia or out in the dusty wilderness, the sheriffs, police and marshals of Red Dead’s USA are tireless in their efforts to dispense the only law they know - the one on the end of a gun - and lead to some of the best, high octane chases and stand-offs in the entire title. Honestly, running for the border has never been so much fun.

Unfortunately however, these stand-offs are a bit of a mixed bag. Whilst the combat of this western is a superbly crafted arrangement with a great cover system and responsive, gratifying gameplay, a huge variety of weapons from revolvers to lassos and fantastic mechanics such as the ‘Dead Eye’ power - allowing you to slow time and paint specific points on your target for spectacular take-downs or magnificent disarms - a rather debatable auto-aim system has also slunk into the final build to make the game far, far too easy by a long and worrying country mile. It can be turned off at will, of course, but the point of the matter is that it can rather unbalance the title in the likes of multiplayer co-op, where kills and victory come down more to the one sporting auto-aim than the use of actual skill or talent. In addition, missions often sneakily resort to throwing ludicrous hordes of enemies at you instead of using more imaginative means of ramping up the difficulty, and they can become a mite too repetitive as a result (especially when objectives are repeatedly and monotonously regurgitated to merely elongate the overall length of the game).

Luckily, the afore-mentioned multiplayer smoothes over any creases that could be found elsewhere and is the gleaming jewel in the crown of an already impressive package. Taking place within the regular single-player map, the addictive ‘free-roam’ mode borrows many of the same activities from the main adventure (though naturally the likes of NPC quests and random events are turned off) and makes them suitable for multiple users, with customisable characters, mounts and weapons available to you, hunting expeditions to experience, gang hideouts to storm, gold to steal, rival gangs to shoot and tricky challenges (such as surviving five minutes with a ‘wanted’ rating or going up against full grown bears with naught but your knife) to complete. Hell, you could even go on a good old fashioned rampage across the state and pit your wits against justice if you were ever at a loss for anything to do. It’s fantastically consuming.

If you’re feeling slightly less ambitious, on the other hand, you could always jump into the traditional multiplayer matches that are available from the outset and at any time. Boasting the standard death-match, capture the flag and other favourites you’d expect, these show-downs are quick, brutal, balanced, and - most importantly - give you a good chance to vent any steam that you may have picked up from the title’s very occasional glitches, uncomfortably recurrent online bullying (if alone and entering a free roam, your evening will go like this - spawn, die, spawn, die, spawn, die, give up) or - as is more likely - the downright overwhelming scope of it all.

Being truthful, the sheer scale of Red Dead is it’s only true failing; though it’s certainly never wholly intimidating, it is definitely a mouthful. Because this title rewards inquisitiveness, exploration and curiosity above all else, many of the best and most engaging features mentioned above will only yield themselves once you sink some considerable time into enjoying the experience erupting around you, and for those with limited patience or too little time to spend, this may be too much to stomach.

To me, that pretty much defines Red Dead Redemption; as with a great movie, the closer and longer you look, the more you’ll see.

The Bottom Line

If you’re a fan of sandboxes or even the more traditional action game then this is the must have title to own this year; due to the countless miles of wasteland, desert, prairie and townships on offer, stunning vistas to drink in and a living, breathing world fit to burst with vibrant wildlife, desperate heroism and deadly crime to experience, Red Dead Redemption is quite possibly the best and most ambitious title that will hit shop-shelves this year or even in the next. While there may be a couple of issues that mar the whole every now and then, the overall effect is undeniably impressive and wholly riveting so I have no hesitation at all in recommending it to you to the highest degree.

Rating: 96%
(Phenomenal)

Review: 'Xbox 360 S'

The latest Xbox, dissected.

How do you rebuild a battered reputation? At E3 2010, Microsoft answered by unveiling their brand-new, chic and retooled Xbox 360 model for immediate sale, springing into motion a carefully-laid plan to re-energise the franchise and to clear their name in time for the upcoming holiday season. However, can a leopard really change it’s spots? Considering the black-mark against the machine concerning reliability and value, you’d be largely forgiven for asking the very same question of the big M and this newest console. Should you shell out your hard-earned cash on it considering the 360’s less than savoury track-record, and is it even worth a look if you’ve already got one of the older models at home? Here’s the low-down on Microsoft’s latest to help you decide.

The Tech

Ok, so while the base-specs of this slimmer model may be the same as any other 360 currently out there and on the market (with no improved graphics engines, processors or coveted Blu-Ray player to speak of, I’m afraid), Microsoft have added a lot to make this package relatively worthwhile for both newcomers and old-hands alike. To begin with, the much-needed wireless-networking adaptor (previously sold separately and setting you back anywhere between £44.99 to £59.99 for the privilege of connecting wirelessly to the internet) finally comes as standard within the console itself after years of demand from consumers and an age of trailing behind the competition who could boast this feature from launch. Next, a larger, sleeker and inbuilt hard-drive for saving downloads, game files, movies and music - weighing in at a hefty 250GBs, no less - is also included inside the box. Furthermore, this new console even sports ‘whisper-quiet’ running as well, meaning that you won’t have to put up with the frustrating jet-engine accompaniment of the original models either.

In short, Microsoft have been crowd-pleasing.

But that’s not all; subsequent improvements make this 360 more tooled up than a hefty Swiss-army knife as amendments include the more aesthetic pleasure of a smaller and slighter machine (this new console is a couple of inches shorter and about a pound lighter than the gutsy original), comfortable, touch-sensitive buttons that are exceptionally responsive and satisfying to use, an optical audio-out for better sound quality, your standard HDMI/AV/COMPOSITE slots for connecting to a TV set, an Ethernet port in case you don’t fancy the included wireless, a petite, buoyant and sleek power brick that will take up much less space, five USB docks for all the game-related paraphernalia you’re sure to amass over time (two more than with previous hardware, if you’re interested), and a specific port for Microsoft’s Kinect so that you don’t have to mess on with any of the extra plugs and wires that would be necessary for the motion controller on any other Xbox 360. Hell, even if it does lack the old-school memory-card slots (seeing as that system is now largely defunct due to the recent ability to USB information over to another machine), this console certainly can’t be said to skimp on the trimmings.

Naturally and as you would expect there have been a couple of misfires here and there (such as the questionable silken finish that sadly picks up far too many fingerprints and the dubious longevity of a fabric tab used to remove the hard-drive), but the overall effect is still a vast improvement over previous consoles.

The Performance

After a few days of use it’s already clear that this is the infinitely superior Xbox due to a swift Wi-Fi connection (supposedly the fastest on the market), quieter, low-key running, larger memory and improved features, but what about the reliability of the console? So far it would appear that there have been very few problems at all worldwide (it’s already a month old in the US), and as a result initial fears of overheating seem to be completely unfounded. Although time will be the best judge of this new console’s success, the re-imagined chip-set included in the package and a larger fan within the machine would appear to be doing their job admirably.

Unfortunately, matters aren’t quite so promising when we arrive upon the subject of a very old fashioned disc-tray; still doggedly slogging on with a slide-out system, it’s inclusion is an amazing oversight on Microsoft’s part considering the previous and irritating - if rare - problem concerning the same initial design, where a disc would be so badly scratched that it would be rendered unplayable if the console was moved during use. Would it not have made more sense to include an inbuilt tray such as the one displayed on the Wii or Playstation 3? Aside from the easily ruined shell of the chassis itself (being a glossy magnet for smudges and scratches as it is), this is my greatest problem with the hardware.

The Bottom Line

If you’re new to the market then this hugely improved Xbox 360 is definitely the one to choose from Microsoft’s extensive line-up; not only will it save you a bundle of cash on the likes of vital extras such as wireless network adaptors, the indication that it will keep on running for far longer than previous models is a definite selling point as well as the fact that it is all ready for Kinect when it eventually launches this November, along with being fully 3D capable. If you already have an Xbox Elite or Super Elite, then you may want to hold fire until the question surrounding reliability is removed before you invest, but if you're after a hugely accessible console with many of the same features of it’s rivals without the excessive and bloated price tags that accompany them, then this latest Xbox 360 is most definitely for you.

Rating: 85%
(Brilliant)

Digging Our Own Graves?

You are what you, er, play?

With twelve people dead and double that number injured this week during one of the most horrific and heart-breaking events in recent local history, there can be no doubt that tragedy has exacted a terribly high price from Cumbria. While police frantically search for a motive to this hopelessly futile outrage, however, I can’t help but watch my thoughts turn closer to home instead. I mean, after seeing this appalling story gorge itself to ever-more bloated heights over the past seven days it's hard not to feel a little uncomfortable at how many modern titles task the player with committing similar crimes for little other reason than ‘having fun.’ Understandably this gives a dusty, dog-eared worry extremely pressing voice once again, so I’ve decided to come over all professional and ask if video-games can actually do us some harm in the long run. Do the sceptics have a point? I certainly hope not.

There’s enough evidence out there abounding the internet to credibly suggest so, of course, and with many of the most persuasive studies coming from the sincere patrons of the American Psychological Association - the ‘largest scientific and professional organisation representing psychology in the US’, if you were interested - claiming that repeated video-game exposure can noticeably increase violent behaviour across all ages while tangibly lowering academic grades in younger generations, they also have a rather cogent argument to their name. Craig A. Anderson and Karen E. Dill PhD, 2000, Jessica Nicoll B.A and Kevin M. Kieffer, 2005, Douglas Gentile, 2003... the sheer level of startling research into this touchy subject could quite literally go on and into realms of the ridiculous if we were to pursue it thus far, and as they are by no means alone it’s hardly surprising that today’s society is so wildly biased against the topic. To make matters worse, honourable egg-heads such as the afore-mentioned boffin Dr. Craig A. Anderson whole-heartedly and publicly support these grim results, infamously stating, “the 14-year-old boy arguing that he has played violent video games for years and has not ever killed anybody is absolutely correct in rejecting the extreme “necessary and sufficient” position, as is the 45-year-old two-pack-a-day cigarette smoker who notes that he still does not have lung cancer. But both are wrong in inferring that their exposure to the respective risk factors have not causally increased the likelihood that they and people around them will one day suffer the consequences of that risky behaviour.”

It's easy to dismiss much of this for various reasons, naturally, but the subject is an inarguable itch that will refuse to give up. It's easy to see the supposed result of video-game violence outside of the laboratory after all, especially since some of the best examples include the much quoted and well-publicised case of a teenage murder in Leicester (supposedly inspired by gory thriller Manhunt), a US shooting where a seventeen year-old blew away his parents after they confiscated his beloved copy of Halo 3, or the tale of the Thai youngster who stabbed a taxi driver to death during 2008 so that he could afford Grand Theft Auto 4. It really is enough to turn your stomach. This only becomes more evident when it is increasingly clear - even to gamers - that video-game violence isn’t the only issue assailing us upon the interactive and electronic home-front either; sexism, racism and xenophobia are all thought to be equally relevant when considering the nature of a title’s effects on our behaviour and how we act as a result. To begin with, many harbour a deep-seated concern about the consistently injurious and disparaging portrayal of foreign nations such as Russia, China and Africa in various current era titles - Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 or Battlefield: Bad Company 2 being obvious targets - while others have voiced alarm over the dangerous stereotypes that these representations may be encouraging over time (“significantly these games, and particularly their questionable claims of authenticity,” state the authors of The Power of Play: The Portrayal and Performance of Race in Video Games, “establish compelling learning environments that help facilitate how young gamers develop their knowledge of and familiarity with popular views of race and urban culture”). Meanwhile, yet more critics - being both gamers and non alike - have attacked the chauvinistic and sexist undertone still relatively prevalent within modern-day products, arguing that while games such as Tomb Raider, Half-Life, Beyond Good and Evil, Mass Effect and Fable 2 put capable, admirable and enviable women under the spotlight (injecting a whole note of common sense into proceedings), the industry as a whole is waterlogged with characters like Wet’s heroine, Dead or Alives' titillating roster or the majority of the cast of God of War 3.
You have to admit, they have a point.

Then what about the simple matter of 'addiction?' Horror stories involving 24-hour gaming, out-of-control, temper-ridden children and the trials of gamers like Lee Seung Seop (who died after playing Starcraft for 50 hours straight) make it hardly surprising that parents are so worried. Even now - with the Wii and DS successfully cultivating the before-untapped casual market and bringing gaming a new respectability - these are all massive, inescapable factors in why so many have avoided the popular gaming trend all-together, and have always been veritable weapons caches in the armoury of detractors demanding stricter regulations on the industry in general.

Nevertheless, the question that discerning readers should be asking is whether all this ‘evidence’ is quite as fool-proof as it would first appear.

You see, for all the touted arguments and hypotheses stated previously, there are easily as many - if not more - correspondingly admirable pieces claiming the complete opposite elsewhere. A recent Australian study carried out by the Swinburne University of Technology in 2007, for example, discovered that only children previously subject to violent behaviour (e.g. due to genetic disposition or mental states) were negatively effected by video-games, while another from Daphne Bavelier and the University of Rochester in New York, 2003, suggested that the same games could actually increase visual and spatial skills after prolonged use. A third - taken from an issue of the Review of General Psychology in 2010 - also indicated that the negative implications of video-gaming would only influence certain personalities from a small percentage of society in the first place (“previous research has shown us that personality traits like psychoticism and aggressiveness intensify the negative effects of violent video games”), while other segments from the same article have shown how titles could help ease the treatment of young psychotherapy patients and would serve a myriad of social, emotional and intellectual needs to boot. These studies are in turn supported by the likes of independent psychologist Jonathan Freedman, who, after looking into the results of 200 assorted studies via meta-analysis, brought us back to earth with the conclusion that the “vast overwhelming majority” did not find any causal link between video-games and increased violence. In fact, look over less bandied statistics and you’ll actually discover that violent youth crime has fallen dramatically in the USA - arguably the gaming Mecca - by about as much as 21% over recent years, coinciding rather neatly with an undeniable boom in the industry (not to mention an increase in violent, graphic titles).

How can maligned and heavily publicised affairs such as the Halo and Manhunt murders be explained, in that case? Well, the truth of the matter is - and it’s a truth that our media conveniently forget to divulge - these charges are recurrently deemed not to have been caused by a particular game’s influence or, in turn, by obsession with that one title (the Leicester murder was a robbery rather than an imitation, and the American butchery had been planned for as much as nine months previously according to sources). Other cases have been moreover and repeatedly put down to an individual’s current psychological state rather than the influence of a product itself - as was previously suggested by both the Swinburne University of Technology and the Review of General Psychology - and a US Secret Service study even went so as far to suggest that, in the case of youth shootings, only 12% of those involved had any interest in the gaming medium at all, alternatively favouring violent literature or television instead. What about the instances of gaming addiction, though? Apparently that’s easily explained away too, as true compulsions - both in and out of the law - are apparently “few and far between” according to Mark Griffiths of Nottingham Trent University, with only a meagre percentage (just over ten) of his test groups showing any indication of obsession at all. What’s more, the US Surgeon General reinforced both stated theories as a result of a national study conducted in 1999, professing that “we clearly associate media violence to aggressive behaviour, but the impact was very small compared to other things. Some may not be happy with that, but that’s where the science is".

It’s just a shame that these facts are only slowly and painfully breaking into societies’ general consciousness, largely due to a repeated and sustained flippant misrepresentation in the media and the unwanted attentions of cheap politicians looking for an underhand vote. As a direct result, video-games have since been gifted a heavy coating of thorough paranoia that they simply don’t deserve, and although it would be largely foolish to deny the negative connotations that some titles can bring to the table, it’s becoming progressively obvious that there’s a lot more to this business than popularly suggested (the social and physical positives of the Wii and Xbox LIVE speak for themselves, for instance, and the likes of the ‘GAME for Good’ campaign - garnering thousands of pounds for the War Child charity - clearly demonstrate what a passionate, caring and vibrant community this industry possesses). To me, this blind narrow-mindedness is every bit as senseless and baffling as the recent attacks in Cumbria, and I simply hope that we won’t have to wait too long before both are cleaned up and can finally be laid to rest.

Grudge-Match: Move VS Kinect

Who should you back?

With both Microsoft and Sony pulling out all the stops this holiday season to catch a corner of that elusive casual market, it’s almost certainly going to be an expensive Christmas. But which motion controller - if you have the fortune of choice - should you go for? With the Xbox 360’s Kinect providing full, three dimensional body motion where you are the controller (not to mention voice and facial recognition to boot) and the Playstation Move supplying 1:1 accuracy, verbal command and bags of Wii-like goodness, it’s certainly going to be a difficult decision. Here’s a checklist of all we know so far to make that verdict a little easier come launch day.

As far as software goes, this is actually a bit of a one-sided race; while the Xbox 360’s contender can boast some fascinating launch titles in the form of Kinectimals - a Tamagotchi style interactive pet - Your Shape: Evolved, Joyride (Microsoft’s Avatar-heavy vision of Mario Kart), Fable 3 and Dance Central, there simply isn’t enough on offer - or a sufficient variety of games, either - to engender a great deal of confidence in the project, whereas Playstation’s equivalent can in fact match all of the required and expected casual branding above as well as some pretty sweet hardcore products (such as Dead Space Extraction, Resident Evil 5, Socom 4, Heavy Rain and LittleBig Planet 2) right off the bat. With most of Microsoft’s biggest hitters - including Forza 4, Child of Eden and Star Wars Kinect - landing in stores next year and the handful of games already on offer presenting a debatable level of longevity and quality, the clear winner of this round would be have to be Move.

HARDWARE

While the Playstation Move’s release line-up can certainly make for interesting reading, Kinect’s hardware takes proceedings to a whole new level. With verbal, gesture based and facial recognition, full 3D tracking, smart programming that can even follow individual finger movements and ‘feature extraction’ of 20 joints per player - of which six can be recognised at any one time - Microsoft’s latest is far from the Eyetoy rip-off it’s often painted as. The fact that you can also use it in conjunction with the standard Xbox 360 controller means that you can enjoy the best of both worlds too, and the very nature of the product will give no imperative to shell out extra cash for additional handsets and needless plastic before you can even think of accessing multiplayer, essentially boiling things down to a lot more fun with your mates for a whole lot less money.

What’s more, doesn’t the formulaic, tried and tested nature of the Move brand itself rather limit the chances for true innovation and originality as previously advertised? I mean, how can you foster real creativity and ingenuity from a product so intrinsically limited to the actions of a singular, remote-based controller when - arguably - it’s all been done before? The Move may admittedly be more comfortable in the hands of a seasoned gamer - providing a solid point of reference and obvious potential for the likes of shooters due to the inclusion of a navigation stick - but it can still feel wholly unnecessary, derivative, clichéd and trite at times, handing Kinect an easy win for this round.

PRICE

Unfortunately, here’s where things start to get a little smidgeon of complicated; as of yet, the official price for both Move and Kinect have still to be confirmed. Estimates for Playstation’s remote go from about £25-£35, of course (though bear in mind that you’ll also need to buy an Eyetoy for it all to work and extra handsets for any other players), while critics have suggested a £15-£20 price-point for the additional navigation controller as well (including the directional stick that can be bypassed by using the standard Dualshock 3 in one hand). Kinect approximations, meanwhile, range from around £70 to as much as £129.99, although Microsoft have hinted that it’s likely to be somewhere in the lower region after commenting that they wanted the motion controller’s tag to be affordable, but explainable.

While it could be argued that Kinect is the better deal with a one-off payment and little need for extra peripherals at a later date, Move might even match or undercut Microsoft’s I.P yet so no clear victor can really be judged at this point.

The Bottom Line

At the end of it all, you’re left with two very simple and clear options laid out before you. First up, Move; if you want reliable, punctual software and durable - if dull - hardware, then pick Playstation. If you want to plump for the potential of real innovation, great social gaming and the promise of a lot more that may yet come down the line, however, then go for Kinect. Are you a gambler?

Weekly Thought: "OMG, Stat-Crunching Killed my Teamwork!"

Level 1 down, 49 to go…

I have recently realised that - contrary to common belief - there is actually something far more irritating in this world than a frustratingly suave Rod Stewart or the agonisingly dull sport of golf; something so annoying, in fact, that it positively makes my blood boil at the very thought of it and has me chomping at the bit for hours on end. Well, what’s got me tied up in knots? God-damn stat-crunching, that’s what.

I mean, it’s hard to deny that we’re getting into a rather dubious and dirty habit of mindlessly chasing after the next promotion or ravenously hunting down that extra bonus with the rise of the likes of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare and Battlefield: Bad Company looming over us, isn’t it? Whatever happened to having a good time, for heaven’s sake? While this stat-bashing gameplay can be a great incentive if handled well, far too many players now seem to be forgetting about and thus abandoning the virtues of teamwork and camaraderie due to pursuing that oh-so shiny advancement just over the horizon.

The thing is, does it even matter? Any idiot can slither to the highest peak if they put in enough man-hours, after all. Instead of demonstrating how good you are, aren’t you simply showing that you have more time to waste than everyone else? Honestly, I really don’t understand. High scores and a burgeoning superiority complex proving to be more important than the simple matter of enjoying yourself? Utter rubbish. What’s the pay-off? Sure, nab a decent place on that prestigious leader board and your self-esteem will inflate like a helium balloon, but isn’t there more to be had from gaming than that? Put it another way - “I’ve just spent hours that I could have been enjoying with my mates or family levelling up on my newest video game” - and suddenly it doesn’t seem so worth it. Seriously, tell your girlfriend that you now have a prestige level of fifty and she’ll dump you faster than a tumbling brick.

She’ll also assume that you’re a bit of a nerd compensating for something else, as well.

Guys and girls, is this what you signed up online for? I thought that we were here to have fun together. Isn’t that the point of internet gaming in the first place?

The Great Console War

Because mine's bigger than yours.

Since the dawn of time, humanity has had it’s little clubs; whether it’s a sports team, political party, religious group or otherwise, it’d be lying to deny that people like to be a part of something. Remember that swelling, soaring pride you felt when you joined the Scouts all those years ago, or when you rolled in to see your favourite band’s gig the other week? Understandably, many look at their consoles in much the same way.

Still, it would also be lying to deny that humanity can be highly unpleasant at the best of times, too; as Oscar Wilde once claimed, “the world is a stage, but the play is badly cast”. As a result, you’ll have probably know by now that ‘club’ is just another way of saying ‘us’, and ‘them’. Xbots, Playstationites, Nintendoids - they’re all out there fighting a war that was never declared. Have you ever paid a visit to a gaming forum? If so then you’ll know that it’s being taken a bit too far on the front lines, fought tooth and nail as often as pen and keyboard. Here, it's not enough to simply agree to disagree when the first shots are fired; no, these gamers need to curtail and destroy all opposition, and will not rest until one side claims victory. “360 degrees of s***,” or, “HitlerStation 3” are great examples (though my personal favourite remains “internet commenters are full of fail”).

Unfortunately - and rather disappointingly - it’s an argument that is not just exclusive to internet junkies, though; in store our customers (and staff) frequently argue and bicker over which machine is the superior choice, and how anyone who chose anything different is an utter, complete and inconceivable moron with the rough average brain-power of a blended tea-cosy.
Believe me, the results are never pretty.

But where’s it all coming from?

You don’t have to look too far to find out; for starters, everyone loves a bit of a squabble (it’s human nature) and - true to form - the games companies themselves massively encourage this kind of behaviour, pumping us full of propaganda in the form of advertisements and jingles to ensures our loyalty and thus our ongoing investment (just look at Sony’s 2010 E3 conference to see the bottom line in petty squabbling). As a business, their primary objective is to line their pockets; and like many businesses, first order of the day is to play dirty to ensure that they see your cash by the end of it. Our loyalty, then, is somewhat misplaced; so why in heaven are we defending these hunks of plastic so fervently?

Well, many take it as an opportunity to justify that initial purchase, but the truth of the matter is, there is no ‘right’ choice here; the Xbox 360 has a brilliantly expansive library, great accessibility and fantastic online features (you pay for a reason) while the Playstation 3 has superb hardware and some wonderful exclusives. The Wii, on the other hand, is the very best at social gaming by a mile, the PC caters for the more serious gamer and the two handhelds mop up the hardcore and casual travel markets very nicely. Then, on the other side of matters, they all have their problems as well; with the Wii and DS drowning in a deluge of utterly dreadful shovel-ware, the PSP remaining almost entirely forgotten, bedraggled and abandoned by Sony since it’s launch, the 360 sporting a failure rate worse than Apple Mac running entirely on cocaine, the PC costing about five-hundred million odd pounds to keep updated every few years and the PS3 ripping off everyone’s ideas like some dirty great playground bully, no one party is perfect.

My point? Whichever you choose, there will be a positive and a negative to be had, and what it comes down to in the end is what is best for you. I mean, can you imagine a family settling down for a nice, relaxing game of Gears of War on an evening with their coco and biscuits or a serious gamer settling in for the long night hours with some hardcore Wii Sports? No? Me neither. At the end of the day I chose my console not because I have a small penis, but because I wanted to.

Seriously, enjoy your machine for what it is and let others do the same; if you’re going to fight, at least fight over something worthwhile (and the truth is, there are far more important things to be getting wound up about these days anyway). In a world where life is difficult and bloody enough already, why do we need more to scrap over? We’re here to enjoy some great games instead.

VS Review: 'Split/Second' and 'Modnation Racers'

Two racing games, two great titles. But which one should you choose?

Released on:
Split/Second Velocity: Xbox 360, Playstation 3
Modnation Racers: Playstation 3, PSP

The games industry has evidently never believed in the age-old mantra that, “good things come to those who wait,” and if you want proof then you shouldn’t have to look much further than the obese release schedule for this Friday, bursting at the seams with a utter deluge of quality. Sadly, this sort of generosity can also cause many thorough headaches on our part. Which title should we choose? Well, for the gear-heads out there your options this week are dangerous and exhilarating action sprinter Split/Second Velocity, or the Mario Kart come LittleBig Planet romp Modnation Racers.

First, let’s start off with the basics: how do they handle? To cut a long story short, though Split/Second may initially feel more sluggish and weighty as you tear about the frequently explosive track, it is an undoubtedly tighter and more satisfying experience than it’s competitor. Next, Split/Second’s game modes will also keep the blood pumping long after the initial rush is over largely due to the sheer level of variety, ingenuity and imagination that they manage to bring to the table. Not only are we treated to the more traditional approach - e.g. circuits, time trials and that sort of thing - that you would expect from a serious, pedigree racing title, you can also look forward to enjoying some frenzied, original and highly entertaining escapades such as Elimination (where the last, tailing vehicle at the end of every countdown is blown up into smithereens) too, shaking things up with great and healthy lashings of adrenaline and flame. In short, Split/Second Velocity gives a whole new meaning to the phrase ‘white knuckle’ and repeatedly offers a hell of a lot more in the way of excitement than Modnation’s simplistic, all-too-familiar fare can.

This only becomes more evident with the inclusion of Split/Second’s trump card, the aptly named ‘Powerplay’; giving you the spectacular ability to destroy and bring down the environment around your fellow racers once you’ve earned enough charge, it really is breath-taking in the biggest sense (and not just because you’ll be throwing whole towers blocks down atop other vehicles or crashing massive airliners across the track to halt your rivals) and enthralling in the extreme, and although proceedings can occasionally become a little too easy with these God-like powers around, it’s still a great laugh anyway that is almost incomparable on today’s market.

Nevertheless, you’d be rather mistaken if you wrongly assumed that everything was quite in the bag yet.

The thing is, when we get to the actual matter of longevity and performance the scales start to tip backwards in the biggest way; despite Split/Second giving the glamorous and adrenaline-soaked impression that you’re driving through a high octane and endearingly impressive action movie during each and every race (right down to the oft stirring - but equally cheesy - score), it can also boast the rough average intelligence of said films, frequently coming over as gaudy, dumb and tacky as a result (with an increasingly grating preference for spectacle and brawn over common sense and wit), and it manages to lose handfuls of its’ enviable appeal once the initial novelty has worn off. Modnation Racers, on the other hand, is a completely different story.

With a tell-tale toon graphical style, good-natured humour beneath the surface and simplistic controls (along with simpler game-modes) to finish, it would be fairly understandable to assume that this is a mere children’s game; however, that is far from the truth. In actual fact, Modnation Racers harbours much more ambition, capability and staying power than it’s ‘grown-up’ playmate ever could through the use of original, distinct and charming tracks, recognisable and accessible control schemes and mechanics, an engaging campaign mode, armfuls of customisable options and - most importantly - a hugely entertaining ‘create and share’ system where you can forge any kind of driver, kart or course that you can think up, complete with whatever pitfall, trap or surprise that takes your fancy.

This ‘Creation Station’ really is the main attraction of a particularly hefty title already sporting lot to offer, and even if those with limited patience may not entirely buy it, the matter of the system being so balanced means that anyone can give it a go and get involved regardless of skill level or ability, while the system itself still has enough depth, myriad interesting features and gratifying engines to keep you glued to your TV for weeks on end, well after you’ve completed everything else. The fact that you can also download anyone else’s creations too (or upload your own at any time) means that you have a near endless game here, without the need for expensive add-ons and extras like most other current generation games. Though it may not have Mario Kart’s charm or LittleBig Planet’s versatility, Modnation Racers is such an enchanting mix that it simply insists you keep on playing, and in a world of PGRs, Gran Turismos, Need for Speeds and Forzas, this is a real breath of fresh air. Yes, it is true that there should be far more variety to the bread and butter game-modes of this title and it could be suggested that the load times are really rather hideous as well, but the proffered toolsets and options available from the outset lend this title a full and heartfelt forgiveness regardless of the flaws.

So, which one should you buy?

The Bottom Line

If you want a serious, thrill-a-minute game that will blow the doors off and go down a treat with your mates after a good night at the pub then Split/Second Velocity is the only one of the two to go for; if you want something for the whole family this Spring that will likely last you right through until Christmas and beyond, though, then Modnation Racers is the best choice for you. But who wins? Because of a great mix of blistering gameplay, varied game modes, online hilarity and a stunning set of visuals to match, I’m going to have to give Split/Second Velocity the prize this time around, but believe me when I say that it couldn’t be closer.

Winner - Split/Second Velocity

Split/Second Velocity Rating: 86%
(Brilliant)

Modnation Racers Rating: 84%
(Great)

Weekly Thought: "Difficult, Not Impossible..."

How do we save the video-game movie?

If you’re a fan of the silver screen then you’ll probably know by now that game-movies almost always suck; Doom, Tomb Raider, Street Fighter, The Chronicles of Riddick, Farcry… the list of failures could go on. Why? Well, developers would appear to be renting out all the wrong properties to begin with, and just because something is exciting to play upon the home console won’t mean it’ll necessarily be nearly so thrilling to watch elsewhere. Indeed, part of the reason that many of the above were so exhilarating as games in the first place was down to an adrenaline-ridden interactivity, and if you snatch that crucial piece of the puzzle away then it stands to reason that the ensuing magic simply won’t be there either. Good and solid franchises they may be, but guaranteed Hollywood successes they are not.

I mean, does it really matter how well a particular title grossed if it sports a weak storyline, a forgettable premise or predictable, formulaic and two-dimensional characters? There’s already more than enough rubbish out there saturating the market as it is without providing an excuse for more. To make a decent translation from living-room to theatre, isn’t it common sense that you should have more than a big, weighty name behind you? Film-to movie I.Ps need be chosen very carefully and put into action only if they have a genuinely hot concept behind them to intrigue and draw audiences, a phenomenal script to bring that tale to life, a decent cast and crew to give it soul and voice and a brand-name that will be comfortably able to shake off the nerdy, game-associated stigma that will undoubtedly dog the film’s release right up to and beyond opening day.

If studios and directors are willing to take all of this on-board and learn from their mistakes instead of blindly chasing that tempting dollar bill, then maybe - just maybe - the tables will begin to turn; as one particularly famous, fictional butler once said, after all, “why do we fall, sir? So we can pick ourselves up again.”

I think he had a pretty good point, personally.

More Gaming = More Sex. Fact.

I say...

In this stressful age of faster technology, booming economics and shorter tempers it’s fairly safe to say that everyone needs to vent some steam every now and then, but could video-games be just as beneficial a relief as decent exercise or reliable hobbies? American software developer Marc Prensky certainly thinks so, and in his book Don't Bother Me Mom - I'm Learning he even goes so far as to suggest (like so many others) that certain titles will actually help us improve on such vital life-skills as risk assessment, decision-making under pressure and micro management. But are they right?

Well, as both the academic and scientific worlds are heavily divided on the subject at present due to the conflicting and contradictory nature of the studies they frequently carry out to no avail, it’s unlikely that we’ll be able to get a definitive answer anytime soon. Because of the many correlative findings showing that video games can in improve social interaction, visual attentiveness, patience and perseverance and down to their increasingly communal and physical nature, however, I think that there may be something in it regardless. I think that the most telling evidence of all, though, comes from a UK study of a few years ago; in the research of a games rental service, it was revealed that female gamers got - on average - 34% more sex than their non-gamer counterparts.

Blimey, talk about silver linings.

Review: 'Prince of Persia The Forgotten Sands'

Can Ubisoft turn back the clock on their classic series…?

Released On: Xbox 360, Playstation 3, PC (note that a completely different edition with a wholly original story and differing gameplay is also available on PSP, DS, and Wii)

Creeping onto the gaming scene in early 2010 mere months before launch, the muted and leaden arrival of Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands took many by complete surprise - in fact, the announcement was so thoroughly low-key that it almost felt as if Ubisoft were trying to sneak the game through and onto shelves without us actually noticing. What were they attempting to hide? Well, if the original Prince titles were Hollywood blockbusters then Forgotten Sands is most certainly a straight-to-DVD release.

Distinctly stuck in a grinding and spiritless first-gear the entire way through it’s eight or so hour run-time, this platformer never quite manages to scale the same dizzying heights that precursor The Sands of Time did largely due to a complete absence of charm and depth that combine to scrupulously lower the whole tone of a project that could have been so much more. A flat and uninspiring combat system would also prove to be undoubtedly responsible for this, for although it’s not strictly terrible (and can actually be somewhat amusing, given the chance), it is rather surprisingly lacklustre and empty regardless, a senseless hack-and slash brawler that never wholly manages get off the ground to dazzle or engage as was clearly intended. It doesn’t have nearly enough gravity, content or variety to make for a particularly gripping romp either, and as it can get so very tedious primarily thanks to frequent lashings of dull repetition, half-hearted, diverse and yet monotonous enemies and a complete lack of advancement or tangible progression beyond upgradeable, flashy but largely uninspired elemental attacks and HUD (e.g. health) extensions, you’re unlikely to want to attempt any of the unlockable challenge maps or modes that become available once the credits have rolled.

Sometimes, less really isn’t more.

To pour salt onto this painful wound, those credits simply can’t come quickly enough by the end: to tell the truth, the storyline to Forgotten Sands is mediocre at best and feels so low-budget and lukewarm that it’s almost embarrassing to behold. Predictable, stale, unimaginative and stunningly lonely, it’s clear from the off that while it may feel like a ‘best of’ tribute to the Prince series at it’s best, this latest instalment can never go so far as to revive any of the magic or sparkle that the originals brought with them. The voice-acting is rather good, admittedly (with the likes of the excellent Yuri Lowenthal returning from the original trilogy to voice this new, sarcastic and roguishly loveable Prince), but the scripting behind it leaves a lot to be desired while those vital plot-supports such as stirring score and impressive SFX largely breeze by without notable comment.

The biggest flaw of all, though - and far, far worse than any of the above - is the obvious, bitter and unpalatable fact that this title was evidently rushed through to greedily cash in on the recent release of The Sands of Time movie adaptation; it not only lacks the necessary quality and clout some were hoping for as a result, but also the charisma and soul that it deserved.

Nevertheless, all is not yet lost; boasting a great setting complete with superb, evocative and heart-warmingly nostalgic gameplay seemingly pulled directly from the essence of the hugely mystical Arabian Nights, there’s a lot to like here - the largest part being platforming, of course.

While not quite as lenient or forgiving as in previous titles, this latest instalment has still been beautifully tweaked and refined so as to provide one of the best - and not to mention satisfying - free-running and platforming experiences on any console of the current generation yet, sporting some truly wonderful challenges that will put your timing, skill and accuracy to the very real and trying test time and time again. To make things all the sweeter, however, some wonderfully novel abilities - such as the capability to freeze running water at will to create extra platforms, poles and walls to run, swing and leap from for a limited period and a ‘memory’ power that will allow you to rebuild sections of ruined masonry that have long since fallen into ruin - are on offer too, adding a whole new level of intensity to the entire experience, and when these moments and more are thrown together into a great, highly fulfilling mess, it creates one of the most fantastically, brilliantly complex and engaging collection of set-pieces you’ll have come across for quite a while.

Best yet would be the gloriously over-due home-coming from a pair of old, familiar favourites, though.

Tragically absent from the last Prince of Persia title, the ability to turn back time and rectify your mistakes has returned for Forgotten Sands with a vengeance and although it can be unnecessarily strict here and there (rewinding you to the last ‘safe point’ instead of handing you full control like before), it’s still a hugely useful and welcome addition to the formula considering how much of the adventure you’ll be spending ploughing into sharp objects, tumbling to your doom or meeting your maker on the sharp edge of some ridiculously over-sized trap. And that’s a lot of your time, mind; this game is hard, and not made any easier by platforming favourites such as an often dodgy camera (conveniently dashing behind walls and pots at the most in-opportune times) or irritating moments where the Prince will jump, hop or skip in the opposite direction to the one you want, predictably getting himself killed in the process. Next, slightly less controversial but equally appreciated is the re-appearance of some grandly charming puzzles that will give you a breather from all the chaos and confusion of the rest of the title. Not only are these quietly trying and gripping in themselves, but they will also help distract you admirably from the uncomfortably b-side storyline and dreary, mundane combat that are sure to follow.

Indeed, this is almost enough to make you forget that you’re playing such a one-sided, unfinished package in the first place, but - sadly - this only makes the experience all the more bitter because it was ever allowed to get to that stage at all.

The Bottom Line

If you were expecting a glorious return to the golden days of old with this latest Prince of Persia then I’m afraid that you’re going to be exceptionally disappointed; Forgotten Sands is more of a nod to times past than an actual reboot of the series, and this isn’t exactly helped by the fact that it is almost undoubtedly a cheeky cash-in on the recent Sands of Time movie. With laboured combat, a dull storyline and some predictably frustrating technical issues, the only real elements holding this game up at all are the superb puzzling and platforming aspects that offer a glimpse of what this title could have been given the correct amount of time and effort that it deserved.

Rating: 62%
(Alright)

Story - Gaming's Ugly Duckling

Welcome to the future… but is it what you expected?

‘Predictable’, ‘stale’ and ‘unimaginative’ are all brilliant adjectives that can be used to describe a great many things, but would perhaps be best left to portraying modern video-game storylines. Commonly lacking anything approaching a wealth of imagination or creativity while additionally sporting the bare modicum of effort, these yarns are undoubtedly down at the ‘chicken-scratchings’ level of sophistication when compared to other mediums. And considering how far the rest of the industry has come since it’s origins of playing Pong in the pub, this is simply baffling. It’s more or less the equivalent of cinema frivolously ignoring plot for the whole of thirty years in favour of rehashing endless chase-sequences or staging predictable action romps, after all.

Confusion

This is especially true considering the fact that we’re now poised on the edge of an era promising endless miles of photo-realistic landscape to explore, an ability to hook up and play with someone on the other side of the world or a chance to dabble in 3D motion control to your hearts content. Graphical capabilities far outstrip anything we’ve ever seen before and are improving by the day, while the level of artificial intelligence marches on at an alarming rate. Yet we still can’t nail a damn good story? It’s perfectly reasonable to argue that games should be all about the gameplay - and to a certain extent, I’d agree - but shouldn’t there also be a worthwhile plot driving it to give the piece direction or to keep us interested over an eight hour, arguably repetitive adventure? Although gaming is a very lively, interactive industry, it wouldn’t be a huge leap of faith to compare it with the silver screen, and there, lack of plot or narrative is frowned upon.
Naturally not all developers are like this, but it’s disturbing to see how story is treated as a backbench, low-priority subject on many current titles, especially when multiplayer becomes involved; Modern Warfare 2 being the perfect example. With huge expectations landing on the multiplayer component of the product, it could easily be argued that the single player campaign noticeably suffered with a confusing, at times laughable plot and a stilted mission structure. Perhaps the developers believe that more casual players don’t care about storyline, or that it’s an issue of consequence to the hardcore player? Ironically, this would appear to be far from the truth, simply going by sales or feedback. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, Mass Effect, Fallout 3, Heavy Rain; these massively popular titles were made so largely because their tales were so engrossingly gripping and enthralling, not to mention well written and performed. In store I’ve even had wet behind the ears players coming up and revealing how much they enjoyed the latter serial killer romp based on how interesting it was to follow.

Tools

Perhaps it’s just that folks don’t have the ability, though? I once spoke to a university lecturer from Southampton Solent Uni who suggested that there is actually a dearth in writers within the industry, and it’s a gap desperately begging to be filled. While obviously efforts like the above certainly prove the point, an equal amount of others haven’t quite got the hang of it yet, for instance - certain titles don’t start well enough, or are messy in the execution. You may ask, ‘who cares?', but at the end of the day stories are far more important then you might think. In the case of the majority of the above titles, would you have played or loved them so much if the story was bad? Would you have gone through Nathan Drake's adventure if it had been God-awful and acted by stiff studio hands? Would you have kept playing through Heavy Rain had you not cared about what happened next? And story doesn’t always have to be thrust down your throat as many suggest. Like those behind the Bioshock series (famed for FPS intros, data logs and more), the best in the medium look for less conventional means to tell a story so that gameplay isn‘t hampered. It’s not all cutscenes, after all. Here, you have the ability to change or alter a story as you go based on your choices, a la Fable 2 or Dragon Age: Origins. Splinter Cell: Conviction employed a hugely interesting method of storytelling via flashbacks and cutscene projections on the wall, while World at War’s intros were an orgy of beautifully edited patterns, photos, films, facts and narration that not only looked damn good but gave you all you needed to know in as concise and consumable fashion as possible. Storytelling that allows the gameplay to get on with what it does best.

A Sum of its Parts

Though some titles are naturally better story-light (such as Crackdown 2), it doesn’t always have to be one or the other either; though you can get great titles like Heavy Rain or Left 4 Dead 2 that skew onto a particular side of the fence, there are plenty like Bioshock, Alan Wake and Batman: Arkham Asylum that mix the two schools perfectly, allowing both the gameplay and script space to flourish. Isn’t a product a sum of it’s parts? If everything is polished then it stands to reason that the game will end up better for it, largely because there’s even more to enjoy, and it’s a noticeably fuller experience. Emotion make the firefights in Halo more epic, and terrifying. The end sequence of Mass Effect 2 was so much more impact because you knew you didn’t just fight for the galaxy, but your own life and that of your team. Even if you’re a sceptic, I’d be willing to bet that a lot of your favourite moments in gaming arrived courtesy of some twist or a sting in the plot. Who would expect the ending of Modern Warfare, or the massive revelation during Bioshock? Did the ending of Red Dead Redemption not give you goosebumps, and enough ammo to use in water-cooler conversations for weeks? When done correctly, story in games can lead to some fabulous moments that will stick in your head for years, heighten your enjoyment of an already great game and throw up an opportunity for some great gameplay mechanics. If you want the best example then look no further than the train-crash of Uncharted 2, or the tight flashbacks that follow. What an opening! Thus it’s a shame when many pay so little respect to storyline, especially when it can make or break a title in such grandiose fashion, and evidently underpins the success or enjoyment of so many. If story can make a title more emotional, epic, memorable or exciting, surely it’s worth more than a simple nod?

Games to Be Looking Forward To

Onward and upward...

With the majority of 2010’s releases all mopped up until September and those ensuing holiday titles shrouded in relative mystery, you’d be forgiven for thinking that the best has already been and gone; thankfully, though, that’s not the case. Here’s what’s on the way and why you should care.

Shooters: Medal Of Honour
Platform: Xbox 360, PS3, PC
Release Date: 15/10/2010

Yes, yes, I know that it’s an unashamed Call of Duty clone right down to the modern-day setting and the multiplayer features, but wait just a minute; have you seen the trailers, footage and previews concerning EA’s biggest and best recently? The single player, for example (something that was sadly undernourished in the largely online-focused Modern Warfare 2) looks to be one of the most gripping, varied, thrilling and down to earth experiences we’ll have played through for quite some time, seemingly only matched by the likes of the upcoming Killzone 3. With even a separate team working hard on the multiplayer component of the title (Dice of Battlefield fame have unsurprisingly taken the reigns), it’s clear that the crew behind this latest Medal of Honour are taking the effort to unsettle COD incredibly seriously.

Action/Adventures: Lego Harry Potter: Years 1-4
Platform: Xbox 360, PS3, Wii, DS, PSP, PC
Release Date: 25/06/2010

Despite frequent and thoroughly unfair criticism from the hardcore market against what is apparently a mere ‘kid’s game’, the Lego series has proven to be both brilliantly fun and genuinely amusing again and again with a refreshing tongue-in-cheek sense of humour and a superb bout of co-op gameplay for all ages. If you haven’t tried one out yet, then why not give the latest - and reportedly best - a spin? Not only is the world of the boy wizard perfectly ripe for some great gameplay tricks and shenanigans (you’re a magician with a magic wand, potions and a broomstick, remember?), but the story and characters are simply perfect victims for Lego’s wicked and whimsical sense of humour.

RPGs: Fable 3
Platform: Xbox 360/PC
Release Date: Winter 2010

Looking set to fix a lot of the problems that arose with Fable 2 (namely a completely naff co-op system and a somewhat lacking combat sim), this is definitely the RPG to watch out for this year. Why? Well, take a kingdom of your own to rule or abuse and dungeons aplenty to explore, a good and evil system to exploit that changes your appearance and the very landscape around you depending on your actions, a brilliant new roster of great voice talent, in-depth online features and a relatively light-hearted, fairy-tale plot that focuses more on humour and having a good time then the other myriad and faceless fantasy adventures we’re used to and you potentially have one of Lionhead’s best (and certainly most ambitious) titles to date.

Sports: Kinect (formerly Project Natal)
Platform: Xbox 360
Release Date: Autumn/Winter 2010

Ok, ok, so I’ll admit it - this is a bit of a cop out. While I’m well aware that Kinect is actually a piece of hardware rather than a more traditional ‘game’, however, the very nature of the technology on show (including full and impressive 3D motion-sensing) means that we should expect some very interesting - not to mention interactive - sports titles on our Xbox 360s by New Year, completely changing the way we game for a long time to come.

Platformers: Super Mario Galaxy 2
Platform: Wii
Release Date: 11/06/2010

The last Super Mario Galaxy had more charm to it’s name than a whole boat of family-friendly Christmas movies, a wonderfully enchanting graphical style and a huge range of levels, tasks, powers and phenomenal platforming to boast of, but edition two still looks set to raise the bar yet again to new and ever-more giddying heights; promising a slightly harder and lengthier experience than the 2007 BAFTA-winning original, there are oodles more abilities and items on show this time around (giving our hapless plumber the ability to take to the clouds, through entire planets and more), a return for fan-favourite Yoshi as a mount - promising to shake up gameplay significantly with many tricksy dino-related challenges - even more imaginative trials and bucket-loads of jaw-droopingly pretty environments to get very, very excited about. It would be one with a real heart of stone to refuse this joyously carefree adventure from everyone’s favourite mascot.

Racers: Gran Turismo 5
Platform: PS3
Released Date: Winter 2010

Well, that’s if it ever reaches stores, anyway; perfectionists right until the end, the team behind the Gran Turismo series can boast a pedigree, attention to detail and level of quality that few other studios can even dream of ever touching upon. Changing the face of console racing every time they make a belated arrive, the name and history of this series is enough reason to be excited - incredibly excited - about their newest baby that will hopefully be falling into our high streets just in time for the a truly merry 25th of December.

Horrors: Dead Space 2
Platforms: Xbox 360, PS3, PC
Release Date: 2011

The original Dead Space shocked everyone to the core with a hugely original take on the horror genre that gave ‘tension’ a new face, and although they say that lightning will only very rarely strike twice, this sequel honestly looks set to repeat the first's success. With deadly new enemies, fantastic additions to the weapon roster, better physics and novel takedowns (blow out the windows of your deeply alarming and lonesome space-station playground to utilise your deadliest tool - the vacuum itself) this creepy title looks to be a real winner, especially when it can show off a masterfully terrifying atmosphere for good measure and enemies who literally won't stop coming until you're dead or they're a fine paste.

Strategies: Ruse
Platforms: Xbox 360, PS3, PC
Release Date: 17/09/2010

As the name would suggest this RTS is all about the art of bluff, be it concerning traps, camouflage or wicked outmanoeuvres with which to dazzle and defeat your foe. Offering huge battle-maps claiming a ridiculous depth and multiple levels to fight upon (will you command your soldiers on the field or should you dictate to your forces on a national level?), suitably deep multiplayer modes and numerous factions to use, this looks to be an interesting strategy title that attempts something a bit different and - more importantly - hasn't been dumbed down for an apparently ‘stupid’ console audience.

The Wild Card: Naughty Bear
Platforms: Xbox 360, PS3
Release Date: 25/06/2010

I'm still distinctly unsure about this one; although it looks to be utterly hilarious and brilliantly ridiculous fun on the one hand, I'm not sure how long it would stay so on the other. Would this juicy, gorgeous concept (a disgruntled teddy bear going on a rampage in toy town - genius!) just become boring after a while? I'm not sure. Regardless, it looks to have a fantastically mean sense of humour, gameplay reminiscent of GTA (with the ‘Fuzz’ and army coming after you if you're too naughty), original, beautiful levels and A.I that forms factions and groups to work against you in any case, so could be worth a look whatever the result. Hopefully we’ll be able to put this mystery to bed very soon.

Review: 'Alan Wake'

Are you afraid of the dark? No? Well, you should be…

Released on - Xbox 360

Alright, I’ll be honest - Alan Wake doesn’t exactly get off to the best of starts. With somewhat dodgy visuals, awful lip-syncing and a truly dire script, the opening half-an-hour of this horror story is utterly petrifying for all the wrong reasons; fortunately enough, though - as is the case with most typical chillers - things aren’t quite as they would first appear on the surface. Indeed, delve a little deeper into Alan’s gloomy quest against the paranormal and then you’ll find a true stunner lying in wait at the end of a long, exciting and dark road.

This is largely thanks to an utterly skilful, moody and brilliantly wrought atmosphere that positively seeps into every possible moment of the title, chilling and stirring the blood all at the same time as you make your way through a wonderfully gripping adventure; with beautifully rendered fog, light and shadow twisting and plunging across an eerily real and tangible forest floor, unknown assailants repeatedly and unexpectedly melting out from the darkness to assail you in the most nightmarish fashion and a phenomenally morose soundtrack setting the hairs at the back of your neck on quivering end, it’s unquestionably good fun that will keep you hooked to your seat until the very close of the game.

To make things even better, however, there’s also some great twitch combat on offer throughout the entire game relying not only on a quick trigger finger and solid reflexes but a brilliantly novel idea of ‘burning the darkness’ away from your foes with a flashlight or torch before you can get at and dispatch them, too; cutting straight to the chase this means that you can’t hopelessly run and gun your way to safety and button-mashing success, roughly boiling down to a more tactical (and immensely tense) experience than you might expect at first glance. Because you’ll be so frequently outnumbered and outgunned as well (and because you’ll have to scramble to change or recharge your torch’s limited battery power after almost every use with hot, hairy foes breathing down your neck with axes and scythes at the ready), your heart will be definitely racing with nerves completely stretched to the limit before the credits roll. This is especially true when surrounded on all sides by the deadly (and unbelievably quick) ‘Taken’ - your average grunt - enchanted beasts, a possessed environment or the Taken’s token big brother, usually wielding the customary axe or chainsaw and wishing for nothing less than to stamp your face into a finite paste.

The locations you’ll frequently find yourself trapped within are great, too; with such a palpable, detailed and highly evocative feel about them, it’s even easy to forget that these levels are almost strictly and unfalteringly linear. They are - more often than not, anyway - genuinely chilling to boot, with the likes of dank caves and abandoned warehouses practically vomiting malice and pitch-black shadow at you, adding the icing to an already sweet cake.

This is partially aided by the ‘manuscript’ pages that the player is led to collect throughout the entire adventure, for while these certainly help to flesh out the mythology of Alan’s world and to fill in any blanks where appropriate, their main purpose is to predict your immediate future (and quite possible doom) and give you an idea of what’s coming to get your blood pumping nice and early. As you can imagine this can be incredibly unsettling at the best of times, and is managed so well that you’ll be hanging on tenterhooks for most of the title fearing what may - or may not - be just around the next corner.

Nevertheless, the best part of this solid title is undoubtedly hidden within the great storyline; in a nutshell, Alan’s wife goes missing without trace while on vacation and Wake begins to question his sanity as the world - and the very darkness - seem to rise up against him. It’s really very gripping and page-turning stuff, even if it is completely, ludicrously and ridiculously goofy; with some great characters, a dazzling concept, a script that only gets better with time and an episodic format that almost borders on the inspired (even starting with a, “previously on Alan Wake” moment), this is easily the biggest selling point of a great game that is well worth a look if you’re stuck for something to play this month.

The Bottom Line

If you want a decent, enjoyable and immersive title to fill up your evenings, a story to completely lose yourself in or a break from the run-and-gunning of current online shooters then you could do a lot worse than Alan Wake; with a great (if silly) plot, fantastic action, an enviably spellbinding atmosphere and a forgettable number of niggling issues here and there, this game goes quite some way into living up to the hype that has surrounded it ever since it’s announcement some five years ago. While it may never hit the highs we were promised, it certainly comes damn close.

Rating: 78%
(Good)

Weekly Thought: Putting Your Foot Down

Genius. Sheer genius.

The glittering sun beat down upon the clear, frothing waves as they lapped about your beautifully ramshackle, rustic boat, and the periwinkle clouds hovered lazily around the peak of a mighty, craggy mountain just in sight on the horizon; the gulls, the surf, the sails, the swift and handsome sunrise… they could all have been pulled directly from the most gorgeous watercolour painting. So started another day in The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, and in the opinion of many, it was sheer gaming bliss.

Unfortunately, not everyone agreed; fans of the series called it ‘too childish’, which - when concerning the Legend games - is a bit like complaining about Mario being ‘too fat’ or, ‘too Italian’. Simply because of the look of it, they completely ignored everything that was great and good about this title, and this is not an isolated story.
Why are fan-boys such miserable, oppressive and Nazi-like gits and so apposed to change?

Luckily, Nintendo seemed to be asking the same question when crafting their next Zelda instalment (Skyward Sword), and have resolutely stuck with the toon look despite fans wishes for a grittier title after Twilight Princess a number of years ago; I’m glad to see they’re not caving in to demand, and are doing what they think is best. Good on you, Nintendo.

Podcast: Word From the Front E3 2010

Motion Controls - the End of Gaming as We Know?

(And is that a good thing?)

With the release of the Playstation Move and Project Natal just over the ever-more imminent horizon, many gamers are beginning to act as if their consoles have recently developed a highly fatal and resistantly virulent strain of cancer. Is this recent and inescapable motion-fad going to deal the predicted and heavy blow to hardcore gaming, though? Well, if you were to take a look at Nintendo - currently drowning beneath the weight of it’s own shovel-ware - then you would be excused for thinking so. But hold on: as always, there’s another, more rational side to this argument if you’re willing to look below the miserable, pessimistic surface. Here are three reasons to remain bright and cheery this holiday season when the much-touted add-ons hit the Xbox 360 and PS3 come Christmas time.

1: Firstly, let’s take a look at what’s coming up on both platforms; believe it or not, but if you break through the cringingly false Colgate grins of strained, cheesy advertisement to glance at the upcoming release schedule then you’ll find a huge range of titles that are much, much more than the ‘casual’ fodder we’ve been led to expect up until this point. So far I can count a new Socom title for Move, LittleBig Planet interactivity as well, a nifty little game called Motion Fighter on the Playstation, confirmed Fable 3 compatibility for Natal (not to mention the hugely intelligent and fascinating Tamagotchi-style Milo and Kate project headed by Lionhead), Killzone 3 possibilities, rumours of a motion-sensing Joyride (the Xbox 360’s take on Mario Kart) and a huge selection of positively impressive third party developers cracking on with some very big projects of their own behind the scenes, too. Bethesda, Rare, Activision, Lucasarts - they’re all here, and if their impressive pedigree is anything to go by then it’s perfectly reasonable for you to get excited about the treats they may soon be throwing our way. Naturally there are going to be some duds here and there - Move Sports or a Natal 'fitness' rip-off, no doubt - but they certainly won’t be alone in the battle for your hard-earned cash. Conveniently, this brings me rather neatly onto my next point.

2: Next, let’s remember audiences: everyone knows about the Wii’s stunted, barren and limping hardcore/online library, right? Bearing this in mind, you could bet your bottom dollar that neither Microsoft nor Sony will want to miss out on such a blatant opportunity to plug a potentially profitable gap in the market. After all, isn’t the whole point of this exercise (and therein the appeal, no less) to mix the phenomenally social - and accessibly blasé - nature of Nintendo’s little white box with an undeniably great hardcore line up, serious and dependable internet play and a succulent layer of glorious HD? It’s also fairly safe to assume that both the Xbox and Playstation brands would be highly unwilling to loosen their chokeholds on (or to, indeed, alienate) the markets that respectively earn them millions, so don’t worry about a death of the more ‘traditional’ and orthodox titles either (look at the upcoming Gears of War 3, Infamous 2 and Halo Reach if you want any proof).

3: Finally, just think about it; with technology like full-facial, gesture and voice recognition, three-dimensional tracking, highly intelligent programming that can follow individual finger movements and ‘feature extraction’ of 20 joints per player, it’s fairly clear that we’re moving fast toward a dazzling future where creative, design and directive possibilities are becoming nigh-on endless. With this sort of technology in the hands of the industry’s best and brightest, doesn’t the mind boggle to imagine the sort of games that we can expect to enjoy over the coming years? If opening the doors to Natal and Move will lead to better, bigger and more impressive titles where the shackles are unlocked and the walls are truly being blown open to give gaming some much needed breathing space, surely it’s worth it? Yes, you’d be perfectly right to say that this is almost definitely the end of gaming as we know it, but does it mark the start of something better? Almost certainly.

Review: 'Splinter Cell: Conviction'

Dust off those night-vision goggles; it’s time to play in the dark…

Released On: Xbox 360

When you are faced with crafting the next instalment of a much-loved and positively venerable franchise for an increasingly impatient and fickle audience, how do you go about keeping things fresh? Well, after many years of hard graft and effort Ubisoft have decided to solve this dilemma by bringing things back to the drawing board for the most refined and colourful instalment in this illustrious series yet. Boiling the series back to it’s roots (defined by the three holy tenants of light and shadow, white-knuckle stealth not to mention deadly action) and rebuilding the whole lot from the ground up in an impressive attempt to re-energise the franchise for a new age, this latest effort re-defines exactly what a covert shooter could - and should - be. The end result is a most definitely sharper, more cultured and classy experience than ever before, and there is absolutely no doubt that the new Splinter Cell would give Casino Royale’s Bond a pretty good run for his money.

To be fair, you could be forgiven if you actually mistook this for a Bourne or 007 adaptation at first glance, for the whole system has been altered significantly since we were here last; abandoning heart-pounding finesse and creeping, gritty tension, we’re now subject to lightning fast action and bombast instead. Believe me, it’s worth a look; not only are the fist-fights quick, furious and grippingly satisfying, the gun play is also as brilliantly slick and brutal as you could ask for with a great selection of weapons, upgrades and kits to unlock and upgrade as you go. All the usual suspects are here - flash bang grenades, EMP charges, remote mines, sticky cameras and the like - but the new ‘sonar goggles’ (giving you a clear view through walls and other objects in your immediate vicinity and allowing you to plan strategies on the fly as you fight for an upper hand against hordes and hordes of well-armed foes) are by far and away the best of the lot.

Sam now has an all new ‘execution’ system at his disposal too, allowing you to mark up and then take down a number of foes with a simple click of the button as soon as you’ve racked up enough ‘points’ with secretive hand-to-hand takedowns; while this vital for clearing a path through heavily populated areas, keeping your presence undetected when keeping mum is the word and pre-planning your assaults, it can also save your neck in the midst of an otherwise impossible battle where the chips are thoroughly stacked against you. In Ubisoft’s own words, it “evens the odds”, and proves to be a fantastic addition to the formula. So much so that you’ll come to wonder how you ever coped without it.

However (as admirable and exciting as it happens to be), this new approach is, in fact, a bit of a double-edged sword in disguise; despite the fact that it has transformed the game into a superb and respectable action title while we’ve been gone, it has also sacrificed a lot that made the series so special in the first place to do so (including many of the stealthier elements of the title, such as the ability to cover your tracks and hide the bodies of those you have disposed of, among others). To pour salt onto this stinging, painful wound, it’ll soon become all too clear that Conviction has been dumbed down for a somewhat more casual audience in the interim as well; the increased focus on action, decreased covert aspects, a shorter campaign… hell, there’s even a modern-warfare style level set within the Middle-East that not only strips you of your major capabilities and tech so you have no choice but to go in guns blazing, but practically screams out “Call of Duty” as it does so, an obvious and barely veiled hook to a more casual Modern Warfare 2 player who may be getting bored of the soft-core cloak and dagger stuff by this stage.

To put it another way, Sam Fisher - our eponymous Splinter Cell - is undoubtedly playing for a different crowd this time around, and I’m not entirely sure I’m buying it.

This isn’t exactly helped by a hugely fiddly control system and an at-times irritating slew of context sensitive actions to boot; indeed, despite being aggravated enough due to an almost unexplainably overcomplicated button layout, your temper will be pushed to a very real breaking point if you want to climb/crawl/other out of danger but repeatedly find that you fail spectacularly because you had to hit the exact and anally correct ‘sweet spot’ to succeed (especially when you’re in an uncomfortable situation with a rather unwelcome guest and his equally unwelcome pump action shotgun staring right up your trumpet). Moreover, the cover system can be little better when things start to get busy; with our hero attaching to the wrong pieces of cover like some drunken lout in the middle of a firefight, patience will be frayed and tested to the limits during Conviction’s hairier moments, and - to be honest - simply hammers home the fact that some much needed polish and tweaking would have been wildly welcome in Sam’s latest adventure.

Fortunately, the odds are still distinctly in your favour due to some hideously stupid A.I, though; I’ve frequently been able to down foes right under their friend’s noses without their awareness, and they repeatedly fail to keep up with the blistering pace of events. Even when setting up patrols to hunt you down, they’re still of very little threat as they’re so easy to evade. Some of the ideas on display here are great, yes - intelligently using flashlights to break your thick cover of darkness and trying to outflank and outmanoeuvre you during a firefight (if they do catch you, you’re finished) - but it couldn’t be clearer that the tech just isn’t behind them. In essence, they’re mere cattle to fill with lead at your leisure, and this takes a lot from the fun that is to be had from the entire piece.

Nonetheless, other in-game elements such as stealth - well, whatever’s left of it, anyway - are good and solid additions that go some way into saving the day, and while proceedings never quite reach the much vaunted highs of previous Splinter Cell titles they’ll still manage to push most of the right buttons for fans and newcomers alike; the light and shadow system on display here, for instance, is superb. Say goodbye to the days of impossibly dark, shadowy levels with an awkward detection system: welcome in a nice and flash monochrome finish that covers the screen when you’re in the shadows and out of sight, with the screen resuming it’s usually pigment and colour if someone spots you or you move into the light.

This is brilliant for many reasons; while admirably comprehensive, elegant and wonderfully simple, it also means that your eyes are kept resolutely on the action instead of on a small HUD meter in one or more corners of the screen, allowing you to concentrate on what really matters while you play. To tell the truth, the only real problem I had with this whole malarkey is that you’ll spend the majority of your time in sepia mode rather than enjoying the largely pretty environs and characters parading around you.

Nevertheless, by far-and-away the best part about Conviction is the fabulous co-op mode. A great selection of varied levels, missions and objectives give team-work and tactics an opportunity to truly shine, and with all the best portions from the single player (including upgrades for your weapons and tech) being served up to you on a silver platter of fun, you’ll get more than your money’s worth if you want to play with a friend; there’s so much to do, and it’s a lot of fun doing it. With the bog-standard co-op story, Hunter mode (a fairly traditional elimination simulator), Last Stand (waves of enemies try to destroy your objective and you must protect it), Face Off (player-on-player action with added henchman to get in the way) and Infiltration (eliminate all enemies without being detected), events are - all in all - nicely balanced and pleasantly engaging. Yep, I’ll admit that the issues from the single player are also present here too (boo), but the positives of this portion largely outweigh the minus’. If you’re looking for a decent co-op or split screen title and you’ve exhausted the likes of Left 4 Dead or Gears of War, then have no doubt that this is the game to go for this summer.

Still, there’s one thing about Conviction that convinced me more than anything else, co-op, bravado and all, and that was Ubisoft’s mightily impressive presentation bursting the seams and giving the game as slick, cultured and exciting a feel as a true blockbuster deserves. My favourite aspect would have to be the uncluttered, largely HUD-less screen where objectives and certain in-game cutscenes (detailing important events while you’re on the move) are projected onto a nearby building or object for ease of access and uninterrupted gameplay; not only is this both smooth and largely unique, it’s really very visually impressive with the gritty exhibition helping to draw you into the dark atmosphere and mythos the title as a whole, entrenching your attentions upon Sam’s adventures as long as they play.
Much like Conviction itself, it can be a tad hit or miss here and there but on the whole is very much a striking beast for all the right reasons.

The Bottom Line

If you’re a long-time fan of Splinter Cell then Conviction may come as a real shock to the system, but stick at it; there’s plenty enough here to get excited about despite the myriad alterations, and while the tech and A.I could do with a good and old fashioned kick up the arse, it is - by and large - a decent and enjoyable experience that deserves a look in at the very least. The action is great, the pacing is brilliant and the combat is fabulous, and even if stealth takes a somewhat subdued back-seat there’s still enough on offer to give a huge depth and pleasure to the game; just bear in mind that this is now an action title rather than one of an undeniable stealth pedigree.

Rating: 76%
(Good)

Weekly Thought: An Obsessive Society

When thoughtfulness goes too far.

“I worry that we are approaching a time when that which is shocking is squeezed out by the Stalinism of political correctness.”
Joe Eszterhas

In today’s society it would appear that we are being positively strangled by what we shouldn’t - and can’t - say or do; stifling health and safety rules take prominence over common sense and political correctness would appear to have such a firm stranglehold over the country that nobody wants to put a single toe out of line in case they tread on someone else’s toes. Now, I’m by no means advocating the disgusting strains of racism, sexism or xenophobia that our country has fought so hard to stamp out over the past century or suggesting that we should let our children play with fire, but wouldn’t it be nice if we loosened up a bit? Many complain, for instance, that the police don’t get enough done on the beat or that our school standards are slipping, but the simple the truth of the matter is that they’re probably buried under mounds of paper-work instead, filling out reams of safety regulation every time they tackle a new case or want their children to do anything other than sit down and write; in short, they’re being strangled by the red tape from our new welfare state.

They’ll all babble on about ‘covering themselves’ when questioned of course and I’m positively sure that insurance and liability will have a rather big and important something to do with it as well, but in a world where suing comes before rationality don’t you think that we have bigger things to be worrying about?

Less is More

Or, ‘knowing when to stop’.

Developers like a good sequel; it's usually seen as a safe return and is quite understandably less risky than putting your neck out and on the line with an unknown quantity. Gamers love them, too; after all, there's nothing that makes our day more than glimpsing news of a glammed up follow-on to our favourite title.
However, sometimes it's better to keep things short and sweet.

Just ask the producers of the Tony Hawk series, Perfect Dark, or the Prince of Persia I.P if you want proof; these ailing franchises admirably show that sometimes, less really is more. Why did they fall flat? Because - to be blunt - they were thoroughly ridden into the ground (hook, line and sinker), only wrung completely dry at the end of it.

Annoyingly this seems only too common these days, even outside of the gaming world; and with the powers that be largely unwilling to listen to - or completely oblivious of - the risks of overdoing it, I fear that only more will be added to the above list before the year is out. The Call of Duty franchise, for instance, is being utterly raped to within an inch of its’ life, milked for all it's worth because of it’s immense popularity; I dread to think how long it will last under such strain, as there's only so much the public can take and - realistically - there's only so far a single team can run with an idea. “Too many sequels diminish the original,” Dean Koontz - an American author - once said, and he is quite right.

As a result, it's hardly surprising that many franchises seem to be losing steam after a few years under the heavy spotlight; soon, they become all too familiar and repetitive beneath that heady glare. If titles are wheeled out only to cash in on a previous instalment’s success then this frequently diminishes general creative input and artistic licence from the team behind them, and can often suck the heart and soul out of a project as a result; the series that work usually do so because they refuse to rest on any laurels they may have earned in the past, and remain determined to push the boundaries when and where they can. The team behind LittleBig Planet are the perfect role-models, for they refused to make a sequel until they were happy that they could top the first and bring something drastically new to the table.

There's a lot developers could learn from this, and I really hope that they listen up; otherwise, they run the risk of destroying our favourite franchises for just a few extra bucks. Why can’t they see a game for what it is and not a nice, new and crisp dollar bill? It shouldn't be about making a profit, but about making a damn good title first and foremost.

Naturally, all game image rights go to their respective owners.