Title Fight appears to be Sony’s answer to the cross franchise fighter, pitting all your favourite Sony characters against each other in epic battles. As this is only a rumour not much is known about the game, however  there has  been one single screen shot leaked.  This screen shot shows what could be Title Fight’s first confirmed character, Sweet Tooth from the Twisted Metal franchise. Looking at the leaked image my initial thought is that this game may have quite a gritty atmosphere whilst supporting some shiny graphics to boot.

Though Sweet Tooth is seems to be the only confirmed character at the moment, there has been a string rumours that suggest another six characters are could soon be confirmed. These include Kratos from God of War, Parappa the Rapper from the game with the same name, Nathan Drake protagonist of the Uncharted franchise, Sly Cooper  from Sly Cooper, The Fat Princess from Fat Princess and Colonel Mael Radec of Killzone fame. The line up is not looking bad so far, but I would love to fan favourites such as Crash Bandicoot, Lara Croft or even Snake from Metal Gear Solid added to the roster. Sony also have the opportunity here to revive old retro characters like Croc from Croc: Legend of the Gobbos.

If I were to give this title a release date I would predict we will probably see it hit shelves sometime late this year or early next year. Hopefully an official announcement will be appearing around E3 time.

-Garv

Rumours hit the internet todaythat at E3 this year not one but two new consoles are going to be announced. After a painfully long wait it finally looks as though both Microsoft and Sony will be announcing the next generations of the XBox and PlayStation family. The first site to make this announcement was mvcuk.com. They stated that  ”MCV’s third-party publishing sources claim the firm had signalled to partners this will happen.” Ben Parfitt MVC’s online editor also tweeted about the news saying “Obviously we can’t reveal our sources. But you have my personal word on this – the source is exemplary, 100% concrete, ultra high level.”

This is pretty huge news, but as it is only an announcement we probably won’t see any solid release dates until a year or so down the line. Personally I expect that at this years E3 the most we will see is  maybe some concepts and if we are lucky a screen shot or two. Interestingly, if they go ahead these announcements will coincide with Nintendo’s announcement of the official release date and price of the Wii U.

E3 sounds like it is shaping up to be quite a show this year. We will be keeping a lookout for more official information about the 360 and the PS3′s successors, so stay tuned to PlusXP for more updates soon.

Though as yet information about the next generation of consoles is limited, personally I am hoping that a whole load of new IP’s will come out of the next console generation. It would be great if the successors to the 360 and PS3 bring a whole load of new features and content instead of being just a basic continuation from their predecessors. I also hope that the new Microsoft console will have an integrated blu-ray player.

While we wait for more information to surface what do you guys think and what are your predictions for the next generation of video games consoles.

Garv

As well as the usual gifts of jazzy ties, plentiful piles of socks and sugary treats, this Christmas I got a copy of Mario Kart 7. Being a casual Mario Kart fan since Super Mario Kart on the SNES, I was pleased I could finally get some extended hands on time with the new game.  I have always preferred the arcade style of racing games over the more realistic car simulators, for example I never got on with the likes for Forza Motor sport or Gran Terismo as they seem to realistic for me. I have always favoured the ‘Race to the finish line using any means necessary,’ approach to racing games and Mario Kart 7 fits nicely into this genre.

Mario Kart 7 has a good selection of single player modes to choose from.  Classic Grand Prix mode pits you against several AI Karts in a four race ‘no holds barred’ battle to become King or Queen of the road. In Time Trial mode you have to beat a course of your choice in the fastest time possible. There is also Balloon Battle, where you are thrown into an arena littered with weapons to pop you opponents balloons before they pop yours. Finally there is Coin Battle where you have to pick up as many coins as possible in the allotted time. All of these modes are fun to play in both single player and in multiplayer, however for me Grand Prix and Time Trial mode have always outshone the rest.

The racing mechanics of Mario Kart 7 are what fans have come to expect. This game is fast and really easy to pick up, making it a great game for new comers as well as experienced pro’s. It also fits in well with the portable gaming style of the 3DS. The power sliding technique is back, however this time round they have made it a little easier. Taking a page from Mario Kart Wii, Mario Kart 7 doesn’t require you to wiggle the circle pad from side to side while power sliding to gain a mini turbo boost. While this is a good idea to stop people from snaking (Constantly power sliding to get a turbo boost) in my opinion it has toned down the skill of the game slightly.

This is the first Mario Kart game to come out for the Nintendo 3DS system and I must say graphically the game looks really good both in 2D and 3D modes. Just by looking at it you can tell that Nintendo have really invested a decent amount of time into making the game look good on the 3D hand held device.  The sounds that have become synonymous with Mario Kart and indeed the Mario Franchise make a welcome return to Mario Kart 7, making Nintendo fans such as myself  feel at home when playing this game.

There are thirty two tracks to choose from including sixteen brand new tracks and sixteen tracks from previous Mario Kart titles. In my opinion there is a great selection of classic tracks such as Mario Circuit 2 from the original Super Mario Kart on the SNES, Kooper Beach from the N64 and Waluigi Pinball from Mario Kart DS. All of the tracks have been slightly re-imagined for Mario Kart 7 to make them fit in perfectly with the newer elements of the game. Don’t forget about the new tracks though, as they are also brilliantly made and worth a race too. Most tracks have elements that are new to the Mario Kart Franchise.  These elements include underwater sections where a propeller sticks out the back of your kart as you motor under the water and massive ramps which turn you kart into a mini glider. Personally I feel the underwater sections aren’t that great as they slow your kart down a little too much, but the glider sections do add a great skill element as you try and balance height with speed to gain a lead on your adversaries.

Much like previous titles in the series, Mario Kart 7 brings a fantastic arsenal of weapons and power ups to aid you in your battle to the finish line. Fan favourites such as the heat seeking red shell, the speed boosting mushroom and the slippery banana make a welcome return. There have also been new additions that in my opinion add more skill to the game. The Tanooki tail can smack opponents off of the track as well as flick bananas and mushrooms away. The fire flower has also been added so that you can throw fireballs at anyone who tries to get in your way. There is also the lucky 7 which gives you the a collection of weapons and power-ups to use including a Banana, a Green Shell, a Red Shell, a Bob-omb, a Super Star, a Mushroom and a Blooper. Be careful though, as with the Lucky 7 opponents can steal power-ups from you and if you are hit by a passing Bob-omb  you can lose your entire Lucky 7 arsenal. Game balancing power-ups  such as the Spiny Blue Shell and Bullet Bill also make a comeback, but I feel these are a bit overpowered this time round. There have been countless times when I have been in first place and have been Blue Shelled just before the finish line, which then lands me finishing the race in 5^th. I also find that Bullet Bill pretty much always puts the player into first place which it never seemed to do in Mario Kart DS.

Coins also make a welcome return to the Mario Kart franchise increasing your top speed as soon as you have collected ten. They also go towards unlocking new elements to the game such as new parts to customize your Kart. This brings a great sub-objective to the game which some of the later titles were unfortunately  lacking.

Mario kart 7 brings a great collection of characters for players to choose from. You have Nintendo fan favourites such as Yoshi, Toad, Koopa Troopa and Princess Peach, but you also have some great new additions such as Rosalina from Mario Galaxy and Latiku the cloud surfing Mario Kart race officiator. In true Mario Kart fashion all these characters have their own stats and attributes which effect how you race. There is a total of eight characters to unlock in Grand Prix mode and you also have the opportunity to unlock you Mii as a driver.

Mario Kart 7 also brings vehicle customisation to the table. Here you can mix and match wheels, Kart bodies and gliders to make your perfect Kart. For me this is a great element to add to the Mario Kart franchise, but I feel it could have been taken a step further maybe with colour customisation and fine tuning you kart. Hopefully we will see more Kart customisation in future Mario Kart games.

The thing in Mario Kart 7 that has impressed me the most is the multiplayer. Mario Kart games have been infamous for their local multiplayer however Mario Kart 7 takes multiplayer to the next level with its online multiplayer option. You can now create communities online for you and your friends to join in and race. Not only that but you can also set community preferences such as what weapons will feature in your races. The multiplayer fun doesn’t stop there as you also have some great features over street and spot pass where you are able to race against your friends’ ghosts on their favourite track. The 3DS can also take the ghost data and convert it into an AI which features in your single player grand prix races. This is a huge step up for Nintendo and online multiplayer and I hope to see much more of the same kind of thing in the future.

Pros:

+ Great Visuals
+ Gliding Mechanics that bring a good element of skill to the game
+ Great Re-envisioned tracks which complement the new game play elements
+ Well thought out online multiplayer
+ Kart Customisation

Cons:

- Some power-ups and weapons seem overpowered
– Underwater elements slow down the races too much
– Revised Power sliding makes the game easier.

8/10 – Mario Kart 7 is a great new addition to the franchise and to the 3DS. The new game play elements such as gliding are welcome but it is a shame that some of the power-ups and weapons feel a bit too overpowered. With brilliantly thought out multiplayer options this is a must have title for any 3DS owner.

- Garv

The past year in gaming has been pretty huge, We have had some fantastic titles come out. Such as Portal 2, The Elderscrolls V: Skyrim, Batman: Arkham City. This list goes on.

Now the new year has finally kicked in we are excited. There are going to be some fantastic titles in 2012, and to celebrate we have a fantastic competition.

Last year we hit the Eurogamer Expo, where OnLive was officially launched in the UK and we managed to pick up an OnLive video games console complete with controller which will go to one lucky Plus XP reader.

Yes, before you ask all the cables do come with it as well so you can hook it up to your TV.

In order to get your hands on this fantastic prize all you need to do is answer this simple question.

When was OnLive officially released in the UK last year?

A) 3rd Of October

B) 22nd Of September

C) 17th Of November

Email your answers to competitions@plusxp.com with ‘Cloud Gaming For The Win!’ as the subject line. Get your answer along with your name and e-mail address in by Friday the 20th of January 2012 to be entered into the draw.

The winner will be picked at random from all correct answers. Only one entry per reader. The winner will be announced on Monday the 23rd of January on PlusXP.com. The winner will also be contacted by e-mail. The winner will then need to reply to the email with their postal address so we can ship the console to them.

Postage of the prize will be within the UK only.

Good luck!

Garv

You Must Reboot The System!

This past year there have been an absolute load of announcements for games coming out in 2012 and beyond. There were also some good game releases last year as well. But there has been something that has been niggling me about some of the latest announcements which make me think that game developers are fixing things before they are broken. I.E. Rebooting game franchises. In some respects some games need in but most of the time games don’t need a reboot. It’s like turning Mr Muscle in the Mr Muscle cleaner ads from a scrawny geek to a CGI Super hero. It’s not necessary and it’s not cool.

So far only two games that are coming out in 2011 that have been rebooted for no reason. These two games franchises I really have a lot of love for these two games, I grew up with them and they have made some fantastic game play. So I present to you the two games in 2011 that shouldn’t be Rebooted.

Devil May Cry

I know I have complained about this before, but for this post I am going to complain again. Why oh why would you want to take an awesome character like Dante and totally change him?! What I loved about Dante was the fact that he was a kick arse half demon with a bad ass attitude. He loved the fact that he was a demon hunter, and a highly skilled one at that. He also didn’t really give a crap what people though of him and wasn’t afraid to speak his mind. He also had a cool hair style and an awesome dress sence (even though he only had a long red coat on In Devil May Cry 3 but it was an awesome long red coat)

Last year, we saw the trailer of the next Devil May Cry game. I was personally excited about this announcement and couldn’t wait to see what Dante was going to do next. Well, I was stupidly excited untill I saw the teaser trailer for the game. Apon watching this trailer I simple was left staring at the screen for a good five minutes. To Quote Wayne’s World here; “You know that scene in scanners where the guys head is just about to explode?” That was the look of fear I had across my face. What the hell did they do to Dante?!

This picture had me laughing for ages

You know how much I said he was cool and bad arse? Yeah they have scrapped that and have pretty much turned him into the lead singer of My Chemical Romance! He is now an Emo kid, a teenage with obvious prepubescent problems who isn’t cool at all. You can imagine this rebooted Dante telling his mum to stuff it because he doesn’;t want to come home when tea is ready. Sure ok he looks like he is kicking some demon butt, but having him strapped up in what looks like an insane asylum? That doesn’t bode well for his image either.

Basically why did they have to change Dante? Ninja Theory, they guys behind this bold move said that the old school Dante wasn’t cool anymore and people were getting board of him. Of course, that makes sence, I mean look at Marvel Vs Capcom 3! Capcom put the Devil May Cry 3 version of Dante into the roster for exactly those reasons. Well spotted there Ninja Theory, well done.

Tomb Raider

Ok before I start this one off I can tell you know that I am not going to go on as much of  rant as I did with Devil May Cry back there. But again with the new Tomb Raider it seems like they have gone backward with the main protagonists age. No before you ask I am not going to give you a whole paragraph about how her boobs have shrunk, I am not like that. It’s more due to the fact that again Lara Croft was pretty kick ass when it came to scaling terrain and getting to unreachable places. Turns out this is going to be a younger and inexperienced Lara. Does this mean that we are going to get a limited when it comes to scaling walls etc? Are we going to get next to no weapons? What does this mean?

Also it would appear that this game is going to be a hell of a lot darker, which is again not what Lara Croft is about. I alway saw Tomb Raider as a franchise much like Indiana jones, something fun for all the family that could have dark undertones if needed. Not a dark and quite horrific game which may get an 18 rating. According to game informer, a couple of examples of ways Lara can die on the island she has been stranded on are being stabbed in the chest by a “deranged” knife-wielding man, and another is having a boulder land on Lara’s leg to trap her, followed by another boulder landing on and crushing her head. I mean what the hell? I know her quest were dangerous but the beauty of Tomb Raider is that you don’t have to go into ever gruesome detail.

From those two examples, it would appear that rebooting franchises these days involve making your Protagonists younger, possibly to related to the younger gaming demographic, which in turn leaves us older guys just not interested or annoyed. Making a game Darker than it needs to be, I.E. Tomb Raider sounds like more of a survival game than just a simple awesome relic hunting title. Finally to make a reboot these days you need to slap probably at least a 18 rated sticker on it to make it ‘cool’, which in turn defeated the point of even making the protagonist younger to suit the more younger gaming demographic….FACEPALM.

Garv

For about 20 odd years now I have been in love with video games. It may come to no surprise really as I have been writing about video games here for the best part of two years now. I have grown up with all the classics such as Sonic, Mario and even Kirby. I have always been on the side of Sonic and Sega but having a gamer mate over the road who sided with Nintendo while I was growing was a great privilege. Some people say I was a fortunate child getting his hands on both the SNES and Sega Megadrive.

Games have evolved quite considerably since the days of Super Mario Land and Sonic the Hedgehog, gamers now grow up with characters such as Master Chief, Nathan Drake or generic Call Of Dutey military man. If you mention the name Bubsy Bobcat to any of the young 360/PS3 generation you will probably either get a blank stare or an answer somewhere along the lines of ‘Is that one level after prestige?’ It’s kind of sad to think there isn’t really any classic characters for new gamers to grow up with, but fear not as the classic Sega and Nintendo mascots have not been forgotten.

Recently I have been sinking my teeth into Sonic Generations. Over the years I have been a little bit disappointed with the blue hedgehog, as his infatuation with chilli dogs and his teenage boyish ‘don’t have a cow’ attitude. With his increasingly cringe worthy outlook on life his games have not been up to par, well until now. Sonic Generations is a fantastic salute to the sonic of the past. The game play is a great mix of original Sonic trilogy and latter day 3D platforming which literally any gamer of any age can enjoy, meaning this is a great game to get young gamers involved with.

It’s not all about Sonic Generations mind. We have to show the Italian Plumber some love too. Mario has been gracing the Nintendo consoles for years without fail. Games such as Mario Galaxy and Paper Mario are the shining lights in an expensive gaming universe that young gamers can get their gaming mitts into. One game I do want to highlight is Mario 3D Land, now I haven’t played much of it myself but from what I have played it is a great shout out to the original Mario Games on the SNES. It’s simple pick up and play mechanic means that any age can play and the return of the Tanooki suit also proves that classic Mario is far from dead.

It is safe to say that 2011 has been a great year in terms of bringing back the nostalgia of both Sonic the Hedgehog and Super Mario, Let’s just hope that in the future they bring back the original crash Bandicoot and Spyro the dragon somehow. Skylanders looks a bit strange and relies on too much of a gimmick narrowing its Target audience, and when was the last time we saw Crash? Only time will tell.

Garv

Through the ages there have been some epic battles in the gaming universe. Hero’s and villains have been at each others throats since the dawn of time and there have been some truly epic battles. Link vs Ganondorf, Sonic Vs Robotnic, Scott Pilgrim Vs The World, the list goes on.

Ever since we have known each other there has been another epic battle going. Garvaos Vs Random Man. Ok so this battle hasn’t been written into some sacred gaming code but it has been going on for the best part of 10 months or so now. We thought it would be best to settle this like true gaming journalists would and draft up five warriors from the gaming universe that would fight in each of our corners. I will draft the Hero’s for this epic battle, but will Random Man’s villainous horde vanquish me and take over the world? Lets find out!

Coal MacGrath (inFamouse)

Imagin you have just woken up, you are in the centre of what appears to be that aftermath of a massive explosion that has engulfed half the city that you live in. Upon awakening you find out you have the power to control electricity will you use your powers for good or evil?

Meet Coal MacGrath, he knows exactly how a crazy scenario such as this feels like, even though he has the potential to take over the world with his electric power he instead uses it for good. This is why I think coal would be an awesome addition to my team because he can manipulate his powers for the greater good, and yet if he needs to use his powers to take down several bad guys then he can with a great amount of ease.

Master Chief (Halo)

Nothing says ‘I’m going to save the world’ like a genetically modified super soldier that is named after a Greek warrior. Of course I am talking about everyone’s favourite UNSC Spartan John 117, aka Master Chief. Being the last of his kind must take its toll on a usual human being but not Master Chief.

His mind is always on the mission, he is skilled and someone that is defiantly necessary in the heat of battle. I mean who wouldn’t want a big metal man who can single handily take out a zombie race?

Zack Fair (Final Fantasy VII)

Zack is in here for two reasons. The first of which, Random Man would not have forgiven me if he wasn’t. The second and most important is that Zack is a noble soldier who never leaves anyone behind. He also inspires the most feeble of people to get up and kick the crap into something. I mean if cloud hadn’t met Zack he would have still be a measly little foot soldier.

Lets face it, who wouldn’t want a guy wielding a big ass sword in their team?

Jack (Bioshock)

Picture this. You’re in a plane crash with no idea who you are. Then suddenly BOOM! you’re in an underwater city welding all sorts of powers which you just feel like obtaining after injecting yourself with some neon glowing liquid. You slowly find out your mind is under control and then manage to over throw your puppeteer and vanquish his evil dastardly plan. This is all happening while people are going mad around you in an under water city.

Who wouldn’t want a guy who can take down a huge hulking metal robot like creature and also find time to save innocent children?

Dante (Devil May Cry)

Some may say that Dante is a little bit cliché, some may say he loves himself a little bit too much and that his ego could be taken down a couple of thousand notches. But to be honest wouldn’t you think your awesome if you have the sword wielding capabilities and gun skill of the part demon that is Dante?

So he may have some cheesy lines, but with an arsenal of weapons that could probably take down a small nation he’s a very good asset to any team. I mean hey, someone has to say the cheesy lines just before we overthrow the arch-villain.

- Garv

For every hero there must be a villain. That is a simple gaming fact and is also a film fact too. Over the years games have been turning more and more into films of their own. .

In games the villain has so much more to offer, this is due to game creators having to find a strong reason for the hero to defeat the villain. In the case of some games just beating them up is enough there is still that feel they would destroy the world if you didn’t beat them.

So without a villain the hero has nothing really worth fighting for and it kind of makes for a pointless game. After thinking about this for a very long time, I was able to come up of a list of 5 of my favourite villains. They are a shining example of what a villain should have, they should be evil, cruel, amazing fighters (or in some cases annoyingly difficult to beat) and the most important one of all they need to be a serious badass.

Kane (Soul Reaver)

He is a forgotten villain and he is still one of the most memorable. He has the desire to destroy the living world so that he may consume their souls to rule and rise again. He is evil to no end and is someone I would not like to fight.

The Goddess Myria (Breath of Fire III)

Breath of Fire III was the first game I ever completed of its kind (Epic RPG) and because of this, the Goddess Myria has stayed one of my favourite villains. Myria is more of a psycho than a villain as she believes that it’s all in the name if good. She is defiantly worthy of being in my top 5 for just being psychotic.

Mundus (Devil May Cry)

Mundas is the all-powerful and the most evil demon in hell, he is the devil. He has power over anyone consumed in darkness, added with his own incredible power; Mundas is a force to be reckoned with.

Albert Wesker (Resident Evil)

He is genetically modified and completely insane. Wesker is fast, smart and has a t-virus infected army of people at his control. Wesker is a complete badass and he shows no mercy to anyone, not even his own people.

Sephiroth (Final Fantasy VII)

With his sword Musamune, Sephiroth is the most powerful SOLDIER 1^ST CLASS to ever exist. With an absolutely brilliant mind and a swordsman of unparalleled skill, Sephiroth is and always will be the most dangerous villain in the Final Fantasy series. So he deserves to be my number one villain of all time.

I hoped you liked my list; it took me a very long time to decide on it.

-Random Man

I have always been an avid fan of Tetris; a very simple game that requires you to use shapes known as tetrominoes that are sent thrown down the screen one at a time, tasking the player to manipulate said shapes to construct horizontal lines with no gaps. These lines will disappear once they are constructed, meaning the game continues until the shapes speed down so fast you can’t control them anymore and they reach the top.

This game was made back in 1984, and its still as popular now as it was back then. Since its release there have been several clones and copies that utilise the same idea, so there have to be some that can possibly give the original a run for its money, right? In an attempt to find out, I have compiled a list of some of the most Tetris-like games that have the playability to challenge the puzzler’s throne.

Columns

I played this game back on the Sega-Megadrive back in the 90′s, and for some reason I found myself uncontrollably hooked to the game. A very simple concept (probably moreso than Tetris) where you have to manipulate columns as they fall down the play area. The aim of the game is to match up the same colour gems; get three and a row and the gems are eliminated, the game continues until the play area fills up, then its game over. It’s highly addictive and something I must go back to once I find my Megadrive from whatever dark corner of my parents’ house it currently resides.

Super Puzzle Fighter 2 Turbo

A game that has found its place in my heart for many a year. Super Puzzle Fighter is a mixture between Street Fighter (or Gem Fighter if you really want to be exact) and Columns: you are tasked with eliminating coloured gems, but instead of just matching the gems together you have to eliminate them using a power gem. The more blocks of colour you manage to chunk together and eliminate the more powerful your attacks against your opponent become.
As this game is played against an opponent an element of strategy must be used to guarantee victory. When you’ve eliminated some gems, an attack is dished out which in turn throws a mixture of different coloured times gems into your opponent’s play area which cannot be eliminated until their timer runs out, making an intense game of two halves. The balance of speed and timing become essential, and it helps create what has to be one of the most competitive puzzle games out there to date.

If you thought competitive Tetris on the DS was awesome, then you haven’t played Super Puzzle Fighter 2 Turbo.

Bust-A-Move 2

Another game that I fell in love with back on the PS1 was Bust-A-Move 2 (or Bust-A-Bobble, as most people may know it as); basically upside down Tetris with a taster of Columns thrown in. The idea of the game is to eliminate the bubbles before they make their way to the bottom of the playing field; each bubble is coloured and the only way to eliminate them is to match the same colour bubble three or more times to make them pop. The game ends when all bubbles have been eliminated. There is also an overly cute Japanese dinosaur who makes incredibly loud squeaky noises that you either want to cuddle him or smother him to death with a pillow, but non-the-less a highly addictive game indeed.

So those are my top three Tetris-like games that have a chance at beating the original puzzler. Anyone agree? Anyone have ideas of their own?

Garv

Lately I have been getting my gaming mitts stuck into Assassins Creed II. I had always been reluctant to play this game due to the fact that the first game left a bad taste in my mouth; I tried and tried to get into it but it really didn’t do it for me.

So I hesitated but nonetheless started the game. I have never been so engrossed in a sandbox game since probably GTA III (you would be surprised how much I stand by GTA III next to the other games in the series, but that’ll be a post for later). Assassins Creed II then got me thinking about a sport that I hold high in regard; not that I am a big sports fan or that AC II is a sports game by any stretch of the imagination, but it did indeed get me thinking about a sport that isn’t covered in gaming as much as it should be… I am of course talking about Free Running.

Free Running (Or ‘Le Parkour’) in it’s most basic form is an extreme sport that can primarily take place in a huge metropolis. One potential aim is to jump, climb and scale your way across the rooftops of any city you see fit in your journey from point A to B. Sounds simple enough, but when you’re not gifted with super human abilities like Spiderman it proves to be a little bit more difficult.

Video games have touched on this sport briefly with Assassins Creed II and Mirrors Edge, but I feel that there isn’t enough recognition of the sport itself. For example you get a metric ton of skateboarding games, (granted, not the same type of sport) but you can imagine the potential of an exclusively free running game.

So for the first time ever in my life… I am going to make a proposal for a sports game. This is probably the first time and last time I am going to do this, so sit back and watch history in action… because straight after this I am going back to playing Halo.

Garv’s Free Running Game Idea (Don’t Laugh)

Note: Before people start ranting, I know there was a PS2 and Wii game just called Free Running, but that did as well as an underwater hair dryer, so bare with me on this one.

A 3rd person running game where you simply have to reach your destination in an allotted time. The more innovative and creative the means of doing this, the more points you get. Points are awarded for jump distance covered as well as how long you can keep travelling without stopping. This game means that you have to think quickly to maximise on points. Also, backflips and somersaults are awesome so throw some of them in for good measure.

Ever played Tony Hawk’s Proving Ground? It’s the first Tony Hawk game that used the sandbox to an advantage; progressing in the game means you have to travel to the next mission. This also means you can use the city sandbox as a means of practice, which is kind of what I want to happen in this game.

I know this is a screen from Assassin's Creed 1 but you get the idea.

The difficulty with this game already is the fact that you are neither Spiderman, an assassin, or even a post-modern courier in white tracksuit bottoms. But that doesn’t mean we can’t have fun. So a good thing to add to this game would be character customization, with a difference. I would like a customisation system that kinda mixed the customisation from both Soul Calibur IV and Guitar Hero World Tour. So you can make a realistic avatar of your good self or an absolutely off the wall character with the same skin colour as a Dyno-Rod van (for all of you out there who doesn’t know what colour a Dyno-Rod van is its florescent orange…sexy).

So that’s the game idea in its most basic form, whether it will be a means to an end I highly doubt, just gave me a good excuse to let some crazy gaming thoughts out.

My basic point here is that Free Running is not covered enough in gaming, maybe the idea is still in its infancy. But then again, I just want an excuse to do get a good free running experience without leaving my sofa.
-Garv

The Grand Theft Auto V trailer made its debut on the 2nd and rumors and speculation are spreading across the web like wild-fire.

So what do I think about the next installment in the GTA franchise? Well I for one can’t contain my excitement. We are being brought back to the three city-state that is San Andreas meaning that we could have a game of epic proportions on our hands involving a lot of different environments which include huge city landscapes and quaint out of city suburbs .

One scene that caught my eye is a brief scene where a guy (who I can only guess to be a protagonist) was running away from a battalion of police. Does this mean we could potentially have a free run element in the game?

Also the attention to detail seems to be whacked up some what. Cars with soft top roofs that can be controlled, the game itself was also hinting that there maybe more than one protagonist. Word on the grape-vine states we will be seeing an older Tommy Vercetti from GTA Vice City, if that is so then I’m more excited than ever.

All in all though the fact that GTA V is set in San Andreas is reason enough to get excited about this game.

So what are your thoughts on the trailer?

Garv.