Skyrim is a tough game to review, mostly due to the sheer amount of much deserved praise heaped on it by critics and fans alike. What else can I say to gamers out there to recommend or pick apart from a game this seemingly perfect? Then I thought sod it, I’ll review it anyway, because when Bethesda is bad its very bad (See brink)  but when they are good, they’re really damn good! Skyrim is the fifth game in the Elder Scrolls series, not counting all the DLC and expansion packs. What elevates it far, far above other games in the genre and especially Oblivion is the culmination of experience and work that Bethesda has done over the past twenty odd years drawing especially from their Fallout games.

You start the game as, unsurprisingly enough, a prisoner going to the chop for crimes unspecified. You are quickly acquainted with the current situation, there’s a rebellion going on and dragons have returned to Tamreial and so the shit has definitely hit the fan. However here comes the common hitch that always follows most RPGs and Bethesda ones especially, there is no urgency. While you may want to do the first five or six main quests of Skyrim to unlock your awesome dragon shouty powers and then toddle off dragon hunting, ore mining, dungeon crawling, sidequestin’ business the rest of the plots just sit and wait happily for you to decide to finish them. Now in fairness I’m being very nitpickky, the joy of the game is centred on exploring the gorgeous locals and smashing the brains in of anything that doesn’t greet you cheerfully or with mild disinterest. But where does that leave the main plot? You play an adventurer who has the ability to shout dragons out of the sky and smash their scaly hides in. That is so stupid it’s awesome. I loved knocking people out-of-the-way, making them flee and clearing the rainy skies so I could have a picnic with my wife (yes that is a real power). But as awesome as that draw was, and it was awesome, I always felt that it would be more fun to do…anything else but follow the plot. There is a difference between ignoring the plot and running from it. In Fallout and Oblivion I could ignore the plot, in Skyrim I was running from it. I only got pulled back into the main plot after accidentally raiding a cave for shiny objects and was surprised to find a plot related object which brought me back to the main quest.

Great now I sound like some old player moaning about what a RPG is supposed to be like, plot heavy. But that’s not Skyrim, that’s not what it sets out to be or should be. Heck the main quest and civil war are pretty interesting and well implemented even if you feel some of the characters are giving you the run around for no good reason. One of the best improvements in the game is the skills and levelling system. Like in Oblivion you level up by using your skills and when you get enough points you level up and choose a perk in line with the skills you have been using. So depending on how you want to play the game adapts to you. Pro tip, do NOT neglect your combat and armour skills if you’re playing a fighter/ anything else. Especially on the harder difficulties, everything will kick the snot out of you. Also, you only need three sorts of potion, two minimum, stamina health and maybe magic. You can generally do without anything else and before you get your own item storage area (read your house) you won’t need many of the others and they weigh a ton. Also do not underestimate the importance of smithing and enchanting. While you no longer need to carry around 20 hammers to repair all your equipment (thank the nine!) you need any and all edges you can get over every foe you can.

About 20 hours in I had a thought, maybe we could reduce inflation around the world by having people be buried with all their worldly goods to bring costs down, because in Skyrim that appears to be the plan and it’s worked out pretty well! However, it also means you’re carrying several years’ worth of pay and next to nothing to spend it on, except for the odd potion equipment and enchanted items. It’s just slightly irksome ya know?

There have been times when Skyrim really irritated me, unclear puzzles, going on hunts for healing potions, NPC’s who said the same line over and over until I seriously considered the negative ramifications of ending their stupid and pathetic lives. Having another fucking dragon spawn immediately after I killed one making it loose the awesomeness factor, seeing all the yarls sitting in the same campy nonchalant manner that made me want to slap their ass silly and scream SIT UP BLOODY STRAIGHT!
Awww heck Skyrim I can’t stay mad at you, you look gorgeous, you can do so many things, there’s always something interesting going on. So what if you’re a little unfocussed, unbalanced and buggy? That’s practically negligible next to what you can do.

Pros:
+Massivly open world
+Fantastic game play
+An RPG at its best
+Shouting at dragons is awesome  

Cons:
- Not a stunning main plot.

Score: 9/10

- That Bloke In The Beanie

Fig 1: Gaming, Pre-Pac-Man

Our love of games has changed radically over the past century, with the changes in technology allowing us to experience our favourite pastimes in a whole new way. This is especially true of ‘video games’ . While the changes over the last 40 or so years have been immense, there are still fundamental parts of games that have stayed with us, but much has been lost. To hark waaay back to my rant on graphics over storyline piece a few months back, where I complained about pretty graphics taking over from storyline and, in some places gameplay. Now, don’t misunderstand me, there are still a lot of great games out there with complex, intriguing storylines that inspire us and have us coming back for more. But the problem remains that there are even more that are satisfied to be simple action fests that leave little to the imagination or the enjoyment of the player. Its one thing to have a decent selection of games that you can blow off some steam with, but saturating the market with the same kind of product can stunt the growth of the industry.

Why is this important? Well, with the number of consoles sold to a wide variety of audiences, they are having a greater impact on our life, for better and worse. Yes, overindulging causes obesity, apathy and if you get too serious…fanboyism. But! We are gifted with a great opportunity. The interactivity that games offer as opposed to that of movies and books means we can take the experience to the next level. It’s not so dissimilar to playing Cowboys and Indians as a kid; you enter into a fantasy where you are the hero or the villain. It not only allows you to be someone else, but also to think like someone else, where you don’t have to worry about making a mistake to be met with ridicule (except maybe with a few online games…). Now, don’t misunderstand me, I’m not talking about using games as though control, that’s ridiculous…for now.

But think of it like this, identifying as a character in a role no matter the platform, can leave a lasting impression on the player. The love for Mario, Sonic, Link and my favourite Solid Snake, identify us as gamer and in a more extreme manner as fans.  Cosplayers are another good example of this, dressing to be as like their favourite character as possible. But how do we meet a happy medium of character identity, escapism fantasy and a coherent message that offers something more than a 2 minute epilogue of your actions at the end of your play through?

When All Gaming Is Gone, Cos-Play is the way forward.

Hopefully that question will be answered in the coming years, but I don’t expect the answer will be a simple one, or that it will have perhaps as great an effect as I would hope. For example, Hiyao Miyazaki, the head of studio Ghibli, said in an interview that, he wanted his films to inspire people and encourage them to go out and experience the wider world. But while he and his team have created beautiful works of animation, it remains to be seen if they have moved their audiences to be more active in experiencing life beyond what they feel comfortable with.  This is likely to be the same with game.

They can entertain and enthral at their best, but I’ve yet to experience a connection from a game that made me think “What am I doing? There’s a great world out there that I can experience, people I can meet who will change my life and I can enrich theirs!”.  I may be asking a lot from this young media, which more than likely will just continue to be fed by the desires of the societies that created it. But as human being we have always had the desire for more, we’re rarely satisfied with what we have.  No one wants to be stuck in a dead end job all their life, living in their parents’ house etc etc.

To conclude, I see games going two ways in the next ten years, they will either simply fulfil our basic need for escapism and fantasy, pushing no envelopes and still being dogged by the same problems and probably a few new ones. Or they will step up to the plate, we will see more and more outstanding games that not only entertain us but move us, encourage us, maybe not as compelling as Henry the 5^ths speech at Agincourt to a ragtag army, but at least make us think, there’s something better out there, all I need to do is find the energy and take the risks to get it. I am master of my own destiny and with a strong will I can do anything. Game on…

- That Bloke In The Beanie

Note: Due to technical difficulties, That Bloke in the Beanie was unable to play Dead Island’s online multiplayer co-op. As this is a major part of the game which adds more gameplay and variety, this review should be treated solely as an evaluation of the single player mode.

I never saw the trailer for Dead Island. I had heard the hype but never been embroiled in it myself. So going into it my only expectations were for a zombie game with beautiful environments and solid combat and, for the most part, Dead Island delivered. The game has taken many aspects from various other games such as Borderlands, but it takes its inspiration from the majority of the zombie game spectrum.

The action takes place on the fictional tropical island of Banoi, located just off the coast of Papua New Guinea. Banoi is popular holiday destination for the rich and famous as well as the usual tourists. The beaches are large and expansive, the booze is cheap and plentiful and the trend less is more is almost enforced by law. However there is the problem of the sudden zombie infestation. Where did it come from? Why was it made? Why are the four main characters immune to it? Most of these questions make the main plot and motivation of the game, alongside surviving and aiding other survivors.

You have the choice of four playable characters: Xian Mei a Chinese national working on the reception desk at the resort that specialises in bladed weapons, Logan a former NFL superstar who pissed away his career ending in a car crash that killed his passenger. He now travels to the island as part of a marketing deal, he specialises in thrown objects, Purna a former Australian cop who quit after shooting a child molester who was unable to be prosecuted she became a bodyguard for VIPs all over the world leading her to the resort, she is a firearms expert and Sam B, a one hit wonder rap star seeking to get back on top after being booked to perform at the resort who is handy with blunt objects. Unfortunately, that is as far as most of the characterisation goes. I’m trying to avoid spoilers but we are left with many questions unanswered about our chosen avatar.

After choosing your character and weapon of choice, you try to escape the hotel, only to get caught by a zombie and bitten only to find that you do not turn. Saved by some other survivors you are hold up on the beach with only a wooden oar and your mighty boot or stiletto to start cracking skulls. The environments of the island are huge and varied, but the best is of course the beach resort: the sun, the sand, the half made sand castles and the sound of the sea, wind, birds and the screams of the dead occasionally punctuating the air. It is beautiful, even on a non HD TV. However, there are moments of pop ins and outs graphically. There’s also the problem of emptiness is some areas. What do I mean by that? Well, I went on a merry trip off the beaten track to a non-essential exploration area where there was precisely one and only one hut to explore. Call me picky but I prefer my open world exploration with suitable rewards, not just a lot of pretty scenery and dead zombies.

The plot and other game events are pushed forward by coming into contact with other survivors who, as soon as finding out you are immune immediately task you with some form of fetch quest ranging from the banal but vital task of getting car parts or fuel to burn bodies, to the weird and stupid like searching for some nutters teddy bear and necklace. You generally need to do these quests in order to get modification recipes for your weapons, lump sums of cash or just a decent weapon or xp boost to power you along. The voice acting is mostly solid with some big names behind them but there are some truly atrocious readings as well which bore into your skull as they repeat the vapid phrases at you while you’re working.

You spend most of your time in Dead Island when you’re not kicking/beating zombies to death scrounging for various supplies and money needed to repair and buy new ones. While some shops do exists, most of your money will be spent on repairs at workbenches where you can also craft and upgrade new or better items. The items you pick up seem to have a use but it wasn’t always clear. I ended the game with two dozen bars of soap and no mod to use them in. While the mods you pick up are useful and fun, it is a bit of a shame you can’t experiment by trying a will it blend approach like in Dead Rising.

But the key, crucial question, is whether or not the combat any good? After all, the meat, if you’ll excuse the pun, is a key part of the game. A lot can be forgiven if the action is solid and enjoyable. Unfortunately the answer is only mostly. The quantity and quality of zombies is generally satisfying but when it isn’t it is more frustrating than it is tense. More than once I was killed by a zombie somehow spawning behind me and one-shoting me. The variety of weapons and killing methods are varied and substantial enough to entertain, even if the majority can be brought down with a kick and smack with heavy blunt or sharp object approach. Severing heads and limbs, crushing them, exploding them setting them on fire running them over and even drowning them are all suitably cathartic or amusing. The firearms you come across later have limited ammo capacity and are best saved for boss zombies. There is also the addition of a frenzy mechanic. In my game playing as Xin, the world went into slow motion; she pulled out a knife and proceeded to cut up every poor basterd in her way.

However, this sometimes clashes with the tone that Dead Island is trying to show. For example, early in the game I came across a pool filled with blood and bodies with a poor man in it crying saying how he’d just killed his entire family. It was suitably horrific and drew me into the game that much more because of it. Then I come across a hut where an impromptu porno was being shot with the woman still chained to the bed and I stomp her head in. This leaves me amused and bemused. The problem is the combat lends itself to frantic kick and slash fun/frustrating which can give you a good laugh but everyone else is scared, freaked out and depressed by the situation.

So in short, the combat in DI is serviceable if frantic and frustrating at times. The setting unfortunately loses something of interest in the later levels and the plot and characterisation are thin on the ground. I would recommend it for zombie fans but rent it if first if you are unsure.

7/10

As soon as we arrived at Eurogamer on Saturday I rushed to the Skyrim stand. I had to play this game, the trailer I had seen online had more than whet my appetite. Somehow I knew that this was going to be my game of the show.

First I was confronted with the familiar character creation screen with a beautiful dungeon motif. Like Oblivion at this stage you simply choose your character race and gender. Being the creature of habit that I am, I chose a male argonian with a distinctive lime green streak down his nose, just like my assassin in Oblivion, named Boggle.

With my tinkering done, I decided to break out of this dull and dingy dungeon and head for pastures green, by turning around and leaving through a hole through the wall. I was greeted with a view of a beautiful vista reminiscent of Fallout 3, except with frosty mountains flowing rivers and green shrubbery. Bounding down the mountain path full of joy, I drew my sword and slew a rabbit.  Boggles reign of terror had begun! I suited up, ditching my crusty prison rags for some scale skin armour with matching helmet before being set on by a couple of angry wolves.

As vicious as those bastards were, they were no match for the patented ‘block and sock’ method that served me so well in Oblivion. Having satisfyingly despatched the beautifully rendered mongrels and saw on my compass (back from Oblivion) that there was a mine nearby. Mines usually mean one of two things, goblins with treasure or bandits with treasure. In either case, it mixes killing with looting which generally makes up a good third of a decent RPG gameplay so I decided to sample this mini-dungeon.

I sneaked forward, noticing the eye Icon had been replaced by a more effective shut eye/ open eye icon before I blundered into an angry redguard with a huge hammer. Unfortunately while my shield could block standard blows, a power attack from a large war hammer sent my poor lizardman sprawling. So I opted for the berserker attack strategy and I was able to fell the warrior before she bashed my brain in. Switching to my trusty health regeneration spell, I toped up my health and headed inside.

Creeping along the dark carved corridor, I suddenly stopped when I heard voices. Two bandits were talking about how the cave was a crap hideout and how leaving their one and only mate on the door, might have left something to be desired in the security department. As enthralled as I was with the well voice acted scene, I felt it was missing something; specifically a sneak attack with an arrow that I enjoyed so much. I was slightly surprised at how a sneak arrow to the head prompted only rage and gasp of surprise from the bearded brigand who was knocked slightly off balance before rushing up the corridor toward me with his mate way out in front.

I was being beaten back further and further up the passage, but I was giving better than what I got and facing one and a half foes didn’t pose a serious threat. The combat had defiantly improved from Oblivion, you’re foes are much more aggressive and nimble and if you’re facing more than one foes be sure they don’t flank you. The battle done I went forth to claim my just reward! A measly 5 gold coins. Just my luck, I’ve basically killed the underworld version of the three stooges.

Only slightly deflated, I headed out into the world and took the path to Riverwood to meet the local people. “I saw a Dragon I did!” proclaimed a local crone. “Yes mother I’m sure you did” her son replied in a tired worldly worn voice. Ignoring the sane but probably senile old lady I opted to visit the local blacksmith to pawn my wares and go quest hunting. So after getting rid of the excess amounts of armour I had reasonably obtained through legal means, I asked him if there was any work about. “Well yeah, could you make me an Iron dagger?”.

What? You want me to make you, the local blacksmith, a dagger. “Here’s some Iron, use the forge over there”. Wow, you are one seriously lazy guy. Ok, I’ll make you a dagger. I went over to the forge and quickly whipped up a simple dagger for him. “Well, that’s ok, could do with being sharpened though, here take this and use the whetstone.” Alright, I’ll sharpen this dagger, and I took it over to the whetstone putting a decent edge on it. I was about to head back to him and see what other excuse for work would tell me about the other items he had in his workshop before I got a tap on my shoulder. What? It was over?
“You’ve had your twenty minutes mate; it’s someone else’s turn now”. I almost uttered the eternal gaming phrase: Can’t I have 5 more minutes? But I dutifully got up and moved on and wandered back into the Expo.

So what did I think? Skyrim is going to be awesome!

- That bloke in the beanie

I remember a year ago at the Eurogamer Expo, AC Brotherhood was offered to gamers to enjoy the online multiplayer mode. I thought it was a solid and very enjoyable mode. This year, we got to enjoy AC Revelations, which unfortunately was a tad disappointing.

In the demo for brotherhood it was you playing against a group of other disguised assassins having to hide yourself while seeking your target. You could change your character class and abilities after death if you felt a particular strategy was not working. This was an excellent demo showcasing just how tense and satisfying it could be to play AC online. The multiplayer this time round for AC Revelations was that of a team death match. 2 teams of players who must have ALL the same character models spend one turn in hiding and the other seeking their targets on the other team. As solid as the gameplay was it just wasn’t as enjoyable as the single player death match of Brotherhood. The abilities seemed limited and sacrificing stealth for speed generally seems to depend on the players you play against. From chatting to one of the Ubisoft members of staff I heard that the choice not to show a demo of the opening 10-15 minutes of the Assassins Creed Revelations single player campaign was due to the number of ‘spoilers’ that would be given away. There was also the fact that the majority of the plot and other story elements are under very closely guarded so that even the guys and girls around the booth were ignorant of the majority of the details other that Revelations having prequel elements to AC1 . Still I expect Revelations to be a good return to form for the series and look forwards to getting my hands on it asap.

Awesomenauts:

Awesomenauts is a great little XBOX Live title made by Ronimo games which has been dubbed a MOBA game (Multiplayer online battle arena) fought on a 2D background. There are 6 playable character who engage on a 3 on 3 death match from a frogman with a laser to what appeared to be a tentacle monster with some strange healing property.

Once you have chosen one of these characters you are then shot down to the battle zone from a ship, before landing and battling your way across the map to take out your foes gun emplacements and robots to destroy their reviving tank. On the way you’ll have to use your characters abilities to aid your team mates and robots, which will be key to victory. You improve your character by picking up glowing cubes which are the games currencies to upgrade your abilities as well as getting various buffs. I had a real blast on this, the gameplay was simple yet immersive and it is genuinely satisfying taking down your foes and breaking through their defences.
Dark Souls:

Dark Souls bears the odd if accurate tagline “prepare to die”. It’s nice to know that Dark Souls makes no bones about letting new players know that they’re going to be playing a hard as hell action RPG that is frustrating as hell. That said, from my limited experience of Demon Souls; to which this is a spiritual successor, it was easier than I expected, but not by much. Being the RPG dullard that I am, I picked the soldier class and was dropped into a lovely castle setting complete with towers, craggy battlements and ghoulish figures bawling their eyes out. I felt instantly at home and decided to put them out of their misery, but instead drank a healing potion. Mentally mapping the square button to healing I went to work on those poor sods pushing them aside with ease.

It was then I saw a passage with a dragon like creature on the end. Ah-ha I think, a timing puzzle, time to put my gaming skills to the test! 3 unsuccessful runs later I saw there another passage, also that the floor notes had returned from the previous game, offering such sensible hints as “Don’t try to take the Dragon, that’s not sensible!”. Wise words indeed! So with that in mind I headed along the passage, blocking and counter attacking the zombie skeletons before I came to a courtyard with a rather nasty looking armoured rhino at the end of it. Deciding against taking it on I looked for a second route and headed up some stairs and into a bunch of zombies and found my way blocked forcing me to face the armoured monstrosity which promptly handed me my ass. Upon my return I noticed several bonfires burning around the courtyard and twigged that I had to lure the beats into them to kill it, and it was indeed the case. That done a large portcullis pulled up and I continued on my way. Then I came across what looked like a clone of the witch king who quickly broke through my shield defence and brought me back to the start. At this point I thought bugger it, as fun as this is I have no desire to play through this bloody demo again!

- That bloke in the beanie.

11 years ago, Ion Storm brought to us something that forever changed the landscape of the medium of gaming. Deus Ex (usually pounced ‘day of sex’) was an ugly but profoundly deep cyberpunk RPG, not just in terms of plot but also the gameplay options and mechanics giving the player space to play the game as they so desired, although taking the stealthier option was generally much more viable. It was followed up in 2003 by the mediocre sequel invisible war which was barely a scratch on the original. So with that brief look back out of the way, I can focus on Human Revolution. Does it live up to the name that still evokes bleary eyed nostalgia? Or is it more akin to its other bastard child?

The good news is, as you have probably heard, that this is very much a Dues Ex game or rather it evokes the same key feelings of familiarity: A dystopian future, the perpetual night, a claustrophobic city etc. The plot and motivations of all the groups and characters involved is also suitably intertwined and complex.

You play Adam Jensen, The head of security for a augmentation company called Sarif Industries. However shortly after you introduction the facility is attacked by terrorists using augmented soliders and Adam is mortally wounded only to be saved by having his body augmented. Then the task begins to find out why the attack happened and what has developed in the moths since his surgery and recovery.

Human revolution explores the idea of an augmented society inspired in part from the recent expansions in the field of robotics and prosthetic limbs. Augmentation seems to be a natural progression from these advances and poses the question: Can a human loose its humanity by modifying itself? And in doing so do we sacrifice control? Transhumanism is a central theme in all of the Dues Ex series and its discussion in Human revolution is perhaps the most succinct in the series, if not as deep as in the original. It nicely compliments the main plot which basically boils down to finding out why Sarif industries was attack and what really happened to the key scientist working on new augmentations. The way in which the story unfurls, even granting that most players are able to deduce certain twists and turns, does so at a good pace and is generally well paced.

The developers split the gameplay into  four distinct areas: Combat, Stealth, Hacking and Exploration. The weakest of these is combat because although Jensen has been augment, he is still very much human and so a couple of shotgun blasts at close range will have him out for the count. Often stealth and hacking flow into combat depending on how the action pans out, setting off an alarm or an explosion for example. It is a little disappointing that combat is less viable and rewarding than the other paths you can take; but the other areas more than compensate for this. Also the venerability that Jensen has adds to the game play as you are not playing as some government super soldier or meat-head like in most FPS’s. Adam is fairly intelligent and has a clear motivation for his actions, making him easier to relate to as a character, despite his Batman voice.

However, there are other elements of the game which feel oddly out of place. The boss battle for example, in the first Deus ex you could find a way past certain foes without having to engage them, or take them down in a non-lethal manner. In HR, you’d better make sure you have some real firepower ready when they come on you’re going to be in a tough spot. It seems somewhat counterproductive when the majority of the game can be played in a sneaky non-confrontational manner to then force the player to fight someone who they would not have the tools to deal with. Also there is the problem that, while you may be able to buy more energy bars, only the first one recharges on use. I didn’t find this to be a major problem for gameplay as my playing style didn’t depend too much on using a lot of energy at once , but the fact that you could only recharge using energy bars and protein pills left it feeling somewhat disjointed to what these augmentations were supposed to be. Yes you would expect that a augmented human would have only a little power to be recharged after use but that you can only recharge all of the via this method is slightly exasperating to the central premise. Unless other augmented guys and soldiers are carrying around a massive pack of protein plus then their combat effectiveness should drop exponentially. Also, the amount of ammo that you find scattered around can be annoying sparse in some areas; especially if you are doing a non-lethal play through.

Despite these problems, Human revolution is a largely enjoyable cyberpunk RPG with plenty of areas to explore, interesting characters with a strong plot and philosophy behind it.

Pros:

+ Strong story

+ Solid action

+ An immersive environment

Cons:

- Some poor voice acting and character movements

- Combat can be very poor in places

- The battery use can feel frustrating and at times useless

8 Out Of 10

- That Bloke In The Beanie

The wind blew the snowflakes through the valley leading to the mighty fortress where the Daimyo of the Mori and his small garrison waited for the incoming Shimazu attack. Outnumbered three to one with few samurai at his disposal, the situation looked bleak. Nevertheless, he ordered his men to stand firm and fight with all their vigour. There was no honour in being a coward. As the enemy approached, he dismounted his horse and stood amongst his men; not just as their lord, but as a warrior. He would not flee from this fight.
Soon the arrows flew as their foes were charging towards the barrier wall, the enemy just held at bay by his retainers. Then disaster struck. A group of spear arigasu broke through, making their way straight to the Daimyo. They cut through his surprised bodyguard, but as he reached for his sword his only group of unoccupied kata samurai sprang into action and cut the attackers apart. Now the tide began to turn. They were able to push back the attacking forces in the compound and rally forth to disperse the remaining forces. It was a battle they did not expect to win, but they did…though not without a cost.

That was one of the most exciting battles I ever fought in Shogun. I had been surprised by a hidden unit which had crept up on my faction’s leader, whom despite being victorious in many battles was now desperately vulnerable. His defeat would have struck a terrible blow to my campaign, but I was able to pull it out of the bag; it was truly invigorating to fight a desperate battle for survival, and that is how you know you’re playing a great RTS.

The Total War series has finally returned to its roots with a sequel to Creative Assembly’s first game Shogun: Total War, which first graced our screens over a decade ago. Their mix of turn-based and real-time strategy marked a revolution in the way that strategy games were played as well as being a great USP for their company. After their problems with Empire, have Creative Assembly learned from their mistakes and given us a game worthy of their predecessors?

The Sengoku jidai or ‘warring states’ period in which Shogun is set gives you the opportunity to play one of the major clans during Japan’s civil war; in which the leaders of the clans competed to become the Shogun, military rule of all Japan. In order for the player to achieve this goal, they must exploit the maximum potential of all the resources available to them, not just through their military might but through their use of diplomacy, trade and subterfuge. Striking a balance between these areas is key, especially when taking account of your clans strengths and weaknesses. For example, on my first play-through as the Shimazu clan, I had the ability to recruit cheaper and more effective Katana samurai which easily beat lesser infantry. Located in the south of the western island of Kyushu, I was isolated enough to build up a decent power-base before expanding to the main island.

Playing as the Oda clan was much more challenging; surrounded by enemies on the mainland but having the ability to recruit better and cheaper arigashu (peasant) spearmen and archers, I was able to build up an effective fighting force that relied on numbers and immense firepower to bring my foes to heel. Each clans’ strengths and weaknesses make for a fairly varied playing experience, despite the fact that there are a limited number of units available for you to recruit and train. Instead of you simply paying to replenish depleted units, they recover automatically in friendly or allied territory, something I think works well as Koku, the game’s currency, is not available in large amounts.

The agents you can recruit can be invaluable to your campaign, especially on the harder difficulty settings. The monk can demoralise enemy troops as well as boost the morale of your own, cause doubt in enemy agents and in their commanders, making them want to retire and can also cause peasant uprising in a foes’ land. The metske acts as a policeman; hunting down monks and ninja and trying them for their ‘crimes’, but can also bribe settlements and units to your side. The ninja is a spy, assassin and saboteur who can damage buildings and cripple enemy armies stopping them dead in their tracks, and there is also the beautiful Geisha, available only to those who create the best buildings to recruit these masters of subterfuge. You must be able to answer a possible threat from all of these agents or face the prospect of them being a particularly nasty thorn in your side.

The levelling up of units and agents and soldiers is an excellent addition to Shogun; you can see how many experience points they earn for successfully completing, fighting and winning battles, and when they do level up you can choose how to develop their skills in certain areas; like making a ninja a great assassin or spy, or making your monk a great philosopher to aid in your research. You can also gain retainers, which add further bonuses to various actions, and your generals can be specialised to make them great tacticians or battle-worthy units that can get amongst foes and decimate them in combat.

The maritime element of Shogun 2 is handled pretty well; you have designated trade zones with outside nations like Korea and China which can provide vital resources for the development of your clan, including superior Iron or Cotton, as well as provide trade-lanes by land and sea which can be raided or blocked off by ports. Oh, and look out for invasions by sea; the Japanese, like the European nations in Empire, have no qualms in landing their foes in a poorly defended land taking you by surprise. While not as thrilling as Empire’s, sea combat is much more balanced and is at least solid; your ships act as mobile stations for your troops, varying in size and ability, from carrying a greater degree of soldiers or archers to board your foes or simply whittle them down. You should also be aware of the influence of foreign powers that give you the ability to convert to Christianity to get cheaper guns and better trade relations but comes with the offset that you’ll cause a detrition of relations with other non-Christian clans.

Diplomacy has been downsized but also much improved; you can create trade agreements, alliances and make vassal states as well as intermarry and exchange hostages to secure agreements and better relations with other clans, and their disposition to your current proposal and clan is indicated to you which allows you to adjust it accordingly. This is a very solid system, with only a few instances of bad A.I being particularly mean or hard to please making it difficult. Luckily, they also show when they think your clan is weak and may be attacked, giving you time to either pay them off or prepare a defence.

The meat of the Total War Games have always come from the real-time strategy. The battlefields in Shogun 2 do not disappoint; they are beautifully rendered depending on the season, whether it be rain, snow, or fog, each have an effect on the battlefield, and this effect is now properly explained after the latest patch, which also makes winning a battle in a heroic style much more…well…heroic! The Generals and Captains give great little speeches beforehand in Japanese, and the units are greatly detailed even on a mid-end PC, but big battles can get very chaotic and slow everything down as a result. The A.I is very competent and challenging, CA making a point that this time the A.I wouldn’t be as much of an issue as in Empire. Having a well-rounded army and taking advantage of ambushes, night attacks, weather and terrain can be vital to winning by an appropriate margin. Castle attacks and defences are tough for both the attacker and defender; especially later on when larger forces and fortresses are prevalent. The music is beautiful; taking some tunes from the original, as well as beautiful flute and throat-singing tracks.

All in all, Shogun 2 is a great return to form for Creative Assembly; while it’s not without its problems in some areas (I find the lack of moves for the monk and mestke saddening but at the same time I see how its harder to animate certain actions). There’s also the problem of over-familiarity with playing style and units, even if each clan requires you to play in a slightly different way, and if you play too much the spirit of the game may become dull, so this is best enjoyed playing one campaign and then playing a different game. I will be examining the online multiplayer side at a later date, but for now, consider this a high recommendation for all strategy fans.

P.S: An Apology:To readers of PlusXP and my boss Garvaos; I’m sorry I haven’t been updating. I’ve been having problems of a personal nature that had killed my ability to write effectively. The reviews I have written were due to go up shortly after the games release, but were lacking in the quality needed to make them effective pieces of gaming journalism. I hope that the work I have prepared makes up for this.

-That Bloke In The Beanie

When you hear the word Troy, what do you think of? History’s first case of a bait and switch? The average movie version with Brad Pitt and Orlando Bloom playing themselves? Well, now you can think of the awesome new hack and slash game brought to us from the makers of the Dynasty Warriors series, Tecmo Koei.

The game has you playing through a variety of Heroes and Heroines from Homer’s Iliad, showing all sides of the conflict through gameplay and a mixture of CG and beautifully rendered amphora-like images that drives the main plot. Each character has various strength and weaknesses: Achilles is fast and has a good reach with his sword, Paris uses a bow for his power attacks and Penthesilea (the Queen of the Amazons) wields an awesome battle-axe with a great reach.

The combat is fast and fluid with maps the right size to engage enough foes, so you don’t feel like you’re trekking for miles just to get to your destination. You accumulate Kelos by hitting foes, which fills a fury bar that when unleashed doubles your attack speed and rendering most enemies into mincemeat. The enemies come in a good variety of shapes and sizes, meaning you have to mix up your attacks if you want to deal with them effectively. For example, if you come across a squad of shield and spearmen then your best bet is to pick up a fallen foe’s weapon, preferably a spear and slash at their feet. You have to take cover behind your shield as rows of archers fire off volleys at you, and the enemy combat specialist can make for some very desperate fighting.

There is also the added feature of duelling with particular foes. This involves both sides’ allies creating a ring of spears while you duke it out in the middle, which can make for some frustrating yet rewarding gameplay; having to avoid, block or counter their various attacks and watch out for their power attacks, or you are going to be in a world of pain. The enemy A.I, while occasionally spotty in places, does an excellent job of adapting and challenging you. You will find yourself responding to foes that back up when you attack, counter and block well, and even break and flee if your attacks are awesome enough. There are few things in the game as satisfying as picking up a spear and watching it zoom in when you pin some poor sod from 100 meters.

After each stage you can buy items that upgrade your various stats and add special attacks, while it can be pretty confusing at first it’s not so much that it makes it unusable. The camera can also be irritating at times, especially during big boss fights or when you’re trying to lock on to an enemy to attack. The battlefields, while being great replicas of the Turkish countryside, do feel a bit spare despite the large squads of men waiting for you to carve them up. The music and voice acting are solid enough to do the job well but aren’t all that memorable.

TK has done a great job working with the story surrounding siege of Troy over the ten-year siege and especially the supernatural element when the Gods get involved. Fighting great mythical creatures provides a great change of action and challenge for the player.

As well as the main campaign there are also unlockable challenge modes where you can earn more points for upgrades or if you just fancy a new challenge. The difficulty does fluctuate on some levels and challenges, but that often corresponds with the character you’re playing as and the objectives you have to complete to finish.

Overall, Legends of Troy is a solid and very enjoyable hack and slash game with plenty of re-playability. The setting is great, the action is engaging and rewarding and more often than not you’ll finish a stage feeling like a world-class badass. Despite a few problems here and there, they don’t detract majorly from the overall enjoyment of the game. Dynasty Warriors fans will find plenty of familiar and new gameplay to enjoy and new players will find a suitably fun challenge reward system to keep them playing

Pros:

+Story is handled wonderfully, amphora cut scenes are wonderful

+Badass moves and great use of weaponry

+Great combat, challenging but not too challenging

+Rewarding gameplay

Cons:

-Limited number of moves

-Camera can be annoying

-Some boss battles can be very frustrating

-Battlefields can feel desolate and uninteresting

8/10

- That Bloke In The Beanie

Warriors: Legends Of Troy supplied for review by Tecmo Koei Europe.

Out now on XBox 360 and PlayStation3.

As a Gamer, I can…sometimes find myself a bit too engrossed in my work. We’ve all been there; a quick play turns into a couple of hours and then more and more and more. You don’t want to leave the gaming zone you’ve created for yourself. There’s always an excuse: “Just to the next save point” “I just have to finish this quest” “Just a few more levels, then I can face the boss”. And if you’re particularly unlucky, the game tricks you into playing it more and more by exploiting the most likely excuses you’re making to yourself to keep going. That happened to me when I started playing Jagged Alliance 2.

Released back in 1999, the game is set in the fictional country of Alruco, which is suffering under the tyrannical rule of Queen Deidranna who took power in a coup in 1988. Since then she has monopolised the country’s wealth and suppressed all dissent. But that’s about to change. The former King, Enrico Chivaldori has hired you to get his country back for him by whatever means necessary. The game is split between the tactical map and the 2D isometric real-time zones where combat takes place. You start with a fistful of dollars with which to hire some accompanying mercenaries and to create on yourself by answering a multiple choice personality test and assigning skill points to particular areas.

With that done you’re dropped into Alruco and sent to meet what remains of the rebel movement. In order to take on the Queens forces you need more cash, which can be acquired by taking back towns and the mines that produce precious metals. You will spend the majority of the game fighting Deidranna’s soldiers in the real-time zones, which can be both deeply frustrating and satisfying. Sneaking one of your mercs around a building or cover to take pot shots, or dash in with a knife or fists to finish them off quickly. But if the enemy sees a group huddled together, pray your body armour can resist a grenade coming your way or that gas masks are ready to deal with any gas attacks. The tactile map shows where your mercs are, what condition they are in and where you want to move them, including the locations of mines, cities and SAM sites that might shoot down the chopper you can quire to move around more quickly.

Once you take a town you need to hold it to ensure that you have a steady income so that you can pay your mercs, hire new ones and buy better equipment for them to use. So you have to hire and train militia units to hold the towns. You do not have direct control of the militia and they will only help you if you are in the same square when enemy forces invade.

But why does this game endear itself to me so much? The graphics are VERY dated; it’s still buggy and you’ll find yourself re-loading saves quite often.  Well, JA2 works because it’s able to endear itself to you. Like an old bloke down the pub that’s a bit rough around the edges, a bit insane, but always has something interesting to say. For example, the mercs you hire have their own little foibles, likes and dislikes. Of course, if you’re working with someone who has to kill for a living they’re likely to be pretty unhinged…and funny! As you walk along or situations arise, you get to hear gems like: “I don’t know why everyone thinks I’m psychotic. I’m not psychotic! I just have a passion for my job!” and “I’m here, I ate every bug on the way, they were many.” The turn based combat, while a bit choppy is still very much enjoyable, even if the A.I can be a bit daft sometimes.

Also the plot is straight out of a bad 80’s action movie with cheesey 2D yet funny character archetypes. This is particularly prevalent with the Queen herself, who pops up from time to time, usually when you’ve just taken a town. Her hapless minion Elliot comes into the Palace related the news and..well…lets just say Deidranna hasn’t heard of the phrase don’t soot the messenger. It usually ends with her slapping him about and screeching “ELLLIOTTT YOU EEEEDIIIOT!” All she’s missing is a skull castle and a better haircut.

JA2 is a nostalgia trip, you know if you’re going to enjoy it in the first half hour of playtime. It is currently available on steam.

- That Bloke In The Beanie

We live in a wonderful world. A world where technology is bringing people closer together than at any other time in our history. Gamers from the US can play against those in Japan and China, and even Welsh players can be heard. However, all is not well in this 21st century world. Apart from economic stagnation, the cold war in Korea warming up, Russia as a mafia state and the possibility of Sarah Palin being president, there is the trouble of how we play games together. I’m talking about XBox LIVE, or to put it another way, those who have it and those that don’t.

I was feeling stressed the other day and since almost all of my mates were not available for drinks down the pub, I decided to power up the Xbox and get some of my Plus XP pals in a good old frag session. So I ring up Garvaos and say “Hey dude, feel like killing some zombies with me? Or perhaps some terrorists?” Only for him to reply “I’d love to, but I don’t have XBox LIVE Gold.”

This would be Beanie and Garv right now if we didn't have to pay for gold...

This annoyed me greatly. Why is multiplayer reserved only for those who buy the XBox LIVE Gold service? Surely shouldn’t all gamers be able to play with their friends without discrimination? Of course, the answer is not straight forward, or rather it is but has many layers. Multiplayer today is of course, vastly different to that which we enjoyed 10 years ago. The split screen was a far more common occurrence, huddling you and your mates round your tiny telly playing Golden Eye, Mario Kart, Medal Of Honour you name it, most games had a split screen option for multiplayer.

It was the PC of course utilising a much more stable internet and OS that took advantage of online multiplayer gaming. Doom, Quake, and then Half-life were some of the first. The joy being you didn’t have to share a screen with 3 other guys trying to aim at them in poorly lit rooms. However, with this came the need for dedicated servers to host the games. This wasn’t too bad if you were in a small area like your computer lab at school, or a basement with enough power for all your computers. But stretching it out from house to house was more difficult, especially in the 56k dialup days.

Quake 1 multiplayer. Those were the days!

Nowadays, because the majority of multiplayer is done across the net, servers are required for hosting the various games being played from every branch of the gaming genre. FPS, RPG, Sports, racing, just to name a few. Of course, because there are so many players and also with varying degrees of internet speed, finding a good host is key to supporting a decent online game. Maintaining this takes time and effort and so, people had to charge for it. Which is not unfair, you offer a service you want to be able to support it, we all gotta eat and pay our bills.

World of Warcraft could not be free to play after the upfront cost because of the sheer size of it. Guild wars has an easier time having fewer players, but being able to maintain that must be a job and a half. I don’t blame Microsoft for charging for XBox LIVE Gold, you can still download updates for games without it, which is important. I just wish it didn’t cover every single multiplayer aspect of every game. But I guess if you want you have to pay for it. To be fair, the amount of extras that now come with the service make it much better value for money. Still I am jealous of PS3 owners who can play for free, but it is an expensive console.

-That Bloke In The Beanie