Ever since I have been sinking my teeth into curtain game genres such as Hack and Slash games and fighting games, I have come to realize that some titles seem to get to a point where the game stops being difficult and just becomes frustrating. This is typical of some hack and slash titles and some fighting games as well. I am of corse talking about cheap boss’s.

An example of a non-cheap boss and he is called DR ROBOTNIK not Egg man!

So for those of you who don’t fully understand the concept of a cheap boss let me explain. imagine Your pretty much at the end of a level/game and there is the final boss staring at you and you launch into battle. Next thing you know you are being pummeled by all sorts of over powered moves that you can’t block or find it near on impossible to dodge. So you find yourself dying time after time to beat this git, untill you A)extremely lucky and beat the boss out of sheer luck. Or B) Find yourself going to your latest video game retailer and buying yourself a new controller because the last one you had is now in tiny pieces scattered around your living room/bedroom.

So why do developers implement cheap bosses into games? Is it just to piss gamers off? Are the Developers trying to get 1 up on the gamers, thinking they worked hard on this game so we should work hard defeating it? This I cannot answer now, but what I can do for you is give you some warning. I bring to you the top three cheapest Boss’s in my opinion. This is hope that you can save yourselves from hours of frustration, or you can just have a go at these guys and see what I mean.

WARNING: The next bit of this article will now contain spoilers for Devil May Cry 3, Dante’s Inferno and Street Fighter IV. You Have Been Warned.

Arkham – Devil May Cry 3

This demonic blob from the demon realm has to be a pretty cheap ass boss because he just doesn’t let you get near him. His main trick it to push you backwards with demon power and then pummel you from a distance with things like flying demon tentacles and demonic eels sprouting from the floor. It’s only once you get close to him you can deal some damage. If you don’t have infinite DT then your pretty much screwed. You have to be very precise with dodges, so i suggest your best bet here is to use trickster and dodge like you have never dodged before. Then as soon as the eels come from the floor it’s a case of jumping and firing your rocket launcher at the floor.

Lucifer – Dante’s Inferno

It may come to no surprise to you that the lord of Hell is the boss in this game. When you first fight him your thinking this is easy. But it is his second stage you have to be aware of. He attacks you in his humanoid state, what really annoyed me about this was that my attacks were doing hardly any damage, and every now and again he would teleport and then spam an uber move on me leaving me incapacitated. Weather it was smashing the ground or firing hellish demon power at me, moves like that would take half my health bar down in one. So my advice here is get yourself the holy armour spell, equip it and spam the crap out of him, yes it may take you several years and a million tries but it works eventually.

Seth – Street Fighter IV

Now this is one of those cheap bosses which I have no strategy for. This is the cheapest boss I have come across in my gaming career. He loves to spam moves such as the pile-driver which takes a huge chunk of your health out, and the chain three shyroken. If your lucky he may do both at the same time. Oh and don’t forget the move where he kicks you and it suddenly becomes a million kick combo. That’s a doozy. So that’s what to watch out for, I suggest using maybe Bison or Dhalsim so you can teleport and dodge his attacks, or maybe fight fire with fire and use Seth himself if you have Super Street Fighter IV.

So there you have it, the top three cheap bosses in my recent gaming career that have really given my a hard time. There are probably more which I have blanked from my mind because they annoyed me that much. So with all this in mind, what are your top three cheapest Bosses and why?

Garv.

Ever since I have been sinking my teeth into curtain game genres such as Hack and Slash games and fighting games, I have come to realize that some titles seem to get to a point where the game stops being difficult and just becomes frustrating. This is typical of some hack and slash titles and some fighting games as well. I am of corse talking about cheap boss’s.

An example of a non-cheap boss and he is called DR ROBOTNIK not Egg man!

So for those of you who don’t fully understand the concept of a cheap boss let me explain. imagine Your pretty much at the end of a level/game and there is the final boss staring at you and you launch into battle. Next thing you know you are being pummeled by all sorts of over powered moves that you can’t block or find it near on impossible to dodge. So you find yourself dying time after time to beat this git, untill you A)extremely lucky and beat the boss out of sheer luck. Or B) Find yourself going to your latest video game retailer and buying yourself a new controller because the last one you had is now in tiny pieces scattered around your living room/bedroom.

So why do developers implement cheap bosses into games? Is it just to piss gamers off? Are the Developers trying to get 1 up on the gamers, thinking they worked hard on this game so we should work hard defeating it? This I cannot answer now, but what I can do for you is give you some warning. I bring to you the top three cheapest Boss’s in my opinion. This is hope that you can save yourselves from hours of frustration, or you can just have a go at these guys and see what I mean.

WARNING: The next bit of this article will now contain spoilers for Devil May Cry 3, Dante’s Inferno and Street Fighter IV. You Have Been Warned.

Arkham – Devil May Cry 3

This demonic blob from the demon realm has to be a pretty cheap ass boss because he just doesn’t let you get near him. His main trick it to push you backwards with demon power and then pummel you from a distance with things like flying demon tentacles and demonic eels sprouting from the floor. It’s only once you get close to him you can deal some damage. If you don’t have infinite DT then your pretty much screwed. You have to be very precise with dodges, so i suggest your best bet here is to use trickster and dodge like you have never dodged before. Then as soon as the eels come from the floor it’s a case of jumping and firing your rocket launcher at the floor.

Lucifer – Dante’s Inferno

It may come to no surprise to you that the lord of Hell is the boss in this game. When you first fight him your thinking this is easy. But it is his second stage you have to be aware of. He attacks you in his humanoid state, what really annoyed me about this was that my attacks were doing hardly any damage, and every now and again he would teleport and then spam an uber move on me leaving me incapacitated. Weather it was smashing the ground or firing hellish demon power at me, moves like that would take half my health bar down in one. So my advice here is get yourself the holy armour spell, equip it and spam the crap out of him, yes it may take you several years and a million tries but it works eventually.

Seth – Street Fighter IV

Now this is one of those cheap bosses which I have no strategy for. This is the cheapest boss I have come across in my gaming career. He loves to spam moves such as the pile-driver which takes a huge chunk of your health out, and the chain three shyroken. If your lucky he may do both at the same time. Oh and don’t forget the move where he kicks you and it suddenly becomes a million kick combo. That’s a doozy. So that’s what to watch out for, I suggest using maybe Bison or Dhalsim so you can teleport and dodge his attacks, or maybe fight fire with fire and use Seth himself if you have Super Street Fighter IV.

So there you have it, the top three cheap bosses in my recent gaming career that have really given my a hard time. There are probably more which I have blanked from my mind because they annoyed me that much. So with all this in mind, what are your top three cheapest Bosses and why?

Garv.

As last year was such an uprising for casual gaming I believe this year sees the retaliation of the less mainstream game, or the ‘hardcore’ game if you would prefer *shudders*. Underground gaming is preparing a unstoppable legion.

Gamers of the world! I give to you, the warriors of 2010!

Bayonetta – January 8th

The game that has been given 10 out of 10 by Edge magazine, and 40 out of 40 from Famitsu magazine. Hack and slash fans better get ready for this title as the mind behind Devil Ma Cry has teamed up with gaming giants Sega to bring you this new game which stars a witch, who has magic hair. Yes I know it sounds a little barmy but believe me when I say this game is the pinnacle of hack and slash game play. It has the stupidly difficult enemies, the interesting array of moves and combos and I a pretty damn sure its gonna have a whole host of weapons and items for all you crazy combo-ing, button mashing mad gamers out there. Expect to see the official review up on the site soon!

Bioshock 2 – Febuary 9th

The ill-fated splicers make a welcome return in 2010 as we take a second voyage down to the murky depths. Rapture sees us take on a new role as the first ever Big Daddy prototype - meaning we can walk underwater, have that awesome big drill that many of us suffered a gruesome death from, and have a small child on your shoulder who loves the sight of dead bodies. Not only that, you get to use your plasmids and weapon upgrades which we have all come accustomed to. There is also a brand new enemy afoot; one of the saved little sisters from the first game thought land was boring - so went back to Rapture, adorned a sleek-looking big daddy suit and now is hording all the little sisters and running amuck. Its time for big daddy to show big sister a lesson.

Dante’s Inferno – February 12th

A worthy contender for the year of the game legion. Another hack and slash title taking place in the pits of hell! If you are on for classic literature, then this neat little title may be just for you. Following the first part of Dante’s Divine comedy, you are taken through the nine circles of hell to find your girlfriend who has unfortunately been babe-napped by Lucifer (c’mon she is hardly gonna be an ugly woman is she?) so you are led by a ghostly fellow by the name of Virgil through all nine circles of hell to battle it out with the lord of the underworld. And yes, yes you are equipped with Death’s scythe. Enjoy!

Aliens Vs Predator (AvP) – Febuary 19th

Not one campaign, not even two campaigns - this game has a whopping three campaign modes in one unique little disc. From Sega and Rebellion, the next Aliens Vs Predator title is coming. You have the Aliens, The Predators and the human race battling it out for survival in this huge three-way war. You have the opportunity to play as any of these three races who all have a unique campaign story line and unique moves and skills. This all doesn’t stop with the single player campaign though, there is a massive multiplayer mode where you can become any of the three races. Hungry for more info? Check out my AvP preview at Eurogamer and my Plus XP exclusive Interview with Rebellion

 Heavy Rain – 16 feb

Fans of Fahrenheit rejoice as this title follows tha similar gameplay form. In my opinion this is a mixture of game and film. You take on the roles of four different characters and it is up to you how they play their part in the overall story, and the investigation of the Origami Killer. Each character is unique in his/her own way with inner demons to battle as the story pans out. For a more in-depth look into this quite frankly awesome title, check out the Eurogamer preview my partner in crime Leon did last at last years expo.

Final Fantasy XIII – 9th march

A role-playing game that needs no introduction really. The Final Fantasy franchise is huge, possibly the biggest gaming franchise out there with a grand total of thirteen main titles and a countless amount of spin offs. Final Fantasy XII took a different approach to gameplay with a re-hauled battle system, while Final Fantasy XIII on the other hand brings back the turn based party battle system we had come to love. It have been a massive seven years since a brand new turn based style Final Fantasy came to out home consoles and we welcome it with open arms.

God Of War III – March

The long-awaited fourth chapter in the God Of War Series will be hitting all your PS3 systems this March with updated graphics, a few QTE tweaks and all the blood, gore and Greek mythology we have come to love with this franchise. Kratos is back and angry as ever. Hack and slash fans will be right at home here as well as new comers to the genre. Will this title make Game Of 2010? Lets ask Leon with his preview of the game at Eurogamer

MGS Rising – TBA

Solid Snake maybe a sweet memory, but Raiden is still very much alive and kicking. This will be the first MGS title to make its way onto our Xbox 360 consoles. It sounds as though this title will be going down a slightly different genre route too. More slashy-killy than sneaky-shooty. Will this be gaming gold or a step in the wrong direction? Gaming public, I give to you. The 2010 gaming army Wild Card.

Super Street Fighter IV – TBA Q2/Q3 2010

All you Street Fighter fans out there were pretty impressed and happy with the release of Street Fighter IV last year. Hell, I was, so is it a wise idea to bring out the same game again, a year after the first release? Well if you throw in up to eight new characters, new stages, tweaked online play and about as much new stuff as you can throw in without physically calling it Street Fighter V, then I can safely say a re-release isn’t that bad.

So thats just some of the new titles we will be facing this year, we may still get some surprise titles coming our way this year. It has been announced that the new Zelda will be hitting the Wii console before the year is out, and so will project Natal.

So to all you gamers out there, I suggest you sit back and relax because 2010 is giving us some cracking titles.

-Garvaos

This demo showed me the very start of the game. It shows how Dante got into hell in the first place, and shows the plot of the game. To cut a long story short, Dante was one of the holy crusaders who was ordered to kill innocent people under gods orders (apparently). He eventually gets murdered himself and has to confront death, who gives him a couple of home truths and basically says, you are coming to hell. Dante refuses and a boss fight against death commences. This is how Dante gets his mitts on the scythe he uses throughout the game. I couldn’t help but grin stupidly when death appeared before Dante, it was truly awesome.

So anyway death has been defeated and Dante is still wandering the earth. He thinks it would be a great idea to sew a tapestry into his chest to represent all the innocent lives he plundered as a nice reminder of what a bastard he was. He then returns home to find his wife, Beatrice dead, he then sees her spirit been taken away by who I assume is Lucifer and so the journey to hell begins.

This is the part of the demo where I have to congratulate EA. Because the slow but brilliant conversion of the earth to the gates of hell in this demo is seamless and well put together. We all have some idea of what hell on earth would be like right? Fire, Brimstone, demons coming out of any nook and cranny imaginable. This is pretty much what happens here, but it also has me thinking. The parts where earth suddenly is over run by hell demons, is that in Dante’s head? I mean if demons started sprouting up everywhere surly there would be riots and chaos but no one else can be seen running for their lives its just Dante battling through these demons by himself. So I am a little confused as to whether this will be all in Dante’s head or not. But hey thats story line for you.

The game play, I think is a nice mix between God of War and Devil May Cry. At Eurogamer I was thinking this game was just another God Of War wanna be, who does a great impersonation. But as I played through the demo, I could defiantly tell EA have been looking at all hack and slash games. As I played through I couldn’t help but notice a small bar in the bottom left hand corner of the screen, when this bar is full you have the opportunity to hit LB and RB at the same time to unleash Dante’s unstoppable power which kinda stinks of the devil trigger from Devil May Cry. Not that it’s a huge problem mind. Dante’s inferno is actually combing some great elements from other hack and slash games, and putting is own mark on it, which is pretty damn cool. What I also noticed is that you could condemn or absolve pretty much every demon throughout the game, which you couldn’t do in the demo I played at Eurogamer, I have also found out that the more demons you condemn the better and more powerful the scythe becomes, but the more souls you absolves the better your cross becomes, so it’s a pretty neat way of customizing your weapons. You also have the classic combo purchasing mechanic you have with pretty much all hack and slash games. So fans of the genre will be right at home here and will not feel alienated for a second.

Not much else to say here that is heavily different from my hands on with the game at Eurogamer. This is shaping up to be one hell of a game, and I hope to get my pre-order in as soon as I can, Even if it does come with Dead Space outfit.

Garv

Dear Santa,
I know I have been a bad girl this year. I know that the incident with the kitten and the toaster was wrong, and that I could have been a little more sensitive of my flat-mates. I mean how was I to know their nan was visiting, and anyway I can’t help it if my room is next to the front door can I? I also really didn’t mean to trip the electricity with my amplifier, and when was I ever told that metal and microwaves don’t mix? With hindsight I even admit that it was wrong of me to challenge complete beginners to guitar hero matches whilst pretending I had never played before. I still to this day don’t know why this makes people so unhappy…. but I’m sorry anyway. I could go on, but the truth is Santa, you see all from that big Coca cola lorry of yours, so there is not point lying about it now. Still, Christmas comes but once a year, and just in case you feel like making this bad girl very very happy here are a few things you could pull out of your sack on christmas day. If you do I promise to try my very best to be extra good next year…Or at least I’ll clean out the toaster…

So here it is. The pick of the bunch, the cream of the crop. My ultimate list of all the Eurogamer titles I’m wishing for this christmas.

Brutal Legend
Well who doesn’t want to slay enemies with their electric guitar this christmas? With a great Heavy metal throughout, addictive gameplay, guitar power and Jack Black this has to be at the top of my christmas list this season. I mean sure, the whole guitar thing makes me just a tad biased, but this game is honestly a lot of fun. Definitely one to rock out to on those cold winter nights. Allllriiight!

AVP
How could I create a wish list and not mention Alien Vs Predator. The boys were addicted to this game and its easy to see why. I found it a bit like Halo, but with more diversity in the playable characters and the ability to run up walls at will. Nice. This game promises hours of solo and multiplayer fun. Easy enough to play but with enough possibilities for strategy and fighting dirty to keep even the most hard core gamers entertained. Definitely one to watch this christmas, but if you want to live past christmas morning here is a hint from me…don’t be a Marine!

Heavy rain
After seeing this played for the first time at Eurogamer I really can’t wait to get my hands on a copy. Though the story line looks very dark and quite depressing in places (No festive cheer here, no sir!) this title really does give you the feeling that you are not so much playing a game, but more the lead character in a playable movie. The great characters and setting aside, the most exciting bit about this game to me is that each choice you make affects the story line. This means that the consequences of your decisions change the path your character takes, to the point where game can have endless outcomes. The developers aim was that no two people will play this game through and have the same experience. Instead they will each have their own unique way of reaching their end goal. An Impressive concept, and one I really hope will live up to our now very high expectations.

Left 4 Dead 2
Just as compelling and Zombieful as the first edition. With new characters, modes, weapons and creatures this title is sure to please all of those get their christmas cheer from whacking zombies over the head with a frying pan. I know I do…

Assassins Creed 2
This season sees the return of our favorite hooded hit-men. If you want to practice stealing sneaky mince pies right from under your mum’s nose this christmas, I suggest you use this game as practice. With the same winning combination of stealth and running for your life (as well as diving into the occasional hay bale) Assassin’s creed 2 is a welcome addition to shelf of all those who enjoyed the first title. Oh, and that new guy. Ezio, man he has style. Plus he also knows how to swim, a useful ability to have especially when in Venice. Perhaps he should give Altair some lessons. It would be nice to give them both a break from all that throat slitting…just because its Christmas.

God of War 3
Just so pretty and yet so angry…A bit like holly or faulty christmas lights. Though I didn’t get much time with this (a great pity) I found myself actually stopping and gawping at the beauty of this game, almost causing a mass gamer pile up…Ooops. If nothing else I would like a copy of this just to stare at, though I also have it on good authority that this game is very compelling, lovely and violent and plays beautifully. A worthy addition to the God of War series and a must for any fan.

Dante’s Inferno
Baby its cold outside….So how about a nice warming trip to hell? Though this game is not as pretty as God of War 3 (Then again what is?) it is still full of gory, surreal and slightly disturbing hack and slash goodness. Taking you through the nine circles of hell, this game does not hold back on the gore factor, especially seeing as in places the walls are made out of screaming corpses and the floor is a giant bleeding spine. This aside, the deadly sin theme is quite compelling and if you like a good dose of gore (and are not squeamish) this is one for you. With weaponry and gameplay I found similar to the Devil may cry series, and so many enemies I don’t know how they are all going to fit in Santa’s sleigh, this is one I throughly enjoyed getting my hands on at the Expo.

Super Mario Bro’s Wii
Mario is back! and just in time for Christmas! This was by far my favorite party play release of the year, making it to me the most appropriate stocking filler. A fail safe theme and beloved characters plus simple but addictive gameplay well executed throughout. In short the perfect recipe for family fun this Christmas. With four player co-op being my mode of choice, everyone from your brother to your nan is sure to enjoy this one. In fact I wouldn’t be surprised if even the dog had a go…and enjoyed it….

Now santa. You know I will always be grateful for any gifts you give me, however if these titles were to accidently fall out of your sleigh it would be no terrible loss.

Rabbids go home Wii, I just didn’t get on with the controls. Avatar *cough* Lost planet *cough*. Fairytale fights, nice concept, badly executed. Saw the game, mini games….Really? Dragon age, It’s just s**t. Sorry.

And thats about it. Sorry its such a long list. Eurogamer showed us that we really have an awful lot to get excited about this year, I’m not sure you will even be able to fit it all in your sleigh. Still, if you take pity on me I’ll be a really good girl. Or at least I’ll try to be good. After all, being bad really is so much more fun…

I will leave the brandy and mince pie by the fireplace as usual.
Until Christmas Eve,
Lots of love,

GuitarGirl24
x

At Eurogamer I was very excited to get my gaming mitts on Dante’s Inferno. Now in all honesty I was very skeptical that the game play may be too much like the great God Of War, having seen footage of the game and the use if quick time events I was slightly doubting this games potential. But now as I sit here reminiscing about the time I had with the game, I can tell you all that you will not be disappointed with this gem.

Just think for a second, if Ninja Gaiden and God Of War had some sort of love affair and produced the perfect offspring combining both Ninja Gaiden’s weapon play and level layout, with God Of War’s Quicktime Events (QTEs) and sheer brutality, you would have one hell of a game right? Well for me Dante’s Inferno takes those elements, twists them into its own style and then adds a sprinkle of classic Renaissance poetry. For me this game is a great combination of classic 1900′s source material with one hell of a new millennium twist.

So let’s get down to the nitty-gritty. You are Dante, you have just arrived in hell because you are after the love of your life, she has been kidnapped by Lucifer and all you have to guide you is a spirit by the name of Virgil. Hell in this game in comprised on nine circles, now I only got to play a small snippet of this game, and I got to experience about a circle and a half, maybe less. Now, when playing the demo I had really no indication of what circle I was in, but having thought about it a little bit (and please correct me if I am wrong) I think I was in the circle of Greed for the most part. The demo threw me straight into battle, I had Dante’s bone scythe to hack and slash the hell beasts, and I couldn’t help but smile at the way I was mowing these demons down with combinations of the square and triangle buttons. This game gets what Hack and slash is about, taking down hordes of foes with outlandish weapons and also giving you the opportunity to juggle their bodies about a bit with free-flowing combinations. So, after taking down those guys I was confronted with a huge hell demon which looked like a cross between a goat, horse and one very angry giant. After taking down it’s rider I could control this beast myself, I won’t tell you too much but lets just say that this was a great element, making you really feel that you were pretty much unstoppable for a short amount of time.

After that, there was some decent platforming to be had, you scaled walls God Of War style and followed QTE’s that quite frankly looked brilliant. I’ve gotta say the on-screen instructions for the QTE’s do not look out of place at all and complement the game play very well as a whole. I then had a great boss battle with King Minos, which was pretty well structured, I only have one slight problem with it mind, and that was the camera angle, having found myself at one part not being able to see what I was doing - but with that said it was an enjoyable boss battle, utilising both QTE’s and classic hack and slash boss battle game play. As a note I must say, the amount of gore and brutality in this game is insane, this is not for the faint hearted and quite frankly I think it is awesome. I mean, Hell is never a nice place to be and you can definitley tell EA have thought about that, a lot.

After demolishing King Minos I then was taken on a nice raft ride down the river Styx. Upon arrival I was confronted by a person who had been banished to hell, and I had the opportunity to either save him, so he could go to heaven, or damn his sorry ass. What I thought was odd was that the demo didn’t let me save him, I pressed the button, but nothing happened. Seeing as this is a pre release taster I didn’t hold a grudge, so I jammed my crucifix into his head and he was banished to hell forever.

The river Styx was your typical boat ride that gets invaded by flying hell beasts. At this point I noticed the circle button shot holy light from my crucifix, meaning that this was Dante’s answer to a projectile weapon. This was dead handy for attacking foes from a distance. The wonderful boat ride turned out not to be a boat at all, I was in fact riding on top of a humongous fire demon’s head, he jumped out of the water and decided crush me, this then led to a boss fight of sorts which involved a lot of dodging and some great platforming elements to boot.

For me, Dante’s Inferno is a great hack ‘n’ slash title, a worthy opponent for the genre’s top spot. It combines great game play with quite frankly stunning level design. If you have read the poem you will be quite satisfied with how well it sticks to the source material, that said it is also puts a great modern day style twist to it. This game is definitely one for my ‘I Want Now’ List.

Garv

Since Eurogamer was huge, we’ve have a ton of info coming in over the expo. To help keep you up to date with what we’ve seen and covered, here’s a list of all the Eurogamer stuff we’ve covered so far! Also be sure to check out the Eurgamer 2009 Videos via the link at the top of this section as we post them.

Garvaos

Alien Vs Predator Multiplayer Preview
Dante’s Inferno Preview
James Cameron’s Avatar And 3D Gaming Preview
Left 4 Dead 2 Multiplayer Preview (With GuitarGirl24)
LittleBigPlanet PSP Hands-on Preview!

Leon

Assassins Creed II Preview
God Of War III Preview
Heavy Rain Insight with David Cage
Red Steel 2 Preview
Uncharted 2: Among Thieves Preview

GuitarGirl24

Brutal Legend Preview
Fairytale Fights Hands-On Preview
Left 4 Dead 2 Multiplayer Preview (With Garvaos)
New Super Mario Bros Wii Preview
Rabbids Go Home Preview

Ray

Tutsunoko Vs Capcom: Ultimate All Stars Preview

Sam

Mario And Luigi Bowsers Inside Story
Professor Layton And Pandora’s Box Preview

A while back I did a taster post on my first impressions of EA’s Dante’s Inferno. The 3rd person hack and slash game, based on the first part of the classic poem which is known as Dante’s Divine Comedy.

Back then I  had mixed feelings. I mean there is a good collection of Hack and Slash franchises that are out there already. With God Of War, Devil May Cry and even Ninja Gaiden holding their top spots on their proverbial leader board. That said the footage I have seen more of Dante’s Inferno and it looks pretty good, a lot lf thought has gone into it. So here is my little in site into the game, highlighting what you may expect from the  quite an adventurous outing for EA’s attempt at the Hack and Slash genre.

Lets start from the beginning. The original poem of Dante’s Divine Comedy was written back in around the 1300′s by an Italian known as Dante Alighieri. The poem outlined what he thought the christian afterlife was like, it consisted of three parts, Inferno (Hell), Purgatorio (Purgatory), and Paradiso (Heaven). The first part of the poem, Inferno, outlines a character called Dante making his way through the nine circles of hell, being guided by Virgil, who is Dante’s guide throughout Inferno and Purgatorio.

Now I know what you’re thinking, and no, Capcom did not create the original Dante and Vergil. History aside, the makers of Dante’s Inferno have tried to stay loyal to the original poem by using lines from the text itself, so as you may gather the game is narrated by the main character.

The game will have you controlling Dante as he makes his way through the nine circles of hell; Limbo (not Purgatory), Lust, Gluttony, Greed, Wrath, Heresy, Violence, Fraud and Treachery. Each circle will be themed accordingly and will have end of circle boss battles. So far only a handful of bosses have been confirmed, with Limbo having King Minos, Lust having the ever so wonderful Cleopatra, Gluttony housing Cerberus, Greed the home of Plutus and in the wrath circle you will be pitted against Phlegyas. All these bosses are beings from the original text.

As it is the Tokyo Game show this week. Dante’s Inferno has ben showing off its Lust circle. Of corse I had to do some reading up about it, and I can safely tell you now that this game is by no means for the faint of heart. Now when we think of Lust its all about erotic nudity which makes all the blokes happy. The kind of Lust in Dante’s inferno however, is grotesque, hellish and somewhat sickening. Cleopatra herself (the Lust Boss) is indeed topless, but having demon tongues protrude from her nipples followed by demon babies - yeah, not the kind of thing to help you sleep at night.

Now there has been some controversy over he gameplay of this game. People who have played it says it plays like God of War, but with a new skin over it. In some ways, this can be good - because you know your probably gonna get some great game play. But in other ways, it’s not gonna be that original and will probably tick off those hardcore God of War fans out there. But that aside, the game play will feature you weilding a huge scythe made out of bones. You will get a healthy dose of Quick Time Events and just plain hack and slash fun. Your buddy Virgil will be setting you puzzles within the circles too, so it’s not just kill kill kill.

To me this game is definitely one I am going to keep my eye on, and when Plus XP hits Eurogamer next month be sure to check out my Hands-On preview of the game.

Garv!

OUT NOW:

Ninja Blade: As i am a hack and slash nut this one will come to no surprise. After playing the demo. I was quite impressed with it. I was initially thinking it was gonna be a ninja Gaiden knock off but i was pleasantly surprised. The use of weapons, quick time events and platforming did impress me.

Gears Of War 1 and 2: I was a fool. I had gears of war 1 once it was amazing but i got rid of it so i could get y greasy mitts on another game, which i cant remember off the top of my head. Everyone is playing Horde made on GOW 2 and GOW 2 does look amazing. 3rd person shooter aren’t really my thing but GOW does them justice!

Left 4 Dead: Just for on-line really. One of those game i would rather ind in a bargin bin somewhere so i can play my mates on live with it. Played it once, thought it was a good game for what it was, but i can assure you i want be buying i for the single player experience

Fear 1 and 2: This may sound peculiar to some of you but my Girlfriend likes watching me play games. We both went though bioshock together. And now we have both seen odds and ends of FEAR we want to put the 2 games trough their paces. Dont you jut love relationships

COMING OUT THIS YEAR: (this is where the good bit is :p)

Guitar Hero Metallica 29/05/2009 : It still annoys me that a load of Americans are playing this game right now probably as i type seeing as they got it in march. But us EU fans are still twiddeling our thumbs for this gem of a game. We have already had a taste when we downloaded the GH metallica demo. But i want more. Me being an avid metallica and GH fan this is the music game of my dreams so far, a host of great metallica songs coupled with the option t play as the band makes me happy

Prototype 12/06/2009 : I love GTA, Zombies are great too. super powers are awesome and generally causing destruction around the city of new york is my cup of tea. When i first heard of prototype i was a bit sceptical. But as i have been looking at news and videos my expectations of the game have grown. the ability to mould Alex how you ant him looks great. I really cannot wait for this one.

Batman: Arkham Asylum 19/06/2009 : As far as comic book games go. None have really stood out to me. I was a tad excited about spider man web of shadows but that didn’t last long. So what is Arkham Asylum different? Well for me it how grimy, dark and deliciously evil it looks. It also has the joker. This game is definitely targeted at an older audience just highlighting the fact that batman isn’t just for kids. I have high hopes, reminds me a little of manhunt so should be fun.

Tales of Vesperia 03/07/2009 : One of the few games i enjoyed on the Game cube was tales of symphonia. Ok i didn’t play the game all th way through but when i did play it on coop round my mates house i was impressed. The 360 is still in need of a decent long RPG. Granted fable was good i wont knock that but we need a game with a party and 50 hours of game play. :p Blue dragon got boring after a while. So why is TOV on my wanted list? well if its anything like the cube game i will be plenty happy!

Wolfenstien 28/08/2009 : Yay! was my first reaction when the classic wolfenstien series was announced a come back to the 360. First FPS I played. Surprisingly enjoyed the return to castle wolfenstien on the original Xbox so i have high hopes for this game. It will be lik horde mode on call of duty WAW but better seeing as its got a whole game around it. Even thinking about the game makes me happy.

Halo 3 – ODST 25/09/2009 : Me being a huge Halo 3 nut! (Even my xbox ix covered in cammo Green with halo scrawled on it) This is one of my must haves of the year. Its pitting you against he covernant as an Orbital Drop Shock Trooper (ODST) so you wont have your spartan armour. This is going to be a great game because it will focus’s more on survival and tactics. Cannot wait! And with new multi player to the halo 3 universe i think i may explode with excitement!

Bayonetta 25/09/2009 : Still a little sceptical. A game by sega and one of the brains behind devil may cry. Another hack and slash where you play as a witch who has magic hair and looks like a secretary combined with a dominatrix. Add some stilettos with gun attachments and nakedness when you perform uber attacks and you have a game…Will it flop? Will it be a pervs paradise? or will it be a greatly challenging and compelling game. Well one way to find out. Gonna have to wait though.

Bisoshock 2 30/10/2009 : Well if you haven’t been reading this blog let me point you here, here and here. Bioshock, one of the best FPS games ever made In my opinion and i greet the sequel with open arms. Playing as a big daddy 10 years after the events of bioshock 1? yes please

Max Payne 3 30/10/2009 : When this was announced I jumped for joy, The first gaming series to use bullet time and its coming back for this generation. I am stoked another 3rd person shooter game that does the genre justice. Great story and great game play from the firs 2 games lets see hat the 3rd installment has to offer.

2010:

Final Fantasy XIII : A must have RPG for any RPG fan out there with new improvements to game play and it being a part of square enix’s greatest RPG franchise. I simply cannot wait. As i aid before the 360 needs a good RPG

Dante’s Inferno : Hack ad slash, 7 circles of hell and a great poem i think  make a good game. From one of the makers of God Of War i am remaining positive that this game will be good. Take a look!

Well hopefully that’s given you a glimpse of whats to come. The release dates are subject to change and are a rough estimation.

Now i need cash and a job.

Anyone?

No?

Garv!