I have been without Xbox Live for about two months now, and I am pretty damn surprised on how much stuff I am missing out on. I feel like that the games I got for Christmas are significantly missing something without access to DLC. I have had Fallout 3 for some time now and haven’t bought any of the story Add on packs, I feel like I only have half a game now, god knows if Boarderlands will follow the same suit.

So are game developers crossing the line here? Well for starters I can think of some perfect examples where, without a shadow of a doubt, Developers are taking the biscuit. Lets take Soul Caliber IV into consideration here. Now your probably have a pretty good idea on what I am gonna say here but, for those of you who don’t know, when soul caliber IV was released they released star wars own Yoda for the Xbox 360 version and Darth Vader for the PS3 version. Absolutely no problem with that, seeing as Soul Caliber 2 did the same thing (They released Haihanchi for PS2, Link for Game Cube and Spawn for Xbox.) So when you played through Soul Caliber IV and eventually unlocked all the characters there was still a blank space for a character. About a month later Namco releases Darth Vader for Download on the Xbox Live Market Place and Yoda up for grabs on the PlayStation Network, you have to pay for both of these characters in order to down load them. A bit stingy to my mind seeing as Soul Caliber 2 had no option to get the other console exclusive charters. It was then uncovered that both Vader and Yoda had already been programmed into both the PS3 and Xbox versions of the game, meaning you were paying for a means to unlock the character as opposed to actually downloading it. What….The…..F&$£!

Street Fighter IV did the same with downloadable costume packs, but it is not only the fighting games that are being a little cheap with DLC games such as Ninja Gaiden II which also had downloadable costumes. But the DLC saga doesn’t stop there. Before the release of GTA Episodes From Liberty City the lost and damned and the ballad of gay tone were DLC only, they had all these new element to add to the GTA IV environment which weren’t in the original game, meaning that when they came out Niko’s city seemed really empty compared to the city that Johnny and Luis were in. With that example in mind, it does beg the question whether Developers are making half arsed attempts of games? Because in the back of their minds they are thinking, ‘Oh, its ok we can bulk it out with DLC at a later date, also means more money for us‘ (Que Pound Signs in the eyes).

Even though there are Developers out there who are just milking the cash cow of each release they have. There are some out there who I have the utmost respect for, because they are making and releasing their titles with minimal DLC and putting the new improved stuff in the next game. Perfect example is Left 4 Dead. First game had the minimum of killing zombies with guns and explosives and fighting you way through the hordes to survive. Left 4 Dead 2 is an improvement on that with much more, like gun upgrades, melee weapons, new enemies etc etc. So why the hell did L4D fans start complaining and boycotting this game just because they thought it would be better as a DLC pack!? Back on the PS2 no one thought ‘Hang on a second. I refuse to buy GTA Vice City because its only an updated GTA III, I want a game add-on disk!‘ It just doesn’t make sense. To my mind DLC has made the gaming world go a bit barmy, with Developers thinking money money money and games not knowing really what is makes really good DLC.

A Welcome Addition To The Zombie Slaying Sequel

For me some DLC can be justified, other are just taking the mickey. I can understand story add-ons to make the game longer but new costumes you have to pay money for? Really? Rockband and Guitar hero must be laughing at the moment. I hate to be the poor soul who went and bought the Band kit then every single DLC song under the sun. They have probably spent more money on that than the console they are playing it on.

Garv

Back in my uni days I was a sucker for trading in games. This was partly so I can get the latest games a little bit cheaper and I really didn’t think that any of my titles were worth hanging on to except a select few. My collection kept changing and changing. It was a fantastic way to save money and get some good titles in the process.

Ever since things like Xbox LIVE and Steam on PC started to do downloadable games, I was always a tiny bit put off when the words NO REFUND FOR THIS PURCHASE came up on-screen when you were just about to hit the download button. I always thought if retail games were allowed to be traded in once you are done with them, shouldn’t download games get the same treatment?

From one stand point you could say royalties are something that should be considered, game developers and publishers are working their butt’s off for these games and yet when people are finished with them they get traded in and then some gamer is gonna pick buy it again and then the game creators get nothing. This is why EA have probably done the whole multiplayer lock thing, so that they can get something back from the trade ins. It is a very touchy subject whatever side of the coin you look at it, but I have stumbled across a website that grabbed my interest almost instantly. (I say stumbled a nice gaming man emailed me and said check this out, I was then pleasantly surprised at what I had been sent. )

A website called Greenman gaming that does digital download games, which you can trade in after your done a great concept which someone should have done sooner, but not only that, they also pay royalties back to the game creators. Making us the gamers and the game creators very happy. I thought this was a perfect idea, for all of you who are interested here is their business synopsis in full:

“Green Man Gaming (GMG) is a UK based independent digital retailer for PC Games. Using globally unique proprietary technology, GMG offer consumers the ability to trade-in digitally downloaded games for new purchases and publishers the ability to generate ongoing revenue from their intellectual property. Green Man Gaming is the only retailer in both the online and offline world to pay a royalty back to the publisher on all pre-owned sales.

There are currently some 500 titles available to purchase from 50 publishing partners.  These games have been sold in to 89 countries around the world.”

Sounds pretty awesome, and recently they have done a website overhaul which includes a desktop widget that can automatically launch the games you have bought from the site, and also puts the gamer in control of all their trade ins.

A fantastic idea if you ask me, and something that Sony and Microsoft should take into account. I think digital media should be something that you are able to trade in, and I also thing Trade-ins should give something back to the game creators. Maybe if we give something back to the creators they will stop doing pointless DLC that should be on the game disk in the first place and stop locking out multiplayer options on second-hand games.

Gamers of earth the green man has spoken

Garv.

Check the website out at: www.greenmangaming.com

On Friday I announced a competition here on Plus XP. I had 10 codes to give away for the latest Fist Of The North Star: Ken’s Rage DLC for PlayStation 3.

The competition was simple. Think of a caption of this screen shot, and 10 of the best captions will receive a the prize of Shin & Thouzer’s Original Costumes & 2 New Missions which would usually cost £4.99/€6.19 each.

It would appear that only nine people entered the competition. I am a man of my word and congratulations to those nine people, you have each won the DLC. But what did I think was the best caption of the lot?

Well here are my top three captions that people submitted with the last caption being the overall winner in my opinion.

-> “In Fist of the North star – the facepalm owns YOU!” By Richard

->“Come here and let me kiss you!” Love on the battlefield is not always the norm but there is nothing wrong with a crowd to watch!” By Daryl

-> “Not quite what I had in mind, when I said I’d come In handy…” By Kotesukesai

So there you have it people. Everyone is a winner this time round. To claim your prizes E-mail us at competitions@plusxp.com with the title. ‘Give Me My Fist Of The North Star DLC!” and I will E-Mail you the codes at some point today.

Thanks for playing guys.

Garv

November last year saw the release of Fist Of The North Star: Kens Rage on the PlayStation3 and XBox 360. The game based on the hit Anime and Manga series, told the story of Kenshiro and his battle against his brothers and his struggle to be soul successor to the fighting style Hokotu Shinken.

I reviewed the game and was really impressed by the sheer amount of content and how everything in the game pretty much came together perfectly. Also I loved how loyal it was to the original story and how you can pretty much play as any character from the story.

Tecmo Koei have been releasing Downloadable Content  for this game left right and center, making this game even more ram packed with than it already is. January 12th saw the DLC release of Shin & Thouzer’s Original Costumes & 2 New Missions.

We have been given Not 1, Not 2 Not even 3 but 10 yes 10 codes for this DLC for PlayStation 3 which are worth £4.99/€6.19 each. Want your chance to win one? Well here is how you do so.

We are doing a good old caption competition and the 10 best captions for this screen shot will get the codes It couldn’t be easier!

Add your caption as a comment to this post for your chance of winning.

Competition closes on Sunday the 23rd of Jan 2011 and winners will be announced on the following Monday at 8AM. The winners will then need to email competitions@plusxp.com to claim their prizes.

This competition is open to gamers in Europe only. Good luck!

It’s been a little while since the excellent Castlevania: Lords of Shadow was released, and there have been words of DLC floating around for a little while, with no real solid information. Well that’s all now changed – as we can proudly announce some real info on what players should expect.

There are two bits of DLC planned for 2011 - and both will expand upon Lords of Shadow‘s already lengthy plot – entitled ‘Reverie‘ and ‘Resurrection‘, also adding new areas and enemies to the game. Read on – but beware, while major spoilers are kept secret, there are one or two minor spoilers for those of you who like to know absolutely nothing before playing a game, and have yet to play the main game.

Reverie

Firstly, Reverie will see Gabriel returning to the castle of Carmilla, where the child-vampire Laura still presides. Unknown to Gabriel, a powerful evil lurks within the castle and with Carmilla gone, it has been left unchecked for too long. Looks like we’ll be seeing the return of Laura, and undoubtedly a new boss or two. Reverie is currently dated for February 2011.

Resurrection

While Reverie sounds like a nice addition to the title, Resurrection looks to be even more impressive – and will supposedly be longer than Reverie, as well. Set directly after the game’s ending, players will continue Gabriel’s journey, giving us some much-needed insight into the game’s jaw-dropping epilogue. Also – we’ll apparently be seeing a “final showdown with a notorious enemy”. Excited? Resurrection is dated to come to be released in April 2011.

So there you have it - a two month wait till Reverie, and then another two months till Resurrection. There’s currently no pricing for either pack, but I’m expecting we’ll get a decent bang for our buck. I’m hoping both packs will give us a good couple of hours of additional gameplay, and continue to keep Lords of Shadow fresh for 2011. That is, until we start hearing news about the sequel that’s already in the works!

-Leon

Gamers now-a-days are a pretty skint bunch of people. But don’t fret as the lovely people at X Box LIVE like to give you trial’s of games. These trials give you some play time and some are worth more time than others. Luckily Plants Vs Zombies is one of those trials that is worth downloading.

So what is Plants Vs Zombies? It is a game that I really didn’t expect. Another title by Pop Cap games, the people behind the, quite frankly marvelous game, Peggle. This is a strategy game where you have to fend off a horde of zombies, the zombies are trying to attack your house, so your most deadliest weapon against this undead horde is….Your Garden.

The idea behind this game is to create a garden that will be the perfect defence again the zombies. As this is a trial version you are not going to be able to unlock the full foliage arsenal but you do get a good deal of weapons. Such as cherry bombs, walnuts that defend your garden for an extended time and flowers that shoot things at the zombies.

Now with all strategy games you have to collect resources to build you army. This game is no different. You have to collect sunshine to grow your garden. Each thing you build costs sunshine and the more sunshine you have the bigger things you can create, so you have to balance your sunshine with the things you create. That’s where sun flowers come in. These handy flowers generate sunshine for you, so the more sunflowers you plant the more plentiful your sunshine resource will be.

The enemies on the other hand can be quite threatening in numbers. In the trial you get 2 types of zombies. Normal zombies who die in a couple of shots from your shooting flowers. And traffic cone zombies who have a higher defence, as they have a traffic cone on their head. So you have to get he right balance of defence and offence for these two types pf zombies. If you are not careful these guys will come in their tens or even hundreds so be careful and make the perfect garden that will extinguish the zombie horde.

Aside from constructing the perfect killer garden, there is also the bonus rounds. These rounds are a bit silly and rack up some good points. The bonus rounds in Plants Vs Zombies consist of bowling walnuts at the on coming zombie horde. You have 2 types of Walnut. The standard walnut, 2 of these can take down zombies in two hots, and the other is the exploding walnut which can take down up to three zombies at a time. As you can imagine the exploding walnuts aren’t as common at the standard so tactical bowling is needed here, seeing as the traffic cone zombies are thrown into the mix too and take four hits as opposed to two hits like the standard zombies do.

Plants Vs Zombies is a really imaginative game. You would never think that plants were the mortal enemies of zombies, but if this game is anything to go by they are. A simple game with an obscene amount of levels. The trial is worth getting for the skint of us out there. Now does anyone have some spare MS points so I can buy the full game?

Garv

Back on the Sega Mega-Drive, one of my favorite games I would play constantly was Streets Of Rage 2. For some reason 1 and 3 didn’t compare to the second outing of thug bashing. Plus there was a kid on roller blades who I thought was awesome. So I started off playing beat ‘em ups, a side from the classic FPS games which I don’t really need to mention  now.

When I finally got to play Castle Crashers on XBL I loved it, but for the life of me couldn’t complete the damn thing on my own. It was a perfect mix of old school beat ‘em up, plus some awesome medieval and quite comical graphics and theme, it was truly a game that brought back some fond memories.

Since then I have been thinking, what would be the perfect game to combine Castle Crashers and Streets Of Rage 2? Well put simply, there wasn’t one out on the market…Untill now.

I have been following Scott Pilgrim Vs The World intently. I have all the comic bar Volume 6 (just finished volume 5 see) I am pretty much booking the evening off for the day the film comes out, and to be honest I just think the whole concept of Scott Pilgrim is just beyond awesome. You may remember the post I did about the whole Scott Pilgrim universe a couple of weeks ago, but if you don’t the basic story is that Scott has fallen head over heals with a girl named Ramona Flowers and in order to date her he has to defeat her seven evil Ex-es, throw in a tone of video game references and you have a pretty awesome story. In the last post I only showed you a video of what the game has to offer, but now I can give you an insight into the game and what the Downloadable has in store for noobs and Pilgrim fanatics a like.

Character select, Mario style - Taken from IGN.com

From the get go you get to choose from 4 different characters. Scott Pilgrim himself, Ramona Flowers Scott’s love interest, Stephen Stills who is Scott’s friend and lead singer of his band Sex Bob-bomb and Kim Pine who is the band’s drummer. All of these characters have their own set of unlockable moves (which are unlocked as you level up though the game, much like Castle Crashers) and unique special attacks, they also have the ability to call in for a striker to help them for a momentary time. It is all what we are pretty much used to when it comes to a 2D side scrolling beat ‘em up. But there are a couple of nice little touches that keep the game fresh. For instance you can use sub-space if you so wish. On your travels if you find a door marked Sub-space you can use it to take a short cut through that level, this is completely in optional, in subspace you will find a number of mini games, one of which is a mini game where you have to destroy flying piggy banks to collect their coins.

Well that's sub space for ya - Taken From IGN.com

As with all old school beat ‘em ups, it’s not all about punching and kicking. Scott Pilgrim is no different, you do have some weapons at your disposal you can pick up bats, recycling bins, and even snowballs which does always add a nice element of carnage in there, but the really cool thing is you can pick up your team mates and do a team up attack also, nice touch.

Well that’s a little bit more info on the up coming game, I personally can’t wait for this title. Oh, but one bit of good news is that the Xbox 360 version of the game has been confirmed, so I am breathing a sigh of relief at least.

Scott Pilgrim Vs The World hits PlayStation network on August 10th and Xbox LIVE Arcade on August 25th. Pre-order you PSN version and get an awesome Sex Bob-bom T-shirt for your PlayStation home avatar.

I hope they do one for XBox LIVE avatars…..

Garv.

The long hot summer is officially here and aside from E3 not a lot has been catching my attention recently. Perhaps the lack of exciting new games is a ploy by the ice-cream men  to make us all go outside and see some real sunlight. Or maybe all of the developers just thought “Sod it, its too hot! Lets go to a water park…” and have left their respective offices in search of summer merriment. I suppose its probably more likely that everyone is simply saving their new releases until prime Christmas present buying season, but I like my reasons better. At least they had ice-cream.

Ice cream and water parks aside I am still left with a problem. How do I fill the long pre-Christmas gaming void in the summer months ahead. The sun is all well and good for a while, but how am I meant to entertain myself when extremely hot, sunburnt and more likely than not feeling just plain Lazy? I needed a solution, and luckily I soon had a plan. Indie games. Indie game manufactures don’t stop because of the heat and even better than this I don’t even need to venture out of my relatively cool flat for new content. One problem though, which to buy? With so much Downloadable content available on live how do you chose which Indie title is most deserving of your hard saved Microsoft points? I feel some mini reviews coming on…

Avatar Paintball

I thought it only right to start my mini review series with the game currently holding the title of most popular download, Avatar paintball. Within seconds of downloading this demo it was clear that this game simply does what it says on the tin. You, in the form of your Avatar play paintball. A basic point a shoot game, you run around the local landscape (in this case a small town) shooting anything which moves. The graphics of the game are styled to be in keeping with the Avatars, making the overall experience simple but pleasing.  In the main game you have the opportunity to use power ups and purchase better paintball guns, but apart from this it would seem that this game stays relatively simple. Point, shoot, redecorate.

A small downside though. Although the full game looks like it could be quite good fun I must say that the demo version of Avatar Paintball was one of the most disappointing. Unlike the main game where you can play against multiple characters online, the demo consists mainly of a practice mode where you are allowed only to shoot at static targets, or walls, both are equally entertaining. Another annoying part of the demo was that the Y, B and A buttons all take you to a separate menu to purchase the game. I constantly found myself trying to jump and instead being taken to the buy game screen, which wouldn’t be a problem if you wanted to purchase this game, but made for a very annoying Demo. Though this game was very dull when played alone, it is easy to see that its main potential is when played with large groups. The game allows for up to 16 players using live, so if you like simple, yet addictive multiplayer gaming this one could be for you.

Cost: 240G
Developer: Digital DNA
Players: 2-16
Star Rating: 3
Final comments: One to play with friends online, don’t bother with the free demo!

Baby Maker extreme

Next in the Top downloads chart was baby maker extreme. An interesting title, and one which had me very curious. Rated 3/3 for mature content I was pretty much convinced that there would be some form of behind the bike shed action, I was however quickly proven wrong. The demo takes place in a hospital delivery room, the key aim being to shoot a baby (or your Avatar, your choice) as far across the room/hall/reception/canteen as possible. This is done by first timing your contractions by pulsating the triggers, before mashing the B button to build up maximum power before releasing. Extra points can be gained for hitting small objects with the baby as it is airborne, and a boost button aids your flight when hit at the optimum moment.

Despite this games eye catching title I must say that after only a short time the Demo got quite boring. When the novelty of catapulting a baby across a hospital wears of you are left with a very basic game which consists mainly of button mashing, and though this game can be a fun one to challenge your friends/Flatmates/Slightly confused Neighbors too the demo is again not that much fun when Played alone. I suppose I could have gravely misjudged this game, after all I did only play the demo and there could be other more entertaining mini games included with the full version. However if this demo does represent the best which Baby maker Extreme has to offer I would say save your points for something a little more inventive and with a slightly more accurate title.

Cost: 80G
Developer: Stegosaurus games
Players: 1
Star Rating: 4
Final comments: Fun for the first five minutes but judging by the demo we have probably seen it all before.

Avatar Ninja

After playing Avatar paintball I expected that Avatar Ninja would be a similar concept. Play as your Avatar, beat up your online friends. I could not however have been more wrong. Unlike the 16 player free for all that is Avatar paintball, Avatar Ninja challenges you to a series of structured reaction based tasks which can be completed alone or against an online challenger. In the demo you must tap A in time with a set rhythm in order to make Ninja you run the length of a ling side-Scrolling pathway collecting gold and silver coins. As you run you must use the X, Y and B buttons to dodge various objects which appear in your way, whilst all the time maintaining the rhythmic tapping of A.

Like most of the other online Indie games Avatar Ninja has a simple concept. However unlike some of the other games I trailed this game has quite a high addiction factor and is still quite entertaining when played alone. After a couple of goes at this demo I began to challenge myself to reach the automatic Demo cut off point at level five, and if the demo was this addictive I can only assume that the rest of the game is quite entertaining. The free online Demo gives a pretty good trial of this game, and if you like the demo at only 80G this game is not exactly going to break the bank.

Cost: 80G
Developer: Milkstone Studios
Players: 1
Star Rating: 4
Final comments: Quite fun and addictive, not at all bad for 80G

Try not to fart

Out of all of the Indie games I tried this week ‘Try not to fart’ was without a doubt both the most entertaining and the most addictive. Using the winning combination of naively drawn characters and adult themes the story is simple. You are on a date with a girl when you feel the need to…well…lets just say you need to deal with some gas. Not wanting to offend your new lady friend with your windy ways the aim of the game is to hold it in. At all costs. In order to keep your dating dignity you must press and hold multiple buttons (Including RB, LB, RT, LT, X, Y, B, and A) releasing them only when prompted to do so. If you succeed in this task you will have charmed your way towards a second date. However if you miss a button, or release a button at the wrong time a green gas cloud starts to fill the room, and if this gas becomes too thick you will simultaneously offend your date and lose the game.

Reading this you may be thinking that this game seems easy, but by the end of the three level demo the random and varied combinations of buttons this game throws at you makes it not only quite hilarious but also deceptively challenging. Watching this game you may wonder why anyone would fail it, but play some of the later levels and you will realize that ‘Try not to fart’ closely resembles playing a game of finger twister with your 360 controller. Add to this the distraction of the random date night dialogue and we have what I think is the perfect mix of addictive mini games and childishly adult humor. I Love this game. There I have said it. These things are better out than in anyway…

Cost: 80G
Developer:Silver Dollar Games
Players: 1
Star Rating: 3.5
Final comments: My favorite!

Apple Jack

It would be foolish to comprise an Indie game review without including at least a couple of Platform based games. The first I chose to trial was Apple Jack. Unsurprisingly you play this game as…well…Apple Jack, a feisty young go getter with an apple on his head…or is the apple actually his head…I am still unsure…if you know please tell me. Anyway, in true platform style you must battle through over 100 colorful 2D levels in order to rescue your beloved lost dog. It is not however all blue skies and Orchards. Along your way you will encounter a number of enemies which you must destroy by picking up and throwing at each other. The fact that each enemy can only be destroyed by another, and the enemies can only be moved in certain ways means that this game is in essence as much of a puzzle game as a true platformer. Oh and did I mention that in this game washing machines are classed as enemies? I always knew they were evil…

I enjoyed Apple Jack and after playing the demo have a feeling that the full game will provide a lot more entertainment hours than a lot of the other inexpensive Indie games. Whats more, the free online Demo consists of several levels of the full game ending only with a time out, making it well worth the 2 minute download time.

Cost: 80G
Developer:My owl software
Players: 1
Star Rating: 4.5
Final comments: A nice platform game with lots of levels.

Bloody death

Now to a slightly more confusing Indie game, Bloody death. Though I can stand any level of gore within gaming, I must admit that I am not the worlds biggest fan of horror movies. I don’t like creepy tension building music, I don’t like jumpy filming and above all I don’t like high levels of gore (That is unless I am causing it, that is somehow ok). You can therefore understand that when I loaded Bloody Death and saw that it was quick time event game set in a fully fledged horror movie I nearly pressed the big glowing X-box button to flea to online safety. Resisting the urge to escape to the home screen I ventured on, trying to ignore the creepy music and thankfully the game soon loaded. I was met by the scene of a terrified girl in a white nightdress cowering behind an old sofa. In the doorway stood a dark bloodstained figure, holding a carving knife. Bodies littered the floor. After a good look around the room the game informed me that quicktime events would determine weather I was to live or die. I waited patiently for my first challenge.

Then after a short pause the game presented me with a single quicktime event, the successful completion of which prompted the murder to walk away allowing my character to continue with her evening of behind the sofa crying. It cannot be denied, this was a little bit of an anti-climax. I don’t know if it was the shoddy acting (sorry actors!) or the lack of interaction which let this game down. All I know is the loading screen seemed far more scary than the game itself, and this cannot be a good thing. I expect that the full version of this game is a lot more frightening, and It can be safely assumed that the quicktime events will get faster as you progress. To me however even if the game became truly terrifying and a lot faster it would still be more of an interactive visual event than a game. If anything Bloody Death was more of an interactive movie, so If you find yourself craving cheesy horror and like the idea of multiple outcomes this could be one for you.

Cost: 240G
Developer: MonkeyWare Studios
Players: 1
Star Rating: 2
Final comments: A cheesy interactive horror movie and comparatively quite expensive.

Miner Dig deep

I decided to end my mini review session with Miner Dig Deep, for no other reason than it is the most chilled out of all of the games I tried and thus won’t wind you up before bedtime. Another single player game, you play as a teeny little miner who must use his trusty pick axe and lantern to uncover as much treasure as possible. In the demo you are given the starts of a basic mine, which you can then use to uncover treasures of varying value. These treasures can be traded in for lantern fuel, ladders, better tools or even lifts, which in turn allow you to go back into the mine and uncover more wonderful treasures. This game is made more interesting by the fact that your time in the mine is limited by the gas level of your lantern. Dig too deep or for too long and your light will extinguish, meaning that in this game you must balance your gold lust with good timing.

Very cute and not too challenging this game is definitely one for chill out time. Though it did not have the excitement factor or hilarity of some of the other games Miner dig deep left me with an undeniable urge to download the full game simply because of the strong sense of investment I had developed in fulfilling the gold based dreams of my little mining friend. Your probably getting the feeling that I was more than a little attached to my miniature miner and his funny little walk…this seems like a good place to end my Indie reviewing spree.

Cost: 80G
Developer:Robir
Players: 1
Star Rating: 4.5
Final comments: A cute chilled out little game which makes me want to go out digging.

And there you have it. If you want to play alone then Apple Jack and Miner Dig Deep seem to have the most content for your money. If you have friends over then taking turns on Try not to fart is my pick for entertainment value and if you are one for online multiplayer challenges then it looks like endless Avatar paintball matches could be for you.

Oh and I Maed a gam3 w1th zombies 1n it!!!1 is also worth checking out. A bit like Geometry wars but with Zombies and those virtual snakes we all remember from old Nokia phones. Still, if none of this floats your boat I suggest Frisbee in the park of Hibernation until the winter. Both are also good options.

Until next time,

24

x

Disclaimer: The interviews for Inside Look are the ideas of the Plus XP Team ONLY and are not the ideas of the creators and developers of the games. All characters interviewed in Inside Look remain the property of the video game developers and creators. Basically we are sorry if we took your characters guys, we promise we’ll give them back.

WARNING: This weeks episode will contain a small spoiler from ‘The Passing’ DLC for Left For Dead 2. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!

Edward: Hello, and welcome to Plus XP’s Inside Look! I’m your host for this week, Edward Price, so let’s give a warm round of applause to me!

…

Oh, that’s fine. I see how it is. Jerks.

Anyway, since my long rehabiliation after my last Inside Look and despite being fired after my last article here at Plus XP, I finally decided I was healthy enough to come back and give everyone another Inside Look into the amazing world of videogames!

This week, already here on the couch ready to be interviewed is one of Plus XP’s favourite new gaming characters to come out of a new favourite series of games, Bill from Left 4 Dead!

Bill’s here to promote the new downloadable content for Left 4 Dead 2, “The Passing”. New weapons, new locations, and the return of the original cast, tying together the two stories and leading to loads more fun for Left 4 Dead fans!

So, to those less educated about Bill, he’s a Green Beret and a Vietnam veteran. So I guess that the harrowing conditions in which you and three of your friends had to battle your way through relentless hordes of infected people was in some ways, similar at least to your previous incarnations in the army, Bill?

Okay, yeah, that’s probably quite a hard question to start off with… Would you say it at least, made you the most prepared of the other survivors?

Okay, so you don’t want to answer that either. Okay, uhhh…

Uhhh, this is pretty difficult if you don’t even attempt to reciprocate conversation. Uhh, is this a new Cologne you’re wearing? It’s very potent, at the least…

Your favourite weapon?

Favourite character from L4D2? I’m still tied between Ellis and Nick, myself. Did you find yourself getting on with any of them?

Wanna hear a funny story about when I was playing Left 4 Dead 1? Basically, me and my friend Keith…

…

He died.

Look, Bill, just because you’re covered in boomer bile, bloody, and now canonically dead doesn’t mean that you can’t answer some questions! Everyone at home is expecting some serious gaming journalism here, and I can’t deliver that to them if you don’t at least answer some questions or at least plug the new Passing DLC! Available via downloadable content free for PC and 560 Microsoft Points for Xbox 360! Get yours today!

Garvaos: Hey wait, he’s canonically dead?

Ed: Yeah, apparently he’s dead now.

Leon: How did that happen?

Ed: Well, you’ll probably have to buy “The Passing” to find out! The new downloadable content for-

Leon: Wait, you said covered in boomer bile? And can you stop working in product placement into your regular speech? It’s kind of annoying.

Ed: Yeah, that boomer bile made it really difficult to carry him away from that dumpster Valve left him in. It kind of stinks, don’t you think? It’s like somebody cooked animal poop and human flesh into chip grease, except the chip grease makes it almost smell kind of like something you’d buy and eat if you were drunk out on the town in the early hours of the morning… Anyone feel like a kebab later?

Garvaos: You idiot! You’re just going to attract hordes of zombies after us!

Ed: Uh-uh-uh! They’re not zombies! They’re infected humans! If you start lumping the infected humans with the zombies, that just makes you look like a racist.

Garvaos: Against zombies?

Ed: They have feelings too! Granted, those feelings are mostly hunger and lust for human flesh…

Garvaos: Ed, you’ve probably attracted loads of… “infected humans”… I can’t really do the quote marks while I’m still in this chair you tied me to… Anyway, Ed, you’ve probably attracted loads of them here. I can hear them outside right now!

Ed: Those were infected? I thought they were screaming, adoring fans! I signed like, 20 autographs!

Leon: How do you sign autographs while being attacked?

Ed: It’s a skill you pick up quickly if you want to survive in this business.

Leon: This business?! You tied us up to these chairs while we were sleeping, threw Bill on the couch and started throwing questions at him like a monkey throwing poop! The only reason no one else is saying anything is because you gagged them! Also because you threw monkey poop at them and quite frankly we’re all scared you’re going to start doing that again.

Ed: Wait, if they were infected, that means that… Oh man, I hope she was just ugly…

Garvaos: They’re probably going to get in soon! You’re going to have to let us out of these chairs and help us beat them off!

Ed: …They can beat themselves-

Leon: Goddammit Ed I will kill you if you don’t let us out of these chairs right now!

Ed: Okay, jeez, fine. Man you guys are whiny when someone’s tied you up and thrown animal faeces on you…

Garvaos: Where did you even get that much faeces?

Ed: Where else were all the Timesplitters monkeys going to go when Free Radical went under?

Leon: You gave them back when they became Crytek UK, right?

Ed: As far as they know…

Garvaos: Now’s not the time! Leon, untie everyone else!

Ed: Actually, can we wait until after we’ve repelled the infected? I get the feeling they’re all going to betray me or something.

Leon: Really? Really?

Garvaos: Guys! Shut up! Untie them anyway, and we’ll sort this out after the epic battle!

Ed: Can anyone think of a really awesome line or something that people will quote from now on that we can use before we go out there?

Everyone: Nope.

Leon: Anyone got the time?

Ed: I’d say it was A Quarter Past Dead… No? Nothing? The response to that one was Dead Silent.

…Still nothing? I’ve guess it’s better to face this problem… Dead On!

Garvaos: You’re still fired. In fact, if we get out of this alive, we’re not only putting you back in that rehab centre that we’re not entirely sure how you escaped from, but I’m going change the locks and fire you again.

Ed: Oh. Well, shit.

What happens to the PlusXP crew? Will they survive their terrible ordeal? How will they defeat the hordes of Infected? And what happened to Bill? Only one way to find out the answer to all of these questions! Get “The Passing” downloadable content for Left 4 Dead 2! Free for PC and 560 Microsoft Points for the Xbox 360! Note: None of these questions will actually be answered upon purchase of content.

Garvaos: Triple fired.

Ed: Oh, goddammit!

I have been without Xbox Live for about two months now, and I am pretty damn surprised on how much stuff I am missing out on. I feel like that the games I got for Christmas are significantly missing something without access to DLC. I have had Fallout 3 for some time now and haven’t bought any of the story Add on packs, I feel like I only have half a game now, god knows if Boarderlands will follow the same suit.

So are game developers crossing the line here? Well for starters I can think of some perfect examples where, without a shadow of a doubt, Developers are taking the biscuit. Lets take Soul Caliber IV into consideration here. Now your probably have a pretty good idea on what I am gonna say here but, for those of you who don’t know, when soul caliber IV was released they released star wars own Yoda for the Xbox 360 version and Darth Vader for the PS3 version. Absolutely no problem with that, seeing as Soul Caliber 2 did the same thing (They released Haihanchi for PS2, Link for Game Cube and Spawn for Xbox.) So when you played through Soul Caliber IV and eventually unlocked all the characters there was still a blank space for a character. About a month later Namco releases Darth Vader for Download on the Xbox Live Market Place and Yoda up for grabs on the PlayStation Network, you have to pay for both of these characters in order to down load them. A bit stingy to my mind seeing as Soul Caliber 2 had no option to get the other console exclusive charters. It was then uncovered that both Vader and Yoda had already been programmed into both the PS3 and Xbox versions of the game, meaning you were paying for a means to unlock the character as opposed to actually downloading it. What….The…..F&$£!

'Scuse Me While I Go And Waste Money On Something That I Already Have

Street Fighter IV did the same with downloadable costume packs, but it is not only the fighting games that are being a little cheap with DLC games such as Ninja Gaiden II which also had downloadable costumes. But the DLC saga doesn’t stop there. Before the release of GTA Episodes From Liberty City the lost and damned and the ballad of gay tone were DLC only, they had all these new element to add to the GTA IV environment which weren’t in the original game, meaning that when they came out Niko’s city seemed really empty compared to the city that Johnny and Luis were in. With that example in mind, it does beg the question whether Developers are making half arsed attempts of games? Because in the back of their minds they are thinking, ‘Oh, its ok we can bulk it out with DLC at a later date, also means more money for us‘ (Que Pound Signs in the eyes).

Even though there are Developers out there who are just milking the cash cow of each release they have. There are some out there who I have the utmost respect for, because they are making and releasing their titles with minimal DLC and putting the new improved stuff in the next game. Perfect example is Left 4 Dead. First game had the minimum of killing zombies with guns and explosives and fighting you way through the hordes to survive. Left 4 Dead 2 is an improvement on that with much more, like gun upgrades, melee weapons, new enemies etc etc. So why the hell did L4D fans start complaining and boycotting this game just because they thought it would be better as a DLC pack!? Back on the PS2 no one thought ‘Hang on a second. I refuse to buy GTA Vice City because its only an updated GTA III, I want a game add-on disk!‘ It just doesn’t make sense. To my mind DLC has made the gaming world go a bit barmy, with Developers thinking money money money and games not knowing really what is makes really good DLC.

A Welcome Addition To The Zombie Slaying Sequel

For me some DLC can be justified, other are just taking the mickey. I can understand story add-ons to make the game longer but new costumes you have to pay money for? Really? Rockband and Guitar hero must be laughing at the moment. I hate to be the poor soul who went and bought the Band kit then every single DLC song under the sun. They have probably spent more money on that than the console they are playing it on.

Garv