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

PlayStation Network to be down longer than expected

It’s been a couple of weeks since 77 million PS3 users found themselves without access to online services – but it’s not over yet. While the PlayStation Blog announced a week ago that services should be resumed within a week, it’s now been announced that there will be a further delay in PSN services due to the severity of the attack. While this is a frustrating period for PS3 owners, Sony have assured that their priority is making sure their system is secure, so it should be for the best in the long run.

As a “Welcome back” package, Sony will be compensating it’s users with an offer of a month’s free subscription to PlayStation Plus, and also ” offering PSN users the opportunity to select two PS3 games from a list of five, as well as offering PSP users the opportunity to choose two games from a list of four.” I would assume these titles will be lower-cost games from their library, but it seems like a decent gesture considering PSN is a free-to use service.

Portal 2 DLC Officially Announced

Fans of Valve’s physics-defying sequel to Portal will be happy to hear that the game will be recieving its first batch of DLC sometime “this summer”. And better yet – it’s going to be free!

The new additions will comprise of new test chambers, as well as challenge modes for both single player and co-operative modes – adding more complex spins on the already existing chambers in the game – time limits, portal restrictions or new elements to the stages. Leaderboards will also be added for the more competitive players out there.

Obviously the term “first DLC pack” makes it sound as though we’ll be seeing more additions to the game in future, so hopefully Valve will keep supporting the game in the future.

Nintendo to allow 3rd-party developers on 3DS eShop

While the Wii does have an online store, the lack of access to third-party developers has really let it’s store go stale – once fans had downloaded their favourite old Nintendo titles, the store rarely offers anything new or innovative – especially compared to the content regularly offered on Xbox Live or PSN – titles such as Peggle, and Zen Studios’ Pinball games.

However, the 3DS will apparently be leaving this restrictive choice made by Nintendo, and instead offer third-party developers to create content to be downloaded for use on their latest handheld system. So hopefully we’ll be seeing plenty of great new handheld content in the vein of Angry Birds or Castle Crashers, as well as old NES/SNES titles and GameBoy Advance games. Let’s just hope that it’s not too late for Nintendo to gain enough interest in downloadable games to make a profit.

- Leon

The game plays similarly to the classic titles, with the objective to run through each stage collecting rings, and reaching the finish while avoiding/defeating enemies and navigating the various loops, springs and spike traps spread over the level. Now, my biggest complaint when I first booted the game was the physics of Sonic himself – he felt slower, clunkier, and less fluid than the classic titles. I must admit this was a turnoff at first, but I actually found that I got used to it the more I played, and got the hang of a few tricks as well – in all honesty, while I feel that Sonic isn’t as fast as he used to be, it’s because the game has more of a focus on maintaining speed and learning how to navigate the level without losing it. One of the biggest controversies to the latest 2D Sonic venture is the inclusion of a homing attack – by pressing jump in mid-air, Sonic will home into a targeted enemy or object. People believed this would eradicate all traces of skill in the game, with no need for any kind of precision. However, it’s actually more of a platforming mechanic – allowing Sonic to chain homing attacks to enemies to cross them to reach new side routes, while also allowing him to break into a run more quickly. It’s not all easy sailing either – if you mis-time the attack you’ll just find yourself flailing in mid-air in a more vulnerable state, so it really doesn’t give you that idea of being able to “mash the jump button and win”. I’m not saying the game is perfect – there are some occasions where platforming is awkward (such as one section where you are supposed to time jumps across a number of flipping platforms or fall to your death), but with a little practice these parts get much easier anyway.

That said, the game does feel as though it’s aimed at experienced Sonic players, rather than for first-time players. Personally I enjoyed the fact that the game wasn’t a walk in the park – considering the originals are easily accessible and still worth playing even by today’s standards, but it might put a few people off. Regardless of a few tough bits, the game really is full of nostalgia, with plenty of loops, springs, and familiar Sonic enemies that really made me smile.

That brings me to the stages. The game consists of four zones, each with three acts and a boss. However, unlike traditional Sonic titles, you may select the order you wish to attempt the stages, as the game incorporates a world-map style level select. This is great for replay value, as it makes stages very accessible, and besides – if you want to play in a more traditional way, you can always start at Splash Hill Zone Act 1, and simply press a button at the end of the stage to automatically progress to the next act without returning to the map screen. Each of the stages feels like an homage to a classic Sonic title – Splash Hill is a traditional, luscious Green Hill Zone type stage, Casino Street hearkens back to the days of Casino Night Zone, Lost Labyrinth is pretty much a remake of Labyrinth Zone, and Mad Gear feels like a new Scrap Brain Zone. Fans may either love or hate this – since the levels are very good, yet maybe a little too familiar if you’re looking for something new. That said, one thing I really loved about them was that each Act within every zone had its own unique elements – such as a sunset stage on Splash Hill Act 3, and Casino Street looking more like some kind of Caesar’s Palace as the acts progress. It was nice to see more than palette swaps, showing some real uniqueness between the acts – although to be honest I found this was a little less apparent on the Mad Gear stages. The zones all have appropriately matched music, that while fitting, were neither disappointing nor particularly memorable.

The bosses of the game are similar – they are all variations on older bosses. Most of them essentially take an older boss (such as the classic Wrecking Ball Robotnik/Eggman from Green Hill Zone) and once you’ve hit him a few times, the music changes and his attack pattern changes – in the case of the first boss, he suddenly starts swinging the ball in a 360 degree slam attack. While some players may feel that the game should have created new bosses, rather than re-making old ones, I personally enjoyed the nostalgia, with the variations enough to mix it up and keep it fresh. The bosses range from easy to hard, and while some people may at first find some frustrating (such as one that uses instant-kill crushing attacks akin to the final boss of Sonic 1), I found that with a little concentration and practice, they mostly offer average challenge. The bosses have now also been separated as stages of their own (rather than at the end of Act 3), which you may either like or dislike depending on your personal preference – I’m undecided, as it makes them easier to access, but it feels a little less like a traditional Sonic title, and offers a little less pressure for failure.

One thing I will mention, is that it seems Sonic Team have attempted to include a variety of new ideas to mix up the levels – particularly in Lost Labyrinth Zone, which introduces a few new gameplay elements. Firstly, there’s a stage where Sonic carries a torch, which restricts your field of vision, and also doubles as a lighting device for torch-switches and explosive fuses scattered around the level. Secondly, there are mine-cart sections where you have to jump at the right time to clear gaps, and lastly there are a few sections that require you to “tilt” the stage in order to move water to push a plug from the wall, whilst stopping Sonic from sinking into some spikes – this bit was pretty badly executed, and one of the worst elements of the game, but it’s easy once you know how, and only lasts a few seconds. The other elements I personally enjoyed, mixing up the stages – the mine cart sections reminding me of the classic Master System games – but some people might not enjoy them since they do break up the traditional speed-run feel of the stages.

Of course, Sonic 4 wouldn’t be a Sonic game without Special Stages. Taking influence from Sonic 1, stages are accessed by jumping through a giant ring at the end of the level, which appears if you have 50 rings, and are also based on the emerald-collecting maze stages of the original. However, unlike Sonic 1 where you had to navigate Sonic through a constantly rotating maze, Sonic 4′s Special Stages have a different twist – literally – as you instead control the rotation of the stage, while Sonic constantly free-falls downward. The stages are fairly challenging but not unfair – although you need to collect time-boost bubbles on some stages which have a time-limit, unlike the classic versions. Overall, I found them to be at just about the right difficulty, with the game’s level-replay system making the Special Stages fairly easy to access, although it does mean replaying a whole level each time you want to try again. Of course, collecting all 7 Chaos Emeralds unlocks Super-Sonic (and the slightly better ending), which is always worth the hassle.

With a final zone to complete, and all 7 emeralds obtainable, Sonic 4: Episode 1 feels sort of like a short, but complete, Sonic game. While this is nice, as the other episodes aren’t available yet, I’m a little worried that the other episodes won’t combine together to create one larger experience, rather four smaller ones. This is only a minor concern, but I do hope that once all of the parts are released they will merge into a complete package, rather than simply staying as four parts – with around 16 stages, the sum of all of the episodes could give us the biggest, longest 2D Sonic titles ever made – definitely not a bad thing! However, with Episode 1 priced at a hefty £10, we could be looking at the price of a full retail title for the whole thing.

While Sonic 4 doesn’t feel exactly like the older games, it’s definitely the closest we’ve seen in a long time. It took me a little getting used to, but by the end of the episode I’m definitely looking forward to the rest. Personally, the 2D Sonics are some of my favourite games, and I’ll be happy to shell out for the following episodes as long as they are equally as good, if not better. The game is a definite blast from the past, and I only hope that this is the start of a new trend for Sonic – finally remembering why he used to be so good.

-Leon

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.

Recently I have been reading the Scott Pilgrim series of Comic books, and believe me when I say that these are beyond awesome. In a nut shell the books are about a 23-year-old guy called Scott who finds the girl of his dreams (literally) and then has to fight her 7 evil Ex’s in order to date her. Sounds pretty cool, but if you thrown in a load of video game references you are in for a total geek fest. I am only on volume 4 of 6 and I love it.

So when I heard they were creating a film of this comic book series, I was a little dubious. I then watched the trailer and noticed Micheal Cera ( you know the huy who was in movies like Juno, Super Bad and Year One), I was thinking that this film was going to be pretty poor, I’m not the biggest Michael Cera fan. But, now I have seen the latest trailer a countless amount of times, he is growing on me. I then saw how much detail they have put into the gaming references, and it is my top movie I want to see this year.

Now we take one story line that is full to the brim with game references, we make a movie of it, then we make a Video Game. Now most people who know me, know that I am not the biggest fan when it comes to film to game/game to film conversions. But I think what they have done with this title is just got from Comic to game, totally disregarding the film, clever move (Even though the movie look flipping awesome).

Now not much is known about this game, but what we do know is that it will be a downloadable game, the PlayStation 3 is going to get its hands on it first, and the 360 will get it….later.

After seeing very little of the game,I have found out that it takes its inspiration from retro arcade games, 2D pixel graphics are used in this game, and I for one couldn’t be happier. This is the perfect setting for Scott Pilgrim game ans all the references in the story line range from the original Sonic and Mario games to stuff from Final Fantasy.

Again, I don’t know much about the game so I will leave you with this world exclusive trailer from Game trailers. It left me wanting to know more, so as usual, more news as I get it.

Garv.

But there is a part of me that thinks, there is still some great titles that are missing from the likes of Xbox LIVE, PlayStation Network and the Wii store. So today, in no particular order, I give you my top 5 games that I think they should put up for download.

Jazz Jack Rabbit

Think Sonic the hedgehog with a gun shooting up the place over run by turtles. Each planet in the galaxy has been hit with a turtle infestation and it is up to you to save the universe. This game takes the rivalry between the tortoise and the hair to the next level.

Between having my Sega Megadrive and my PSone. I was playing PC games for a good potion of the time. Jazz jack-rabbit was pretty much constantly played. I know it isn’t as good as the blue hedgehog we have come to love over the years but it was something different. And Jazz himself was a pretty cool green bunny with attitude. Yes he did talk but when he talked you could tell he was bad ass, unlike sonic now-a days who sounds like a pre pubescent teen who is addicted to chilli dogs.

In my opinion they should at least bring Jazz Jack Rabbit 2 up for download, it had character selection and updated graphics and mainly a better storyline. so if any gaming giants can hear me, dig this little gem back up!

Quake 2

In my opinion this is still the best quake game to ever exist. PLaying this game and indeed watching my dad play this was fantastic. It was getting to the time where games were taking the more explicit route to the story lines, meaning there was a lot more blood and gore, because the developers had the technology to do it. Quaked 2 opened my eyes to all this. Every now and then I can still hear the cries of human slaves to the strog screaming things like “make it stop”, “It hurts.” and “Kill me, now”.

This title is where quake built its own story line about a galaxy over run by cyborg aliens. True it was reminiscent of the borg from Star Trek, but these beings were far more brutal, far more primitive in nature, and put up one hell of a fight. Just to play this game again would bring a huge smile to my face.

System Shock 2

I know there are a great amount of Bioshock fans out there, and personally I don’t blame you in the slightest, it is truly a fantastic game. But are you just a slight bit curious on how Bioshock got some of its ideas? Where it roots originally came from? Well the answers to these questions lie deep in the depths of System Shock. Having just watched some you tube vids, this game defiantly set the benchmark for Bioshock. So to me it would be pretty silly if they didn’t bring it up for console download.

I don’t know about you, but the very idea of a space station A.I going mad and then manipulating and massacring the human race is pretty awesome, and very creepy. Lets hope the revive this series in one form or another.

Road Rash

The original and in my opinion, still the best motorbike racing game your ever going to play. The original Road Rash on the Sega Megadrive had me racing down roads and smacking people to the ground with lead pipes and 2X4′s. It was the perfect mixture of motorbike racing and violence.

Sure GTA IV The Lost and damned tried to do it with their motorbike racing and baseball bats, but for me it wasn’t as compelling, it wasn’t the same, and it didn’t give you the satisfaction Road Rash did back in the early nineties. I think they did revive it once, but bringing back the original would be far better.

Cool Boarders

SSX Step aside as this title was the original game that started off the snowboarding franchise. SSX would never have been born if it wasn’t for cool boarders back on the PSone. This game could let you customise your character and boards. I spent hours a day writing all sorts of rude things on my snowboard then giggling to myself when I saw said word on the bottom of the board as a took off from a jump. Yes I was an immature little soul, but weren’t we all at some point or another.

If I hadn’t played cool boarders. I would not have bothered with any other extreme sports game. This has to be the title that got me onto things like Matt Hoffman’s BMX and Tony Hawks. So to see this make a welcome come back would bring me much gaming joy.

As you can see, I believe there are alot more games out there that need to be revived. Sure I could probably think of a tone more, and end up writing for a week solid. But for me these are the titles that deserve a come back most. What do you think?

Garv

So when the next Lara Croft game is announced your automatically going to think, ‘oooo another tomb raider!’ well this time I am afraid you are wrong. Yes there is a new Lara Croft game coming out, b ut it isn’t a tomb raider title. Let me shed some light on this slightly confusing concept.

Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light is a new digital download game that stars our well-loved female relic hunter. This title I would imagine will be available across the PlayStation Network, Xbox LIVE and PC, even though that bit of information hasn’t been set in stone yet, it would be rather silly if it wasn’t available for those platforms.

So what are the finer details of this title? Well as it is a DLC title, you would expect that it is not going to be as lengthy as your average Tomb Raider title, sadly, you would be right in thinking that. But and this is a big BUT, this game is said to focus more on re-play value and Co-op play which sounds pretty interesting to any well seasoned Lara Fan. Also the game play is said that it will go back to its root, with boob-trap puzzles, tombs and all the other game elements we loved from the first games.

Now that’s all well and good but what are we talking about story wise? Well the plot in all honesty isn’t that thick, you are Lara (obviously) and you have been teamed up with a Mayan tribes man who goes by the name of Totec, Totec of corse will be controlled by your co-op buddy when you decide to blast through the campaign mode as a pair. You are in search of a mysterious and yet powerful artifact called The Mirror Of Smoke, which of course has unleashed an evil spirit by the name of Xoxolt (kudos to anyone who can pronounce that name) who is unleashing his power to raise the dead. So you will be coming across a lot of zombie tribes men as you progress through the puzzled filled levels, plus a few other bigger and nastier enemies.

Camera angles these days play a huge part in gaming. This title features a fixed Isometric camera, which to me is probably one of the best type of camer angles you can have, meaning you will not get the camera stuck in walls or have it stop where enemies are pummeling you behind some scenery, Legacy of Kain did it well and I expect to see much of the same here.

Retro arcade gamers here are in for a treat, as this is mainly a puzzle orientated game, it sounds as though enemy combat will be straight out of your classic 1980′s shooting games, meaning that you point Lara at any enemy you want to die and press shoot, that’s all there is to it. Remember people this is a puzzle game after all, combat is only the icing on the gaming cake.

As I said previously, this game has a co-op mode, and with co-op modes you will find a lot of handy co-op moves for the both of you to use. For example, instead of welding duel hand guns such as our lovely heroine, Totec has spears, these are mainly for skewering the undead, but they also can be stabbed into walls for Lara to swing on, Also Totec has a shield which Lara can use as a platform while Totec holds it above his head. Lara also has her trusty grapple hook which she can swing across large gaps in classic Lara croft fashion, but Totec can also grab hold of Lara as she swings to aid him across. Lets just hope that he is a gentleman and does not go for the obvious hand holds.

Lara Croft and the Gardian of Light looks like it is shaping up to be a nice little downloadable game. It will be avalible this summer on a console/PC near you.

Garv!

5. Geometry Wars Retro Evolved 2 – Asteroids On Acid

Anyone who is gamer out there is bound to have heard, witnessed or even played Asteroids. It is pretty much the great-grandfather of all games. So imagine Asteroids, mixed with some trippy colours and explosions with at least six different game variants. Sounds pretty cool right? Well let me introduce you to Geometry Wars Retro Evolved 2. It does what it says on the tin, and has evolved the retro stylings of Asteroids and made a really cool,. and somewhat addictive game. The beauty here is that all six of the game variants aren’t necessarily shooting based.

The Pacifism game variant for me is the shining light here. Your main objective is to survive the horde of blue squares that are following you around the screen, your only line of defence are barriers you pass through, that explode, which in turn destroy the onslaught of blue squares. The longer you survive and the amount of blue squares that get destroyed the better. Yeah I know, in writing it sounds rather strange but this game is one of the most addictive titles I have on my hard drive.

The other game variants are just as addictive and challenging, waves is great if you just want to shoot the living pixels out of a load of shapes. And the simple Evolved variant is reminiscent to the classic Asteroids, nice to see they have stayed loyal to their roots.

4. Doom – The First Person Classic

FPS junkies who do not own this classic title deserve a headshot right between the eyes. This is the reason why you are playing Halo and Modern Warfare! Doom is the pinnacle of retro First Person Shooter gaming and the Xbox LIVE port is brilliant.

Like most of you out there, I am more familiar with Doom on the PC. The controls for this game have been converted well (a damn sight better than the GBA version of Doom II) and the level of challenge in this game has not been over looked either.

For those of you who aren’t familiar with this game, expect a really retro and basic FPS game. When I say basic, I mean basic in the way it plays, not in the difficulty setting. So take my advice and don’t plunge head first into Nightmare mode. You will most definitely have no more limbs attached to your computer rendered, pixellated torso.

3. Sonic 2 – Before The Blue Hedgehog Went Bad.

The platform genre is basically the forerunner of all video games. I’d say over half the games on the Sega Mega Drive and indeed the Nintendo systems were mainly platform based games of some incarnation or another. For me the Sonic series was the Platform game I first played, and of course stayed loyal to.

The downloadable version of Sonic 2 (and indeed the version on the Sega Megadrive Ultimate Collection) is the perfect nostalgic brick to the face, that will make any gamer smile and quite frankly be proud to be a gamer. There are no stupid voices, or annoying teenage angst in this game. You get the true sonic that has attitude, that will get annoyed if you put the controller down and walk away. The true sonic who’s arch-enemy is DR ROBOTNIK! (mumble mumble bloody Egg Man mumble mumble).

Gameplay wise you are looking at a fantastically fast paced side scrolling platformer that tests your reactions as well as you ability to collect coins and pass the level. Boss battles are a nice challenge if you don’t know what you are doing and it is a must play for anyone who loves Sonic and platforming. Pfft, who needs and italian plumber when you have a lightning fast blue hedgehog.

2. Peggle – Puzzle + Pegs = AWESOME

I started playing this game when a legion of people on my friends list banded together and started having Peggle parties. To this day I still think the name of the game is a tad strange. But as they say, don’t judge a book by its cover. Peggle is a fantastic puzzle game which is bursting with content. Lots of levels and challenges and a nice selection of characters to unlock and play as.

So what do you do in this game? Shoot balls at a load of pegs. Once all orange pegs are eliminated you are a winner. There is a nice rainbow and everyone leaves their console happy in the knowledge that they have superior peg eliminating skills. Straight forward enough, but the challenge is in the level design, and I am a sucker for level design. Peggle is uniquely designed to make you think about your next shot as opposed to shooting aimlessly and hoping to zombie Jebus you get that last orange peg.

It is a well thought out game that you must get your hands on. Believe me, once you start playing, you will realise a solid week of your life has disappeared in an instant.

1. Portal Still Alive – First You Will Be Baked, Then There Will Be Cake

When I first got hold of the Orange Box, I was easily bored of Half Life 2 (I know, shock/horror) but Portal grabbed my attention for hours. I then became very skint and sold my Orange Box. I felt a part of me die when I physically could not look deep into the heart of my beloved companion cube.

When Portal: Still Alive came out of Xbox LIVE and I jumped for joy, before quickly downloading it to my Hard drive.

This is a first person puzzle game where you have to use and deploy portals using your trusty Portal gun. The puzzles are completely mind-bending and very, very well thought out. But where it stands out in exceeding level design, it also stands out in brilliant story telling and character design. In my opinion Portal has one of the best villains ever. If you are not familiar with GLaDOS. I suggest you download this gem right now, and get ready for some fantastic level design, mind bending puzzles and a game that will truly test your brain power.

So there you have it, my top 5 downloadable games. Now I will leave this up to you, am I right? Or do you have a different top 5?

Garv

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