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Posts Tagged ‘Review

Aug

Nighty Nine Nights 2 Demo Review.

Categories: Preview and Review
Tags: demo, Demo review, Dynasty Warriors, Hack and Slash, konami, Nintey Nine Nights, Review

It is very simple to compare a game like Nintey Nine Nights to the Dynasty Warriors games both the games have the same sort of game play and mission based system. The idea behind these games is to take down armies of soldiers and complete objectives to win a war against your foes.

So as you can imagine with these type of games you get a stupid amount of soldiers coming towards you and you have to fight them all off, it is pretty much a whole army vs you. Now in all honesty when I first played these type of games, the whole game and concept didn’t capture my imagination, it didn’t draw me in. You think it would as I do love my hack and slash games but there was something about the Warriors games and indeed the first Ninety Nine Nights (which we will now label N3) .

Continue reading ‘Nighty Nine Nights 2 Demo Review.’

May

That Bloke In The Beanie’s Epic Reviews: Part 1

By That Bloke In The Beanie Leave a Comment

Categories: Review
Tags: FPS, Metro 2033, Review

That Bloke with the beanies 38 hour gaming roundup, or Metro 2033 and Resonance of Fate reviews…

The smell of oil and decay hung heavy in the air as I made my way down the barely lit tunnel. I scanned the walls and ceiling for any Dark Ones ready to turn me into their next meal. The endless drip, drip, drip from water seeping through from the world above echo around my skull in time with my heartbeat. Suddenly a sound! I whipped round, only to be greeted by my own footprints in the dirt and the slightest wail of and escaping wind down the tunnel. They were still out there watching, the things beyond all the nasties that you would see in the tunnels. Something darker, more unnatural…

Continue reading ‘That Bloke In The Beanie’s Epic Reviews: Part 1′

May

Halo Reach Beta First Impressions

By Garvaos Leave a Comment

Categories: Demo review
Tags: Beta, FPS, halo, Halo Ruach, Multplayer, ODST, Review

The last couple of days, I have been making the most of my Xbox LIVE 48 hour Gold Trial. Every chance I have had I have been playing the Halo: Reach Beta. And am I disappointed? Hell no!

Lets just cut to the chase here and dive straight into what the Beta has to offer, Now as you all well know I was only on a LIVE play trial, not a gold account, this means I could not play in The Arena section of the Beta, which pretty much sucks, but what I did play was quite frankly amazing.

Halo reach Multiplayer takes the best parts from Halo 3, ODST and Halo: Combat Evolved and shoves them all together into one big pile of awesome multiplayer action. From the Halo 3 side we have great graphics, game play and spartan customisation, from the ODST side we have the HUD with the health bar situated in the top center of the screen, and from the Combat evolved side we have some of the old controller configuration back, coupled with the health bar, and the retro Magnum with scope from the first game. Bungie have really gone to town with mixing and matching the best parts from each game of the halo series (we’ll just pretend halo 2 doesn’t exist for now) and making one hell of a multiplayer experience.

The menu layout is pretty much what you expect from any Halo game but with a few tweaks. Those familiar with Halo 3 will be right at home here pretty much, with the match making set up and the playlist selection, etc. But there are also some nice additions, such as the side bar where you can jump straight into a friends game/lobby, and the fact that you can now vote for which game type you want as opposed to veto a game type like you did in Halo 3. All nice new menu additions that really help the pre game lobbies.

Now for the all important bit, the game play. Now I was only allowed access into the grab bag playlist and the free for all playlist. This then let me into games across 2 maps. There were a variety of free for all games in the free for all playlist..surprisingly, and they consisted of games such as Oddball, Jugganaught, Slayer and Head Hunter. We all know about the last three, but head hunter is a brand new game mode for Halo: Reach and has to be one of my favorites.

The idea behind head hunter is very simple, you have to kill opponents to collect sculls, then take the sculls to goals across the map, the person with the most skulls saved wins, you can either hoard them, or take them one at a time, that is entirely up to you. The game itself just becomes a frenzy of gun fire and desperation to seek out and get every skull you can, this topped with the new armour abilities make this game variant a must play.

Talking of armour abilities you have four abilities available to you at every time you respawn in most games. They are active camo, jetpack, sprint and invincibility. All these are limited and need to regenerate after time, my favorites have to be the jetpack, because it kind of reminds me of the anti-gravity mutator in Unreal Tournament but a hundred times better, and the invincibility, although you are grounded to the floor while it is active, it is a damn handy ability for thing like territories or CTF if you want to hold your ground, you also get a nice EMP burst at the end to take down enemy shields around you.

Weapons, the key component in any FPS game, and Halo Reach is full of them. Some of the good oldies a back, like the needler and the assault rifle. But some of the new ones are just fantastic in my opinion. The needler rifle is pretty much the covenant answer to the halo 2 battle rifle but more explody, the plasma rifle has gone through a complete overhaul and now actually looks like a rifle, the marksman rifle which is a mix between the battle rifle and a sniper works a treat at both long and close range, the new beam rifle is just immense, and can take out a seige of enemies with is swooping beam. But one of the most impressive new weapons has to be the covenant grenade launcher, hold down the trigger and it launches four sticky plasma grenades at a time. If used properly this gun is hard to beat. But it does take some getting used too.

Back to the playlists, There was the grab bag playlist which was open to team games. These included things like team slayer and CTF. One of the new additions was stockpile. This game mode makes the teams grab flags across the arena and drop them back at their teams base. After a while the flags are collected and added to the score. Very simple game b ut another one that induces a hell of a lot of carnage. A really good team game that has everyone pretty much clawing at all the flags they can get.

One thing I am yet to mention about this Beta is the Spartan customisation. Each online game you play, you accumulate credits for achievements and victories in the game. These credits are then added to your bank where you can buy new bits of armour for your spartan. This takes Halo customisation to a whole new different level. And believe me, this will make you want to play more and more, to get that youhelmet have always wanted. This time round, Spartans will be unique.

The Halo Reach beta for me was a great experience, Sadly I am now going to have to say bye-bye to Reach till the Fall when it comes out. But If you have Gold, get on this beta while you have the chance. It’s Worth it.

Garv

Apr

Bioshock 2

By GuitarGirl24 Leave a Comment

Categories: Article, General, General Gaming and Review
Tags: Big Daddy, big sister, bioshock, bioshock 2, Delta, FPS, Rapture, Review

Complete review

Before the review an apology. I love Bioshock. Forgive my reminiscences but I feel compelled to tell you that when descending into rapture for the first time in Bioshock 1 I was completely unprepared for what I was to find. I expected gore, I expected fear, however to be met by the scene of a splicer being brutally drilled through the stomach left me feeling three distinct emotions. Firstly fear at the thought that at some time in the future that drill was probably meant for me, secondly disgust at the sheer brutality of it all and more prominently an overwhelming compulsion to delve deeply into the twisted, brutal word that was Rapture. I suppose I would say that in a disturbing way it was love at first sight and ever since then that twisted little post disaster utopia under the sea has both haunted and thrilled me. Imagine then if you will, my delight when Bioshock 2 was announced. Another voyage into the depths Rapture? The chance to be a Big Daddy. Duel wielding the classic BD drill with the plasmids. As you can see I got just a little excited…

Why then am I apologizing? Well in short, I intended to bring you this review sooner. The truth is that whilst my heart, head and fingers screamed ‘Buy!’ my bank balance had different Ideas. So a little later than expected here is my full review of Bioshock 2. I hope you enjoy it.

The story

Set around ten years after the original Bioshock game it is not surprising that in Bioshock 2 the underwater world of Rapture has fallen even further into a state of moral and physical disrepair. In the time since Jack and the little sisters departed the city has fallen under the control of Dr Sophia Lamb, who has done all in her power to re-build Rapture under her own cruel design. Not only has Lamb recruited a new army of Little Sisters, she has also managed to turn the now much older remaining Little Sisters into Big Sisters who act as all powerful guardians over her new society. Unlike Bioshock 1 you play through the game as ‘Subject Delta’ the original prototype Big daddy who has been awoken in the midst of the chaos. As with all Big Daddies your primary objective is simple, to protect the Little Sisters. However being a prototype Big daddy (and the main protagonist) it is of course not that simple. Unlike the other Big Daddies you are bound to only one Little Sister, who ten years ago was stolen from you and taken into the depths of the city by Professor Lamb. Bound by your genetic urge to protect, and guided by plasmid expert Augustus Sinclair you embark on Rapture with the soul purpose of finding and reclaiming Elanor, your only true little sister.

Spoilers

As far as the story goes I have merely given a taste of what is waiting for you in Bioshock 2, however I do feel that this is enough. As with Bioshock 1 to tell the whole story would most likely ruin this game, and so instead I have devised a cunning plan. Instead of telling the story and spoiling your fun I will describe for you my top 3 moments in Bioshock 2 and why I love them. If you have already played the game please feel free to reminisce along with me. If you want it all to be a surprise please look away now.

1-Top moment number 1 comes for Siren Alley. You are sent to Siren alley when your path through Rapture is cut off by flooding in Dionysus park. In order to drain Dionysis park and continue on your journey to find Elanor you must go to Siren Alley where you can access a pumping station to clear the flooding. When you reach the pumping station however you are confronted by the calm yet insane Voice of Sophia Lamb, who in a bid to cleanse rapture decides to flood the Alley drowning all. Now I have never before feared drowning, but hats off the the Bioshock 2 team because this flood was excited perfectly. During the flood scene you are forced to run through almost the entire length of the level. Water pours through the ceiling and walls, pipes burst around you and once functional staircases become deadly waterfalls blinding you with a torrent of icy water. Amongst all of the visual chaos you are also being bombarded with messages from Sinclair telling you to run, whilst simultaneously being heckled by an extremely self righteous Lamb. The flood is exactitude with such precision, detail and urgency that I found myself forgetting all tactic and logic and simply running for my life. This scene is made even more effective by the calm that follows. The water eventually claims the entire level, submerging Siren Alley. This leaves you free to wonder amongst the floating dead bodies and sea-life in eerie silence looking out over a landscape both strikingly familiar and at the same time completely different. A dramatic end to a level I will not be forgetting in a while.

2-Top moment 2 is slightly less dramatic, but in its own way quite brilliant. Skipping ahead in the story your ongoing search for Eleanor soon takes you to new, even stranger areas of Rapture. One of these areas is Fontane Futuristics, where plasmids were originally created, trailed and showcased. As expected things do not go smoothly here either. In this level you are lead into a large darkened room, and in classic computer game style the doors snap shut behind you, leaving no opportunity for escape. As you move forward into the room it all becomes horribly clear. You are in fact standing on a flooded stage, originally meant for showcasing new plasmid technology and surrounded by an audience of dead splicers. As you walk further forward towards centre stage (or try to run, take your pick) the whole grizzly show begins. In true circus style the dead audience is invited to roll up and participate in the ‘show’ and soon it becomes apparent that the presumed dead audience actually consists of a lot of Houdini splicers who are quite happy to ‘participate’ in the effort to kill you. Now though this battle was far from epic, something about the whole theatre/circus set-up really tickled me. It was as if approaching a battle in this twisted, childlike scenario somehow captured the true essence of the Bioshock story. To me the decent of rapture has always been strongest when centered around the idea of innocence corrupted, and this scene embodies that essence perfectly.

3-Top moment 3 comes nearer to the end of the game, and is perhaps my favorite moment of all. I will not say how you get there as it will spoil the game, but I could not review without mentioning the horrific beauty of this scene. In the final level Persephone you are actually able to take control of a Little Sister, seeing the world through her eyes. Seeing Rapture through the eyes of a Little Sister for the first time is both incredibly beautiful and completely unnerving at the same time. Whereas everyone else sees Rapture as a place of fear and decay, the Little Sisters see only beauty and light. It is as if the Little Sisters see Rapture as it was before it became corrupted, with golden sunlight bursting through every window and beauty in the place of decay. The twisted metal in the walls is seen as magnificent drapes, the floor is littered with flowers and candles. It is all so beautiful, and yet knowing what was being masked by all of that beauty did make me feel quite uneasy. Even the splicers which to us have always appeared to us as deformed monsters are now kindly handsome men in dinner suits offering a friendly hand of guidance, a hand which we all know in reality would almost certainly have only offered only a gruesome death. It soon becomes apparent why the Little Sisters refer to the Adam infused bodies as ‘Angels’ as if the worse something is, the more beautiful it appears to them. I couldn’t help but wonder weather this scene was simply a play on the innocence of a child’s eyes, or a hint at how intensely the Little Sisters had been brainwashed by Lamb in order to fulfill their purpose. Somehow I think it was both, but either way it added a whole new dimension to the way I had previously viewed the game.

Morality

As with Bioshock 1 on your journey you are faced with several moral dilemmas as well as the classic choice of harvesting or saving the Little Sisters. These acts in turn vary the ending of the game, adding a sense of greater meaning to your otherwise insignificant actions. Once key levels have been completed you are presented with a situation where your enemies are cornered leaving you with classic choice of mercy versus revenge. Feeling that the theme of fatherhood is key in this game (Big daddy etc…) I chose to be a good role modal and show mercy to my enemies. By doing this I was granted not a happy but at least a peaceful end to the game, however if you chose revenge there are once again multiple, more grizzly endings to be found. I don’t really think it is that important which ending you get, however I think that it is great that once again in Rapture your actions will always have unforeseen consequences.

Weaponry

Now for the fun stuff. Weapons. I must be honest it was the new weaponry which really made this game for me. Unlike Bioshock 1 where you are forced to switch between melee weapons, guns and plasmids the duel wielding abilities in this game make it truly exciting. As a Big Daddy your primary weapon is a large drill which you can use to smash through walls, splicers and well pretty much anything you want. Its only a slight upgrade from the classic melee weapon the wrench… oh who am I kidding its awesome! Not only is the drill powerful, but it can be upgraded via gene tonics to incorporate plasmids making it my weapon of choice when facing larger foes. In addition to this your right arm also carries your guns. As you progress through Rapture you gain access to all types of guns including a shotgun, machine gun, hack tool, rivet gun, spear gun and most fun of all a rocket launcher with heat seeking missiles. Nice. In addition to having the armory in your pocket we once again see the return of the classic plasmids from Bioshock 1. Plasmids let you genetically alter yourself allowing you the harness the power of such forces as fire, ice and electricity as well as gaining new skills such as telekinesis. These abilities have not changed much from Bioshock 1 and if I am honest it would have been nice to have a couple of new plasmids. In fact in the whole game there is only one new plasmid to be found and I told you what this plasmid was was I would spoil the ending. Despite the lack of new plasmids with a massive drill on one arm and the ability to burn all in sight on the other I defy anyone playing this game not to feel powerful. I certainly did.

Foes

Let talk enemies. Now with the added physical advantages of being a Big Daddy it is not surprising that the other inhabitants of Rapture have also upped their game. As with Bioshock 1 the first enemies you encounter are the splicers. Splicers are the original human inhabitants of Rapture, who as a result of all the genetic enhancements have gone mad and started killing each other in a bid to gain Adam, the life-blood of Rapture. As well as the familiar Thuggish, Leadhead, Spider and Houdini splicers Bioshock 2 has a new addition to the splicer family, the Brute splicer. Built like a human tank on acid, the bruits are stronger, faster and more lethal than any other splicer you will find in Rapture. These splicers are resistant to most weapons, and I found the only ways to dispose of them swiftly was either with a rocket launcher or to once again run at them with the drill and shred them. I warn its not pretty, but its effective. In addition to tackling the splicers in order to progress through the game you will at times be required to battle your fellow Big Daddies in order to steal their Little Sisters. Once you have a little sister you can use her to gather vital adam from certain glowing corpses (or angels as the Little Sisters call them) which in turn will allow you to upgrade your abilities and become stronger. The Big Daddies have changed very little from Bioshock 1, and though they are still challenging I found them much easier to defeat with your new heavy duty weapon set. Cue Big Sister. Now the Big Sisters may look like stretched Big Daddies but don’t be fooled, they mean business. Armor plated with unlimited plasmid power and a giant needle (used both for gathering Adam and impaling enemies) once a Big Sister has your scent they will hunt you relentlessly. Their pure power and impressive speed combined with their teleport ability makes them all but impossible to outrun leaving you with no choice but to stay and fight them. Scary as the Big Sisters are I do have advice. Electrobolt to stun, ice drill to the face. Works like a charm.

Up to this point I have spoken only of the good in Bioshock 2 however as always there were some disappointments. Writing this article as a Bioshock fan I am blessed with a lot of additional information which someone new to the games may not necessarily know. For example, most of my information about the initial story line came mainly from the trailers and most of my understanding of Rapture came from Bioshock 1. When I first viewed the online trailers for Bioshock 2 I was truly enthralled, however somehow this excitement and horror seemed to be missing in the start of the game. Once you get into it the story of the game is actually very good, so why it was decided to make the opening explanatory cut scenes so short is a little beyond me. If I am honest I wanted more. In addition to this I felt that someone playing this game who had not played the original Bioshock may be quite lost with the concept of Rapture. Though a lengthy explanation of what had gone before may have bored diehard Bioshock fans, a short catchup wouldn’t have hurt and would probably have made this game accessible to many more gamers.

Lastly the thing which upset me the most, something so shocking I urge you to sit down. The circus of values machines no longer say ‘Welcome to the circus of Values’ in the creepy voice we all know and love. Its a travesty. I may never get over it.

Summery

With the original Bioshock game being named ‘Game of the year’ in 2007 it is undeniable that Bioshock 2 had a big reputation to live up too. The success of its predecessor combined with a change in developing house had left many Bioshock fans doubting weather the game would be a worthy sequel to the celebrated future classic. My advice on this matter is simple. Bioshock 1 created and first encouraged you to explore the world of Rapture. It not only created scenery in the form of the art deco underwater city, but a vast classic array of enemies, a unique story-line and a few moral dilemmas to boot. Though Bioshock 2 could never replicate this achievement it does successfully build on the foundations of Rapture expanding and embellishing a great concept. Bioshock 2 takes advantage of the fact that most gamers already know the history of Rapture, and almost immediately offers tasty upgrades such as new and improved weaponry, the ability to duel wield and more challenging enemies such as the Big Sisters. Though I was first disappointed with the slow start to the story I promise that it does pick up, and by the end of the game I was truly hooked. If your thinking about buying this game I encourage you to do so, after-all the ability of duel wield the traditional Big daddy drill with the plasmid of your choice is not one to be missed. Trust me.

I loved Bioshock 1. I love Bioshock 2. Please play Bioshock 1. If you do not own Bioshock 1 please buy Bioshock 1. Then please play Bioshock 1. After you have played Bioshock 1 and only then please play Bioshock 2. This will make you happy. I promise.

Until next time

Mar

Guitar Hero Van Halen

By GuitarGirl24 Leave a Comment

Categories: Article and Review
Tags: activision, guitar hero, Review, Rockband, Van Halen

The Final Verdict.

Well I have kept my promise. It seems like a long time ago now that I was giving you all the low down on the Van Halen Demo but after a lot of strumming, a few harsh failures (and a bit of sneaky Bioshock 2) I am back to give Guitar Hero Van Halen its final Verdict. I feel that the phrase ‘Final Verdict’ is very appropriate when reviewing this game, for more reasons than one. Many people I have spoken to have judged this game quite harshly with opinions that in any court would suggest a verdict of life imprisonment or even death by burning. In other words, they speak of the game only with contempt anger and disappointment. I however feel that every case heard in the gaming courtroom must have defense as well as prosecution, and so I shall endeavor to give you a fuller picture before giving a final verdict. Please rise, put your left hand on the plastic guitar and swear to tell the truth the, whole truth and nothing but the truth. Gh Court is in session.

The defence:

Opening Statement
“The defense pleads that Gh Van halen is an innocent party, created only to amuse, challenge and entertain members of the gaming community. The songs were varied, playable and most of all challenging adding valuable content to a hugely popular series. The gameplay was solid throughout and challenged the player to explore many varying techniques in order to complete the game ”

Evidence.

1. The Set list is Varied, and provides a wealth of new songs. As strange as the choice of songs initially seems, Gh Van Halen does in a strange way have something for everyone. From ‘Painkiller’ By Judas Priest and ‘Master exploder‘ by Tenacious D for the rock heads to ‘I want it all’ by Queen for your mum, this is a mixed bag unlike any other. For some time now music based gaming has been a firm party favorite, and after rigorous testing with the Plus xp-house band I can confirm that though Van Halen may be slightly disjointed in career mode, it was more than enough to satisfy everyone during party play. True it does not have the varied brilliance of say Gh 5 or Rockband 2, but if like me you have a hard-core band who have pretty much exhausted all of the songs currently available any content becomes good content.

2. The difficulty has definitely increase. I can now confirm it. Though I have a feeling the days of ‘Family friendly’ gaming are far from gone, this title embraces a little of the spirit of the earlier Gh titles. How does it do this you ask? by taking the difficulty once again up to epic proportions. Of course. I feel that despite all of its flaws this game is in one way back the way nature intended, with songs progressing from easy and accessible to nearly impossible within a single setlist. I should also say at this point that this game challenges the player to explore many of the more recent Gh playing techniques. This title had its fair share of staggered chords, slide solo’s and four finger chords, making it a challenge for even the most dedicated Gh rocker. Though I kept my promise and completed this game, I must now confess that I am still battling with ‘Hot for teacher’ ‘Spanish Fly’ and ‘Erruption’ in Expert mode. For some this would be a cause for distress, but to me it brings a great sense of joy. Things are back the way they should be. Difficult.

3. Cathedral. As expected this game is quite tap slider heavy, something which causes me great sadness. Though I will use the tap slider if desperate I am not its biggest fan, and though this is obvious unjustified prejudice I am certain that I am not the only one who feels the same way. There is however one shining ray of holy light for those of you who like me think that using the slider is *cough* Cheating *cough*. I am talking of course about the Van Halen Solo “Catherdral” which I am pleased to report is both extremely challenging and without a tap note in sight. As the game finishes with three of Van Halen’s most famous solo’s the tap free nature of Cathedral makes it impossible to complete this game without homing both your tap/slide skills and your traditional solo skills. Sliders beware, solo properly or fail miserably!

The Prosecution.

“Gh Van Halen was an overpriced disappointment with few surprises and even less atmosphere. The band clearly had little to no input with this game, and though the setlist was more difficult the songs chosen made no sense leaving the game lacking in both theme and purpose.”

Evidence.

1. Lets face it, Guitar hero Van Halen has little or no story line. In the good old days Gh titles encouraged you to connect with your band by showing you their progression from rock wannabes to rock gods. In more recent titles this has been taken to new levels, by allowing you to help your band members build their careers, earn cash and even defeat enemies, adding much needed dimension and a true sense of purpose to the games. I am disappointed to say that Gh van halen has little to none of this vital content. You begin the game as Van Halen at the end their musical career, which personally left me feeling both confused and as if there was nothing left to be achieved. Though in the past I never really valued any of this atmosphere building content, I must say that its absence was extremely clear when playing this game. At points it was difficult not to wonder ‘Why am I doing this again?’ which can never be a good thing. Sadly Gh Van Halen simply cannot compete with the, more atmospheric, compelling band orientated releases such as Gh Aerosmith, metallica and more recently the beetles Rockband.

2. It is undeniable, the set-list makes no sense. Though the setlist doesn’t look to bad on paper I have to say that even I (with quite a strange taste in music) found it a little unnerving. Unlike the Gh compilation titles (5/World tour etc..) which are strangely allowed to mix up genres, as time progresses I have come to expect most band based Gh titles to have a sense of theme and identity. For example, Gh metallica had a strong metal theme which ran both through the character creation, cut scenes and most importantly the setlist. Van Halen mixes songs which are just frankly un-mixable, in many cases leaving the player as much confused as inspired. ‘Painkiller’ with ‘Stacey’s mom?’ No Thank-you.

3. It is also clear that the band itself had very little input in this game. Further adding to the disappointment factor of this game is the remarkable lack of band themed content. Whereas Gh metallica told the story of the band using songs, video and pictures, Van Halen used only songs with no structure or explanation. Even without being a big Van Halen fan I found the lack of the usual band based ‘Treats’ a little strange. Van Halen fans expecting a glimpse at the lives your hero’s? Prepare to be disappointed.

4. It is a little tap slider heavy. Though the gameplay is quite varied it is still virtually impossible to complete this game without using the tap slide bar. Though this will not bother everyone, if your like me and enjoy doing solo’s the old fashioned way you will be disappointed by pretty much all of the last gig. Also if you have an old pre-tapslide style guitar beware, in expert mode this game is not for you.

5. Your efforts are not rewarded. Hours of trawling through career mode and what do you get? Nothing. No battle with the devil, no fire and the flames, no flying carriage of rock, no skyscraper, and certainly no fireworks. Three solo’s and thats it. Nothing.

The Verdict.

Ok, so lets be realistic here. What were we expecting? I said in my initial demo review that there was not very much new happening here, and to be honest why mess with a format that works. True this game lacked a lot of the atmosphere and mod-cons of Gh 5 but overall it delivered what we have come to expect from these titles, more songs. The one thing which has really suffered during this game is not the all important gameplay but the atmosphere. I would say that if you love titles such as ‘The beetles Rock Band’ for the rounded, thought out story you are likely to be disappointed by Van Halen, but if you are simply after more/harder songs this is for you.

On this note. Many have said that simply providing new songs is not enough to warrant a new release, and that this would be better left to downloadable content but I would argue that this is not necessarily so. After-all, though X-box live is pretty widespread I know plenty of people who are unable to have access, meaning that if Gh went over entirely to downloadable content they would be, well F****d. If like me you are lucky enough to have access to X-box live I am happy for you, but I ask you. Is it fair to punish all of those who live in the countryside/low net speed areas/with their parents/in student halls, just so you can be opinionated? There is simply no justice in that.

I Agree that this game is no game of the year, however if treated as an expansion pack its challenging setlist makes Van Halen actually a lot of fun. If you are a dedicated Gh fan, looking for a bit of a challenge I say ignore the critics and have a go. If you are a Gh Virgin looking to pop your Virtual rock cherry I would steer clear. After-all this game is much more about Rock than Romance and you are likely to be disappointed.

24
x

Oh, I almost forgot. For those of you who read my Van Halen review and are wondering if this game helped me regain my ‘GuitarGirl’ status I am pleased to say that despite this somewhat damming review, I have once again found my love of the plastic guitar. In the end it was not so much a new game which helped me regain my fret mojo, but a little help from my friends. Don’t believe me? Here is a tasty easter egg to prove it.

Enjoy x

Dec

Dante’s Inferno Demo Verdict

By Garvaos Leave a Comment

Categories: Article and Preview
Tags: Dante's Inferno, Devil May Cry, EA, god of war, hack n slash, Review

While I am on the subject of Dante’s Inferno, I gave the demo a whirl to see if the game had any more surprises for me. As you all probably know I had a hands on preview with the game at Eurogamer ‘09. So when I came to download the demo off XBox LIVE. I was pretty much expecting the same demo I played at Eurogamer. Oh how wrong I was.

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

Dec

Dragon Age Origins: first Impressions

By That Bloke In The Beanie 1 Comment

Categories: Review
Tags: Dragon Age, Dragon Age Origins, PC, Review, RPG

Well, it’s December and that means we’re being bombarded with more games, gadgets and gizmos than you can shake a stick at. And leading the charge for the RPG genre is Biowares’ latest fantasy epic: Dragon Age Origins. Now, the reason why this is a first impressions rather than a review, is that I haven’t finished the game yet…after 70 hours. I haven’t even got a 3^rd of the way through what the game has to offer in its total content. This, ladies and gentleman, is a serious RPG…even if it is so cliched as to be amusingly predictable.

You have your standard run of the mill character creation. You can choose to be male or female, human, elf or dwarf and then a warrior, rouge or mage with a background to suit you. There are also subclasses for each like a rouge Ranger or a Warrior Paladin. I played a male human rouge with a background as a former Noble; and my back story? Lord Howle took my land, killed my family and striped me of my title…and by my father’s sword, I will have my vengeance! *ahem* Needless to say I got fully into the swing of my chosen character.

From your origin story, you’re plunged straight into the main storyline with one immediate goal: pass the trials to become a Grey Warden. Who are the Grey Wardens? Well, they’re basically the fantasy equivalent of Jedi’s, just without the lightsabers and force powers. Their role is to stop an invasion of hellish creatures called the Darkspawn who cause a ‘blight’, being lead by an Arch-demon, what looks to be a big black dragon. So, a nice big epic storyline set up, you have to unite the land to defeat a terrible evil, facing overwhelming odds with only a ragtag band of mismatched adventurers to help get you there.

So yeah, this isn’t anything an RPG fan hasn’t seen before, especially in a Bioware game. Some RPG fans expected more from this; fresh ideas that weren’t too similar to their previous work. Dragon Age is not revolutionary, it is not the next stage of the fantasy RPG genre, but it is bloody good! And Dragon Age does enjoy a lot of blood…maybe a little too much.

The storyline may be a standard fare, but it’s the presentation and delivery that make it an enjoyable play. The world is beautifully created and rendered, on a decent PC at least, 90% of the NPCs are voiced and all the major ones are brought to life with solid voice acting and emotions. Even if they do look a bit plastic at times. While all the PC characters get generally the same storyline, even the slight variations are enough to intrigue the player and get plenty of replay value.

The various companions you pick up, clichéd as they are have interesting and likeable personalities and you do start to get used to having them around. From Alistair’s wry wit to Stern’s stoic one liners, you want to see what secrets they hide and who they really are. Except Morrigan, she’s just a whore. The gifting system allows you to curry favour with you companions and make up for any…inappropriate decisions you made in their presence. And yes, you can have sex with the various ladies and gents who fight alongside you. Well, not so much sex as a barely clothed writhing about for 30 seconds. An adult RPG indeed…

The combat is well managed, thanks to the ability to pause the action to issue orders. You can also take a bird’s eye view of the action to better adjust your strategy. That said, it will take you a while to adjust to using the various classes and combat tactics to defeat the various hordes and bosses you come across. At times it can be extremely frustrating and uneven, especially if you don’t have the right mix of party members to take on your foe. The slimming down of the character classes and specialisation does make it easier for a player to adjust the way they play and the party you use; though you will most likely end up with two warriors a healing mage and a damage mage to cut the Darkspawn into chop seuy.

The lore and history of Fereldan is a nice departure from the Dungeons and Dragons universe in Baulders gate, familiar yet alien. For example there are no dwarf mages due to the lyrium (magic infused rock) that they mine makes them unable to control it. The humans are, of course, despised by the other races for being dicks in the past and having the audacity to have empires and a superiority complex to rival the most egotistical elf. The Dwarfs live in a strictly Platonic caste society, the humans with their feudal lords and ladies and the Elves in their various tribal societies. Oh and not forgetting the thinly veiled Chantry standing in for Christianity.

So for fans of the old school fantasy genre you have a nice mix of the mostly old with some new features. It won’t make any conversions for the RPG uninitiated, but they are not its target audience so that’s unsurprising. This is a very able and solid game but it will occasionally leave you with frustrations with combat hardness and glitches. The story while solid, is nothing new, but entertaining none the less. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a land to rescue and a family to avenge. For Ferelden!

Nov

DJ Hero

By GuitarGirl24 Leave a Comment

Categories: Article and Review
Tags: Activistion, dj hero, guitar hero, Music & Rythem, Review

Up to scratch?

I love Oxford street. I must say that when in London it has to be one of my all time favorite places to spend a lazy saturday. The shops, the people watching and of course who could forget the massive HMV, which is always kind enough to provide some little gem of new entertainment. This week my personal treasure chest has once again bestowed its bounty upon me, giving me my first taste of DJ Hero.

First off I feel that I must explain where I stand on DJ Hero. Being a true Guitar hero girl I have awaited DJ hero with both curiosity and a little distain. Personally I have never dreamed of becoming a hit DJ, and have not liked the idea of the guitar based games being interfered with. Therefore the idea of this game has generally been causing me a little distress. This aside I have decided to review this game as If i DID dream of becoming a hit DJ. For the sake of this article the next few paragraphs will be as without bias as I can manage, with all of the fading, scratching, techno, dance, hip hop and drum and bass action you can handle. Which could be difficult seeing as I sit here in my leather and lace. Please bear with me.

To state the obvious, DJ hero is basically guitar hero for wannabe DJ’s. The game uses settings and graphics similar to those of the GH series to transport you, the world famous DJ into increasingly cool, clubs, parties gig’s and raves. DJ hero is just as vibrant and creative as the GH series, with a very similar layout and feel. When the game loaded I instantly recognized the graphics from GH world tour/5 and from what I could see the character creation looks similar too (except with a fair bit more bling). Though the look of the game is the same as GH, the feel when played is actually quite a bit different.The objective of the game is to use the three fingers of your right hand to keep the beat using three colored buttons, whilst keeping your left hand on the slider, fading one of the three colored ‘beat lines’ in and out in time with the music. The game also replicates the classic DJ motion by getting you to scratch the mock record along with the beat, which has to be the most fun part of the DJ hero experience. In addition to this you can use the euphoria button to instantly whip up the crowd, increasing your score potential or saving you from an angry crowd should your DJ-ing not quite be up to scratch.

Though all of this may seem very similar to the actin of using a traditional guitar controller, I found that the feeling of the turntable controller gave a very different feeling to the gameplay. Whereas the guitar controller gives a sense of free spirited, reckless power, the Turntable feels much more fiddley and somehow quieter. To me the feel of this game was much more like playing an old style arcade machine, all buttons and switches and compulsion to make it to the last level. The sliding motion of the turntable was a lot of fun, but to me It didn’t really feel as much like playing an instrument as using a controller. I think that though this is perhaps a bit of a shame, it is a little unavoidable as the action of DJ-ing is very different to any of the other plastic instruments. One thing I think could have improved this though is if the decks were a little bigger. Everything feels a little too close together, which to me, when combined with a low table makes it seem as if you are fiddling about your waist doing something secretive and perhaps even quite naughty. If the decks were made larger (as the guitar controllers were) then the experience would become more proud and powerful which I think would certainly improve the gaming experience. Now it may seem like I am being a little harsh on Dj Hero, but honestly, I’m not just saying this because I like the guitar controller. I actually think that this game is very addictive, it is just a lot different and perhaps aimed at a different kind of person. The turntable action is fluid and smooth, and the setup works very well. In fact I would definitely recommend this title to anyone who has ever fancied having a go at being a DJ, so please don’t be put off. It is also worth noting at this point that it is also possible to incorporate a Guitar controller into the game, and though I did not get a chance to try this I am still interested to see how this will bear up to the beloved full rock-band experience.

Though I had mixed feelings about the decks, the music choices were much more pleasing. The game has over 102 songs, presented as 93 mixes, which to anyones standards is quite a generous amount of content. With genres boated including Hip-hop, pop dance and rock, the music you can scratch along to is a little random but surprisingly varied. Though when selecting my set-list I barely recognized any of the song titles, when I started to play it soon became apparent that the selection of songs actually consists of some really good songs. I ended up playing re-mixes of the gorillaz, the jackson five and Rhianna, all of which were (and I am slightly shocked to hear myself saying this) quite good. With more hits from artists such as Queen, The killers, N.E.R.D., Dizzy rascal, Daft punk, 50 cent and Eminem I am sure that the selection of songs will be enough to keep even the fussiest of potential DJ’s happy. Though personally I was a little disappointed there was no prodigy, I suppose you can’t always have everything.

Overall I would say that DJ Hero is a must for anyone who has dreamed of ruling the decks but never had the time, money, energy or commitment to buy the right gear. The controller felt small to me, but other than that the gameplay is very addictive and promises to be a lot of fun when mastered. Though I was playing through the easier levels, this game obviously has the potential to become extremely in depth and complicated, something which can only work to its advantage. Oh and for the true fans also be sure to look out for the renegade edition. This premium edition not only features a useful case which folds out into a portable table, but also promises to include Jay-z and Eminem. I don’t know how they plan to fit them both in the box, but its always nice to get added extras.

On a final note to me the plastic instruments seem to be growing ever closer to the real ones. First the Gh drum kit which basically teaches you how to drum, and now plastic decks which take up almost as much time and energy as real ones. I love my plastic instruments more than so many things, but to me they will always be in addition to learning the real thing, not as a substitute. To me the main value of my plastic friends will always be in party play, and I think it is a shame that the decks were not introduced alongside more of the existing instruments to make what I would consider to be a FULL band. I have a lot of friends who would like to use the decks to do the DJ-ing, effects, mixing, beat or Synth and though it would obviously be very complicated to work into the existing game structure it seems a shame that it has not yet been attempted. Perhaps this is one for the future, who knows. Until then I will silently await the day when a DJ can join my band, perhaps even like an equil. Perhaps.

Until next time

GuitarGirl24

Oct

Mini Ninjas

By GuitarGirl24 Leave a Comment

Categories: Review
Tags: eidos, mini ninjas, Review

So good things do come in small packages…but watch out they are SHARP!

Now I know I said you wouldn’t hear from me again until Eurogamer, but I just couldn’t help reviewing this little number.

I, like many others, have awaited the arrival of this title with much curiosity. Though perhaps less eagerly awaited than certain other ‘major’ releases this year, I had wondered whether this game could be the little cherry on top of the other rather more dark and sinister 2009 releases. Now, after a thorough tasting session (Including licking the bowl) I am pleased to say that this game is just the light, juicy and sweet relief that every good season needs.

First a small plot summary. The game begins when an evil samurai warlord hatches a plan for world domination. In order to take over the once peaceful land, he steals ancient and forbidden magic, magic which allows him to change animals into deadly samurai warriors. The story tells that by using this ancient magic, the Samurai Warlord is upsetting the balance of nature, causing terrible storms to rage. The Ninja master feels it is his duty to stop these storms and find the cause of the disruption, and by his duty, he means YOUR duty. You play as Hiro, the last warrior to be sent on this deadly quest. After sending all of the other Ninjas to sort out the weather, none of which have returned it is your duty to journey beyond the village walls, find the other lost Ninjas and stop the evil samurai army.

Though you must start your quest as Hiro, during your adventure you are able to rescue other members of you group who then become playable. Each character has their own set of combat moves which vary from using an oversized hammer to smash your opponents, to a flute to send them into a trance. The characters can be swapped between easily using the left bumper, adding an interesting sense of fun during combat. This is a good example of the way this game works. On the face of it this seems like a really simple game, with basic combat and cute graphics reminiscent of the (dearly loved) Spyro series. However after only a small amount of gameplay it becomes apparent that this game has more complicated features for which I would liken it more to Zelda. I mean sure, its simple enough to play through the quest just mashing the XYBA combat buttons as Hiro, but the real beauty comes in the other layered features which to me are what makes this game interesting. For example in this game you have an inventory of potions, scrolls and other objects, five different playable characters, a range of weapons and the ability to learn several different magic spells which can be accessed via the RB.

One tiny thing I will say, and weather you take it as a good or bad thing is up to you, is that this is pretty much an idiot proof game. If you get lost you can press the d-pad which gives you and arrow to show you the way, there are regular checkpoints and if you get stuck (on a boss for example) it will often tend to show you what to do. Though this may annoy some more competitive gamers, personally I think this is for the most part a good thing. Don’t get me wrong, this game is no Bioshock (I can’t wait for Bioshock 2!) but it does capture some of the cute, easy going gameplay of older titles without being too repetitive or mindless.

Of course I cannot review this title without commenting on the inevitable cute factor. When I heard the title Mini Ninjas I must admit I thought this game may end up being a little over cute and cuddly, but rest assured it is not. Once you get over laughing at the ‘Vertically challenged’ stature of your warrior, the fact that everything is mini makes the visuals quite good, if a little retro. One thing I particularly like which does come under the bracket of cuteness is the ability of Hiro to transport his soul (using magic) into the body of nearby animals. This is a useful ability for avoiding detection, or mauling enemies, however the first time I changed into a little bunny rabbit I couldn’t help noticing that the cute factor of this game. It is also quite blatant when the defeated warriors turn back into woodland creatures, but hey with a solid 7+ rating what do you expect.

Overall I think this is a very sweet, but in no way sickly, enjoyable title which can be played by pretty much anyone. With mini quests plentiful and a stream of enemies almost constant, the gameplay may not be all that hard but it is entertaining and creative enough to extend beyond its recommended 7+ audience. If you want something fun to play with the family present over Christmas, or simply something less intense to while away those long winter nights in bed I would recommend this one to you. Afterall, deep down who doesn’t want to be a kid again?

Thanks for reading guys, stay tuned for bigger things! Well its hard to get any smaller…

GuitarGirl24

Mini Ninjas OUT NOW

Oct

Be a Pro with FIFA Soccer 10 (X360)

By plusxp 1 Comment

Categories: Review
Tags: fifa. 10, football, Review

Unless you’ve been living on Saturn for the past 16 years you can’t fail to have seen, tried and even enjoyed the long-running FIFA series developed by Electronic Arts. Though we’ve seen a few humdrum releases in the past decade FIFA 10 is a much more definitive release and frankly fails to disappoint.

At long last the developers are starting to fully utilize the full high-definition graphics capabilities of both the XBOX 360 and PS3, with the result that player, pitch and stadium detail is truly awesome. Also, we finally get to enjoy the support of a 3D crowd which wasn’t seen in previous versions – it’s mostly consisted of a tiled background animation recently and was something of a glaring omission the developers have finally put right. There is no streaking, hooliganism or pitch invasions as yet, but a man can dream…!

There are of course the usual improvements in skill moves, speed of play and realism but there are several more subtle changes which may have initially escaped your notice but take this game into a whole new dimension. The shooting metrics have been adjusted to take your player attributes far more into account when deciding whether you hit or miss, and you need to actually direct your kicks with the analogue controls and time your headers to perfection to avoid being jostled by a defender. The free kicks can either be taken quickly (a completely new feature) or taken as an on-the-spot kick. As with corners you point your kick-taker in a direction, specify how much power you need and then rely on the player stats to finish the work for you, meaning that for the first time your player attributes will play a much more important role in real-time gameplay.

Generally it seems like FIFA 10 removes a lot of the hand-holding provided during game play that we’ve seen in previous titles. That doesn’t mean to say there aren’t any visual indicators at all, but a lot more control has been handed to us as gamers to play in our own particular style. Of course we still have a few of traditional quirks of the series such as commentary which becomes quite repetitive after a while due to a lack of samples, but you can download additional commentary packs to hear the dulcet tones of John Motson and Mark Lawrenson to add a little variety to the experience and cushion the blow a little.

However, if the traditional game play aspect of FIFA 10 doesn’t tickle your fancy there is always the obligatory manager mode that seems to come with FIFA titles these days. Up until FIFA 10 I’d considered FIFA 2005 to have the best manager mode of the series as it provided player development, had a ridiculously easy interface that even a five year old could use and was very realistic when it came to manager renown and player form.

This seemed to have been taken down a peg or do in the years following, possibly because EA were concerned about sales of Total Club Manager. But with FIFA 10 we finally see a new, more realistic manager mode which focuses on your trying to impress the club board of directors and balance your budget. In previous titles you earned money by winning games and wound up buying the best players in the game, but in FIFA10 buying players from big clubs will result in a sizable premium on their sale price. The only realities they haven’t emulated are Russian oil tycoons buying up a club and giving a blank cheque to buy talent, or players requesting transfers.

But the real selling point of FIFA 10 is ‘Be a Pro’. You can either choose an existing player or create your own, join a club and then play for several seasons working your way up through club football and ultimately to international glory. You are set goals each game that you need to achieve to up your reputation which will help you get picked for more competitive matches or bought by other clubs.

But so far so like ‘FIFA 09 with FIFA 10 enhancements’. What really sets this apart from previous titles? It absolutely has to be the online aspect. You can play in teams of 10 other people all controlling the customized pros they’ve been training up offline in vast net-based competitions (with sizeable prizes up for grabs in the official competitions). There are also the traditional team versus team competitions we’ve all grown to love, but for those who want to truly immerse themselves in the action you won’t be disappointed.

So what’s the verdict? FIFA 10 is still the de facto choice as a footballing game any of your friends could pick up, play and join in with you. Though Pro Evolution Soccer provides more in terms of player development FIFA 10 is an excellent all-rounder with plenty to keep the die-hard fan happy while still catering excellently for the casual gamer. This is a real landmark in the series and well worth the cash for the number of hours you will inevitably spend glued to your seat trying desperately to injure Christiano Ronaldo or get England to win something for a change. If you’ve been putting off buying the latest title for a more distinctive release, then consider your wait well and truly over.

- Bob Moss