Okamiden is a Capcom RPG for the Nintendo DS. It was released in America on the 15^th March, (and Europe two days later), and is a sequel to the critically acclaimed PS2/Wii title Okami. I won’t say too much about the story so as not to spoil things for those of you intending to play this, but I will say it is set 9 months after the events of the original. It is considered an indirect sequel and, hence, self-contained ; you won’t have needed to play the original at all to enjoy this.

Okamiden sees you controlling Chibiterasu, the adorable son of the original game’s protagonist, the similarly titled Amaterasu. I had Okami for the PS2 and managed to progress a couple of hours in. However during that time I never quite felt like I’d built any kind of bond with Amaterasu, as I may have done playing a Zelda game, the series to which the franchise is most often compared. In contrast, with Okamiden, no sooner than the opening group of cutscenes finished rolling that I was already beginning to feel utterly endeared with Chibiterasu ; his adorable appearance and childish, slightly naïve demeanour melted my heart. With that basis to build on I set off, and discovered that every time I learnt something new about him or his back story my attachment to him grew and grew, and its probably this, more than anything, that kept me coming back to this title.

In terms of depth Okamiden is often referred to as Okami-lite. I honestly haven’t played enough Okami to know whether thats a fair statement, but Okamiden is certainly a lot lighter than the likes of Zelda : Twilight Princess or Shenmué. But it would be wrong to call Okamiden shallow, its got some major revelations about the franchise in it, and there are a couple of big story elements which come together towards the end. By the time its over you’re going to be feeling pretty damn satisfied, if you’re anything like me. That said, one big criticism I have of the way the story is told is that, although it gets off to a great start, the middle section really lags. Its full of scene-setting and the introduction of characters you have yet to form a bond with. Of the handful of people I know who actually play this game I’m the only one who actually bothered to persevere past the game’s boring center. Which is a real shame, because the game’s final chapters are its best ones, and really taught me why this is such a well-loved series.

Through-out the game Chibiterasu is joined in his adventure by partners, of which there are several. These characters, who sit on Chibi’s back, each generate a different play dynamic, For example, when you travel around with the young girl Kagu you have, in addition to your regular moves, the ability to exorcise evil spirits and, later on, the power to warp. The dialogue of the non-playable characters also changes in response to who your current partner is at the time. In Kagu’s case, many of them complement and praise her, for she also happens to be a well-known actress in the Okami universe. The partner system is great because it allows you to view this RPG from a constantly changing perspective, while the endurance of Chibiterasu’s constant presence glues the whole thing together and provides continuity.

Other features of note include the ‘New Game Plus’ feature, a carry-over from the original which allows you to replay the story after finishing it, now enhanced with some of the things you managed to collect first time round, such as extra inkpots, solar energy units and trinkets. You can also unlock some pretty impressive extras if you manage to furfil certain objectives, such as finishing all of Issun’s Masterpieces, but, again, I won’t spoil things by saying what. The New Game Plus really extends the longevity of the game, and increases its value for money, in my opinion.

Other than that you have the battle system, which was fun at times. It felt so good to let loose with the Celestial Brush, it was the only place I really felt I got the opportunity to really do that. That said I think the battle system could have been improved. Apart from on special occasions the arena in which you battle is always the same drab purple affair, which got old really quick. Aside from that I found that I was expected to fight the same enemies over and over, such as the elemental spinny things, which felt like a total drag.

The aforementioned ‘Celestial Brush’ feature is what really sets the Okami series apart, control-wise. For those of you who don’t know, this sees you ‘painting’ strokes or patterns onscreen using a virtual brush, producing a variety effects which can help you manipulate your environment. The Nintendo DS has been heralded as the perfect platform for this system, by The Escapist editor John Funk among others, and I have to say I agree. Trying to draw items using my PS2 controller felt as cumbersome and slow as it did back when I used to play ‘Art Alive’ with my Megadrive controller ; nothing beats the speed, accuracy or ease at which you can jot things down directly onto the screen using your DS stylus.

Okamiden’s graphics are in the same Sumi-e style as the original. Quirky art styles often work really well on the DS, as Hotel Dusk and Scribblenauts demonstrate perfectly, and the same is very much true of Okamiden. Most of the game is played out against very neutral colours, which really help create a homely, earthy feel, saving richer reds and purples for when it needs to make a statement, such as boss battles.

So much has been made of the fact this is graphically inferior to the original, especially by the fans. Its obviously the case that the resolution is a lot lower, with the special effects being much fewer and far between. This problem is compounded by the fact that it is largely only fans of the original that are drawn to Okamiden in the first place. And its really quite unfair. Because judged soley by DS standards Okamiden holds its head high with the very best looking games the format has to offer. Super Mario 64 is still the standard by which 3D DS games are judged, and it would not be stretching the truth by any means to proclaim that Okamiden surpasses it. Its gradients, textures and blends make Mario 64 look positively dated. In addition, I recently reviewed Pokémon Black/White, another DS game, and praised its graphical prowess. But Okamiden is just on another level entirely.

Lastly you have the game’s soundtrack. Like Okamiden’s graphics and story, its music is inspired by ancient Japan. Within the confines of remaining faithful to that traditional base you’ve got an impressive range, from the lovely, relaxing music played during menu screens, to the bouncy, inspiring Shinshu field tune. The music is at times really quite emotional, and  really helps bring the story to life. Great examples of this include the haunting, sweeping ‘Once Upon A Time’ and the bitter-sweet, Zelda-esque ‘Sorrow’

The music isn’t ground-breaking, although it would have been before the likes of Dragonquest 9. It is top-notch, however, and has a few truly memorial numbers that, I must admit, I’ve even considered transferring to my iPod.

In conclusion Okamiden does a brilliant job of taking everything that made the much-loved Okami special, and making it accessible to gamers such as myself. My lack of empathy with  Amaterasu was one significant reason I just never could get into Okami, but there was more to it than that. Games which require you to sit in your room, wired up to your home console and TV screen will always seem more needy to me than portable alternatives, which you can move about with and experience in a variety of environments to your leisure and heart’s content. I also digged the fact that Okamiden was a more basic experience ; I found Okami quite over-whelming, and just couldn’t be bothered with it.

Okamiden has a heart-warming story, eye-popping visuals and a great soundtrack. Its also tied together perfectly, propelled at every stage by its desire to recreate the feeling of Ancient Japan. The Nintendo DS has really surprised me in recent years by delivering some of the best RPGs I’ve ever played. And now I have a new one to add to the list.

Please don’t be put off this if you haven’t played the original, if my experience is anything to go by it’ll probably result in you enjoying it all the more. A brilliant game.

Pros:

+Captivating story

+Celestial Brush works like a charm on the DS

+Possibly the best looking game on the system

+More accessible than the original

+Pleasant soundtrack

+’New Story Plus’ really adds longevity, and has some mighty fine rewards

Cons:

-The story really lags in the middle

-Some of the partners could have been more interesting/likeable

-The battle arenas always look the same, and fighting the same enemies can get really repetitive

Score: 8.5/10 – An RPG I didn’t even think I’d like, but found I couldn’t put down for weeks. Engrossing and amazing.

- Helen Doherty

Robot Unicorn Attack is a game most of you will already be familiar with. One of this year’s biggest hits, its camp charms came leaping unto the AdultSwim website in February, where it has so far achieved over 32 million plays. June saw the launch of its iPhone port, which proved so successful it inspired two recently launched reskins : Heavy Metal Edition and Christmas Edition. It is these iPhone versions of the game that this review will, from here on, concern itself with.

As those of you who’ve played any of the versions will know, Robot Unicorn Attack is a looping platformer where the goals are to stay alive and score as many points as possible. The robot unicorn gallops along automatically, the only two control options available to you being jump and dash. And, somehow, the simplicity in this really adds to the experience!

The graphics across the versions are well-drawn and are well optimised to the iPhone’s screen. The original has our shiney, rainbow-tailed hero leaping through the now all-too-familiar purple- grassed hilly scenescape, littered with hugh stars and leaping dolphins, and incorporating a heavily blurred background of clouds and yet more rainbows. As you might expect, the newer incarnations look significantly better. The Heavy Metal version kits the protragonist out in metal armour, and changes the hues of his hair and tail from a rainbow pallette to a fiery one. It sets its sinister tone immediately, with ligtning, bat-winged creatures and an angry looking unicorn all taking their place on the title screen.Here he runs through a murky volcanic environment, featuring a fair amount of imagery typically associated with the heavy metal scene, such as skulls, menacing-looking claws and inverted pentacles. Your lives, refered to as ‘dreams’ in the other versions, are known as ‘nightmares’ here. The background looks particularly impressive, featuring spotlights, dim, dusky colours, and what looks like a large rock suspended in the air, with a wealth of creepy, tentacle-like roots coming out of the bottom.

The unicorn returns to his original rainbow look during the Christmas edition, but now dressed in a green jumper (to keep him warm in the cold weather, bless) and cosplaying as Rudolf the Reindeer with fake horns and red nose to boot. Predictably, snow, little presents and fairy lights make up the level elements, and the mountainous background, complete with cute little cabins, is the sharpest of all 3. It all looks very sparkly and Christmassy, but is perhaps a little too visually loaded, and I have to say the Heavy Metal version definetly seems to come together better.

As many of you know, the original Robot Unicorn Attack features Erasure’s ballad ‘Always’. Now, I must admit, when I first played RUA I thought the song worked so well that I actually imagined -any- other song would, if used, do the game a diservice. I was, fortunately, quite wrong. Both songs featured in the alternative version serve as quite adequate musical backdrops, although the mood conjured up each time is quite different. The rapid drumbeats and constantly changing vocal emphasis of Blind Guardian’s ‘Battlefield’, the sountrack to the Heavy Metal version, really gets your heart pumping and inspires you to travel as far as possible before succumbing to your fiery death. Darkness’ ‘Christmas Time (Don’t Let The Bells End)’, on the other hand, brings with it a relaxing vibe that is not dissimiliar to that conjured up by Erasure’s piece, but, obviously, with the obligatory Christmas feel. Indeed, its fair to say that the series is fast developing a high pedigree when it comes to its backing music.

In conclusion, Robot Unicorn Attack is, in all its forms, a very fun and addictive game I would seriously recommend. The version you’d enjoy most probably depends a lot on your predispositions as a person, but, whichever one you choose, none of them will leave you dissapointed. If you can : get them all : at £1.19 a pop (indeed, £0.59 for the Christmas Edition) they represent great value, and you’d then have one to suit your moods. If pushed I’d have to admit that the Christmas edition is least favourite, for the aforementioned graphical cramming issues. I also find the Darkness track can get irritating after a while, although I must admit that if I’m in the right mood I find it quite uplifting. That said, I still think its great, and a very welcome addition to the franchise.

Could these alternative versions, with the audio and visual delights they introduce, be laying the foundations for a fully fledged, multi-level Robot Unicorn Attack platform game? I very much hope so, but I won’t be holding my breath. There’s still plenty money to be made by AdultSwim for some time yet by producing these kind of undemanding iPhone apps (deserved as it is) and, if the fans don’t mind then there’s really no reason they should change how they play their game, atleast in the short term. And, in the long term, this sort of approach should provide great practice and inspiration for such a project if it were to possibly surface (compilation anyone?).

Crystal Defenders is, along with Voice Fantasy, part of a wave of Square-Enix apps to recently arrive on the iPhone. This fun little game has previously been released on everything from the iPod Nano to the Xbox (as a Live Arcade title), and its easy to see how its simple tower defence gameplay could be easily adapted to so many formats. It is more overtly connected to the Final Fantasy series than Voice Fantasy, lifting many of its elements from the mighty Final Fantasy Tactics Advance, which is no bad thing, atleast in my opinion.

The game is played in waves, which are basically turns. You start by choosing your units, which you decide by class, before sliding your choices into the battlefield using your finger (or stylus if you happen to have one). Available classes include soldiers, black mages, archers and fencers, and those available depend on the difficulty level you choose. Once you’ve decided on all your units, and levelled up those you choose to (if you have enough gil left over) you’re ready to start the wave. Waves consist of hordes of monsters sweeping into your land. The units you place act as your mini soldiers : they will automatically fight the mobs, with varying levels of effectiveness depending on their level, position etc.

The waves start off very simple, getting gradually harder as you progress through them. It is in these later waves that this game gets really frustrating (and, oddly, as a result ; really addictive). There’s nothing worse than working hard trying your best to place your units in the right places and levelling up at the right times over the course of 10 of so waves, only to have your efforts obliterated in the next. And it makes you determined to ensure the same thing won’t happen next time round.

The character and monster sprites look almost exactly like the Final Fantasy Tactics Advance counterparts they were based off, aside from the fact they are no longer aligned diagnally. They are simple but functional, and something I’m always glad to see, being a big FFTA fan. Environments are typical Final Fantasy fare ; woodlands, desert and snow, with battlefields being attractive, if dull (although thats probably a good thing, as otherwise they might be distracting). They have a kind of paint-on-canvas look to them, which work really well. The graphics are, it cannot be denied, really rather pleasant

Most of the music, again, is directly lifted from Final Fantasy Tactics Advance. For those of you who haven’t played it, this means sweet, calm, somewhat medieval-sounding melodies composed of harp and xylophone sounds. The music is deliberately played at a lower volume than other games, leaving the player to concentrate on what’s important ; their strategy, and it really adds to the vibe of the game.

Truth be told, Crystal Defenders does lacks Voice Fantasy’s originality and ingenuity, and, further, certainly doesn’t share its value for money ; at £4.99 its quite a push! But, while I would admit that if I had to choose between them I’d go with Voice Fantasy, it cannot be denied that Defenders trounces it in terms of life span. Gameplay is deep, and discovering the perfect combination of unit placements/character development will more than likely take most gamers a fair few weeks. In addition I certainly can’t fault it for bringing the visual and audio charms of Final Fantasy Tactics Advance to the iPhone generation, packaging them in a way that is just as cognitively stimulating, yet even easier to pick-up-and-play. The iPhone version, along with its iPad counterpart also deserve kudos among this game’s ports for having the most convenient controls, the touchscreen coming in really handy in a game that involves so much shifting things around in one screen.

If this app were to go on special offer at a more reasonable price I’d recommend all iPhone users to get it, as it is a great little app, but at its current price I think this is one perhaps best left to die-hard Square-Enix and strategy fans, or those with lots of money. Enjoyable, but not essential.

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) .

So I thought I would give N3 2 a go, after playing Fist Of The North Star at MCM expo (which I love by the way) I thought I would give this a go as it was in the same kind of vain. To be honest, I liked it.

The demo itself is quite short. You can only select one character and do one mission of the overall game so it is just a little taster of what N3 2 has to offer but the graphics and the overall gameplay itself was quite engrossing. You have special moves assigned to each character which actually look special. I think that is one of the things that got me about the warriors games was that the special moves werent that uber or shiny looking (I like a lot of magic and shiny awesomeness to go with my special moves) and in this game the specials look pretty apocalyptic and look as though they are doing some serious damage as well.

One thing I do like about N3 2 from the demo I played was that the enemies seemed less static. In previous warriors games I played I though most of the enemies didn’t attack you as much and just stood there. True if a real horde of soldier attacked you out numbering you 500 to 1 you probably wouldn’t have a chance if they were all attacking you at the same time. But have just enemies run up to you and stand there I didn’t like much in the warriors games.  N3 2 on the other hand-made me feel I was actually fighting in a war. Less of the enemies were just standing there they actually felt like they wanted to kill me. Not just crowding round me to get my autograph.

The mission it self was simple but good. The aim was to destroy 3 spawn ponts on the map while fighting through hordes of enemies with your giant swords. I really did feel powerful. The challenge came with the mini boss fight at the end. This guy didn’t take no for an answer and I took a pretty heavy beating. But I managed to finish the mission in one.

Ninty Nine Nights 2 is a game that I would really love to play more of, and a step in the right direction with war based hack and slash games.

Garv

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…

I turned back to the track, I blinked for a moment, and then my vision was covered in a bright blue light. It was here! I had to run. Turning on my heel I ran against the sudden burst of wind pulling me down the tunnel with unnatural force. I’d felt them before, survived them before, but not this time, I could tell. The Metro had chosen me to punish, I’d got too close to the secrets it had kept hidden after the war and all the darkness and death that came with it. No matter how hard I pushed, the wind pushed harder, it wasn’t taking any chances. The Metro wasn’t some dumb arch evil villain soaking in its own arrogance and hubris, it was more than that a deep ruthless yet playful evil. In Soviet Russia, Metro takes YOU!

Metro 2033 is a strange creation. On one hand it’s a well detailed atmospheric shooter that makes the most of its underground setting punctuated by some surface action. On the others it’s incredibly average with what can be very poor A.I, run on the mill weapons and a fluctuating difficulty. In my mind, it feels as though it’s several years behind the curve of current generation FPS’s. Yes the linearity suits the game pretty well for what it is, the graphics are pretty nice and it’s atmospheric. But there seems to be something missing in my mind, a certain je ne ce quoi that stops this game from being on par with FEAR, Gears of War or Halflife.

The story is pretty decent and creepy, an unwinding tale of the Moscow metro after a nuclear war and the horrors that it created.
What you have to bear in mind is that the team which made this took ideas and inspiration and also originally worked with the guys who brought us the STALKER games which mixed a large open world with creepy dungeons to good effect. The problem with Metro is that, even utilising the confines and creepiness of the Moscow underground is that you’re limited in the variation and, well, environments it can use. I know this might seem pretty petty for what is an all round decent game but…I guess I just wanted a little bit more from this. Yes the various stations and their inhabitants do add a nice feeling to the game, but the constant near indifferent Russian accents even for the children you see playing make it seem, strangely bland. The weapons, while feeling, like I said in my preview, real in the situation you find yourself in are annoyingly ineffective against some enemies you find yourself up against.

Now to something more positive, the monsters. They’re all creepy nasty buggers who will have you screaming “Arghhh! Die! Die you mother fucker die! Shit!”. Especially the evil overgrown meerkat monsters you fight on the surface that will have you going from chuckles to cussing in 0.5 seconds. Unfortunately the simple swarm A.I again leaves it lacking. You only feel hunted when the A.I is scripted to do so. While they are still challenging there’s more than a few moments of stupidity especially on the human side which breaks the immersion.

I’m 18 hours in and still not finished so you’re getting a lot of game for your buck, but I’m unsure as to how repayable it will be. Due to problems on my PC I had to play the 360 version and fair warning, unless you’ve got a decent TV or monitor, its MUCH less impressive than it should be. Consider this a tentative recommendation. If you want to try something different, rent this, if you like it buy it. This is a very marmite game with very little in the way of middle ground. My next game however…

Stay tuned to Plus XP this week for Part 2 of That Bloke In The Beanie’s Epic Reviews

- That Bloke In The Beanie

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

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

24

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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
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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

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

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!