So Ziggy 2011 has been quite a year for you. What would you say the highlight has been so far?

The gigs I’ve done. Its been a great year for performing live… ever since February started I’ve literally had a massive surge of gigs and performances at really cool conventions. Including Summer of Sonic which was an absolute blast.

Aside from that I’ve managed to get a lot of material out. I’ve really expanded my career this year

Who’s your favourite Sonic character?

Aw, well, I’m going to be predictable and say no one beats Sonic, I mean, come on! He’s just a legend, he speaks for himself.

What age did you begin singing?

Basically I’ve been singing for as long as I remember, before I was 5 for sure. I always used to hum along to songs. Sonic the Hedgehog songs I used to listen to and sing along to…

 What was the first cassette you ever bought?

That was the Spice Girls album. I remember not having any pocket-money and saying to my mum “please let me buy the album”! *as a Spice Girls fan myself I decided to probe further* My favourite songs on it? I had a few ; ‘Wannabe’s a classic, ‘Say You’ll Be There” was great too and you can’t forget “Love Thing”!

You’ve been quite involved in the organisation of the London Gaming Con. Now the big day’s here, how do you feel its going?

I think its going absolutely brilliantly. A lot of us were worried, because it is a new convention, about the turn-out, plus its the first time the Anime League has branched off into gaming rather than just being an anime event, so its been a massive challenge for us. But its turned out absolutely brilliantly, and the guests have been absolutely amazing. I think everyone’s having a great time so we’re just really, really thrilled and hope it goes well for the rest of the day and that we’ll do it again soon.

What are your hopes for 2012?

Well I hope 2012 will be even better. Hopefully another run of gigs, more new songs etc. I’d like to branch out in travelling internationally if I can. I’ve currently got an EP out but I’d like to get the full LP out if possible…

2012 is also the debut of CamCon which is my own convention so it’ll be really challenging but amazing year so I’m looking forward to it

CamCon : Ziggy's con

Tell us more about CamCon

CamCon is a new convention taking place in Cambridge which I am personally organising. Its an anime/comic/sci-fi and gaming convention including, of course, lots of cosplay. We’ve got Sonia Leong and Emma Vieceli from Sweatdrop Studios attending aswell as Akemi Solloway.

Basically its a varied, one-day events, which is running at the Junction in Cambridge that is open to all ages. There are lots of cool things happening ; we’ve got talks from comic artists, workshops, karaoke and gaming events, including a tournament area and a massive tournament on the stage. There will also be live bands, so yea, it should be a really good event.

I hope its going to be a really big success and I’m looking forward to it.

To find out more about Ziggy you can find her on the following sites :

Website : http://www.zonicmusic.com/
YouTube : http://www.youtube.com/user/ArtyGirlZiggy15
Facebook : http://www.facebook.com/Zonicoffical

To find out more about Camcon please visit :

Website : http://thecamcon.com/
Facebook : http://www.facebook.com/CamConCambridge
Article on Anime Picks : http://animepicks.co.uk/2011/10/another-new-convention-camcon/

~HelenBaby

For about 20 odd years now I have been in love with video games. It may come to no surprise really as I have been writing about video games here for the best part of two years now. I have grown up with all the classics such as Sonic, Mario and even Kirby. I have always been on the side of Sonic and Sega but having a gamer mate over the road who sided with Nintendo while I was growing was a great privilege. Some people say I was a fortunate child getting his hands on both the SNES and Sega Megadrive.

Games have evolved quite considerably since the days of Super Mario Land and Sonic the Hedgehog, gamers now grow up with characters such as Master Chief, Nathan Drake or generic Call Of Dutey military man. If you mention the name Bubsy Bobcat to any of the young 360/PS3 generation you will probably either get a blank stare or an answer somewhere along the lines of ‘Is that one level after prestige?’ It’s kind of sad to think there isn’t really any classic characters for new gamers to grow up with, but fear not as the classic Sega and Nintendo mascots have not been forgotten.

Recently I have been sinking my teeth into Sonic Generations. Over the years I have been a little bit disappointed with the blue hedgehog, as his infatuation with chilli dogs and his teenage boyish ‘don’t have a cow’ attitude. With his increasingly cringe worthy outlook on life his games have not been up to par, well until now. Sonic Generations is a fantastic salute to the sonic of the past. The game play is a great mix of original Sonic trilogy and latter day 3D platforming which literally any gamer of any age can enjoy, meaning this is a great game to get young gamers involved with.

It’s not all about Sonic Generations mind. We have to show the Italian Plumber some love too. Mario has been gracing the Nintendo consoles for years without fail. Games such as Mario Galaxy and Paper Mario are the shining lights in an expensive gaming universe that young gamers can get their gaming mitts into. One game I do want to highlight is Mario 3D Land, now I haven’t played much of it myself but from what I have played it is a great shout out to the original Mario Games on the SNES. It’s simple pick up and play mechanic means that any age can play and the return of the Tanooki suit also proves that classic Mario is far from dead.

It is safe to say that 2011 has been a great year in terms of bringing back the nostalgia of both Sonic the Hedgehog and Super Mario, Let’s just hope that in the future they bring back the original crash Bandicoot and Spyro the dragon somehow. Skylanders looks a bit strange and relies on too much of a gimmick narrowing its Target audience, and when was the last time we saw Crash? Only time will tell.

Garv

Sorry for the delay with the Sonic Generations review, truth is its such a good game its been near impossible to tear myself away! I hope to make up for this by providing not just a regular review of this title, oh no. What you have here, indeed, is a level-by-level synopsis.

Released on the 4th November 2011, Sonic Generations brings together and ties 3 major periods in Sonic’s lineage : the first being the 16-bit era, the second : 2000-2004, and the last being everything since. There are 9 regular levels, which are further supplemented by numerous boss battles, trials and other little bits.
Sega have confirmed that the pre-order figured for Generations is a new record for the franchise which I, as someone who has played the game through to the end, believe is nothing if not deserved.

Green Hill

The title starts off with a bang in the series’ most iconic level. And, gosh, let me tell you, you’ve never seen a Green Hill Zone quite like it! Never before has our beloved verdant haven exhibited so much variety. You’ll find twisty loops, rails, dash rings and more! All meshed side by side with the traditional sites of Totem poles, Crabmeat badniks, and of course, those unforgettable chequered hills!

One thing that really impressed me is not only the sense of deja-vu I get from the days of playing Sonic 1 on the Megadrive, but also how this level brings my mind back to other Sonic games I have loved in the past. For example, the darkened little enclave towards the end of Act 1 instantly (whether intentionally or not) reminded me of the tropical Jungle Zone from the 8 bit Sonic 1. Where as the roses Sonic runs past a little earlier in the Act remind me of the joys of playing the first level of Sonic Advance as a teenager.

The music is fabulous beginning with the housey/basey Classic rendition of the classic green hill zone tune then evolving in to a stomping Ska piece. Very fitting opener that instantly draws you in.

Chemical Plant

At first I was surprised to hear that Sonic 2′s Chemical Plant had been chosen for a Generations remake, thinking it a little too ambitious. Then I remembered that mecha levels (particularly in 3D) is something Sega excel at! They have the benefits of near-enough 20 years of experience making games since Chemical Plant’s original inception, and it shines through quite clearly. Sega have really done well to breathe new life into this old gem.

The 3D level, for example, has clearly taken many nods from levels such as Sonic Adventure’s Final Egg and Heroes’ Final Fortress. Neon-lit tunnels are in abundance, as are mesh flooring and hazards galore (but don’t worry, you now have Omochao to patronise help you!).

The blobbish blue poison, one of the level’s signature features, has been used in some interesting new ways. The 3D level, interestingly, incorporates it as avoidables for when skydiving, where as the Classic level features vats of the stuff, swirling away like the most ominous of lava lamps. The music’s pretty groovy too.

Sky Sanctuary

I want to begin by saying that the 3D level in Sky Sanctuary was my most pleasant surprise while playing Generations, and also my favourite level. So masterfully have The  Sonic Team managed not just to re-create that Star Wars-esque sense of anticipation, but also to weave that in with an eye-watering 3D rendition of the Athenian backdrops of the original. It boggles my mind quite frankly! This Act’s music was also drop-dead gorgeous, full of nifty electronic bits and sparkle, while also sounding slightly on the classical side, if that even sounds possible!

The 2D Act wasn’t quite so good… the music was poorer for a start. Aside from that it just felt like an amalgamation between the original stage and the 3D level found here, which was disappointing and, thankfully, something not found across the game as a whole.

Speed Highway

Speed Highway was perhaps my biggest disappointment in Generations. Sure its got the twisting roads, the floodlights, the rockets, the rails… even the helicopters of the original, and in many ways its better. However I felt it just didn’t have the same magic. Maybe its the absence of that glorious purple sky, or the simplicity of the original, but I think the main thing that makes this version less enjoyable than its Sonic Adventure incarnation is the removal of ‘Speed Highway at Dawn’, the much-loved mini-level at the very end of the original.

If I judge Speed Highway purely on its own merits, however, I cannot deny that it is a very fun stage! Among the things it manages to carry over and improve on is the flow of the level, which serves to demonstrate momentum-based platforming at its very best. It also needs to be noted that no effort was spared on this level’s visuals, and at any one time the screen is filled with a multitude of exciting things going on in the background.

City Escape

Its easy to see why this was chosen as a demo level for events like Eurogamer : it really is an outstanding piece of both art and of level design. The original City Escape itself couldn’t have come at a better time being smack bam in the middle of the Dreamcast era. Ah the Dreamcast era : a time when Sega were really out-doing themselves, particularly in the field of recreating bustling metropolitan scenes (see Shenmué and Jet Set Radio) the result was as it only could have been : the best level in Sonic Adventure 2.

As you might imagine from my enthusiasm, the Generations version actually manages to improve on this, not an easy task. The Generations version manages to squash more ideas into what feels like the same amount of time, with expanded parks, actual choice when encountering crossroads and an even more sinister and invasive evil monster lorry (atleast during Classic Sonic’s level. Meep!). The fan service featured in this level is unrivalled it has to be said. That’s quite a claim given this is Sonic Generations we’re talking about here! References include, but are not limited to, WANTED posters featuring Bark the Polar Bear, Bean the Dynamite, Fang/Snipe the Weasle, among others. There are also buildings entitled things such as ‘Coffee-Blaze, ‘Tails’ Pizza’ and ‘Amy’s Market’.

Music-wise I must say the tune featured in the classic level is one of my absolute favourites in the soundtrack. But I don’t think the 3D level’s track works so well. Laid back, almost country-ish rock can’t do justice to such an upbeat track as ‘Escape from the City’. Atleast not in my opinion.

Great level.

Seaside Hill

Oh, Seaside Hill. Its up there with the Green Hill Zone as one of the most featured level in the series’ entire lineage, despite being a poor man’s Emerald Coast. Its featured in at least 5 games so far, and will no doubt feature in many more. As you may be able to tell, I’m a little bit sick of Seaside Hill, so can’t say I particularly enjoyed this level. Particularly the 3D stage, which was very similar to the original (although at least this time you’re not restrained by Sonic Heroes’ seriously annoying play style).
The 2D version is a little more original. Its a traditional water level with a temple-inspired background. It actually has some nice touches, such as when the whale propels you up by the stage by head-butting you. The music’s also good, a housey update.
All in all not an appalling experience by anyone’s standards, but certainly my least favourite level from the selection thats on offer here.

Crisis City

I laughed when reading SonicYoda’s review of Sonic Generations on SegaDriven.com. He wrote : “It should… be commended that Sonic Team made a Sonic ’06 level enjoyable!”.
Enjoyable it certainly is. Crisis City is a brilliant, suspense-filled jaunt through a high-rise city in lava-quenched peril. At times it reminds me of the first level of Shadow the Hedgehog, other times Chaotic Inferno from Sonic Rivals 2.
The music is somewhat reminiscent of that found in the Bowser castle levels from the original Mario Bros games. Oh the irony Its quite up-beat and housey, despite the impression of impending doom it simultaneously manages to convey. Brilliant.

Rooftop Run

Rooftop Run is based on the joyous, sunny level Spagonia from the mighty Sonic Unleashed. It’s quite an impressive home-coming it has to be said! Act 1 sees you navigating through buildings and streets built in that Western European many of us have missed so, while a continual flow of confetti descends from the sky, creating a really jubilant, summery feel. Later in the level you work your way up a glorious clock tower, which invoked in me happy memories of Nights : Journey of Dreams.

Act 2 looks a lot like the original level from which this was based, except more colourful, with an abundance of hot-air balloons! There’s also the breath-taking moment when you’ve finished running up this really high building and suddenly begin sliding down, spying a million tiny rooftops in the distance.

The music on both Acts is really good, and overall I’d say this is one of my favourite stages.

Planet Wisp

Like Seaside Hill, Planet Wisp doesn’t show a massive amount of deviation from the level from which it was originally inspired. Which, given how recent Sonic Colours still is (it was released in 2010), might not be that surprising.

Planet Wisps sees you strewn into what seems like an endless valley of flowers and mint-green grass, which soon gives way to a devious mecha red jungle. Like the Colours’ version (and, indeed, that whole game in general), it is actually quite challenging, and one you’ll certainly need to use your brain to get through. The 3D level also, unforgivably, has a bad case of Bottomless Pit Syndrome.

Not one of my favourite levels, but it was good to see the return of Wisps, the little creatures from Colours who’s fondness for I didn’t even realise until I saw them return while playing this! An interesting return to Eggman’s Amazing Interstellar Amusement Park.

So in conclusion what you have here are a wonderful set of levels that really draw successfully on, and exhibit well, the long history of Sonic, if not indeed Sega itself. The variety is top-notch, and gamers will find plenty of different play styles to keep them amused as they traverse these 9 fields of home.

I’ve got heaps more to say, but quite frankly it would take me another 1900 words and quite frankly I’m exhausted now. Instead I’m going to be cheeky and do a bit of a journalism no-no : just summarise the rest of my thoughts among the Pros and Cons section below.

Pros:
+ Jaw-dropping visuals that improve on everything that’s gone before.
+ Implements old ideas in awesome new ways
+ Nothing has been spared on the fun factor
+ Many different ways to play
+ Fan service is immense
+ Brilliant sound track

Cons:
- Some of the levels not quite as fun as others. But thats more me being nit-picky than anything
- The 2D levels don’t revert to 3D, so its annoying how the 3D levels go back to 2D sometimes

Score: 9.5/10 – Honestly the best-looking, best-sounding and, most importantly, funnest game I’ve played this century so far. No Sonic fan should be without this, heck, buy an Xbox/PS3 if you have to!

~HelenBaby

We’d like to share our excitement for this upcoming gem by offering one lucky PlusXP reader the chance to win this rather sexy 6 pack of classic Sonic figurines :

Featuring Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Amy Rose, Metal Sonic and Super Sonic, this delightful box of treats has the charm of 10 salesmen. So enticing are they that Garvaos was positively vexed when we reminded him that staff weren’t eligible to enter our contests

The contest

So finally we get on to what you need to do to win our lovely prize. Just send us in a photo, or an amalgamation of photos, that you feel sum up the theme Sonic Generations. It could be a picture of your Grandad with a Sonic plushie, a pic of you wearing a Sonic t-shirt as a kid… whatever you can think of. You probably already have a photo in your hard drive that’ll be perfect, don’t ya?

The Rules

• Contest closes on Sonic Generations’ release date. So, to clarify, that’s the 4th November.
• Only one entry per person. But you can change your entry if, before the contest’s end, you think of a picture you’d prefer
• All entries will be featured in an article summing up the contest, so by entering your consenting for your picture to be used in this way

How to submit

Just link us to your entry either via Twitter, where you can find us @PlusXP, or send it to us via email at competitions@plusxp.com

We look forward to receiving your entries guys.

(By the way, those of you who live in London and are over 18 should totally join SonicLondon, run by your’s truly. We have meet ups around the Capital about 3-4 times a year, where we drink, draw, play games and generally lark about : http://www.facebook.com/groups/107060975984482/ </shameless plug>)

-HelenBaby

As my reviews are on the brief side I’ve decided to group them into two posts, as opposed to individual ones for each game, the tactic favoured by most of the staff members. This first part looks at Kid Icarus, Warhammer, Sonic Generations and Super Mario 3D Land!

Kid Icarus

Set for release in 2012, Kid Icarus is an upcoming Nintendo title for the 3DS. It is the third title in the Kid Icarus series, arriving 19 years after the second.

Kid Icarus was my biggest disappointment of Eurogamer. It was one of the games I was most looking forward to playing, but when I tried it I found I had to force myself to carry on. It’s not that it’s a bad game at all, it’s just composed of elements I’ve seen all before.

The main gameplay area, for example, reminded me of a cross between the Yu Suzuki classic Fantasy Zone and Face Raiders, the 3DS’s inbuilt Face Shooter game, except significantly less fun than the latter. Which comes free with 3DS…poor show.

The parts of the level where you controlled Pit walking around were better, I must say. They included some puzzle elements and felt almost like a Zelda dungeon. I rather enjoyed those bits and imagine that, if they had been emphasised more, this mini review would have ended up a lot more positive.

I can’t fault the game on its graphics. Pit looks his bishonen best as he flies through a very pretty landscape that is essentially Ancient Greece meets early 90s Sega, with evil anthropomorphic mushrooms and eye monsters ahoy! The skies are also fleshed out beautifully, in a spectrum of colours and to the backdrop of endless stars.

It’s a shame that the lovely graphics couldn’t save this game however. I suppose in a sense the jury’s still out on it, because I never got to try the multiplayer and, from what I’ve seen on YouTube, I must admit it looks quite good. But from what I’ve played so far, Kid Icarus seemed boring and uninspiring.

Warhammer 40,000 : Space Marine

Warhammer 40,000 : Space Marine is an Action/Third Person Shooter from THQ. This happens to be the latest game to be set in the Warhammer universe, and features familiar races from the franchise such as Orcs and the iconic space marines .

As always, lets start with the controls. The protagonist’s bolshy swagger makes him such a fun character to walk around with. When you encounter level elements you can interact with it glows, giving you the choice of executing the action with a button press when you stand close enough to it. The combat itself is extremely satisfying and switches between melee and ranged. Everything Captain Titus (the main character) does he does with as much force as possible, and its a joy to behold him swishing his sword into an enemy, watching lashes of blood descend, as well as pumping enemies with bullets from afar. Yes this is a game with a lot of blood and explosions.

The realistic graphics are fleshed out with high res textures, and are highly reactive to the special effects (such as illuminating in response to explosions). The development team have really outdone themselves in creating a murky, yet always clear, landscape where heaps is going on at any one moment. And the cut scenes look even better, the movements, facial expressions and clothing textures put them up there with the best CGI I’ve ever seen.

I would highly recommend Warhammer 40k : Space Marine to Warhammer fans and gamers alike. It is immersive, gorgeous, and downright fun to play.

Sonic Generations

Sonic Generations is being created to celebrate Sega’s mascot’s 20^th Anniversary. Interestingly, it lets you flip between ‘Classic Sonic’, a cute looking Sonic who uses the old signature moves of Sonic from the 16Bit era, such as spin dash, and ‘Modern Sonic’, who has Sonic’s current look and moves he’s amassed since the Dreamcast era, such as the Homing Attack. It’s also notable for blowing my mind and being, along with Mario Kart 7, the best game on show at Eurogamer, in my very humble opinion. Allow me to explain why.

The game is an absolute gem to play. There are just so many different routes to take and choices which can be made. Tr!ppy from nightsintodreams.com, who was looking after the Generations booth (she works for Sega), said that, even now, after having access to this game for months, she is still discovering new routes through the levels. And I can totally appreciate how that would be the case. This is, its fair to say, a game that just keeps on giving.

The visuals throw forth an absolute abundance of ideas at you as you traverse the beautiful, beautiful zones. Of course none of the old elements have been left out, to take the Green Hill zone as an example you’ve got palm trees, rocks, the iconic checkered walls, the totem poles, bridges… I think you get the picture! Running through the first Act of City Escape I was also very pleased to see posters hanging up (you’ve got to be lucky to spot these though, given the velocity in these levels!) featuring many a familiar face from Sonic’s history, such as Mighty the Armadillo and Bark the Polar Bear. And everything is just tied together so seamlessly, then augmented by well-thought out special effects, such as lighting and use of the blur lens, which work together to really create an impression of class.

The soundtrack pleases me greatly. What you’ve got are housey updates of the classic tracks, such as ‘Escape from the City’ which just sound so damn good with their thomping bass, I must say. It sounds very, very contemporary, and suits the Sonic franchise’s cheerful yet badass demeanour perfectly.

This game is set for release in November, and its fair to say that I absolutely cannot wait. Sega have created a masterpiece, and I hope both for their sake, and the sake of gamers everywhere, that this is instantly propelled to one of the best-selling Sonic games of all time. Because it deserves it.

Super Mario 3D Land

Super Mario 3D Land is a 3DS title due for release this November. A platform game, it has a time limit with a jump-flag at the end, just like the old style Mario games.

First of all : a rant. I was really disappointed that, given its name, all the retro references, at least those I noticed, related to the Mario Bros series. It’s very misleading to include ‘Land’ in the title when there are no references to the Super Mario Land (a series found on the original Gameboy). The neglect Nintendo have so far shown Super Mario Land blows my mind, it’s not as if the titles didn’t sell well! The first two both feature in the top ten best-selling Mario games ever, and have combined sales of 30 million units, which is pretty significant it has to be said…

Anyway back on topic! 3D Land felt, to me, like a cross between Super Mario Galaxy and New Super Mario Bros, being quite inferior to the former, yet an improvement on the latter. Best handheld Mario to date? Quite possibly… but its nothing you haven’t seen before at the same time.

I’m not sure if it’s an issue with the current build that will be ironed out in the final release, but the game seemed to run very slowly, which was a further damper. The game was still fun though, with well designed levels and puzzles, and it’s always a joy to see Tanooki suit Mario.

Everything about the graphics, from the interface to the textures and models, have clearly taken big queues from Mario Galaxy. Which isn’t very original, but given how amazing Galaxy was it’s quite acceptable. The whole thing looks very shiny indeed.

Overall 3DS Land is good, but certainly nothing ground-breaking. It would probably be best appreciated by people who were fans of Mario back in the day who have taken a break and are looking to get back into the franchise, rather than people like myself who have been grinding the recent titles for all their worth. Average.

- HelenBaby

Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing is the third title in a relatively new series of games which focus on the characters and settings of Sega’s history. The first two titles in the series were ‘Sega Superstars Eyetoy’ and the commercially successful ‘Sega Superstars Tennis’. SSAR (Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing abbreviated) has thus far proven the hit itself, having sold 2.37 units worldwide to date. It has been praised far and wide by critics and fans alike for its cartoony visuals, Outrun-esque driving style but, most of all, its fun factor. In addition, Sega fans were also delighted to see the return of some familiar elements from Sega’s past, perhaps most notably the much-loved Ryo Hazuki from Shenmué, who hadn’t been featured in a new game for almost a decade. On a personal level I absolutely adore the console version of SSAR, and consider it to be, perhaps, my favourite kart racer ever.

SSAR was released on Xbox 360, Playstation 3, Wii and Nintendo DS last February, with arcade and PC versions popping up since. June 18^th 2011 saw the release of the iOS version, and it is this particular incarnation that this review will examine. Available on the iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad this portable racer will set you back $4.99 (or £2.99), and is a tidy 293 Mb in size. This review will look at how the game controls on the iPhone (the format I play it on), the different modes, the graphics and the sound, before making a judgement on whether it lives up to the high standard set by its console counterparts.

There are two control-sets. One sees you control your character by tilting your iOS device to the left and right, as if you were steering a vehicle. The default sensitivity is cranked pretty low, and I’ll tell you something ; having to turn your iPhone to odd angles frequently during play really messes with your visibility, not something that is welcome in a game so heavily reliant on responding to the ever-changing events on screen. Mercifully this can be corrected in the Settings menu, and playing with the tilt controls can actually feel pretty good once you get the hang of it.

The other control-set has you determine left or right movements by sliding a switch. This can be problematic, especially at the beginning of the race or after a crash, as you first have to put your finger on the slider before you can move it in the direction you want to go. However it works pretty well when you’re in the thick of the action, and I can understand why the developers chose this over a d-pad.

Which ever way you choose to play it has to be said ; this game is a hell of a lot harder to control with an iPhone screen than with a nice chunky 360 controller, and never quite as fun.

All the modes from the home console version are here, from Grand Prix and Multiplayer right down to Shopping and even Achievements. Grand Prix and Single Race, as you might imagine, are poor man’s versions of their Xbox 360/Playstation 3/Wii counterparts. Its not that they don’t work well or that they’re completely devoid of entertainment, its just that the home version was really something special ; whenever you played it you can really feel the hussle and bustle on the track, and you never felt alone somehow.

In this version’s favour, the Mission Mode is actually preferable to the console version, even though its obviously harder. Perhaps it works better here because its slightly slower paced and less reliant on scene-generation. The portable factor doesn’t hurt either, making the missions truly pick-up-and-play.

Although all the modes are the same they’re implemented quite differently in places. You will, for example, see a fair bit of deviation in the tracks used in the iPhone version. Mission Mode, itself, no longer works on a graded system (which ranked players’ performance between A and E), it now relies soley on stars. These are welcome developments for those of us who finished the game in its home console incarnation ; its refreshing to revisit that much-loved old territory, then to take to it using new challenges and criteria, and to see things are slightly differently.

The graphics were never going to be on a par with the 360/PS3/Wii version. To expect them to be would be to significantly over-estimate the iPhone’s graphical prowess. The game’s visuals are, however, up there with the very best Playstation 2 games which, for a portable title, puts this release in very good stead indeed. And for an iPhone release ; among the very best the format has to offer.

The view you’re presented with on screen makes use of the entirity of the iPhone’s resolution, and, furthermore, this is a game that really pays attention to the small details. There are little moments, such as Sonic looking back and smirking at your player from the starting line, which will genuinely leave portable game players open-mouthed in admiration. In addition the game’s cartoony style has lost none of its appeal here, and those who persevere with the hard-to-learn controls will find much to gawp at, from the gorgeous checkered twisty tunnels of  Whale Lagoon, to the Latin loveliness of Studio Amogo.

Its worth pointing out that this is a racer that doesn’t suffer from the usual big complaints that plague racers in general, and portable racers in particularly ; pop-up and fog. With the right control settings the player almost always has a good impression of whats coming next on the track, which is an achievement for this game’s creators that should not be under-emphasized.

In addition the menus, it has to be said, look slicker than ever, and work like a dream with the touch controls.

My only bone of contention as far as the graphics go are with the framerate, its even worse than the abysmal DS version’s. In other gaming genres this might not make such a difference, but in a racer this can really affect your reaction time. It also seriously harms the flow of a race, and makes play feel less organic somehow.

I believe that the area where the iPhone version suffers most is with the sound. Don’t get me wrong, the music tracks and voice samples they have included sound damn good. But there just isn’t enough of them. The huge soundtrack and veritable catalogue of voice bites featured in the home console version really helped contribute to its fun factor ; I mean, heck, for once you could race to ‘Super Sonic Racing’ in a game that didn’t suck! (sorry Travellers’ Tales!). And the voice bites were legendary, especially the commentator’s comments which were full of delicious innuendo such as ‘Tails takes a pounding’ and ‘Big, showing he can take as well as give!’.

Thats been mostly been stripped away in this version, and playing it is a lesser experience for it. Sure its understandable why the developers did it, most of us can appreciate how much sound files can bump up the overall size on disk of a project and, when cuts need to be made, its easy to appreciate why sound is the first place developers look. But it really is a lesser experience for it.

In conclusion, the iPhone version of Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing is one of the prettiest games on the iPhone, and a decent (although not brilliant) racer on a format where I didn’t think such a thing was possible. Like all versions of this title, its fan-service is top-notch, and the creators have done the likes of Crazy Taxi and Shenmué proud.

Some of the areas where it deviates from the original group of SSAR titles also make it shine in its own stead in surprising ways. The overall increased difficulty and track variations are refreshing and, as I said, the Mission Mode is, I believe, superior.

But now I’m going to be mean and admit that I never played any version of SSAR with the mission mode in mind. In terms of my interests, and I think many will back me up here, this title really fails to deliver. Grand Prix races are jerky and boring, and you never really get that sense of the aforementioned hustle and bustle of the main versions, which it sucks without.

Its a shame because it really isn’t a bad port at all. Quite the opposite ; its clear that every effort has gone into emulating the experience of the original versions. And while it succeeds in doing just that in many respects, it falls down hard on the most important aspect ; fun.

Pros:
+Great looking
+The tracks which are included sound great
+Fun Mission Mode
+Offers new challenges to fans of the original

Cons:
-The controls are hard to learn and not as pleasant as their console counterparts
-Fails to recreate the buzzing atmosphere of the main console versions
-The music’s not as diverse
-The cheeky innuendo of the originals is much missed
-Slow framerate gets annoying

Score: 6/10 – Mediocre version of a brilliant game. It has its pluses, but ultimately it never measures up to the superior home console versions.

- Helen Doherty

Wherever you have characters, you have character traits, and whenever you have character traits, you can put these together to form an idea of what star-sign that character is. This article looks at the twelve different star-signs of the Tropical Zodiac and provides readers with a gaming character who either has a pre-determined birthday that matches that sign or, in the absence of this, has been assigned a star-sign by me in accordance with what I think suits them. I hope you enjoy this article, but I must add that its not meant to be taken too seriously!

This wasn’t the Sonic I was hoping for…..

Don’t get me wrong, Sonic 4 Episode 1 was a good game; it was reminiscent of the 2D Sonic games, but it wasn’t retro enough for me. It was missing a pile of nostalgia that I hoped that it would bring but didn’t, and my hopes of a new Sonic game that would bring me back to my youth were dashed once more. That is, until yet another shining light decided to spread its warm glow over my gaming dreams and bring forth Sonic Generations…

Believe it or not, but Sonic is going to be 20 years old this year. SEGA’s mascot made his first appearance back in 1991, and Sega want to celebrate that with a new game! Well, technically, it’s half new and half a remake. You see, Sonic Generations involves the newer generation of Sonic travelling back in time to meet the original 90′s Sonic in an epic stand-off against a new nemesis. The story may sound a bit flimsy at first, but hang on, because there’s more!

Sonic Generations combines the retro 2D Sonic gameplay of yester-decade with the fast, frantic and 3D gameplay of the newer Sonic, which you may remember from Sonic Colours and the only good parts of Sonic Unleashed. As a result, the side-scrolling parts will play like we all remember; lots of speed and only a jump button to worry about. Classic 2D stages (par exemple, the Green Hill Zone from Sonic 1) will be remade and playable. The twist comes in that these stages will also be playable as the new Sonic, translating the same stages into 3D and giving you a totally different way to play the levels you loved from the past. Essentially, the Sonic fans (like myself) who crave for a shinier version of the original games will be satisfied while also appealing to those who want in on a new Sonic game more like Episode 1, Unleashed and Colours.

The information released thus far has really got me excited beyond words. Not much else is known about the game as yet, but this sounds like a game I will definitely be keeping an eye on.
Stay tuned to PlusXP when we have more info, but for now we’ll leave you with a gameplay trailer!

Garv.

While it’s always good to be up to date with the latest games, sometimes gaming can be quite a financial burden – with new games costing around £40 a pop, it’s easy to get swamped when trying to keep up with all of the new releases. But for when £40 seems like a little too much, that doesn’t mean you need to stop gaming. There are a number of gems out there, all just waiting to be played for under a tenner. Sure, they’re cheap – but most of them I would consider amongst the best classics out there. So here are my top ten games for under £10

10. Street Fighter Alpha 3 MAX – PSP

Portable fighters are something rarely done well – often watered down from their console counterparts, or tricky to handle. While it’s true that it’s almost always better playing on a console, fighters are good for short bursts of gameplay when on the move. Street Fighter Alpha 3 MAX is a great port of Alpha 3, the 2D graphics working well on the PSP screen, and with a ton of characters it’s easily one of the best fighters on the PSP. Definitely worth being part of any PSP owner’s collection.

Street Fighter Alpha 3 MAX can be found on play.com for £9.99

9. Sonic the Hedgehog Classics - XBLA/PSN

If you haven’t downloaded Sonic 1, 2, 3 or Sonic & Knuckles already, I’d ask why not? If you’ve never even played Sonic, I’d ask where you’ve been for the last couple of decades. Still, there’s no doubt that the Sonic games are timeless classics, and for only 400MSP a pop (240 for Sonic & Knuckles!), they are excellent for low-cost titles, with pick-up and play gameplay, and will keep you coming back for more. The only reason that they’re not higher on my list is that there’s a high chance you’ve already got them.

The Sonic games can be found on XBLA and PSN for around £4 each.

8. Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands – Xbox 360, PS3

Who says cheap games have to be downloaded or portable? While XBLA and PSN are brilliant for cheap gaming, that doesn’t mean you can’t get hold of some full games at equally cheap prices. Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands returns to the Prince from the PS2 POP games, with his time-manipulating powers - and some new elemental powers to boot. The title’s gameplay delivers, although it’s a little short – however, at a bargain price you’ll still get a decent bang for your buck. A Wii version is also available, but as it is a completely different game I can’t vouch for its quality.

Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands can be found on Xbox 360 and PS3 for £9.99 on play.com

7. Pinball FX 2 – XBLA

Zen Studios are a bit misleading with this one, advertising the “Full Game” of Pinball FX 2 as a free download on Xbox Live Arcade. This isn’t strictly true, however, as it’s simply the hub for the Pinball games that you get for free – you can sample a timed version of various pinball tables they have for sale. However, at 200MSP per table, you can easily get a nice selection for less than £10. Unfortunately some of the tables must be bought in a set of four, but there are a decent selection of individual ones up for download (such as Excalibur, and Street Fighter II Tribute). FX2 is an excellent pinball simulator, with great visuals and realistic physics. Even better, each table notifies you of your friends’ scores and challenges you to beat them as you go. Definitely addictive, “just one more go”-type gameplay and it’s easy to expand your collection over time. Since you can test any table before purchasing, you really can’t go wrong as you know exactly what you’re buying.

Pinball FX 2 is available for download on XBLA, with each table at 200MSP or 800MSP for the 4-table collections.

6. StarCraft + Brood War Expansion – PC

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again – StarCraft is a great RTS. It’s straightforward, addictive, and has plenty to do. With the Terran, Zerg and Protoss races all offering a balanced, yet unique style of gameplay, there’s a lot of fun to be had with the game. StarCraft II has been released recently, but to be honest the original has everything you need, and even better – it’s pretty much guaranteed to run smoothly even on a cheap Netbook. StarCraft is my favourite RTS, and it’s a bargain title, too.

StarCraft (including the Brood War expansion) can be found on both amazon.co.uk and play.com for around £5

5. Brütal Legend – Xbox 360/PS3

Things are really heating up now – we’ve had some awesome titles but it only gets better from here. Brütal Legend (or Brutal for those who don’t want to mess around with strange characters) is truly an epic game. Featuring the talent of Jack Black (and plenty of celebrity musicians including Ozzy), the game is a tongue-in-cheek adventure in a world formed by the essence of metal (and by that, I mean the music type, not girders). The real brilliance of the game comes in the envisioning of the world, the humour, and the soundtrack. While gameplay does consist partly of free-roaming around the excellent landscape in Eddie Riggs’ car and battling opponents, don’t be fooled - it’s not advertised well that the game has some pretty heavy RTS style sections, which involve building up a stage and various metal-related troops to take down the opposing stage. It might not be everyone’s cup of tea – but still, the characterization, the world and the music make this game unforgettable.

Both the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions of Brutal Legend can be found on amazon.co.uk for £9.99

4. Castlevania: Symphony of the Night – XBLA

When I think of Castlevania, Symphony of the Night is perhaps the first that springs to my mind. A platformer/RPG, Symphony of the Night stuck to its 2D roots on the PS1 while most developers turned to 3D titles. Following the vampire Alucard, the game involves exploring Dracula’s vast castle, fighting bosses, collecting weapons, items and relics as you go. With a lot of secrets and items to find, as well as multiple endings, it would take a long time to truly discover everything Symphony of the Night has to offer. Supported by one of the best soundtracks of its time (if not of all time), Castlevania:SOTN is one of the series’ best games.

Castlevania: Symphony of the Night can be found on XBLA for 800MSP

3. Assassin’s Creed II – Xbox 360/PS3

Assassin’s Creed was an average game, and while it can be found for under £10, it’s good points were a little spoiled by repetitive gameplay. However, Assassin’s Creed II took the fun parkour and assassination elements from the original title, and fleshed the game out into a vibrant and enjoyable game. Following Ezio as he trains to become a master assassin, the game gives the player free-roam over several regions of Italy. With a good story, plenty of side quests, new armour and weapons to obtain, and even a small town that you can upgrade, Assassin’s Creed II has lots to do, and would be a must-buy even if it wasn’t available for a measly £9.99.

Assassin’s Creed II: Game of the Year Edition (Xbox 360) can be found on play.com for £9.99. The PS3 version of Assassin’s Creed II can also be found for under £10.

2. Mass Effect – Xbox 360

If you’re looking for a game to keep you busy, Mass Effect may be the one for you. I was initially unsure what to make of the game, but it’s definitely one that grows on you the more you play. A sci-fi RPG with 3rd Person-shooter style combat, Mass Effect gives you the opportunity to take your own crew of humans and aliens into space to fight an enemy that threatens every species in the galaxy. Although I’m not a huge fan of Star-Trek style sci-fi, Mass Effect does a great job at dialogue, with compelling characters and a decent plot. While the game’s main story can be beaten rather quickly, the sheer amount of side-quests available fleshes the game out into something much larger. With dialogue offering different choices, and being given the opportunity to make several important decisions as the game runs it’s course, Mass Effect really gives you the feeling that you are playing through your own storyline. Better yet, the choices you make carry on into Mass Effect 2, which is also a brilliant game (although not quite reaching that under £10 mark just yet).

Mass Effect: Classics Edition can be found on both play.com and amazon.co.uk for £9.99, and includes the Bring Down the Sky DLC.

1. Final Fantasy VII, VIII, or IX – PSN

Final Fantasy games are renowned for being some of the best RPG’s out there – and there’s a reason for that. With good stories, lovable characters and exciting battle systems, the games offer exciting storylines that have a good length, and plenty of things to do on the side. The three PS1 titles, VII, VIII and IX are all available on the PSN store, and better yet, downloading them will allow you to use them on both the PS3 and PSP systems with no extra cost. While they’re definitely worth playing in their own right, the added portability factor really sweetens the deal, making for some of the best portable games money can buy. Which one you get really depends on personal taste – many regard VII as the best in the series, following Cloud’s battle against the psychotic Sephiroth, while I personally prefer the more medieval style of IX, with its lovable characters and mix of humourous and serious content. Either way, all three games are guaranteed to keep you busy for a good 30+ hours at least, and much, much more if you really get into it.

Final Fantasy VII, VIII and IX can be found on PSN for £7.99 each

So there you have it. Got a craving for some gaming but a lack of cash? There’s always something good you can find without having to splash out on something brand new.

-Leon

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

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

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

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

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

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

Garv.