Dipswitch's take on age ratings

So parents, can't decide if a game is suitable for your kid?

http://dipswitchcomics.com/150

Thanks for reading! Andrew

Dragon Age: Origins Review

A deep, rewarding and utterly epic adventure, prepare to spend many an hour in the fantastic Ferelden, fighting for your life!

In today's world of celebrities, reality TV and throwaway consumerism, it is pretty rare to come across an experience which can keep you absorbed and entertained for hours upon hours. Attention to detail and the meticulous crafting of a master artist are rare finds. Bioware's latest offering then, can initially seem quite daunting with it's promise of hours of questing and levelling, and with a complex system of decision making affecting the outcomes of the game, but works well enough to draw you in and keep you hooked.

In a world as typically 'RPG' as Dragon Age's, with your usual dwarves, elves and dragons, the game manages to build up a sense of familiarity, but with a very detailed world packed with it's very own legends and landmarks. As is the style in this sort of thing, the people are being threatened by a blight of creatures which you have to destroy, by questing about and gathering support for your ragtag band of warriors. But of course, it's never quite that straightforward and you end up running all over the place sorting out political disputes and supernatural threats for all and sundry. A real joy in the story is the brilliant characters you can recruit into your team, each with their own personalities. Sarky, charming, charismatic or tragic, chatting to them through the game or overhearing them talk to each other brings some great moments of levity amongst all the slaughtering, and the way you interact with them influences their feelings towards your main character. Furthering the characterisation is some fab voice acting, and the great material is done justice in nearly all accounts, from main characters to random villagers.

One of the more original aspects of this game is the unique 'origins' stories for each character type. Whether you become a human noble, dwarf commoner or mage, there are several in depth introductions to each character, setting you up and moulding your character for the journey ahead. Far from just a few simple quests, these can take several hours to get through, and have repercussions throughout the game, with characters and choices you made in the beginning catching up with you later in the game. The story flows together brilliantly, and even though when you get out into the main quest you can choose the order you complete quests, things rarely feel out of place. This freedom and choice helps personalise the game for your character and choices, giving you a feeling of control over the course you take through the game. My character, an elven mage, had the ability to enter the demon world, which forms the initial quest in his origin story. However rather than be forgotten, this is revisited several times through the game, helping defeat demons in a way that warriors or rogues could not. This series of differences between charactes sets up a varied quest for each type of character depeding how you play, and allows further playthroughs to pan out differently, making the first time you finish the game merely a set up for you to go back and try again, to see which other quests and story arcs you can discover.

General exploration and fighting is done from a over the shoulder viewpoint, and you can assign your more often used abilities and potions to the main buttons, with an easy to navigate quick menu allowing you to select things quickly, which handily pauses the action so you can do things like change equipment or abilities on the fly. Switching between characters is done with the shoulder buttons, and allows full and flexible control over your team. The game runs well, even with several enemies onscreen, although some of the more elaborate spell effects can cause the game to slow down slightly. Combat is as nuanced as you want it to be, and although occasionally difficult to aim at the specific enemy you want, spells and abilities are mostly useful, the usual fire spells and rapid bow attacks are found alongside more specialised abilities, some of which you need to earn by befriending characters with certain skills, and some by purchasing guide books.

Initially, the size of the game and sheer volume of options can seem a bit overwhelming, and the learning curve for combat on anything but the casual setting can be steep. It takes a while to figure out the most effective ways to use your main character, let alone your team of four, and setting up their individual styles and tactics can be time consuming. Fights can also change pace quickly, and on the normal or hard settings you will get to know the game over screen quickly. There seems to be a big leap in difficulty between the Casual and Normal modes, which is a shame as Normal can be very difficult in some places, forcing you to utilise all your skills and tactics, but on Casual you can mostly get by as long as you point your team in the right direction and press attack enough. On the harder modes, saving often is a must, as is progressing slowly, and taking the time during fights to think about tactics and skills. The world map can initially seem a bit unwelcoming, with no clear route to take; although once you get stuck in this problem disappears. More areas for levelling up your characters would have been nice, and although random encounters whilst crossing the map are common, they often only contain a few enemies, making levelling up something that often takes place hand in hand with the story, rather than around it.

Overall then, this is a game you can really get stuck into, with an astounding amount of depth and a well realised world. I am happy to say this is one of the most absorbing RPGs I have played in a while, and would definitely recommend it to anyone with an interest in the genre. Bioware have produced a sure-fire classic.

5/5 Stars

Version reviewed- PS3

What do you think abut the game? Share your thoughts in the comments!


Thanks for reading! Andrew

Assassins Creed 2

4/5 Stars

More is... more, in Renaissance Italy's very own murder-em-up

The second installment in what has been confirmed to be at least a trilogy, Assassins Creed 2 is a worthy successor to the first, and manages to show a real development in gameplay and storyline. With more to do than ever, and bolder characterisation, the creators have built upon the framework laid out by the first game.

Naturally, as a sequel this game continues where the first left off. As Desmond, imprisoned and subjected to the task of combing through your ancestors' memories, the end of the first game left with a puzzling cliffhanger. In this game you will get to further explore the mysteries of the Templars and Assassins, and more mysteries are presented for you to solve. The new assassin, Ezio, resides in renaissance Florence, and has a few more tricks up his sleeve than Altair, including a lot more choice in combat situations, and a few more gadgets, some provided by none other than Leonardo Da Vinci, who provides some of the games highlights with his inventions.

Gameplay in the first game was criticised for it's repetitive nature, which has been greatly improved here. Although there are some repetitive missions, these are mostly in the form of side quests, and nearly all the main missions are unique, with Ezio performing a range of challenges to work through the game. There are also several set pieces, one seeing you flee from soldiers whilst riding a horse drawn carriage, whilst archers shoot blazing arrows across your path. Exploring the various locations is also more interesting, with a range of landscapes, and now the ability to swim, and various treasures to find around the wonderfully designed cities. New to this game is areas with a more platforming edge- reminiscent of Tomb Raider, as you shimmy along ledges and climb through dungeons.

The voice cast in the game really help to bring the characters to life, and much more effort has been made in creating enjoyable characters to complement the plot, really helping you become immersed in Ezio's world. The graphics are also superb. Textures on buildings are almost photorealistic, and it's always a pleasure climbing up a huge building and looking off into the distance- cancel that holiday to the mediteranean, the view just won't be the same from ground level!

A big step up from the first game is a real sense of progression, that your character learns and grows with you, obtaining new techniques and items throughout the game, either as part of the story, by training, purchasing new items, or just from playing around and finding new ways to use your existing skillls. The money system also works well, allowing you to upgrade Ezio's weapons and armour, but also to invest it in paintings and buildings for your villa, which in turn brings in more money.

Unfortunately though, after time you realise the environments, although impressive, just don't offer the range of opportunities in comparison to their size. Although searching out treasure brings rewards, it can get very repetitive, and sub quests unfortunately lack the variety of the main quests. The game also manages to equip Ezio so well that, even when surrounded by multiple enemies, it's generally quite straightforward to either run or pick them off one by one. A little more work on the guards AI would have been nice, as fights often degenerate into standing around waiting for them to attack you, and then countering, one guard after another. Clambering across the rooftop is also extremely easy, although some effort has been made to make it slightly less straightforward than in the first game. Perhaps a Mirrors Edge style momentum based system would have made this more interesting.

Overall then, this is a huge step up, design wise, from the first game, with far more to do, a better plot, and well designed scenarios. I would definitely recommend this to anyone interested in a solid action game, however, this is not a hugely challenging game, and one which, unless you spend the time to uncover every secret, doesn't have a lot of replay value.

What's your opinion? I'd love to hear about it so comment below!

Thanks for reading! Andrew

Tekken 6 Review- 4/5 Stars

The sixth iteration in the popular Namco fighting franchise continues in the vein laid out by it's predecessors, with tight arcade action backed with great presentation and a new, console only story mode. With a roster of 40 varied characters, this game has all the depth you want it to have, and is enjoyable for all, from button mashers to experienced fighters.

Although Tekken 6 has been out in arcades for a while now, the game still looks great, and as ever the presentation, from the menus, the music to the well defined characters, is excellent, bringing a sense of a really well designed product. The fights are flashy but tight, with responsive controls and a myriad of ways to rain the pain on your opponent.

New for the home versions is the scenario mode, allowing you to take newcomers Lars and Alisa through a series of Streets of Rage style brawler levels, earning money and new costume items to beef up your characters. As you go through you learn their stories and unlock the other characters for use in this mode, and therefore unlock their costume items, giving this mode a decent amount of replayability. However this mode suffers a little as the game mechanics from a one on one fighter don't transfer so well to a full 3d brawler situation, and it is easy to get overwhelmed if you don't get rid of the enemies fast enough- especially in the harder modes. That said though, this is a fun addition and a good alternative to the main mode for unlocking the items, even if the story is rather standard.

The main meat of the game is the one on one fights, with everything you would expect from a current gen Tekken, the range of modes from previous Tekken games, Time attack, Survival and Team Battle are all here, as well as the ability to play through a series of opponents based on other player's 'Ghost data'. This mode encourages you to keep practicing as you will earn money and level up your characters rank. You can also download other players’ Ghost data to fight against. The practice mode is also useful allowing you to practice with each fighter and with a range of settings and great move lists. You can also use this mode to work out combos and juggles which are not listed, and set the computer opponent to attack you to replicate the feeling of a real fight.

The online mode of the game also has decent options, ranked and unranked matches and the ability to watch other players saved replay data. Unfortunately at the time of writing the online fights were quite laggy, with a noticeable wait inbetween button presses and onscreen action. However Namco have announced they will be patching this in the near future, so we can hope this will improve things.

The real stars of the game are the characters, with a wide selection covering a range of fighting styles. From wizened old kung fu masters to a kangaroo, complete with joey in pouch, there is a lot of personality in each combatant. There are 6 new characters in Tekken 6, each with thier own backstory and fighting style. Each fighter has a huge move list and extensive costume customisation options. There is real depth in the movesets, allowing a dedicated player to really take on the deeper nuances of the game with counters, throws and juggles.

Speaking as a fan of the series, this game has me really excited and looking forward to playing more each time. It is a shame the online mode is not quite what it could be, and I hold hope that this gets cleaned up in the upcoming patch. Overall this is a fun fighting game with a wide appeal, with a decent range of options and excellent presentation. Highly recommended if you are interested in the genre, or just fancy using a panda to beat up a schoolgirl.

I’d love to hear what you think about the game, leave a comment below.

Thanks for reading! Andrew

Scribblenauts Review

Scribblenauts - 3 out of 5 Stars

Quirky Puzzler says all the right things but fails to live up to potential.

Scribblenauts for the DS has been much hyped in the gaming press. With a simple mechanic; type in an object and it appears for use in the game's many puzzles, the draw here is the sheer number of summonable objects in the game. As long as it's not copyrighted, a specific person, vulgar, or alcoholic, it's highly likely it is in the game.

So, for example, in one puzzle you are tasked with returning a lost lamb to the flock. Do you attach a leash and pull it? Fly it over in a helicopter? Draw it over by laying out a trail of apples? These are all valid answers, with many more to discover. The second type of challenge, the 'action' stages act more as a platformer, with your magic notepad creating bridges over gaps, trampolines to bounce up to higher levels and weapons to get past enemies. Each level has multiple ways to complete it with a variety of items, and once complete you can go back and redo the level, using different items.

The goal of each puzzle is to unlock a 'Starite', although at the end of each level you are awarded money, in the form of 'Ollars, with which you can unlock new worlds, avatars and music for the game. Generally you should have no problem earning enough money to get through as the game is very generous, rewarding you with enough 'Ollars that you can unlock most things without needing to complete every task.

The graphics are basic and functional, and although charming, especially with the larger items, they can serve to confuse when dealing with more precise elements. Controls also can become frustrating. You use the stylus to place and move objects in the world, and also to direct your rooster hatted character, Maxwell. This causes problems as occasionally you will try to move something and instead Maxwell will come running over, oblivious to any harm he may encounter. The camera too, can be moved using the d-pad but sometimes suddenly snaps back to Maxwell, interrupting you and potentially leaving carefully crafted solutions free to collapse or be destroyed by a stray enemy.

As an impressive toy this allows you to flex your imagination and is entertaining, but as a game more time could have been spent ensuring the player did not get so frustrated. More emphasis could have been put on using a variety of methods to solve the puzzles and object interactions could have done with more time spent on them. Often most puzzles can be solved with a relatively small amount of items, wings and chainsaws being particularly useful, and after attempting more ingenious solutions and failing due to the annoying controls or objects not interacting in the way you would think, it is all too tempting to go back to the obvious few items each time.

All in all, I feel that while the sheer range of things you can get in this game makes anyone curious sure to enjoy messing about on the games title screen- left as a sandpit style area for testing various concoctions without the constraints of the puzzles, but the main game can be too fiddly and frustrating at times to be a must buy. However if you are interested, this ambitious title can provide a lot of entertainment for it’s humour and innovative game mechanic.

Thanks for reading!

Andrew

Guitar Hero 5 Review- 4 out of 5 Stars

Activision's latest fretfest brings improved graphics and animation over the previous incarnations, with a wider range of song styles and a bigger focus on casual multiplayer.

For those who have played other games in the series, the general gameplay is no different, you choose your song and use your plastic peripheral to play along to a simplified guitar track with the game designed to make sure there is a difficulty for everyone, from simply strumming in time with the track to pain inducing tapping solos for the old pros.

Influenced by MTV's Rock band series, Guitar hero now allows you to play bass, drums, and sing, provided you have the correct kit for the job. Luckily a lot of the gear works across different games, meaning if you already have a drumkit from Rock Band or a mic from Singstar you are ready to rock out. The multiplayer element has really been worked on, allowing multiple players to play the same instrument, and a drop in, drop out feature.

The game allows you to choose any songs from the start to practice, but to unlock new guitars, characters and upgrades for your personalised rocker, applied using the create a character function, you will need to tackle the career mode. This works by making you play through songs at different venues, charting the rise of your virtual band. Challenges such as hitting a certain number of notes in a row, or keeping your score multiplier at a steady rate, keep this mode interesting and ensures you have a good go at every song, rather than just sticking to the ones you know. The unlocking method is simpler than the previous method of gaining money for gigs, which could then be spent to unlock things. The drawback of this is that if you don't have the correct piece of kit to unlock a particular challenge, or you just plain suck at singing, you are unable to unlock the items associated with these challenges.

The graphics in the gigs are great, though cartoony. The game really stands out in it's attention to detail in the choreography and animation during the songs, with impressive lip and hand synching to the tracks and great set pieces, such as the bassist and guitar joining in on the singer's mic for backing vocals.

If you have a recent version of guitar hero you can also import some songs from them for a small fee, and use downloadable tracks from Guitar Hero: World Tour. Currently the game has only been out a few weeks, so there is only a small number of GH5 exclusive downloadable songs, but more are added each week.

Overall, this is another solid entry in the series, and whilst is not a huge leap forward, it is highly enjoyable in both a single and multiplayer setting, with an interesting a varied tracklist and real attention to detail.

Thanks for reading! Andrew

Hey folks, hope you are well?

Welcome to the third post. A little late I know, but have had a busy week or two fending off suspected swine flu and then seeing off the missus as she goes to visit family in Canada.

Recently I have been on a bit of an arts and craft bender, what with the purchase of a graphics tablet and some modelling clay. Have been steadily getting better with the clay, although the graphics tablet has not been used as much as I would like. I am hoping to have a few posts up soon to show what I have been up to. Also published another LittleBigPlanet level, which I feel is a lot better than my previous efforts so worth checking out if you have the game! My PSN id is sin84rocks so feel free to add me if you fancy looking through the new level or challenging me to a friendly game of Streetfighter 4.

Exciting news of the day is that Nobou Uematsu, the original compser on the Final Fantasy series of games, is back to do the music for the 14th installment, which is an online rpg like 11. I didn't play 11 mainly due to lack of hardware but as this one is coming to PS3 I think I might have to dip my toe in and hope I don't get too addicted!

Thanks for reading! Andrew

Thursdays

Well, it has been a week since my last post. Oh the exciting life I have lead in these past 7 days, the soaring highs and crashing lows, the fears, and pain, and the unbridled, half mad joys!

But that is for another time and place.

This week I have been putting a lot of time into the PS3 game 'Little Big Planet', by Media Molecule. If you have a PS3 and haven't got a copy it is well worth checking out, and you can generally pick it up for quite a low price- I think it was £12 on amazon last time I checked.

The basic game is quite a solid platformer, with some interesting and generally well designed levels, which the players work through. Notice the plural, you can play the levels with up to four players simultaneously, either online of off. The main story mode is all well and good but I have really been working hard on the more unique aspect of the game which is the ability to create levels and then share them on PSN for anyone to play and rate.

With quite a simple interface and a few tutorials voiced by Stephen Fry the create mode is very easy to get into, and I have really enjoyed letting my budding game developer side have a go at creating a few levels. Nothing too exciting so far to be fair, but I think with a bit of practice this could get very addictive!

As part of this, I have been spending some time looking at various articles on the wonderful Gamasutra, including some about game design and pacing. Very interesting stuff! Definitely worth a look for anyone with an interest in computer games and design, inluding articles on sound, design the industry and so on, and a very decent news section focusing on the gaming industry.

So, hoping to get inspired over the next week and really start looking into the various aspects of the Little Big Planet create mode and get designing!

Have a great week!

Thanks for reading! Andrew