Again with the giant Key-swords...
Kingdom Hearts! Running through colourful Disney worlds with anime-esque characters from the mind of one of the major players in the Final Fantasy creative process! Overly complicated and nonsensical storylines! Cheesy monologues about the power of friendship and the heart! It's all still in here!
28 November 2010
11 November 2010
Vanquish Review
Cover based shooting never moved like this!
Some games like to pull you in with a deep story. Some games like to keep you hooked with huge character development system. Some games provide immense worlds to explore and conquer. Vanquish is none of these games. The key is simplicity. Oh and craploads of robots shooting at you whilst you boost around in your rocket suit shooting them in slow motion. Sound like fun?
Some games like to pull you in with a deep story. Some games like to keep you hooked with huge character development system. Some games provide immense worlds to explore and conquer. Vanquish is none of these games. The key is simplicity. Oh and craploads of robots shooting at you whilst you boost around in your rocket suit shooting them in slow motion. Sound like fun?
3 November 2010
Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker
Tactical Espionage Action in the palm of your hands!
The Metal Gear series blends sneaky stealth and mech destroying action with often ridiculous storylines and a whole heap of weapons and gadgets. The latest in the series, 'Peace Walker' aims to convince you a Metal Gear game works just as well on the bus as on a HD TV. Mixing the classic gameplay with the task of recruiting and building a millitary team, and throwing in plenty of side missions and secrets, just how well does it manage?
The Metal Gear series blends sneaky stealth and mech destroying action with often ridiculous storylines and a whole heap of weapons and gadgets. The latest in the series, 'Peace Walker' aims to convince you a Metal Gear game works just as well on the bus as on a HD TV. Mixing the classic gameplay with the task of recruiting and building a millitary team, and throwing in plenty of side missions and secrets, just how well does it manage?
7 September 2010
Dragon Quest IX: Putting the game back into RPG
The latest instalment in the popular Dragon Quest series has sold well, and with the advertising campaign still going strong in the UK, it's interesting to see this as being billed as something for the more casual gamer, with kids and mothers getting together for some four way monster bashing action in the adverts. Taking a good look at the game, it starts to make sense, with its bright colours, and character and monster designs as ever by Akira Toriyama, perhaps better known as the artist behind the Dragonball manga and anime series.
13 July 2010
Demon's Souls review
Demon's Souls - PS3
Hack and slash and die, a lot.
Demon's Souls does something to me which I feel has been missing from games for a while. When entering a new area or blindly stumbling through tight corridors, I get a real sense of anxiety. Setting off a trap or wandering into the sight of a new enemy whose attack patterns are still a mystery usually spells death, and having to go back and retread the level again. Each new area is entered slowly, methodically, and tensely - should I go back and make use of the souls I have collected? Or press on and risk losing them?
Hack and slash and die, a lot.
Demon's Souls does something to me which I feel has been missing from games for a while. When entering a new area or blindly stumbling through tight corridors, I get a real sense of anxiety. Setting off a trap or wandering into the sight of a new enemy whose attack patterns are still a mystery usually spells death, and having to go back and retread the level again. Each new area is entered slowly, methodically, and tensely - should I go back and make use of the souls I have collected? Or press on and risk losing them?
26 May 2010
Heavy Rain review
Riding atop a wave of genius, or drowning in it's ambition?
Movies and computer games have shared an unsteady relationship. Making movies based on computer games or indeed computer games based on movies usually leads to poor results. But with better graphics and the success of story based games there has been an urge from some developers to marry games and cinema, to provide an experience with both the rich characters and story of a great film and the interaction and exploration of a computer game.
Heavy Rain, from Quantic Dreams, is the latest to try it's had at this type of game. Combining the feel of a psychological thriller, with a whodunnit, and giving the player control over the actions of several key characters in the plot, it engages you in the story and pushes you to answer the question- Who is the Origami Killer?
Movies and computer games have shared an unsteady relationship. Making movies based on computer games or indeed computer games based on movies usually leads to poor results. But with better graphics and the success of story based games there has been an urge from some developers to marry games and cinema, to provide an experience with both the rich characters and story of a great film and the interaction and exploration of a computer game.
Heavy Rain, from Quantic Dreams, is the latest to try it's had at this type of game. Combining the feel of a psychological thriller, with a whodunnit, and giving the player control over the actions of several key characters in the plot, it engages you in the story and pushes you to answer the question- Who is the Origami Killer?
9 May 2010
Bioshock 2 review
Does the sequel live up to expectations?
The first Bioshock game won numerous accolades, and was generally very highly thought of critically. The mix of the well conceived setting and the interesting twisting storyline made the game very memorable, and although some of the more straightforward shooting ocasionally lacked the snap of other first person shooters, it had a wealth of great ideas.
The first Bioshock game won numerous accolades, and was generally very highly thought of critically. The mix of the well conceived setting and the interesting twisting storyline made the game very memorable, and although some of the more straightforward shooting ocasionally lacked the snap of other first person shooters, it had a wealth of great ideas.
14 April 2010
My Top 7 Trains in games
My wallet is suffering from continuous game buying, so I thought I would try something a little different, so lists it is! Today I am looking back at some of my favourite train appearances in games and sharing them with you lucky folks. Let me know in the comments below if there are any fondly remembered trains from your gaming past.
1 April 2010
Final Fantasy XIII review
4/5 stars ****
It hurts, to think I would be here, reviewing the latest Final Fantasy game, the most recent iteration of a series which has entertained and enthralled me for years, starting as with many western gamers with the 7th, and only giving it 4 out of 5. Having enjoyed not only the main series, but many of the numerous spinoff games, shooters (Dirge of Cerberus), fighting games (Ehrgiez), and remakes, I was looking forward to the first proper Final Fantasy in a good few years. With high expectations, and trying to block out several negative reviews I plunged into the game, my head held high.
It hurts, to think I would be here, reviewing the latest Final Fantasy game, the most recent iteration of a series which has entertained and enthralled me for years, starting as with many western gamers with the 7th, and only giving it 4 out of 5. Having enjoyed not only the main series, but many of the numerous spinoff games, shooters (Dirge of Cerberus), fighting games (Ehrgiez), and remakes, I was looking forward to the first proper Final Fantasy in a good few years. With high expectations, and trying to block out several negative reviews I plunged into the game, my head held high.
19 March 2010
Bayonetta Review
5/5 Stars *****
The next illogical step up from Devil May Cry.
In our awe of realistic graphics, true to life physics effects and expertly acted voiceovers, I feel that sometimes it's easy to overlook a large part of a game's worth; its ability to entertain us. Don't get me wrong, attention to detail in games is great, but do games really benefit from the use of real world weaponry, or meticulously animated blades of grass? I guess in the end it depends on the game in question. Bayonetta though, the latest game from Devil May Cry creator Hideki Kamiya, prefers to wow you by ensuring your brain never quite catches up with the onslaught of nonsensical action and bizarre creatures. Strap yourself in; you are sure in for some turbulence.
The next illogical step up from Devil May Cry.
In our awe of realistic graphics, true to life physics effects and expertly acted voiceovers, I feel that sometimes it's easy to overlook a large part of a game's worth; its ability to entertain us. Don't get me wrong, attention to detail in games is great, but do games really benefit from the use of real world weaponry, or meticulously animated blades of grass? I guess in the end it depends on the game in question. Bayonetta though, the latest game from Devil May Cry creator Hideki Kamiya, prefers to wow you by ensuring your brain never quite catches up with the onslaught of nonsensical action and bizarre creatures. Strap yourself in; you are sure in for some turbulence.
6 March 2010
Mass Effect 2
4/5 Stars
The continuing story of Shepherd and co.- does it have mass appeal or little effect?
In Mass Effect, exploring the universe as either the default or a player created Commander Shepherd was great fun, with a myriad of people to meet and shoot at, and planets to explore. The second game allows you to continue your adventure with your choices from the first game affecting your path in the second. Bringing across your character from the first game adds to the sense of continuity, with choices you made affecting which characters you meet and how they react to you. You do start back at level one though - with this being explained away by your character helpfully dying and being rebuilt in the game's intro sequence. This also brings you into contact with the shadowy Cerberus organisation, who sponsor your mission. New to this game is a clearer focus on downloadable add ons via the Cerberus Network, with several pieces available already free to anyone with a first hand copy of the game.
The continuing story of Shepherd and co.- does it have mass appeal or little effect?
In Mass Effect, exploring the universe as either the default or a player created Commander Shepherd was great fun, with a myriad of people to meet and shoot at, and planets to explore. The second game allows you to continue your adventure with your choices from the first game affecting your path in the second. Bringing across your character from the first game adds to the sense of continuity, with choices you made affecting which characters you meet and how they react to you. You do start back at level one though - with this being explained away by your character helpfully dying and being rebuilt in the game's intro sequence. This also brings you into contact with the shadowy Cerberus organisation, who sponsor your mission. New to this game is a clearer focus on downloadable add ons via the Cerberus Network, with several pieces available already free to anyone with a first hand copy of the game.
16 February 2010
Can't be bothered to go to the shops? - Xbox Live Arcade
The Xbox Live Arcade is a service on the Xbox 360 allowing users to download games to their hard drive for a small price. This method of distribution allows smaller cheaper games to be easily distributed via the service. Going one step further, there is also a collection of 'indie' games available, from smaller developers and for a smaller cost, encouraging new ideas and games to be created for the system. Whilst this has lead to several less exciting products, (how many rumble pad-using massage applications do you need?) it has also allowed some varied and interesting games. Also, Microsoft have made a selection of full retail games available for download, via its 'Games on Demand' service, although these are at a full price and tend to take up a hefty amount of hard drive space.
1 February 2010
Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days - DS 3/5 Stars
Does the DS iteration of the popular Disney/Square crossover live up to it's full scale predecessors?
Marrying classic Disney characters and design from a Final Fantasy veteran, the Kingdom Hearts series was always an interesting experiment. With characters instantly recognisable to most people, the series allowed the exploration of fantastic universes, and a chance for players to interact with some of the most beloved cartoon characters in a new way, and also introduce them to classic Final Fantasy characters and mechanics. No wonder then, that with such an outlandish idea some great games were born.
Marrying classic Disney characters and design from a Final Fantasy veteran, the Kingdom Hearts series was always an interesting experiment. With characters instantly recognisable to most people, the series allowed the exploration of fantastic universes, and a chance for players to interact with some of the most beloved cartoon characters in a new way, and also introduce them to classic Final Fantasy characters and mechanics. No wonder then, that with such an outlandish idea some great games were born.
14 January 2010
New Super Mario Bros. Wii - 4/5 Stars
An instant classic? Nintendo update the Mario formula but does it live up to former glories?
It's hard to believe that, Lost Levels/Mario 2 confusion aside, this game marks only the 6th core 2D Mario platform game. The original game is a definite classic, and from the enemies and music to the level design and even the core mechanics, (run, jump on enemies collect coins) had a huge influence on gaming for years. The sequels, whilst retaining the ideas which made the first one great, all added new elements and fresh ideas to the series. So does this game stand up to the legacy before it?
It's hard to believe that, Lost Levels/Mario 2 confusion aside, this game marks only the 6th core 2D Mario platform game. The original game is a definite classic, and from the enemies and music to the level design and even the core mechanics, (run, jump on enemies collect coins) had a huge influence on gaming for years. The sequels, whilst retaining the ideas which made the first one great, all added new elements and fresh ideas to the series. So does this game stand up to the legacy before it?
2 January 2010
Feature- PSN Playstation Store downloadable games
With home consoles getting in on the previously PC only aspects of gaming, such as online gaming and automatic updates, an exciting development is the opportunity for consumers to purchase and aquire games online. In this feature I will be looking at a few of the games available for download from the PSN store, with followup articles on the Xbox Live Arcade and WiiWare distribution to come.
Playstation Store
The Playstation Store is accessible from the Playstation 3's main menu, and can be used to download a variety of things including movies, downloadable content for games and full games, including brand new PS3 games, demos, PSP games and Playstation 1 games. For the purposes of this article I will be looking at 3 of the currently available PS3 games which can be downloaded.
Pixeljunk Monsters
There are various Pixeljunk games released on the Playstation Store, and each time a different genre has been tackled, with varying degrees of success. Pixeljunk Monsters is a tower defense game, with a few added strategy elements. The general gist of the game is to annihilate waves of monsters before they reach the end of the stage, by strategically placing a variety of gun towers in thier path. However different towers have different uses, and are particularly suited to destroying certain monsters, thus you have to manage the building and upgrading of the towers to overcome different waves, and managing your gold reserves, obtained by defeating monsters, is important. In a move away from the classic tower defense games, you can only place towers in predefined positions, and rather than having a cursor to place things, you have to move your character around to position each tower dodging the oncoming monsters yourself, and chanting at the towers to speed up thier upgrades.
This is a neat twist on the genre, and the game is quite addictive with unlockable elements and a strict learning curve. Trying to get more gold and eradicate larger chunks of monsters each time keeps you coming back and stages are well designed with a decent variety of challenges.
Flower
From thatgamecompany, this is a hugely unique game that almost defies description. Their first game, flOw is also available but for a real treat it is Flower that I would recommend. With excellent visuals and music, the game is relaxing and enjoyable. It takes place in the dreams of flowers on a windowsill, and using the PS3's motion controller you move through colourful worlds, restoring nature by collecting flower petals. Some people may be put off by the ecological message, but the game's beauty is more than enough to attract attention and make it a worthwhile play. The only issue with this game is its relative short length, and although some effort has been made to put in a mechanic for replayability, collecting the 3 hidden green petals in each level, once you have played through you have seen most that the game has to offer. As a downloadable game though, this works well as it provides a good challenge and an interesting and unique experience.
I really love this game and highly reccomend it, although I am aware that it's sedate pace and short length may make some feel it is not worth the money. Overall though I think the experience is worth it and if you are interested it is definetely a memorable and enjoyable game.
Wipeout HD
The latest installment in the popular Wipeout series, this futuristic racing game retains the thrills of the previous games. With a variety of tracks and a graphical overhaul this game looks great, and the online play is superb. If you have played any of the previous games you will know what expect, and as a flagship Playstation title a lot of people will be familiar with the game. For the uninitiated, it is basically a futuristic racing game, with spaceships rocketing along tracks instead of cars, and with a variety of powerups to give you an advantage against your opponents, the standard rockets and speed boosts alonside mines and energy stealing lasers. Some of the features and tracks are taken from the PSP version although there are a few surprises, such as new modes to keep you on your toes. With an upgrade, Wipeout Fury available for download giving you new tracks, this one can be a bit heavier on the wallet than some of the other Downloadable games on the PSN store but it is a very good example of a classic game given a HD renovation.
If you are a fan of the series, or the racing genre in general, this is a solid and enjoyable game, and the online modes allow you to test your skills agains the world. However there are not a lot of new ideas here and without the upgrade to Wipeout Fury the game feels a little unfinished.
Is downloading the future?
Hopefully from this article you can begin to see that a variety of interesting games are available on the PSN store. For me, this is a great use of the medium, smaller, cheaper and more unique games fit well within the store, games which may not make it to full retail but can be designed and sold for a smaller price and audience. The ease of distribution allows consumers who may not normally be interested in games of this type to try them out without getting stung for the price of a full game. With careful pricing strategies the future sccess of downloadable games looks bright.
Have you played any of the games mentioned in the article, or do you have other favourites from the Playstation Store you would like to recomend? Leave a comment below and let us all know!
Thanks for reading!
Andrew
Playstation Store
The Playstation Store is accessible from the Playstation 3's main menu, and can be used to download a variety of things including movies, downloadable content for games and full games, including brand new PS3 games, demos, PSP games and Playstation 1 games. For the purposes of this article I will be looking at 3 of the currently available PS3 games which can be downloaded.
Pixeljunk Monsters
There are various Pixeljunk games released on the Playstation Store, and each time a different genre has been tackled, with varying degrees of success. Pixeljunk Monsters is a tower defense game, with a few added strategy elements. The general gist of the game is to annihilate waves of monsters before they reach the end of the stage, by strategically placing a variety of gun towers in thier path. However different towers have different uses, and are particularly suited to destroying certain monsters, thus you have to manage the building and upgrading of the towers to overcome different waves, and managing your gold reserves, obtained by defeating monsters, is important. In a move away from the classic tower defense games, you can only place towers in predefined positions, and rather than having a cursor to place things, you have to move your character around to position each tower dodging the oncoming monsters yourself, and chanting at the towers to speed up thier upgrades.
This is a neat twist on the genre, and the game is quite addictive with unlockable elements and a strict learning curve. Trying to get more gold and eradicate larger chunks of monsters each time keeps you coming back and stages are well designed with a decent variety of challenges.
Flower
From thatgamecompany, this is a hugely unique game that almost defies description. Their first game, flOw is also available but for a real treat it is Flower that I would recommend. With excellent visuals and music, the game is relaxing and enjoyable. It takes place in the dreams of flowers on a windowsill, and using the PS3's motion controller you move through colourful worlds, restoring nature by collecting flower petals. Some people may be put off by the ecological message, but the game's beauty is more than enough to attract attention and make it a worthwhile play. The only issue with this game is its relative short length, and although some effort has been made to put in a mechanic for replayability, collecting the 3 hidden green petals in each level, once you have played through you have seen most that the game has to offer. As a downloadable game though, this works well as it provides a good challenge and an interesting and unique experience.
I really love this game and highly reccomend it, although I am aware that it's sedate pace and short length may make some feel it is not worth the money. Overall though I think the experience is worth it and if you are interested it is definetely a memorable and enjoyable game.
Wipeout HD
The latest installment in the popular Wipeout series, this futuristic racing game retains the thrills of the previous games. With a variety of tracks and a graphical overhaul this game looks great, and the online play is superb. If you have played any of the previous games you will know what expect, and as a flagship Playstation title a lot of people will be familiar with the game. For the uninitiated, it is basically a futuristic racing game, with spaceships rocketing along tracks instead of cars, and with a variety of powerups to give you an advantage against your opponents, the standard rockets and speed boosts alonside mines and energy stealing lasers. Some of the features and tracks are taken from the PSP version although there are a few surprises, such as new modes to keep you on your toes. With an upgrade, Wipeout Fury available for download giving you new tracks, this one can be a bit heavier on the wallet than some of the other Downloadable games on the PSN store but it is a very good example of a classic game given a HD renovation.
If you are a fan of the series, or the racing genre in general, this is a solid and enjoyable game, and the online modes allow you to test your skills agains the world. However there are not a lot of new ideas here and without the upgrade to Wipeout Fury the game feels a little unfinished.
Is downloading the future?
Hopefully from this article you can begin to see that a variety of interesting games are available on the PSN store. For me, this is a great use of the medium, smaller, cheaper and more unique games fit well within the store, games which may not make it to full retail but can be designed and sold for a smaller price and audience. The ease of distribution allows consumers who may not normally be interested in games of this type to try them out without getting stung for the price of a full game. With careful pricing strategies the future sccess of downloadable games looks bright.
Have you played any of the games mentioned in the article, or do you have other favourites from the Playstation Store you would like to recomend? Leave a comment below and let us all know!
Thanks for reading!
Andrew
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)