Game Reviews
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Written by Steven McKay
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Monday, 08 March 2010 15:20 |
Silent Hill: Shattered Memories is the seventh game in the Silent Hill series, and is the second game by developers Climax, who were responsible for the PSP/PS2 game Silent Hill: Origins. However, Shattered Memories is a unique entry into the Silent Hill series for a couple of important reasons: it is the first time the series has appeared on a Nintendo platform; and the game is also a re-imagining of the first Silent Hill game, and marks the start of what could essentially be a series re-boot for the franchise.
As another first for the series, the game plays distinctly differently from all of the others, in that it has been developed from the ground up to make use of the Wii remote, whilst the game itself is split into two distinct gameplay types: slow-paced search segments, and more action-orientated chase segments.
In terms of the game's control scheme, the developers have opted for a Resident Evil 4 style, over-the-shoulder camera, and the Wii remote is used as a pointer to aim your flashlight at objects of interest on-screen. For the vast majority of the game, you'll find yourself creeping through the darkness with your flashlight in hand. During the search sequences, the control scheme works really well, and really lends itself to helping create an eerie, foreboding atmosphere. By contrast the chase sequences – while being the game's sole method of putting you in any real sort of danger – only really manage to dilute the atmosphere created by the search sequences, and often the difficulty of these sequences makes them almost no fun to play through.
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Written by Russ Crandall
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Sunday, 07 March 2010 22:07 |
I don't know about you, but I really liked Prince of Persia, the 2008 current-gen franchise reboot. It had its fair share of detractors, but in the end I thought it was a beautiful, simple game with an exceptional ending. I was really looking forward to the sequel(s), and was upset when I heard that the next installment in the PoP franchise would be based on the Sands of Time storyline and not this new reboot. So I decided to download the "Epilogue" DLC and have some closure.
Story-wise, the game picks up right where the retail game ended, and I wouldn't have it any other way. Unfortunately, there isn't complete closure to the story, but it's still fun to jump right back into a game and continue the story without having to wait for (or pay the full price for) a true sequel. I'm really glad that Ubisoft at least gave us this to satisfy the fans.
If you didn't like the first game because it's too easy, then I have some good news for you: this DLC is about twice as hard as anything you'll find in the real game (excepting the boss fights, which are par for the course). The platforming combo strings run several minutes in length, and several of them require real skill, unlike most of the retail game. There is a new "launchpad" power (too lazy to look up the real name, but you know what I mean if you've played the game); this purple pad will launch you to another area as well as create new platforms for you to run across. It's a nice little addition.
There aren't any orbs to collect in this DLC, but instead they have something even better - they added these hidden panels ("frescos") for you to find and run across for bonus achievement points. The frescos are cleverly hidden away from the path of the game, which means you'll spend a lot of time looking around and thinking of new ways to get to these hidden spots. For such a fundamentally linear game, these panels were really refreshing.
Overall, the DLC lasts about three hours (be warned, there's a secret achievement for completing it in under two hours, and I didn't get it), and it's well worth it if you enjoyed the retail game. |
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Written by Russ Crandall
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Monday, 01 March 2010 11:18 |
X-Men Origins: Wolverine is one of the more recent games in a long-standing series of movie tie-ins. And truth be told, we all know how those games usually fare: from Friday the 13th to Enter the Matrix, 99.8% of movie games are pretty garbage. The other .2% can be counted on one hand - Aladdin (Genesis FTW!), Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay, Goldeneye, and two of the Lord of the Rings games, for starters - and as much as I had initially thought otherwise, Wolverine just doesn't deserve to be in the .2% list.
The game had a fairly decent demo that dropped in May of last year, which actually compelled me to buy the game in the first place. On first impression, the game impresses: it's full of gore, lunging, slashing, and more lunging, and in the first few minutes you rip a helicopter pilot out of his seat and decapitate him with his own chopper's rotors. You then leap from the crashing helicopter, only to plummet towards the ground at a million miles an hour, turning an unsuspecting soldier on the ground into a mist of blood as you make your landing. It's a great start. Unfortunately, poor storytelling, poor combat desicions, and even poorer pacing made me eagerly awaiting the end of the game hours before it was through.
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Written by Giang Cao
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Friday, 26 February 2010 04:50 |
I think we all remember The Casting video that was shown at E3 almost four years ago. We watched in disbelief (or belief) as the female protagonist demonstrated a raw emotion that was unheard of in videogames back then. It was a realism, not only in graphical detailing and animation, but also in how compelling and convincing she was. I think we were all intrigued by the conceptual basis of the demo and how it would translate into a full game. Once we saw gameplay footage, we were once again curious of how those seemingly simple button presses would evolve into something plausible. Not only does its idiosyncrasies make Heavy Rain what it is, it takes all of the elements of the traditional adventure game and makes them shine in a progressive and thoughtful piece of entertainment.
David Cage preludes the Heavy Rain with the forward, "How far would you go to save somebody you love?" It may not be the most nuanced question when it comes to modern day narratives, but in the videogame world it automatically sets it apart. It has more in common with films (think Magnolia) than it does with any other games. Don't expect epic fight sequences; battles are fought with sheer will and desperation. Fitting neatly in the psychological thriller genre, the focus is on the characters; father and architect Ethan Mars, insomniac reporter Madison Paige, FBI agent Norman Jayden and P.I. Scott Shelby. All of them are somehow involved with the Origami Killer - a serial child abductor and murderer that haunts the city. |
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Written by Steven McKay
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Friday, 26 February 2010 17:40 |
When Bioshock first released in 2007, it was an incredibly ambitious game that practically re-wrote the rule book for game design. Developer Irrational Games took the time to ensure that every aspect of the game was original or innovative in some way - the setting, the characters, the plasmid abilities, the story - all of it was conceived with ingenuity in mind, with the simple goal of creating a unique, autonomous ecosystem. Like all of the best ideas, Bioshock was designed to be a singular, self-contained entity; a once-in-a-lifetime adventure. By definition then, any attempt at a sequel would only ever serve to dilute the franchise – which Bioshock 2 definitely does.
With this in mind, the biggest problem that plagues Bioshock 2 is that very little of it feels new or inventive. All of the innovation from the first game has been irrevocably lost, and replaced instead by something far more workmanlike. Worse still is the fact that the game feels like it was developed by a talented team, but one who felt that the game was just as unnecessary as most consumers did. It's a pity too, as amidst the myriad of retreaded ideas, there are some legitimate, albeit brief, touches of brilliance.
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Written by Steven McKay
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Saturday, 20 February 2010 20:50 |
The Misadventures of P.B. Winterbottom is the first release by indie developers The Odd Gentlemen, and follows the exploits of unscrupulous pie thief, P.B. Winterbottom, on his quest to catch the mythical Chronoberry pie. What follows is a very charming, simple, puzzle game, much in the same vein as indie darling Braid. In fact, the game unapologetically apes many of Braid's mechanics, though it manages to do so while retaining enough individual identity to avoid being derivative.
This sense of individuality is most noticeable in the game's unique art style; a beautiful, black and white, silent movie-esque style, set against the backdrop of a Victorian-era city. Combined with the character design, the game not only feels fresh, but also exudes an air of comedy and silliness. This silliness even carries over to the story, which is another area where the game tries to differentiate itself; where Braid was lauded for its clever and poignant story, The Misadventures of P.B. Winterbottom isn't nearly as clever. While there is a lesson to be learned, the game just doesn't try too hard to be clever.
As for the structure of the game, the premise is simple. Much like Braid, the game is split up into different chapters – referred to as movies – and each movie revolves around a different puzzle mechanic, which must be mastered in order to solve the puzzles, and progress to the next movie. The puzzles themselves are well thought-out, and are difficult enough to be challenging, without being frustrating. As such, you'll probably blow through all of the puzzles in around three hours, but there are challenge modes to extend the life of the game.
If anything, it is this brevity that is the game's only real fault. However, given the quality of the content on offer, this fails to be an issue. All told, The Misadventures of P.B. Winterbottom is a charming, well made game, with a lot of character. While it may be lacking a little of the finesse and polish of Braid, this is a sterling first effort by The Odd Gentlemen. Take into account the fact that the game only costs a mere 800MSP, and there really is no reason why you shouldn't check this game out. |
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Written by Russ Crandall
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Thursday, 18 February 2010 18:14 |
Someone pat me on the back. I finished Mass Effect 2 yesterday, in only five days, and I journaled every bit of it. It was a great ride, and I'm glad that I played it all in one chunk of time. Playing it in one fell swoop also gave me some insight into the series as a whole, and some things I might have missed had I broken the experience up into different time chunks.
These are my main three points, which although are not fundamentally spoilerific, may lead to a less fun experience if you haven't played the game already. Yeah, that's my disclaimer.
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Written by Giang Cao
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Monday, 15 February 2010 10:45 |
When I first played Plants vs. Zombies, I knew it would be a perfect fit for the iPhone. I mean, we all did - right? I can't help but think that this game was made with the iPhone in mind first, and the PC version was just to whet our appetites. Conspiracy theory aside, PvZ has finally made its way to the iPhone. Thankfully, nothing is lost in translation.
The majority of the game has been preserved in the port; the deadly flora, the campy zombies, even Crazy Dave (it wouldn't be PvZ without him). Obviously, this is an incredibly high-production game where everything is very well thought out and nothing seems too out of place. The bright and cheerful art looks great and individual animations of plants and zombies are expressed with great detail. The transition is a natural fit for the iPhone, and in some cases better suited to the smaller screen. Some actions feel very much at home on a touchscreen device; tapping sunlight to gather resources is a lot more natural than feverishly clicking around a monitor. Overall, the compacted UI requires a lot less work to get things done and the controls feel more satisfying.
The game performs well on the iPhone, only slowing down when things get hectic. It's still impressive, considering the amount of animations occurring at once. It's difficult to find else much wrong with the port. I mean, it has the same drawbacks as the original PC version and in that sense, nothing new is introduced into the iPhone version. It obviously won't be as challenging for those who did beat it the first time, but that doesn't detract on how fun and engaging the levels are. For newcomers, for which will be the eventual majority, the game will be an exciting introduction to the tower defense genre.
Despite its transition to the small screen, PvZ is absolutely brimming with personality. It offers an absorbing and fully featured adventure, as well as an unlockable quickplay mode, minigames, bonus items and achievements. With its unbeatable charm and ultimate accessibility, I consider the human race well prepared for the zombiepocalypse (zombocalypse?). |
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Written by Steven McKay
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Friday, 12 February 2010 00:00 |
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Upon its release in 2007, Mass Effect immediately commanded a lot of attention for a number of reasons: it was one of a number of new and original IPs to release that year; it was one of the first games to successfully combine RPG and shooter elements; and its dialogue-centric gameplay strove to re-invigorate the way complex narrative could be conveyed to the player. While the game, which was admittedly very ambitious, had its fair share of technical problems, the quality of the game's narrative was more than enough to secure its status as a “must-play” title.
As the follow-up to this, Mass Effect 2 was immediately saddled with the burden of fixing all of the technical issues that plagued the first game, whilst still providing the rich narrative that the first game delivered so perfectly. Surprisingly, Bioware have not only listened to the complaints surrounding Mass Effect, but have also been brave enough to completely overhaul the parts which didn't work so well; it's fair to say that Mass Effect 2 plays like an entirely different game than the first one, and, for the most part, is all the better for it.
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Written by Giang Cao
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Wednesday, 10 February 2010 01:15 |
Fighting games have had quite the comeback recently. Releases such as Street Fighter IV, Soulcalibur IV, KOF XII and Tatsunoko vs. Capcom are enough to make fans of the genre giddy. Tekken 6 unfortunately has come out later in the game and the franchise is showing signs of old age. While modern incarnations of fighting games have featured some very high production values, Tekken has lost its shine and direction in the space.
The biggest focus in Tekken 6 is the brawler-style Campaign Scenario mode. Faced with tedium and an incomprehensible story, you have to battle, as newcomers Lars and Alisa, your way through a mass of thugs, soldiers and loading screens, eventually reaching to an end-level boss. And like every campaign mode in Tekken before it, the whole things feels like it's been shoe-horned into the game as a way to justify the story - which gets more convoluted with each instalment. Campaign Scenario mode only detracts from the traditional fighting game core of Tekken and serves as the only practical way to gain money to spend on unlockables.
Purists will want to stick to the game's Arena or Quickplay mode. The former is more in line with the traditional Story mode, complete with a giant boss and a character's ending cinematic. Of all the game modes, Ghost mode is the standout allowing you to download the fighting style of a human opponent and try your skills against it. It's an interesting concept and a good segue between offline and online modes.
Tekken's unique controls can make it a bit difficult to get a hang of first, that is unless you're the button-mashing type (which is admittedly fun in its own way). Each of the four face buttons are mapped to a characters' limbs, which makes for a pretty interesting moveset and a bit special in the fighting genre. The character roster is as large as ever, with over 40 characters to choose from and modelled with great detail. In contrast, the levels are disappointing and forgettable. Sure, some of them are swathed in pretty weather effects, but with closer inspection the levels are never as dynamic as they seem to be.
Tekken 6 may be built upon a great fighting core, but inconsistencies in presentation and technical delivery are too glaring to look past. If you're a Tekken fan, its improvement may outshine its drawbacks. If not, the game will prove to be an overall flat experience. |
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