Heavy Rain | PS3 | Quick Review
Heavy Rain is an experience that is difficult to categorise. A good summation of that is observed with one of the first trophies a player receives: ‘Thank you for supporting Interactive Drama’, it state – which kind of sums it up. This is not a conventional video game – but it’s not really an interactive movie either. Right from the off, that lack of convention and protocol is evident, both in the narrative and in the way you, the player, interact with that narrative. Heavy Rain isn’t an A to B affair, it’s a tale that carefully unfolds across multiple story threads each revealing plot details and story lines that attempt to enrich the experience and create a connection between you and the characters you play.
Those characters are four individuals drawn together by the the Origami Killer – a psychopath whose victims are all young boys. Each character is fleshed out in a way that makes them difficult to compare with most other traditional video game protagonists. They are all normal folk plunged into extraordinary situations. All have much more in common with films like 28 Grams or Babel that they do with any game. They are not superheroes with massive guns or special powers, they are ordinary people whose choices and actions are human and are grounded in their (your) reactions to the individual situations. The choices you make as those characters determines the path a story takes and ultimately the outcome of the experience. At no point does the game question the choices or actions you make, it merely locks or unlocks doors based on these decisions. It’s an impressively varied model, to the point that any of the the four main characters can die and the game will continue – adjusting accordingly. This not only makes for a unique experience but it enables players to attach their own moral uncertainties to the characters and narrative which, very cleverly, adds depth to the relationship. Of course, it’s not easy to create or feel empathy for a 3D model – but if you can suspend your disbelief a little and share the pain and anguish of the likes of Mr Ethan Mars, you’ll probably find the experience all the more engrossing. Quantic Dream have gone out of their way to give you as much of a head start as they can with that.
In terms of the actual on screen experience the visuals, score, controls and dialogue are all equally impressive. From a purely graphical point of view this is the most rich and real environment ever created for a console and is for that reason peerless. The animation, mostly filmed with motion sensors and green screen, is some of the best I’ve seen in any game and the majority of the voice acting and face-tracking is equally as good. Of course, this isn’t celluloid, so it’s not perfect, but the fact it’s being compared to such a medium is enough of a recommendation. As for the controls, R2 acts as an ‘accelerator’ to your character’s motion and the right thumbstick is used to interact with the environment and the various objects within it. Other interaction and action sequences are controlled by commands like QTE’s and a smart approach to the motion capabilities of the SIXAXIS.
Heavy Rain is a game you need to jump into and accept for what it is if you are to gain the most enjoyment out of it. To say that it’s an ‘awesome gaming experience’ implies that you can compare it against its contemporaries, which is difficult at best. It’s a game that takes massive risks in design, narrative, and mechanics – luckily for us everyone involved has executed on those risks and ideas in a truly masterful fashion. On top of that, no matter how little, this game gets under your skin. You will care about the impact of the decisions you make and you will find yourself somewhere else, idly wondering if you made the right choice.
Yeah it’s flawed, but it’s audacious and for that I salute David Cage, Quantic Dream and ultimately Sony.
Bayonetta | Multi | Quick Review
Created by Hideki Kamiya of Devil May Cry fame, Bayonetta is the apex of a flamboyant creative journey he began with that game. A third person hack and slash game that takes the best of its peers, mashes that up and spits out a stunning, stylish and hugely entertaining video game. An almost flawless exhibition of proper gaming awesomeness – which can make even the most sausage-fingered of gamers feel like they’ve got them skills.
The main reason for that is that the combat system is piss easy to grasp – but has a huge big (an I mean huge big) amount of depth. Three buttons handle guns, melee weapons and kick attacks, while the right trigger is used to dodge incoming blows and attacks. Those well timed dodges activate ‘bullet-time‘ which as you can imagine slows down the action, meaning you can, for a limited time, twat the hell out of the baddies with no fear of retaliation. That simple mechanic surprisingly spawns loads of combo’s. Obviously linking combo’s together creates increasingly ridiculous/enjoyable brutality. If you can keep those links flowing you’ll gain magic energy for stuff like torture combo’s, guillotines, spiked wheels, iron maidens and other antediluvian instruments upon the bad dudes – including some awesome ‘hair-death’ type action.
As you’d expect the game looks pretty dam sweet as well. Hideki has crafted a super-stylish Japanese fantasy world that never fails to dazzle. Whether you’re stalking winged angel/eagle style creatures in the sun-soaked streets or slashing your way through floating fat-faced babies in storm-blown ruins and temples – it looks stunning. Character and creatures are equally as impressive, with enormous villains in enormous (brilliantly orchestrated) scenery smashing boss battles (like those you’d expect to finish most games) happening continuously throughout the entire 10 or so hours it takes to complete.
Of course there’s no plot – why would you need one? Your job is simple, just get the Bayonetta woman through a series of increasingly fun/finger numbing fights with the odd bit of platforming and puzzle-solving style activity in between. Sounds simple, only it’s a bit like Devil May Cry 4 & God of War on ‘weapons-grade’ crack. And that’s pretty much it: Bayonetta is a ‘best-in-class’ barnstormer of a game that will make your hands numb and your eyes bleed.
You should go buy it now.
New Super Mario Bros Wii | Quick Review
New Super Mario Bros Wii game is essentially a follow-up to the 2006 DS version, which is a follow-up to the 2003 GBA version, which is a follow up to… etc. It has the same 2D/3D graphical style of all other Super Mario games, mostly very colourful, beautifully designed and simply animated. The game, of course, has an identical construct too. You run through a series of world maps all strewn with collectables, baddies, shortcuts, secrets and multiple routes to completing your mission and rescuing the ditzy Princess Peach.
So what’s new?
Well, one of the finest single-player game series of all time has, not unlike most of the rest of the world, become more social. Mario, Luigi and two Toads can now all bounce, jostle and bop their way through the same levels together – dropping in and out as desired. There’s a tag-team system that offers many more chances for those players to stay alive and keep the level going. As you’d expect, the camera zooms in and out to accommodate all the action, question blocks dole out as many power-ups as there are contenders, and the games only up if all of you perish. And… that’s pretty much it. Everything else much as I said it was, with the addition of you mates – and it works. It’s a different proposition agreed, but a welcome one, and one that adds a whole new dimension to a SMB game. The clever bit is that since nothing has really changed, when you take the other players out you’re still left with a Super Mario Bros game.
That game, played solo, is routine in its execution and yet fantastic as a result. It’s pretty difficult (compared to more recent iterations) but it has all the character and charm that gives you the blissful deja vu as you run, jump and slide your way through more impeccably crafted Mario World levels. Played with friends New Super Mario Bros Wii has all of that X 4.
And in case you were wondering: The Switch Palace and Yoshi return.
Super.
Assassin’s Creed 2 | Multi | Review
Assassin’s Creed 2 is the follow up to last years rambling, if not beautiful, parkour based stabby sandbox style romp. The sequel, set in Italy (Florence, Rome and Venice etc) plays better and fortunately manages to avoid almost all of the pitfalls of its predecessor. I think most imagined that the follow up would be better, but Assasin’s Creed 2 has exceeded expectations. The level of craft and care evident in the execution this game is incredible and easily on a par with the GTA series. It looks stunning and the characterization and story is well executed – making and is a very solid and hugely enjoyable experience.
Unsurprisingly it’s also structured a lot like a Grand Theft Auto game. You go to mission icons on the map and receive instructions that require you to complete tasks. This time such tasks are generally varied, inventive and slick and not nearly as dull as before. There are similarities, like you’ll spend a lot of your time clambering over rooftops using familiar parkour based movements, sneaking about in crowds and, of course, assasinating people. However, you can now collect cash that can be used to purchase new armor and weapons, increase your health and tighten your combat skills. There’s a range of new tricks and attacks and the many possible assassinations are now more clearly defined – which are all welcome additions. The only really annoying thing I have found is a control bug that means you sometimes (randomly) jump backwards off buildings – but that isn’t bad given the many frustrations of the first outing.
Essentially what makes this game work is that Ubisoft have stripped away the horrible repetition and randomness of the original and made the assassination missions a lot better (which is the genesis of this game).
That’s pretty much it – and it works.
Assasin’s Creed 2 is the game that Assasin’s Creed 1 claimed/promised it would be – a very good game.
Little Big Planet | PSPgo | Review
Little Big Planet on PSP feels virtually the same as the PS3 version. It looks the same, plays the same and has all of the charm that will make you fall in love with it from the moment Stephen Fry begins to talk.
As before you jump, grab, pull, swing, and push your way through 30 (new) story levels, based in seven unique settings. Like the PS3 version, every level is filled with puzzles and hazards and characters asking you to do things for them.
Of course, being Little Big Planet, it’s got level editing tools and online level sharing, which has also been magically reproduced on PSP. It’s incredible how accurately the developer has replicated it all, from the “Community Moon” right to the level editor, which (in my limited experience) is pretty much the same as it was on the PS3. Anyone can download user-creations from the community which, obviously, isn’t nearly as massive as LBP PS3, but if the PS3 community is anything to go by there will soon be plenty of UGC action.
Despite the lack of multiplayer support (which, as far as I can tell is the only real difference), LittleBigPlanet for the PSP is just as good as the PS3 original. This is exactly what the little PSP needed – a killer app and a contender for handheld game of the year.
Awesome.
MotorStorm: Arctic Edge | PSPgo | ®eview
The MotorStorm games are arguably the best looking/playing arcade racers you’ll find on a PS3, meaning Bigbig Studios had its work cut out delivering an equivalent experience on Sony’s handheld.
Fortunately – deliver they did.
PS3 Motorstorm has always been purely about racing. No cocking about tuning, customizing, upgrading, going for licenses or sticking to any racing line. Just press and hold the X button and roughly try and steer your way to victory. The tracks aren’t really tracks, they’re more like levels from a FPS – but with roads. And the gameplay (particularly while boosting) isn’t really driving – it’s like injecting speed into your eyeballs. Fortunately the same applies here. All of what’s good about Motorstorm: the freedom, the vehicles, the competition (yes, they’ve managed to keep all the competitors) and, of course, the hemorrhage inducing speed.
The default control scheme works well as you only ever press one button to go, and another to go faster; in Motorstorm – brakes are for wimps. Not only is the game good but there’s a lot to do, with 100 events to compete in across the single-player campaign, plus a shed load of multi player options – as you’d expect.
It looks good, like Motorstorm – but on a PSP, all set in an ‘Alaskan’ style landscape, with the obigitory mountain passes, ice caves, ice bridges, bobsleigh tracks etc. Again, all that really means is that the blurry colour you see through your streaming tears is white this time, not brown or green. As with it’s big sisters, Artic Edge’s circuits all have an impressive selection of paths, and this time there are also an impressive number of weather conditions to conquer. Add to that a few new vehicles; Snow Cat, Snow Machine and Snowplugger (to name but a few) and you’ve got yourself a AAA title.
Quite how Bigbig have managed to cram this game into little over a gig, on a PSP, is beyond me. MotorStorm: Arctic Edge has got everything the PS3 version has – only this time you can play in on the tram.
Awesome.
Subconjunctival hemorrhage awesome.
PSPgo ®eview here.
Uncharted 2 Among Thieves | PS3 | Review
Things are looking up in the new rubbishcorp® lair and for Sony’s resurgent console. It’s coming up to Christmas games madness, Batman Arkam was awesome and the proprietary Uncharted 2 seems to be going the same way.
From a visual and technical standpoint, it’s stunning – with some of the most polished visuals around. The environments, character animations, attention to detail and level design are all hugely impressive. There’s not a poor texture in sight, the lighting is immaculate across cut-scene and game-play and the fluidity of animation makes the game feel truly alive.
Uncharted 2: Among Thieves is an extremely slick and satisfying adventure. It transitions between action, set-piece and cut-scene aseemlessly, and I’ve even found myself following the narrative – which while largely predictable, is actually adding to my experience. There is of course a multi-player element which I haven’t played and there’s Twitter integration that pushes updates as you play, kinda like Raptr/Live.
Anyway, back to the game. Sadly from a control perspective, not much has changed from the original. Movement and aiming still feels clumsy, as does the game’s cover mechanic – often stumbling at key /hysteric moments. And because the game is effectively one huge non-stop action sequence, this is a definite cause for frustration – which is a shame.
Having said that If you own a PlayStation 3, Uncharted 2: Among Thieves should, without doubt, be in your collection. Ultimately it rocks and I’m sure you’ll find yourself forgiving the niggles – because the sum is so much greater than the parts.
Trials HD | xBox Live Arcade
Trials HD is a very straightforward 2 (and a half) D game where your only mission is to get your motorbike to the end of an obstacle course (kickstart with explosives style). To do that you simply accelerate with the right trigger, stop with the left and push the stick left and right to control the balance of the rider and the rotation (when in the air) of the bike – that’s it.
Only that’s not it.
Trials is one of the most compelling, enjoyable and addictive games I have played this year. Replaying levels upwards of 50 times is my new nightly fix, desperately trying to beat my previous/friends (cheating Yacco’s) score. Always so close to making that landing, getting over that last tyre, or reaching the top of that stupidly steep ramp.
Over and over.
But, that’s one of the things that makes Trials so unique – you don’t mind. The balance between frustration and enjoyment is perfect – the more you play the more you learn the intricacies of controlling the bike’s physics, the more you feel like you can do that, the more you love it when you do. It’s a brilliantly constructed physics playground with a learning curve that makes it good to play regardless of whether you’re winning or losing.
On top of the main event Trials HD has a lot more to offer. It looks great for an Arcade title, it has loads of levels, some top mini games and the icing on the cake is a pretty powerful course editor that lets you create your own levels/mini games, which, of course, you can upload for others to enjoy. And if this game’s as popular as it should be, there will be continuous stream of user-made levels on offer for the rest of the year, all of which makes it well worth the 1200 points/around £10 it costs.
Trials HD is without doubt the best XBLA game of this year so far (aside from Peggle obviously).
Awesome.
Peggle | iPhone / LIVE / Mac / PC
The premise for Peggle is very simple – each level is a mass of blue and orange pegs, all you have to do is launch a tiny ball from the top of the level in an attempt to knock out as many of those pegs as you can before it falls to the bottom. Not unlike pinball, you control the initial shot, but after that, it’s purely physics as the ball ricochets off pegs, walls and level-specific obstacles. Success comes in the form of knocking out all 10 orange pegs before you run out of balls. There’s obviously a little bit more to it, but essentially that’s it.
Aside from the crack-cocaine levels of desire and addition you’ll encounter should you play it. Peggle hooks into you, and there’s little point resisting – you can do little but sit back and succumb to the obsession. To be fair though, it beats being unconscious and sicking up on yourself in a Glasgow pub toilet.
Peggle is brilliant, so simple, yet so uncontrollably addictive. It’s without doubt one of the best games I’ve played this year.
It be calling me man, it be calling me.
XXXbox 360 | A Perfect Massage
There’s a ‘game’ on Xbox Live that turns your 360 controllers into a wireless “sensual massager”.
You can choose to have the “Tropical”, “Volcano”, “Ocean”, “Swedish” or simply go manual. Plus, you can also use your controller to remotely vibrate up to 3 additional controllers – for when your friends come round..?
So if you’re feeling a little feeling tense when you get home tonight, you can grab the ‘game’ on Xbox Live marketplace for just 200 Microsoft Points – which is about the same as a posh jazz mag.
Just to be clear, this game was classified by the community with the following category scores – Violence=0/3, Sex=0/3, Mature Content=0/3. Link.
Braid | Mac
You can now play Number None’s awesome time-shifting platformer Braid on your Mac. If you haven’t played it yet then I highly recommend you do, it’s brilliant.
Explore the human condition and manipulate time in the lush, painterly world of Braid, a puzzle-platformer that takes you from a house in the city on a journey through a series of worlds to solve puzzles and rescue the princess. In each world, you have a different power to affect the way time behaves, including the ability to rewind, create parallel realities, and utilize time dilation. There is no filler in this game; every puzzle shows you something new and interesting about the game world.
Download it here, or get the free demo.
Terminator Salvation | Resistance 2018
Terminator Salvation is the latest film/game to get some interesting online action – this time in the form of a Twitter game.
Members of the human resistance are communicating with each other through Twitter. The Resistance is able to “intercept” Skynet communications, but they are decoded, incomplete or unanswered. The Resistance is turning to the Resistance2018 community to help complete these intercepts and broadcast messages in support of the cause.
It sounds a bit weird I know, but having read the blog, it seems to make sense. Effectively, if you sign up, you take part in a quiz in which a series of questions/puzzles are fired at you over the course of the day. All you have to do is solve the riddles and you’ll earn points. Or, in the words of the resistance themselves, your primary objectives are as follows:
Follow Resistance2018 on Twitter for messages throughout the day. Respond to Resistance Assignments quickly to earn points. Accrue points to advance positions on the leaderboard and achieve higher ranks in the Resistance Army.
Nice idea and it’s certainly getting the coverage it was created for.
Game instructions and all the are bits you need housed here on the blog.
Twitter feed here.
Resistance: Retribution | PSP
Resistance: Retribution is a game that technically should be very good. It’s a combo of Insomniac’s top shooter (Resistance 2 obviously) and developer Sony Bend, who were responsible for the excellent Siphon Filter series on PSP. Sadly the result never really lives up to that potential, but that’s largely due to the limitations of this kind of game on this platform, over any serious developmental flaws.
The game is (unsurprisingly) very similar to the Syphon Filter series, most notably sharing practically identical controls – the face buttons substitute a second analog stick (which is weird, again, and takes a bit of getting used to). The game also clearly borrows heavily from it’s cousins game engine, although it’s a little more much action-packed than Mr Logan’s more stealthy outings.
The default targeting system is a good example of the limitation of a game like this on the PSP. Bend have mostly automated the targeting in an attempt to retain the frenetic mood of the high-pressure set-pieces on the small screen -ie loads of baddies. However, the auto-targeting soon becomes mechanical and leaves you methodically plugging away at the enemies in a manner that requires little or no skill. As you can imagine, this soon becomes a little tiresome and sort-of removes the point.
Another annoyance is that this game doesn’t have nearly enough save points. Handheld systems are for bite-sized gaming and any one who ignores that does so at their peril. It’s unfortunate as it inevitably results in swearing as you bring PSP out of sleep mode and find yourself totally unprepared in the middle of an enormous battle – the losing of which means you have to replay a sizable chunk of the game.
On a more positive note, the game looks good and successfully uses plenty of the Resistance series’ enemies, as does it the first games weapons. It’s a lot closer to Fall of Man that 2, I’d go as far as to say that the entire experience feels like you’re playing a tiny-wee version of Fall of Man.
You can also (if you really want to) connect Retribution to a PS3 and a copy of Resistance 2 which apparently unlocks an “Infected” mode, making available some extra stuff. The oddest of which enables you to use a PS3 SIXAXIS controller to play Retribution on your PSP..? There’s also some multi-player, but to be honest I can’t really be arsed as I can’t imagine it’ll never be as good as XBOX Live.
Overall this game is a handheld shooter that sort of gets it right, if getting it right is to auto-aim shoot, reload, and shoot again. Having said that, it’s been a bit quiet on the PSP recently, so this game is definitely worth a punt if you’re a fan.
But probably not if you’re not.
Killzone 2 | PS3 | Review
Some 4 years after that infamous teaser all eyes were on Guerrilla to deliver a killer app for the PS3, luckily Killzone 2 doesn’t disappoint. It offers an immersing and hugely enjoyable, albeit short, single player campaign with an equally as solid online component. The game never really threatens to break any boundaries for the genre, but what it does do it does very well, and as a result a new benchmark has been set for the FPS, in a subtle but very significant way.
Firstly, the visuals are simply stunning and the first real evidence that the PS3 has more grunt than its next-gen nemesis. Both technically and aesthetically – the graphics are groundbreaking. Beautifully lit dilapidated buildings, industrialized warehouses and more organic battlefields glow with an incandescent quality as yet seen on a home console. The environments surround you with incredible detail, from the architectural furniture right down to to the individual objects and visual flourishes, this is a vision that has been magnificently realized. Character animations are the best in class, enemies move fluidly and realistically, shifting from cover to attack so smoothly it’ll make you weep. Add a subtle grain filter, cleverly implemented motion blur and a deep color saturation and you have an awesome looking game with an unrivaled grim and dank complexion.
The game design is seemingly a culmination of all the good bits of all the shooters before, matured by simple touches that feel authentic within this strict framework.The physics have a real feeling of weight, this makes the controls feel a little sluggish at first, but it doesn’t take long before you get accustomed, and when you do, the game feels more solid and realistic than Gears of War. The cover system is very effective – never pulling you out of the first-person viewpoint. It’s very different from the technique employed by Epic in Gears (both have their foibles), here some objects can obscure your line of fire, if you try to take potshots from behind them, however, it’s a minor grip as sticking to cover and leaning out from behind walls is generally intuitive and works well. What’s impressive is that you can approach the campaign with this pop-and-shoot (catchy monkey) style just as effectively as you can by simply charging in and gunning your way through with loony abandon. It’s testament to the developers that either way works well and is just as much fun. Regardless of your style of play the action and pace constantly moves you on, leading you from one quality set-piece to the next. Each of the weapons feel solid, all wonderfully detailed and animated, giving huge satisfaction every time you take a shot at the Helghast scum.
The nature of these opponents mean you won’t encounter that many different kinds of enemies as you battle your way through the war-torn landscapes. Enemies are by and large Helghast soldiers (no shit), however the extremely smart AI ensures that this doesn’t ever become dull. Soldiers exhibit cunning tactics and behavior as you wildly fire at them. Both small skirmish’s and enormous battles unfold dynamically and offer a unique challenge that rarely feels unfair (the frustrating rocket based final battle being the only possible exception).
Although the single player campaign is over in eight or nine hours, what gives Killzone 2 it’s legs is the comprehensive online offering. The eight maps (currently included) are exceptional, mostly due to the fact that they are seemingly flexible enough to make each game mode feel like a natural fit for the environments. As mentioned before these modes themselves offer few surprises: Team Deathmatch, Conquest and Capture the Flag, among others are all pretty standard fare, however what is unique is that these modes are strung together seamlessly – forcing teams to move from one objective to the next with barely a moment in-between. Up to five modes blur into one game, which keeps you on your toes and sprinkles pockets of action right across the maps. And there are plenty of welcome added extras that flesh out this pretty robust online offering, including the use of killzone.com to organize clan matches and tournaments. It’s a pretty smooth online experience which it has to be given the effortless and repeated quality of Live. Given the superiority of the online suite, my only real gripe is the omission of a co-op mode – which is a little annoying.
Having said that Killzone 2 is a remarkable first-person shooter – not because it does anything particularly new, but because what it does, it does phenomenally well. There’s no doubting its graphical superiority (to pretty much anything out there), and though its moody visuals that invite praise, it’s actually the tight, intoxicating action that make this an off – and online beauty.
Awesome.
Street Fighter IV // 360
If you ‘grew up’ in the late 80’s early 90’s playing video games you’ll know the Street Fighter series. If that ‘growing up’ was as ineffective as mine, you’ll be as excited as me about the console release of Street Fighter 4. Yes, I know, SF4 has been out in the arcades for a few months now but, being an ‘adult’, I haven’t really been to one of them for a while – so I’ve had to wait patiently for the home release.
Worth the wait it was.
This latest update has been done in a way that moves Street Fighter bang up-to-date while retaining the magic of the original. It’s all very clever, very welcome and very rewarding.
This is a great game that looks awesome. The characters have been totally remodeled, they are solid and wonderfully animated and look like action figures. It’s these characters that make the series and Ken, Ryu, Chun Li, and Blanka etc all make an appearance as well as some new challengers, including a lucha libre wrestler known as El Fuerte and Rufus – a large kung fu master. The backgrounds tip their hat to the original but are now rendered in glorious 3D. The actual ’swede punching’ takes place on a 2D plane which switches into 3D when required (mostly for combo porn) which is simple and very effective.
The gameplay’s had the same treatment. The controls are slick and intuitive, with light, medium and heavy attacks for punch and kick plus a host of new special moves, focus attacks, super combos, and ultra combos.
Ultimately Street Fighter 4 harks back to another era when things were more simple – and that’s the genius of it. This is a brilliantly realised game that leverages it’s history, adds a perfect sprinkling of newness to deliver a unique and truly awesome beat-em-up.
My one complaint?
Where’s the car?