Game Glut
It always happens around this time and it’s consistently one of the most brilliant bits of the year. It’s the Christmas game glut - yey! The last few weeks (as will the next) have seen the release of loads of AAA titles, of which I have sadly managed to play but a few. Little Big Planet, Motorstorm Pacific Rift, Gears of War and Call of Duty - World At War are those that have graced my new loft based in-activity centre, and here’s a quick round up thus far. Please note: if you can’t be arsed reading the following, all of these games are worth getting.
The first thing you’ll notice about this Motorstorm is that it is arguably the best looking car based game on the PS3, which could arguably make it the best looking car game on any console. The track design, modelling and detail is stunning considering it all runs at an incredible speed, which, when viewed close-up on a large LCD style screen, makes your eyes bleed and your nose run. It’s bold, bright and beautifully with 16 huge sprawing tracks, each of which offers variety and numerous alternative routes and combos.
Basically, the dudes that made it have taken the original and added lots of stuff that vastly imroves the experience. Making MPR an ace game, or the game the original would have been if it had been released now.
Awesome.
Little Big Planet is the only original IP in my pile and (you guessed it) it is just that; original. I have long been waiting for LBP (as I am going to call it), as I am keen to experience a revolution in gaming. Gaming for the people, by the people - and by jove, it works.
My head almost fell off as played the first few levels. This is a fecking brilliant game, from the moment you slot the disc my jaw became loose and I started dribbling. It looks like a video film and plays like it’s real. Absolutely stunning and I haven’t even got to the bit where you make your own levels yet.
Very awesome.
Basically the best bits of the original with some new good bits. GOW2, is pretty much the same game, which unlike Call Of Duty 5 (below), is a good thing. It’s still feels (surprisingly) solid and heavy compared to anything else out there and has some fantastic set pieces.
If you’re a gamer and you played the original then you’ll love this, if you didn’t then you are a divvy, so it’s unlikely you’ll be able to use a computer and therefore won’t be reading this.
Awesome.
Last and actually least, Call Of Duty - World At War is the most dissapointing game of the bunch. I think the error Activision have made is making 4 modern and then returning to World War 2 for 5, it kinda sucks.
The weapons are poo compared to it’s predessessor, on top of that the scenarios I have played (admittedly only two), are pretty much exactly the same as in previous titles, which fmakes the whole thing feels very repetitive (this is episode 5) and a bit of a swizz. I haven’t played the multiplayer yet, which to be fair, is ’spost to be ace. This is without doubt a good game, just one I don’t like all that much.
Not quite so awesome.
Roll on December.
Dead Space // PS3
Dead Space combines (steals) some of the best elements of sci-fi (Alien and The Thing) with survival horror titles (Resident Evil and Silent Hill) and shooters (BioShock, Metroid and Doom 3), making for a hugely compelling and (when played in pitch black with surround) frightening experience.
As with most games the story is unoriginal; this one sees you assuming the role of an engineer who has to resolve the mystery of a space ship/station overrun by a disturbing alien species - fresh. However it’s not the story I buy games for, it’s the experience, and Dead Space seems to have that mostly nailed.
The art direction and audio combine brilliantly to create a disturbing world. The design, which can only be described as a mix of derelict sci-fi and old-skool gore, is chilling (more so than the weirdness in Silent Hill), and the environments compliment this darkness well. You are never sure where the next bloodthirsty monster is going to spring from, which gives the game a fantastic sense of tension. This is without doubt a great-looking game, with some incredible attention to detail that is, at times, a joy to behold.
Fortunately, the sound design is also of a very high standard. Even the ambient noise is just plain unnerving (particularly on a surround system) and the score works well to build the suspense -making the game scary as your toothless, hot-breathed nan.
Generally this is a great game, however there are a few big niggles, not least the fact that is a hybrid of the above means it’s both brilliant and yet very familiar and it’s very short - with no multiplayer and little replay value. The plagiarism mostly works very well, but it does, more often than not, feel as if you’ve played it all before. Having said that, the plus outweighs the minus. Dead Space is an enjoyable and genuinely scary experience, and being someone that loves the idea of being scared, I am throughly enjoying the ride.
PS. It’s also worth mentioning that if you have the choice, I’d plum for the PS3 version as the 360 whirring/clicking will probably kill the atmosphere.
Freestyle Translation
Another gem from my new sponsor.
UrbanPrankster
“Urban Prankster covers pranks, hacks, participatory art, flash mobs, and other creative endeavors that take place in public places in cities across the world.”
Grid // Xbox 360
Grid is basically Toca vs Dirt, cleverly combining both arcade and simulation elements to create a very solid, incredible looking racer. The game offers a number of different racing disciplines; GT, pro-tuned races, demolition derby and even a full (real time) 24-hour Le Mans, if you can hack it. There’s loads of tracks and cars as well as a whole host of multiplayer options. And it’s a game that’s blessed with incredible attention to detail, like the fact that the menu woman actually calls me Nathan (which is my name, obviously).
But it’s not any of those things that make this a stand out game. The thing that does that is the unrivaled sensation of speed that Codemasters’ Neon engine spits out. It’s faster and more exhilarating than any other racer I’ve played on any of the next gen consoles. The action moves at an eye-watering pace and there are some well implemented touches, such as camera tilt as you take corners at speed, that serve only to enhance the experience.
It’s a great progression for both it’s parents, and although not offering quite the level of customisation available in Forza 2, the seriousness of GT5 or the on-line options of PGR4 - in my book it gives all a fair run for their money. A fine achievement and I’d say a good bet in the race for 2008’s best driving game.
You Adventube
This YouTube user has made a sort of first ‘interactive’ YouTube experience. It’s a game (a tiny bit like those adventure book choice games that were a ‘craze’ in the early 80’s), the goal of which is to find a lost cat. It’s home made (as you’d probably expect), so the quality is a bit crappy - but I guess that’s not the point.
The embedded video doesn’t work (as you need the related videos bit), so you’ll have to click through to play. It’s an interesting use of ‘responses’ as a way to create an adventure, add interactivity and enable the viewer to decide what happens next.
I like things that are a ‘craze’, maybe this might be one.
Or not.
Spools Of Steel
Is this for real..?
Roadkill
“Roadkill is a new designer toy boutique, creating original toy characters. We make toys with a twist. Toys as dark as the inside of a heifer. And they all have one thing in common. They’ve been run over. We’re calling it Squash-Plush.”
“Our macabre range of collectibles started with Twitch the Raccoon. But now there’s a new not-so-cuddly toy in town. His name is Grind. Like his buddy Twitch, he’s a teddy that’s been squished flat. His blood and guts are made of squidgy plush material. He comes in a made-to-measure body-bag. He also has an identity tag. And for the first 1000 Grind characters we’re doing limited edition tags. If you like roadkill, then you’ve come to the right place.”
Everyday Shooter
Everyday Shooter available on Steam. Well worth $8.99 (PC required obviously)
God Of War // PSP
God of War on the PSP is a triumph.
I find myself comparing it to the PS2 versions, which is pretty good considering the comparative power of my tiny handheld. It’s hard to believe this is a portable game. It looks brilliant, whether you’re hacking your way through massive areas, jam-packed with enemies, or out in a vast open space battling enormous monsters. I’d say Chains Of Olympus looks better than anything else ever on PSP.
Add to that fantastic playability, smart puzzles, good combat, a story, and a camera that works well given the fixed perspective, and you’ve got yourself a PSP killer app.
If this was a PS2 game then it might be slightly lacking, but it’s not, and the fact I am comparing it should be testament to it’s quality.
Frankly; it’s fecking brilliant.
Time Crisis 4 // PS3
Firstly, can I say that any game that comes bundled with a Light Gun has a distinct advantage over those that don’t (even if it’s bright orange and it has a stupid cable).
Secondly, this is an arcade game that I can do from the comfort of my sofa.
On the down side the story line is predictably pointless (although I can’t say that’s really why I bought the game), and there’s actually very little depth or style. They’ve tried to add some padding with the addition of the a new (crappy) FPS bit, which admittedly I haven’t bothered with yet, because it looks so bad.
Basically, Time Crisis 4 is lazy, dated, shallow and not worthy of it’s £65 price tag; until you sit down on your sofa and point the Light Gun at the screen and start shootin’.
Awesome.
Magic Pen
Low rent Little Big Planet.
Nice.
Gran Turismo 5 Prologue // PS3
The Gran Turismo series has always been famed as a driving simulator, which is kinda funny when you think about how many people actually know what it’s like to drive a DB9 around the Suzuka Circuit, or even an Suzuki Cappuccino in London for that matter (present company excluded of course). Plus, how can siting on my sofa with a controller in one hand, and a piece of cake in the other, pertain to being any kind of driving simulation?
Anyways, I think what they mean by driving simulator is that GT games have good physics - which they undoubtedly do. The difference in the handling of each vehicle is certainly unique and solid, although the same may be argued about arcade racers, but I guess that’s a whole different subject.
As we all know, realness can reduce excitement, fortunately that’s not the case here; GT5 Prologue is an excellent, enjoyable and at times (dare I say it), exciting game. It’s slicker than pretty much every racer before it (with the possible exception of PGR4 and Forza 2) and graphically it’s quite simply stunning.
The car models are definitely the best I’ve seen, thanks (mostly) to the wonderful (see above) lighting engine. Races now have 16 cars and the AI seems smarter; no longer appearing to just be playing bumper cars. The online, although limited in this release, is robust, and although not quite as polished as Xbox Live, it works very well.
My major gripe is the fact that after I fired up the disc, I had to install a system update, which meant I had to wait around 40 minutes before I could play..?
I don’t think GT5 / GT5 Prologue is for everyone, and yes this is only a demo really (one that costs £25), however, I’ve already got more out of this than I ever did from Need For Speed Pro Street.
Super, super slick.
Zoo Keeper
Rocks.
PAIN // PS3 / PSN
PAIN is kinda like the crashing bit in Burnout 3, only with a man and not a car. And you know what, that’s brilliant, as I miss the crashing bit from Burnout 3, now it’s been replaced by the seemingly inferior ‘Showtime’ (more on that another time).
Anyway, to play PAIN you’ve basically got to catapult a man from an ultra-powerful slingshot into an active environment. Not just any environment, but one filled with precarious and potentially ‘humorous’ objects and danger. By doing this catapulting, and subsequently stringing together collisions (that should result in chaos descending upon the initially peaceful environments), you score points.
And what do points make?
Well, there are multiple (unlockable) characters and modes, such as Spank the Monkey, Mime Toss, PAIN Bowling, Fun With Explosives, with more to come via PSN. Plus there’s the obligatory online community that enables you to compete with other players around the world or, more importantly, track your friend’s scores.
PAIN is a funny, uber-playful, addictive and brilliant multiplayer game, that I am loving. It’s not perfect, but at £4.99, it’s well worth its relatively tiny pricetag.
If you have a PS3 download it, tell me, and I’ll try beat your scores.
Bet you can’t guess what my profile name is…
