Review: Metal Gear Solid HD Collection

Metal Gear Solid is arguably one of the most important video games of all time. It showed us all exactly how blurred the line between game and film can be with its cinematic presentation and superb voice work. Some may argue that its writing and story leave a lot to be desired, but as a starting point for the interactive cinematic experience it was indispensable.

After the impact the original made the 2^nd game was one of the most anticipated games on the Playstation 2, but upon release was almost derided for the curveball it threw involving the playable character. This, however, had no effect on the hype for the third instalment, which many to this day regard as the best in the series, if not one of the greatest games of all time. These are the two entries from the main series that have been given the high definition treatment for this collection, along with the previously PSP exclusive “Peace Walker”, which is more or less a side story chronicling Big Boss journey towards Outer Heaven after Metal Gear Solid 3.

The version of Metal Gear Solid 2 here is the Substance version, which means that beside the original campaign you also receive a whole host of VR and alternate missions and separate “Snake Tales” campaign, as well as a few extra bonus features. While many will often deride MGS2’s campaign for the sudden switch in player character after the snake based intro, it is still a very good game. It took the gameplay of the original MGS and refined it, while adding some techniques such as being able to hold enemies up, aim in first person, tranquilise rather than kill and more. Although the lack of pressure sensitive face buttons on the Xbox means that the controls for precision shooting or holding up can be slightly more fiddly than need be. On the Playstation raising an automatic weapon required the fire button to be pressed lightly, with full pressure being applied to shoot. This allowed precision shots and bursts by alternating the pressure on the button to fire then return to simply aiming. On the Xbox the movement stick must be clicked to raise the rifle, but it must be clicked after every break in shooting to re-raise it for aiming, which present problems in the faster paced boss battle sections by breaking aiming and costing you more time than you often have in between attacks.

Despite these tweaks and introductions, however, it still plays almost exactly like the first game, with even the story playing out in a similar fashion. Although this being Metal Gear there is of course a very good reason why it emulates the original, and is in fact a central story point. The story is the weak part of Sons of Liberty though. The original game had a convoluted story but it could be followed as long as you concentrated, the sequel however gets tied up with too much conspiracy and tries to weave several storylines and alternate meanings throughout. By the end of the series a lot of these were eventually unravelled and explained, but the lack of MGS1 and 4 to the HD collection means newcomers will be lost and confused, and have to branch out further into the series to understand and conclude the many open plot threads. Unfortunately, 1 and 4 are currently unavailable, and are likely to remain so, on the Xbox 360, so those playing on Microsoft’s console are going to have to extra hoops to jump through in order to appreciate the narrative presented here.

Luckily the VR and alternate missions, and Snake Tales, all present their own individual scenarios that allow anybody to enjoy either a quick objective based scenario or a longer self-contained story set around an alternate set of events during the main campaign. With multiple missions for multiple characters these can (and likely will) consume hours of your game time, as being able to complete a quick stealth section or go all out in a weapons mission allows for low attention Metal Gear excitement.

Metal Gear Solid 3 doesn’t have any alternate or VR missions, but what it does have is arguably the best campaign of the franchise. Set in the 1960s, Snake Eater shows the start of the whole story, and focuses on a pre “Big-Boss” Big-Boss, here referred to by the codename “Naked Snake”. Being a prequel it is mostly a self-contained story, with only references and foreshadowing to later events. It is an introduction to many of the characters that are pivotal to the series, such as Revolver Ocelot and of course Big Boss. The actual story itself is one of duty to your country and duty to those you love set against the backdrop of the Cold War. As the story twists and turns its way through some excellent intrigue you will be hooked, and come the close you’ll have been treated to an examination of what it means to be a patriot.

Although despite being a better story than MGS2 there’s a better story to gameplay ratio this time around, and the gameplay itself is much improved. Being the Subsistence version of the game this entry introduces a fully rotational 3D camera, which proves invaluable for the new jungle setting. No longer do you find yourself with straight corridors, plentiful corners and obvious lines of sight, but rather your confronted in wide open areas with little more than foliage to blend into, which brings us to one of the many new additions – Camouflage. Snake Eater brings configurable camouflage and face paint to the series, as well as the camo index. What this means is that everytime snake enters a new terrain, such as swamp or jungle, going from green to brown and many in between, he has to keep an eye on his camo index, a percentile that shows how well hidden he is. Movement and position affect this index but the real change comes from choice of clothes and face paint, adding a whole new layer of tactics and stealth to the mix.

Joining the camouflage is the stamina meter and injuries. Everything you do in the jungle relies upon your stamina to some extent, let it get too low for instance and you’ll have more trouble aiming steadily. The more you exert yourself the more this meter decreases, so taking it slow helps you keep in fighting shape. There will come a time when this meter has to be replenished however, and to do so involve eating the local wildlife and vegetation. Capturing or killing animals allows Snake to feed (to varying degrees of effectiveness depending on the animal and how fresh it is should you have killed it). This mechanic alone may count for a hefty chunk of playtime as you try to eat at least one of everything you come across, with some animals being a one-time only offer. Be wary about killing your meal, however, as its freshness is determined by the consoles internal clock, meaning it will proceed to decay even while the game is turned off (though, without trying to say too much, this feature is also a nifty little way to see off one of the bosses).

Injuries, on the other hand, permanently remove a chunk of your health bar until they are fixed using the appropriate methods, as well as present other limitations. For example a broken leg will slow Snake down until a split is produced and applied. These two mechanics, stamina and injury, introduce a whole new survival aspect to the series, an aspect which unfortunately is only seen in Snake Eater.

The third game in the collection is Peace Walker, and is the weak link, but being the weak link in a collection of this calibre means it’s still a very a good game. Set after MGS3 it shows the formation of Big Boss’s “Militaires Sans Frontières”. However it doesn’t take place directly afterwards, with the other PSP entry – Portable Ops – filling that gap, but being omitted from this collection means that some may be lost as to the inclusion of some characters or why some events are taking place. References to Portable Ops are thankfully minimal, but a summary of its plot could have helped. The story in Peace Walker is told through motion comics, which introduce a new feature to the series, interactive cutscenes. Every so often a button prompt will appear or manual aim will be required for events to play out correctly. Nothing too drastic and should you fail the game only penalises your final score rather than game overs you.

Peace Walker is the most different gameplay wise in the collection. Taking many cues from MGS4 aiming is now handled in a third person over the shoulder fashion, as well as being able to move while crouched make this entry faster paced and with the potential for more action, showing of its handheld roots in accessibility. The layout of the game also shows its portable pedigree, with missions being episodic in nature, allowing you to play towards an objective in patches of 5 or 10 minutes should you wish. Side missions also pop up that allow you access to develop new weapons and items in the games mother base interface.

While not in action you’ll often find yourself managing your ever growing army – unconscious enemies or prisoners can be extracted during gameplay via Fulton recovery and ‘coerced’ into joining the MSF – and tasking individuals to either combat, research, medical, mess hall or intelligence roles. These allow development of new weapons and items with which to go into missions and help keep morale up and soldiers fighting fit. As you progress your base keeps expanding, slowly adding more and more features to keep track of, and adding new tactics to the main game, such as tranquilising rather than killing to capture soldiers, or trying to capture mechanised units instead of destroying them.

Although with the introduction of online co-operative play you may not be the only Snake in the field trying to recruit. The majority of the campaign and side missions can be played with up to 2 or 4 players depending on the individual stages, although should your friendship break down you can also enter into Versus Ops to settle a score. Along with these modes there are also Outer Ops missions that see your recruited combat unit (and captured mechanised units) sent into battle against the enemy, and some special bonus missions that see you take on guest appearances from the Monster Hunter series.

All three of these games looks glorious in HD, with Peace Walker being the obvious lowpoint coming from a handheld system. This is more to do with the fact that these games have aged spectacularly well than the extra level of shine that has been added. The most noticeable improvement comes from the frame rate, which now runs at a blisteringly smooth constant 60fps and makes the animations so smooth you almost forget two of these games are coming on a decade old. The inclusion of achievement/trophy support allows extends the already ample play time for those so inclined.

Overall 10/10
In conclusion these three games being sold together for £30-40 almost feels like stealing. Metal Gear Solid 3 alone covers the entry price, but being packaged with the definitive editions of MGS2 and Peace Walker just seals the deal. A couple of minor downsides do nothing to sully the overall experience. Fans of Metal Gear are getting a greatest hits collection and those who missed out first time round are getting a great entry point. Even compared with many new releases these games still stand as some of the best, and have aged so well that a purchase is pretty much required by those with an interest in stealth, action or story. A must buy for either console.

Metal Gear Solid HD Collection is available now for Xbox 360 and PS3, and is planned for release on PS Vita later this year.

Review: Final Fantasy XIII-2

Once again the time is upon us to jump into the vast and unending world of Final Fantasy with this latest title bringing with it a huge assortment of new locations, items, creatures and an unyielding and engrossing storyline that continues on the epic tale of its award winning predecessor.

Set 3 years after the events of Final Fantasy XIII, the planet of Cocoon now sits suspended in the sky consumed in crystal with its surviving refugees abandoning their old lives to start anew on the wild lower world of Gran Pulse. Among the survivors; Serah, Snow and their band of friends known as team NORA have begun to build their new home of New Bodhum to replace their old city in a hope to start a new life for themselves and for future generations.

However, with Lightning thought to be dead, and Snow’s disappearance in search for her, life for Serah just hasn’t been the same. Clouded and distorted visions of Lightning’s whereabouts have found their way into Serah’s dreams, convincing her that her sister is still out there somewhere and is trying desperately to make contact. But no sooner does she realise what she has seen, a meteor brought forth from a different time finds its way onto Pulse, bringing with it a storm of monstrous creatures that have begun plaguing the world. As new Bodhum is once again at war, Claire unexpectedly finds herself under the protection of a young man called Noel who has travelled from the future with a message from Lightning and a mission to journey through time and space in order to unite the two sisters once and for all.

Revolving largely around time travel, Final Fantasy XIII-2 will have you traversing through various time periods with the use of the ‘Historia Crux’ allowing you to effortlessly move back and forth through time to any location on both Gran Pulse and Cocoon whilst either following the narrative or any of the countless side quests that encourage you to explore the many open areas dotted throughout the game. When using the Historia Crux, your surroundings will no doubt shift along with you, as one moment you could be running through the snow covered Ruins of Bresha, and the next you will be running through same area and instead be met with a beautiful summery scene. And as the scenery changes with time, so do your environment as you may additionally be able to explore other areas that you were unable to beforehand.

Whilst adventuring, you will no doubt notice the ‘Time Gates’ that sit in areas throughout the game which can be activated via Artefacts found when defeating certain enemies or hidden in secret areas. These gates serve as portals to the Historia Crux and so must be unlocked in order to expand the game’s universe. An added bonus is the ability to reset the Time Gates, therefore restoring the area to how it was before you entered. This may not seem like much of a bonus, but for the extraordinarily adventurous, this can prove quite helpful if you want to make different decisions or enter certain areas or talk to people that were otherwise unavailable after your first visit.

Another helpful system integrated into XIII-2’s gameplay is the introduction of ‘Live Triggers’ which work to provide you with more control over the story ultimately branding your own thoughts and opinions within the narrative that builds your own outcome of the game. Usually appearing during dialogue sequences, certain question or answers depending on the conversation appear, prompting you to choose the most appropriate sentence that best reflects your own opinion. Combining Live Triggers with the Historia Crux can also be quite helpful as you will be free to choose any and all options to find their outcomes and even gain access to additional items.

Much like its predecessor, XIII-2’s combat system serves as the game’s core component, offering up fast-paced action with the help of the familiar ‘Active Time Battle gauge’ and a large selection of battle types and styles to fit the preferences of any gamer, revolutionising the way fans have faced off in battles since Final Fantasy’s birth. In XIII-2 this highly refined but user-friendly system gives you full control over the battle-field, encouraging you to build ‘Paradigms’ for your party to utilize in battle. Customizing Paradigms gives the player a huge tactical advantage by combining certain traits for the character to use such as melee/ magical attacks, defensive techniques, buffs that give your party perks like increased defence, and de-buffs that give your enemies negative effects.

That said, simply using a paradigm only makes up part of the battle, switching between your Paradigms is one of the most effective and efficient ways to fight as you can swiftly change up your tactics when the going gets tough. For example, if your party is in serious danger of dying, the best option would be to use a paradigm made up of healing and defensive traits for your characters to use. However, if you manage to trigger your opponents ‘Stagger gauge’ causing it’s defence to drop for a short time, the best option would be to use a Paradigm composed of combat traits such as Cammando and Ravager causing your party focus on dealing as much damage as possible.

Making its successful debut in XIII, the ‘Crystarium’ is back once again with a few refined features allowing more freedom to upgrade your party. Gaining Crystarium Points through battles will help you to level your player roles, rewarding you with more perks and heightened abilities, and unlike XIII, lets you climb each of the tiers without any restrictions. Climbing these tiers is essential for your party’s growth as you can gain some helpful perks such as more ATB slots that help to elongate your attacks, or even access to completely new roles that your characters had been unable to use beforehand.

During certain battles where you find yourself facing off against major opponents, you will likely come to a point in the battle when a ‘Cinematic Action scene’ comes into motion, pulling you out of the original action and throwing you into a thrilling button sequence that if done correctly can reward you with a number of advantages such as dealing extra damage or receiving stat boosts that last the rest of the battle.  However, failing a sequence will result in negative effects on your party, ultimately making Cinematic Action scenes a make-or-break situation.

When progressing through the story you may find yourself engulfed within one of the various rips in time known as a Temporal Rift, which will require you to complete a set of tasks in order to continue such as navigating a maze of platforms using a certain path so as to collect all of the crystals placed around the stage. You may also be asked to collect certain crystals that must be matched in pairs. The implementation of brain teasers such as these is a step in the right direction for Square as they do a great job of breaking up the gameplay, lessening the inevitable repetitiveness of the battles you face throughout the game.

If travelling through time and space with Serah and Noel gets a little bit lonely, you can always benefit from recruiting one of the 150+ monsters found roaming the two worlds. Square’s implementation of this ability gives you mastery over most wildlife allowing you to choose your favourite monsters to fight alongside you in battle. Using certain monsters in battle is essential to your victory as you are able to integrate them into any of your paradigms allowing you to mix and match different monster to fit your tactical preferences.

Not only do your new friends offer up another set of hands (or paws) to the battle, but they can also impress with a special attack to give you the advantage over your opponents. Each monster carries their own unique attack which can be activated once the ‘Feral Link gauge’ has reached its limit, resulting in a mini Cinematic Action sequence requiring you to input a number of button combinations in order for your monster to unleash its fury. Much like normal Cinematic Action sequences, the amount of damage your companion deals depends on how well you perform during the sequence so it’s important to pay attention even if it isn’t exactly you who is fighting.

One familiarity your monstrous companions share with the rest of the party is the ability to level up, but even more so do they share a familiarity with the way you upgrade your weapons and items. As you move through the game you will no doubt pick up an assortment of strange materials that can be used on both weapons and monsters in order to increase their abilities. That said, you must find special monster materials in order to strengthen your creatures, and depending on the material, certain abilities such as magic or strength can be heightened allowing you to play around with the balance of your monster’s skills.

One little monster you will come to know early on in the story is Mog; Serah’s Moogle companion who not only can take on the form of Serah’s weapon, but can also provide a database of insightful knowledge and some helpful abilities that will no doubt prove useful no matter where you are in the game. One of the more interesting and rewarding abilities Mog can provide is the use of the ‘Mog Clock’ which you will notice at the bottom of the screen when ambushed by enemies that appear out of nowhere due to the disturbances in the timeline. It is wise to keep an eye on the clock before entering a battle as the more time that passes, the lesser chance you have of gaining some advantages in battle such a various status buffs or your opponent’s stagger gauge instantly reaching its limit.

Mog’s services can also be used outside of battle as he holds the uncanny ability to sense certain items hidden in locations throughout the game. Some of these items will be hidden in plain sight and resemble nothing more than a shadows which will require some of Mog’s magic to bring the item into your current timeline. Some items however might not be stuck in time but may be just out of reach rendering Mog’s time bending skills useless. Luckily Square have given us the ability to throw the poor Moogle around the environment and so can retrieve items if thrown close enough to them.

While XIII-2’s rich narrative and immersive gameplay provide much of the charm found throughout, none of it would have been achievable without the stunning graphical detail that shines through every inch of the game. But with such a variety of open environments, simply charging through the story won’t be enough if you want to capture all of XIII-2’s beauty as everywhere from the sunny shores of New Bodhum to the overgrown forests of the Sunleth Waterscape, glow with an alluring tranquillity that never fails to impress. That said, much of the gameplay also contributes its fair share of beauty, especially when facing off in battle as your party perform a number of elegant attacks while magical lights and weapon clashes glisten through the battleground which can be enhanced even more so if you enter a Cinematic Action sequence, throwing your party into a fantastical show of acrobatics and skill as you work to systematically take your opponent down.

With more music than any of the Final Fantasy titles before it, XIII-2’s soundtrack is nothing more than a masterpiece, combining a dynamic selection of music genres to fit every event and location. And whether you’re ridding Chocobo’s through the game’s open environments or facing off against colossal monsters, you’ll always be in the company of some hot blooded track that will follow you unfalteringly through even the stickiest of situations while providing you with that much needed boost of vigour, inspiring you to journey the lands to their fullest and stand up against impossible odds as you come face to face with hordes of monstrous creatures all eager to take you on.

When compared to the argued flaws of its predecessor, the hype surrounding XIII-2 made it seem like nothing more than a desperate attempt by Square to sate the tempers of a few angry fans who only saw XIII for its weaknesses. With that in mind, XIII-2 was given the unfair image of another dud title made up improvement focused content with no real mind of its own. However, not long after playing XIII-2, all trace of negativity that had built in my mind (thanks to the internet) had washed away as I was met with a huge array of fresh, dynamic and innovative content… with the obvious improvements thrown in for good measure.

Overall 9/10

Square Enix have truly outdone themselves with this title, keeping the great story and legendary name running on without failure and with no end in sight. Taking its rightful place in the Fabula Nova Crystallis series; Final Fantasy XIII-2 stretches the borderlines of modern gaming with its groundbreaking gameplay, emotional and engrossing storyline, and a vast open universe, encapsulating you in its immersive environments, encouraging you to explore and experience the endless amount of content on offer and to ultimately lose yourself in the adventure at hand.

Review: Catherine

After waiting for almost a year since its Japanese release Catherine has finally made it to European shores. Has the wait for our dreamer Vincent been worth it? Or is this game just another sheep in the herd? Find out in this review.

Catherine’s story is a very interesting one and was the primary reason for why I was looking forward to playing the title.  The introduction gives you a rough understanding of what to expect in the game, and early on introduces the “Stray Sheep” (a bar where Vincent’s friends come to get drunk and talk about their woes). During this time the neighborhood in which Vincent lives has been involved in a number bizarre incidents where young men die in their sleep with a look of anguish upon their faces. The story quickly moves on and opens up, further adding to the character development throughout the interactive sequences.

You’ll soon realise after the first dream that there will be many situations like this.

Throughout the game you take control of the main protaganest Vincent, who ends up cheating on his partner Katherine after she proposes the idea of marriage. This causes Vincent’s mind to go a bit haywire, and even though he has been with her for five years he ends up cheating on her, but doesn’t remember anything during the time that he cheats. As you can probably figure out, the other girl he ends up sleeping with is Catherine. After meeting Catherine, Vincent begins to have nightmares every single night, making you wonder if Catherine is causing all these men to die, but because Vincent can’t remember the nightmares he can’t question anyone about what is happening to him. As the game progresses the story starts to revolve around your interactions with other people in the bar. Throughout your dreams and when you are back in reality, your thoughts rely on a meter that changes depending on what you say to other characters. This is also presented in a form of mobile texts which you will both receive and need to deal with whilst at the Stray Sheep. Depending on what you choose to say, it can change the outcome of the ending.

The story is very easy to follow, and very interesting. However, while visiting the Stray Sheep and talking to people the dialouge was always predictable and Vincent’s three main friends aren’t the most interesting characters in the world. I found myself countless times just reading the titles and skipping a lof the useless dialouge. It’s a nice option however that depending on who you talk to depends on how they react with you in the dreams/nightmares as well. There are many male characters that visit the bar that are also in the same dreams that Vincent has. Your ability to help them will also net you some achievements/trophies. Throughout the story I decided to be a good guy and choose as many of the good options as possible to receive the better ending. There are in total 8 different endings, some which you can do on about 2.5/3 playthroughs if you save your game at certain points. This opens up the replay value and has already sent me back into the game to find out the different endings as the main story between Vincent and the two girls Catherine and Katherine is brilliant and well thought out. It’s just a shame the other characters sometimes fall a bit flat in the dialogue. There’s also a lot of adult content in the game with sex scenes where you will see Catherine naked or near enough naked, not to mention the ‘naughty photos’ that she may send you when you are at the  ”Stray Sheep”. It’s borderline pornographic, nothing too revealing but also can effect the story depending how you react to the images.

The gameplay in Catherine revolves around a lot of puzzle/platforming elements requiring direct control over Vincent during his strange nightmares. As the story develops, the dreams become much more complicated when he meets the gorgeous girl named Catherine. This all takes place during the main story mode ‘Golden Playhouse’ during the time Vincent decides to leave the bar, of which I felt he frequents a little too much, hardly doing wonders for his liver. The gameplay changes depending on whether Vincent is asleep or awake. Whenever Vincent’s awake you never enter the dreams and most of the gameplay consists of you conversing with the other characters. The balance is well done and doesn’t feel too repetitive, though I admit that there were many times that the dreams will cause huge frustration even when playing on easy and normal. In the ‘Nightmare’ world of your dreams you’ll notice that there are other men, represented as sheep, and in order to survive and proceed you will have to climb countless blocks and create  giant staircases that are slowly collapsing underneath you. The game makes you think quick, but also requires you to look at your surroundings and think. Throughout the game you will come up against all types of different stages and boss encounters.

There’s also a variety of different blocks that will keep you on edge at all times, especially the ice blocks as they can often send you to your slippery death. The overall goal in each stage throughout the main game is to safely reach the top. You’ll gain medals, multipliers and achievements/trophies depending on your skills and use of blocks, with speed being of the essence. The stages are split into numerous areas, culminating in a boss stage in which a bizarre and really creepy creature also attempts to kill Vincent. This is where the game really shows you how twisted it can be, given that the boss creations are very unique and genuinely scary. If you’re lucky during certain stages you can find items including pillows (extra lives), block items that can be placed anywhere in the level, lightning that can destroy sheep which block Vincent’s path and lastly a form of energy drink that allows you to climb two blocks instead of one.  There are also certain attributes which Vincent can gain depending on what he drinks during the day. This is no easy game though as Vincent will die if he falls off the stage, gets caught by a trap or is killed by a boss. Depending how quick you are, or if you need to rewind a certain movement you can do so with the back button, though this is only present in the easy and normal mode.  It took me a while to master certain stages as it takes a while to master the control scheme, seemingly to sometimes exaggerate my movements, causing me to loose many of my pillows.  One you finish each stage you will enter a form of lobby where you will meet other sheep. Talking to certain cheep can open up more story links and techniques to help you in the later stages.

After first the first few stages caused me a lot of grief, I decided to slow down a little and s0on learnt that this more careful approach can really pay off. This is definitely a game that you can’t run through.

Even though at times my mistakes did cause a lot of my deaths, many of them were caused by inconsistent bosses.  Often I found that when clicking the undo button, the boss was even closer than they where before, requiring you to rewind a lot more and then re-do your previous steps, potentially causing an early death. There were also times where the game glitched and caused my character to do random things such walking when I didn’t touch the controller. I checked the controller, even used a new one in some segments to test it and I still had some random issues.

The experience is an interesting one, it’s a different type of platformer and it does work well, there’s just a lot of difficulty issues which were rumored to have been lowered in the European version, but it still seems pretty hard, even on easy. If you’re not particularly familiar with the platforming or puzzle genre, you’d be best off trying the demo before purchasing.  However this said, if you want to play for a unique story with multiple-endings with over twenty hours of gameplay, the flaws wont be much of an issue for you. 

For those looking for Multiplayer, Catherine does actually have a Multiplayer mode which I didn’t know until I completed the game. ‘Babel Mode’ features four large stages playable with up to two players, while ‘Vs Colosseum’ features two players racing to reach the top first. They aren’t the most in-depth multiplayer modes, but they are fun. Catherine didn’t even need these modes, but feels like a reward and a bonus for playing,.

Catherine’s presentation switches between cut-scenes and gameplay, each of them looking appealing and beautiful. The game is full of different enviornment and level designs that have a great lasting visual appeal. The characters are very anime-esque which isn’t bad and suits the game very well. All the cutscenes have been drawn to look like an anime, contrasting with the 3D elements shown when you are in the “Stray Sheep” or talking to other characters during the day. When you are in the nightmares the designs get much more creative, especially during stage 5 when the ice blocks first appear.  I have to admit the graphics aren’t anything like most of the modern games on the market, but are similar to other games based in a Japaense environment like Naruto or Tales of Vesperia.  It’s not graphically stunning but it’s artistically beautiful and really impressed me. It suits the game well and I enjoyed watching and playing the story to see what cutscenes/stages would appear.

Lastly the soundtrack, of which is now a personal favourite of mine. There’s a song to fit every scenario in the game. They also included the option to change songs on a jukebox in the “Stray Sheep”, which you can change and listen to when you unlock more songs by doing certain level’s/stages in the game. The soundtrack is very varied and include a wide range of songs from beautiful piano pieces to rock and roll mixes and relaxing songs, it’s not all doom and gloom. If you’re ever stressed out and want something peaceful to listen to I recommend the track ” Roux” or “Jouji Washington”.

Overall 8/10

Catherine is beautiful, unique and fresh, featuring an effectively told story. The character development between certain characters is great and finding out more details to do with the suspicious deaths make you eager to complete and find out what is going on with poor Vincent. The alternative endings will lead you to replay a number of stages, and the multiplayer modes are a nice addition. As mentioned, there are a few issues with the gameplay, primarily due to the high difficulty, but a patient player will reap the rewards. The overall package, with the artistic design, beautfiul soundtrack and a great all-round experience was worth the wait.  A must have for platformer/ puzzle fans.

Review: SoulCalibur V

SoulCalibur V is the latest installment to the popular fighting series, and it certainly has been a while since we’ve seen it last. The game is back though, and has taken a big leap into the future. Even though the story takes place 17 years after SoulCalibur IV, has the leap done the series any justice? Or has the battle of history come to an end? Find out in this review.

SoulCalibur as a series overall always has had a special place in my heart and was one of the first fighting games I played back on my Dreamcast. Over the past few years the series has both grown and evolved, adding new bits and pieces to the formula. The story has changed a fair bit since SoulCalibur IV as it is no longer a linear set of stages and you aren’t able to choose which character to partake in the story. The story is based around the main protagonist Patroklos (the son of Sophitia), while Sophitia’s daughter Pyrrha is the deuteragonist. Throughout the short 20 episode story you will take part in different roles of about 3-4 characters, mainly sticking on the primary story path revolving around Patroklos saving his sister Pyrrha from Soul Edge. It’s very simplistic, though presented quite well. There are many moments where you are gifted the beauty of the CGI cut scenes, which I have to say are by far the best looking of the series. You will notice though, that during the story, it doesn’t rely fully on CGI, and is told in the form of a book/scroll. The voice overs are still present, but are shown in a photographic slide-show form. It’s a shame that they couldn’t present the whole story mode in CGI as I feel the effect of the characters emotions and situation would of been a much better experience to see visually instead of through the more conventional and static drawings and text.

It’s nice to see that Namco focused a lot more on the single player story mode than in previous series entries, and it definitely shows. The story took me roughly 2 hours to complete, and even though this may sound short, it is by far the most indepth single player story in the series, and there’s much more here than you’ll find in many other fighting games. The overall experience of the story mode was very impressive, it could have been a lot longer and could of branched out to more characters, however it does a really good job of introducing the game’s characters and fighting styles by switching player control between a small chunk of the roster. It’s just a shame that some of the new characters don’t even get a mention in the story line, which previously in SoulCalibur IV you could choose any character and follow a linear story path for that character. It wasn’t much, but it was interesting learning about how each character fit into the SoulCalibur universe.

You’ll also get to fight in 20 different vibrant locations, differing in detail and scope, though all featuring an amazing score setting the atmosphere for each battle. If that’s not incentive enough to jump into the story mode, then you will also be happy to know that you unlock loads of bonus content including new fighters, locations and items for you own character.SoulCalibur V’s action is as extravagant and over-the-top as fans would expect, but its fighting system has been reworked to offer quicker and smoother combat, removing the sluggish gaps found between moves in previous installments. I felt before that the gameplay was arguably a bit too heavy, especially online, where I would not feel an instant reaction to the characters moves.

The gameplay in SoulCalibur feels like it has had a huge upgrade compared to SoulCalibur IV. The most noticeable aspect is the speed of the action, by this I mean that the fights never have a dull moment and are much more fast paced than they were previously. This could be due to the new characters and balancing, or the fact that they have re-booted the mechanics. It’s brilliant and feels fresh, but still familiar to the classic SoulCallibur formula.

Enemies have weapons which vary their playstyle, along with the different move sets and timing which you’ll need for the critical blow. Side stepping and dodging enemy attacks still play a huge role in this title and feel much more functional than they did in the previous games. The defensive  side has also seen some upgrades, including a new quick side step move, while the basic guard button operates as it used to, with players needing to block incoming attacks at the correct height, and requiring precise timing to parry or counter moves.

For those familiar with the series, the Guard Impact feature will be familiar. This time though, it has been altered, as it now requires you to hold away from the opponent and the horizontal slash, vertical slash, and kick together (as opposed to forward and guard). This already has opened up a new defensive element into the fights, as the feature now allows the player to repel any attack regardless of height, of course ignoring the unblockable attacks.

Another defensive feature added to the game is the new Just Guard  technique, replacing the old style Guard Impact feature. This time around  if you use the Just Guard at the precise moment of an opponent’s attack, you’ll land a perfect guard. This means that the defensive move lessons the amount of delay that the character must wait before retaliating. Giving the great counter-attack option for a lot of players, this is something I took advantage of and will continue to do so.

They have also created a new character leveling system, working across the various game modes including Training and Arcade, allowing you to rank up your fighter while also unlocking customisation options and items. These can then be used in the character creation mode, giving you the chance to create your own SoulCalibur fighter. This feature has been present in previous entries, though this time it returns with many more options for you to adjust, not to mention the copious amount content, keeping the hardcore fans interested for some time. There’s a huge amount of varied content to unlock including a Devil Jin (Tekken) Fighting Style. You can also fiddle with the default characters as well as start from fresh. There’s quite a lot of options to mess around with and it goes to show how much customization they wanted to give to the player. SoulCalibur V wouldn’t be complete either if it didn’t feature a guest character from outside the franchise. Ezio from the Assassin’s Creed series makes his appearance to vary the playing field. He is actually a very interesting fighter to choose and has very good mid-air to long range attacks. Thankfully he doesn’t look out of place, so if you aren’t aware of the character’s background, he shouldn’t stand out too much.

Story mode isn’t the only mode available either, there’s the Legendary Souls, Arcade, Quick Battle, VS Battle, CPU vs CPU (Battle Theater), Training, PlayStation Network/Xbox Live modes and The Creation mode. The Legendary Souls mode is probably one of my favourite new modes, essentially boiling down to a boss rush, with the difficulty ramping up fast.  Arcade is the same as previous arcade modes, just fight you way through different foes until you lose. Quick battle is just for a quick match with a CPU. CPU Vs CPU is a strange mode to put in but if you feel like watching the CPU  fight, feel free. Training and online battles are pretty self explanatory as I’ll explain later on.

The design in SoulCalibur is by far the best in the series, the animation is very fluent and looks beautiful, not to mention how amazingly detailed the backdrops are during the fights. The classic Ring Outs are still present but now they can also add an extra layer of depth on certain stages, as knocking out an opponent from the ring will result in both characters falling down into a new arena to continue the fight ala Dead Of Alive/Tekken.
SoulCalibur has always had great graphics, even since the first title on the Dreamcast. There were many times where I have gone back to the story mode just to replay the parts featuring the cut scenes as I just can’t stop looking at how detailed each character is. Even during the fights, the characters look simply amazing.

The multiplayer mode is probably the best feature in the game. Throughout the whole time playing online while managing to fit a few hours of solid play, I can easily say that this is far better than SoulCalibur IV’s online offerings. You also have to put inconsideration the fact that I’m playing in the UK and the only available servers are currently the USA servers. I played many games and throughout playing online I experienced no lag and had an all-round great experience. Searching for a match is fairly quick, even though there’s hardly anyone online at this point. As soon as you find someone, it shows you their title and the rank information/location before you proceed.  Player matches are also present, similar to Super Street Fighter Arcade Edition. You can have 8 players in a lobby at one time with the winner staying on. You can also now watch other players battle it out whilst waiting, this also means you can save replays and upload them. There’s no editing functionality however so every upload you save consists of the entire match and not just your best bits. It’s not to much of an issue however, though I would hope future fighting games to allow expanded replay functionality.

Now besides your standard, ranked and player matches there is also a new mode called the Global Colosseo. This mode offers many functions, including a form of chat room, tournaments, normal matches and you can start lobbies and hold you own mini tournaments. It looks like it will be a great and popular mode, especially the tournament mode. You can also choose which country/ server you wish to fight in, so if you feel the need to take the challenge across the boarder the option is there.

Now lastly, the Soundtrack. I personally feel that over the past two SoulCalibur titles the soundtracks haven’t been outstanding, personally my favourite soundtrack of the whole series came from the second title. I wasn’t shocked however, as with the amount of work they have put in to making this one of the best SoulCalibur games, the soundtrack doesn’t fall short either, as the soundtrack is truly amazing. It feels like the team went back to their roots to re-master and reboot the music side in the franchise, adding many touches from the previous songs in the series. The musical score is just a masterpiece. Each stage has an amazing score and so do the characters. My personal favourite in the series, and it’s hard not to love all the songs but it has to be Sword of Resolution (Patroklos’ Theme) that does it for me. There are just so many amazing original pieces in this game it is just really outstanding. I would even recommend purchasing the soundtrack even if you’re not into the series.

Overall 9.5/10 – Editors Choice

SoulCalibur V is the best SoulCalibur title since SoulCalibur 2. The team has worked exceptionally hard by putting the series back on form. It has had a lot of work put into the balancing of the characters and the overall feel of the gameplay. The package feels more complete than ever before and fans of the series will be happy to know that it seems SoulCalibur is back on track. There are many added features that sold it for me. The new take on the story mode was a great touch, even though it’s short and not fully animated it still was interesting and very fun to play through, and I’m sure I will play certain episodes again in the near future. The overall disappointment is how the story doesn’t give room to introduce all the new characters, or even a separate story for the new characters. Hopefully with some upcoming updates/DLC we may be able to venture with the newer characters.  The design and soundtrack alone are the best in the series since SoulCalibur 2. The updated creation zone as well as new characters have added much more depth to the gameplay, especially on the defensive side. The multiplayer is near enough perfect, though there could be a few tweaks here and there but nothing too major that caused me to stop playing. It’s addictive, fun and the Global Colosseo mode will be very popular for hardcore fighters. I feel that with all the major changes, upgrades and new systems in-place that the game could deserve a 10/10. There are some minor flaws, mainly in the story section of the game but the overall experience of the title is one I will never forget and will continue playing for a very long time.

Review: Lord Of The Rings: War In The North

It’s been a while since a decent Lord Of The Rings title hit our consoles. The recent release of Lord Of The Rings: War In The North ventures into a new area in the saga which has yet been touched upon before. Warner Bros. has taken the plunge with this title, so how does it shape up? Find out in this review.

LOTR: War In The North takes place during “The War Of the Ring” and is told through three characters: Eradan: Dunedain Ranger, Andriel: Loremaster of Rivendell, and Farin: Champion of Erebor. The narrative is not particularly in-depth, but it expands on the already big universe that encompasses the previous films and games. The story can at times have some very interesting dialogue, but most if falls short on achieving what the pervious entries in the LOTR franchise produced. This doesn’t mean it’s bad however, and will keep you interested throughout as you venture through Middle-Earth and discover what the three warriors did to stop Sauron from getting back the Ring of Power.
 Throughout the campaign you’ll stumble upon many different locations and environments which will feel familiar to any fan of the series. This includes places like Bree where the game opens up at The Prancing Pony to visit with Aragon who gives you your first mission. The opening cutscenes and gameplay does feature some dialogue which can drag on as the first incentive for me was seeing what the combat was like. This didn’t take long however, as the swords start swinging as you head to Fornost and save Beleram (one of the great eagles), along with the sons of Elrond: Elladan and Elrohir. As the game progresses, you’ll head to Rivendell and meet many of the main players of the Fellowship: Elrond, Arwen, Bilbo, and Gloin. During this you’ll get your next mission, a couple of side quests and some achievements for those who are interested. The story and missions are all set in beautiful locations, which is probably one of my highlights of the game along with the fact that you get to go to Rivendall and speak to the Fellowship characters. The game’s story may not interest everyone however, if you are not a fan of LOTR then this game won’t change your mind or make you want to watch the films. The story’s appeal is aimed squarely at fans of the films and many locations relate directly to those.

The art design for War in the North is pretty good overall. There are a few nice details added throughout the game, especially the effects on the armour depending on the weather condition. It’s the small details that just make the game look appealing to the eye. There are some locations however than just seem rushed, there are also many things that look really outdated and mashed together. A number of locations that involve water all add to variety, especially when they appear beautiful and crisp in contrast to the others looking terrible and unrealistic. The design does have many flaws which a lot of people will notice throughout playing and the textures do look a bit grainy, but it does have its fair share of polished locations, so overall a 50/50 balance between the two. Another good design feature is the combat system, since when you kill an enemy in a certain way you get to see their arms, heads and legs fling all over the place. It’s a nice added feature and is rewarding after you brutally take down the poor little orcs.

The gameplay in War in the North follows the generic role of an action RPG, opening up more ways to take on the different parts of the game. This also helps with the fact that you can play with up to 3 people online at one time, levelling up and completing the game together. The RPG element is balanced quite well, especially given the focus on Co-Op. Levelling up is based on the amount of enemies you kill and how you kill them. For example if you take down and enemy with a Final Blow you will gain more XP than if you just used your basic sword attacks. The quests are all story related, other than the few side quests. This may put some people off as the length of the game isn’t very long and took me and two friends around 16 hours to complete the game, minus side quests. Even though there isn’t a large amount of side quests, they do help with the levelling system. What is interesting is how well balanced the RPG and combat elements are. I didn’t feel at all bored throughout out the game and the RPG parts were very simple to learn and use effectively. Every time you level up you gain 3 skill points to attribute, and an ability point, to which you can unlock more attacks, combos, spells to use whilst in combat. I also spent a ridiculous amount of time on making sure I got the best armour for my character, hunting down treasure chest and secret caves to gain more items. When in combat, you are able to choose three ways to attack. If you choose the Ranger and Champion you can have a bow equipped to take down enemies at long distances. The Loremaster is able to shoot at enemies with her staff, however it doesn’t have amazing range. In terms of their other specialisations, the Ranger is able to duel wield two primary weapons, the Champion prefers handling two handed weapons or a shield with a one handed weapon, and the Loremaster has ability to shield players from attacks. It’s well balanced between the three characters and gives a lot of replay incentive to try out the different characters. You can also achieve heavy strikes, as well as the standard strikes with your hand to hand combat weapons. Characters can combine that with special abilities that each character possesses. The game is very button mash friendly, but isn’t too repetitive to annoy you. I found it great mashing buttons and seeing enemies fall to my feet in slow-motion.

Overall 7.5/10 

The Lord Of The Rings: War In The North is very fun to play, both solo and in its great three player co-op system. It’s nice being able to see a different side of the story, as I did wonder what was going on whilst Frodo went to destroy the ring. The game does have its flaws however, mainly in the design side of things. The length of the game may put some people off, but I don’t think it should as if you’re looking for a fun RPG  then the length of the game will no longer be an issue. There is also the incentive to replay the game due to the different difficulty modes that unlock achievements. If you’re not of a fan of LOTR then this RPG may not suit you, but if you are interested in finding items and unlocking new abilities then this would be great for you.

Review: Get Up And Dance (PS3)

There are many dancing games on the market, with many of them being quite entertaining and successful. If I’m honest with you, I’m not a very good dancer, so I end up being quite proud when I bust out a robotic-esk dance move, making me think in my mind that I am the best dancer on the floor. After playing rival dancing games such as Dance Central and Just Dance I have managed to adapt to the gaming side of the dance floor and have found myself to enjoy dancing titles. Now it’s time for me to grab my move controller and head to the dance floor but this time on the PS3 with the Playstation Move.

I started the game off by just plunging into the main event, I feel I don’t need rehershals but… the option is there if players would like to practice before breaking it down. There are also different options for some of the songs that allow you to take the lead or be the backing dancer. This is a great function in the game and gives you the option to master more than one routine.  After failing terribly on my first try I decided it would be the best to head to the rehershal section of the game and see how the game breaks the dance moves down. Sadly this isn’t applicable in this title and it plays just like the main game. There is no tutorial functionality it literally is just a practice mode, with no explanation.

When it comes to looking at a song to choose there is quite a variety of different songs to take on. I personally was excited to dance to Barenaked Ladies- One Week, a classic by Lionel Richie – Dancing On The Ceiling and Example – Kickstarts. As you can see the songs are spread out across the different generations of music. It’s nice to see the variety, but I personally feel there should of been more tracks bundled with the game. Compared to the other dance titles like Dance Central I feel they had a better track list on the disc. 

After choosing the songs I wished to dance to I jumped in once again thinking this time I won’t embarrassed myself and managed to pull of a flawless combo. This didn’t happen as a lot of the songs are ridiculously hard. Each song has a star rating out of 3, but the lack variation between songs with the same level is limited, making you start of with songs you probably don’t enjoy or want to mess around with. Even the one star songs gave me some difficulty and felt at times the Move accessories weren’t responding enough to my movements.

It seems that the developers targeted for an audience that could already pull of the dance moves on the disc in the real world, compared to Dance Central and Just Dance which are much more enjoyable to play with friends.  You can change the difficulty of each song however… just not in the generic standards. You can only change the difficulty on each song whether you choose do the long version or the short, but this doesn’t change the dance moves either so it’s just depending on how far you can make it through the song before failing miserably like i did. I even got a few friends involved to see if they could do some of the harder songs, sadly they also failed.

With the difficulty being an issue for myself and I would probably say for the majority of you if you don’t tend to play dance games, there are other game modes that may take your fancy. The Classic mode is a typical basic mode, where you can just dance the night away. During this, the official music video plays in the background for every song on the disc, which is something the competitors rarley focus on which makes it a nice addition to this game.  There is also a Keep Fit mode which is pretty self explanatory but this mode allows you to perform a certain routine that  has cardio points associated to it (which is also available in the other modes) so you can acknowledge how much of a work out you are getting from each song. There is also the Shape Up mode which allows you to customise your keep fit experience. I enjoyed these modes a lot more than I would of imagined.

Get Up and Dance’s main feature is of course the mulitplayer functionality. The option for party play is probably the game’s main focus. This said, Get Up and Dance takes things on a serious level compaired to other titles. There’s Last Man Standing which is again pretty straight forward, if you make too many mistakes in the performance and you’re out, with the winner of course being the last one standing. Tug of War has 2 teams battling it out, with the strongest dancers becoming the Get Up And Dance champions. There’s also the option to choose the amount of rounds you partake in.

This is where the game stands out among  its competitors, it may be a hard game to master but the option to have backing dancers allows you to form your own dance group with your friends and take control of different roles in a dance tournament within the game. This mode is basically a career for your group, your overall aim is to win the competition which has 11 progressively harder routines to work through. There are quite a few games that use the Playstation Move functionality and some of them work better than others, as you can imagine Get Up and Dance does a good job picking up your movements but it is very precise with what you have to do to score the higher points. It works, but I still found myself questioning if this game would of worked better on the Kinect.

Overall 5/10
Get Up and Dance is a nice varied dance game with a good track list appealing to all different types of music/dance fanatics. Overall the game falls short, with few aspects of the main game made enjoyable for everyone, though it can be fun if you don’t take it too seriously, but there are better options on the market. If you’re looking for a dance game where you can have fun and still progress then I recommended picking up a different title. The multiplayer is good and the backing dancer option is great but the game is really aimed at people who can already dance. There is not much space for practice and learning, which is a shame as this could of been a much better game if they focused more on fun instead of professionalism.

Review – [Revisited] BioShock 2

With Bioshock Infinite due next year, I take a look back at the second title in the series.

Bioshock 2 features the same diverse art style, graphics and sound design of the original to create an amazing atmosphere as you roam the under water city of Rapture. With rich storytelling and enjoyable multiplayer, it’s a welcome return for one of the most interesting games of this generation.

Fans of the original will not be disappointed here. While the reigns of the series has been handed over to a multitude of other 2k game studios, the new team has clearly done their research into how Ken Levine with ‘Irrational games’ (System Shock, Freedom Force) created the original masterpiece, taking inspiration and also evolving the game into something that shows just how unique the world of Bioshock is.

Taking place in the underwater utopian turned dystopian world of Rapture, you traverse through many giant areas of the city attempting to rescue a girl, your ‘little sister’ as her Big Daddy. These terms may seem odd to those who are not aware of the universe this game occurs in, I shall fill you in; The world of Rapture was created by Andrew Ryan, fed up of the controlled communist world, he designed an underwater city where the brightest minds from science to literature could all live and work together productively. Soon, ‘Adam’ was discovered, a liquid of sorts, that could grant people superhuman abilities by literally rewriting their genetic code. ‘Plasmids’ were injections, hugely diverse in their applications. From cosmetics, to weapons that would allow you to throw fire or lighting from your fingertips, or even force your enemies to attack each other. Of course, addictions followed, and world took a dive into a broken society of deranged people known as ‘Splicers’. ‘Little sisters’ were created to harvest ‘Adam’ from corpses, and the ‘Big Daddy’s’ were designed as their protectors, depicted similarly to early 20th Century diving suits, huge hulking and menacing beings.

The story of the original was a rollercoaster, and the ending was especially impressive, however what made the original so amazing was the sense of discovery, this broken society under the sea, hidden from view. The sequel doesn’t quite have the same feeling of discovery as you have already ventured through the world once, however, since you are traversing through new areas, all unique and beautiful, this is not a big issue.

The story of this sequel took me a little longer to get involved with, but a number of sequences through the mid and end points of the game, featuring large set pieces and emotional moments brought it all together. In this world, Sophia Lamb is the new Andrew Ryan as it takes place many years after the original. She has the same dominant overtones, with a large influence on the environment. With all the little touches including the writing on the walls, pictures and audio diaries, these all come together to create an amazing sense of what this world once was, and how far it has fallen. Every area is filled with a huge amount of unique objects, almost as if the world hit pause when the downfall occurred, giving you the chance to pick up the pieces and see the world as how it once would have been.

Gameplay wise, this will feel very similar to the fans of the original, using the same engine and control scheme. What gives this game something new is the aspect that you play as a Big Daddy, granting you much more power and tools to use in combat. One of which is the duel wielding abilities, where you can have a plasmid in one hand and a weapon in the other, operating both independently, allowing you to approach combat in a huge variety of ways. The drill is also a welcome addition, allowing you to literally rip people apart as well as charge to stun. The main situations you encounter in the game are directly opposite to those in the original. This time as a big daddy you are tasked with defending ‘Little Sisters’ as they gather ADAM, in contrast to the original where you were tasked with killing the big daddy to get to the ‘Little Sister’. A new enemy, the ‘Big Sister’ gives you a little more challenge in an impromptu fast paced boss fight from time to time.

Each level is huge and intricate, meaning you will want to explore every nook and cranny of the great open level design as you go from area to area. Of course, the water is back, creating some impressive set pieces where the environment crumbles under the power of the flooding water. As well as being hugely visually impressive, it creates a very panicked mood, as well as the sense of isolation and being trapped in a number of occasions. The underwater walking areas are new to the series, as you now occupy a diving suit, and while they may be linear paths, they serve as a nice break from the action, allowing you to slowly plod through the underbelly of the city.

Upgrading your abilities makes a return. Using the ADAM that you collect you can upgrade your plasmids, or purchase gene tonics which act as boosts to your non-active abilities, ranging from making you better at hacking turrets and cameras, or giving you more stealthily abilities to sneak up on your enemies. The research camera this time does video; giving you the chance to improve your damage to certain enemies of even grant you with new gene tonics.

By far, the biggest contrast to the single player centric design of the original is the new multiplayer in the sequel. Developed by Digital Extremes, they took all of the mainstays from the solo game into the multiplayer arena to create something very enjoyably, complete with XP and leveling system as seen in most online shooters. Creating a unique setup and story for this mode helps settle itself in the universe, taking place before the solo games with you playing as test subjects for the plasmids. The controls here are a little more responsive, but the shooting feels slightly weaker and less powerful. The uniqueness of the Bioshock world shows itself with the plasmid use as well as the research camera, allowing you to get damage boosts over foes. While this will never reach the same levels of popularity of mainstream shooters such as Call of Duty, it does offer something a little different in the overcrowded genre.

It’s very hard to do the game justice in a written review, but you owe it to yourself to play both of the Bioshock games. The sequel brings many new additions to the table, and successfully tells another tale in the world of Rapture, and you’ll find yourself itching for more when its over, with it’s stunning design and atmosphere, as well as the sense of isolation and decay, you won’t find anything this year like it.

Review: Assassin’s Creed Revelations

So, another year brings another Assassin’s Creed to our homes. Revelations is the final chapter in the Ezio Auditore trilogy of the series and brings the fiery Italian back to us as an old man. Once you’ve sat through the customary Desmond-related tedious introduction, you’ll realise that Revelations provides much of what you’d expect if you’ve been playing since Assassin’s Creed 2. You would think then that logically, the premise should go like this:

Premise 1: Assassin’s Creed 2 was a good game.

Premise 2: Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood was a good game.

Premise 3: Assassin’s Creed: Revelations is like the previous two.

Conclusion: Assassin’s Creed: Revelations is a good game.

Well, not really. In fact, Revelations suffers badly from two common gaming syndromes caused by its excellent predecessors.

Firstly, ‘sequel syndrome’ is very much in effect here. Reviewers before me have credited Ubisoft for improving the franchise consistently since the original Assassin’s Creed. The series has got better and better but there was always a feeling that the series had reached a peak with Brotherhood and that appears to be the case. Revelations has kept much of what made Brotherhood such a great game, but it all feels a bit dumbed down. The puzzles for example are far less challenging. Platforming puzzles are much more direct then in the previous game and require a great deal less thought about what path you’re taking. Anything else normally boils down to activating your sixth sense ‘Eagle Vision’ and targeting shiny things until one of them turns out to be the right one.

Part of the reason Assassin’s Creed 2 and Brotherhood were so interesting was because Ezio was interesting. Altair, though an indisputable badass, was not a particularly compelling character. Desmond, despite having four games worth of character development, still might as well be a tub of paint or better yet, non-existant. Alternate segments about Altair or Desmond too often break up the main story surrounding Ezio. These bits are perfectly entertaining but they’re incongruous and they can drag you away from what you were doing. It’s like being a baby again, and having your mum come over and pick you up out of your sandbox. She puts you on the swings and you’re thinking, ‘don’t get me wrong mum, I like swings. But I was having fun in my sandbox. I’ll come and play on the swings when I’m ready.’ If you felt like I did that Assassin’s Creed 2 and Brotherhood provided you with a huge amount of freedom, get ready to feel like that’s been taken away a little bit.

For some reason these days, big releases have to come in threes. I suppose initially it seemed like a good duration to develop a story arc. But I’m sure Ubisoft had no intention of making an Ezio trilogy until Assassin’s Creed 2 was so well received. There would have been nothing wrong with adding another chapter and then continuing with the emotional story of Desmond ‘Vanilla’ Miles but apparently that just wasn’t enough. The result is a game feels like its desperately trying to find something other than Ezio to justify itself. Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to syndrome number two – ‘trilogy syndrome’.

Lets take bombs as an example. Bombs are fun – that’s one of the video game Ten Commandments right there. And I’m more than happy for this game to have bombs in it. But when none of the gameplay mechanics have changed, you realise that actually, you don’t need any bombs. If there were no bombs in this game, I would still be running around stabbing people and throwing guards off roofs. I wouldn’t be thinking, ‘this game would be great if it had bombs…’.

The same is true for other additions. Tower defence, slow motion executions… its all fine and at times it adds to the experience. But none of it justifies the making of a third outing for Ezio.

I am not necessarily saying this is a bad game, because it isn’t. It is still as fun as it ever was to cause mayhem and all the visceral qualities of Assassin’s Creed are still present. Once again you can build your very own brotherhood of Assassin’s. Although not as customisable as I was hoping you can train your recruits all the way up to becoming masters of your Assassin Dens and even send them overseas to look after other cities for you. For those RPG fans among you, it provides enough to satisfy your levelling up addiction.

If anything could justify this game, it is the multiplayer. I played A LOT of Brotherhood multiplayer and though it was buggy and infuriating at times, I thought it was a whole load of fun. Revelations’ multiplayer has made huge strides on that in Brotherhood and the whole experience feels cleaner and well thought out. Much like the improvement between Assassin’s Creed and Assassin’s Creed 2, Ubisoft have done a great job recognising the problems of the original multiplayer and improving upon them. You now get much better rewards for being sneaky and taking your target by surprise. Old game modes like Wanted and Manhunt are still around, along with a slew of new ones. Quite honestly, if you enjoyed the multiplayer in Brotherhood, you’ll love Revelations.

Believe it or not, I still like this game and I still like Assassin’s Creed. But Ubisoft are in serious danger of flogging a dead horse and one senses that they are close to undoing a lot of the great work they have done since Assassin’s Creed 2. Like Ezio Auditore, Assassin’s Creed: Revelations is an old dog without any meaningful new tricks and Ubisoft should plan their next move very carefully if they want to retain the franchise’s immense popularity.

Review: Rayman Origins

It’s been a while since Rayman has appeared on a home console. The last time we saw the fist swinging hero on our TV screens was in Rayman 3: Hoodlum Havoc which appeared on a whole host of platforms including the PS2, Xbox, Gamecube and PC; his last title releasing on the Gameboy Advance in 2005. As the 6 years have flown by, has the wait been worth it? Find out in this review.

Rayman’s storyline has always been pretty straight forward, even going back to the original PS1 title, where the plot revolved around saving the Electoons, captured in cages by Mr Dark. Save some captured friends and save the day. As the games have progressed in the series, I’ve found the story lines to get a little more muddled, especially the games that appeared on the PS2, Xbox and Gamecube. Now, when players talk about Rayman you will rarely hear any one say “that was a great story” because frankly it wasn’t, but the PS1 titles focused all on gameplay. When development shifted to the PS2, Gamecube and Xbox, Ubisoft seamed to focus more on the storyline instead of the gameplay. This has changed in Origins, and it is a change for the better. The plot is very simplistic and suits what Rayman is best know for… Gameplay.  It starts a little like this, Rayman is in the Glade of Dreams, a world created by the mysterious Bubble Dreamer….

Rayman and his beloved friend Globox, along with a collection of other characters, manage to be at the wrong place at the wrong time. Rayman and his pals manage to be attacked by an Old Granny?! (..I know an old Granny!). The Old Granny sends an army of the nastiest creatures, bringing some Darktoons to the fight as well. It’s time once again for Rayman and his friends to rescue the Electoons, defeat the evil creatures and set everything right. The plot is as I said ‘simplistic’, just like the original. No ridiculous twists or random occurrences that ruin the experience, just classic Rayman platforming action. It seems that Ubisoft have taken the correct route and listened to fans of the series. It’s a shame Rayman’s competitor Crash Bandicoot hasn’t also followed in Rayman’s footsteps.

Looking to the gameplay side of things, Rayman is back on form with some charming humour and is back in a side-scrolling platformer. A feature that I didn’t except was the ability to team up with local players for four player co-op, featuring drop in and out capabilities at any time. Whle I don’t feel that this is the main focus of the game….. It doesn’t ruin the gameplay experience either. If anything, it’s a nice alternative to 2009′s New Super Mario Bros Wii, which saw the same feature set implemented into the gameplay. It’s surprisingly nice to see couch co-op featured in the game, as many recent titles rely on the Internet for Multiplayer experiences, though this will mean you’ll need four controllers and a big couch, as opposed to just a headset, adding to it’s retro flavour. The Co-Op gives players more options when playing, allowing for a gameplay experience which fits everyone’s preferences. If you do decide to drop into the four player experience you can choose from four playable characters; Rayman, Globox or two Teensies, and s you progress, you’ll begin to unlock additional costumes.

Playing either alone or with friends, you’ll have to complete each level to progress through the game. Throughout each level, you’ll be up against a variety of different enemies, all while having to save captured Electoons. Your progression is also tied to your range of abilities that you can use, and these new tools add to the gameplay, keeping it fresh and interesting. The abilities you can unlock include being able to run up walls, gliding in midair after jumping and shrinking in size, allowing you to reach hidden areas. This isn’t all though, as the variety in each level, as well as across the entire game is a huge plus for the game, allowing you to jump on a mosquito and fly through some segments in-between the standard platforming gameplay. I was impressed by how well these different levels fit together, and when I was nearing completion of the game, I never got bored and actually wanted more even after the credits rolled. You will face many different obstacles and gameplay mechanics in the levels, inclduding some old Rayman tropes with spikes, floating platforms, platforms that disappear, platforms that move, platforms that fade in and out, and even some trampolines to bounce you around. Many of these platforms will catch players off guard and will require some practice, otherwise you may often be heading down many of the games bottomless pit.

Now, if you’re like me and tend to die a lot in the game, expect to see Rayman turn into a bubble and float away. As you may have guessed from the basic plot, Rayman is in the “Bubble Dream World”, and this bubble world dictates a lot of the elements in the game. Enemies also turn into bubbles and can be used to jump to higher places as they don’t pop until you jump on them, though be quick, or else they veer of screen and you will be out of luck with your 100% attempt. If you can’t handle this one hit death situation, you’re in luck, as there are random hearts placed through out the levels which allows you to take an extra hit. You can only carry one heart at a time though, and if you loose your heart and end up still getting hit again then you will be returned to the nearest checkpoint. During each level you will also want to be the lookout for  gold-coloured Lums. Lums affect your overall ranking at the end of each level, rewarding you with a medal according to how many lums you have collected. If you manage to find a King Lum you will earn double points during a short period of time, forcing you to collect the floating Lums before they disappear.

If you’re familiar with the Rayman games, the general progression will be what you expect, since the more Electoons you save, the more of the story you will unlock. This is much easier said that done however, as some of the Electoons are hidden away and can only be freed by completing a puzzle. Some of the puzzles were a little frustrating to complete though, definately giving a challenge to veterans of platforming titles, but will be a little too tough for some. As you save Electoons, you will be able to unlock special treasure levels that give you the opportunity to earn “teeth” rubies. The gameplay has so much going on in it’s 2D environment, styled very much to the art of the original, and the platforming gameplay also bears a close resemblence, though there are of course a whole lot of upgrades and changes which work really well, so well in fact, that I have to say that this is the best Platformer title I have played this year. Sorry Mario.

The art design of the game is stunning, and is definitely one of the best looking games to come out this year. The 2D platforming with the layered 3D backdrops look beautiful and vibrant. The colours are mesmerising and stand out, elevating it above its competitors. Even the animations in the scenery looks extraordinary, and I was very shocked to see how many colours could ever be put into a game and work cohesively together. The levels themselves are amazing, from the icy mountains to the sandy deserts, implementing so many different shades of colours, making the game look rich.  If you’re looking for a game that is oozing with colours and amazing 2D design then this is perfect for you. However, if you are easily distracted by pretty colours and ‘rainbow-like’ objects, then the design may lead to many deaths. There are some minor design elements that cause some issues, especially where the obstacles and backgrounds can blend together a little too well, again leading to some lost lives. This could also be caused by the fact that there is a lot going on in the levels, though sometimes maybe a little too much.

So far, with all the talk of the art style and platforming mechanics, I haven’t even touched on the soundtrack. Again, just like the other elements, it adds greatly to the game, slotting in nicely to enhance the already stunning looking (and sounding) title. I have nothing bad to say about the music at all, especially since I fell in love with its charming jazz themed songs instantly. The music is exhilarating and the combination of art and sound is top notch, overall, it’s an amazing mix and fits beautifully.

Overall

Rayman Origins is one of the best platforming titles I have played since Super Mario Bros 2. The gameplay features a lot of interesting elements which feel fresh and unique, and even though the local multiplayer feels a lot like Super Mario Bros Wii, there are many fundamental differences. The overall experience of the game was one which I won’t forget. Ubisoft choose four player local co-op instead of online functionality and it works really well. The design and sound are also worth picking up the game for. It seems Rayman is back, and let’s hope Ubisoft keep Rayman in this amazing form.

Game was reviewed on the Xbox 360.

Saints Row The Third (Video Review)

Wanted to know if Saints Row : The Third is worth picking up? Well with this Honest Games Review you shall find your answer.

Keep checking back on the site for the full indepth written review.