Gamerz Reviewz

KILLZONE - Futuristic Nazi’s? Yaay!

Elof Coulsen — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 20:19:32 +0000

“My people, sons and daughters of Helghan; for many years we have been a broken nation. Shunned. Oppressed. And conquered by those those we sought to escape! Twelve years ago I asked for time…” and that’s how Killzone’s intro kicks off, sending us into a frenzy of OH MY GOD amazing! Although the intro cinematic is one of the best I have ever seen, and boasts some of the finest animation and very good voice acting from Brian Cox as Scholar Visari, it is still only a cinematic, nothing to get excited over- though the almost Scottish undertones make Brian Cox all the more believable as Visari, the diabolical leader of the Helghast people, or should that be Nazi’s in space? Does this mean the game is any good? Sadly, you’ll find out here…

The game’s story is generally intriguing, with enough substance to keep the player occupied through-out the entire game, as you set out on a mission for General Vaughton, as a Captain Jan (Pronounced:Yan) Templar to locate a spy called Hakha, and to escort him to the Space Defense platform in orbit.

However things do not always go as planned. On the way however, you run into Jan’s old girlfriend; Luger the assassin, Rico the Heavy Weapons and loud mouth, and of course the spy Hakha, who is an ex-Helghast. While the story certainly is very well thought out, sometimes you would wonder if maybe the developers creating the story watched the A-Team a little too often. Those of you who play or have played the game will certainly know what I mean.

Anyway I don’t want to spoil the story for those of you who have yet to sample this game in any way so I will not let loose on the exact details. The game does have quite a good narrative through-out and certainly some of the dialogue is almost as witty as such that is found in TimeSplitters: Future Perfect, with the most biting dialogue between Rico (BA?) and Hakha (Murdock?).

The graphics are also very nicely done, definitely pushing the PS2 to its absolute limits.

The level of detail is surprising for a PS2 game, although there are some rendering issues with close up items looking low resolution, where the game is still catching up with onscreen events- the developer claimed the PS2’s hardware wasn’t up to the spec required of it, technologically undermined by the X-box. Though, tracer bullets, smoke, highly detailed environments, blood, explosions, shoot-outs and weapons are all very believable.

The gunfights are hectic, fast paced, and mechanically well done, with the enemy AI dealing with you fairly well, though in some cases it is quite forgivably dumb. Its as well as could be be expected for such an ambitious game. The varied ways in which you can choose your path through levels by selecting the different characters. Jan is the general route, Luger is the stealth route, Rico is the freight train through the Helghast ranks. Hakha is the one who can get behind enemy laser grids etc. You get the picture? No? Well tough. The first person character animations are good, very good, from climbing ladders, hopping low walls, to the amazing reloads. Its all good.

Sound design is quite good, with each gun sounding resoundingly satisfying, and definitely your usual FPS gunfire, certainly sounding that they pack the punch that it actually does. I do however like the soundtrack. The online mode is definitely something to talk about, including the split screen multiplayer against bots. The BOTS actually do react like REAL players… cool!

All in all, a good rout through the Space Nazi’s of KILLZONE. Anyway; lets get down to the Final Verdict before I fall asleep on my
keyboard.

The Score-

Graphics: 8
Gameplay: 8
Sound Design: 8
Story/Plot: 8
Replayability: 8

Final score: 8 (Bronze)

Awards: Jedireapers “Favorite PS2 FPS” award

Final Words-
Killzone is definitely worth it to see the story play out, but by no means is it a Halo beater as people had labeled it to be, nor can it truly be compared to Halo… duh different console. And with the release of KILLZONE 2 coming early 2009 (February?) it should be picked up for a quick play through. And until KZ2, I haven’t got anything better to do than write this.

www.killermovies,com/forums

TMNT, To My Nostalgic Time

Elof Coulsen — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 03:02:22 +0000

OKAY, BY NOW I would expect we are all, at least in some way, familiar with Leonardo, Michaelangelo, Donatello and Raphael. Arguably the four most skilled artists the world has yet seen. So skilled, in fact, that the four teamed up several hundred years after their deaths and banded together to fight crime and injustice under the tutelage of a little chip of wood they…

Uhm, sorry, I went completely somewhere else for a moment there. I was thinking of entirely the wrong people.

Okay, let’s start again.

Approximately twenty-four years ago a short series of comics was released featuring four man shaped turtles. They had, apparently, been mutated by some kind of strange, glowing green liquid which it as later revealed took the basic genetic makeup of the host and whichever animal had most recently touched it (in this case, four turtles and a ninja living in the sewers who spent most of his time around rats) and kind of spliced them together. Thus leading to four man-turtles and a man rat who took the babies as his own, training them in the arts of ninjutsu.

Later, it was altered slightly so that Splinter was a rat who had been a pet of a ninjutsu master who learned the arts by watching from his cage. Which, to be honest, I actually find to be just a little bit too silly. I’ve had pet rats and, whilst they are undeniably extremely intelligent animals, they simply do not have the capacity to learn something that complex. This may seem overly critical for something which is, essentially, a childrens cartoon, but I was there for the initial Ninja Turtles craze, and it feels a lot like the way Michael Bay Butchered the Transformers (though the change to the Turtles was much earlier).

However, this is mostly irrelevant to the review itself.

The game plays well, looks fantastic, and is superbly acted. It takes it’s story from the 2007 film entitled simply TMNT, and takes place in the form of flashbacks narrated by the four turtles and, on occasion, their Sensei Splinter. Spread across sixteen levels and a number of interesting and, though essentially repeated textures, surprisingly diverse environments. From the jungles of South America to the streets and rooftops of New York city.

Initially, you play as each of the turtles in sequence (Leonardo, Raphael, Donatello and Michaelangelo), with each of them telling something of what their lives were like in the aftermath of their defeat of the Shredder. But from the sixth level onwards (apart from a few points where the story shifts in favour of Raphael as The Nightwatcher) you have the ability to call on all four turtles. First by performing enough acrobatics to fill a “family” bar, and then from about level nine or ten (I forget exactly which) they are all there right from the outset.

You also have the ability to perform certain family moves, such as Michaelangelo using one of his brothers as a weapon by spinning in circles holding him at arms length, or by calling on one of your turtle brothers mid jump to propel your forwards across large gaps. The latter can be irritating at points, as I found whilst mid battle. I would press the B button to switch to another turtle, but be propelled forwards because I had just jumped to avoid an attack. But as this was entirely caused by my own trigger happy finger, we can’t really hold that against Ubisoft.

Something, however, that we can hold against Ubisoft is their attempt to do a little too much with the game. To highlight the superb agility and creativity of the four heroes, they have been given the ability cling to ledges, jump from wall to wall and run along walls (much in the same way the Prince has done in Ubisofts other franchise). It’s the latter which causes all the problems. Whereas, with the Prince of Persia games, you had to press a button to do so, with TMNT it happens automatically. Which, in itself, would be no major problem, if not for the fact that they seem to have had a severe case of hatecentredcameraitis whilst making the game. So that when jumping from ledge to ledge, keeping the analogue stick centered left or right (or whichever way you happen to be traveling at the time) will have you slowly drifting towards either the wall or the camera itself. Especially annoying as you tend to travel much further than the next platform whilst making the arch across the wall, thus falling to a lower level, or more often, death.

Despite this, however, the game is still an extremely fun one to play. With enough there to satisfy the more serious gamers (including map challenges and concept art and the like to unlock) as the more casual players alike. The combat system is simple and flows nicely, it’s fantastically well animated for a Wii game and the turtles in fight banter can be really amusing. Often helping to take the edge off during the more frustrating battles (of which there are some). Unfortunately, it’s rather short. The whole game being finished in only six hours on your first play-through. Though the extra content does add some replay value.

It’s unfortunate, however, that there were no attempts to make this a multi-player game. There are, after all, four turtles to choose from, and if the Ben 10 game allowed you to have two Ben’s on screen at the sane time, why could Ubi not allow two (or more) turtles even if the plot says they are not supposed to be there. Normally, I would let a lot of this slide due to the quality of the rest of the game, but as this is from Ubi, who really should know better by now, I’m going to have to lodge them as more serious complaints. Still, I enjoyed the game, and I would say that even people who are no fans of the Ninja Turtle franchise will also be able to find something to make the game worth playing.

Graphics: 8.5/10
Gameplay: 8/10
Audio/Music: 8.5/10
Plot/Scripting: 8.5/10
Overall: 7.5/10

This game also earns the Bobfish award for bringing a nostalgic tear to the eye.

Far Cry 2, rusty weapons anyone?

Elof Coulsen — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 19:02:49 +0000

Hello folks, here is another review from your friendly neighbourhood Jedireaper. The object of scrutiny today is TimeSplitters 4 for the PS3 home console…

Uhh, oops sorry I mean Far Cry 2, and I have a confession to state out first before we get down to the wilderness of Africa so to speak.

To begin with, my confession: I have not been playing FC2 as much as I should have been, rather I’ve been bashing away at GTA online as it is soo much fun, and during times when I’ve had no internet I’ve been playing Half Life 2 & Portal (The Orange Box). For some strange reason I have been avoiding FC2. Do not ask me why as I can give no reason- unless it was the daunting task of writing this review, then I still can give no true reason… Enough said, and now to get to the reason of a review- namely, the review.

Far Cry 2 is a very good- I hesitate to say amazing -game. It certainly delivers a punch to the gut of other shooters of the First Person shooter, and Sand-box genres, this game delivering 50 kilometers square of lush jungles, hazy savannah, and dry desert, and a few small villages and exactly two full towns or settlements if you feel like being accurate.

The Far Cry 2 engine certainly can pump out some impressive environments, from the highly detailed and beautifully animated plant-life, the perfect environmental lighting, and rather good enemy and friendly AI, though usually you are on your own- I was mostly because I killed one of ‘em by blowing him up with a grenade, and got another captured by the UFLL who were my immediate enemies at the time, since I was doing missions for the APR, not that there is any differance between the factions, but APR sounded cooler -you will be driven through the game being used as a Mercenary, or a ‘gun for hire’, doing the dirty jobs that the factions cannot be seen doing.

One of the few downpoints about this game being free roaming, and on so large a map, is that there is a lot of journeying about this fictional African state, sometimes by boats, cars, jeeps, and trucks, but more ofter you will find yourself walking.

This can be forgiven as Ubisoft Montreal have tried to do the GTA thing with the FPS while throwing in elements of the game Mercenaries and some COD4. This has made for quite a shooter, with the general game mechanics such as the control layout being totally fluid and easily accessable to even newbies to the FPS genre, or the hectic shoot-outs, or the ‘being able to set things on fire’ whitch has been coded nicely to co-inside with the pysics engine- my favorite part -lends itself to ceate a dynamic and unique experiance, both visually and gameplay wise. Before I move on to what is perhaps the games best feature, a special mention should go to the weapons of FC2, both being varied and meaty. They even get jammed and dirty through continued use, then break apart in your hands which is certainly a unique feature. Make sure to always have fresh weapons, as being caught short with your pants down isn’t going to do anything but get you killed. Fast.

The map-maker is one of the best yet seen in a video game, allowing you to do and create anything and everything, from floating platforms, Normandy Beach-heads, and COD4 level recreations- and why not -to the Eiffel Tower, to huge city sized maps and vast jungle valleys. Everything can be tweaked and to be honest, it is all relatively easy to do however if you are attempting to do the Eiffel- I’ll see you in a few weeks. It will take a while and although it can be done, its ambitious.

The score, is it really worth my pecious money?
Graphics: 8.5

Gameplay:9

Sound: 8

Plot: 8

Replayability: 8.5

Overall: 8.4

This game is not for everyone mind, and may even be daunting to those who own it, like me. But it is a good solid game, with lag free online multiplayer. Well worth owning.

This game also gets the “Jedireaper Innovation Award” for the excellent map-maker.

This is certainly worth the time to play even just for the online experiance- excellent main game aside -as it certainly rivals COD4 though I can’t vouch for World at War yet, but if you need a game to keep you going till Killzone 2 arrives for your PS3, then this is it, especially for the map-maker.

Join www.killermovies.com/forums/ and discover a new world of online socialising. From discussions about comics, books and films to Role Playing in any manner of variety. There is something for everybody.

Hope to see you there.

Dead Space “make us whole again”

Elof Coulsen — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 16:22:09 +0000

ELECTRONIC ARTS, FOR many years the laughing stock of the gaming world. Pointless sports title after ever more pointless sports title. Many of us wondered how the company that brought us Desert Strike, Road Rash and the Buck Rogers games could have sunk so low in such a short period of time. And, somehow, still stay in business.

And then, last year, out of nowhere, the old EA suddenly came back. Announcing a plethora of new, and extremely inventive titles for the following (now current) year. Amongst them being Dead Space. Originally it seemed to be a Playstation 3 exclusive, though this ultimately proved not to be the case as it was simultaneously released both on the X-Box 360 and a week later for the PC as well. Though it was originally intended for a worldwide release on October 31^st, it was put forward (likely due to a rather significant demand from the eagerly waiting players) to the 14^th.

So, that begs the question, was it worthy of all the fuss?

Well, I can’t speak for the console version of the game, but the PC release certainly kept me entertained. It’s somewhat clichéd and formulaic, but unlike many such experiences, does not suffer from such as it was clearly intended to be so. From the initial, unarmed mad dash to escape from the first Necromorph, who almost catches you, but is crushed in the closing of an elevator door, to the “shock” twist in the closing cinematic, there is little that could be hailed as truly original. But it at no point ever really tries to be. EA have taken a tried and tested formula, thrown in some new characters (the protagonist taking after Gordon Freeman and never speaking) an impressive array of environments (especially considering almost the entire game takes place aboard a self-contained space craft) and some top-notch scripting and voice work.

It’s a combination of each of those things, along with the understated score by Jason Graves, the constantly oppressive atmosphere and the outstanding quality of the visuals which are all the more impressive considering the surprisingly low requirements for the game. Even on my decidedly sub-par rig it ran at a smooth 25+ frames per second with the settings maxed out at a 1024×768. I could even run at full 16×12 without noticing any significant slowdown, but I prefer the latter resolution for some reason. Though, it’s worth noting, that in some of the areas where there was a lot going on, such as environments with mist or lots of particulate matter in the air, my framerate took a bit of a dive. But even at it’s worst if never dropped below 16. Which is really, really impressive since I’m only just exceeding the minimum requirements.

The basic premise of the game is straightforward enough. Our erstwhile hero, Isaac Clark (a lowly repair tech) is sent to the USG Ishimura, a planet cracker (which does mean what you think it means, the planet crackers literally blast planets into asteroid chunks which can then be mined for raw materials) after all communication is cut off. Even before they dock with the ship the problems start as an impact from space debris forces an emergency landing. And then inside the space dock the crew are set upon by the Necromorphs, the pilot co-pilot is killed, and Isaac is separated from his crew mates Kendra Daniels (a tech expert) and Sergeant Zach Hammond.

Unarmed and alone, thinks don’t look so good for our friend the technician. But fear not, he quickly procures a plasma cutter for himself, and steels himself for a slaughter fest of suitably and satisfyingly gruesome proportions. The game is even designed to encourage dismemberment of your opponents, unlike those which have such features included for the sake of a little gore, with Dead Space you are actively encouraged to shoot off the Necromorph’s legs, arms, heads and…other appendages rather than just pumping a stream of bullets into them. This actually makes your initial weapon, whilst slow and theoretically weak, your most useful tool as it is designed, as the name implies, for cutting and features two firing modes. One for vertical cutting, and one for horizontal. Each of the weapons you will procure feature alternate firing methods, but the cutter, in my opinion, has the most useful as ammo is plentiful, and it can be adjusted for maximum efficiency in any environment. Such as when traversing a zero gravity environment where up and down are subjective to where you want them to be.

Overall, the game was pretty straightforward and didn’t really feature any groundbreaking ideas or new concepts in gameplay. It simply stuck to a refined, well rehearsed method of tense wanderings and intense bouts of action, with a few bits and pieces of mild puzzle solving along the way. But it is clear from the outset that the atmosphere of the game is the most important thing, and in this regard it succeeds magnificently. Easily elevating a truthly quite plain game into a thoroughly enjoyable survival horror, one of the few that actually succeeds in finding a good balance between the two. There was only one problem I could find with the game, and this came in the form of the aiming controls. A bane I usually associate only with console games (showing that this was clearly moved to the PC second) but it would at times be either much too slow, or far too fast, resulting in a number of irritating deaths when I found myself blasting the wall, or the floor at my feet instead of the slavering un-dead alien/human/monster thing only two feet away.

Simply put, Dead Space is an entertaining, replayable and cheesy as all hell (seriously, you can see the plot twists coming hours in advance) zombie romp with an, actually almost completely unimportant, alien flavour. And it’s a combination of all these things which makes it so much fun, because it never claims to be anything else. I would recommend before you do play the game that you track down and watch the six video comics that give details of the events directly leading up to and causing the problems aboard the Ishimura. They are all available for download on the Playstation Network, and I would assume on the X-Box Marketplace as well. They are not really integral to the plot, but they do add some interesting backstory, and will avoid those little moments where you sit wondering exactly what everyone is talking about.

Graphics: 9/10
Gameplay: 8.5/10
Audio/Music: 9/10
Plot/Scripting: 9/10
Overall: 8.5/10

Gears of War 2, them Locusts eh?

Elof Coulsen — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 10:00:34 +0000

I loved the first game, and this game only improved on everything that i loved in the original. The guns all track better than in the first making it easier to hit enemies, they are more balanced and some arent ridiculously overpowered anymore as well as adding a few more guns into the mix. The cover system still works great but is improved and more refined over the original. The story mode reminds me of a good action movie with lots of explosions and big monsters.

The old and new multiplayer modes are fun and will keep you going for a long time after the story if you are into the game play. My favorite part of this game has to be the new Horde mode where you just fight wave after wave of Locust enemies that progressively get more powerful testing to see how long you can survive.

The graphics are better than in the first adding more color and life into the game over the original drab brown and grey color pallete and over all more detail. the swarming effects that the unreal engine added were cool to see as well because it put around 100 or so enemies on screen at once in certain parts.

Anyways to cap it off this game is a must have for shooter fans or action fans, if you’re only into games for the story or level ups i’d stay far away though, but i will be playing this game for a long time into the future just because the gameplay is so fun and the awesome new horde mode.

Code Lyoko : Quest for Infinity (and cake)

Elof Coulsen — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 10:36:11 +0000

>ORIGINALLY ONLY A moderately successful anime style series produced by the French company Antefilms some five years ago, Code Lyoko nevertheless made enough of an impact to warrant this swishdy little action platformer. Now, I haven’t actually seen the cartoon series myself (keep meaning to if that counts?) so I can’t comment on the relevance on a plot level, but I gather it takes place either between one season and the next, or some time shortly after the final episode. However, as the plot of the game seems to be entirely self-contained that shouldn’t spoil your enjoyment in any way. It certainly had no impact on mine.

I’ve never really been a fan of platform games myself (with the exception of some of the newer action/adventure types such as Tomb Raider which still feature elements of a platform game) but this one kept me entertained for many an hour. It’s very simple to play, with some straightforward use of the Wii’s motion sensing capabilities. Unlike some games which have you performing odd and unnatural contortions simply to show how “innovative” they are, this one keeps it really straightforward. A flick here, a wiggle there, nothing major.

This ease of access is continued in the difficulty of the game as a whole. Clearly, not one that was intended to be a huge, epic battle of wits and patience between you and your console, the whole thing can be run through fairly easily in a day or two. Though there is plenty of incentive to revisit previous locations (all of which are available from the scanner upon “completion” of the game) as you will notice that there are a number of obstacles along the way. Each of which you will ultimately find solutions for at later points as you find digital upgrade packages for your four heroes such as jumping from wall to wall, telekinesis and flight.

Basically, you play a bunch of high school students (five in total, though only four are actively playable as characters) that somehow or other have discovered a virtual world called Lyoko, which they have for whatever reason chosen to designate themselves as protectors to. Foiling the plans for world domination of a sentient computer program called X.A.N.A. All of this is explained in more detail in the cartoons so I apologise for my sketchy knowledge on the subject.

And that’s pretty much the long and the short of it.

During the progression of the game you visit (and often re-visit) a series of digital areas spread across a variety of environments, from forests to a volcano plateau. Initially, you can only reach one of them (a desert) but during the course of the first two or three levels you come across a vehicle which allows you to cross the digital sea and unlock more. This leads to a sort of sub-game where you control a funky little nav-skid type thing which offers a nice change of pace from the running around jumping on moving platforms and blasting the crap out of everything. Though, uhm, you have to shoot aquatic digital creatures or they’ll destroy your skid. But anyway, it adds some variety to the game. And between missions, you can head back to the Kadic school to catch up on the latest gossip with both teachers and other pupils alike.

It’s doubtful that the game will have much appeal to anyone other than fans of the series (and people like me who are suckers for cutesy, but grossly deformed, anime graphics). And that’s a shame, because it’s a much simpler game than the majority of the big titles and lacks the cloying intensity and sense of epic events. It’s a nice, simple, fun to play game, designed purely with entertainment in mind. Though it does also have a well scripted and involved plot as well. But hey, maybe you could at least buy it for your kids and sneak a little playing time for yourself when no-one’s looking. That way you get to play a great game and keep your hardcore gaming cred at the same time.

Graphics: 8/10
Gameplay: 8.5/10
Audio/Music: 8.5/10
Plot/Scripting: 8.5/10
Overall: 8/10

Hey, I like cake alright? I never said there was any in the game

Silent Hill : Homecoming, and immediately leaving again

Elof Coulsen — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 06:55:55 +0000

“IN MY RESTLESS dreams, I see that town”.

And in my worst nightmares, I see this game. Double Helix have taken the phenomenal series that Konami created way back when on the original Playstation console, and perverted it into a pale imitation of it’s former glory. When the PSP game, Silent Hill Origins was released, it was met with mixed views by both players and critics alike. Some saying that Team Silents decision to pass the series on to an outside developer (Climax Studios in that case) was a bold, and not all together wise move. So when it came to the sixth chapter in the series, it seemed even more bizarre that they would do so again.

Unfortunately, whilst Climax rose to the challenge and produced a, somewhat different, but still fundamentally Silent Hill experience, Double Helix just…didn’t. I can only surmise that they were relying heavily on the name alone to bolster sales, because it is clear to me that only minimal effort was put into programming the game. The textures are…well, textureless, the complete lack of expression on every single person in the game is downright insulting, and the gratuitous use of needlessly dramatic music and ridiculous popping and squelching noises on a number of the cities warped denizens combine to transform this from a sparkling addition to the Silent Hill franchise into a painfully clichéd Hollywood style monster of the week movie.

Which brings me to the next point. I honestly cannot fathom why, but this latest foray into the misty burg relies very heavily on the Silent Hill movie (widely accepted as being utter crap apart from the outstanding direction by Christopher Ganz) for it’s source material. Featuring, for no discernible reason that I can find, the movies signature gas mask clad cultists and even some of the same locations such as the Church which hosts the films gore infested climax. Even the inclusion of fan favourite Pyramid Head does little to lift this game beyond anything more complimentary than the mediocre. Especially when he comes toddling out with massive thumping noises much better suited to a scene from the Incredible Hulk. The dude is seven feet tall, carries a knife (yes, a knife) that’s six feet long and has a giant metal pyramid for his freaking head. He doesn’t need screen shaking footsteps to scare the bejeezus out of you.

You may be wondering if I have anything at all positive to say about the game. And, sadly, I actually do. As always, the scripting is positively top notch and the voice acting, though not the best in the series, is still utterly outstanding. And, of course, the soundtrack by the ever talented Akira Yamaoka-sama is eerie and chilling as ever (if a little overused in places). Unfortunately, all this succeeds in doing is reminding us of how good the came could and should have been. And, in my case at least, left me pining for previous titles in the series to such an extent that I was only part way in and put it back on the shelf for a while in favour of a trip back to the previous generations for a reminder of what Silent Hill used to be like.

However, eventually, I took the plunge and muddled my way through to the end. A far more laborious task than it really should have been. When you face minor enemies that are more resilient than the major boss fights you know something is seriously wrong. That little section in the prison immediately after being separated from Wheeler had me spitting nails for a full two days. Those Schisms (odd creatures with a bladed hammer shaped head) kept cornering me and effectively cutting me to ribbons in only two or three head wiggles. Supposedly no major challenge, they were a bloody nightmare for muggins here. Whilst the final enemy, though genuinely quite frightening, bashed me around a good half dozen or so times and only had my health down half way. Hmm, not quite what you expect really.

So, having said all this, would you be surprised if I still gave it a tentative (and sanity questioning) recommendation? There are a lot of flaws with the game, this is true, and it is far and away the worst chapter in the series (yes, even worse than the film) but any true Silent Hill fan will still find something in there to satisfy their appetite until the next chapter comes our way. If you can plow your way through the horrendous gameplay and tedious, overly complicated monster battles, there are some fantastic plot moments. Unfortunately, those self same moments that make the whole thing worth the immense effort in the first place still leave you pining for something better because of the before mentioned utter lack of expression. If not for the quality of the voice acting, even the great script wouldn’t be enough of a draw.

Overall, a thoroughly disappointing, shameless cash in from a series that has shocked, thrilled and titilated like no other. If this had been produced by Team Silent themselves it would be inexcusable, but since it was passed out to someone else we can let it slide this time.

Just

Graphics: 6/10
Gameplay: 5.5/10
Audio/Music: 8/10
Plot/Scripting: 9/10
Overall: 6.5/10

By the way, some people have noticed that my ranking system is not mathematically correct. This is because the overall score is not linked only to the other four areas I list. I picked those four out because they are the most commonly noticed by your average player, whilst the final score takes into consideration my overall impression of the game. I hope this clears up any confusion

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Shadow of the Colossus

Elof Coulsen — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 22:00:03 +0000

IN 2001 TEAM Ico wowed us with their first foray into the gaming market (see below). Four years later they returned in top notch form with their second. Interesting pattern emerging as their next game is due for 2009, but I digress. Once again, they pushed the Playstation 2 to a whole different level. Where their first offering had wowed us with a phenomenal scale and outstanding use of colour, Shadow pushed us even further. The sheer scale of the environment is staggering, with a draw distance that would put many companies to shame, and a quality of animation that stands up to even the best offerings from our current generation of gaming. Look back recently, I’m increasingly excited to see how they will utilise the Playstation 3 and it’s eight processors. That’s right, the Playstation 3 has eight processors. Though only seven are used for gaming, whilst the last is reserved to run the console itself (this is why we can still access the menu and messages and suchlike whilst a game is running). So, bearing in mind that your average computer only has two, it should give you some idea of just how much they now have to play around with.

But for the moment, let us focus on their last generation games. Considering the phenomenal showing we have from them, and noting just how much they were able to improve for this sequel, perhaps you will become as excited as I am. However, despite the technical achievements, I have to say that, personally, I prefer Ico. Not because Shadow is in any way flawed (far from it) but I enjoyed the style of the game more. Leading Yorda around by the hand, solving puzzles, keeping her safe from the shadow creatures, all that kind of thing. It made the game feel less lonely because you always had some company. And that physical contact, though it was only witnessed on screen, was comforting. Giving the game a very fairytale feel.

Shadow of the Colossus, on the other hand, takes that same fairytale basis, and twists it round to something much darker. Even the opening cinematic shows the oppressive nature of the experience, which is prevalent throughout. The original tag line for the game “how far will you go for love?” warns us ahead of time to expect something far more tragic. And in this, we are certainly not disappointed. The most interesting thing about this, is the apparent lack of intimacy between our unnamed hero (though in Japan he was named as Wander, in the rest of the world not definite name is given for the protagonist, leading many to suspect that it was poor translation) and the young woman he brings to the valley of the Dorminn in hopes of resurrecting her.

Though it is clear he obviously cares deeply for the woman because he goes to extreme lengths to revive her, the “love” he has for her seems to be very much that of someone watching from afar. Bur, again, Fumito Ueda-sama reminds us that the specifics of the plot are left intentionally open ended, allowing us to, again, take our own impressions from the game. One thing we know for certain, is that Shadow is a direct prequel to the events of Ico, and the events at the very end show us a clear indication of exactly how the two are related. But beyond that, it’s all very subjective, and the conclusions I have drawn may differ from your own. This is the true beauty of Shadow. It’s lack of clearly defined plot developments lead us through a very personal, and truly outstanding dark fairytale.

And the colossi themselves are truly staggering things to behold. The smallest of them makes up for its apparent size disadvantage (compared to the others at least, as it is still considerably larger than our erstwhile hero) by it’s aggressive nature. Whilst the largest is huge. Larger in itself than the entirety of some past games. Yes, it really is that big, especially when considering the colossus itself, and the area surrounding it which allows access. Another major thing to consider is the masterful use of the camera. Whereas in some games, having the camera suddenly shift to show a different angle can be a real nuisance, the way it has been utilised in Shadow is often not just to give us a breathtaking view, but also to allow us the most convenient line of sight for what must be done next. Namely, to find the colossus’ weak points, and plunge your sword into it. This seems to release some kind of magical energy in a great rush that looks something similar to a spurt of oil from the ground. But getting to those tender areas is no mean feat, leading to the colossi themselves being immense, free roaming environments to explore.

All in all, this second game from the outstanding people at Team Ico is certainly amongst the very best released on the Playstation 2, and quite possibly one of the best games at all. It has a lot of diversity of gameplay ranging from horse riding, to climbing, to archery and much more besides. And the sheer scale of not only the colossi, but the entire, beautifully rendered valley, with it’s hills, and forests, and deserts and lakes, leaves us wondering how on earth they managed to fit it all in. Especially when we consider that the colossi themselves have not suffered from a lack of AI. Those which we find to be a bit dumb have clearly been intentionally programmed that way. I mean, consider it, if you were six hundred feet tall, would you really be too concerned about some guy who’s barely five feet in his stockinged feet?

I think not.

Graphics: 9.5/10
Gameplay: 9/10
Audio/Music: 9/10
Plot/Scripting: 8.5/10
Overall: 9.5/10

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Take A Break From Gaming And See A Show

Charlie Jones — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 00:23:44 +0000

I love video games as much as anyone (okay, a few of you may be a little more hardcore than I am), but sometimes it’s important to put the wiimote down and enjoy the outside world. With that in mind, I want to bring your attention to a website called, TicketsToGo, which offers tickets to concerts and other events, including sold out shows.

Personally, I visited the site trying to get my hands on some tickets to see the “Queen of Pop”, of course I’m referring to Madonna tickets. My girlfriend is crazy about her, and I’ll be able to really surprise her with a special night out when Madonna comes to town. I knew Madonna was popular and has had a long-lasting career, but I was surprised to learn she has had over twelve number one hit songs, as well as she has sold over 120 million albums - so I guess my girlfriend is far from being her only fan. That’s why TicketsToGo is such an important website, as you can find tickets there that you otherwise wouldn’t be able to get your hands on.

Anyhow, if you’re a music buff, or just want to get away from the ps3 for a few hours and enjoy a show, make sure to check out the TicketsToGo website. They truly offer something for everybody.

Call of Duty 4 : Jedireaper at arms

Elof Coulsen — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 19:58:30 +0000

If there was ever such a game as to get your heart pounding through intense shoot-outs and gun play, it’s COD(fish) 4. And apart from GoldenEye on the revered Nintendo 64, you will not find a finer example of the genre. And a fine outlook of things to come. Firstly I’d like to point out a fact that most gamers do not know about the game, Treyarch, the main developer of the previous Call of Duty games is not at the helm of this title, however a company that is at the helm now, Infinity Ward; has done a fine job of bringing both series up to the times and spec of the current generation of home visuals. From the very outset of the game you are presented with some of the most amazing graphics as yet seen on a home console and begs to question the moves of such other games such as Battlefield that lacks that vital sheen of completion that this game so surprisingly offers.

You play from two different perspectives in this, the British SAS who are up near the Northern part of Russia and northern Europe, then there is your U.S.M.C. counterpart, who is charged with a take on the second Gulf War (the Iraq war) to get to the leader of the terrorists armed market down in the deserts of a fictional country in the Gulf. The game eludes most of those casual gamers as something more Hard-Core from an online stand point, as you will find most competition on that part of the game rather unforgiving and sometimes ever ruffianed by the users to ruin your enjoyment of something that is in most cases a joy to play, definitely worth a few hours gaming online. Mean-while the single player is very well done, a compelling plot drives the player through the thick and thin of this fictional conflict through various scenarios and inventive enemy AI (though the odd, “character running into a wall” still exists). Smooth gameplay augments the player’s choices and although you must follow a linear path through the game, you still feel you play a vital role in the story itself.

However the game does let itself down on the replayability side, offering little in the way of unlockables to compel you to play the game over again, though honestly, the story itself should do that. Also the promise of extra missions in an, as yet unconfirmed, download from the PSN (and X-Box Live) will certainly keep this game in your disk drives far longer than even I expected.

A shout out also goes out to the sound effects and general audio quirks, rounding off this review. -The Verdict- A joyous update to a glorious series, with some of the best gameplay (and ‘gunplay’) yet seen in a First Person Shooter. Truly a masterpiece from start to finish both technically and in almost every other way. A brilliant game deserving of its score below.

Before we get down to the numbers, I’ll point out that the game also features a rather good split-screen multiplayer… And on we go… (wheres my calculator?) -

The Score-

Graphics: 9/10

Gameplay: 10/10

Audio/Music: 8/10

Plot/Storyline: 8/10

Replayability: 7.5/10

Final Score: 8.5/10

-Final Words- This game comes highly recommended. Though if your PS3 (or X-Box 360) does not have an internet connection (broadband), the you will only be getting half the package.

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