» PS3 http://www.girlgamersuk.com Fri, 30 Jul 2010 23:07:46 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 en hourly 1 Naughty Bear http://www.girlgamersuk.com/2010/07/naughty-bear-2/ http://www.girlgamersuk.com/2010/07/naughty-bear-2/#comments Mon, 19 Jul 2010 09:12:06 +0000 GG Goblin http://www.girlgamersuk.com/?p=26337 If you go down to the woods today…It won’t be pretty.

 
Naughty Bear from 505 Games was highly anticipated. This is mostly down to the aggressive web marketing campaign which saw video after video being released in which the hero of the game cleverly, or more often violently, dispatched his fur covered rivals. And therein lay the main draw of this game. Offering supreme violence is nothing we have not seen before, but making the main hero a rather sad, slightly psychotic looking teddy bear amongst a community of teddy bears was something new. I, for one, was chomping at the bit to explore strange, new ways of defluffing these annoyingly cute bears.

 
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Then the game arrived and it became apparent that the reality was not going to be as much fun as my slightly warped mind had imagined.

 
The core objective of Naughty Bear is to score points. This is done by being naughty through the games small number of episodes. There are a number of different ways to be naughty, ranging from a little touch of vandalism to all out murder. The score a player achieves is dependant not only on how naughty they are, but also on the variety of ways they use to be naughty, with repetitive actions scoring less points.

 
There are missions within each of the games episodes that need to be completed in order to get the big scores and progress in the game. These missions mostly revolve around revenge, in one way or another, on the local bears that have caused our hero so much anguish.

 
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The concept is good, great in fact. It was the concept alone that managed to make the game sell like hotcakes at launch and launch my imagination into teddy bear homicidal bliss. But where the game fails is in the execution.

 
The first problem lies with the setting. Don’t get me wrong, the island is great. We just don’t see enough of it. There are four key areas in which Naughty Bear can go on his homicidal rampage. These areas are repeated again and again through the various episodes, to the point that it became boring.

 
Whilst on the subject of boring, the relative lack of mission types are also a problem. One could forgive seeing the same scenery over and over again, if there was a variety of things to do within this scenery. But there is not. After having played for a couple of hours, the player will have seen and done pretty much all that Naughty Bear has to offer.

 
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The biggest culprit in the games failure to live up to expectation, is the camera. Time and again I found myself getting stuck on door frames, not being able to see where my prey had run off to, or simply not getting to where I wanted to be. It prevents the game from running fluidly and became simply frustrating as I lose points, or even lives, due to the camera not doing its job.

 
There is a lot to love about Naughty Bear. The game looks great and will no doubt raise many cries of “aww, cute”, at least until the violence starts. The narration is top notch and seems to drip with sarcasm and over enthusiastic talking down to Naughty Bear himself. A lot of thought has gone into the various ways that the player can be “naughty” in the game and some of the kill animations are hilarious, if slightly disturbing. In fact, due to the generally disturbing nature of the whole game, I would recommend that the developers go and seek some help. Quickly.

 
Here is the thing. Naughty Bear revolves around fluffy teddy bears being psychopathic towards each other. Fluffy Teddy Bears that walk and talk. They are not real, they are not even realistic. yet the game left me with a sense of unease that I have yet to feel from any other violent video game, even ones containing humans. Is that right? Should I be enjoying things such as scaring teddy Bears into committing suicide or beating bears to death with baseball bats, only to be racked with guilt after?

 
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For all of its great concepts, laugh out loud moments and ability to make the player question the rights of Teddy Bears, there is just too much wrong with the game to enjoy it for any length of time. The lack of variety, repetition and seriously dodgy camera control all let the game down. I love the idea behind Naughty Bear and I hope to see a sequel that fixes the main problems. But not until my conscience has recovered.

 

 ★★★★★★☆☆☆☆ 



 

]]> http://www.girlgamersuk.com/2010/07/naughty-bear-2/feed/ 3 LEGO Harry Potter Years 1-4 (PS3) http://www.girlgamersuk.com/2010/07/lego-harry-potter-years-1-4-ps3/ http://www.girlgamersuk.com/2010/07/lego-harry-potter-years-1-4-ps3/#comments Thu, 15 Jul 2010 12:00:52 +0000 GG Goblin http://www.girlgamersuk.com/?p=26218 Bricks and Wizardry. Has there ever been a better combination? Other than bricks and Star Wars of course.

 
I have a problem with the LEGO games. The thing is, I like LEGO and I like video games. I also like Star Wars, Batman, Indiana Jones and even Harry Potter. So, in theory, I should have the time of my life with any of the recent LEGO video games, right? Well, wrong. Why? Because everyone else in my house also likes all of the above. Do you think I get the chance to play more than the occasional level of a LEGO game? Sure, I get called in for a bit of co-op action whenever the game gets tricky. But then I am left not wanting to play the game myself simply because I have already seen it all and the mystery has gone.

 
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And that is why the LEGO games are so successful, universal appeal. There really is something for everyone. The developers have taken one of the most successful toys in history and combined it with a collection of equally successful franchises. Each new game that has been released has tried to build on the formula whilst keeping the core gameplay the same.

 
So we come to the latest entry in the LEGO franchise. LEGO Harry Potter Years 1-4 covers the events from the first four years of Harry attending the Hogwarts school of wizardry and thus the first four movies. This means that there will in all likelihood be a second game released at some point covering the final years and final movies. It would be no surprise to also see a complete saga released in the not too distant future, containing all of the games in one.

 
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Anyone who has played any of the previous LEGO games will already know what to expect. Bright and colourful environments lovingly replicated from the movies, all of the major characters recreated with a LEGO style and bricks by the bucket load. There is also the now obligatory humour, poking fun at the movies and the major events that happen within them.

 
So, the Leaky Cauldron is the main hub of the game, from which the player can gain access to the story mode and to the delights of Diagon Alley. It is within the alley that all manner of goodies can be found, such as the stores offering new characters, new spells, funny little ways to tweak the game and an abundance of bonus levels. As with all of the LEGO games, the main objective is the collection of studs that act as the in game currency and allow the player to buy the goodies found in the stores. Almost as important is the collection of gold bricks which unlock the bonus levels. There is plenty to keep collectors happy then.

 
It is in the story that you find one of the games major changes. This time around there is far less emphasis on combat. No more running around shooting anything that moves and laughing hysterically as they burst into a pile of bricks. It is all about the magic now.

 
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As the player progresses through the game, they will unlock a variety of different spells. These spells can be selected quickly using a wheel selector, allowing the player to change spells on the fly depending what they need to accomplish. Some of the characters also have there own special abilities, similar to other LEGO games, such as Ron using his rat, Scabbers, to reach places that the characters cannot, or Harry and his invisibility cloak allowing him to sneak past Filch the caretaker unseen.

 
With less emphasis on combat, the game relies more on the completion of puzzles in order to progress. Lego Harry Potter is by far the most complex of the LEGO games in this respect, with what seems like a lot more wandering around and thinking. I cannot say that this is a bad thing. But more often than not I found that solving the puzzles came down to just dumb luck, rather than any kind of epiphany on my part.

 
It is not all rainbows and unicorns in the world of LEGO Harry Potter though. There are a fair number of glitches in the game that, whilst not game breaking, can be a touch annoying. Also I found that the navigation of the game was not as fluid as the previous LEGO games, leaving me often getting lost in the halls of Hogwarts and only being able to continue thanks again to my dumb luck.

 
Mind you, it is not like there was not plenty to see whilst I was wandering aimlessly. The game is filled to the brim with life. Everywhere you look there is something going on, usually inducing a slight chuckle from me. I think it is safe to say that this is the most lively of the LEGO games, if not one of the most lively games ever.

 
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Even with the glitches and confusion, I can’t help but love LEGO Harry Potter. It really offers so much to see and do that the chances of getting bored, even if you do get lost, are very slim. For fans of the movie franchise, it really is a no brainer. But even amongst the non Harry Potter fans, they would need to have a heart of stone not to fall in love with this game. Or a heart of LEGO perhaps?

 

 ★★★★★★★★½☆ 



 

]]> http://www.girlgamersuk.com/2010/07/lego-harry-potter-years-1-4-ps3/feed/ 1 Demon’s Souls http://www.girlgamersuk.com/2010/07/demons-souls-4/ http://www.girlgamersuk.com/2010/07/demons-souls-4/#comments Wed, 14 Jul 2010 09:27:35 +0000 GG Goblin http://www.girlgamersuk.com/?p=26140 It will take your soul, chew it up, spit it out and hand it back to you on a plate…with garnish.

 
If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. If it’s worth doing it’s worth doing well. Nothing good comes easily. These are all phrases that I strongly disagree with. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it? Everything can be improved and of course I am going to take apart my perfectly working PC and try to make it even better. If it’s worth doing it’s worth doing well? Hmmm, the washing up is worth doing so there are clean bowls for my cereal. But I will do an adequate job and then get back to my gaming. Nothing good comes easily? I always feel good when I watch my favorite TV shows. That comes fairly easily.

 
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However, this last phrase is the one that is causing me the most trouble just lately. I am, for the most part, a quitter. Don’t get me wrong, I will put a halfway decent effort into most of the things I do. But, generally, if things get too difficult, I walk away. Take my garden for example. It now has weeds that can be seen from Space. Cutting the grass was no problem. Removing the little weeds was a bit more effort, but doable. But now the weeds are taller than me and certainly more aggressive. I have played enough games involving jungles to know that no good will come out of my venturing into the garden. I know that sorting out my garden will be difficult, but the satisfaction of being able to sit in the garden and drink iced tea again will be a good thing. But I would rather leave my garden until the government declares it hazardous to the public and sends in the guys with hazmat suits and flamethrowers.

 
This all leads me neatly on to Demon’s Souls. Coming from Namco Bandai on the PS3, it is also the perfect example of the phrase “nothing good comes easily”. I was lucky enough to try the game out when a friend had it imported. After a week with it, I thrust the game back into my friends hands and demanded that we never talk of it again. I then cried for three days and three nights. It was with mixed emotions that I found that the game was officially being released in the UK.

 
Demon’s Souls is an action-RPG that has all of the bases for that genre covered. There are multiple classes for the gamer to play as, equipment to buy and loot to find. There are meanies to vanquish and epic battles a-plenty. There is an engaging storyline and leveling up to be had.

 
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This is all standard fare and indeed there is a lot about demon’s Souls that could be said to be standard. The game looks good, but not to the high standard that can be achieved on the PS3. The same can be said of the sound work within the game. The voice actors do a good job and the music and sound effects are of a high, but not notable, standard. The games controls are perhaps not as fluid as they could be, but they are easy to use and can be mastered without much trouble. Nothing particularly notable there then. But there are a few things that raise Demon’s Souls above the humdrum and into the realms of legend.

 
Providing that your PS3 is connected to the net, as soon as you start up the game you will be connected to a server and there you will stay. Although the game can be played without this function, it is from here that one of the games greatest innovations come. As you begin to play through the game, you will notice blood stains and helpful messages in certain places. This is one aspect of the online connection. Players are able to leave messages, helping other players with warnings of things to come. These messages will then appear in other peoples games. Also, when you die you can leave a bloodstain that other players can see in their games. They can also see how you died, giving them a heads up to any potential dangers. For reasons that I will get to later, this is a good thing.

 
Dying is not the end of the game, or even a blast back to a respawn point. You come back as a spirit, with limited health, and given the chance to reclaim your body by a number of different means. However, whilst in this spirit form, you can be summoned into other peoples games to aid them. This continuation after death is one of the things that make the game so interesting. Lending aid to a fellow gamer, either with messages or in spirit form, is not necessarily everyone’s idea of fun. Sometimes you just want to fight with other players and dash their hopes and dreams (you meanies!) Maybe you can’t be bothered to work to get back your body? Well, how about jumping into someone else’s game, murdering them and stealing their body? Does that take your fancy? It may not be nice, but I am sure that they would do the same to you.

 
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For all of the innovative use of the online function, the one simple fact that makes Demon’s Souls stand out from all other games of this genre, is the difficulty. The game is hard, real hard. Dying will become a way of life to the players of this game. In fact, it will happen so often that you kinda get used to it. Sit down for an extended gaming session and the first few hours will be spent swearing profusely at the game, but by the end you will be giggling like a schoolgirl at the silly mistakes you have made.

 
Difficult the game is, but unfair it is not. Even the most accomplished gamer will have trouble with this game. But if you follow common sense and do not take stupid risks (I will not even tell you how many times I fell to my death), then victory will come, eventually.

 
Demon’s souls is a mature game. By mature I don’t mean filled with boobies and the like. I mean that kiddies need not apply. It will take a certain amount of maturity to deal with the mental fallout of having your gaming hopes and dreams crushed so many times.

 
It is also a hardcore game and will act as a gauge of your gaming prowess. Complete the game, if you can, and then head down to your local video game store on a Saturday afternoon. You will see the store assistant trying desperately to convince a mother that little Suzie will enjoy the latest Dora game on the Wii. There will be a dad and his son arguing over which Xbox game to buy. And there will be two gamers loitering in the corner, discussing the previous nights gaming session. Now, raise your arms to the heavens and declare in your deepest, most booming voice “I completed Demon’s Souls”. All of the people in the store will drop to their knees and praise you like a god. It’s ok, you can bask in the glory. You deserved it.

 
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Demon’s Souls will not suit everyone. The level of difficulty will put off a lot of the more casual of gamers. Yet everyone with a passing interest in RPGs should at least give the game a try, just so that they can say they have experienced it. But any gamer out there who thinks that they are a bit special should step up and prove it. This is a game well suited to special people. Just don’t expect your life to be the same afterwards. Nothing good comes easily? Never a truer word.

 
Have I completed the game? No, but my back garden is looking great now.

 

 ★★★★★★★★★☆ 



 

]]> http://www.girlgamersuk.com/2010/07/demons-souls-4/feed/ 0 Landit Bandit http://www.girlgamersuk.com/2010/07/landit-bandit/ http://www.girlgamersuk.com/2010/07/landit-bandit/#comments Tue, 13 Jul 2010 09:45:09 +0000 GG Goblin http://www.girlgamersuk.com/?p=26103 Would you turn to the works of DaVinci to escape from a desert island?

 
I would imagine that being a high level art thief offers a wide range of perks and pitfalls. However, being stranded on a desert island is probably not one of the most pressing concerns when deciding if this is the career choice for you.

 
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However, in Landit Bandit from The Bearded Ladies on PSN, that is exactly the predicament that our mumbling art thief finds himself in. But at least he is not alone. Fortunately there is also a rather industrious, loin cloth wearing guy also on the island. Upon discovering that there is no airport that can whisk our thief back to the big city, he and his new found companion come up with a plan to escape the island. Using blueprints that happen to be in the possession of the thief, they construct themselves a DaVinci style, pedal-powered helicopter. Makes perfect sense to me.

 
It is at this point that the player comes in, given the task of flying the helicopter contraction and aiding our heroes in their escape. It is just not that simple though. In a strange twist of events, which fit in quite well with the overall oddness of the story, leaving the island (or islands as there are more than one) will involve performing all manner of tasks.

 
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The majority of these tasks revolve around collecting and dropping off passengers, in a Crazy Taxi style way. There are time limits imposed, so it is up to the player to plan in advance and work out the shortest route to accomplish this goal. It is suggested early on that, in order to achieve success, the player should plan a route that involves dropping one passenger and picking up another in close proximity.

 
As the player progresses, the pedal powered chopper will be upgraded and they will be able to take on “co-pilots”. These helpers come with specific skills that are designed to make it easier to get all of the passengers within the ever decreasing time limits. Believe me, the time limits become so tight that any help should be appreciated.

 
There is plenty more going on besides the collecting and depositing of islanders. Although collecting and depositing other things, such as barrels of Rum, offer variety, the core gameplay remains the same.

 
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But that is no bad thing. Once the player gets used to controlling their ramshackle helicopter, which may take a little while, then the gameplay becomes great fun. Zipping around the well thought out island maps, whilst strategically planning pick ups and drop offs, and avoiding hazards such as sharks and bats, is very enjoyable.

 
The game looks nice and colourful. It may not be ground-breaking in the graphics department, but if you are playing the game properly, then you should have no time to spend picking faults with the view. The story is told through a comic strip style which complements and builds on the humour of the game.

 
With six islands to work through, there is plenty here to keep the player entertained. But the fun does not stop there. Landit Bandit has a full featured multiplayer mode which offers a nice variety of different ways to prove your aviation based superiority over your buddies.

 
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Landit Bandit offers players something a bit different, as you would expect from The Bearded Ladies. Different does not always work. But in this case, with fairly simple controls, a nice smooth learning curve and a fair dose of humour, it works incredibly well. The result is a game that is both fun and engaging, whilst challenging enough to keep the player busy. Arcade fun at its best.

 

 ★★★★★★★★★☆ 



 

]]> http://www.girlgamersuk.com/2010/07/landit-bandit/feed/ 2 Green Day Rock Band PS3 http://www.girlgamersuk.com/2010/06/green-day-rock-band-ps3/ http://www.girlgamersuk.com/2010/06/green-day-rock-band-ps3/#comments Wed, 30 Jun 2010 14:45:47 +0000 GG Goblin http://www.girlgamersuk.com/?p=25449 You don’t need to be a Basket Case to play this, but it helps.

 
The rhythm based Guitar games are a phenomenon that I must admit to being slightly late to the party for. For a long time I just didn’t really get it. Even now, although I can quite happily pick up a guitar controller and put in a reasonable performance, I can’t say that I exhibit the passion for these games that is apparent in many gamers. To me it is the same as the dance mat craze of a few years back. I remember watching a competition and thinking that I could not move that fast if my life depended on it. I guess that level of skill comes from practice and constant playing of the games.

 
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And therein lies one of the target audiences for themed games such as Green Day Rock Band. The players who want to perfect their game play within this genre. The other target audience are, of course, fans of the band. As with Beatles Rock Band, it goes without saying that the fans of Green Day will rush out and buy this title. But for the gamers who fancy themselves as being a bit handy with a guitar controller, this title offers a variety in music that can test and enhance their skills.

 
Whilst I could have perhaps thought of a few other bands that would have been more deserving of their own themed Rock Band title, it has to be said that the variety offered by Green Day should provide something that will get most gamers toes tapping. The 47 included songs have quite a range and are fully exportable to the other Rock Band games, which just goes to increase the content of Rock Band in general. It is even suggested that the songs will be forward compatible with the upcoming Rock Band 3.

 
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At the end of the day though, there is nothing really new here. The fans will be enticed with pictures and videos that can, eventually, be unlocked and enjoyed. Much like the Beatles version, the entire game is given a Green Day styled make over, although not, it feels, to the same extent as the Beatles game. There was something quite “special” about the artistic style of the Fab Four experience, which seems to be absent this time around.

 
Play through the campaign mode and travel with the band through their career, starting with the more intimate gigs and working up to the sold out stadium tours. This is all pretty much par for the course, and the other game modes don’t really offer anything new. But that’s not really a bad thing, as the Rock Band games are already very good at what they do. The real changes will come with the release of Rock Band 3 when it hits the shops.

 
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As with the Beatles game, Green Day Rock Band offers something for the fans of the band. But thankfully the music of Green Day is not niche enough to alienate the majority of the Rock Band gamers. Although not an essential purchase, the game performs to a high standard and offers a decent amount of content for the price.

 

 ★★★★★★★★☆☆ 



 

]]> http://www.girlgamersuk.com/2010/06/green-day-rock-band-ps3/feed/ 1 Joe Danger http://www.girlgamersuk.com/2010/06/joe-danger/ http://www.girlgamersuk.com/2010/06/joe-danger/#comments Thu, 24 Jun 2010 16:30:58 +0000 Bazaboy http://www.girlgamersuk.com/?p=25209 Motorcycle Platform action on PSN.

 
Developers who are creating games solely for the PSN network should sit up and take notice of Hello Games’ creation Joe Danger. Do not get me wrong, there are a lot of good games to be had from the Sony download store. But every so often a title comes along that is better than just good. It quickly turns into one of those games that you just can’t stop playing. It brings out the worst “just one more go” attitude in us gamers, but is also amazingly fun to play. So Joe Danger joins some of my other personal favourite PSN titles such as Pain and Fat Princess. But what makes this title even more impressive is that it was made by a small group of four guys coming together to form Hello Games.

 
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This small group of developers were inspired to make the game, Joe Danger, after sitting around one day playing with a box of toys, most notably a toy motorcycle, which they then proceeded to send over jumps, flying out of windows and I can only imagine what else. Which led to them thinking they should make a game that involves a stuntman on a motorcycle doing crazy things and from that idea Joe Danger was born. The game however is far from a bike riding game, although Joe rides his bike 100% of the time. The game is purely a side scrolling platform game with the developers naming the original Sonic games as a source of inspiration.

 
So like I said, the player takes control of Joe Danger, a motorcycle stuntman whose rise to fame takes a nose dive, along with his bike and himself, as he tries to jump too many short buses. That is where the game starts off, as you try and help Joe hit the big time once again. Doing so is as easy as guiding him on his bike through various stages with the aim being to collect stars throughout them. To do so you have to complete certain objectives in each stage, be it collecting a number of mini stars, landing jumps on designated targets, finishing within a time limit or, my personal favourite, performing stunts for the entirety of the stage.

 
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The game plays very much like a high speed platform game with a simple yet effective control system. Accelerate, brake, duck and jump, with the left analogue stick leaning Joe back and forward, used for pulling wheelies and stopies, as well as back and forward flips while in the air. These controls are coupled with combinations of shoulder button presses to pull off stunts and tricks while Joe goes flying through the air. The stages are a straight A-B run on a four lane track which you can switch between at certain gates and loops throughout. But do not think you will have things as easy as accelerating and winning from the off, you will find yourself ducking and hoping over obstacles and jumps. Any player will find just riding from one end of a stage to the other easy, but that is not where the challenge lies. You need to complete the challenges on the way to progress to the next stage. Although the first ten or so stages are a breeze, basically acclimatising you to the game, it is not long before you hit a stage that will have you replaying it a handful of times just to complete a single objective. But far from being infuriating, it is actually a welcome challenge with perseverance usually  enough to see you achieve your goal and leave you with  grin on your face at having beaten it, even when you get further into the game and objectives in the stages are a lot tougher to achieve.

 
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Both the graphics and the sound in the game are colourful and cheerful. The music itself can, at times, be a little too cheerful to the point of being annoying but that’s nothing a quick stop off at the options screen will not fix. The graphics, gameplay and physics all take on a cartoon like approach, especially when our hero Joe comes of his bike and rag dolls across your screen. This goes towards ensuring the game is not only hugely entertaining, but also amusing to play. The stages that make up the story mode are all nicely done and start out pretty easy to finish with all objectives complete on the first couple of attempts. Later levels will have you retrying the stage over and over, just to pick up that last objective star. The levels are all in the same style throughout the game, using all the same types of items and this is one of a very few negative points in the game. To be honest it never really gets old or harms the fun. When you add alongside the already fun to play single player game an equally as fun multiplayer mode, then Joe Danger becomes even more enticing, offering you the chance to race with your friends.

 
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But if you think that is all Joe Danger has to offer, you are mistaken. Hello Games’ creation is another in the growing line of play, create and share games, allowing players to take a blank empty stage and, using a simple drag and drop method, you can build you own stages from the ground up, making them as difficult as you choose. One of the cool features in the edit mode is that as you build, you can drop a few jumps in and then immediately play that small segment, testing to see if it works, before quickly going back to the edit mode to rearrange placed items and add more to it. A simple build mode, but one that offers you so much free reign, letting you build stages even more complex that the ones that come as part of the game. The fact that these stages can then be shared with everyone online means there is potentially an endless supply of stages to play.

 
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Overall Joe Danger is, without a doubt, one of the best PSN titles out there at the moment and anyone who enjoys a good side scrolling platform game should definitely pick this one up. The single player mode alone is enough to keep you interested, but when you throw in the multiplayer mode and stage creator it makes this even more of an appealing purchase.

 

 ★★★★★★★★½☆ 



 

]]> http://www.girlgamersuk.com/2010/06/joe-danger/feed/ 1 Alpha Protocol http://www.girlgamersuk.com/2010/06/alpha-protocol-2/ http://www.girlgamersuk.com/2010/06/alpha-protocol-2/#comments Mon, 21 Jun 2010 09:17:16 +0000 Bazaboy http://www.girlgamersuk.com/?p=24937 It’s not hard to see where Alpha Protocol’s developers, Obsidian Entertainment, drew their inspiration from for the story and setting of this game, with shades of James Bond, Bourne and 24. Alpha Protocol are a group of covert operatives with no ties to the government, who carry out all their deniable operations, go where they should not be going and taking out targets without ever having been there, officially anyway, The player takes the role of Mike Thorton, the latest recruit to Alpha who, soon after the beginning of the game, becomes a rogue agent. This is where it takes a very Jason Bourne like turn, as you try to continue your globetrotting mission visiting locations such as Moscow and Taipei, to track down some black market surface to air missiles, while also being hunted down by your former employers.

 
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Obsidian, with their history of great role playing games including Fallout and Knights Of The Old Republic 2, try something a little different here and if it could be likened to any of their other games, it would be Fallout, only in smaller more action packed chunks. What they have done with Alpha Protocol is mashed together a Role Play Game with a third person action shooter. From the third person shooter perspective is mostly how the game plays. You move around as you would expect using the games cover system, but the big difference comes during the shooting. This is where you will notice the majority of the role playing game element. Initially the shooting appears to be as you would expect from a third person shooter, one button bringing up your aiming reticule with another firing your chosen weapon. But this is where the similarities end. You can’t pop around the corner and quickly take out the three bad guys standing there, one after the other. Although a bad guy may be dead centre in your targets, whether you actually hit him when pulling the trigger has a lot to do with how far away he is and how proficient skill wise with that type of weapon you are. Even when you have a high skill level with a weapon group, you still have to take aim carefully as, with most of the guns, there is a reticule within a reticule which becomes more precise the longer you have a target in sight. This method of shooting, like many things in this game, may seem a bit strange to begin with. But over time it does become second nature and you do begin to get the feeling that it is not a full on action game and that there are some role playing mechanics to it.

 
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For instance, you gain XP from doing many things in the game: completing objectives throughout your missions, taking out the bad guys, as well as picking locks, hacking computers and bypassing electronic devices. Tasks such as these last three play out as sort of mini games. Like most role playing games, as you gain XP you go up levels. Each level you go up, you are awarded Action Points to spend on improving whichever skills you would like, be it a particular weapon group, hand to hand combat, sabotage or technical among others, thus shaping your character to your own preference.

 
Unlike Obsidian’s other game Fallout, which is generally set in a large open world, Alpha Protocol plays much the same, but for each mission you are placed into a smaller location such as a yacht, a Saudi palace or a US embassy, which you then play through as smaller bite size chunks of action. It’s an interesting merging of game types and, given time to get used to it, the game soon become fun to play. A couple of small problems with the gameplay are that the small mini games for lock picking and hacking, amongst others, are pretty simple. As you level up, some of the skills you can put your action points into promise to make these easier, but even playing through on the hard difficulty setting from the beginning did not prove much of a challenge. Couple that with the fact that if you are running out of time to complete the task, you can just back out of it and then try again right away. More of a challenge from these, or the loss of the task should you fail rather than being able to just try again, would have been more appropriate in my opinion and it also means this skill can be more or less ignored when levelling up, giving you more action points to put into the more useful skills such as your weapons groups.

 
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The one other problem I have with the gameplay is with the enemy AI at points in the game. My problem is not that it’s too good, it’s that it can be appallingly bad at times. For instance, you can be crouched behind a box or a wall with your head partially poking out or a leg sticking out in plain view, but a bad guy can walk up to and past you without even giving you a second glance. This could be down to your stealth skill, but considering I was not very high in that skill when I first noticed it, then probably not. At other times the AI is fine. You get the idea that they have the same shooting mechanics as you do, as they can’t fire at you wildly and take you down in seconds, making it feel like a fair fight. So other than the whole “oh there is a leg there but i do not really see it” thing, the AI is well done.

 
Another thing that role playing games generally have are the epic stories and the pages upon pages of dialogue, and this is again where Alpha Protocol is slightly different. Yes it has a decent story that weaves a web of intrigue, like any good spy or espionage story does, full of villains, double crosses and women to seduce and be seduced by. But the story takes a back seat to the action sections of the game. During the missions you are in contact with your “handler” who gives you hints and points you in the right direction of your objectives, keeping the story flowing through the levels. But the majority of the story telling takes part between the main levels through video conferences, and occasionally person to person conversations. All the dialogue is pre-scripted, even your responses are predetermined. However, where you do have some input is in what tone you give those responses. As the person you are talking to gives their lines, a timer counts down and you are given a choice of tones to use as you speak to them, be it professional, joking or even flirty when you talk to the ladies. Although there is no real wrong tone when talking to people, it does effect your relationship with the other characters which leads to them liking, disliking or even hating you. This does not affect the eventual outcome of the game, but it can have a small effect. If you build up a relationship with your handler so as they like you, then you receive certain bonuses during missions where that NPC is the voice in your ear. This whole dialogue/chat system works perfectly for the game, keeping the dialogue flowing and not filled with huge gaps as you decide what your reply should be.

 
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Okay so that’s how the game plays, how does it look? Unfortunately this is where it lets you down a little. The game does not look terrible, in fact in places it’s actually very good looking. The problem I think, is that in places it looks like two different teams of developers who did not communicate so well, worked separately on the locations and the characters. So although both look decent enough at times during the game, throughout many of the missions it looks like the player and NPC models have been dropped into the game from another game. Then, at other times, they look very much like cel-shaded characters with a black line around the outside edge of them. At times these things are very noticeable and at other times they look fine, but it’s because of this fact that it is more noticeable. The one other small issue I have with the graphics, or animation as it may be, is the floating character syndrome while moving, kneeling or taking cover on flat ground, which to be honest is a lot of the time. It is not noticeable however when it comes to more rural outdoor locations. You notice that rather than walking on the ground, you walk a few inches above it and it becomes even more noticeable when crouching, especially if you are on a slope. This is a small problem and it can be overlooked.

 
The sound during the action scenes, through brutal hand to hand combat so inspired by the Bourne movies, and the small and large scale fire fights, is well executed and the voice acting during the cutscenes is far from the worst we have seen in video games. In fact, in some places it’s actually pretty damn good. so the game is nicely done, both graphically and sound wise, barring the few problems which have been highlighted above.

 
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When you start playing Alpha Protocol you may be very unsure of it, definitely not being what you would expect. It initially comes across as a third person action adventure and when you first start playing, like me you may be a little miffed at  why the bad guy is still standing despite the fact that you are firing round after round  towards them. You just have to give it time and learn how the game plays. Taking your time in combat, thinking about it and using gadgets or skills more than just rushing in with guns blazing, works a whole lot better. So for the first three or four missions, you may be trying to play the game as an action game. But over this time, you get drawn into it and then it slowly grows on you, more and more. Before you know it you are genuinely enjoying the experience. So it’s a game you definitely have to give a chance before making an early decision on it. Stick with it and there is a really good chance that you will find the hidden treasure of a game that is lurking in there somewhere.

 
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If Obsidian Entertainment decide to make a franchise of this title and give us a sequel, it would be nice to see them improve on the graphics, fixing the few little problems that I highlighted in this review. But Alpha Protocol is a game that, if you put the time in, will reward you with a fun action role playing game with decent depth.

 

 ★★★★★★★★½☆ 



 

]]> http://www.girlgamersuk.com/2010/06/alpha-protocol-2/feed/ 1 Death Track: Resurrection http://www.girlgamersuk.com/2010/06/death-track-resurrection/ http://www.girlgamersuk.com/2010/06/death-track-resurrection/#comments Tue, 15 Jun 2010 10:38:10 +0000 Bazaboy http://www.girlgamersuk.com/?p=24554 Sounds like somewhere you could enjoy a nice Sunday afternoon drive.

 
Death Track: Resurrection on paper should be a great game. Set in a future, post apocalyptic world, in cities we all know, London, New York, Tokyo, amongst others in which you race cars around obstacle strewn, jump filled tracks in souped up cars with huge guns hooked onto any empty space. Sounds fun right? Unfortunately the game falls short in some aspects. Sure it can be fun at times, but does the fun side eliminate the bad points? Read on to find out.

 
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So, like I said, the game is set in a future vision of our word, in real city locations on fictional tracks. The races are presented to the gamer as a future sport event, think the Death Race movies especially the recent remake. The game even goes so far as to introduce the races as a news report with movie cut scenes. I am unsure of the games origin, but the model they have presenting these cut scenes looks suitably B-Movie sci-fi like, skin tight silver with matching make up. But the most amusing thing though, is the lip syncing. Although not really a negative point, and more amusing than anything else, it reminds me of old martial arts films or the TV show Monkey, where the English has been badly dubbed in, making for a good for a giggle at least. But other than these small cut scenes, there is not a real story here. Just racing and fighting action.

 
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Although the track locations are war torn versions of real life cities, the actual tracks are fictional stretches of road, as are all of the cars in the game. Even though they are all original vehicles, there is a wide selection of them and no matter what you look for in your preferred type of racing vehicle, you are likely to find something that suits you here. There is everything from a truck like vehicle all the way through to what looks suspiciously like a tiny smart car, along with everything in between, such as hot rods and street racing cars. There are slight differences between the cars in acceleration, handling, top speed and such, but they are mostly pretty much the same. The big changes come as you improve them through the making of money during races and purchasing upgrades and weapons.

 
There are three main modes. Scenario has you trying to unlock each of the game locations by winning a race at the previous one. Championship mode is split into three; the European, Asian and American Championships, with the players then racing each track in each location, the aim being to finish in the top three of each race. As you win on tracks you also unlock new cars, parts and weapons to upgrade your vehicle. Throw into the mix an online multiplayer mode, which adds to to the fun. But unfortunately the online racing also suffers from the same gameplay problems, which i will discuss in a moment. Right now however, it all sounds good and actually a fair bit of fun, as this game should well have been.

 
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But where the game falls a little short is in executing all of these things to make a good game. What we get instead is a hit and miss game which at times can be fun. The combat for instance is simple yet fun, with your guns automatically locking onto the nearest vehicle in front of you, leaving you free to let rip with the guns and missiles. But the game is ultimately mediocre at best. The graphics throughout the game are adequate, although not jaw dropping. Both the tracks and vehicles are nicely designed and put into the game, and likewise the sound. Although the engines, guns, explosions and such are all present and correct, you just get the feeling that they could all have been done a little better. So both the graphics and sound do what is required of them, but not much more. It is far from the worst looking game we have seen, but there is plenty of room for improvement on both fronts.

 
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Where the game does fall down unfortunately, is where it probably counts most and that is in the gameplay. Where those problems mostly arise is the handling of the cars. Granted, this does improve a little as you upgrade your vehicle. But even then it’s just not great. Keep in mind this is not a simulator and when it comes to driving it is pure arcade gameplay. But even with this taken into account, the car handling just seems so off.  No matter how much you change the sensitivity in the options, it just never feels right. With the sensitivity high your car turns so sharp that you find the car more than occasionally going completely sideways, scrubbing off almost all your speed more often than not. The opposite end of the sensitivity scale has the car sluggishly moving from one side of the track to the other. Finding a point in between the two is not easy and so the lesser of the two evils is to go with the high sensitive steering set up.

 
The handling problems also add to the trouble you may have avoiding obstacles on the track, of which there are many and most are non destructible. So if you do hit them, which you will when you first start out, you come to a dead stop. As you learn the tracks, you do get to know where these obstacles are. But with the handing the way it is, you can and probably will still hit these things, especially while you are trying so desperately to avoid them. The other major problem is an old problem that a lot of racing games in the past suffered from and that is cars behind you being given a boost. No matter how well you are driving, when you manage to avoid hitting anything that is, should you end up being shot and destroyed, skid to a halt due to the overly sensitive steering or if you hit something, no matter how well you were doing before that, the chances are that you will have three or four AI cars pass you before you can get moving again.

 
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This also works the other way though. If and when you are destroyed, you can reset your car and almost immediately you are back on the track where you were destroyed, meaning you do not lose to much time yourself and are right back in the action. This does not however make up for the previously mentioned fact that you could be driving extremely well, thinking you are onto a sure win, only to fall foul of the sensitive steering and end up in fifth place. What is even worse though is when this happens within sight of the finish, which I have experienced at least twice now during playing the game.

 
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The basis of the game is sound. The whole futuristic death race scenario includes all the ingredients for a great game. Unfortunately it is poorly executed and, although the game can be enjoyable, certain aspects of it kill the fun for me. Other players could well enjoy this game, but for me if the developers had spent a little more time on the handling of the vehicles it could have made it a much better game. As it stands, it’s a mediocre racing game let down by the poor controls and handling. If you are desperate for a futuristic driving/shooting game and can get over the aforementioned niggles, then you may find something worth playing. Overall it’s a good idea, with decent sound and looks, but ultimately let down by it’s gameplay.

 

 ★★★★★★½☆☆☆ 



 

]]> http://www.girlgamersuk.com/2010/06/death-track-resurrection/feed/ 1 Split/Second http://www.girlgamersuk.com/2010/06/splitsecond-2/ http://www.girlgamersuk.com/2010/06/splitsecond-2/#comments Mon, 07 Jun 2010 09:38:12 +0000 GG Goblin http://www.girlgamersuk.com/?p=23881 Arcade racing at it’s finest.

 
Reality TV seems to be the bane of our existence in recent years. You cannot flick through the channels of your telly without finding at least a couple of reality shows. Even the variety of these shows seems to have covered every single aspect of our lives, intruding on every profession and invading the privacy of our most precious moments.

 
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So, when Disney Interactive Studios releases an arcade racing game based loosely around a fictional reality TV show, one has to ask if this is something we really need. I can only answer with a resounding “hell yes!”.

 
The basic premise is this. You, the player, are competing in a reality show revolving around racing cars and wanton destruction. Each episode consists of a number of events and the player must rank high enough to proceed to the next episode. Beyond this loose idea, the reality show theme does not really feature elsewhere in the game.

 
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The selection of different events that the player can participate in ranges from the basic three lap race and eliminator where the driver in last place gets kicked off every so many seconds, to some rather interesting event ideas. Take the race where the player has to basically survive as long as possible whilst dodging missiles fired from a helicopter gunship, or another race mode involving large lorries spewing explosive barrels in front of you. Never a dull moment.

 
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“What about the destruction?”, I hear you all cry. Well, this is where Split/Second has come up with a genius idea. As the player races and performs drifts, drafts and jumps, they gather points that fill a three part meter. For each part of this meter that is filled, the player may trigger hidden traps that are set around each course. The other racers will have an icon above their car when they are near to one of these traps. It is at this point that the game becomes more like an over the top action movie. These traps can consist of anything from helicopter dropping exploding barrels into the path of the cars or buses exploding from the side of the road, right the way through to the more extreme cranes sweeping across the track and pushing cars out of the way and massive towers collapsing and altering the actual course itself.

 
Adding to the fun is the fact that, upon detonating these traps, it is very easy for the player to get caught in them and effectively ruin their own race. Of course the AI cars can also activate these traps, and quite often do, leaving the player weaving in and out of explosions and the such. This all makes for a very exhilarating race.

 
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All of this would be kind of irrelevant if the game did not handle well and look good. But the game looks gorgeous with crisp and bright graphics providing the player with a real cinematic experience. The cars handling is not realistic, but this is an arcade racer and as such it performs easily as well as any other arcade racer. There are various different cars to unlock, each with different strengths and weaknesses, and the player will have to choose carefully depending on which event they are entering. Strength or speed.

 
Taking the game online only offers the most basic of game modes, such as lap race and elimination, but the sheer amount of destruction that can be witnessed in these events make racing online a joy.

 
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I must admit that I was not expecting much from this arcade racer, especially given its Disney roots. But I came away with memories that will stay with me for a long time. Like racing along an airfield runway into the path of a large, crashing aeroplane, or racing along, and through, an aircraft carrier that is in the process of capsizing. Everything within Split/Second seems to be on an epic scale and gives the feel of an epic American summer block buster movie, possibly starring someone like Will Smith. Never before have I been known to shout so much during a racing game, often calling innocent bystanders to come and witness the action unfolding on screen.

 
Move over Burnout, Split/Second is the new king of the destructive arcade racers. An unforgettable experience.

 

 ★★★★★★★★★½ 



 

]]> http://www.girlgamersuk.com/2010/06/splitsecond-2/feed/ 1 Modnation Racers http://www.girlgamersuk.com/2010/06/modnation-racers-2/ http://www.girlgamersuk.com/2010/06/modnation-racers-2/#comments Mon, 07 Jun 2010 09:20:18 +0000 GG Goblin http://www.girlgamersuk.com/?p=23863 Here we go again. Another attempt on the Kart Racing crown, as currently worn by the mighty Mario Kart game. Will this PS3/PSP exclusive kart racer be able to compete?

 
The daddy of all kart racers has certainly been challenged enough over the years and although many have come close, none have actually managed to wrestle the crown from the plumbers head. Now Sony are going to have a bash, with an experience that should offer far more than the mushroom based racer. But no matter how many bells and whistles are attached to a kart racer, the success comes simply down to how well it plays.

 
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Modnation Racers, and for this review we will be discussing the PS3 version, promises so much. Starting at the very beginning, the player is allowed to customise their racer. Although options are limited until the career mode has been mastered, there is still plenty of scope for creativity. Everything from the characters colour to the clothes they wear, the facial features and even the hair can be changed. But the real creativity begins with the use of stickers. Just like Little Big Planet, or even the Forza Motorsport series, players can use layer upon layer of stickers to create some truly amazing skins for their racers. These skins can be shared amongst the community and taking a look at those already available will show the player how creative they can get. But it is not an easy process and not something that can be mastered by everyone. Most of us will have to be content with either downloading someone else’s creation, or simply slapping a sticker on the racers belly to obtain uniqueness.

 
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The creation does not stop with the racers. Both karts and tracks can also be pimped and created. Again, the quality of the kart modding that can be seen within the community is of a very impressive standard. Again, this level of modding is beyond the reach of most normal players. The tracks on the other hand, are fairly easy to create and do not have as many options for modifying. This makes it fairly easy to create and upload a track that feels worthy. But the downside seems to be less variety between tracks. There is also another problem with the tracks that I will get to later, as it affects the entire game.

 
So there we have it, Modnation Racers has enough to get the creative types all excited. But what about the gamers? Well, I have already mentioned the career mode that has to be played in order to unlock all of the goodies for creative mode. Players follow a relatively simple story involving rookie racer Tag and his quest to become the best. Filled with comical cut scenes and hilarious commentary, the player works through various races across a number of different events. Each event has a different theme and the player must come at least third in all but the final event race, which placing first is required to proceed. Each race has three targets to achieve, and each target offers different goodies to unlock for creative mode. The first target is simply finishing third (or first in the final). The other two targets consist of more difficult objectives that will probably have all but the most accomplished racer coming back to retry at a later date, such as achieving a certain number of drift or air points, or taking out a target racer on a particular area of the course.

 
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Beyond the career mode, we have the standard collection of single races, time trials and the multiplayer options. Modnation Racers is very much centered around the multiplayer game. Indeed the main hub of the game allows players to see and interact with other online players. But the multiplayer races themselves have a few different offerings, most important of which are the XP races and series. It is by racing through these with others that players can gain experience and level up. I cannot really see the point in gaining these levels, other than for bragging rights, but I guess that it all adds to the social aspect of the game.

 
Well, there is no denying that there is plenty ot do in Modnation Racers. But, as I said before, it all comes down to how well the game actually plays. The first thing that any veteran kart racer will notice is that the controls feel very loose. I noticed this a lot during the beta and, although they seem to have been tightened since then, they are still not as precise as I would have liked. Controls are as one would expect from a kart racer and fairly simple to pick up. Whilst racing the player is able to pick up various power ups, as you would expect, that can be used to either aid your own race or hamper that of others. These power ups can be stacked up to three times, with each stack improving the power ups abilities. The third stack offers the most impressive impact on the game, often proving to be a game winner.

 
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Players can drift quite simply and draft, catch air and pull tricks. All of this fills a meter on the side of the screen which enable certain other perks. This meter allows for the use of a handy boost, a frankly useless shield which lasts for a millisecond and is impossible to activate at the right time, and the sideswipe ability. The sideswipe is perhaps one of the most devastating attacks in the game and can knock an opponent so far off course that they will no longer be a threat to you. Lots of fun.

 
As I said, the handling is too loose for my liking and can result in some real moments of frustration. But, other than that, the game provides a decent kart racing experience. It feels like it is a lot more down to luck than skill, unlike the Mario Kart game, but at least that makes it a bit fairer in the online races.

 
How does the game look? Well, it is a Sony exclusive title. Are you expecting it to look pants? It looks great, very well polished and appealing. The cartoon style graphics and sheer variety of things to see make the game a joy to look at. The sounds do a great job too, with everything you would expect from a kart racer, including a pair of annoying commentators. The production value across the whole game is high.

 
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There is, however, a major flaw in the games execution. The loading times in between different menus and races, or creation stations etc., are horrific. Sitting and waiting in excess of a minute for a race to begin and then doing it all again after the race, and then again for the next race, really does kill the atmosphere. I am not really sure what has gone wrong here, only that it is very annoying. The developers are working on a patch for the game ot fix this particular problem, so hopefully this will not be an issue for too much longer.

 
As I said earlier, there is another problem with the game in regards to the track creation itself. There is no denying that there is a lot to do within Modnation Racers. But, beyond playing the campaign and creating some stuff, the main longevity of the game is playing other peoples tracks. But to what end? I have the same problem with Little Big Planet. What is the point in playing other peoples levels? Getting the best time may be a pull, but otherwise I can see no reason. Playing other peoples tracks in Modnation Racers is all well and good, but the variety is not that huge and there is no real reward from doing so.

 
I would like to see players be able to create their own championships, their own mini career modes that will allow for the player to actually feel a sense of accomplishment. Will this happen in the future? Who knows. I only know that right now, although the game is fun, I can see it getting really old really quickly. There will always be the hardcore racers that will spend all of their time racing others tracks getting some sense of achievement, but the initial buzz around the game will not last long.

 
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Modnation Racers is a beautiful looking game which handles well and will offer the player plenty to do, at least in the short term. It is not without its problems, but hopefully they will be fixed in time. The longevity of the game is hampered by it’s lack of purpose but it is worth keep checking back because this is the type of game that will evolve. Not quite as good as the kart racing daddy, but a worthy attempt.

 

 ★★★★★★★★☆☆ 



 

]]> http://www.girlgamersuk.com/2010/06/modnation-racers-2/feed/ 1 SBK X http://www.girlgamersuk.com/2010/06/sbk-x/ http://www.girlgamersuk.com/2010/06/sbk-x/#comments Wed, 02 Jun 2010 10:41:15 +0000 Bazaboy http://www.girlgamersuk.com/?p=23639 But they only have two wheels!

 
I can safely say that racing games are amongst my favorite genres, but it is usually car games that I play. I am unsure as to whether it’s because those are my preference or that decent bike racing games are few and far between. The SBK series of games from Black Bean is changing that. The officially licensed game of the World Superbike Championship featuring all the teams, bikes and riders from the 2010 championship not only looks great, but actually gives you the feeling that you are riding a high powered racing bike and that it could all go horribly wrong at any second. It’s also one of the first racing games that I have found myself really enjoying that involves vehicles with less than four wheels.

 
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The game is spilt firstly into three modes; multiplayer being pretty self explanatory where you can go online and challenge the rest of the world with your racing skills, arcade which is ideal for the player looking for a quick blast around a track without risk of crashing or coming off their bike every other lap. This mode is so forgiving that you can basically cut corners and ride over the grass without really worrying to much about coming a cropper. This mode also has a boost button included, giving the game more of an arcade feel and more of an appeal to players who are not necessarily after the in depth play of Simulation mode. Arcade mode also has a story mode which gives it a bit more depth than just choosing a bike and track and then racing. The story acts as a simplified career mode with the player moving through the three classes of bikes as they progress.

 
But for those looking for something a bit more realistic, both in game play and handling, the place to be is the simulation mode which includes a career mode, single races, time trial and more. But the career mode is what I have been playing for the purposes of this review and what fun it is.

 
Before starting to play you must set up the difficulty of the game and this not only determines the AI difficulty, but how realistic the game play is, taking into account options such as tire wear, realistic handling, bike and rider health, offering enough options to set the game up to your own personal preferences, making it as easy or as tough for yourself as you like. You start your career in the Superstock 1000 and you are given eight seasons to progress your career through the three classes and make your way to the Superbike big leagues, with the ultimate goal of becoming champion.

 
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You start your career by creating your custom character, choosing not only name and looks but also riding style with a choice of five, each made famous by certain big names in the sport. You then head to the first of many race weekends, keeping the game as realistic as they can. There are many different sessions over a weekend, allowing the player plenty of time to learn the track and get their bikes settings right for each circuit, starting with an initial practice session followed by qualifying, another practice, a warm up and then the race itself. Of course each of these can be skipped if you choose to do so, but it is nice to be given so much time in a career mode to become acclimatized to the track and weather conditions and prepare your bike for it. As you would expect for a simulation, many aspects of your bike can be tinkered with during these sessions from suspension, gearing, and even down to the bikes chain. But if changing these parts fills you with worry that you may mess up the handling of the bike, there is an easier way to do this by talking to your mechanic in the pit area and choosing from a list of responses to questions he asks pertaining to where you would like to improve the bike. Are you having trouble applying power coming out of the turns? Then using the response to the question the mechanic will change the bikes setup to something that should help with your problem, before you line up for an action packed race.

 
The racing itself is a real edgy affair. You really do get a sense of the speed that these bikes can reach and the feeling that any careless riding could well end in disaster. The bike handling is very good as you roar towards a turn and get on the breaks. In a straight line you slow down perfectly, but break at speed on a bend and you can find yourself wrestling with the bike to keep it upright and the same can be said for when you apply power out of the turns to much and your rear wheel spins and begins to slide from under the bike, forcing you to let up on the throttle and steady the bike before powering away again. This becomes even more of a job as you get further into a race and you have to deal with your tires wearing and you begin to lose more traction. You find yourself making decisions during the closing laps of races. Do you keep up your speed ensuring your position or ride more cautiously to keep from throwing it all away?

 
So, as if you did not have enough to cope with dealing with the bikes handling, a really nice touch is that you also have to pay attention to the track and I do not mean avoiding other bikes, although that is also recommended as hitting them is not a good idea. What I mean is the feature which is being called “evolving track”, the tarmac itself. At the start of a race weekend the circuit is completely clean, but as bikes run on it over the practice and race sessions, the surface changes depending on where the bikes are racing, laying down rubber on the racing line and braking points and these lines can both be used not only to show you the best racing line, but the rubber on the track gives better traction for braking and acceleration. These changing track conditions also apply for wet weather races. As you can imagine riding the bikes in the rain is even more challenging than in the dry. But again, as the bikes race on their line the tarmac dries out making it beneficial for the player and other riders to stick to the dry areas and leaving it down to the player to decide whether or not it’s worth risking straying onto wet areas for an overtake maneuver.

 
The only problem with the game play I have encountered so far, is that the game has frozen up for a few seconds at random moments and it has always been when I am turning into a bend. Although it is annoying, it is only a small problem and the fact that it only happens once in a blue moon means it can easily be overlooked.

 
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On the visual side of things, it’s mostly good with both the bikes and the riders well represented. They look both sharp and realistic no matter how many bikes are on the screen at one time. The tracks themselves, although at some points could still do with a little work, are a huge improvement on previous games in the series. The crowds of spectators and track surrounding items such as trees, race marshals and structures are all three dimensional objects now, rather than flat cardboard cut outs as they were in earlier incarnations of the game, giving it a much more realistic and fleshed out feeling. The single problem I have noticed with the game’s visuals is that occasionally from certain angles the bikes seem to be floating over the track, rather than riding on it. Not by much mind you, only a few millimeters and you normally only notice it on other bikes not your own. Again, like the rare freezing up issue, it is not a game breaking problem as you really only notice this if you are actively looking for it. Other than this small issue the game on the whole looks pretty good all round, even when you are traveling at break neck speed around a track.

 
The games sound also is pretty spot on, with each make of bike having it’s own distinctive engine sound, which you really do notice when you roll into a turn in a pack of five or six different bikes. That coupled with the screeching tires as they slide from under the bike, what else is there? Well there is the ambient sound which include some nice crowd cheering, helicopters flying around the track during the races and even at one track, which must be near an airport, there was a constant stream of low flying airliners over the track. All these little touches and sounds add to the ambiance of the tracks.

 
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So with the choice of bike racing games available being relatively small, we at least can be grateful that this one at is a pretty well put together package. With an in-depth simulation type game or, for the more casual gamers around, a decently put together arcade mode, fans of both styles of game get something to really enjoy. With all the good points in the game far outweighing the one or two negative points, all of which can easily be overlooked, SBK X is definitely worth a look if you are a fan of either the sport or of racing games in general.

 

 ★★★★★★★★☆☆ 



 

]]> http://www.girlgamersuk.com/2010/06/sbk-x/feed/ 1 3D Dot Game Heroes http://www.girlgamersuk.com/2010/06/3d-dot-game-heroes-2/ http://www.girlgamersuk.com/2010/06/3d-dot-game-heroes-2/#comments Tue, 01 Jun 2010 14:38:15 +0000 GG Goblin http://www.girlgamersuk.com/?p=23525 With a name like this, you can’t really take it seriously.

 
And there you have it, 3D Dot Game Heroes from Silicon Studios is a game with it’s tongue firmly placed in it’s cheek. But let’s discuss the silliness later, and start at the beginning.

 
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Available exclusively on the PS3, 3D Dot Game Heroes is two things. Firstly, and most importantly perhaps, it is an old-school, action, role-playing game, the likes of which has been seen so many times over the years. Secondly, and I am going to say most interestingly, it is a game with a unique graphical style. Everything within the game is made of 3D pixels, from the backgrounds to the main hero. It is from here that the name 3D Dot comes and it actually describes it really well.

 
Set within the pixelated world of Dotnia, the story follows a tried and tested route of a hero coming across a legendary sword and saving the kingdom from evil. All pretty standard stuff really. The player will wander a gloriously stylised world, fighting monsters and exploring dungeons with their comically oversized sword.

 
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The graphics style is the first thing that will stand out about this title. Everything is made from coloured cubes to provide a three dimensional pixel sprite style. The player even has the opportunity to make their own hero from scratch using the simple editor, and then share these creations with friends. If that is not something that is of interest, there are plenty of ready made characters to choose from.

 
Although offering a distinctly retro feel, the looks are not without their modern effects. The draw distance is fabulous, with things in the far background looking hazy and slightly out of focus. defeating a monster will provide the player with a little shower of pixels on the screen as the monster dies, in a similar manner to defeating adversaries in the current Lego games.

 
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I have already mentioned the comically oversized sword. This is dependant on the players health. Although it is always big, with full health and the various upgrades that can be bought throughout the game, the heroes sword can become so large that it almost fills the screen. It really is a very impressive sword.

 
The player will come across other weapons during their adventure, each one offering a solution to a particular problem. The boomerang, bow and arrow, even bombs can be found and have their uses. Some of you may now be thinking that you recognise this game?

 
Can anyone say “Legend of Zelda”? Whilst over the years, LoZ has been paid tribute to and loosely copied many, many times, never before has it been so blatantly ripped off. How the developers have managed to get away with this, I am not sure. But it may have something to do with the silliness that I mentioned before. 3DDGH seems to be acknowledging that it is a copy and mocking itself in the process. Simple little things that players of Legend of Zelda will appreciate, can be found throughout the game. The fairy is called Lee, for example, and appears to be rather overly enthusiastic about the whole hero worship thing (it seems so impressed that the player can manage to spot a huge red button in the middle of the room)

 
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Everything about the game seems to scream Zelda, from the weapons that can be found to the dungeons and the world itself. From a personal point of view, this is all good. Many hours were lost to Legend of Zelda and I have no problem with any game that does such a great job of copying everything that made LoZ the game that it was. But I can also understand that not everyone has played LoZ, in fact I am even willing to believe that there may be some out there that played it and didn’t like it. For these gamers a lot of the inside jokes will be lost and there will be no burst of nostalgia.

 
But hey, it’s not all retro tribute-paying and laughing at itself. The game offers a few more modern mini-games, all hidden around the world of Dotnia. Using the dash boots, the player can compete in races around certain map areas, trying to get a decent time. There is an Arkanoid style game where the player has to bust the bricks by bouncing a ball from their shield. There is even, to my delight, a tower defence style game hidden in the world. Prevent the waves of enemies from reaching the end of the path.

 
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So, we all know what we are getting here. But how well does it actually play. I am not going to say that it is perfect. The constant wandering around Dotnia does not seem to have the same appeal as maybe it did in Loz. The dungeons are all very similar and the puzzles are not exactly mind-meltingly hard. After the initial novelty factor has worn off, there may be a period of monotony as the player travels to a dungeon, solves the dungeon, defeats the boss and then starts again. Rinse and repeat. The over world traveling can become tiresome as the maps and the locations you have to reach can become confusing and have you wandering for ages.

 
But I implore you to stick with it. This period of monotony does not last forever and the player will soon find themselves dealing with some truly devilish dungeons. This is where the gameplay really excels, maybe in the last third of the game, and makes everything that came before worthwhile.

 
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A lot of people will be salivating at the prospect of playing such a gorgeous looking game. Others will be whole heartedly yearning for a return to the glory of LoZ. But there will be some out there who are left simply wondering what all of the fuss is about. The game is targeted towards those that remember LoZ and, whilst a few newcomers may play the game and enjoy it, they will be the ones who get the most out of 3DDGH. Certainly not for everyone, but those “in the know” will love it.

 

 ★★★★★★★★½☆ 



 

]]> http://www.girlgamersuk.com/2010/06/3d-dot-game-heroes-2/feed/ 1 SKATE 3 http://www.girlgamersuk.com/2010/05/skate-3-2/ http://www.girlgamersuk.com/2010/05/skate-3-2/#comments Tue, 25 May 2010 11:41:33 +0000 Bazaboy http://www.girlgamersuk.com/?p=23105 It is time to oil those bearings, tighten the trucks and apply some new griptape. Skate 3 is here.

 
I am not a skateboarder. In fact I have enough trouble balancing on two feet most of the time, let alone on a wooden board with wheels. So I am not part of the demographic that this game is aimed at. The only reason I own the original Skate game is that it came packaged with my PS3. That being said, I did enjoy playing the game, but not enough to persuade me into buying the first sequel as, on playing the demo, it all kind of felt the same. When the opportunity arose for me to try out and review the third game in the series, I was more than happy to give it a go.

 
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The game play of Skate 3 is not a huge change from the first game. Single player campaign has the player taking part in a series of challenges, be it races, competitions or pulling off tricks to be captured on film. Although there is a tutorial at the start of each of the skate games to teach you the basics, if you have played any of the other Skate games you already know the majority of the controls. Even if you do, you just have to play through the tutorials anyway, not because it’s a requirement, but because if you do not then you miss out on the comic genius of Jason Lee. Yes, the very Jason Lee of My Name Is Earl fame who was a skateboarder before taking up the acting, so there is a connection there. Not only are you learning how to play the game, it keeps you amused while doing so.

 
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As I said, the controls have not changed throughout the series of games and this is not a bad thing as the developers got it pretty much perfect in the first game. One of two face buttons pumping your leg to get up momentum and then simply steering the board  with the left stick. The right stick controls all of the tricks, with the simple yet effective flick it system. It gives players of all skill levels the ability to pull off impressive flips and tricks. Sure you can randomly flick the stick and achieve adequate results, enough even to pass through the majority of challenges in the game. However, if you take the time and practice moves over and over, you can master the system with some pretty amazing results.

 
The events all take place in the town of Carverton, a much more skater friendly town compared to the location of the first and, i am guessing, the second game. The Carverton architecture actually seems to have been built with skateboarding in mind, with many a flowing ledge, huge drops, big jumps and frighteningly fast downhill slopes. I have also noticed that, although there is still traffic on the roads, there are a lot less cars driving around the town. This helps but you will still be able to inevitably find the one car on an empty stretch of road and slam into it with a resounding thud. Another thing that I am happy to see which makes your skater’s life a whole lot easier, is the absence of security guards patrolling and chasing you away from certain areas. This is one of the few things I hated about the original game, being chased by them as you attempted to pull of a difficult trick on camera was a pain.

 
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Of course, with this being the third game in the series, things have moved on vastly on the graphics side of things with the whole city looking bright, sharp and detailed. One thing that is pretty cool is that when your skater takes a tumble, the resulting grazes and bruises are visible on any bare skin that is showing. A small but welcome little touch. One thing on your skater, who is fully customizable, that has yet to be improved upon, that I really hoped would have been, is the hair. With your skater being at the centre of the screen 90% of the time, it would have been nice, this far into the series, to have more realistic hair, rather than the action figure style plastic hair we get. Again it’s another small thing and it is only one of a few things that plays against the game. But this and a few other small problems can easily be overlooked.

 
The sounds are equally as impressive. The sound of your wheels change perfectly depending on which surface you are on, from smooth tarmac, paving slabs and bricked roads, each surface sounding just like you would expect it to. The soundtrack is customizable, with the player being able to select from the available songs included in the game to create a personal playlist. Once in game, without even having to pause, the player can now skip forward and back through tracks of their playlist. Of the tracks included every player should be able to find a good handful to keep them entertained and the game scores bonus points from me here for being one of the few games ever to include Neil Diamond in the soundtrack.

 
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The game play, like the previous games, revolves around the player either free skating around the city and discovering and taking part in events or, for the lazy players, just selecting the event from a list and being teleported directly to the location. Events cover a wide variety such as death races, which have the player taking part in a high speed downhill race with between three and seven AI controlled skaters, or being captured on film at various locales around the city as the player attempts to pull off specific tricks on a specific obstacle. There are large scale competitions set over a series of rounds, during which the player must rack up the highest score, thus earning the most points and winning the event. Also included are The Hall Of Meat events, in which the player hits a huge jump and then deliberately bails out striking poses as they fall to a bone crunching landing. Completely silly but yet so much fun.

 
What is new though is that Skate 3 focuses on team play as well as solo. The player builds up a team of skaters as they progress through the game, each of whom are completely customizable. These team mates are AI controlled skaters who turn up in the game in free skate. Another nice little point here is that anyone on your friends list who has played the game has their customized skater turn up in your single player game, controlled by AI. Something else that just makes the game a little more fun is that there are also team events, which are pretty much similar to the single player ones, only your score is combined with that of your team mate. Thankfully the team mate AI is decent enough that it does not blow your chances of winning an event with a poor performance.

 
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Also expanded on here is the ability to change the environment. In Skate 2 you could move certain items around, creating some slightly unique jumps. This has been expanded on hugely in the new game, with the player being given a huge empty area in which they are able to build from the ground up their own skate parks. This is done via a simple drag and drop system where the player simply chooses the pre built items from the build menu and then rotating, moving and dropping into place before texturing it to give it that professional look. This gives the player their own skate playground to be built exactly how they want it to look.

 
This leads me on to the online features of the game, bringing in a little of the play, create, share style of play as skate parks you have built can be made available to other players online, so they can test your creations, as you can other player’s creations.

 
The online gameplay is also expanded. You can still go into it as a single player and find and compete in events with friends and other players, with the events lifted from the single player game. The team play from the single player mode is also carried over into multiplayer, with friends or people you have met in game either inviting you to their team or vice versa.

 
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Summing things up, Skate 3 is by far the best skateboarding game available right now. But what you need to ask yourself is if you already own one of the first two games in the series, is the third going to offer you enough new content to keep you happy? It all comes down to whether or not you like to play online. If it’s the single player game you are after and already own one of the games in the series, there won’t be very much new here for you. However the multiplayer changes in Skate 3 more than deliver, with more player versus player along with with the new team building and competition modes, coupled with the ability to build and share skate parks, there is more than enough to keep you interested.

 
Pick it up if you do not already own a game from the series as it is the best of the bunch. But if you already own one of them, it comes down to how big a fan of the series you are or if you are after the great new multiplayer content on offer.

 

 ★★★★★★★★☆☆ 



 

]]> http://www.girlgamersuk.com/2010/05/skate-3-2/feed/ 0 Anarchy: Rush Hour http://www.girlgamersuk.com/2010/05/anarchy-rush-hour-2/ http://www.girlgamersuk.com/2010/05/anarchy-rush-hour-2/#comments Tue, 11 May 2010 10:50:09 +0000 Bazaboy http://www.girlgamersuk.com/?p=22097 Street Racing in Moscow.

 
Anarchy: Rush Hour is a game from developers Gaijin Entertainment, recently released on the PSN store. This is a driving game centred around illegal street racing and a story that is pretty basic, involving the main characters’ kidnapped girlfriend and stolen engine technology. The story is mostly kept in the background with cut scenes in the style of a comic book being kept to the bare minimum, so that they do not detract too much from what we are playing the game for, the racing action.

 
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From the moment you start the tutorial stage, you know what you are in for. A full on arcade action racing game. It has you running various race events around the streets of Moscow, which are modelled on real locations and roads with the tracks pretty well laid out, cutting through little side streets and busy highways. They are all populated by a huge number of cars making up the traffic, both when you are free roaming and taking part in the race events. This is pretty impressive, with at times well over one hundred cars on screen at once. It makes dodging traffic in a game like Grand Theft Auto seem like playtime compared to the streets seen here.

 
Although this may sound like it could be a pain, the arcade style of the game means that you can smash right through the oncoming traffic without risk of losing too much speed. Sure, if you get involved in a multi car pile up it wont help your chances of winning, but hitting one or two cars is not enough to lose the player places or the race. Things get even more crazy when you throw into the mix the adrenaline devices, which can be purchased and upgraded throughout the game. These devices are activated using the d-pad or a combination of controls plus face buttons. They are powered using adrenaline, hence the name, and this comes in the form of a gauge which you fill by pulling of driving manoeuvres such as skillful driving, drifting, jumping or dodging oncoming traffic. These gadgets range from a repair tool which can be used on the fly to repair damage to your car, to a sonic blast that pushes out from your car damaging and pushing away any other vehicles around you. Similar to that is the ram device which thrusts your car forward momentarily into any vehicle ahead of you, in some cases sending it flying high into the air, which is always fun to watch.

 
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The cars, of which there is a good selection of around thirty or so, are all original vehicles. Despite this though, you can see in their designs a lot of inspiration from existing real life cars. So, although there are no fully licensed cars, most players will find something that will suit their style, be it the sports car, Japanese style drift car or American muscle. There is something here to suit all tastes. The races take place around the city and involve various styles from the expected run of the mill circuit races, short A to B sprint races, time trials, checkpoint races and the crazy anarchy events. In the Anarchy events, the player has a set amount of time to cause as much mayhem on the roads as possible, attempting to reach a target score before the AI cars. These are all fun events to take part in and they both serve to further the story, and also provide side races which are used to earn money for both buying new cars and upgrading the devices. There is plenty of choice both in vehicle and races to take part in.

 
Visually, although the games graphics are not as polished as many other racing games out there, both the scenery and the players cars are all pretty well represented. The street populating vehicles are slightly more on the basic side but, due to the sheer number of them around at any one time, this is understood and can be forgiven. Although not the best looking driving game around, it is pretty far from the worst and any little flaws can be forgiven.

 
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The sound likewise is better than average, but again nothing really stands out. The engine and screeching tires are all present and correct. The weird thing however, is the music. It’s a strange mix of nondescript rock music and techno dance music. It does fit the game, although it’s occasionally a little weird to go from one type of music to the other.

 
On top of all this, there is an online multiplayer option. You can go head to head with friends or just other random racers. It rounds the package off nicely, especially when you leave the devices turned on for the online races. It can all turn a bit violent as you bump, nudge and ram your opponents off the track or into an obstacle, just to give yourself an edge in the race.

 
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But more importantly, how does it play? Anarchy: Rush Hour is, without a doubt, an arcade racer through and through. Anyone looking for a racing simulator needs to keep looking, but if you enjoy a good arcade racing game then you will be hard pushed to find a bargain as good as this anytime soon. I say bargain because it really is. What the player is getting here is a game with as much content as some retail games. It even comes with a full compliment of PSN Trophies, including a platinum, and for a price of under £6.00 you really can not go wrong. Sure, it’s not a perfect game, but the high speed racing, coupled with the madness of dodging and crashing your way through the traffic, just makes the game a lot of fun to play.

 
As it stands Gaijin Entertainment’s Anarchy: Rush Hour is by far one of the best bargains you will currently find in PSN Store. Pick it up now, before they realize that they could be charging a lot more for it. Even if you prefer your driving games more on the realistic side, this is more than enough to keep you entertained for a while.

 

 ★★★★★★★½☆☆ 



 

]]> http://www.girlgamersuk.com/2010/05/anarchy-rush-hour-2/feed/ 0 BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger http://www.girlgamersuk.com/2010/05/blazblue-calamity-trigger-2/ http://www.girlgamersuk.com/2010/05/blazblue-calamity-trigger-2/#comments Mon, 03 May 2010 14:43:55 +0000 Bazaboy http://www.girlgamersuk.com/?p=21428 Anime style fighting.

 
Before starting this review I have to make it clear that I am not a huge fan of fighting games. The ones that I have played and enjoyed over the years have been the more realistic looking and playing titles, the last of which was Virtua Fighter 5. So, going into this review, BlazBlue Calamity Trigger, from Zen United,  had to be something special to impress and the game does not disappoint.

 
Although this is your basic one on one fighting game, it does feature quite a fun background story which revolves around a main protagonist, Ragna The Bloodedge, whom all the other character are related to one way or the other. This leads them all to a series of battles unfolding the story from their own point of view. The story is told using the same anime style that resembles the actual gameplay, which helps blend the whole game seamlessly together using a series of cut scenes with both voice acting and text dialogue.

 
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The voice acting in general is perfect for each of the characters. The dialogue however, can get a little silly at times. It does it’s job in progressing the tale, but also leads off on silly little issues which, although seemingly random, actually help build the back story for the characters, which is always nice rather than choose your fighter and then go.

 
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The game is very much in the old school 2D style. But this shouldn’t put you off as, running on the PS3, it looks absolutely stunning. The characters look amazing, as do the backgrounds, when you actually take time from the fighting to look at and appreciate them. Fans of anime will love the visuals of the game from start to finish, with it’s good looks and rounded characters.

 
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The animation of the fights themselves are hard to explain without referring to the classic Street Fighter series. The animations are not exactly what you would call fluid realistic movements, but rather than being a bad thing, it fit’s the style of BlazBlue perfectly. As does the music throughout, which is just as fast paced as the fighting in the game itself. The controls are both simple and yet deep, meaning that anyone can pick up the controller, figure out a few simple moves and do relatively well in the game. But dedicated players looking for a little more depth needn’t worry because, although you can get away with it and even progress a fair bit into the game, this is far from a button bashing affair. Controls are limited to the four face buttons and the D-Pad or analogue stick. The face buttons represent three increasing strengths of attack, A,B and C and, as mentioned above, the game can be played just by using these three basic attacks. But when combined with D for drive attacks, ideal for inflicting huge damage, and the D-pad or stick,  the player can learn some pretty impressive moves. Although I did find myself doing what I do with most fighting games. I learn two or three good moves and use them to the best of my ability. But, given more time, you can learn much more complex moves and combos. This makes the game pretty accessible to gamers of all skill levels.

 
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Not only does BlazBlue have the expected single player mode, but also a rather fun online mode. This mode does not only match you up with another player and have you fighting, players have the ability to create rooms and invite friends or leave them open for others to join. With up to six players in a room, the fights are still one on one bouts, with the other players becoming spectators until it is their turn to fight. Although I did not get too deeply involved in this side of the game, mostly because the few matches I did play I had my ass handed to me, the players I met were all nice people. One guy even gave me some hints and tips while waiting for fights.

 
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And so the question remains, is BlazBlue a good game and has it changed my view of fighting games? There is no doubting that this is a very enjoyable game, definitely one of the most fun fighting games I have played. The fact that you are not forced to memorize complicated button presses for all the moves is a big plus. This means the more you put into the game, the more you will get out of it and, If I can say that as a non fighting game fan, then any fan of this genre will more than likely find in BlazBlue an excellently put together game with plenty to offer. Although it has not converted me to a huge fan of the genre, it is definitely a game that I will play again and, for that reason alone, any fighting game fan will certainly find a title well worth playing here.

 

 ★★★★★★★★☆☆ 



 

]]> http://www.girlgamersuk.com/2010/05/blazblue-calamity-trigger-2/feed/ 0 Lead & Gold: Gangs of the Wild West (PS3) http://www.girlgamersuk.com/2010/05/lead-gold-gangs-of-the-wild-west-ps3/ http://www.girlgamersuk.com/2010/05/lead-gold-gangs-of-the-wild-west-ps3/#comments Mon, 03 May 2010 14:23:57 +0000 GG Goblin http://www.girlgamersuk.com/?p=21425 Cowboy action from the comfort of your sofa.

 
Well, Lead & Gold: Gangs of the Wild West has made its way onto the PS3. It has been around for a couple of weeks now on the Steam network and has been previewed and reviewed by GGUK. But how will this, the first entry into the console market from publishers Paradox Interactive, fare on the Sony console?

 
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Developed by Fatshark, Lead & Gold is a third-person shooter, based in the Wild West. In a similar manner to games like Battlefield 1943 and M.A.G., this is only playable online, with no single player campaign. The ultimate party game for people by themselves.

 
Players get to choose from four different characters and then get to join others online in a variety of gameplay modes across a collection of maps. The four different characters offer something for everyone, with the Blaster and Gunslinger offering decent close up damage with their shotgun and revolver respectively. Players preferring to get their hands dirty from a distance are catered for with the Deputy and his rifle, and the Trapper wielding a hunting rifle. Each class also has their own special abilities, including throwing dynamite for the Blaster and setting mantraps for the Trapper.

 
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What makes Lead & Gold a bit different from other similar games are the synergy effects. These are range limited bonuses that apply to allies and can offer both defensive and offensive boosts to players who stick together and play as a team.

 
The visuals of Lead & Gold are by no means ground breaking, yet they fit quite well into the western theme, or at least a theme based on the older cowboy movies. Each of the four classes are easily recognisable for what they are and fit well with the stereotypical characters that they represent.

 
The maps, of which there are six, also feel as though they have been pulled from classic western movies. Although reasonably varied, the maps currently on offer do tend to favour close quarters combat, with very little open space for the Sniper-esque Trapper to take advantage of. This is no biggie however, as this type of game is likely to be updated with new maps that offer a more balanced challenge.

 
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Of the different modes on offer, the majority are variations on the standard modes found in any shooter, such as the team deathmatch style Shootout and Conquest. They will all be familiar to players of online shooters, just with Western themes. Most interestingly is the L4D survival mode styled Gold Fever. Players work in co-op to fend off bots whilst gathering bags of gold for experience.

 
The gameplay itself is a bit hit and miss. I am not a huge fan of the over-the-shoulder third-person view point and the weapons don’t seem as precise as I would like, taking far too many shots to kill an opponent (or maybe it is just that I am a bad shot?). Yet I do like the ability to take a final shot at the enemy after being taken down and the synergy system certainly encourages team work, which is always a good thing.

 
This style of game is already in abundance on the Steam Network, and for good reason. With it’s massive community, these games work really well. However, on the consoles it is a different kettle of fish. Console gamers have still not made that transition fully to online play, and offering no offline mode will certainly put off a lot of these gamers. As it stands, there is not the huge community of players waiting for a game that would be hoped for, and that is not a good thing for an online only game.

 
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That being said, Lead & Gold is only £11.99. Gamers who ignore the story in games such as Battlefield: Bad Company 2 and Modern Warfare 2 and go straight for the multiplayer experience, could certainly get a lot of fun from this game. It is not going to be as deep and engrossing as the aforementioned games, but then it is only a fraction of the price. Given time and enough interest, this could be a very popular game on the PS3 and it is a great market entry for Paradox Interactive.

 

 ★★★★★★★☆☆☆ 



 

]]> http://www.girlgamersuk.com/2010/05/lead-gold-gangs-of-the-wild-west-ps3/feed/ 0 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa (PS3) http://www.girlgamersuk.com/2010/05/2010-fifa-world-cup-south-africa-ps3/ http://www.girlgamersuk.com/2010/05/2010-fifa-world-cup-south-africa-ps3/#comments Mon, 03 May 2010 14:09:27 +0000 David Hollingsworth http://www.girlgamersuk.com/?p=21416 It’s that time again. The Football World Cup, the greatest sporting event on the planet. It brings people from all over the world and glues them to one place for one month every 4 years.But hold up, what is the greatest sporting event without a Video Game to go with it? Well roll up Fifa 2010 World Cup South Africa, the official Game of the tournament, giving gamers a chance to take part in this sporting event and take your nation to greatness. With all that said and done, it still needs to be a good game. Now it’s safe to say Fifa 10 was the best football game to date, but is this latest instalment just Fifa 10 in a world cup setting? or does it go further and improve the game and encapsulate the glory of the World Cup in the process?

 
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Short answer, yes. But it’s how EA went about improving Fifa 10 and making it into a fully fledged World Cup game, rather than a re-branded spin-off. Firstly the new game modes: there is, of course, a world cup mode which allows you to play as any of the official Fifa World Cup countries, including those who failed to qualify for the big event. Another addition to the game is one fans of Fifa will know well, which is be a pro, or as its known here, Captain Your Country. This allows players to captain a player who already plays for their national team, a player you have made yourself, or better yet, your Fifa 10 pro. All this adds up to one of the best modes and makes wining the grand prize all the sweeter. We also get an online interactive World Cup, allowing players to take their favourite nation online to see who is the best.

 
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Lastly we have The Coke Zero Story of Qualifying. The idea is that you replay games from qualifying, packaged as short challenges, and attempt to change virtual history. A great example is to take the France v Ireland game from the World Cup 2010 qualifiers. This scenario takes place right after Thierry Henry set up France’s cheat equalizer, sending Ireland out of the world cup. That’s where you come in, the game puts you right into the game just after the goal and challenges players to re-write the history books and send Ireland to the World Cup at the expense of Mr Henry. On top of that, all scenarios feature the exact same teams that where present at the time. As an added bonus, Ea will be adding other scenarios during the world cup. So, if Cristiano Ronaldo decides to dive in the 85TH minute against England, causing England to crash and burn, fear no more, as the very next day you can make sure England score in the remaining five minutes and clinch the title.

 
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What I’m sure you’re wondering is, why is this better than FIfa 10? Well, EA claim the game has over 100 hundred new gameplay improvements. That’s a lot of improvements by any ones books. But do these improvements equal a better game? Yes, like Fifa 9 to Fifa 10, by the simple fact its the next entry in this football franchise makes it a better game. It’s up to you however, if you think the tweaks are worth buying or if it’s better to wait for Fifa 2011.

 
To tell you every one of the new features would need an article of its own, so i’ll avoid doing that and give you some of the biggest and best; the Keepers don’t rush out any time you have a one-on-one, Chiping the keeper is much Harder to pull off, the new penalties,which finally bring a bit more depth to the system. There are new animations, through balls don’t cause you to lose momentum, new celebrations, new skills, new shot techniques, better player awareness, and, one of the most interesting of all, is the new altitude system. This causes players who are used to playing closer to sea level, to lose stamina faster in stadiums that are at a much higher altitude. These, and many other smaller changes, are what help make this the best Football game to date.

 
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Of course gameplay is not the only improvement. The presentation is slightly improved, the turf seems more lush, it’s a small thing but you do notice it. The game also features all the official stadiums of the World Cup and qualifying and each is rendered in amazing detail. There is something rather special about seeing the glorious Wembley stadium at night. Sound also plays a big part in the game. The crowd sound a lot more energetic and do a lot of nation specific chants. Commentators in Fifa are important, especially if you are someone who watches a lot of football on TV. People either love or hate the commentary pair, but for me I’m happy to see Clive Tyldesely and Andy Townsend reprise their roles as commentators in the World Cup games. As always the commentary is great, with some really cool facts and, as this is a World Cup game, you get some great facts about the national teams and their world cup history.

 
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So there you have it. Fifa 2010 World Cup South Africa is the best football game to date. Of course, people will argue till they go blue in the face whether this should have been DLC to FIFA or a full priced retail game. If you’re not sold on Fifa 2010 World Cup, then you should only have to wait a few months until Fifa 2011. But until that day comes, Fifa 2010 World Cup is a top class game and a must buy for Fifa and football fans. When all is said and done, if you own Fifa 10 already then you have to ask your self how much you love the Fifa series. If you don’t own Fifa 10, this is a great place to start.

 

 ★★★★★★★★★★ 



 
This review was written by David Hollingsworth, editor of GeekMandem.com

]]> http://www.girlgamersuk.com/2010/05/2010-fifa-world-cup-south-africa-ps3/feed/ 0 After Burner Climax http://www.girlgamersuk.com/2010/04/after-burner-climax/ http://www.girlgamersuk.com/2010/04/after-burner-climax/#comments Thu, 29 Apr 2010 16:52:26 +0000 GG Goblin http://www.girlgamersuk.com/?p=21280 Can I be Goose?

 
After Burner Climax is an arcade game that was released in  2006 and marks the fourth entry into Sega’s After Burner franchise. The original game was released way back in 1987 and seemed to tap into the hype of the movie Top Gun, which was released the year before. All of a sudden, kids could go to their local arcade and give themselves silly nicknames, whilst flying fighter planes at incredibly high speeds. The original After Burner was an immersive experience as, like its sibling Out Run, it had a moving cabinet to further improve the feel of the game.

 
Anyway, now it is 2010 and After Burner Climax has finally made its way onto the PS3, through PSN Store. After such a wait, does it still hold the magic? Or has it aged badly and should be refused a license to fly?

 
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The player chooses a plane and then flies along a predetermined path, attempting to take out as many of the enemy planes that they come across as possible. Upon reaching the end of the level, the player moves onto the next. At a couple of points the player is presented with a choice to take either the left or right path, in a similar fashion to the Out Run game. This continues with the player moving through various different landscapes and encountering different enemies, including land units and a couple of boss style battles, until the end of the game is reached. This ending seems to come along very quickly, as the game only has 12 levels. But it is not about the destination, it’s about the journey.

 
In case you had not realised, this is no simulator. Acceleration choices consist of fast and faster. The player is equipped with unlimited guns and quickly replenishing missiles. They have to simply to lock onto an enemy plane by moving the targeting reticule over it, and hit the fire button. The missile will then happily make its way through the air and destroy that plane. In the main mode, the player must complete the game within a set number of lives.

 
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New to Climax is the cunningly named Climax Mode. This allows the player to enter a type of bullet time state and move the reticule around to target as many planes as possible before launching a volley of missiles.

 
As you may have worked out, this game is about as deep as a training pool for ants, and as short as the trunks worn by them. It is not so much about getting to the end, as that is fairly simple, but about the score achieved during the journey. There is something fundamentally compelling about a game that revolves almost entirely around point scoring.

 
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Just like the recent updated version of Out Run, After Burner Climax takes advantage of the modern machines graphical capabilities to create stunning backdrops to the levels through which you will be flying. In fact, I would go so far as to say that Climax has out done the classic Sega racing game for both looks and a sense of speed. Although originally controlled with a flight stick, Climax works really well with the standard controller. For those in possession of one, various flight sticks are supported, for that authentic experience.

 
The bad news is that, although After Burner Climax is a lot of fun, the lack of depth and length does eventually catch up with it. After a few play throughs, there really is very little to convince the player to come back for more.

 
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After Burner Climax is a simple pleasure. It will raise your adrenaline levels and keep you on the edge of your seat. Don’t expect to be challenged in any meaningful way and, like the cool holiday shirt, expect the novelty to wear off rather quickly. To begin with, at least, it is all about the simple fun of speed and shooting in a beautiful setting. After Burner Climax is short lived in both length and longevity, but in the early days you can expect to come away feeling refreshed, and possibly with the urge to watch Top Gun.

 

 ★★★★★★★½☆☆ 

]]> http://www.girlgamersuk.com/2010/04/after-burner-climax/feed/ 1 Aqua Panic http://www.girlgamersuk.com/2010/04/aqua-panic-2/ http://www.girlgamersuk.com/2010/04/aqua-panic-2/#comments Thu, 29 Apr 2010 12:02:06 +0000 GG Goblin http://www.girlgamersuk.com/?p=21249 All of the cute little fishies must be saved!

 
For some reason we, as gamers, are often charged with helping the daft survive long enough to get themselves into another life threatening situation. There are a lot of games out there that involve some sort of slightly stupid creature plodding on towards their impending doom, and it is always down to us to save them. I blame the Lemmings, bizarre creatures that have very little respect for their own lives. Since that first Lemmings game appeared, all of those years ago, there has been a steady stream of other, equally idiotic creatures that are willing to put their lives into the hands of gamers.

 
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Aqua Panic from Eko Software, available on PSN for £7.99, offers something different though. In this quest to save as many creatures as you can, the creatures in question are cute little fishies. These little fishies have been swept up by a whirlwind and are about to be dumped, unceremoniously, into the mouths of waiting predators. It is not their fault, they are just going with the flow of the water. Surely that must tug on the heart strings? It is circumstance, not stupidity that has put them in this situation, so I can’t help but feel sorry for the guys. I admit it, I actually care!

 
Thus begins the game. At the top of the screen will be a little bubble of fishies that, once the player gives the okay, will start pouring out and flowing through the level towards the bottom. At the bottom are a number of rather hungry, bigger fish that would like nothing more than to have a snack. Luckily, there is a flagged “safe” area for the fish to land in. All you have to do is guide the flow of water to this safe area.

 
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The player is allowed to check out the level and get the lay of the land before releasing the fishies, which is a real bonus, as the levels can be quite complex. They are then given a fixed number of tools and are challenged to save a minimum number of the helpless fish to complete the level and move on to the next.

 
Once the player releases the fish, they are then allowed to use the tools at their disposal in a frantic rush to save the fish from the jaws of death. Plan before hand, and you may just save enough. The tools on offer include the relatively simple bombs, that can blow a hole in certain areas of land and provide a channel through which the water can flow, the plants that can be used to create a dam of sorts and change the direction of the flowing water, and the harpoon for dispatching evil predators that actually lie in wait on the levels. So far, so simple.

 
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However, within the space of only a few levels, things become far more complex, with the inclusion of things like valves and snails. I don’t want to spoil the fun, but suffice to say, saving the fishies rapidly becomes much more challenging.

 
There are 80 levels in total, with all but the beginning 10 or so being fiendishly difficult. I cannot emphasise this enough. This is the type of mind bending complexity that will have small children running from the room to tell the nearest adult about the long line of expletives that have issued from your mouth. You will not throw the controller through the TV in a fit. It is more the sort of frustration that will have you calmly go out to the garage and take a blowtorch to your PS3, in order to savour its destruction for longer.

 
So, have I managed to get across the fact that this game is both hard and frustrating? Still, everyone loves a challenge. The satisfaction that one feels upon clearing a particularly difficult level makes up for any and all frustration felt.

 
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The game features some gorgeous, simple cartoon-style graphics that are certain to cheer up anyone who sets their eyes on the game. Combine this with the overly happy tunes that play through the game, of a similar style to the Loco Roco tune that will stick in your head for ages, and you have to wonder if the developers were actually trying to prepare you for the difficulty that is to come, by bathing you in joyous cuteness beforehand.

 
Although only a single player experience, the game does have leaderboards on which the player can compare their achievements. Alongside the adventure mode, the player will have access to a couple of other modes. Free play and the two survival modes need to be unlocked in adventure mode.

 
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Beyond the incredibly high difficulty level, there is not much to criticise with Aqua Panic. The controls work well, which is always a concern with this style of game on consoles. The game is bright, cheerful, looks good and will keep the player busy for hours.Anyone with a passing interest in puzzle games of this style should be more than happy with this game, even if they do end up drilling the controller to the wall and declaring that fish are evil.

 

 ★★★★★★★★☆☆ 



 

]]> http://www.girlgamersuk.com/2010/04/aqua-panic-2/feed/ 0 God Of War III http://www.girlgamersuk.com/2010/03/god-of-war-iii/ http://www.girlgamersuk.com/2010/03/god-of-war-iii/#comments Wed, 31 Mar 2010 12:12:34 +0000 David Hollingsworth http://www.girlgamersuk.com/?p=18981 Kratos returns in the final part of the trilogy.

 
Lets get one thing clear before we start. God of War III has one of the best opening 45 minutes in gaming history. I won’t tell you why, so as not to ruin it, but just trust me on this one. So here we are, the end of the God of War trilogy, and what a long and bloody journey it has been. We have battled titans and gods, killed innocent people and maybe had the odd personal moment. So it’s time for Kratos to take a bit of a rest in his last outing, right? Well, Sony Santa Monica don’t think so, much to the joy of many fans. What Santa Monica have done is created the most deadly, most blood sodden game featuring our lovable “hero” Kratos, to date. How does it fair against other games in its genre or against past games in the series?

 
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Let me make it clear that there will be spoilers of God of War I & II, so if you bought the trilogy, please don’t read on if you want to stay pure. The game starts with the narrator talking about the past, when Kratos was once a spartan captain and Athena promised to Kratos if he destroyed Ares, the memories that consumed him would be no more. Of course, nothing ever goes to plan for our hero as Zeus tricks him and sends him to the underworld, where the mother of the titans, Gaia, saves him from his doom and forms an alliance to kill Zeus. God of War III picks up right where God of War II left off. Kratos is riding on the back of Gaia, as they climb mount Olympus to reach Zeus and the other Gods. This is where my afore mentioned best 45 minutes in gaming  history comes into play. I won’t ruin too much but I will say Poseidon is the first god to jump off the top of the mountain and, when the god of the sea makes contact with said sea, bad stuff goes down. When all is said and done, the story in God of War III is great, for both fans and huge Mythology lovers like me.

 
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Gameplay is the core of game design and it’s something God of War games have always done superbly. God of War III is no exception to this at all. It is fast paced and features some of the most bloody moves in gaming. The quick time events are where this shows, you might be ripping out a Minotaurs insides and giving them some fresh air, or taking of the heads of dogs. The QTE are the standard array, pressing the face buttons at the right time. But one feature I did love was, instead of putting the buttons just on screen, they are placed on the area of the screen that represents the position of the button on the Ps3 controller. This can make life a lot easier when you are being told to press buttons one after another. This feature is most useful in boss fights, because you can pay more attention to watching the amazing action, rather than where the next QTE is coming from.

 
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God of War is not all about QTE’s however. The core of its combat lies in the weapons you use and how you use them. During the game you will acquire 4 primary weapons. You still get the famous Blades of Exile which most people will use for most fights (as a note at the start Kratos is wielding the Blades of Athena). The Claws of Hades are one of the new weapons Kratos has at his disposal. They feel similar to the Blades of Exile/Athena in that they are fast, but they have a unique look to them which helps to give them a fresh taste. Next up, we have the Nemesis Whip which is simply a pair of chains with three claw-like daggers at the end, that give off a greenish blue aura. The Whip itself was crafted for Kratos by Hephaestus. Last, but not least, is the Nemean Cestus, the most unique of the four weapons. This fist like weapon is shaped to look like a lion (the weapon was given to Hercules after defeating the Nemean Lion). The Cestus is mainly used to smash through objects that would other wise be unbreakable, even for Kratos, like Onyx, a type of rock only breakable with the Cestus.

 
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As in previous games, you still need to collect orbs. These come in red, blue, green and gold. Red orbs are used the upgrade your weapons and are collected by killing enemies or opening red chests. The blue orbs are used to replenish your magic. These are obtained from the blue chests. The green orbs are used to replenish your health and are obtained after killing enemies and through chests. Finally we have the gold orbs. These are used to increase your rage of Sparta gauge, which can also be increased by killing enemies. As you can tell, the rage of Sparta is back, giving Kratos a quick burst of immunity while dishing out some devastating damage and high speed.

 
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First we had Metal Gear Solid 4, then we got Killzone 2 and then Uncharted 2. We all thought that was it, we had seen the power of the PS3. Can it really get any better? Well yes, is the simple answer. In part this is due to Sony Santa Monica being a Sony studio, so they have all of the tools at their disposal, which helps, I guess. This leads me to why I think God of War looks so good. Anti-Aliasing, simply put. It makes the game look smooth. Anti-Aliasing has been something PC gamers have been used to for years. Even when you take a look at a game like Metal Gear Solid 4, if you look really close you will notice some very rough edges. Well, what Sony Santa Monica did is possibly a stroke of genius. They found a way to get Anti-Aliasing via the power of the Cell processor in the PlayStation 3. Anti-Aliasing is one thing, but its not the only reason God of War is such a masterpiece. Kratos is one amazing looking Hero. The detail in Kratos alone uses more memory that the Playstation 2 was able to handle, giving you some idea of just how much more powerful this latest instalment really is.

 
The environments and back-drop in God of War have always been stunning, but previously they looked very static. In God of War III however, things happening in the background will make your jaw drop just as much as the games bloody combat itself. From Titans climbing up buildings, to far out vistas showing the depth of field, we will now come to expect this from games on the Playstation 3. God of War 3 breaks new ground and sets down a challenge for other developers to have a go at making a game on the Playstation 3 that can look quite this good.

 
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It’s safe to say that God of War III is a fantastic game, and a must own for Playstation 3 owners everywhere, and if you don’t happen to own a PS3, there has not been a better time to go at get one. I honestly could talk for hours about what I love about God of War III, how it deals with the mythology and how the story plays out, and the amount of times the game will gives you “WoW” moments. God of War III a great end to this franchise, but is it the end of Kratos? I guess we will have to wait and see.

 

 ★★★★★★★★★★ 



 
This review was written by David Hollingsworth, editor of GeekMandem

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