Commander Tutorial Series

GG Goblin — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 10:59:56 +0000

Paradox Interactive and Nitro Games are releasing a series of tutorial videos for Commander: Conquest of the Americas.

Just in case you were having trouble with your Trade Routes, or your ship building has gone pear-shaped, this series of tutorials over the next four weeks will get you up to speed. It will all help towards the 30 new Steam achievements that have been added.

The first tutorial is here -

Hudson comes Home

GG Goblin — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 10:49:51 +0000

Hudson Soft have launched their own space within PlayStation Home called Hudson Gate.

The area will serve as a base for all things Hudson, including games and product information. Gamers can also take part in the new sport of Dolphy Racing to win virtual prizes. To make it even more interesting, players can purchase a special Dolphy Room which will allow breeding of these virtual pets. Check out the pics -

Hudson Gate

Dolphy Race

Dolphy Room

A World of Keflings

GG Goblin — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 10:29:11 +0000

Alien Breed Impact on PSN

GG Goblin — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 10:24:31 +0000

The survival shooter from Team17 is now available on PS3 via PSN.

Available for just £11.99, Alien Breed: Impact has the following features:

- Alien Breed is back! – An action-packed mix of arcade-shooter, survival-horror and tactical weapons upgrades and customisation.
- Epic single-player story mode – The single-player campaign mode that follows the narrative of the game through five huge and challenging environments.
- Single-player free-play mode – Single-player challenge mode – beat your high score on a previously completed campaign mission.
- Two-player local or online co-operative play modes – Work together to defeat the alien horde across three specifically customised maps.
- FREE DEMO TRIAL – The “Prologue” sample section – a specifically designed introduction to the game; play in either single-player or two-player online co-operative mode.
- NEW – Upgrades shop – Search fallen comrades and lockers to accumulate cash, and then tactically spend it on weapons/kit upgrades in the shop.
- NEW – Enemies– Re-imagined and improved Alien Breed enemies.
- NEW – PSN Elements – Full trophy support and leaderboards.

Watch the shadows

GG Goblin — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 10:11:03 +0000

The new trailer for upcoming Mortal Kombat game.

The Secret World

GG Goblin — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 10:01:28 +0000

Shhh! It’s a secret.

It seems like ages since we heard anything about this interesting MMO that is coming to PC and, allegedly, Xbox360. Set in modern times, players create a character with special powers and then join one of three secret societies; The Templars, the Illuminati and the Dragon. Still no release date, but at least we get some new screens and a video.

Divinity II – The Dragon Knight Saga

GG Goblin — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 09:48:48 +0000

Coming to PC and Xbox360 this November, here are some new screens ahead of the official website launch. Enjoy –

This upcoming RPG includes both the original adventure, Ego Draconis, along with a whole new adventure, Flames of Vengeance. The two stories together offer more than 60 hours of gameplay with over 180 original quests.

Portal 2 Video Madness

GG Goblin — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 09:35:51 +0000

Not one, not two, but three, yes three, Portal 2 videos for your enjoyment.

First up we have the co-op teaser trailer -

Then we have two videos showing new aspects to the game, the faith plate and repulsion gel -

Pirate Fortress 2

TurtleGirl — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 09:30:31 +0000

Valve would have a giggle or two at this Team Fortress 2 remake art work.

This was created by Fenomena from Deviant art who’s drawn a remake version of Team Fortress 2 into Pirate Fortress 2 instead. It’s a genius idea and they all look hilarious! Great design.

Enter the Khemri

GG Goblin — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 09:27:47 +0000

Another playable race for the upcoming Blood Bowl Legendary Edition.

I may have mentioned before that I am a bit of a Blood Bowl fan. But, in reality, I have not played the table top game for many years and this new race, the Khemri, are a new entity to me. Think Egyptian Undead and you will be on the right track. I can’t even tell you how the team plays, as I know very little about them. But I am thinking this is not going to be a running or passing team and that they will concentrate more on power, and possibly numbers.

Either way, it is another team added to the roster and a team that I think I may try out.

Blood Bowl Legendary Edition is due later this year and will include 11 new playable races, bringing the total to 20, a new tutorial and a story mode.

Epic Nintendo Memorabilia Collection

TurtleGirl — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 08:37:08 +0000

Take a moment and think back to your childhood. Try and think about all the video game merchandise you may have purchased over the years. I have always been a Nintendo Fan girl and my earliest memory of anything related to video games was a Game and Watch with Donkey Kong which I found inside a Christmas stocking. When I recollect them memories, I thought that was pretty awesome and it was. Now cast your eyes on this next set of Nintendo memorabilia and you won’t believe your eyes.

This is 11 year old Oscar Brown and he has accumulated over a 1,000 pieces of Nintendo merchandise. You name it and this child probably has it. It’s an amazing collection and there’s loads of stuff there I remember from my childhood but had forgotten about. Watch through the video and see if there is any merchandise you recognise.This is one lucky child and where does he store it all?!!

Via Joystiq

Pac-Man Paranoia

TurtleGirl — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 08:13:34 +0000

We’ve seen a selection of weird and wacky Pac Man videos over the years, but this one does exceed the rest.

This was made by “nintendo-death-punk” band ‘Bondage Fairies‘ and we’ll not entirely sure what’s going on in this video. I’m not sure what’s more worrrying; the guy playing the game; the music or the video in general. It’s all very bizarre when you put them all together. The special effects are really good and the video is entertaining. Jump to the video to check it out.

Via Laughing Squid

Scott Pilgrim Faceplate

TurtleGirl — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 07:51:54 +0000

If you’re a huge Scott Pilgrim Fan you may be interested in this Scott Pilgrim Xbox 360 Faceplate

It has been decorated by khandice117’s as they had a spare faceplate lying around. It will fit the Xbox 360, except for the new slim model. As you can see from the design it’s been decorated very well and is currently for sale via Etsy for $30.

Via That girl’s site

Halo Covenant Plushie

TurtleGirl — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 07:16:41 +0000

This rather cute looking Halo Covenant Plushie was designed by randomflyingpigeons from Deviant art.

It’s completely homemade and measures about 2′ 3″ from head to feet, or 2′6″ from feet to the tip of his methane tank. His design is based on a combination of the Halo 1 & 2 grunts and the Halo 3 grunts and his detailed stitchings are black for that extra cute factor.

His currently on sale on Ebay for $58.50 and he’s an incredibly good looking plushie.

Via Hawty Mcbloggy

TWIT PIC OF THE DAY

TurtleGirl — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 06:52:06 +0000

80’s Themed Cake

Gran Turismo 5 Preview

Bazaboy — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 23:09:56 +0000

I purchased my PS3 almost three years ago now and one of the games being used to sell the console back then was Gran Turismo 5. As a big racing game fan, this of course was a huge selling point for me. Little did I know that it would be a few more years before the game would even be released. Luckily I have patience and with so many other great games to play in the meantime, everything was all good. Despite the fact that there were many more games that came and went, including numerous great racing games, GT5, which has now spent five years in development, has always been a game that I have kept my eye on for news or even a little scrap of information. Now, with the game having an official UK release date of the 5th of November, I thought we here at GGUK should take a little peek at some of what we virtual petrol heads will be treated to.

For many years the Gran Turismo series had been top of its game. But since the next gen consoles arrived there have been many other racing games that have put the series in the shade. Now with it’s imminent release, GT5 is out to reclaim it’s crown as the top driving game availble. So what is it bringing to the table that is going to help it do that? Gran Turismo has long prided itself on being “the real driving simulator” meaning that it’s out with the arcade style game play as Polyphony Digital strive to bring us a realistic handling driving simulator while keeping the game fun to play.

From the beginning of the series all the way up to Gran Turismo 5 Prologue, the handling of the cars in the games have been nothing but a great joy to race with. But across all of those games nothing has really changed throughout the series. With GT5 however, if what we got a taste of back near the beginning of this year in the time trial demo released on PSN Store for the first round of the 2010 GT Academy is anything to go by, we can assume that the handling has gone through a substantial overhaul. The one car we were given in this small taster was a lot more lively and fun to drive, while at the same time retaining the simulator feel more than anything we played in previous titles from the series and if this taster is anything to go by, then it’s already bettering the previous games.

GT5, like the previous games, will not disappoint when it comes to the car selection. After all, the cars are more or less what the game is all about and by the sounds and looks of things this latest version of the game will not be letting us down on this front. More on the looks of the game later, but it is hard to talk about the cars in the game without mentioning how jaw droppingly gorgeous they look. The fact that they look as good as they do is even more impressive when you take into account that there will be between nine hundred and fifty to one thousand cars in total, with everything from the Eco friendly Prius through to the most modern, up to date super cars such as the Bugatti Veyron and everything in between with many of the worlds car manufacturers involved.

Although every one of the cars is going to be modelled in the game to extremely high standards, as you can see from the screen shots shown here – each and every one of them looks amazing, the cars will come in two separate tiers, standard and premium. Both types of car will look stunning, but the premium tier, which will number around two hundred of the games stable of cars, have been given special attention when it comes to detail, both inside and out. The cars have been painstakingly recreated to such a degree that even the underside of the cars have as much detail as the rest of the car. Another difference in the tiers is the level of damage modelling the cars will have.

That’s right, I said damage. After all this time and numerous games in the series, fans get what many of them have been asking for. It will no longer be a case of if you slam your pricey dream sports car into a wall at high speed you will drive away with your car looking showroom perfect. The standard car choices do not have a full damage model and will be kept to a minimum such as dirt, scratches and dents on the bodywork. The premium cars however have a much more complete damage model with destructible bodywork and even interior damage modelling, and it won’t only be the looks of the cars that suffer as your performance will suffer too if you continuously smash into scenery and other cars. We are even told that bigger accidents are included and it will be possible to flip and roll your cars.

The game promises even more spectacular crashes when it comes to the licensed races. In another first in the Gran Turismo series, Polyphony Digital have picked up the licenses for Super GT, World Rally Car Championship and NASCAR, bringing with it official cars, drivers and teams from each of the aforementioned types of racing. Personally I am looking forward to the Rally side of things, hoping the developers have managed to improve on the previous dirt racing from the earlier titles, which I always wanted to enjoy but in my opinion was just never right. My hopes are high though that this has also been improved upon. The inclusion of NASCAR is going to do the game absolutely no harm at all in the eyes of American gamers, especially now that there is currently no up to date official NASCAR game on the market.

Although not technically a licensed type of racing, it has been recently announced that Go-Kart racing is also to be included in the game, which from what we have seen looks to be a lot of fun. Nothing has yet been announced, but the latest incarnations of Gran Turismo have included a Formula 1 car or two for us to play with, meaning the racing we have come to expect from a GT title will still be present, but on top of that there will be a whole lot more to boot.

Visually it is not only the cars that impress, the tracks also look amazing. GT5 will, much like other games in the series, include both original circuits created for the game (including some old favourites from way back from when the first GT game was given to us such as Autumn Ring, Deep Forest Raceway and Grand Valley Speedway) and a host of real life circuits, such as Fuji Speedway, Suzuka, Nurgburgring. As a stroke of genius and something that is sure to delight UK based car nuts no end, there is the inclusion of the Test Track from the TV Show Top Gear. Overall the game promises to have tracks in twenty different locations with around seventy track layouts. Like the cars, all of these locations and tracks are beautifully created, with the circuits based on real locations being recreated down to the smallest detail and looking almost indistinguishable from the real thing.

Of course the game has more up its exhaust pipe than good looks to wow us with. A host of new features are being added for us to enjoy. The first two of which are dynamic effects which you will encounter during races and I imagine will be a selectable option for races. The first of these is day and night racing. Although night time racing made a brief appearance in previous Gran Turismo games, things are looking a lot more impressive here with smooth transitions from day to night time during the racing action and cars having working headlights with the player deciding when they are needed. However, what is making it’s first appearance in the series are the weather effects. For the first time in Gran Turismo we will be able to race in wet weather conditions, hopefully changing the handling of the cars drastically. Both of these features will add the challenge of racing under varying conditions. Another feature that remains in the game is the option to upgrade elements of your cars – tyres, wheels, exhausts, body kits and more. As you would expect, alongside these options sits the chance to tune your cars and play with a huge array of settings in an attempt to squeeze just a little more power or grip out of your chosen vehicle.

Players are going to need every bit of that power to win races, especially when it comes to the games online multiplayer action where the competition is always a little tougher. Although GT5 Prologue had an online racing option, it was all so random when it came to matchmaking in that you would choose an event that the car you currently had selected was eligible for and the game would then place you into a race with random players who were also looking for a race. With the new game there will be a much more involved multiplayer set up system, with players being able to set up their own game lobbies to hang around and talk in, inviting up to sixteen friends to join them. From there they can set up races, or host a track day event with players setting times in whichever cars they like, along with other activities. This upgrade to the online multiplayer is going to help no end in building the games community, rather than just throwing them into random races.

Also making use of Sony’s camera peripheral, Polyphony Digital are including a feature called head tracking which, if implemented well, could be a nice little addition to the game. What this feature will do is use the camera to pick up the players head movements. So turning your head slightly to the left or right would in turn result in your driver glancing to the left or right. How this would work while using chase camera, I am unsure. But using the in car cockpit view I could see this being a handy little tool, helping you look out for potential overtaking cars. Talking of cameras, they are also in game. Not content with the usual replay mode, GT5 takes it a step or two further along with allowing players to upload their favourite replay videos direct to YouTube. There is also the inclusion of Photo Mode, because with the cars and tracks looking as good as they do surely it would be silly not to include a snapshot feature to capture all of our coolest racing moments or biggest crashes. On top of all this, and for those that can afford it, the game can look even more impressive as you will have the choice of playing as normal or in 3D. To make use of this feature, you need to be the owner of one of those new fangled expensive television sets. But the option is there for those lucky enough to own the tech.

Along with all the features listed above, there are also a few gems that have been rumoured but not officially confirmed as of yet. The most exciting of these are the rumours of a track creator, which would lead to a potentially never ending source of circuits, especially if it went the way of Sony’s Play, Create and Share style of games, as I am sure some fans of the game would waste no time in recreating tracks from across the globe. We can only hope that this rumour holds some truth. Another more likely rumoured feature is named the “Stunt Arena” which, because GT5 is a simulator, I imagine being an open space with a few obstacles dotted around for the player to throw their cars around, rather than jumps and such. Although truth be told, a few jumps may be fun.

And so, with only a few more months to go before the many fans of the series, myself included, get our hands on what we have been waiting patiently for, we will find out whether or not the wait has been worth it. I am, like most other fans, sure that it is already a foregone conclusion that Gran Turismo 5 will be top dog once again when it comes to driving games later this year. In a couple of months, we will find out for sure.

Edinburgh Interactive 2010 – Part 2

FuryAc3 — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 17:25:51 +0000

As the sun broke through the hotel window, it was an early start again on day two. It all kicked off at 9.15 back at the film house. So we collected our things and made our way to the event, excited to see what today’s schedule held. To get things started Chris Deering gave another brief introduction and just outlined the plan for the day. A lot of the speakers that day were from the television side of things and their talks were going to show how the gaming world and TV world are both working together for the same goal. This also reflected the overlay of Edinburgh Interactive with the Television Festival, which started the following day but would see some of the speakers from Interactive speak there as well.

The first speaker of the day was Michiel Bakker and was about gaming on TV and if the time was right for there to be a gaming channel. Unknown to the crowd Michiel was going to announce a new gaming channel called Ginx which would be about gaming for gamers 24/7 and would launch on satellite and cable networks this November. The feeling for this was that the channel was going to be an MTV style channel aimed at all gamers from causal to hardcore and would have the latest news, reviews and previews as well as gaming themed shows. The company are the team behind Game Face and the Ginx Files which is shown on Bravo and these shows will continue.

Next Chris Anderson from Gamestreamer was here to talk about digital distribution and how it was the way the industry was going to be moving forward as the retail side of games was ending and more and more people are starting to download games from the likes of Steam and Direct2Drive or using cloud servers systems like Onlive Games to get their games. He explained how things like Xbox Live and PSN were changing the way console users got to play the latest of titles and that big retail stores like Gamestop and Game would have to evolve to stay in the market. A lot of this presentation was based on downloading games. I think that in the future it will be the only way. But just now in the UK there is not a strong enough broad band network to run the likes of these systems for everyone.

After that Nicholas Lovell, who is an advisor on GamesBrief, was next to take to the stage and do a presentation on free to play web based games and the market strategy behind these games, and how the developers would make a profit from a free to play games. He explained that not all users are created equal as many of these games are based on micro transfers and how this has spawned a culture of gamers called whales who will invest money and time into these games more than the standard player. This was a very industry driven presentation, though it did show an interesting side to the free to play games that can be found on the web like Farmville and Battlefield Heroes.

Then there was a quick break before heading back into the theatre for the last three talks of the afternoon session. These last three talks were looking to be fun, informative and very interesting, so we were looking forward to them.

Next up was Margaret Robertson who is the Development Director of Hide and Seek. Her presentation was one of the most interesting of the day because it was based on how games can make you feel happy and how they can change your mood based on what they do, from the style of play, to difficulty, to the choices they make you have to pick. This all shapes how a players mood is when playing a game. This was a look at the psyche and how a gamer perceives the games they play and that these in turn shape their lives and mood in the real world.

Next was one of the talks we had been looking forward to since we heard the schedule for this year’s event. Jerry Johnson from Xbox Live was going to talk about how Live has changed the face of gaming and where it is going to go in the future. He started his presentation with a brief history of Xbox Live and that there have been around 60 consoles between 1970 to 2000, and how the Xbox was the first to unite gamers of the world on a platform where they can play against opponents from all over the world anytime, anywhere. Live has grown larger than just a gaming platform because now it features social sites such as Facebook and Twitter, also live TV streaming and Downloadable movies. It has evolved from the back room to the living room and with the release of Kinect it will go to the next level. On top of this, Xbox Live is launching on Windows 7 mobiles which will let you play your favourite arcade games on the go and will also allow you to unlock achievements to add to your gamer score. He then went on to say that the goal of Live and Xbox is to transform ordinary entertainment into extraordinary experiences for the player and their family.

The last talk was from Tom McDonnell, Creative Director at Monterosa, and was about the “second screen”. This is where TV programs let you play a game alongside it on the web and was about how this sort of new thinking is going to work with shows like X-Factor and The Apprentice where the viewers can join in on a live forum and vote and have their say about the show in real time. This again was a look at a side of the games industry that is sometimes over looked and was a very interesting presentation about the future technology that is bringing TV and gaming closer together.

That was the last presentation we were going to see at this year’s event, but before we left Edinburgh we headed around to the Festival Square to get some hands on time with some of the newest games from Sony and Nintendo. We found a huge white tent full of Nintendo games, such as Metroid other M and Super Mario Galaxy 2, and a Sony truck which had Move and also GT5 and Killzone 3 in 3D playable to the public. So definitely something there for every one and we couldn’t wait to get stuck in. The first port of call was the Nintendo tent.

Inside the tent we went straight for Metroid Other M to see what it was like. After a ten minute cut-scene, which was unskippable, we got down to the gameplay which saw us starting in a Laboratory learning basic controls. The game is played by holding the Wii remote on its side with no Nunchuck, but you can switch from third person to first person with a flick of the Wii remote and it plays more like Metroid Prime Corruption. The game is very fast paced and polished for a Wii title and looks like it will be a hit with Metroid fans, though you may need some time to adjust to the new control system of the game. Also on display in the tent were fan favourite Super Mario Galaxy 2 as well as DS favourites like Dragon Quest and Mario Kart DS. So that was what Nintendo had on show. The only let down was we were not allowed to take pictures inside the tent.

Next stop was the Sony truck which was heavily guarded and would only let groups of three people in at a time. Standing in the queue, we wondered what was inside this steel fortress. When our time had come to enter, we walked through a curtain into a chamber decorated in Sony styled spray art. The first game on show was Gran Turismo 5 and, as promised by Ray Maguire the day before, it was in full 3-D and was shown on a top of the range Sony 3-D TV, which comes at a price of £1800 for the TV and £100 for the 3-D glasses. It was a real treat as it was the first time we had ever played a game in full 3-D.The game was mind blowing in 3-D, it really does add another layer to the experience. We got to take a Nissan 350Z for a test drive around a Tokyo street circuit. As you can imagine the game was awesome, stunning to look at and also great to control.

So the time had come to leave this chamber and enter the next. To our surprise we found not only a free bar but also PlayStation Move was playable. So after a cold one, we got a chance to demo “Start the Party”, a game developed specially for Move which was a mix of party games. We got to play the bug smasher game and to be honest it played a lot like the Wii, only with the eye cam displaying you on the screen while playing. It was fun, but not as distinctive as Kinect was the night before. So we moved onto the third chamber in this never ending fun house. As we entered, the room glowed like a disco with light panels on the ceiling, walls and floor pulsing ambient light every thirty to forty seconds. The game on show in this room was a mix of sports games which used Move to play them. As luck would have it one of these games was a sword fighting game, so me and my brother got to duel it out using Move and got to put it through its paces. This was a lot more fun than “Start the Party” as there was a more competitive edge to it with it being a VS game. The game used more of the key features which Move has, like registering the force that you swing the sword with and the direction and pitch aswell.

Then it was time to go to the final chamber, which was holding the greatest surprise of all. It had not only a playable demo but also a full 3-D version of KillZone3 which looked stunning in 2-D let alone 3-D. The demo took place on a frozen battlefield located amongst some oil rigs. The objective was to storm one of these oil rigs and recapture it from the Helghast forces. This was an action packed thrill a minute demo, seeing the fighting take place from wide vistas, where you used your jet pack to navigate the frozen wasteland, to close quarters combat on narrow corridors of the oil rig during the artic storm. Although this was just a taste of the final game, it was already shaping up to be something special on the PlayStation 3.

So there was Edinburgh Interactive 2010, an extremely enjoyable event for both fans and developers. We’d just like to thank all the developers and publishers for their time, and the guys behind the EIF for putting on an outstanding show this year. We very much look forward to attending again next year!

Salt and Sauce with that?

FuryAc3 & WeeFuryAc3

Edinburgh Interactive 2010 – Part 1

FuryAc3 — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 17:06:41 +0000

It was an early start for us here at GGUK, as we were heading to Edinburgh Interactive 2010, to attend the two day press event being held at the Edinburgh film house on the 25th and 26th of August. This is almost the tenth year of the event, which is held as part of the fringe festival and incorporates all things to do with the games industry. This year would see a partnership with the Television Festival, which is also ran at the same time in the capital.

This year’s event looked to be a bumper line-up featuring a mix of people and talent from across the industry, such as Ray Maguire, Egor Pusenjak and Jerry Johnson. There was also a full schedule of game screenings to take place over the two days. So the stage was set for a bumper event which was all set to kick off at twelve o’clock on Wednesday.

With great excitement we arrived in Edinburgh and made our way to the venue. We were a bit early, but there was coffee and tea available on arrival. While we were having a brew, we ran into old friends of the GGUK, Dave “Midi” Whitelaw and Kai “Deadmans Boots” Holmstrom from Sonics Ring in the lobby. They were there to cover the event for their infamous podcast. So after a chat it was time to take our seats ready for the show to start.

Chris Deering, the chairman of the Edinburgh Interactive Festival, opened the event with an introduction of what was planned for the first day and how the industry has changed in the last twelve months. After this brief introduction Ray Maguire, CEO of Sony Entertainment Europe, was first to get the ball rolling with a presentation about how 3-D technology is going to be implemented in gaming and the family home in the future. The talk started with a history of how 3-D technology has changed in the past forty years and also how Sony were using shutter technology to bring the experience to the home. The big bonus from this talk was the announcement that we would be able to play both GT5 and Kill Zone 3 later at the event.

After this there were two talks based on finance and marketing. One of these talks was chaired by Sean Dromgoole, who is CEO of “Some Research and Games Vision”. He is an analyst who looks at stats and figures on trends in the gaming community. The second talk was by Paul Heydon of “Aviste Partners”. He was there to talk about the growth and sales in the market. These two talks were heavy on the figures and graphs and were more aimed at the games companies that were attending the event. But they were an interesting insight into a side of the games industry that is rarely discussed in the public eye.

After a short break the next talk was from Doodle Jump co-creator Egor Pusenjak, president and founder of Lima Sky. He was here to talk about how he made one of the most successful games on the iPhone and how budding designers would go about publishing their games on the App Store. This was a very interesting talk because he spoke about his roots and how he and his brother first made a Bubble Wrap App and a Tic Tac Toe App at the begging of the iPhone phenomenon. He then told how they designed and developed Doodle Jump and how it wasn’t a big seller at the start. But they created a lot of hype behind their game and the celebrity world picked up on the game and this drove sales up. Everyone from pop stars to talk show hosts play Doodle Jump. This in turn helped secure him and his brother the Apple Design Award and cement the game as one of the greatest, yet simplest designed games on the App store. When asked if there would be a sequel, he said that the game is always evolving and the game doesn’t really need a sequel because it receives updates so often. These are key to keeping the game fresh and it never becomes boring for its huge fan base. It was a bit of a shock to discover that Apple take 30% of their profit from every unit sold, which just makes you realise how much of a success the game is.

The final panel was the Great Debate, which takes place every year at the festival and sees some heavy hitters of the industry battle it out over a topic. This year saw the debate being fought over whether developers really needed publishers to publish their games. It was chaired by the legendary Ian Livingston and saw Egor Pusenjak and Nicholas Lovell fighting in the corner for the pros and in the corner for against we saw Chris Deering and Tom McDonnell slugging it out over the debate. Each team had four minutes to have their say and then the audience had one minute to add to it with their views. After an intense fight it was a unanimous landslide for the against team, who took victory and cemented the fact that developers will always need publishers to help them reach a wider audience, to secure advertising and to pitch ideas to companies.

After this the show opened to the public and the game screenings began in the evening. First out the blocks was a show reel from the guys at Codemasters showing some up and coming games. They began with F1 2010 which, from the looks of the trailer, is shaping up very well. After that there was a quick trailer for the new Dirt game which seems to have dropped the Colin McRae name from the title and is just called Dirt 3. It looks like it has raised the bar yet again for rally games.

The next screening on show was a real crowd puller at the event and was looking to be a highlight of this year’s show. Nick Burton, director of developments at Rare studios, was going to talk about Kinect sports which is one of the launch titles for Kinect when it hits the shops this coming November. But he also was going to demo the game to the crowd and even let some of the crowd get up on stage and have a go at the game and experience Kinect themselves first hand.

Nick started the screening showing how Rare have always been at the cutting edge of new consoles and launch games. Then he went on to show how Kinect has changed the way the studio has had to think about games and how they build games, showing early prototypes of how Kinect detects the player and how they had to refine the control system of the game yo be simpler but still enjoyable.

He went on to demo the game, first showing the football game and how Kinect reads the players moves and translates them into the game. The key to the gameplay is three rules, which are defend, attack and pass, and with these three moves the game plays at a constant fluid speed. Then he began to ask the crowd who would like a go at Kinect sports which immediately saw hands fill the air in excitement. The first lucky person to get picked got to play football and just showed how easy the game is to pick up and play. Then another member of the crowd got to play the long jump which uses a totally different control method from the football game and sees the player running on the spot and then having to leap upwards into the air to see how far they can get. This looks like a very tiring game but very funny to watch others play.

Then luck would have it that I was picked to go on the stage and play a game. What game I was going to play from the collection in Kinect sports was not clear until I got on stage and found out it was the bowling game. So with great excitement I got to stand in front of Kinect. Everyone who plays Kinect for the first time has their very own Kinect moment, so I was waiting to see what happened and it took all of forty-five seconds for me to realise just how revolutionising Kinect truly is, as it is like nothing else I have ever played. It is so intuitive that you don’t have to try to play, it just comes naturally. It was a bit weird to start with when I was bowling, having played other games such as Wii Bowling where to release the ball you press a button. With Kinect there are no buttons so the releasing is based on the movement of your hand, as if you were bowling for real. I got to play about five frames and loved every minute of it and I can truly say that I was converted into a believer of Kinect and its controler-less gameplay and can see it being the future of how we play games.

So with that, Day one comes to a close and what a day it was with some great talks and also being able to get hands on with Kinect, which was by far the stand out moment of the show so far.We couldn’t wait for the next day which was shaping up to be another packed schedule.

Part 2

Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light

Tracey McGarrigan — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 12:01:30 +0000

Lara and I have had a, how shall we say, tumultuous relationship over the years. I always loved her treasure hunting ways and how she thrived on getting one over other muscle crammed mercenaries, but how often did that actually happen? Predictably, she always managed to lead everyone else straight to the prize and there would always been some lame reason why she couldn’t take it home with her and earn shed loads of money from it, which always left me feeling like it was all a complete waste of time. I loved the puzzle aspect and how together we’d be making good lever pulling, boulder dodging, lava chasm jumping progress through the tombs then would stumble across a puzzle so devilish that only a happy accident would mean we could move on. I detested how she never seemed to jump in the direction I wanted after I’d spent hours exploring and getting to the exact point I needed to be, but always rather liked her over dramatic rag doll deaths. I got bored of her patronising posh voice dolling out advice and historical insights whilst her weapons were always a bit naff and often the storylines repetitively dragged on. I admired Lara for being a strong, sexy female lead character but the last few Tomb Raider titles in the series were so dull, it was getting harder and harder to keep forgiving her inconsistencies, her annoying traits and boring adventures.

So it was with some trepidation that I joined Ms Croft in the Aztec world of the Guardian of Light and discovered one of the best Lara games ever made. Lara is back! She’s still useless at grabbing the treasure for herself but this time she’s not alone…

With some attractive and functional animated scenes giving us a speedy introduction, we learn that the artefact Lara has tracked down this time is the Mirror Of Smoke which was the eternal prison of evil god Xolotl, until some hairy brutes who were following her got their hands on it, accidently releasing him from his endless slumber. Also awakening from the mirrors spell is Totec, an ancient guardian of the mirror with a message of doom and gloom. If Xolotl isn’t bound to the mirror by sunrise, he will destroy the world. What else can Lara do but join forces with Totec as the chase begins.

The co-op mode is excellent. Working together is the only way you will get through and each character is equipped to perfectly compliment the other. Play as Lara and your grappling hook can create a tightrope for Totec to zip across plus you can also save him from a fall of death, whilst his shield can protect you from arrows and enemy projectiles and can give you a boost up to high ledges. His spears can be chucked into the wall to also give you an extra helping hand and should either one of you fall in battle, you can instantly revive your partner with quick tap on ‘B’ which comes in very useful during the latter stages as you come up against countless ugly undead guys in fury loincloths, a giant crawling eel-monster with huge teeth, crumbly staircases and pits (Lara has been taking dancing lessons or Pilates since her last outing as her foot extensions are beautiful whilst leaping) and not forgetting spikes – lots and lots of spikes.

Though the ‘Tomb Raider’ element has been removed from the title, it still feels like very much like a Lara title with chambers full of traps and puzzles. There are big boulders to guide around mazes, trip switches, moving platforms and gaping chasms to cross and that’s just in the challenge rooms. Throughout the 14 levels, there are plenty of opportunities to unlock relics and artefacts that give Lara and Totec customisable weapon, defence, speed, bomb attributes and abilities. Charge up your relic meter by killing off loads of baddies without taking damage and let your super enhanced abilities fly. All the puzzles are superbly designed to be accomplished by two people and can only be overcome through working in partnership. Many a high five and the occasional whoop were let out in celebration as me and my partner logically conquered challenge after challenge.

Each level also has score and reward challenges to beat which include time trials and tasks that will unlock an impressive range of weapons that you can assign to the ‘D’ button, allowing you to swap guns, flamethrowers and grenade launchers, amongst other things in the blink of an eye, keeping the action flowing and the bullets zooming. Using the ‘R’ stick you can aim and strafe whilst shooting away with right trigger. Being able to move and shoot in any direction from one spot in combination with the isometric view means you have more control during battles and can use a little strategy when working with your partner. It’s satisfying and thrilling without ever becoming a button mashing mess.

It feels like you get a lot of game for your points here. Choosing the medium difficulty setting and replaying some levels to get extra rewards took about 6 hours. You’ll have to wait until the end of September for online co-op but the single player mode is skilfully designed and just as addictive. The puzzles are tweaked so Lara can solve them herself and the pace works just as well. Whichever mode you choose first, all the weapons, relics and artefacts you’ve come across carry over meaning completionists will get pleasure from several run throughs.

Seeing the back of Xolotl’s head as he runs away after goading and insulting you at the start of most levels makes the game feel a bit longer than it is as you get a sense that it could never end and in a way, I didn’t want it to. There are some repetitive ideas, the story line is basic, as are the vocal performances and some of the battles perhaps could have been just a little more spectacular or inventive to give it the wow factor (a big fat gun and moving around a lot will easily get you though most of them) but it’s immense fun with lavish attention to detail and an atmospheric orchestral score. The scale of exploration we’re used to from a ‘Tomb Raider’ title is missing, but this isn’t a ‘Tomb Raider’ title and actually the chance to work fully cooperatively with the freedom to do great puzzles in any order you want is present for a large proportion of the game. I believe fans of the series will find this is an exciting and enjoyable surprise and will be happily welcoming Lara into their living rooms once more, even if she does come with a musty ole guardian. Feisty, fighting, finders-keepers fun!

★★★★★★★★☆☆

Art Academy

GG Goblin — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 11:34:24 +0000

Creating a masterpiece with your DS will be child’s play.

Firstly, let me get something off my chest, so to speak. I don’t have a problem with video games that try to teach you things. My problem lies with the fact that the majority of these “edutainment” titles are quite simply not fun. They try to trick the child/adult into learning by using what they believe to be fun little games and I don’t like being tricked. This is the attitude that I had when going into this game.

But, to be honest, I was barking up the wrong tree right from the start. Just because a game offers to teach you something, does not make it one of the dreaded “edutainment” titles. Art Academy from Nintendo offers to teach you the intricacies of drawing and painting using the perfectly suited DS touch screen and stylus. Also, because Art Academy offers to teach you, or help improve with, what is essentially a hobby, it is very difficult to begrudge its attempts to educate you in the subject.

So what have I learnt so far? Art Academy cannot be put into the same class as other “teaching” games. Also, I have learnt that I may be slightly “game prejudiced”. All of that aside, is Art Academy any good? Can it teach someone like myself, who can barely draw the curtains, to create a masterpiece?

The game offers two modes: the lessons and free paint. You are also introduced to the likable character of leonardo (I will leave your imaginations to work out where the inspiration for this character came from) who will be your guide, tutor and personal confidante (or maybe just two of the three)

The main meat of this application is in the lessons mode. There are ten lessons in total that will take you from the very basics of drawing simple shapes, through shading, texturing and blending. The lessons move forward at a very easy pace and build quite fluidly from the early scribblings through to creating something that actually looks half way good.

Free paint mode is where the budding artist will likely have the most fun though, testing out their new found skills. Those of you struggling for inspiration can use the DSi camera to take a picture, which will then be displayed in the top screen as reference. The tools available, such as pencils of different softness and round/flat tipped brushes, combined with the artists palette that lets you mix your own shades of paint, allow for some seriously impressive pieces of art to be created.

Saving your creations to the gallery allows the artist to show them off at a later time. But herein lies a flaw in the otherwise very impressive piece of software. Art Academy is available to download from the DSiWare store, in two parts. As this option is only available to owners of the DSi or DSiXL, the downloaded version has the added ability to save the pictures to an SD card and then take them away for use elsewhere. This is not something possible on the DS, so that option is not included.

Has Art Academy turned me into an artist? Well, no. But that is not through lack of trying on the application’s part, and my stickmen look awesome now. The real question is why would anyone bother with a piece of software like this? Surely if you want to paint a picture, get some paint and a canvas and get on with it? The quality that you can achieve with the stylus and touch screen is never going to be as good as the real thing, so what’s the point?

What Art Academy does offer though, is options. For anyone who is interested in learning how to paint, or even for those budding artists who just need to brush up their skills, Art Academy offers a way to learn, or improve, skills that are just as applicable with real paint and canvas. It is also far more portable and much less messy. Anyone with artistic tendencies and a Nintendo handheld will do well to pick this up. It is by far the best painting application on the DS.

★★★★★★★★☆☆