May, 2009

Taking the shooter vertical is the revolutionary aim of the epic new action title Damnation .

Excerpt from: 
Damnation – PC (M)

Aion: The Tower of Eternity Release Date :Tue, 26 May 2009

Excerpt from: 
Aion: The Tower of Eternity (Collector’s Edition) – PC (RP)

Aside from the big hair, hard rock and action flicks, some of the best things about the ’80s were the 8-bit NES games. This was a time when many legendary franchises got their start.

Most of them moved on to success on other systems. But a few classics remain without a sequel, and that’s a shame.

For past 20 years, the “Bionic Commando” lingered in this unsequelized limbo. Although it was a hit among gamers, Capcom, which is known for “Mega Man 9″ and “Resident Evil 5,” strangely never made a follow-up. For a long time, it seemed they never would.

But that changed last year with the announcement of a next-generation “Bionic Commando.”

With Capcom’s latest, the 8-bit classic jumps straight from a platformer into a 3-D shooter with some flaws. It milks the nostalgia tied to the 8-bit era while failing to carry over the feel of the original.

Taking place 10 years after the first adventure, the sequel again follows Nathan “Rad” Spencer, who is now disillusioned after the Federated States of America betrays him. The bionic commando who rescued Super Joe and saved the world is now a prisoner condemned to die for disobeying orders in Operation Blackout.

Spencer, awaiting execution, is granted a reprieve after BioReign, a terrorist group, detonates a nuclear bomb on Ascension City. Now, the FSA turns to Spencer as its only hope of stopping BioReign’s plans. He’s thrown into a war zone and must again use his grappling hook arm and combat skills to save the day.

But this time around, “Bionic Commando,” the game and its namesake hero, both enter worlds different from their past. The novelty of the title’s grappling hook movement is no longer as fresh as it had been. Other franchises such as “Spider-Man” have captured the feeling of swinging around Indiana Jones-style, and they’ve built compelling games around it.

On the other side, Ascension City and the linear structure strays from the formula of the original. A majority of “Bionic Commando” is going from start to finish and killing anything that’s in between. There aren’t puzzles or backtracking of any sort. Grin, the developer, focused on combat and quick-twitch gameplay.

It’s a move that has some dissonance, especially when coupled with the game’s particular type of locomotion. Swinging and climbing is conducive to exploration. Unfortunately, the linear layout of the levels prevent that. It’s as if you’re playing a racing game in the confines of a corridor shooter. The two elements just don’t mix.

Instead of scaling a building to gaze upon the flooded-out landscape, Grin stops you by artificially creating radioactive zones that act as barriers. They arrive suddenly and without much warning and make it difficult to maneuver.

It’s a flaw that bothers you as you traverse landscapes with no clear routes.

On the other hand, combat is done fairly well. You can only carry two weapons and a set of grenades, so you’ll have to strategically use these guns and Spencer’s bionic arm. Often, you’ll want to save bullets for a particular boss.

The limited ammo isn’t a problem because Grin gives you plenty of ways to eliminate foes without firearms. For example, you can pick up a box with your arm and toss it. You can beat them with your fists. If that wasn’t enough, there’s an achievement-based upgrade system that keeps “Bionic Commando” interesting until midway through the short campaign.

After that, the title’s momentum stalls through uninspired level and “Bionic Commando” fails to do anything memorable until the plot twists and spectacular finale.

On the multiplayer end, “Bionic Commando” is serviceable, but nothing to write home about. It brings the solid combat online, but three modes and four maps aren’t enough to make the experience stand out.

Despite Grin’s best efforts, it seems as if time may have passed “Bionic Commando” by. It no longer feels special compared with its peers and it has too many flaws to ignore.

But one of the great things about video game sequels is that they’re usually better, gameplay wise, than the last one. Perhaps, another “Bionic Commando” sequel can refine some of the gameplay and fix the mistakes of this one.

I’ve been playing games for over 20 years (yikes). I love games that swallow you up and are beautiful to look at but also must have a solid story and characters you can care about. I’m selective and unlike my sons, I don’t like games where your mouse and keyboard combinations or speed are all that keeps you alive in a game. Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate interactivity…but it does get old when you keep dying, or constantly run out of time. Not so with Assassin’s Creed! The action can get intense and seem crazy but it moves the story forward…not just a fight for the heck of it. I love the fact that I can enjoy the sights and determine which and what quests to do. Also the music is haunting and beautiful…love that mix of modern arabic/middle eastern music!

I had to play around with some of the graphic settings but it did not diminish the game play or beauty of the game itself.

If you like eye-candy, atmospheric sounds, a bit of history and solid game play, try Assassin’s Creed. You will enjoy the trip!

PRO: Beautiful, scenic, easy game play, good characters, fun and SOLID
CON: Ending left you hanging, some graphic twitches

Hack-and-slash role-playing games have long been better fits on the PC than they have been on consoles. There have been exceptions to that rule of course, and now Sacred 2: Fallen Angel is making another appeal for genre fans to kick the mouse to the curb. The Ascaron Entertainment game makes its debut on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 just over six months after it first arrived for the PC, but this doesn’t seem like a port. This is actually a slight refinement of the earlier game, and the improved interface and the often overlooked couch-comfort factor make it easier to enjoy the epic length of the adventure. There are still too many problems with the monotonous quest design and the unwieldy size of the game world for this to be a top-shelf action RPG, but it’s a little closer to that status than its PC cousin.

With that said, developer Ascaron Entertainment isn’t reinventing the wheel here. Sacred 2 is a Diablo double in every possible way. As is typical in action-first RPGs, there isn’t much of a plot. You take on the role of the usual muscle-bound warrior or kooky mage in the medieval fantasy land of Ancaria, playing as a hero in the light campaign or as a villain in the campaign of shadows. No matter which side you choose, though, the gameplay is all about slaughtering thousands of monsters, looting their corpses, and leveling up. Trouble is being caused by the high elves and T-energy, a glowing magic fluid that serves as Ancaria’s oil and is pumped all over the land in pipelines. But beyond that, you’re marooned between vague plot quests and odd jobs.

Without a worthwhile narrative, you’re left too much on your own, juggling a diverse array of quests. A lot of time is spent hoofing it around the huge map, because quests are spread far and wide and the teleportation system is lacking in gates. All of this exploration can be very intriguing, however, as it immerses you in what seems to be a living and breathing fantasy world. Getting hit with a rat-a-tat-tat succession of assignments keeps you rolling, too. Since just about every guy on the corner needs an errand run, you get offered jobs every time you turn around. Granted, a lot of quests involve stereotypical chores like rescuing some hapless wanderer, finding magical herbs, and killing set numbers of monsters. But even then, the sheer number of them hook you into a “one more quest” vibe that is almost hypnotizing.

Game mechanics are typical for the genre. There are six pre-rolled characters to choose from when you’re starting your adventure, including standards like the high elf mage and the seraphim battlemage, as well as the decidedly weird temple guardian warrior, which is a robot version of the ancient Egyptian god Anubis, who clanks around Ancaria with a melee weapon and a laser blaster. Basic character stats and skills are handled in the same way as in any other RPG. So you gain experience, level up, dole out points to attributes like strength and charisma, and pick from a skill tree that branches out to deal with everything from proficiencies with specific weapons to foot speed to ability regeneration times. Each character class also comes with special abilities, and you can choose a god at the start of the game that bestows an added attribute. The latter powers function a lot like souped-up smart bombs. They come with big-time pyrotechnics and effects that can instantly end battles against even the largest hordes of enemies. The Will-O-Wisp, for example, can incinerate dozens of foes at the same time that it heals your friends.

Despite being well-reviewed and receiving numerous sequels, the Klonoa series might not be familiar to many gamers outside of Japan. It debuted on the PlayStation in Klonoa: Door to Phantomile, a uniquely styled “2.5D” platformer. This means that while the game controlled in a 2D fashion (up, down, left, right) the graphics are rendered in 3D. Klonoa on Wii is a remake of this original adventure, and maintains this style to great effect.

Being over a decade old, one might expect Klonoa to show its age more than it does. But the game is surprisingly faithful to the original, and a satisfyingly fresh experience.

The game progresses through a series of levels (called “Visions” in this case). It’s the standard platform setup, complete with item collection and boss fights. One of the things that still sets Klonoa apart is the aforementioned “2.5D” style. Gameplay-wise, this means that although you move on a 2D plane, you have the ability to interact in 3D. By pushing up you can chuck an enemy towards the background, or pushing down, you can hit a switch in the foreground. Despite its age, this mechanic still gives Klonoa a unique feel and provides for some fun, and occasionally, challenging puzzle-solving.

For the most part, Klonoa is a very simple game, and this works to its benefit. The platforming is generally forgiving, and although there are branching paths, the game is still fairly linear. The simple design means that Klonoa plays very fast. You almost never have to stop moving, and this gives the game a good flow.

Unfortunately, the boss battles don’t fare quite as well as the rest of the gameplay. They are all variations on the same theme. Klonoa runs around a circular area, while trying to grab an enemy to chuck at the boss. They aren’t poorly designed; they just lack variety and are noticeably less engaging than the general platforming portions of the game.

Controls are essential in any platformer, and Klonoa’s are very tight. Depending on your preference, you can use any one of four setups. There is the Wii remote horizontally, the remote and munchuk, the Classic Controller, and the old GameCube pad. Because of its 2D nature, the standalone remote or Classic Controller are the best options because you’ll be using the d-pad to move.

The biggest upgrade over the original game is undoubtedly the visuals. And while that might not be surprising considering it was on the original PlayStation, the updated graphics are some of the best the Wii has seen in a non-Nintendo developed game. Much like Super Mario Galaxy, Klonoa’s visuals are sharp, lush and vibrant. Texture work is generally well above-average, and the game has a handful of very nice visual effects. Klonoa also sports a silky smooth framerate and excellent art direction.

Far less impressive is the new voice acting, which is uniformly terrible. The sound effects are about average, as is the unmemorable score. The game does receive a pretty good sound mix, however.

The worst aspect of Klonoa is definitely its story, which somehow manages to be incredibly simple and completely incoherent at the same time. I know it’s geared towards the kiddies, but bad is bad no matter what age you are. Even the brief cut scenes become irritating within a matter of seconds, what with the incomprehensible story, horrid dialog and poor voice acting.

It’s also worth noting that Klonoa is a very short game. It can be completed in well under five hours. Luckily, the bargain price tag of $30 that Namco Bandai has slapped on the game helps in that regard. And for a game that plays as well and looks as good as Klonoa does, it’s a great deal whether you are new to the series or not. Klonoa is a lot of fun and it still holds up well today. If you’re looking for a quick fix of fun platforming and gorgeous visuals, Klonoa is right up your alley.

t’s taken its sweet time getting here, having already been released in the US since last October, but now we can play Slant Six Games’ third-person online multiplayer shooter, do we really want to? We found that while it certainly has its merits, SOCOM Confrontation falls a bit short of a truly great tactical shooter.

The SOCOM series has been a solid performer for the PlayStation since way back in the heady days of the PS2. Countless hours have been spent stalking, sniping, sneaking and fighting through jungle, swamps and mountainous terrain; the joy of making your way across a map to take out specific objectives along the way is hard to describe.

SOCOM has mostly always offered a nice mix of offline and online action but now, with SOCOM Confrontation, the action has moved completely online, taking away all option of a single player mode. We can’t say it was a terrible idea, mostly because it’s not a terrible idea, but somehow SOCOM Confrontation just doesn’t work as well as an online tactical multiplayer shooter should.

Naturally, since you can no longer use a squad of fake soldiers to do your bidding, you need to use actuall “teamwork” to get the job done. SOCOM Confrontation pits Mercenaries against Special Forces in a wide variety of game modes. Just to keep things fair you take turns playing each side.

The modes available to date are Extraction, Escort, Suppression Elimination, Breach, Control and Demolition. They’re all pretty self explanatory; Escort for example has your squad shifting someone important from one location to another while you get pelted from above by explosives and Demolition is almost like CounterStrike: plant bombs all around the map while you work feverishly at disarming your opponents’.

There are only seven maps available for now (apparently more will be offered for download soon, hopefully) and while they’re particularly impressive in both their size and their prettiness, we thought only offering seven maps for a game only playable online was a bit stingy.

Before you start each game, as is the SOCOM way you’re able to choose a weapons configuration; you can take a primary and a secondary weapon in with you along with various other specialised pieces of kit. Your character can also be modified; you can change their looks and increase or decrease their body armour, but believe us when we tell you that beefing your armour up to maximum makes you slow as hell — all the kids will tease you for being a complete fatty.

Unfortunately, we found more things that annoyed us about SOCOM Confrontation than things we wanted to come back for, and ultimately that made the experience pretty short-lived. While we were playing the game was plagued with network issues; for every game we played there were several we were kicked from. There were also more than the odd freezing problem, the only solution for which is total restartage.

It’s not a complete loss however; the game looks completely amazing and if the promised content updates and bug fixing patches can solve some of the issues we faced, then we’d start to see some real action happening.

Summary: Beautifully presented tactical multiplayer action, marred by a long install process, long loading times, annoying bugs and a lack of content, SOCOM could be great but without a decent patch or two you’re better off spending your money on Rainbow Six.

Screen Shots for the 2009 game, Empire: Total War

IMPORTANT NOTICE! The following review contains SPOILERS relating to the ending of Fallout 3. Consider yourself warned.

“Everybody loved Fallout 3 for different reasons. Some loved it for its morally ambiguous quest lines. Some loved it for its gruesome VATS system. Some loved it for the Fat Man. Me? I loved it for the world. Fallout 3’s post-apocalyptic Washington DC was a joy to explore. It was a joy to survive in. So huge was the city that, even after pumping 90 hours into hunting down as much of its virtual innards as possible, there were still scores of locations on the map yet to be revealed. For me, the Capital Wasteland was the star of the show. From its wonderfully depressing retro-futuristic design to the feeling of dread you get from creeping about the underground Metro tunnels, Fallout 3, perhaps more than any other game ever released, had a truly immersible living, breathing, convincing world.”

Rating 9/10

The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape From Butcher Bay was that all-too-rare specimen: a game based on a film that, instead of being a desperate, hollow attempt to cash in on publicity generated by the movie, was a thoroughly excellent stealth and shoot ‘em-up. In an unfortunate twist, the same couldn’t be said for the film, which has since slipped into obscurity. Not to be put off, the sequel has now appeared as a game only, with Assault On Dark Athena telling us what Riddick did next. With expressive character models and believable voice acting, your tours of the space hulk Athena and a nearby planet see you again busy keeping Riddick out of direct sunlight and stalking a set of heavily armed enemies. While still satisfying, very little has changed since 2004’s Butcher Bay, bringing the franchise more in line with its less inventive peers, even if they don’t boast Vin Diesel croaking out mock-profundities at an approximately Matrix-ish level of cod philosophy.