D+PAD Issue 3 by dpadmagazine

ISSUE 03 | NOVEMBER 2007

TOOLS OF DESTRUCTION! Ratchet & Clank’s next-gen debut - REVIEWED PLUS EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW with Insomniac Games

IS ISSUE: ALSO REVIEWED TH

CALL OF DUTY 4 THE ORANGE BOX PHANTOM HOURGLASS PROJECT GOTHAM RACING 4 PRO EVOLUTION SOCCER 2008 & MORE!

PLUS ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED An innovation in gaming or just a gimmick?

As I made my way home from the superb Video Games Live concert late last month, it all finely occurred to me. Gaming isn’t any longer something widely associated with the spotty glassed loner, it’s no longer a passion to hide or to be ashamed of, but instead a medium embraced by the masses as the big thing in entertainment. I suppose I should’ve realised sooner, but nothing hits the message home faster than seeing an attractive blonde enjoying a live rendition of the World of Warcraft theme just as much as the aforementioned geek sitting next to me. Good times. Anyway, onto Issue 3, and what an issue it is! This month those good chaps (and chapesses!) over at Insomniac Games found the time to sit down with us to answer a few questions we had about gaming today. Oh and we also got to talk to them about their new game, Ratchet & Clank Tools of Destruction, before sneaking a copy home to provide you with the official D+PAD review. Elsewhere in the mag we’ve got our brand new column “D+BATE”, a discussion of what’s good and what’s bad in the world of gaming. This month we talk Achievements and whether we think they’re really necessary to the gaming experience. We’ll also be taking you on a tour around SL (or Second Life to all you n00bs) and asking the question, what actually is it? D+PAD Issue 3. Enjoy. David Scammell Editor editor@dpad-magazine.com PS. COD 4 has dropped onto my desk literally minutes before we were due to hit the button. Have a review of that too!

ISSUE 3 | NOVEMBER 2007 EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

David Scammell

30 07

CALL OF DUTY 4 MODERN WARFARE

SUB-EDITOR

Stuart Leech

AN INTERVIEW WITH... INSOMNIAC GAMES

DESIGNERS

PRO EVOLUTION SOCCER 2008

27 33

THE ORANGE BOX

David Scammell Colin Marlow CONTRIBUTORS

RATCHET & CLANK TOOLS OF DESTRUCTION

Richard Angus Zoheir Beig Andrew Bell James Bowden Ian Freeman Stefan Goerke-Hewitt

Tom Hoggins

GOD OF WAR CHAINS OF OLYMPUS

Greg Latham John McCormick Graham Naunton Emmet Purcell

LEGEND OF ZELDA PHANTOM HOURGLASS

Paul Raven Richard Rohani Ian Tellam

RESIDENT EVIL THE UMBRELLA CHRONICLES

NEWS

The latest headlines from the world of video games

GEARS OF WAR CROWNED ‘ULTIMATE GAME OF THE YEAR’ Golden Joystick’s love the COG

ARMY OF TWO SLIPS TO 2008 Originally expected in the fourth quarter of 2007, EA have pushed the release of their co-op shooter into early 2008. Featuring two mercenaries, players will have to utilise the co-op features implemented in the game to navigate the Middle Eastern setting.

Taking place at London’s Park Lane Hilton late last month, the 25th Annual Golden Joystick Award ceremony crowned Gears of War with its ‘02 Ultimate Game of the Year’ award. Microsoft’s tactical shoot ‘em up also garnered three more awards and was just one title amongst a diverse and exciting range of games that attracted 750,000 UK gamers to vote for their favourite titles. Head of EA Games, Frank Gibeau, claimed that the team required more time to polish certain aspects of the game, which EA expect to earn US $54 million during their third quarter.

Nintendo and Guitar Hero II also featured prominently among the award winners, with both of the innovative titles receiving two awards each, whilst Nintendo accepted an award for innovation; prying it away from Sony who received the award last year for their PlayStation 3 console.

AND BURNOUT DOES THE SAME

Also featuring on the awards list were World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade and the mobile Final Fantasy games, whilst Rockstar’s Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories scooped up the award for Handheld Game of the Year. London’s IMAX Cinema ready for the Halo 3 launch party

The eagerly anticipated ‘Burnout Paradise’ will launch across North America 22nd January 2008, it’s been announced. A demo will also be made available on both PSN and Xbox Live at some point December.

GRAN TURISMO SHIFTS INTO TOP GEAR Those who tune into the GT TV channel launching on Playstation Network next year will be able to download the latest episodes from the immensely popular BBC series, Top Gear. The channel is set to feature the latest news from the world of motorsport and will have 40 episodes of Top Gear to download at launch.

That’s not the only aspect of the show set to feature in the world of Gran Turismo. The test track used by The Stig and co. will also feature in GT5, giving players the chance to make the show’s hosts look like mere amateurs. Gran Turismo 5 is due to launch next year.

Whilst not technically a slip (the game has always been touted as a ‘Winter’ release), it’s disappointing that we won’t be wreaking havoc in Paradise City this Christmas.

NEWS

The latest headlines from the world of video games

ROCKBAND.COM: THE NEW MYSPACE?

HACKERS EXPLOIT ‘CENSORED’ MANHUNT 2 MATERIAL

SMASH BROS GOES D.I.Y. According to the latest update on the official Super Smash Bros. Brawl website, the game is set to feature an easy to use Stage Builder giving players the opportunity to create their own battlefields.

Once players have crafted their own stage they can upload it to Nintendo, who will select one stage each day to send to all Wii users. Super Smash Bros. Brawl is due to be released early 2008.

KMART DROPS BLU-RAY FOR HD-DVD

EA have confirmed that the official website of their leather clad, husky voiced title Rock Band, RockBand.com, will contain a variety of interesting features that those looking to pick up the title should be delighted with. The typical online functions that we’re all used to seeing, such as leader boards and photo mode, will still be in place but the inclusion of personalised individual and band pages look to add an extra dimension to the usual features. The website will also give players the opportunity to form bands through a specialised classification section and personal blogging pages, bringing players together to create their own four piece rock outfit. The site will launch alongside the North American retail release of the game on 20th November, whilst Europeans will have to wait until the first quarter of 2008 to have a legitimate reason to wear leather clothes.

Within 24 hours of Manhunt 2 finally releasing across North American stores, hackers have managed to exploit code within the PSP version of the game, restoring the violent scenes and images thought to have been removed from the M-Rated build.

Chain store Kmart has decided to drop Blu-Ray players from their stores this Holiday, instead focussing sales on HD-DVD.

The hack essentially reverts the game back to the original ‘Adults Only’ build, removing Rockstar’s censorship filter; a filter put in place to allow classification of the more consumer-friendly ‘Mature’ rating. This latest incident sparks memories of ‘Hot Coffee’, an exploit found in Rockstar’s previous title GTA San Andreas that allowed the player to simulate sexual intercourse. The row led to many stores dropping the multi-million selling title and a forced reclassification of ‘AO’. As we publish there has been no official statement released by Rockstar and it is currently unknown as to whether the product will be recalled.

The decision to go exclusive isn’t supposedly due to an end-cap purchase, but due to the high cost of Blu-Ray players, whilst the price of HD-DVD players continues to fall. The chain will however continue to stock the Blu-Ray capable PlayStation 3.

COMING SOON

Why you won't be leaving the house for the next few months CRYSIS

SUPER MARIO GALAXY

MASS EFFECT

ASSASSIN’S CREED

UNCHARTED: DRAKE’S FORTUNE

If there’s one thing Crytek know how to do well it’s in delivering graphical behemoths. Returning three years after the beauty that was Far Cry, Crytek are looking to up the stakes again with their DX10 showcase Crysis. Set on a tropical island in the South China Sea, Crysis see’s our US Delta Force operative Jake Dunn fighting North Korean troops before an alien assault is unleashed unto Earth.

Unsurprisingly, Super Mario Galaxy has become the most anticipated title for the Wii so far with over a million copies pre-ordered by retailers ready for the Christmas rush, and we don’t blame them. Whether it’s slipping on the new Bee Suit or gulping down that infamous Super Mushroom, we can’t wait to guide the portly plumber around his new galactic surroundings on his quest to rescue Princess Peach.

EA’s acquisition of BioWare may have put the future of the Mass Effect trilogy in jeopardy before it’s even started, but regardless, we’re looking to be in for one heck of an inter-galactic ride when Mass Effect hits stores later this month.

After a disappointing show at this year’s E3 Assassin’s Creed mysteriously slipped into development shroud, and with the game due to hit in little under a month we’re still largely unaware of much of the story behind Ubisoft Montreal’s Prince of Persia/Hitman hybrid.

Sony’s next big hope for PS3 sees Naughty Dog swing back into action with their brand new IP Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune. Leaving Jak & Daxter behind (at least for the moment we hope) Naughty Dog have created what’s set to be another iconic franchise featuring an impressive mix of jungle action, puzzling...puzzle sections and some excellent storytelling.

Whether the gameplay can keep up with the graphical benchmark remains to be seen, but we’ll be upgrading our graphics card and ramping up our RAM when Crysis hits store shelves November 16th.

The true successor to Super Mario 64, Super Mario Galaxy hits shelves 16th November, and for everyone here at D+PAD, that date just can’t come soon enough.

As Commander Shepherd you’ll lead your team on a voyage through space on a mission to halt the armies of rogue agent Saren. D+PAD will be saving the galaxy November 23rd, and you might not see us for a while after.

What we do know though is encouraging, and the games inspired graphics and gameplay only further our opinion that this will be one to watch out for. D+PAD will be travelling through the Middle-East to hunt down evil-doers on November 16th.

The title the PS3 needs to boost its slow sales? Based on what we’ve seen and played so far, almost definitely. You can catch D+PAD’s review next issue before speedily rushing to your favourite retailer December 7th.

INTERVIEW

An Interview With... This month we sat down with the great guys and gals at Insomniac Games, the team behind legendary series Ratchet & Clank, Spyro The Dragon, Resistance: Fall of Man and...Disruptor? Read on to find out what they think of the PS3, Blu-Ray and life within the award-winning studio. D+PAD: First of all, thanks for taking the time to talk to us today. Tools of Destruction’s cinematics often feel very much like that of a Pixar animated movie. Were the team inspired by anything in particular during the creation of the game? Ryan Schneider: Thanks for the compliment! We’re big Pixar fans – it’s not uncommon to see Pixar movie memorabilia decorating people’s desks in the studio. When we set out to bring Ratchet & Clank to PlayStation 3, one of our goals was to create a Pixar-like experience that evoked the same sense of wonder and adventure, while enabling our players to truly care about the characters and their moral dilemmas on a deeper level. That said, it’s hard to

pinpoint just one aspect or another within the vast world of popular culture that directly inspired us during the creation of Ratchet & Clank: Tools of Destruction. Like you, we’re fans of a wide variety of movies, games, books, comics, television, online sites, etc. What do you think inspired us as you play Ratchet & Clank? D+: Well, we don’t think Captain Qwark would look out of place alongside Mr. Incredible! Other than the obvious graphical enhancements, what has the PS3 allowed you to do with Ratchet & Clank that you couldn’t with the previous PS2 titles? Brian Allgeier: One of the big advances the PS3 allows us to do is have a lot of activity on screen. While this could be

PROFILE COMPANY:

Insomniac Games

LOCATION:

Burbank, California, USA

FOUNDED:

1994

KEY TITLES:

Disruptor (1996) Spyro The Dragon (1998) Ratchet & Clank (2002) Resistance: FoM (2006) Ratchet & Clank: ToD (2007)

considered a “graphical enhancement” it does provide a lot of gameplay value. For instance, there are many occasions where they player will be fighting or interacting with characters in the foreground while new characters are entering the scene in the background. This frequently happens during some of the big battles in the game and creates tension that the player needs to think about both sets of enemies and how to take them out. On the PS2, we had more limitations with the number of enemies on screen and had to make trade-offs on how many enemies could be displayed in the foreground and in the background. On the PS3, we don’t have to make as many sacrifices. The SIXAXIS controller has also given us a

new way to control the action. In terms of Ratchet’s weapons, you can fire out tornadoes and steer them with the controller while at the same time moving Ratchet to avoid enemy fire. This is something we could not have done on the PS2 since we would have had to give up control of Ratchet. Having the SIXAXIS as a new control mode method has allowed us to come up with some fun and new forms of gameplay that feels much more immersive.

“ONE OF OUR GOALS WAS TO CREATE A PIXAR-LIKE EXPERIENCE”

INTERVIEW

08 an age where we have three very successful and unique consoles existing together. D+: Ratchet & Clank is incredibly popular with Japanese gamers, which is surprising given its Western background. Why do you think the series has achieved the success it has done in the East?

D+: Tools of Destruction plays very much like the earlier games in the Ratchet & Clank series focussing more on its platforming roots rather than the weapons-orientated games the series appeared to be forging into. Why was that decision made? BA: We felt that we had lost some of the magic from the earlier games by going in more of a “shooter” direction with the franchise. That sense of exploration, adventure, and discovery are qualities that became diminished the more we focused on combat. We felt that it was important to bring back the variety, the bizarre characters, secrets, and gadget-based gameplay that got people excited about the early Ratchet and Clanks. D+: You’ve previously stated that Tools of Destruction is based on the same engine as that used in Resistance. How have Insomniac taken that engine and improved it for R&C? RS: As you may know, Insomniac created its own proprietary PS3 engine that we enhance with each game we release. As a result, our technology helps us create bigger, prettier, faster and more explosive gameplay and it’s custom-tailored to the

PS3’s strengths. In R&C:ToD, the tangible examples of engine progression are most evident in our physics and effects systems. For example, players will experience up to four times the on-screen physics and effects activity as in Resistance: Fall of Man, but at double the framerate. Our engine team is also moving more of its core systems to the SPUs, enabling more efficient parallel processor management and therefore smoother gameplay.

RS: We work very hard to create a game experience that can have global appeal – whether it’s Resistance: Fall of Man or Ratchet & Clank. That extends to character and story development, as well as gameplay. We also work closely with Sony Computer Entertainment Japan, and take their feedback very seriously. For example, it was suggested that we alter Ratchet’s appearance in Japan with furry eyebrows to give him a more expressive quality in his face. As a result (and perhaps because he’s a great character with lots of abilities), Ratchet in Japan is one of the main mascots for the PlayStation brand. D+: As developers, what’s your take on the Blu-Ray vs. DVD debate? Resistance didn’t offer a clear visual advantage over 360’s Gears of War, so ultimately how important really is Blu-Ray in the production of next-gen games?

“IT WAS SUGGESTED WE ALTER RATCHET’S APPEARANCE IN JAPAN WITH FURRY EYEBROWS TO GIVE HIM A MORE EXPRESSIVE QUALITY” D+: How do you think Tools of Destruction will stand up against other platform adventures this year, such as Super Mario Galaxy and the innovation the Wii has afforded? RS: We don’t necessarily think that Super Mario Galaxy and Ratchet & Clank need to stand up “against” each other as you suggest, but rather they can complement each other to represent the best in action platforming today. Each game and franchise has its own strengths, and there’s certainly room for both to excel in

RS: We think Blu-Ray is very important in the production of next-gen games. For example, Ratchet & Clank: Tools of Destruction takes up 22.5GB of Blu-Ray disc space. More than half of that space is devoted to gameplay alone, meaning we couldn’t have created this specific Ratchet & Clank experience on any other console. Therefore, the type of game we set out to make would have been compromised right from the start.

“BLU-RAY IS VERY IMPORTANT. WE COULDN’T HAVE MADE [TOOLS OF DESTRUCTION] ON ANY OTHER CONSOLE” In addition, Blu-Ray helps cut publisher costs and enhance production efficiencies because we’re able to localize more than a dozen languages on one disc. As for our take on the Blu-Ray vs. HD-DVD debate…if that doesn’t indicate our position enough, well, we’ll leave the rest of the discussion to media, analysts and the forums. D+: It’s been reported that the PS3 is notoriously more difficult to develop for over rival consoles. Having released two quality titles in the space of a year, how much truth actually is there in these reports? Mike Acton, Engine Director: Another great question. First off, we can only comment on developing for PS3 since we're exclusive to that platform, but the main point I'd like to make here is that it is, in fact, not particularly difficult to develop for the PS3. Certainly the methods of last-generation game development aren't going to work well on PS3. Games need to be designed differently to take the most advantage of the platform. The designers of the PS3 at the same time both expected and enabled us, as developers, to take charge of our own technology and design systems that are small, fast and good. We're constantly evolving the core technology we've built here at Insomniac - learning and exploring better ways to take advantage of the machine. We believe that all of that work is not only paying off already in our games, but will serve us well into the next-next-generation of consoles.

This year we've seen quite a few examples of excellent technical achievement on the PlayStation 3 from a number of studios, and I'm quite sure that this is just the beginning. There's a lot of untapped power there, and as I said, it's not difficult to take advantage of it - it's just a little different and requires a commitment to doing things right.

INTERVIEW

09 D+: With an increasing amount of developers moving away from exclusivity and launching their games on multiple formats, what’s made you stick by Sony and continue to release exclusively for them? RS: We’ve had a close relationship with Sony Computer Entertainment now for more than 10 years. In that time, we’ve launched two highly successful franchises with their support across the globe. So, you could say that a strong track record and loyalty have been the driving factors behind why we continue to work with Sony exclusively. Further, philosophically we prefer to develop games for one platform exclusively so we can

“IT IS, IN FACT, NOT PARTICULARLY DIFFICULT TO DEVELOP FOR PS3 - IT JUST REQUIRES A COMMITMENT TO DOING THINGS RIGHT” customize our technology to the fullest extent. So far, review scores and sales have justified that decision. D+: Where do you see the platform genre going on next-generation consoles? There seems little has come along so far to expand and innovate the genre. Has the genre run its course? BA: I believe that over the years, many games including the Ratchet & Clank series have redefined what it means to be a “platform” game. For instance, on the first Ratchet & Clank we added weapons to the mix and instead of doing the typical “collect-a-thon”, we required gadgets as a way to progress through the levels. The Jak games and even the Prince of Persia series had platform roots, yet changed dramatically with each successive game. The line between genres is becoming much more blurred, and I think it’s getting harder to put games into any one category. Though Ratchet & Clank may be stylized characters and have “platform” roots, the series has matured in terms of its story, combat, and adventure aspects. While the days of “hop and bop” games might have run their course, I think there is a bright future for character-driven games that feature action and adventure. D+: Having worked on platform adventures for the past decade, what made the team go back its FPS roots by launching Resistance: Fall of Man alongside the PS3?

RS: Perhaps you said it best…we had worked on action platform adventures for the past decade! We wanted to do something different, yet at the same time hearken back to Insomniac’s true roots. As you allude, Insomniac’s first game was an FPS called Disruptor for the original PlayStation. It was often hailed as the “best game you’ve never heard of.” So, I suppose in a sense we wanted to make the best PS3 game players actually HAVE heard of! D+: Insomniac has been placing significant importance on online gaming way back since Ratchet and Clank 3, but it’s sadly missing from ToD. How important is it to have a decent online experience in your titles? Do you see yourselves continuing this trend a la Resistance, or is more emphasis going to be placed on single player again? RS: What’s most important to us at Insomniac is making a high-quality game experience – whether it’s online or offline. And, that game experience should match player desires and feedback for the franchise. For example, when it came to deciding upon including online for Ratchet & Clank: Tools of Destruction, we knew statistically that 90-plus percent of our R&C players were only playing the single-player game. That indicates we should be focusing heavily on the best single-player experience possible for the Ratchet & Clank franchise. Of course, for Resistance: Fall of Man, the numbers tell a different story. That’s why we’re investing so heavily in creating additional multiplayer maps and patch updates to support our rapidly growing online community.

D+: Does the structure of PlayStation Network hinder the growth of online games such as Resistance? Could the online portion of Resistance have been significantly expanded given a solid structure like that of Xbox Live? RS: It’s been great to have a network that can facilitate the map-pack downloads, demos and trailers for both Resistance: Fall of Man and Ratchet & Clank: Tools of Destruction. The number of users on PSN has been rising steadily and we absolutely plan to support them with more new content coming soon. Further, we’ve taken it upon ourselves at Insomniac to build what is probably the largest and most involved developersupported community for a PlayStation 3 game, MyResistance.net. Our fans have been thrilled with it, and we’re very much looking forward to supporting their passion for Resistance: Fall of Man moving forward. D+: Are there any titles that the team at Insomniac are looking forward to getting their hands on in the future? RS: I can’t speak for the entire studio, but I know many people are excited about Uncharted, Super Mario Galaxy and Call of Duty 4. Of course, we all wait patiently for MGS4 too!

“THE DAYS OF ‘HOP AND BOP’ GAMES MIGHT HAVE RUN THEIR COURSE”

D+: Now that development on Tools of Destruction is complete are there any other projects the team are hard at work on? Can we look forward to a sequel to Resistance any time soon? RS: Doh! Looks like I’ve got to jump into a meeting…I’ll get back to you on this one… Ratchet & Clank: Tools of Destruction is out now on PlayStation 3. Flick over to p.27 for our verdict.

FEATURE

By Paul Raven Unless you've spent the last year or so under a very large rock without an internet connection, you've probably heard of Second Life. Depending on where and when you heard about it, you'll believe a variety of different things.

WTF is Second Life? You may have heard that it's the communications platform of the future; that it's an MMO where you can set up a business and make real money; that it's a lawless paradise for geeks; that it's full of porn and gambling and other quasi-legal activities. You may have heard that everything you see is made by the residents themselves; that anthropomorphic animals wander around the same virtual streets as giant robots, post-apocalyptic warriors and bling-drenched strippers; that it's bug-ridden, and constantly on the edge of financial or social collapse. You may have heard that it's addictive, and more fun than real life (or 'RL' to SL residents). All of these things are partially true, to a greater or lesser extent. Imagine the collective imaginations, aspirations and lusts of a global cross-section of the internet-savvy community as a vast bag of sand. Now empty that bag of sand out onto a map the size of a large metropolis. That's Second Life.

The Basics Much like any other MMO, when you first log in you choose a name for and take control of an online representation of yourself â&#x20AC;&#x201C; an avatar ('av', or 'avvy', as the locals would say it). The locations where you first materialise have tutorials to teach you how to move around and interact with the objects and other avatars in the world, and 'sandboxes' where you can take your first steps at building, if you fancy it. But that's where the relationship to other MMOs ends, because that's where the regulations stop (except the legal Terms of Service, of course). There's no grand unifying plot; no theme, no quest, no rules ... and no end. Second Life is not a game â&#x20AC;&#x201C; although it contains locations which are games, and you can treat it as a game if you prefer (provided you don't go out of your way to upset people who don't want to play the same game, a practice known as 'griefing'). But before you make any long term decisions, it's time to head out into the big wide world ... and meet the other residents.

FEATURE

The Weird ... Let's get the bad stuff out of the way first. Second Life is a lot like the web was during the mid-nineties - populated by enthusiast early-adopters, economically supported by vice and scams, bursting with potential but flawed in its execution. Take a wander round the mainland, and you'll see more crass amateur commercialism and banality than you imagined could ever exist in one place, virtual or otherwise. Except maybe Soho. There were loads of virtual casinos until very recently, when they were outlawed by Linden Lab, SL's creators. There are still masses of locations devoted to cybersex of every flavour, from vanilla one-on-one to bukkake, Gorean sadomasochism (based on the fictional society from a series of truly awful pulp fantasy novels) and anthro-bestiality. There's bad music, worse fashion ... and no shortage of rampant n00bism, 1337ism and rogue griefing squads. In a world where anything goes, well, everything goes. You can guarantee that if you have a, er, 'specialist interest', it's catered for somewhere.

... And The Wonderful But it's not all bad; far from it. Within that mass of sand are some hidden jewels. In fact, rather a lot of them, once you get the knack of knowing where to look and who to ask. For the hardcore gamer, there are a number of regions which have been turned into immersive RPG environments. For example, there's urban horror-fantasy like the violent Wild West experience of Tombstone, and the post-apocalyptic community of The Wastelands (where your humble correspondent keeps his own virtual pied a terre). Then there are the places that are just pure eye-candy, be it aesthetic or educational. Relax and groove to ambient music in a simulated starscape at Spindrift. Wander the lush tropical gardens of Svarga (now sadly minus its once-fully-functioning ecosystem, but still a spectacle worth seeing), the post-human cyberpunk cityscape of Nexus Prime at Gibson, or the steampunk Victoriana of Babbage Square and Caledon.

A Genuine Community And then there's the social aspect. One of the most frequent criticisms leveled at Second Life is that it's "just IRC with 3D graphics". While that's a huge simplification, it has more than a grain of truth to it - and I'd say that's actually what makes it so appealing. It is a lot like chat - though now there's a voice option, if you choose to use it. But SL's as different from IRC as an evening at the pub with your friends is different to a phone call to a stranger.

FEATURE

A User-Created World All the above could be said of most MMO games and communities, but there's one thing that makes Second Life truly unique, and that enables all the wild and crazy stuff to happen – in Second Life, anyone can build anything they want. Seriously – if you can imagine it, and you take the time to learn the building tools, you can create absolutely anything: jewelery, haircuts, boots and coats; cars, skateboards, motorbikes and helicopters; guns, swords, bazookas and giant cups of scalding hot coffee (don't laugh – they're deadly in the right hands); shacks, mansions, fallout shelters and futuristic factories. You can build yourself an entirely new body without no constraints – reinvent yourself as a werewolf, or a robot, or a thirty foot long fire-breathing dragon, or a cuddly toy with a mind of its own.

Digital DIY It takes a little time to grasp the basics. The building tools revolve around the idea of taking basic three-dimensional shapes and slicing, bending or twisting them into variant sizes and forms – which can then be combined together, and given 'textures' from graphics files to change the colour and look of the surfaces. The more advanced stuff requires you to go beyond the SL interface, but if you have a mild proficiency with Photoshop (or the free alternative HY Paint.net), you'll have little trouble – and if you do, a quick Google will turn up countless tutorials written by other enthusiasts. Your only limitations are your imagination and your time. Of course, not all of us can spend hours and hours each day practicing our virtual architecture skills. But there's a significant number of people who do, and that plays into your favour because you can pay them to make things for you.

A Fully Functional Economy

The End... And The Beginning

Just like many other MMOs, you can buy and sell goods and services in Second Life. The big difference being that SL is one of the very few where it is not just fully legal but encouraged for users to buy in-world credits (“Linden Dollars”, or L$) using real-world money via PayPal or credit card ... and to convert it back again.

I don't have space here to even begin describing it, really. Second Life is a world of possibility, a paradise with snakes in the grass, an acid vision of a possible future. It's weird, sometimes maddening, but full of surprises and always great fun.

The end result of this is a hefty sprinkling of entrepreneurs running their own businesses in SL. The vast majority merely break even, with perhaps a few extra Lindens as pocket money. But there are a few who actually make a living in the real world from their virtual toil, by selling off-the-rack fashions or objects to other users, building custom homes or vehicles ... ... or simply doing the wheeler-dealer business that RL is full of. The infamous Anshe Chung - the first person to make more than US$1million from transactions based only in Second Life – made her fortune by buying land in bulk and renting back small parcels to individuals. A business model as old as civilisation itself, alive and well in the metaverse. And like any real economy, it has its scams and frauds – witness ginko - the recent collapse of Ginko Financial, a Ponzi scheme masquerading as a high interest in-world investment bank. There's no reason to be scared, though – just don't sign up to anything that looks too good to be true. Another way in which SL is just like RL!

And vvit's free to try it out, so why not take an hour or two and visit another reality? And keep an eye out here at D+PAD - I'll be reporting back from the other side of the metaverse membrane on the coolest and weirdest stuff to see and do.

PREVIEWS

13 14

GOD OF WAR CHAINS OF OLYMPUS PSP

THIS MONTH’S BIG RELEASES 09/11/07 Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (360, PS3, DS, PC) Gears of War (PC) Ratchet & Clank: Tools of Destruction (PS3) WWE: Smackdown vs. Raw 2008 (360, PS3, PS2) 16/11/07 Assassin’s Creed (360, PS3) Blacksite: Area 51 (360, PC) Crysis (PC) Super Mario Galaxy (Wii) 23/11/07 Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation (360) Guitar Hero III (360, PS3, PS2, Wii) Haze (PS3) Kane & Lynch: Dead Men (360, PS3, PC) Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games (Wii) Mass Effect (360) Need For Speed: ProStreet (Multi)

PS3, 360, PC

It’s been another great month for games, but there’s still plenty more around the corner! We kick start this month’s previews with a look at Kratos’ latest adventure, Chains of Olympus. Our fearsome Spartan has shrunk to pocket-size proportions for his next outing on PSP, but it’s still looking to be equally as epic as the home console versions. We’ll also be taking a trip down Hell’s Highway as we get to grips with the latest Brothers In Arms game to come out of Gearbox. Needless to say, it’s shaping up to be one hell of a ride. Just turn to page 16 for that one.

RESIDENT EVIL: THE UMBRELLA CHRONICLES Wii

HAZE

PS3

In addition to those we’ve got the return of Resident Evil, making another outing on Wii with The Umbrella Chronicles, as well as the latest look at Free Radical’s next-gen debut, Haze, before wrapping up with Ace Combat 6 and Eidos’ next big hope Kane & Lynch. 22

D+PAD’S MOST WANTED

UNCHARTED: DRAKE’S FORTUNE

BROTHERS IN ARMS: HELL’S HIGHWAY

MASS EFFECT

ACE COMBAT 6 FIRES OF LIBERATION 360

SUPER MARIO GALAXY

KANE & LYNCH: DEAD MEN 360, PS3, PC

PREVIEWS

GOD OF WAR

CHAINS OF OLYMPUS Everyone's favourite martial deity is hacking his way onto the PSP. But can the scale and grandeur of Kratos' previous adventures make the translation to the small screen intact?

Well, it's looking very promising so far. This time round development duties are being handled by Ready at Dawn, who, having proven their abilities in the handheld realm with the impressive Daxter, seem a natural choice for a game as technically demanding as the God of War series. The first two games pushed the aging PS2 architecture to its limits, with spectacular results, and true to form, the latest entry into the franchise will be squeezing every last drop of visual fidelity out of the PSP as well.

FORMAT PSP PUBLISHER Sony DEVELOPER Ready At Dawn RELEASE March 2008 PREVIEWED BY Ian Tellam

It may be a shrunk down version, but one look at the screens will confirm that this is undoubtedly the God of War you know and love. It speaks volumes for the power of the PSP that the game has survived the transfer without any real compromise. Proof, if any were still needed, that the PlayStation Portable really is a home console in your pocket.

Visuals aside, the miniaturisation process does present other hurdles for the developer to overcome. The PSP isn't as button-rich as its TV-tethered brethren, and God of War is hardly known for it's simplistic control scheme. One change seen so far is the movement of the dodge function from the right stick on the Dual Shock to a combination of the L and R buttons and the left stick on the PSP; a simple change but one that, by all accounts, works extremely well. Whether this means the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Rage of the Godsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; power-up move - which used a similar shoulder button combo on the PS2 - has bitten the dust or has been otherwise remapped itself isn't yet clear.

PREVIEWS

15 Players interested in the mythos and plot of the God of War universe, such as it is, will find plenty of fleshing out of Kratos' character in this iteration. Rather than being a sequel to the previous game (presumably being dealt with in the upcoming God of War 3) the PSP game takes us back to a point in time just after our hero (or indeed anti-hero) is tricked by the god Aries into the slaying of his own family. Now, fulfilling his life of servitude to the gods of Olympus, Kratos must undertake a series of crusades throughout the ancient world, all the while, of course, slicing apart a plethora of mythological beasties in his inimitable gore drenched fashion. Die hard fans of the series may also be intrigued to hear about a possible appearance of Kratosâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; enigmatic brother, who was alluded to briefly in the bonus features of the first game.

Chains of Olympus is scheduled for release early next year and is looking to be a compulsory purchase for PSP owners. Even if youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve avoided the PSP up until now, perhaps God of War is enough to push you over the edge.

PREVIEWS

BROTHERS IN ARMS HELL’S HIGHWAY It's September 1944. You are parachuted in flak ridden skies to southern Netherlands as part of the biggest air operation known to man, Operation Market Garden, an allied offensive designed to reclaim key road bridges in German occupied Netherlands, clear the way for crucial supplies and halt the southerly advancing enemy.

Highway 69, a main supply route identified by allied forces, heavily guarded by German infantry and installations. As Squad Leader Sergeant Matt Baker of the 101st American Airborne Division, it's your job to lead your men into battle and secure the rights of passage. Enter, Hell’s Highway. FORMAT 360, PS3, PC PUBLISHER Ubisoft DEVELOPER Gearbox Software RELEASE Q1 2008 PREVIEWED BY Stefan Goerke-Hewitt

Other WWII shooters (and let’s face it, there's no shortage of choice) have touched upon the

heroic efforts of this 34,000 strong allied offensive, but Gearbox Software's charismatic President, Randy Pitchford, has made no bones about it; Brothers In Arms: Hell's Highway is 'tightly focussed' on those few days in September 1944. So much so that Gearbox researched war-torn Netherlands to recreate an authentic environment true to the days throughout Operation Market Garden. Using Unreal Engine 3 technology there’s an outstanding attention to detail; what you see in the game really was there back in 1944 as you retrace the steps of fallen comrades. To increase authenticity further, retired United States soldier Colonel John Antal has been drafted in as historical director and military advisor. Expect weapons, equipment and events to be present and correct too in effervescent detail.

The series has made good of differentiating itself from other WWII console shooters by the virtue of its gameplay mechanics, emphasising your role as squad leader BIA: HH isn't your normal run and gun affair. During battle (and in real-time using a context sensitive command module) you will find yourself under pressure to command your squad. Flanking has always been the name of the game in BIA; taking the time to think through your options and strategically find areas of weakness in the Nazi enemy’s defence, rather than simply charging through their lines. What always set BIA apart from the competition was the satisfaction of knowing that the enemy is just as smart as you, but it was your

PREVIEWS

17 actions that created the opportunity for victory. Ordering a squad to create suppressive fire whilst you creep around their flank, taking them out from behind with a well placed grenade, the resultant blast played back in slow-motion; Hell’s Highway is looking to further that feeling of achievement in leaps and bounds. Red mist also plays a convincing part too in the gameplay too. As German soldiers open fire the background fades to a rich blood red indicating your vulnerability and blurring enemy positions as you peer over cover. In contrast, foreground cover spots stay rich in colour. Take the hint, get down, take cover and let the environment change back to its natural state. The system works fantastically well, a visceral and beautifully implemented way of telling the player of impending danger. You'll have to be careful about which objects you decide to take cover behind too. Wooden objects won’t last long; fences shred and crates crumble under the power of enemy weaponry. Brick walls may provide sufficient cover and sand bags will do a good job of stopping bullets but you’ve always got to be aware of what weaponry the enemy is packing. You’ll be hard pushed to find something to stop the blast from an incoming Panzerschreck.These gameplay elements should combine to provide plenty of scope for immersive tactical warfare as you command your squad and concentrate on your own survival while the battle plays out in front of you without pause. Like previous Brothers In Arms games, Hell's Highway will entwine the stories of young men, battlefield excursions and a love for 'Stella' (a bazooka no less!) to provide a sense of brotherhood amongst your squad as well as a genuine feeling of camaraderie. If a squad member is downed or stumbles to the ground someone will backtrack and assist them to cover. You’ll feel a genuine sense of emotion as you attach yourself to the characters within your squad, something other WWII shooters have often tried but never quite achieved. With the promise of improved A.I. and emotional attachment, we are eagerly anticipating the final release of the dramatically breathtaking and intense WWII experience due for release in 2008. The continuing wait may be agonising, but for what could be the greatest WWII shooter ever made, may well be worth it.

PREVIEWS

RESIDENT EVIL

THE UMBRELLA CHRONICLES After treating us to the superbly revamped edition of Resident Evil 4, Capcom are preparing to hand Wii owners another slice of Resi pie with a brand new instalment to the series, The Umbrella Chronicles.

Focusing on the downfall of the Umbrella Corporation, Chronicles will give players the chance to revisit key locations from the previous games, such as the infamous mansion from the original, the zombie infested remains of Racoon City from Resi 3, and the train ride from hell from Resident Evil 0. As well as those trips down memory lane, you’ll be whisked away to Umbrella’s stronghold in Russia to play out a freshly cooked up scenario set several years after the aforementioned events.

FORMAT Wii PUBLISHER Capcom DEVELOPER Capcom RELEASE November PREVIEWED BY Andrew Bell

Umbrella Chronicles marks the first time that the locales seen in the earlier entries of the series will be realised in their full 3D potential, rather than the pre-rendered backgrounds from the games they originated from. And if that wasn’t enough of a mouthwatering prospect for the many diehard fans of the series, a host of familiar faces from the many Resi games gone by, including Chris

Redfield, Rebecca Chambers and Albert Wesker, are set to return to the spotlight as playable characters.

Set from a first person perspective, Chronicles plays out as an on-rails shooter with your trusty Wii Remote used as your weapon, and much like most other shooters we’ve seen on Wii so far, the control system is fairly intuitive. The remote is used to control the targeting reticule with the B-trigger used to open fire

on your zombie foes. The Nunchuck’s analogue stick navigates the player’s orientation, whilst the d-pad is used to alternate between weapons. One of the most exciting elements about the control scheme this time around is the support for the Wii Zapper add-on. With your Wii Remote transformed into an all powerful piece of weaponry, the Zapper’s compatibility will hopefully make gunning down the hordes of bloodthirsty zombies a hell of a lot more satisfying. By using certain weaponry you are able to destroy the environment and objects around you, a promising feature that may lead to uncovering hidden secrets, and previously

PREVIEWS

19 inaccessible items. And for all you deadly arms fans out there, Chronicles is set to boast an impressive amount of artillery, ranging from your trustworthy pistol to beefed up rocket launchers. Another exciting prospect is the ability to choose different routes throughout the game. Providing that these choices occur frequently enough, this should hopefully make the game a much meatier package by throwing in some all-important replay value. And if you’re not up to the task alone, you could always bring along a friend. Umbrella Chronicles offers two-player co-op, and based on what we’ve seen of the game so far, it’s set to be should be a great addition and hopefully the source of some fantastic multiplayer entertainment.

UC will feature 480p and 16:9 Widescreen support, and looking at what we’ve seen so far, graphically things seem to be shaping up nicely. Of course, it won’t push the 360/PS3-only Resident Evil 5, but looking at the bloodstained zombies lunging towards your juicy brains within the typically dark and despair inducing environments around you, Chronicles should still prove to be one of the better looking games on Wii.

From what we’ve seen so far, The Umbrella Chronicles is definitely one worth getting excited about, and we’re quietly confident that this next entry in the legendary series will easily follow in the footsteps of RE4 and come out as one of the Wii’s best games yet.

PREVIEWS

HAZE

As the next-gen bandwagon gets out of first gear and picks up speed as 2008 draws over the horizon, we at D+PAD can’t help but ask ourselves “what exactly does ‘next-gen’ mean anyway?” Is it waggle? Is it Live? Is it HD graphical goodness? According to Free Radical Design, the Nottingham-based developer responsible for the outstanding TimeSplitters series, the change to next-gen is in ‘us‘, ready to be unlocked. It’s our perception and immersion on an emotional level that is important in next-gen games, they claim. Realistic graphics and physics engines increase the sensation of this slightly, but Free Radical’s latest, Haze, strides to ask us the question of “why” you’re doing what you’re doing.

FORMAT PlayStation 3 PUBLISHER Ubisoft DEVELOPER Free Radical RELEASE November PREVIEWED BY Graham Naunton

Haze, in some ways, hopes to make us feel things we’ve never felt in a videogame before. Guilt? Regret? Perhaps even the questioning of our own morality. Ambitious and utterly pretentious it may seem, but with the barrage of shooters coming our way in the coming months (the sheer volume of which the genre arguably hasn’t seen before), it’s imperative and completely necessary to try something new to stand out amongst the heavily tooled crowd.

Haze’s creative director, Derek Littlewood, elaborates, “We wanted a narrative that engaged the player emotionally on levels other than the most simplistic feelings that games tend to hit on – anger, sadness, excitement…the interesting thing [about games in comparison to other story telling medium] is that the player’s sense of complicity is much higher, because it is you there doing it. You’re there running around shooting people, then you go back and look at what you’ve done.”

What Littlewood says is true, but surely it’s nothing new. We can blast up a room full of Combine hordes in Half Life 2, feel chuffed to have made it in one piece, and then move on. Haze however, as Free Radical recently let slip, has your character (stereotypical bad-ass Shane Carpenter) fighting for both sides of the battlefield. As the dominant PMC Mantel Corporation, whose task it is to quell the uprising of terrorist faction Promised Hand, you have access to the corporation’s weapons and tools, including Nectar. Nectar is the drug dispensed by the company which, once taken, enhances your battle skills in a number of ways, such as deadly melee combat, increased aiming accuracy and awareness of enemies (appearing in a bright

PREVIEWS

21 orange glow). It’s an interesting gameplay concept - a gauge appears in the ‘administering’ period requiring timed button presses (reminiscent of boosting in Burnout Revenges’ Crash mode) to determine the hit of the drug you get. But don’t get high on your own supply, will you? You don’t want to be shooting your squad mates in the face by accident whilst choking on your own vomit for getting the button timing wrong. Then, in an as yet unknown why plot twist, you side with the rebels and take the fight to Mantel, where we see the dark face of the Corporation, whose policies and beliefs you’ve been lead to believe aren’t what they seem. As Promised Hand, Nectar suddenly can be used as a weapon (grenades and Nectar smeared blades), and exploiting weaknesses to soldiers you were once fighting alongside. Here, we see Littlewoods’ and Free Radicals point – you’ve just spent half the game laying waste to Promised Hand, but who is the real bad guy? Was it you? Should your earlier orders be questioned? What was Nectar actually doing to you? For one thing, we know it conveniently shields your eyes from the horrors of conflict – bloodied corpses and general devastation are rendered invisible when under a Haze induced combat high. As Promised Hand, the gruesome truth is made clear. It can even be used as a tool against the Mantel foot soldiers – down to a slither of health, fool the Mantel grunts by playing dead, then leap up to shoot them in the back. It’s clear that Haze is trying something different, both in the story it wants to tell and in the drug-taking Nectar manipulation gameplay of both sides. Sceptics may argue that such attempt at sophisticated narration simply isn’t possible in the FPS genre. Half Life, and more recently BioShock, say otherwise. In any case, if you couldn’t care less about the politics of war and the soul-searching the developers ask of you, seek comfort in the fact that Free Radical’s reputation in the genre is nothing less than stellar. And with the added bonus of four player co-op, expect Haze to be another impressive string to Free Radical’s bow.

PREVIEWS

ACE COMBAT 6 FIRES OF LIBERATION Look, up there in the sky! Is it a bird? Is it a plane? The third line never comes but that isn’t to say Ace Combat 6 will be short on heroes. The next instalment in the ever popular franchise seems to be placing quite an emphasis on the story, continuing the trend set by the last few Ace Combat games. As you ease onto the throttle, pirouette at the speed of sound and dodge an incoming missile you’ll also be reminded of the fight on the ground, hopefully translating to dogfights and aerial bombardments that are not simply a case of meeting objective a, b and c. This time, it’s personal.

FORMAT Xbox 360 PUBLISHER Atari DEVELOPER Namco Bandai RELEASE November PREVIEWED BY Greg Latham

The Ace Combat series has always been an arcade game at heart, earning itself an array of loyal followers keen on its durable play mechanics and exceptional presentation. However whilst the neon glitz and razzle dazzle of the arcade style suit its play mechanics, those who have found the series’ vintage cheddar emblazoned dialogue and

plot twists to be a frequent source of cringe worthy embarrassment may not find a safe haven of gritty war drama within the latest plot.

Those who have watched the latest trailer or took to the skies in the E3 demo will know that the story revolves around the fictional coastal city of Gracemeria and the antagonist nation of Estovakia that launches a Pearl Harbour-esque attack to ignite the conflict. There is more to this equation than meets the eye though. Taking the reigns of a high speed fighter jet, the story takes on a more personal note as elements of the story evolve on a personal level, focusing on your partner and child trapped in the war-torn streets below. It’s uncertain whether the story will remain endearingly charming in a nonsensical sort of way, or whether the cut scenes, of which look to be plentiful, will drain the adrenaline from your veins and plunge you into a vegetative gaming state.

PREVIEWS

23 Regardless of whether the story manages to reach a feverish climax or whether its cheese has been aged to perfection, the series’ aerial combat has always been the main attraction. Thrusting you into the cockpit of over 20 licensed fighter jets you’ll have the chance to flaunt your craft on the runway before taking to the skies and dancing with your fellow angels, as the trailers so eloquently pose the prospect of unleashing dozens of sidewinder missiles. The controls strike a balance between simulation and arcade, allowing the player to pull off feasible aerial manoeuvres without weighing them down with tedious scientific boundaries. Whilst Namco has decided to include a control option for flight genre novices, the standard control option allows unparalleled control of your aircraft in the new ‘living battlefields’. From 20,000ft the battlefields are breathtaking; trails of smoke claw their deadly paths through the sky, explosions glimmer on the horizon and your fellow allied forces fight it out below. However these forces are no longer mere wartime eye candy, combat seems to be taking on a slightly more tactical slant with a dynamic operations system now at your disposal. Although your wingmen can be designated to cover or attack with you, the system now allows you to control ground and naval units via the d-pad to unleash a devastating attack on the rival Estovakian forces. The system sounds interesting and is undoubtedly an opportunity for the developers to showcase the game’s impressive graphical engine, but the tactical nature of the system may run the risk of feeling somewhat contrived with the end result having as much substance as an illustrious fireworks display. Namco also appear to be taking advantage of the Xbox Live service, and will be packaging a fairly substantial online multiplayer component to compliment the games campaign mode. It’s a logical but exciting decision that may finally be able to quench millions of gamer’s dreams of taking to the skies and imposing themselves as the Top Gun of the online world. Confirmed game modes so far include 16 player Battle Royale, Team Battle, Siege Battle and Co-Op battle, and with fully fledged leader boards the game should prove to be a respectable contender for your online hours this winter. Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation looks set to be an exciting instalment in the series that expands on the tried and trusted formula present in previous iterations whilst adding new co-op and online multiplayer modes. The story could possibly sour what looks to be a thrilling single player campaign and the new tactical elements could merely end up as a hollow diversion in the heat of battle, but it’s clear Namco are taking steps in the right direction for their series debut on the Xbox 360.

PREVIEWS

KANE & LYNCH DEAD MEN As the debate of cinema’s growing influence over game developers and vice-versa continues apace, perhaps none are more versed on the topic than Danish developers IO Interactive. With the theatrical release of their most successful series, Hitman, due for release in November, the film rights for this, their latest original IP, have already been picked up by Hollywood studios. Yet whilst you’ll have to wait till 2009 for Kane and Lynch: The Movie, we’re literally weeks away from the odd-couple crime shooter’s console debut.

FORMAT 360, PS3, PC PUBLISHER Eidos DEVELOPER IO Interactive RELEASE November PREVIEWED BY Emmet Purcell

Clearly inspired by Michael Mann flicks Heat and Collateral (a nearly identical nightclub of which has already been showcased), the beauty of this action co-op lies within its intricately realised anti-heroes. There’s Kane, a cold, calculating, ex-mercenary and the lead character of the title itself. And then there’s Lynch, a paranoid schizophrenic who pops his medication pills in the heat of battle.

Unless user controlled in two-player co-op, he’s liable to up the ante of any shootout with his scarily unpredictable actions. The game’s opening level looks to establish the antagonistic and untrustworthy interplay of both characters, death row residents who through a bungled rescue mission from Kane’s presumed dead mercenaries (The Seven) are entrusted in assuring the others survival. When the group’s true intentions become clear it becomes obvious both men are going to need each other’s help a lot more than they might like.

PREVIEWS

25 Dramatic and intense, the gunplay is stylishly handled and evokes that famous bank robbery scene of the aforementioned Heat. If further scenarios have been as well thought-out (and with IO at the helm, there’s reason to suggest they are), we could be looking at the start of an iconic franchise. One of the most intriguing aspects of the title was the recently revealed online mode, “Fragile Alliance”. A veritable cops and robbers simulator, a team of up to 8 players are given the task of completing a bank heist, with the windfall shared amongst the surviving players. However if fewer players survive with the cash, the more money can be made by a morally-dubious gamer. Thus double crossings and backstabbing are the order of the day. Downed players will then re-emerge as cops, whilst any gamer that sneakily shoots a comrade will be given a huge visible “traitor” tag to warn members of their intentions. An ingenious take on the standard online death match, it’s a reveal that was so shrouded in secrecy that it’s the proverbial icing on an already delicious-looking cake. Intense shootouts, foul language and ultra-violence; there’s so much to love about Kane and Lynch: Dead Men. We’re hoping the stylish gunplay and well rounded characterisation come together to provide a surprise hit amongst the over-familiar Christmas juggernauts this November.

REVIEWS

26 27

RATCHET & CLANK TOOLS OF DESTRUCTION PS3

CALL OF DUTY 4

THE ORANGE BOX

36 38

REVIEW SCORES An essential purchase. If you own the console, you need this game A great game that provides hours of entertainment Good fun but ultimately nothing special If you're a fan it might just be worth a rental

Dismal, avoid

Another month, another jam-packed review line-up! This month we take a look at The Orange Box, a game we’re sure you’re aware contains no less than five titles. Two of them are already renowned as classic material, but how do the others stand up? Flick over to p.33 for our review of the Box.

360, PS3, PC

ZELDA: PHANTOM HOURGLASS DS

METROID PRIME 3

PROJECT GOTHAM RACING 4

360

PRO EVOLUTION SOCCER 2008

FIFA 08

SEGA RALLY

THE EYE OF JUDGMENT

What’s more we’ve got the annual football (sorry, soccer) battle as this year’s FIFA looks to jostle the almighty PES off the footy throne. It was a close-run thing the last time around, can FIFA finally manage to rein victorious this year?

FOLKLORE

CRASH OF THE TITANS

We’ve also managed to sneak in a review of Call of Duty 4, arriving at our door mere minutes before we were originally due to hit that upload button!

FOOTBALL MANAGER 2008

DONKEY KONG: JUNGLE CLIMBER

We also get to grips with Link’s latest handheld adventure in The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass, before taking a 200mph trip around the world’s most glorious cities with our review of Project Gotham Racing 4.

First up though, everyone’s favourite Lombax and his robot buddy are back to make their next-gen debut...

54 55

D+PAD’S MOST PLAYED

56 57 57 58

CALL OF DUTY 4

360, PS3, PC, DS

R&C: TOOLS OF DESTRUCTION

THE ORANGE BOX

MULTI

360, PS3, PC PS3

PS3

MULTI

PC, MAC DS

JAM SESSIONS

SKATE 360, PS3

MYSIMS

Wii, DS

TOMB RAIDER: ANNIVERSARY

360

CONAN

360, PS3

COH: OPPOSING FRONTS

JACKASS: THE GAME

PS2, PSP

REVIEWS

27 We are home, Ratchet

RATCHET & CLANK TOOLS OF DESTRUCTION Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s always difficult to re-launch a series on next-generation hardware, especially one that comes with such high expectations as that of PS2 mascots Ratchet & Clank. Many have tried and many have failed - we need only look at Tomb Raider: Angel of Darkness to see quite how badly things can go wrong - but with Insomniac at the helm, D+PAD was always confident that the award-winning developer would be able to deliver. And boy, have they...

FORMAT PlayStation 3 PUBLISHER Sony DEVELOPER Insomniac Games REVIEWED BY David Scammell

REVIEWS

Tools of Destruction kicks off with our two heroes Ratchet & Clank receiving a distress call from the series’ lovable “super-hero” Captain Qwark, who’s managed to find himself under fire from the forces of the evil Cragmite, Emperor Percival Tachyon. Narrowly escaping the evil Emperor’s clutches, our heroes head off into the Polaris Galaxy where they’re told of the “Lombax Secret”, duly setting off on an inter-galactic mission to learn of their past. Unlike recent titles in the R&C series, Tools of Destruction doesn’t feature any multi-player modes, and whilst that may be somewhat disappointing given Insomniac’s push for multi-player in the past, it’s allowed the developers to pour their heart and soul into the single-player. And what heart there is. The story of ToD is arguably the series’ best, filled with an excellent script that will charm both young and old alike. And whilst the awkward slap-stick moments may not appeal to some, the fantastically witty one-liners do more than make up for it. If there was ever a game that felt as if you were playing through a Pixar animated movie, ToD is it. Without doubt, Tools of Destruction is the best looking title

available on the console to date, packed with some of the finest animation and visual majesty you’ll have ever seen. Granted there can be the occasional graphical hiccup but for the most part Tools of Destruction is a visual tour de force. It’s refreshing that, in a gaming world rapidly turning to murky colour palettes, the bright and glorious colours of ToD are quite so magnificent they appear to literally burst from your HDTV. It seems Insomniac took Sony’s “Colour Like No Other” campaign to another level when thinking up Tools of Destruction. So once you’ve gotten over the initial visual splendour, what of the actual gameplay? Tools of Destruction will feel familiar to anyone that has ever played a Ratchet & Clank game in the past; traverse through various environments, navigate gaps and grind rails, and generally cause as much devastation as possible along the way. There’s nothing truly groundbreaking, but it’s never felt quite this good before. As well as making a visually glorious game, Insomniac have tweaked and modified the mechanics existent in the previous titles to make for the perfect Ratchet & Clank. As has always been central to the series, the crazy weaponry and wild gadgets are

back with a bang. There may be some clangers (the highly touted SIXAXISenabled Tornado Launcher just being too fiddly to use effectively) but almost all of the weaponry is highly inventive, greatly satisfying and, of course, extremely destructive. Ranging from futuristic pistols, to long range homing missiles and melee-style electric whips, there’s something for each different person’s style of play, and almost all feel useful in any given situation. Our particular favourite is the death-toting bot Mr Zurkon, who both protects and amuses our two heroes as he whittles off hilarious one-liners to the beat of his mounted laser cannon. To give too much more information away regards the weaponry would ruin the enjoyment of unlocking each one, but suffice to say you won’t be disappointed. As well as unlocking all new weapons you’ll also be given the chance to upgrade existing ones into destructive behemoths, either by purchasing upgrades using Raritanium, or by gaining experience points through using the weapon, which, upon reaching the maximum level, unlocks a special enhancement allowing you to cause even more devastation. Both systems work incredibly well and neither disturb the flow of the gameplay.

REVIEWS

29 “A WELCOME RETURN TO FORM...AN ESSENTIAL PURCHASE. ”

Unsurprisingly the story of Tools of Destruction makes for a fairly linear experience, only ever requiring one path to be taken in order to progress. To counter-balance this, once you unlock your ship early on in the game, inter-galactic exploration becomes encouraged. By re-visiting the numerous different planets once you’ve acquired the relevant gadget or weapon, you’ll be able to explore previously inaccessible areas and hunt down more of those all important Leviathan souls (the souls of flying beasts that once captured can be sold to wandering tradesmen). Re-treading previous ground may be a familiar affair in platform adventures, but Insomniac have done a great job in never making the back-tracking feel tedious or unnecessary. And of course what would be a PS3 game without the use of the SIXAXIS which, for once, feels perfectly implemented. Twisting the controller to guide Ratchet as he free-falls between futuristic hover cars and incoming missiles, gently turning it to glide the twosome throughout the vast levels with the awesome Robo-Wings, or simply directing a geo-laser around the screen in order to cut through a brick wall. For a feature regularly described as being superfluous, Insomniac have managed to put the hardware to fantastic use.

After the slightly disappointing Ratchet Gladiator (or Ratchet: Deadlocked to our American friends), Tools of Destruction is a welcome return to form for the series and an essential purchase for any fan. Filled with charm and character as well as being a highly enjoyable action-packed romp from start to finish, Ratchet & Clank Tools of Destruction is the king of next-gen platform adventures.

VERDICT

REVIEWS

CALL OF DUTY 4 Let’s do ‘dis

MODERN WARFARE When Infinity Ward first unveiled Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, public reaction was split right down the middle. Moving out of their World War II comfort zone and into a gritty modern-day setting, many were curious as to the reasons why, believing that the award-winning development studio had perhaps bitten off more than they could chew. After all, the modern-day shooter genre is already packed with sublime quality and it would truly take something special to even make a mark. On the flipside, many of us welcomed the change, the WWII genre rapidly staling and, quite frankly, overdone to the point of tedium. So how well exactly have Infinity Ward handled the jump out of the trench and into the DZ?

FORMAT REVIEWED Xbox 360 OTHER FORMATS PS3, PC, DS PUBLISHER Activision DEVELOPER Infinity Ward REVIEWED BY David Scammell

REVIEWS

31 Moving out of the historically accurate WWII scenario has allowed Infinity Ward to create a truly compelling storyline. Call of Duty 4 sees play switching between ‘Soap’ MacTavish, a member of the British 22nd SAS Regiment, and Sgt. Paul Jackson, an American 1st Force Recon Operative, both on a mission to prevent Russian ultra-nationalist Imran Zakhaev from bringing the Soviet Union back into existence. You’ll also get the brief opportunity to play as series regular Captain Price in the heart-racing Chernobyl level you’ll remember being unveiled at this year’s E3. Once you’ve gotten through the introductory mission, the story kicks off superbly with the execution of President Al-Fulani (the last moments of his life witnessed directly through the ill-fated leader’s own eyes), who’s been thrown out of parliament during a funded coup, and well, we’ll leave the rest for you to find out. Needless to say you’ll be on the edge of your seat as you watch the impressive and rather emotional plot unfold; the fateful traipse through a nuclear fallout-ridden children’s playground enough to tug the heart strings of even the most impassive of gamers. The series has always been renowned for its abundance of fast paced gameplay and intense set pieces, and naturally COD 4 continues that trend. Whether it’s

rescuing a VIP from a terrorist controlled commercial plane in midflight, causing death from above aboard an AC-130 Spectre Gunship or quivering in fear in the wake of incoming enemy forces deep inside war-torn Chernobyl, there’s never a dull moment, never an interfering cutscene to take you away from the action; the game feels like a blockbuster movie and you’re there to act out each epic scene. To say much more about the story or any of the incredible set pieces would ruin the experience, so instead we’ll keep our verdict on the single-player short and sweet. Call of Duty 4’s ~7-hour campaign is up there with the best of them, and one of the finest FPS experiences you are ever likely to play. It’s simply something that needs to be experienced. To add replay value to an admittedly brief campaign, Infinity Ward have seen fit to throw in Arcade mode which becomes unlocked upon completion of the game. Literally an arcade take on each mission within the campaign, Arcade mode allows you to replay individual missions in a score attack, with each kill totting up points then multiplied by combining kills in quick succession. It adds an interesting twist to the extreme conflict, creating tension from a gamers’ natural endeavour of achieving the highest score possible rather than through their fight for survival.

Visually, of course, the game is fantastic, running at a smooth 60 frames per second and without a glitch in sight; beams of light making their way through cracks in ceilings, giving way to glorious particle effects as dust fills the abandoned buildings. Audio is equally impressive, each of the guns packing an impressive aural punch, coupled with some superb voice acting and excellent levels of ambience that makes for a truly immersive experience. A particular mention must go to the piloting team of the AC-130 gunship; an already impressive level made even more so by the fantastic radio banter of the gunners as they exclaim their amusement at blowing Russian hostiles to pieces. You’re probably asking yourself though, despite all of this positivity, surely there must be something to find fault with? Well, not really. Perhaps the relatively short single-player mode is the only dampener on proceedings, but when it’s as rip-roaring as it is, should that ultimately affect the game’s final score? Each of the four difficulty levels are perfectly balanced, ‘Regular‘ providing the ideal difficulty for most, whilst ‘Veteran’ provides just as much a challenge as it ever did. Both squad and enemy AI is commendable if nothing truly spectacular, and will actively seek out cover rather than point and shoot in the open. The cover system of course adding another layer of tactics to

REVIEWS

32 “NO-ONE DOES WAR BETTER THAN INFINITY WARD...COD 4 IS BORDERLINE PERFECT”

proceedings, with thinner materials like wood and sheet metal now vulnerable to bullet penetration, meaning both you and your enemy will have to think twice about which cover they decide to stack up against. And that brings us to the multiplayer, which, after the hopelessly addictive beta earlier in the year, is arguably what most of us were anticipating. Obviously during the course of writing this review there were relatively fewer people actually playing online, but we’re happy to report that every match we played (and we played an absolute shed load!) was intense, lag-free and home to some of the best multiplayer gaming we’ve ever played. And to give that statement some perspective, we’ve played a lot of Halo 3! That comes as no surprise however, Infinity Ward having already proved they know exactly how to make a great online experience with Call of Duty 2, and, of course, the public beta gave us a tantalising snippet as to what to expect. So what’s changed since then? Well for starters, Infinity Ward have bundled 16 maps onto the disc, and they’re 16 of the greatest and most varied multiplayer maps we’ve ever had the pleasure of waging war on. Whether playing on the Countdown map, a sprawling missile launch pad complete with vision-

prohibiting smoke emerging from missile silos, or Shipment, a particularly tiny Russian shipyard that provides some hectic shotgun shootouts, the multiplayer is always fast and frantic. Of course some maps are much more suited to particular character classes than others, but most allow for some sort of freedom in viable class choices. There are six primary multiplayer game types; Free For All, Team Deathmatch, Search & Destroy, Sabotage, Domination and Headquarters, with all six providing a mix of deathmatch, objective-based and territorial games. There’s even a hardcore mode to unlock which, if you weren’t getting your ass handed to you enough already, allows you to play with a restricted HUD and increased weapon damage. Of course the bigger picture to COD 4’s online capabilities comes in the form of rank, a levelling up system that unlocks all new weapons, accessories and perks as you gain experience on the frontline. Upon reaching rank 4 (of a possible 55) you’ll unlock Create a Class, allowing you to take character classes to a whole new level by completely customising your loadout. Perks add a further layer of tactics to the gunplay and your three choices can wildly affect your chances of success in the combat zone. With a total of 22 perks spread across the three different choice categories, each offer

various individual advantages to war on the battlefield such as deeper bullet penetration, an increase in health or even the ability to eavesdrop on the other team’s communication. The perks are a great addition, offering a real motivation to level up in order to gain the upper hand rather than purely for bragging rights. Thankfully COD 4 doesn’t contain the game destroying connection errors that plagued the previous games in the series, and the matchmaking system works wonders. Matches typically only take a very short amount of time to find and load, and more often than not you’re on the battlefield within a matter of seconds. Lobby play and clan support also allows for a group of friends to get together, stay together, and take on the world. The multiplayer makes complete a perfect package, bumping up an already impressive score to something reserved only for the best. So, the question you will all be asking; given the amount of quality on offer at the moment, do you really need COD 4? Well, no-one does war better than Infinity Ward, and Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare is borderline perfect. And if that doesn’t answer your question, maybe this will...

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REVIEWS

33 There will be cake.

THE ORANGE BOX W

FORMAT REVIEWED Xbox 360 OTHER FORMATS PS3, PC PUBLISHER EA DEVELOPER Valve REVIEWED BY Tom Hoggins

hen I was asked to review The Orange Box, I immediately had the feeling it would somehow be the easiest review I had ever done, yet also the most difficult. How exactly to quantify a package that offers you five (count them, FIVE) games from one of the most respected developers the industry has ever seen? A package that will set you back the same amount of hard-earned cash as ONE of any other games on the shelf? A package that contains Half-Life 2, the finest FPS ever to lock and load? Can you judge each game in the Box against each other? Is it not somewhat arbitrary to attach some kind of numerical marker for one DVD that’s worth so much for so little outlay on the consumer’s part? It’s enough to get any reviewer’s frilly knickers in a twist. So that’s the tough part, but now for the easy part- The Orange Box is the biggest no-brainer purchase the games industry is ever likely to see. Even those who shudder at the thought of yet another shooter, let alone five, will do well to dip a tentative toe in to the gaming equivalent of an overflowing pool of ambrosia. There has been enough column widths and webspace taken up with universal acclaim for the seminal Half-Life 2 and its expansion, Episode One. So little need to gild the lily, except to say this Half-Life 2 is still as phenomenal today as it was three years ago. Those who are yet to experience the streets of City 17 will be in awe, realising what the fuss was all about. Many have tried to match

Half-Life 2’s magnificence, few have come close, none have succeeded. Of course, you already knew that. So what of the other games that are emerging for the first time, on one glorious disc? Let us begin with the continuation of Gordon Freeman and Alyx Vance’s battle against the Combine...

HALF-LIFE 2: EPISODE 2 If you can throw any criticism at Half-Life 2: Episode One it’s that, despite being a fine extension to one of the best games ever created, it’s perhaps not quite the epic we hoped. Much time in Episode One was spent inside constricted corridors, there were few times the sweeping open areas and incredible set pieces of the original were recreated. Episode Two looks to correct this with a vengeance. Picking up where Episode One left us, the game follows Gordon and Alyx’s quest to travail a sprawling alpine landscape to White Forest, a missile silo where the Resistance is based. Episode Two gives a real feeling that Gordon and Alyx are involved in something much bigger than the pair of them, something that was somewhat lacking in Episode One. As they go cross-country, they will help and be helped by resistance soldiers and aided by their newest allies, the Vortigaunts. Each character you encounter offers a great deal of camaraderie and reverence. Both human and Vortigaunts display real respect for you as Freeman, creating the atmosphere of allies pulling together, willing to give everything for each other. Occasionally the contact

with others is fleeting, yet you still feel a devotion to every soldier along the way, it’s rare a game can create such an empathy with even its incidental characters. Of course, the greatest relationship is built with your partner throughout the game’s length, Alyx. The almost unspoken bond of love between Gordon and Alyx is palpable, there are times in the game whenever Alyx is in trouble, you are panicked at her turmoil.

Valve’s talent for characterisation and storytelling remain peerless in gaming. All the main players, from the malevolent G-Man to Alyx’s father Eli are brought to life by great dialogue, delivered superbly by talented voice-actors.As you travel on your quest, you encounter abandoned buildings, with signs of a previous life, before the war. While in the shell of what used to be a pub, Alyx remarks “This must have been nice, once.” The suggestion is of a time of peace, making you push on with your mission with even more vigour. In many ways, Episode Two is more of the same. The combat remains excellent, with guns that have a real weight and feeling of power to them. There are the obligatory physics puzzles using the ubiquitous Gravity Gun. This time though, Valve have really pushed its imagination and talent to the limit. You’ll experience set-pieces that leave you wide-mouthed and on the edge of your seat. There’s something in the grandeur of the opposition, their fearsome war machine heading towards your own safe-haven in White Forest that makes you take pause. Valve’s talent for the grandiose, sadly lacking in Episode One, is here in full force.

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PORTAL If all the barrage and blasting get too much, The Orange Box offers Portal as a respite. Although it shares the same engine as all the other games in the box, Portal is not a shooter. Rather a first-person puzzler. If the gravity gun in Half-Life 2 impressed, the Aperture Science handheld portal device will blow your mind. You start the game empty handed, however, awakening in a sterile, futuristic chamber. The broken, robotic voice that addresses you from your surrounds encourages you to proceed through the opened portal at the side of your cell. Peering through the glowing blue doorway, you see... yourself. The orange exit portal is to the left of the chamber, pass through and you’re outside the cell. It’s likely you’ll pass back and forth through the first portal, watching your character through the divide as you move. If you think that’s impressive, prepare yourself for the rest of Portal which is little short of genius. The premise is simple, use your portal device that you acquire to escape a series of devious ‘testchambers’.

“LITTLE SHORT OF GENIUS”

Fire a blue portal as an entrance and an orange portal as an exit. At first it can seem incredibly complex to use the portals to navigate the puzzles, but with a

little practice and patience you’ll be using the device as quick as your brain can compute the necessary action. Each chamber will throw different kinds of tests at you, testing your ability to build up momentum by chaining a series of portals together, setting yourself up for a giant leap of faith. Testing speed of thought, ingenuity and spatial awareness. Some of the chambers are truly mind-bending, not so much in that they’re overly difficult to solve however. Indeed, the main 19 chambers of Portal are arguably too easy, at least once you have your head around the complexities of the device. The genius comes in the thought that has gone into these puzzles; each and every one is a joy to complete. Portal has the enviable trait of players stopping to think ‘wow, that was cool’ almost every single time a puzzle is solved. The chambers are clearly part of a monstrous complex, and the atmosphere created is excellent. Portal is laced with a pitch-black humour. The robotic female voice that guides you on is genuinely funny but undeniably sinister. As are the turrets, which seem to be the violent little sisters of the sighing doors from Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, speaking in a sing-song female voice, imploring you to ‘please come over here’ before locking on and lining you with lead. While amusing, they are all the more terrifying for it. Exploring each of the chambers also will lead you to small hideyholes where previous test subjects had given up, driven insane by the test chambers, leaving frantic scrawled messages on the wall. The whole ambience is quite unsettling and you feel completely isolated in your task to escape. However, this won’t take you too long Portal’s main game will be clocked in only a few hours, though longevity is added by additional advanced chambers and challenges.

Portal is a revelation. It really is something you won’t have seen before. Add in Valve’s incredible attention to detail and the very distracting ability to just mess around with the portal device and any objects you may find lying around and you have something very, very special indeed. Given the crossovers with Episode Two that appear throughout Portal, as you listen to the best end credits song you’re ever likely to hear, you get the feeling this isn’t the last we’ve seen of Aperture’s Handheld Portal Device.

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35 TEAM FORTRESS 2 The multiplayer component of The Orange Box comes in the guise of Team Fortress 2. This fast paced team-based shooter is something of a departure from Half-Life and indeed, from a visual point of view at least, the game’s forebear. Gone are the gritty, and somewhat generic, visuals of the original Team Fortress. A look replaced by an endearing cartoon style. The feeling is of over-exaggeration, caricatures that are bigger than life. This feeling extends to more than the visuals. Each class in TF2 is vastly different, yet the game retains an excellent balance. Often in class-based games, developers run the risk of having one class clearly superior to the others, something that defeats the point of having classes at all. On the other hand, making the classes too similar is equally as self-defeating. It’s to Valve’s ever-increasing credit that this fine balancing act is pulled off in TF2. Every type of soldier brings their own skills to the party, which means that squads end up with a healthy number of each class. The fact that the makeup of the squads will be so diverse, communication and teamwork is more important

in TF2 than in most other online shooters. There is no room for the lone-wolf in TF2, squads must work together to capture their objective and each player must know and perform their role dutifully. Be it as a Heavy, whose giant Gatling gun tears the enemy to shreds, or the medic who accompanies him, keeping the Heavy’s health topped up on his path of destruction. You can take up a job as an engineer, building sentry guns to keep your territory clear or attack the enemy base via a direct route as the super fast scout, or by shadier means - as a spy disguising yourself as an enemy to sneak into their ranks. Every one of the nine classes take time to master, each has their own nuances to learn. It’s for this reason that perhaps Team Fortress’s biggest weakness is its accessibility, new players may be overwhelmed by the choice, struggling to realise the requirements of each role. It’s a lesson worth learning, once your team is working in harmony TF2 can be a supremely rewarding experience. Arguably, the choice of maps and modes do not match the choice of classes. There are just six maps to select from and each has their own game type and the battlefields lack the character displayed by the

combatants that compete upon them. The modes are somewhat limited too, either being straight capture the flag or a variation on territories. It is for these reasons that Team Fortress 2 doesn’t match up to the multiplayer king Halo 3. However, the variations in class and quirky visual style sets TF2 apart from many pretenders, and will find a staunch following on Xbox Live and in the PC community. Every game in The Orange Box runs and controls perfectly on the 360, bar some occasional lengthy load times. PC aficionados will prefer the quick precision that keyboard and mouse offer over pad, but in no way does using a controller impede your experience. Everything is mapped intuitively to the pad, and offers excellent accuracy without the need for any auto-aim, which console FPSs occasionally fall back on. Each and every game inside The Orange Box would be a worthy purchase on their own, but to be offered them all in one package is incredible. The term ‘mustbuy’ is bandied around far too frequently, but for what The Orange Box offers, it’s impossible to describe it as anything but. As for that numerical marker I was talking about, well, that’s the easiest part of all...

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REVIEWS

36 It seems like Epona is afraid of you fairy boy

THE LEGEND OF ZELDA PHANTOM HOURGLASS

B FORMAT DS PUBLISHER Nintendo DEVELOPER Nintendo REVIEWED BY Emmet Purcell

reaking bottles. Swinging boomerangs. Shooting a bow and arrow through a boss’ eye – Zelda right? The conventions of Nintendo’s mythical Zelda series are as old-hat, worn out and over-familiar to gamers these days that they very nearly border on parody. Yet the franchise is still regarded as a sacred cow to hardcore and casual alike. The reason: Link has never played basketball, held a “party” or tried his foot at a horribly mutated version of our beloved beautiful game. Oh, and Legend of Zelda titles are universally acknowledged as some of the best, if not the best, of all time.

Although Phantom Hourglass is the second Zelda title in less than twelve months, this is no rush-job, no “side quest” or minor tale in the game’s canon. With Hourglass, Nintendo has helped discard the over familiarity that has blighted previous titles (in particular Twilight Princess) by creating a game that is not only an exhilarating showcase of the DS’ features, it is post-Ocarina Producer Eiji Aonuma’s masterpiece. After the Ocarina of Time 2.0 antics of Twilight Princess, the first thing that greets gamers in Hourglass’ intro are not muddy textures or sparse fields, but the

peaceful serene Hyrule Ocean. It’s an amazing sight, with the finest DS graphics to date processing a mini-Wind Waker environment. Though the ocean itself is 5% the size of the GameCube predecessor, each quadrant is fabulously realized and packed with adventures and side quests.

However the real star of the show here is not the processing punch, it’s the stylus. Mapping your route on the sea chart by hand, directing your bow and arrow by drawing on the screen, leaving notes for yourself on the overhead temple map; the versatility of the pointer and the buttonfree controls provide an intuitive experience only possible on the handheld. Although each acquirable item will be well known to Zelda veterans, stylus control literally transforms each to provide the freshest Link adventure since Majora’s Mask. Yes, it’s that revolutionary. Aside from stylus control, the dual screens provide a number of unforgettable moments. Solving a vital puzzle by closing the console over to “stamp” an image to its reverse on the bottom screen, fighting a boss whilst the top screen presents its field of vision (initially some of the most pant-wetting moments in gaming since Silent Hill 2, this reviewer

is ashamed to admit), there are too many to mention here but all will leave players smiling with rapturous astonishment.

To reveal the titles seafaring storyline would be unfair to you. Suffice to say, Link’s gal pal Tetra is kidnapped, and trying to rescue her in vain, our hero awakes onshore at a mysterious beach (in a not-so-subtle nod to Link’s Awakening).

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Soon we’re setting sail alongside the cowardly sidekick Captain Lineback to seek out the wrongdoers. A fantastic addition, Lineback keeps Phantom’s good-natured sense of fun in check, whether he’s selfishly expecting us to haul treasure for him or hiding below deck from angered female pirates. Keeping this title from reaching the revered five stars though are just a few nagging problems. Firstly older fans may find this title too simple. Like New Super Mario Bros before it, Nintendo seems to be leaning towards providing an experience that casual gamers will complete with its gentle learning curve.

“A MASTERPIECE AND FEARSOME CONTENDER FOR GAME OF THE YEAR ”

Sure there are head scratching puzzles at times, but the quest itself could never be described as tricky. Also, whilst the game’s recurring time-limited Phantom Temple initially seems a fun race against time, when you realize you’re going to have to complete the same floors 3-4 times during the quest the novelty soon wears off. Such problems will annoy players, but here they’re simply nagging issues rather than clear flaws. Throughout its short lifespan, Nintendo’s handheld has seen some fantastic but unmotivated DS interpretations of its

flagship titles thus far, whether they be Pokemon, Mario Kart or Mario. With Zelda: Phantom Hourglass however, we see a game that simply could not be replicated in even its simple forms on any other console. It’s simply 20 hours of the most engrossing and invigorating handheld adventure that will remind you why you fell in love with the Zelda series all those years ago. If you’re a beginner, there is no finer starting point.

Revitalised and brought bang up to date, what we have here is a masterpiece and fearsome contender for game of the year. Put down your money, raise Lineback’s anchor and set sail for the DS’ finest hour to date.

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REVIEWS

38 Wii <3 Samus

METROID PRIME 3 CORRUPTION T

FORMAT Wii PUBLISHER Nintendo DEVELOPER Retro Studios REVIEWED BY Richard Rohani

he Wii has been slated since its launch for not having any triple-A games for the so called 'hardcore' gamer. With Brawl hitting next year and Mario Galaxy launching later this month, Samus' final part to her Prime trilogy is the first game to realign the console's perception. But on top of this, Corruption also has the mighty job of proving to the world that the Wii is capable of producing top quality FPS controls. That's some pressure.

For the uninitiated, the Metroid Prime series follows the exploits of bounty hunter Samus Aran who gets a nice, fat cheque for killing and ruining the plans of the Space Pirates. What sets Metroid apart from the crowd is that the game is much more free form than a regular FPS, with all areas returnable along the course of Samus' travels and with a strong emphasis on exploration and puzzle solving. Imagine a first person sci-fi Zelda and you'd be pretty close. Okay, so onto the controls, and they work exactly how you would want them to. Point at the screen to aim, point off-centre to turn, and strafe with the Nunchuck. When in combat, holding the Z button locks onto the closest enemy, giving the player the freedom to circle with ease. However, this lock-on doesn't let you auto-fire on your enemy like in

previous versions. Instead, you are still able to aim freely but, with your foe in the centre of the screen, life is made much easier. It allows Samus to easily shoot at one creature whilst locked onto another, and the system works wonderfully, making the original Prime feel archaic in comparison.

For Corruption, Samus has been equipped with a PED unit that allows her to use a large portion of her health in order to enter Hypermode. When activated, all offensive weaponry increases in power and allows you to quickly dispatch of the local inhabitants. Another perk is the grapple lasso. Lock onto an enemy holding a shield, throw the Nunchuck forward to attach the lasso and then pull back to rip the shield straight from their hands. The weapon is used to good effect and used sparingly enough so that it doesn't become tired. Other motion controls are based around operating Samus' ship, doors, levers and inputting codes. Although these all seem a little tacked on, they really add to the immersion of actually being Samus. The exploration and puzzles also enjoy new control benefits. When presented with an obstacle you actively look around the room, using the scanner to see if anything is vulnerable to your weapons fire. The puzzles are ingenious, managing to fit into the game world incredibly well.

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39 “METROID PRIME 3 DOESN’T DISAPPOINT”

Graphically, Metroid Prime 3 doesn't disappoint. Although it may not appear as stunning as the original Prime did when first looking across the landscape, it is easily the best looking game on Wii so far. I'd argue that there perhaps weren't enough organic planets and there may be slightly too many building interiors, but each location is distinct enough not to make it fall into the generic corridor trap many have. The game will take most players around twenty hours to finish, and there’s also the missile and health expansions to find in order to extend the game, as well as the added challenge of scanning everything to secure the bonus ending. There’s something there though stopping me from giving it full marks; perhaps it's the occasional load times, a little too much backtracking, or the few puzzles that are point-and-click hard.

Having said that, Metroid Prime 3 Corruption made me fall in love with the Prime series all over again. It managed to engage me much more so than any of its predecessors, to the point of prolonging the finish just because I didn't want it to end.

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"You might not think that's cricket, and it's not, it's motor racing"

PROJECT GOTHAM RACING 4 U

FORMAT Xbox 360 PUBLISHER Microsoft DEVELOPER Bizarre Creations REVIEWED BY John McCormick

sually sequels boast some kind of new feature or mode that, more often than not, isn’t worth the trademark taken out to protect the game’s pathetically ostentatious name tag. This latest entry in the PGR saga comes packaged without anything pretending to revolutionise the genre. Bizarre Creations know what PGR is and know what it can do, and return to the circuit simply offering two major new features that most racing games wouldn’t ever get round to including – motorbikes and real-time weather conditions.

first-person view is completely wasted on the bikes.

I’ll take the weather first and say it’s brilliant. Both rain and snow effects are visually superb and provide a valuable on-track variable. And for once, the best car in each class isn’t necessarily the one you’ll be going for every time; four wheel drive cars, for instance, fare much more favourably in the wet, whilst a good set of brakes are a must in the white stuff.

Each event typically contains between two to five sub-events, with the winner being dependant on the driver with the most accumulated Kudos. You may be thinking that’s pretty standard, but it’s in the events itself that PGR4 has made some changes. The hair-tearing cone events have gone, replaced with two new cone-themed tests, both with an emphasis on speed. The Elimination events have also seen change; the last

Opinion on the bikes, however, is likely to be divided. Despite scepticism pre-release, they handle well and are generally evenly matched with their four wheeled counterparts, presenting a genuinely distinct racing sensation. Problems arise though when human logic comes along online. The computer may play nice, but that annoying kid in the Porsche? No chance. Car meets bike, and your race is effectively over. Also, as the camera leans into every turn, the glorious

The Arcade mode is back, essentially the same as PGR3’s Career mode, whilst the all-new Career mode in PGR4 has a huge amount of added depth. Set over successive racing seasons, Career aims to make the player feel part of the worldwide racing community, and to a large extent it succeeds. Racing for your selected nationality, your goal is to gradually climb up the leader board by competing in three types of events; Championships, Majors and Invitationals.

man now being booted out at regular time periods instead of after each lap. There are new events too including the intriguingly titled Superstar mode, whereby you have to earn a set number of Kudos stars within a set period. Yes, Kudos stars. The Kudos system has had something of a reworking, with every 100 Kudos earned awarding you a star. It’s not that big of a deal, but Superstar mode simply wouldn’t work without it. What is odd about the Kudos system though is that’s far more rewarding and much easier to haphazardly power-slide round a turn rather than take the racing line. It creates a questionable conflict in races whereby simply driving as fast as you can won’t net you anywhere near as much Kudos as if you acted like a mad man. Back to the new events though, and whilst they may have changed, it’s not necessarily for the better. The Superstar and Time Vs. Kudos modes can seem completely daft at times, as you’re often

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“ELEGANTLY RIDES THE LINE BETWEEN ARCADE AND SIMULATION RACING ”

left endlessly power sliding side-to-side down long straights. They can work wonderfully, though it depends on the track in question and time-Kudos balance. At their best they work as brilliant tests of speed and style, but a lot of the time they just don’t. Another problem is in PGR’s erratic difficulty. As a whole the difficulty levels offered are well judged – as a PGR veteran I found the top difficulties of each were a firm examination of my driving calibre – but from event to event the difficulty frequently fluctuates. Street races? Easy. The aforementioned Time Vs. Kudos contests? More often than not, an absolute nightmare. You’ll often wonder how the same mediocre bunch of racers you just belted in a street race can suddenly pull out lap times that take several goes to beat.

Take the game online though and any of the smaller nuisances you have with the single-player are blown away in a single tyre screech. The Halo 3 style lobby system is a wonderful addition, and teaming up with a group of friends for team races leads to some of the best online gaming you’ll have ever had. No longer can you simply ram off anyone you like and vice-versa; you’re part of a team and you’ve got to work together. It makes for incredibly tense races and some epic finishes. PGR4 elegantly rides the line between arcade and simulation racing, benefiting from both dispositions and, as such, is near essential for any racing fan. Racing through the streets in the cockpit of a car you’ll never be able to afford, with meticulously modelled buildings dancing past your windows and your wing mirrors full of aggressively poised adversaries creates an almost unmatched sensation in gaming. From the heart thumping intro, Kudos filled gameplay and plethora of envy-inducing vehicles, Project Gotham Racing 4 is the most stylish entry in an already classy series.

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“They didn't change positions, they just moved the players around.”

PRO EVOLUTION SOCCER 2008

L FORMAT REVIEWED PlayStation 3 OTHER FORMATS 360, PS2, PSP, DS, Wii, PC PUBLISHER Konami DEVELOPER Konami REVIEWED BY Tom Hoggins

oyalty is a strange beast. Often noble, but equally as frequently it pushes the boundaries of reason beyond breaking point. Football fans spend a lot of time thinking why on Earth they take up their day to follow their team across the country to eat stale meat pies and drink grotty Bovril, only to be rewarded with a 1-0 defeat and a delayed train home. Yet, no matter how depressing it gets, they’re always there cheering them on. That has its own form of nobility, one that only football supporters understand.

Bizarrely, there seems to be a similar tribe mentality amongst certain members of gaming communities. Grown men slinging mud across a virtual playground over whose toy is the best. Most of the argument is reserved for their console of choice. However, sometimes there are game series’ that come along and develop such a diehard support, that any attempt to criticise is shot down in a whirlwind of insults. Pro Evolution Soccer is one such series. Maybe it’s because it’s a virtual football game that it develops such a support that is usually sat in the stands. More likely is that, in a perverse kind of way, it deserves it. Ever since PES first arrived on the PS2, it has been the undisputed king of football games. An impressive blend of action and realism. It was easy to look past presentation and licensing issues, as it was that damned good. However, last

year saw PES6 on the 360 receive raised eyebrows at its astonishing lack of progress. The crown was slipping.

strange to see players zipping along, arms flailing as if independent from their body.

Now we have PES 2008, which is not the killer pass into the ‘next generation’ we all hoped for, but more a sideways ball across the back, running down the clock while they hold on to a slender lead. There’s little sign of moving forward in PES 2008, indeed the whole package this year smacks of the utmost laziness from Konami. The presentation has always been questionable, but you would like to think by now they could come up with something that doesn’t look distinctly amateur. Quite aside from the atrocious front end, which features music so bad it will make your ears bleed, the on-pitch visuals are also of a very low standard, aside from some uncanny player likenesses. The animation on the pitch is stilted and runs at an alarming rate that you think the game is permanently stuck on fast-forward. It all looks downright

This is undoubtedly the fastest PES so far. The speed is set so high that matches quickly turn into pub-team matches, with players rushing out of position to join in a scrum for the ball pinging between each player wildly. There still isn’t full analogue control. There still isn’t a button to set a player on a run, often your winger finds himself in the corner ready to whip in a cross only to see your strikers dawdling 25 yards out. The PS3 version suffers from horrible slowdown during gameplay, which is utterly unacceptable for a game like PES. The 360 version isn’t exactly smooth running either, the replays are jerky and unwatchable and the online multiplayer is broken to the point of being unplayable. PES 2008 has so many flaws you could spend all day tearing it apart, and on a technical level is a complete embarrassment.

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So why is it that you just cannot stop playing it? Again there’s a kind of football supporter mentality to it, fans spend all day slagging off their team to anyone who’ll listen, yet when it comes to match days they still find themselves sat in those stands, celebrating every goal and savouring every moment. This year’s PES is a similar story. As you take to the pitch, the thoughts of poor graphics and animations, appalling front end and lack of official licences begin to dissipate. The fast paced, arcade football is a little haphazard but I’ll be damned if it’s not fun. The ball and players have a very real weight to them. You can almost feel the crunch as your centre-back crashes a sliding tackle into the oncoming forward. Tricky wingers seem to have magnets attached to their feet as they speed along the touchline making fools out of full-backs. Burly strikers can power their way through for a shot on goal. All the players seem individual to themselves and their skill set is translated clearly onto the pitch. It allows for a tactical approach to your team selection. There’s a need to strike a balance in all areas of the pitch to break down the opposition’s defence and to keep your own fortifications in order, letting the opposition take a shot at your goalkeeper who

tends to parry absolutely everything is not a good idea. PES feels like a goalmouth scramble all over the pitch, such is the urgency with which players tear around. It’s flawed and not exactly realistic, but it’s still effortlessly entertaining. There’s little in gaming that can beat you, a group of mates, a few shandies and a copy of Pro Evo, when even the flaws become entertaining, laughed off as your bastard mate scores an injury time winner against you. In reality though, these flaws should not be dismissed so easily. While still entertaining, discrepancies like slowdown and a broken online component that doesn’t even offer co-op play are utterly unacceptable. To be honest, you would have as much fun with any copy of a previous PES on the PS2 as you would with PES 2008 such is the lack of progress. This is not where Konami’s series should be right now. The clearly talented developers have shown a seemingly wilful negligence to push PES on, which is shameful. PES 2008 feels like when your team draws away from home. It’s still a decent result but you rue the missed opportunities and you can’t help but wish your boys had put in that extra effort.

VERDICT

“ON A TECHNICAL LEVEL PES 2008 IS A COMPLETE EMBARRASSMENT”

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FIFA 08

“I felt a lump in my throat as the ball went in”

FORMAT REVIEWED Xbox 360 OTHER FORMATS PS3, PS2, PSP, Wii, DS, PC PUBLISHER EA Sports DEVELOPER EA Canada REVIEWED BY Tom Hoggins

t’s a funny old game. For years EA’s FIFA series was regarded as an ‘arcade’ version of the world’s most popular sport. A slight bastardisation of football that resulted in high-scoring matches, jam-packed with goals from bicycle kicks, long range screamers and mazy dribbles from the halfway line. With FIFA 07, EA decided to slow it down a little and gave us the best FIFA in years. Yet the game suffered from a new set of problems; off-kilter shooting, dodgy animations and ‘floaty’ ball physics. Yet the general feeling was “Watch this space”. While FIFA 07 had its problems, it was a sure sign that EA was starting to lace up its scoring boots after some very poor attempts that were well-wide of the target. Now we have FIFA 08, a game so far removed from the arcade styling of FIFAs past that you wonder if they are even representing the same sport. Getting to grips with this game is not an easy feat - the saying “fools rush in” applies here. Most football games before now have gone along at a fair old pace, where even journeyman defenders can bolt up the wing like Giggs in his pomp. Frustration will abound, as even your trickiest forwards are left red-faced and on their arse after being easily dispossessed by the hulking mass of a centre-back and another 0-0 scoreline is registered. Eventually, possibly just before the point you consider the game to

be broken, the realisation begins to set in; FIFA 08 is comfortably the most realistic representation of football yet, and attempting to thread the perfect pass through the eye of a needle using your goalkeeper will bring about as much success as having Graeme Souness as your manager. Realising the nuances of FIFA, you start to take a more considered approach. Defenders hold their line and mark up effectively, so you must look up, see where the space is and fashion yourself an opening. Working backwards, the midfield drop off to pick up the ball, keep possession, your winger bursts away from his marker, slide the ball into space for him and deliver the perfect cross for your leaping forward to head into the net. Cue much jubilation. Every goal in FIFA 08 feels like a triumph, a culmination of hard work and banging on the solid defence’s door. While most football games thus far see success from continuously passing the ball forwards and jamming your finger on the sprint button, FIFA 08 requires you to think about your moves. This all works wonderfully due to the generally excellent AI, all players behave almost exactly as they should do on a football pitch. There are the odd times when the AI flounders though, particularly the goalkeepers; too often they will dither over a simple pick-up to allow a forward to nip in for an easy goal. These moments aside, FIFA 08

plays a terrific game of football but one which requires patience and a certain tactical nous to get the most out of. One thing that has been FIFA’s biggest strength for many years has been the extensive amount of teams to choose and leagues to play. FIFA 08 is no different in that respect; leagues from all around the world are represented, including teams from England down to League Two. Each team’s kit is obsessively recreated, which all adds to the overall polish of the game. EA have always been sticklers for presentation and aside from some of the players looking like wax ogres if you get a little too close, FIFA 08 looks and sounds superb. The commentary team of Martin Tyler and Andy Gray recreate their chemistry from Sky Sports very well, except the occasional faux pas from Gray in his halftime analysis where he often appears to have been watching a totally different match. The main single-player mode in 08 is the Manager Mode, which allows you to take control of any team you wish and control their fortunes in leagues, cups and continental competitions. It’s reasonably deep, being able to control ticket prices and sponsorships as well as taking over team affairs. However the management side does occasionally falter. As my beloved Watford I somehow managed to raid Arsenal for Theo Walcott and Gael Clichy, now I’m well aware of the massive draw the Glory Hornet Boys have, but

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“FIFA FINALLY PLAYS A FINE GAME OF FOOTBALL TO GO WITH THE TRADITIONAL COSMETIC EXPERIENCE ”

being able to procure the services of England’s ‘next big thing’ and possibly the best left-back in the Premiership for under £3m may jar with some. Of course, FIFA is not a management sim, so to get too hung up on such a thing maybe a little churlish, though a more accurate representation of the transfer market may have been more prudent in a game in which attention to detail is otherwise so high. This year’s FIFA also features the ‘Be A Pro’ mode in which you take control of one player and control him throughout a match, Libero Grande style. Surprisingly, this works extremely well. The camera swings in and out to give you the best view of your player and ball, and you must pay careful attention to your positioning, choosing your runs and picking your passes. It’s an immersive and well implemented idea but unfortunately, Be A Pro’s biggest flaw is that not enough is made of it. The mode is restricted to exhibition matches and the Challenge Mode, where you must fulfil a task set for a particular player. It would have been terrific to see a fully fleshed-out use of Be A Pro. The thought of taking a created player from the lower leagues all the way to representing their country at the World Cup, with transfers and fights for a place in the team on the way is an exciting one. As it is, Be A Pro is good, but limited.

The promise of a patch that allows five-on-five online play in the near future is something to look forward to, and the addition of this to an online component that already features custom leagues and a full ranking system means FIFA 08 will have the most comprehensive online multiplayer seen in a football game. Yet another feather in FIFA’s burgeoning cap. Like a striker ending his goal drought, FIFA 08 is the return to form we’ve been waiting for from EA. FIFA finally plays out a fine game of football on the pitch to go with the traditional cosmetic excellence, though it may not appeal to some. Indeed, FIFA 08 is such a departure that it may alienate some of its core fan-base that loved the arcade whiz-bang of previous iterations. Now, FIFA proudly pins its pennant to the simulation side and, for many, is all the better for it. It is sometimes dull and frustrating, sometimes beautiful and brilliant, but even at your lowest ebb you can’t stop going back with a degree of masochism, hoping for that win that will kick-start your season. Just like real football then...

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SEGA RALLY Game Over Yeahhhhhhh!

as it really been twelve years? Twelve years since the first time we laid eyes on Sega Rally and its undeniably fast, balls to the wall rally racing. Twelve years since we spent all day pouring our loose change into that iconic cabinet. A lot has happened in twelve years, especially in gaming, but when you first load up Sega’s latest in the series you wouldn’t know it, nor would you care.

FORMAT REVIEWED PlayStation 3 OTHER FORMATS 360, PSP, PC PUBLISHER SEGA DEVELOPER SEGA Racing Studio REVIEWED BY David Scammell

One of Sega Rally’s key selling points is its track deformation, but throughout the game’s development I couldn’t help but think of the feature as somewhat of a gimmick. Yet another next-gen feature that sure does look pretty, but does it truthfully add any new innovations into the gameplay? It’s not an entirely original idea either; we were originally tearing up mud with Motorstorm back at the launch of the PS3. Thankfully, however, when I sat down with the finished game my negative preconceptions turned out to be completely fabricated, and it’s through its implementation that Sega Rally really shines.

The way in which track deformation genuinely does affect the way you go about racing (albeit dependant on the consistency of the track surface) is a first. Sticking to the racing line lap after lap is no longer a viable option for success (especially on some of the later championships), and you’ll have to think about the path you follow for each lap. Do I take the corner wide for fear of sliding out on the exit, or do I charge through on the faster racing line and take my chances? Granted you won’t have much time to think as you approach the bend at 100mph, but regardless, the decision is still there for the taking. As others tear through the track you’ll feel the difference in handling as you drive over trodden paths and through naturally churned mud and slush, your suspension sent into a tizz as you spring uncontrollably over the paths of others, more often than not resulting in a bounce off the side barriers. And yes I did just say bounce; this is pure arcade racing, a fast no holds barred racing experience from start to finish.

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By my own admittance, I’m no petrol head. I couldn’t tell you the difference between a head gasket and a camshaft. Just one look at engine tweaking and car customisation in modern racers and I’m lost. Sega Rally takes racing back to when it was just about the thrill of the race, when you didn’t have to worry about the amount of downforce or the heat of your tyres. In other words; pure unadulterated fun. Vehicle handling is wonderfully extravagant, possibly even too arcadey for some, but as you master it you’ll gasp in awe as you effortlessly pull off that perfect 90 degree right hand bend, or that flawless 100mph hairpin turn. Visually the game is nothing short of marvellous, filled with trademark SEGA-blue skies and magnificent backdrops throughout the game’s five environments, and coupled with the obligatory great looking vehicles. But then you start to notice the more subtle graphical touches. The way that foliage sways back and forth as you and your rivals rush past it, the subtle change in colour as ice starts to compact under the pressure of your wheels, the way mud dynamically washes from your car as you splash through that puddle of water. It all looks and plays tremendously, retaining the key elements that made Sega Rally the game that it was, whilst at the same time managing to feel like a completely fresh experience.

If there’s one problem with Sega Rally it’s in its lasting appeal. Sega have managed to pull off the fun for five minutes experience perfectly, but that in turn doesn’t mean there’s a whole lot of depth. Once you’ve played through each of the three different championships, torn through the 23 tracks and unlocked the extra cars and liveries there’s not a whole lot more to do other than go over previous ground. There’s always the option to tackle the online multiplayer, but it’s not terribly deep, simply allowing you to race against five other rivals in a single session across each of the games tracks. Other to that (and possibly the more appealing option) is the time trial mode, which allows you to download ghosts from the online leaderboards to try and beat their time. Again it’s nothing new, but it works well and acts as a good alternative to the rest of the game. Sega Rally is by no means revelatory, far from it in fact. Instead it’s a glorious next-gen revival of an arcade classic, effortlessly capturing the essence of the original and re-jigging it into something that manages to stand head and shoulders above the finest arcade racers available today.

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48 Top Trumped

THE EYE OF JUDGMENT L

FORMAT PlayStation 3 PUBLISHER Sony DEVELOPER SCES Japan REVIEWED BY David Scammell

et’s get one thing out there straight away; the PlayStation Eye and the technology used within The Eye of Judgment is insanely cool. Whilst camera game developers have often fallen shy of developing new and innovative ways of using the tech, instead choosing to adopt the fail-safe and predominantly casual “flap your arms like crazy” approach, with Sony Computer Entertainment Studios Japan there is no messing. Eye of Judgment is hardcore, and it knows it.

To put it simply, The Eye of Judgment is a card based battle game that has the player fighting for territory on a 3x3 grid. The PlayStation Eye is used to scan your cards and bring the characters they hold to life on your TV allowing for a visual representation of your card based battles. Eye of Judgment comes packaged with a starter deck of 30 cards and a booster pack containing a further 8, as well as a playing mat and the crucial PlayStation Eye and stand. And whilst I’m not going to delve into it too much, nothing in the pack feels cheap as you’d possibly expect, with the cards and playing mat exquisitely detailed. Fortunately, setting up the equipment is a doddle, but just in case you’re not sure the game plays thorough setup videos on your initial start-up. Simply place the mat on a flat surface, securely rest the PS Eye in the included stand, position said stand onto either one of the mat’s four sides

and you’re good to go. Tweaking the camera settings is trouble-free and thankfully the Eye seemed to work fine under all manner of lighting.

So you’re all set up and ready to go, where next? Well, unfortunately, there is no story to The Eye of Judgment, and instead the game offers only basic skirmishes against the computer or against another player on or offline. You are given the option to watch two computer players duke it out but why you’d want to do that is anybody’s guess. There’s also a “Judgment” mode that allows you to pit your creatures in a one-on-one battle to the death. It’s an interesting addition for those hardcore enough to learn how each of their cards face up against each other but ultimately about as much fun as watching paint dry. Once you’re into a game there are a few things you’ll need to be aware of, most importantly mana. Mana is the life force behind your playing ability and at the beginning of each turn you’ll receive a “Mana Charge” giving you an extra two mana to play with. Mana is used for a variety of different reasons but its primary use is summoning creatures into battle. Each creature requires a set amount of mana to summon, but given you have the required amount simply lay the card in your chosen portion of the grid and watch as the PS Eye transforms your card into an on-screen visualisation of the enclosed creature and its ensuing attack.

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Basic gameplay is solid and there’s a lot of depth for hardcore players to sink their teeth into; each character has its own strengths and weaknesses as well as being advantaged or disadvantaged by the terrain that you place them on, with each grid of the board offering up a different topography. The promise of additional card packs containing all new characters and spells only furthers the game’s longevity, but ultimately only time will tell if EoJ picks up a community following. If it doesn’t, expect your time with Eye of Judgment to be brief, the idea of playing against a computer opponent in what should largely be considered a multiplayer game is not ideal. In order to keep the online mode balanced and free from deception, SCES Japan have made it so that each card you wish to use must be scanned before starting the match. Once the game begins the computer will randomly draw your cards, meaning neither you nor your opponent can unfairly manipulate the battle. It can get somewhat tedious but ultimately is a necessary evil, doing well to counteract any potential cheating.

Whilst The Eye of Judgment does a good enough job at not being too intimidating for players new to card based battle games, once they’ve gotten past the initial wow factor of the tech, the game simply won’t hold its interest amongst them. To get the most out of EoJ you need to have a vested interest in card games, but for those that do, The Eye of Judgment is an enjoyable and inventive new way of playing out your favourite hobby.

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FOLKLORE Nether Netherworld

FORMAT PlayStation 3 PUBLISHER Sony DEVELOPER Game Republic REVIEWED BY Graham Naunton

here’s something about Folklore that we’re confused about. When it was initially announced, a mixture of fear and loathing speared through our hearts upon noting the developers – Game Republic, responsible for the offensive-to-thesenses dirge that was Genji: Days of the Blade. What was confusing was how a game like Folklore, with its bizarre worlds and surreal characters, could possibly have come from the same developer.

What’s also confusing about Folklore is when you come to define its genre. Is it an RPG? An action adventure? This is arguably Folklore’s biggest disappointment – the two genres cataclysmically thrown together don’t produce an especially spectacular package. As a result it never seems to excel in either field. The combat, whilst entertaining thanks to some inspired

SIXAXIS usage, lacks a real depth and is distinctly lacking in the ‘action’ aspect for you to really sink your teeth into a la Ninja Gaiden. The RPG slant that Game Republic were aiming for also falls short – there is simply not enough opportunity to slip on some walking boots and go for a good old explore of the various realms of the Netherworld (Folklore’s after-life setting). The central hub of the game is far too small, and having to continuously return to it to talk to the same few characters time and time again begins to grate. Other roads and areas are simply blocked off when the game deems fit as the (admittedly half-decent) plot progresses, leading you on one linear path after another. Having the option to play as two characters, Ellen or Keats, we take our protagonists to a variety of realms within the Netherworld, from the forests of the Faery Realm to the battle-scarred war realm of Warcadia. The realms are pretty yet generic, given the clear effort made in regards to character design. The plot revolves around Ellen searching for her dead mother, and Keats trying to stop her from triggering an untold disaster upon their own realm of the living. Again, one can’t help but feel that Game Republic missed a trick. Games that offer the opportunity to play as multiple characters aren’t entirely rare, but surely what should be addressed early on in the games development is the differentiation between them that the player is going to experience, as well as their

interaction with each other in the plot. Unfortunately in Folklore, Keats’ quest of stopping Ellen from inadvertently unleashing havoc means following her from realm to realm – same layout, same puzzles, same abilities, same end of level bosses. It’s a big disappointment because with such a decent plot, it would have been nice to see two narratives intertwining together and providing some insight. The fact that you don’t have a choice in the matter – the last two levels are only unlocked upon completing all previous scenarios with both characters – is the sour icing on a bitter tasting cake. Undoubtedly the biggest disappointment is the realisation that Folklore feels like a missed opportunity, but it’s not all bad. It has bags of charm, some great character and level design and the overall gameplay is entertaining. For the most part, it’s all about the acquisition and successful usage of Folk, with each realm packed with Folk waiting to be defeated and collected as your own. The Folk have various properties, mainly differing types of defence and attacking moves, and can be used as means of combat against other Folk, eventually leading to a large end of level boss known as Folklore. A

special mention must go to the implementation of SIXAXIS during combat. The motion sensing peripheral is used to great effect, whether it be yanking out the souls of defeated Folk by jerking the pad upwards, or tilting the pad from side to side whilst wrestling with the larger monsters. It quickly becomes second nature, and it’s certainly a pleasant surprise to see the SIXAXIS used the way it should be. Ultimately, Folklore’s success amongst gamers will boil down to how much they expect from their titles these days. The simplistic nature of the game will allow some to be easily immersed in the game’s rich tapestry of a game world, but the tedium and generally frustrating elements of the game’s narrative structure along with its unspectacular gameplay may just be too much for some to take. It’s worth sticking with to the end to witness the various sights, sounds and other delights on offer, but you can’t help but wonder that Folklore was a missed opportunity to be something truly special.

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Dr Cortex will be very displeased

CRASH OF THE TITANS C rash Bandicoot has always been something of an anachronism in the annals of video gaming platformers: unashamedly linear in approach, predictably conservative in design, the series once touted as the original PlayStation’s unofficial flag-bearer has somehow, since the first title in 1996, gone on to sell over 35million copies.

FORMAT REVIEWED Xbox 360 OTHER FORMATS PS2, PSP, Wii, DS, GBA PUBLISHER Sierra DEVELOPER Radical Entertainment REVIEWED BY Zoheir Beig

There have been incremental improvements since the start, but as evidenced by ‘Crash Of The Titans’, these have hardly been on the genre-redefining scale of, say, ‘Super Mario Galaxy’, but rather the sort of enhancements that allow clueless marketing types the luxury of ticking off another back cover bullet-point. In the example of this first ‘next-generation’ outing for Crash (although in reality the game’s PlayStation 2 roots are clear to see, in both mechanics and bland visuals), the big USP is the new jacking system. Or as the box puts it: “15 powerful enemies to hijack and control!” It is of course unfair to compare the advancements that Nintendo’s flagship character has made to a franchise that has never pretended to be anything more than a cartoon exercise in A-to-B platforming. The aforementioned jacking system allows

Crash to take control of larger enemies once they’re suitably concussed, a feature that comes into play with simplistic puzzles (the majority of which are no more problematic than finding the right creature to hit the right button) and boss battles (which require Crash to steadily hijack successively bigger creatures until you’re in control of a monster big enough to take on the bosses).

“WREAKING HAVOC WHILE RIDING A WOOLLY MAMMOTH IS FUN, BUT ONLY FLEETINGLY” In reality it’s a system that isn’t implemented particularly well; when in control of any creature the combat, which is clumsy in the first place, gets reduced to a succession of monotonous button-bashing encounters, and an already easy game becomes something that can be comfortably completed in several hours. Wreaking havoc with the scenery while riding a woolly Mammoth is fun, but only fleetingly; for the vast majority of the time spent playing ‘Crash Of The Titans’ this writer felt detached from the whole experience, blindly ploughing through the levels with a sense of duty rather than willingness.

In feel and pacing it most closely resembles the ‘Lego Star Wars’ games, just without the wit and perma-grin inducing pleasure. There are several unlockables that can be gleaned from repeat plays, while fully completing each stage in the pursuit of gold awards is encouraged. The only problem is that the level design is so stagnant, the inspired moments so few, that only the most dedicated Crash-fans will be compelled to do so. Far from us to be completely negative, the fact is that the target audience for Crash Bandicoot is likely to find much here that is pleasing, whatever the merits of their judgement or the wider value within videogaming of such churned-out product. Cliched, flawed and basic it may be, but ‘Crash Of The Titans’ is not an inherently broken game. Just an ultimately inconsequential one that suggests this particular marsupial, once such a beacon for Sony, is now nearing the end of its successful life.

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"Unless the chairman decides to sack me, I won’t be quitting."

FOOTBALL MANAGER 2008 A

ddiction. If you’ve ever played a Football Manager title you’ll be all too familiar with the word. Enticing you into the dugout, Sports Interactive gripped you with the overwhelming accuracy of the reams of statistics, sitting you into the pressurecooker that is the gaffer’s seat. But after watching days, weeks, or even months of your life trickle away, could the developers do anything to entice veterans back again?

FORMAT PC/MAC PUBLISHER SEGA DEVELOPER Sports Interactive REVIEWED BY Richard Angus

Sports Interactive have managed to shoehorn new features into Football Manager 2008 in almost every area, the first of which being your arrival at the club. Greeted with the usual message from your chairman and the budget for this season, this edition sees a few changes. You can manually select your expectations for the season and receive the budgets to match. For example, Birmingham City would be looking to avoid relegation. The board will give you £5m for that aim in transfer funds, as well as a reasonable wage budget. However, knock up your expectation to league winner and you’ll be offered much more. Fail though, and you’ll be shown the door. If you have an assistant manager you’ll also be given extensive coaching reports on each player upon joining. It’s a fantastic

inclusion allowing you to go to any club and effortlessly find out more about each of your new players.

You’ll also be shown the new confidence system: a large expansion to the boardroom confidence page seen in the previous games. The system details all the reactions to each and every signing you make, each game you play, each competition you are in and even individual player form. It works brilliantly in helping you decide what both the fans and the board want, but with that knowledge comes pressure; see too many yellow bars and you will start to sweat. Evidently then, every match is going to be key, and fortunately Sports Interactive have improved the match day program to near perfect levels. Before the game, you will be shown a selection of choice facts, including the team’s top goal scorers in the competition and the results of previous meetings. Delve further and you will see a view on the key players as well as a pundit’s match prediction. It all adds to the occasion and fleshing out the match day system has definitely improved Football Manager, even if it didn’t seem necessary before. Tactics whilst playing have also been improved. You can tell your assistant to do the team talk should you wish, and they

appear to have a much greater effect than before. Gone are the flow-disrupting pauses when making changes, only injuries and red cards require a separate screen. Most importantly though, each change you make seems to have a direct effect on the game, more so than ever before.

Play a few games in the new season and you’ll start to notice flaws in your team. Perhaps you need a new man between the sticks? Using the player search option now lists more realistic targets, which makes it a lot easier to find the players you need in a hurry; you’ll be looking at interested players, rather than lost causes. Launch a bid for them and it will be registered in the new Transfer Centre; a handy way of keeping track of all your transfers to and from the club. As is usual for FM the interface is obligatory tidy, and even the smaller details have been tidied up and made to work better. For example, a separation of ‘News’ and your ‘Inbox’ means you’ll now only have to read what directly relates to you. Football Manager 2008 does everything that its predecessor does, but quite unlike most annual sports titles, builds on it to an impressive extent. Addiction is

not the word. Sports Interactive have whipped up a creation that will leave you dependant on it, compelled and obsessed, craving one more message, one more signing, and one more win. If you can afford to devote the time to a game so demanding of it, then Football Manager 2008 will (yet again) provide a champion experience of life behind the beautiful game.

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53 The king of the swingers, oh the jungle VIP

DONKEY KONG JUNGLE CLIMBER W

FORMAT DS PUBLISHER Nintendo DEVELOPER PAON REVIEWED BY Ian Freeman

ith millions of units sold, the DS is a remarkably successful machine. As a large proportion of the owners are so called ‘casual gamers’ many people would expect PAON, the developers of Mr Kong’s new game, to embrace this large market. At first glance it appears they have, implementing a simplistic control scheme of swinging and moving using just the L and R buttons. This mechanic was first used in the Gameboy Advance game, Donkey Kong: King of Swing, which was criticized by some for being too short and too easy. Neither of these statements hold true for Jungle Climber. Sadly, it would be preferable if it was slightly too easy, rather than far too hard. While some hardened veterans may scoff at my proclamations, I feel many would share my thoughts that it isn’t pleasant to repeatedly die at the hands of an irritatingly placed enemy, or a concealed hole in the ground.

When the DS was first released many games had tacked on touch screen functionality that hindered the gameplay. Jungle Climber makes a return to those days with a button that enables you to fly around the screen. While being able to fly Donkey Kong to previously inaccessible locations is fun, it would have been even more so had it been mapped to a button rather than forcing you to bring out the stylus, or dirty the screen with a finger print.

and help keep the game from becoming stale.

King K.Rool returns once again, intent on stealing crystal bananas so he can rule the world. This tired and clichÈd plot is essentially just an excuse to travel through a variety of different worlds, hunting down the evil King as well as helping out your new friend, a talking banana. Bizarre is not the word. At the end of each world a boss appears for you to do battle with. These giant creatures include a huge, floating banana spaceship and a flying face that has the ability to shoot rockets from its cheeks. The bosses provide an attractive diversion

The range of collectables is a nice touch as they range from giant, sparkly DK coins, to oil barrels that enable Funky Kong to propel you into secret missions at the end of each world. These secret missions are even harder than the previous ones, but must be completed if you want a 100% rating.

Collectables, though they lengthen the game, also provide a fresh problem. There are many places where the path branches into two, inviting you to check both paths. These force you to backtrack along paths you’ve already completed, which become even more infuriating after falling to your death on the way back after picking up the shiny new treasure.

Many levels have some lovely touches, with a giant ball returning a few times throughout the game. This entails you trying to keep Donkey Kong moving as he

forces the ball forwards towards the end of the level. A particularly pleasant section of the game involves a mirror image of you on the top screen that you have to make sure doesn’t fall by grabbing onto blocks that are present on both screens. Once enough items have been collected, challenges and extras are able for you to play. The challenge section holds some enjoyable games, including one where you must grab as many bananas as you can, and one which involves leaping over fast moving logs. Although the extras section contains some nice ideas, including a cheats section to make the game slightly easier, it regrettably doesn’t quite rescue Donkey Kong Jungle Climber from mediocrity.

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Today, Japas and I had a jam session. He's not good with words, but he writes great riffs

JAM SESSIONS W

FORMAT DS PUBLISHER Ubisoft DEVELOPER Plato REVIEWED BY Emmet Purcell

ith Guitar Hero and Ouendan universally recognised as two of the most refreshing titles of the last five years, and with Rock Band and Samba De Amigo Wii on the horizon, rhythm-based music games have never been in greater demand. Ubisoft have wisely thrown their hat into the ring with the release of their guitar simulator, Jam Sessions, which promises to literally have you strumming away, stylus in hand, to a selection of guitar classics. A fleshed-out port of the little known Japanese guitar simulator Hiite Utaeru DS Guitar M-06, Jam Sessions allows players to use their stylus like a pick, select chords from the d-pad, and strum on the touch screen. In addition players can use the DS microphone to sing along to the pre-selected tunes, or simply record their own composition. Of the tracks available, Ubisoft have chosen to endear the European market with songs specific to each location. Hence while there are unknown French hit songs, classics from familiar artists can be practised in demo form, be they Nirvana (The Man Who Sold The World), Bob Dylan (Like A Rolling Stone) and housewife favourites The Fray (exactly, who cares). For your first playtest, the most striking feature of Jam Sessions is just how well the

game replicates the sound of an actual guitar. For a non-musician such as myself, I was sure that this title would provide a better understanding of the dynamics and skill sets that great musicians and compositions illustrate. However five minutes later, despite the advanced tutorial modes, I was completely lost, despite Ubisoft’s grandiose statements of Session’s accessibility. “Not a Musician? Not a problem”, “Now even the most “non-musical” person” can “…become an instant rock star” - these are just some of the statements bandied about by the publisher before the game’s release. Ubisoft have however misled the DS audience and tricked gamers into associating the pick up and play mentality and fun factor of Guitar Hero with their own product, a guitar simulator helpful to only a niche market.

When I say niche market, I don’t mean guitar players, which is naturally a strong demographic in gaming circles. A colleague of mine, guitar player all her life, struggled when shifting between chords for Death Cab for Cutie’s “I Will Follow You into the Dark”, despite playing the song on her own guitar pitch-perfect for months. The 8 chords available (each on the d-pad or variations, i.e. left, left-up) are tricky to manoeuvre, and, in her own words, almost nothing akin to the real thing.

So whilst this title isn’t actually a game at all, it doesn’t hold up as much of a simulator either. Whilst replicating a song during its demo there is no tempo, no beat to guide you along. There are no penalties for messing up, no learning curve altogether. You simply strum away till the end of the song where you might get a little face to pop up and tell you “nice job”. Not really much incentive to hone your skills when you literally don’t know when or where you went wrong. I’ve already seen Jam Sessions described as an “executive toy” or “perfect for creating songs on the go” but I can assure you before you reach into your wallets, it is neither. Jam Sessions is simply an innovative idea, presented well, but cursed by a lack of depth that screams “unfinished tech demo”. The foundations of a solid title are there though, and we can hope that the potential of DS music simulators will be unlocked soon. For now, Jam Sessions is destined to be remembered as an interesting failure, but a failure nonetheless.

VERDICT

REVIEWS

Now he's a superstar slammin’ on his guitar

SKATE. S

FORMAT REVIEWED Xbox 360 OTHER FORMATS PS3 PUBLISHER EA DEVELOPER EA Black Box REVIEWED BY James Bowden

atisfaction is a word that any player of Skate can immediately relate to; the satisfaction of completing a complicated trick line or the contentment of simply landing a particularly difficult rocket back-flip. Frustration is another word that will probably come to mind; the frustration upon failing some of the game’s harder challenges for the umpteenth time, or the anger when you can’t find the perfect spot to perform one of the game’s film challenges. But then you’ll finally nail the challenge, and that feeling of satisfaction will once again take over, the frustration will pass, and you will continue to skate. Skate was primarily designed as a skaters’ game and, when you first play it, you will struggle. The game will appear to be mocking you as you miss a grind again and again whilst you get used to the low camera angle and EA’s ‘intuitive’ Flickit control system, which see’s you pulling off both straightforward ollies and hardcore trickery simply by using the right analogue stick.

But after an hour or so the game clicks, and you will hit the sweet spot as you start to land tricks left right and centre before realising that the game isn’t as hard as you originally thought. In truth, Skate has carved a new niche in the extreme sports genre where it isn’t just about building your

combo score, but more focused on the player looking awesome for short periods of time, pulling off moves that look particularly impressive. The map of San Vanelona is enormous, and each different area offers a distinct feel in terms of your surroundings and general landscape, whilst each one is completely designed with skating in mind. The map is filled with rails, half pipes, pools and other such architecture, but even so, manages to feel organic and believable, while being delightfully skate-able. It’s possible to spend hours simply exploring the map, performing manuals down hills to avoid traffic and finding the biggest drop you can. The best single player challenges are often the ones that revolve around tricks, be it in a set location or one that you can choose where to film, and are always highly satisfying and look extremely cool in the replays. Racing missions can also be fairly good fun and there are a few standout routes, but the ‘Follow Me’ and S.K.A.T.E challenges are the weakest available. Follow me is dreary and monotonous, not helped by the computer character being so slow, while the S.K.A.T.E challenges (in which one player sets a trick and the other copies) are a cure for insomnia. Skate’s online features are commendable, and considering quite how robust they are

it’s unfortunate that some lag issues can hamper them. Skate offers a media sharing facility similar to that of Halo 3, and at any point during a free-skate session you are able to review your last 30 seconds and record it from a variety of camera angles and with a number of lens effects. The feature is brilliant for remembering your best moments and sharing them, but the inability to place your camera freely holds back what would have been any skaters dream attribute. You’re able to compete in a variety of racing and trick events online and, when they’re not lagging at least, they are extremely fun. It’s unmerited, albeit inevitable, to compare Skate to the games in the Tony Hawk series. Rather than being better or worse, Skate will separate fans of the sport with its gritty and more realistic approach, while Tony Hawk’s can still exist as an arcade-style score competition. Skate is by no means perfect, but as the first entry into a hopefully fruitful franchise it lays some perfect foundations that could easily be improved in the future.

VERDICT

REVIEWS

MyPlace, MyRules

MYSIMS

I FORMAT REVIEWED Wii OTHER FORMATS DS PUBLISHER EA DEVELOPER EA Redwood REVIEWED BY Tom Hoggins

can almost taste the sugar, flowers have sprouted from my floor, yellow butterflies are flittering around my head and I’m pretty sure I just saw Bambi prancing past my window. You see, MySims is cute. It’s so cute that it seems to burst colour and joy and sweetness from the TV. Apart from the rather dubious option of creating a gender ambiguous, bearded, gingham-dress wearing freak as your avatar, MySims is an exercise in joyful innocence. A video game where, get this, you have to be nice to everyone.

Much like Nintendo’s equally saccharine Animal Crossing, the game opens with your character arriving by train to a once thriving town that’s fallen on hard times. It’s your job to literally rebuild the town to its former glories. Your character has a special talent for construction and can use pretty much anything they find in the town to design weird and wonderful creations. When I say everything, I mean everything. How about making a bed out of clownfish? Or a DJ turntable system out of action figures for the local nightclub (that you built yourself, of course)? These materials are given the name ‘Essences’ and can be found about the town in different ways. You can shake them out of trees, use an ‘Essence Detector’ and dig them up or fish them out of the local lake. Usually, finding an

essence involves using the Wii remote in a simple minigame, which makes resourcecollecting a fun distraction rather than a chore. Once you have your essences you can take them to your workshop, and this is where your imagination can run wild. Apart from sticking to a few rules to keep make your creations useable, the building tool is freeform. Using the Wii remote you twist and turn blocks and essences into place to make beds, tables, chairs and er, sarcophaguses for the local archaeologist. The creation tool is remarkably intuitive and fun for the most part, though can be a little fiddly when working outside the set blueprints that are available. Building is surprisingly addictive and minutes can turn to hours as you come up with your own crazy designs limited only by your own imagination.

their own wants and needs. Each of the characters is imbued with their own personality, and some of the dialogue within the game is genuinely funny as you help each to make their business boom. Interaction with these Sims outside of them assigning you tasks is a sweet distraction, but this is perhaps where MySims is a little too simplistic for its own good. The relationship management seen in the more complex PC Sims games is non-existent, nor is there any incentive to keep your own Sim happy outside of decorating your own house for your own enjoyment, but to make MySims overly complicated would miss the point. However, the lack of any online functionality seems a glaring faux-pas. Being able to share your wacky items and visit friend’s towns seem obvious online opportunities missed.

“A HOPELESSLY ADDICTIVE AND CHARMING GAME THAT WILL TAKE UP FAR MORE TIME THAN YOU INTENDED”

These designs can then be given as gifts to the local townsfolk. To build up the town each inhabitant will give you a building task to complete, making their shop or attraction more enticing to outsiders, who in turn you can ask to move in to the town. Before long your previously sparse settlement will turn into a thriving town, full of different, charming characters with

MySims is very much a family game, allowing kids’ boundless creativity to thrive in a simplistic town-management sim with an excellent item-creation tool. It’s certainly not for everyone, but those willing to either look past or embrace the sugar-sweet presentation and tone

will find a hopelessly addictive and charming game that will take up far more time than you intended it to when you first hit the power-button. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to go build a car-shaped bed out of bacon for the local arcade owner.

VERDICT

REVIEWS

TOMB RAIDER

ANNIVERSARY

CONAN

FORMAT

Xbox 360

360 (Reviewed), PS3

PUBLISHER

Eidos Interactive

THQ

DEVELOPER

Crystal Dynamics

Nihilistic Software

REVIEWED BY

David Scammell

nniversary, first introduced on PS2 and PC earlier in the year, is the rejuvenation of the original Tomb Raider, filled with each familiar location, characters and enemies that you’ll remember from the first game in the renowned series. What comes as a great surprise though is that, other than through the general storyline, Anniversary never once feels as if you’re playing that same game you played all those years ago. Naturally, that comes thanks to the re-worked environments and puzzles given a next gen makeover, but pushed even further through Crystal Dynamics’ implementation of gameplay mechanics first seen in TR: Legend, and the added bonus of a perfect control system. Controlling Lara through the ancient crypts has never been easier, and our buxom explorer is more nimble than ever. Making a return from Crystal Dynamics‘ first Tomb Raider, Tomb Raider: Legend, are the Quick Time Events which, whilst beautifully choreographed, still do nothing to add real value to the TR experience. After two ports in as many years we’re still eagerly awaiting a ‘proper’ next-generation Tomb Raider.

Let’s not forget, Anniversary is a port of a last-gen game, itself a remake of a game two generations old. There’s been no real effort made when porting over to 360 either, the game simply looks like a high-res version of the PC game. Character models (other than Miss Croft) are nigh on terrible, whilst textures and lighting both feel decidedly last-gen. And given the relatively poor visuals, it’s somewhat surprising that the framerate still can’t manage to hold up along the way, with some slowdown prevalent in particular areas. But regardless, if the gameplay can still hold its own, as it does, what does it matter? As a 360 title, fans are bound to be disappointed by the resonating screams of lazy port. And whilst Eidos have gone someway to sweeten the deal by releasing Anniversary at a budget price, it just can’t shake the fact that it looks and feels last-gen. As the PS2 game it was always intended to be, it ticked all the right boxes. As a 360 game, it only manages to tick the one, but when that box is the gameplay, Tomb Raider Anniversary comes hard not to recommend to those craving another treasure hunt with Lady Croft.

VERDICT

hey say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, and our man Conan wishes that he was Kratos so much it hurts. Hurts the guy whose skull I’ve just impaled onto a 6ft long pike that is. Nihilistic Software have successfully done the improbable job of shamelessly ripping off Sony’s titanic anti-hero in almost every possible way; a copycat control system, combo-style swordplay, multiple-coloured orbs...sorry, runes, quick time events and button sequences; at some point or another almost every mechanic you can think of within God of War (other than it’s tricky puzzle sequences) makes its way into Conan. Fittingly, the combat system is Conan’s greatest strength. Whilst our hero starts with just a lowly sword and his bare hands, throughout the adventure he’s able to wield all manner of blades, with his barbaric fighting style changing accordingly. Dual wielding swords allows for quick, close-quarters combat, picking up a shield allows for a nice balance of offense and defence, whilst picking up a large two-handed weapon leaves our hero unprotected and sluggish but unstoppably

powerful. Nihilistic have also created a great parrying system that allows you to counterattack your enemy and finish them off with one fatal blow. Combat itself is suitably vicious, with blood and body parts spattered about the landscape, and the game feels all the better for it. Level design throughout the land of Hyboria, however, is bland and uninspired, with perhaps the only variation between levels being the type of enemy on offer to decapitate. And the very few puzzle solving sections that there are really don’t require that many brain cells to figure out, simply pushing a statue or a tower over will usually do the job. But that sums Conan up. The game is an incredibly basic experience that doesn’t ever require the use of your head unless it’s to butt someone in the face. Instead, Conan is a sadistically fun (though short-lived) machismo romp of sex and brutal violence. And if that’s your bag, I need say no more.

VERDICT

COMPANY OF HEROES

JACKASS

OPPOSING FRONTS

THE GAME

FORMAT

PS2 (Reviewed), PSP, DS

PUBLISHER

THQ

Empire Interactive

DEVELOPER

Relic

Sidhe Interactive

REVIEWED BY

David Scammell

he rise of the casual gamer has a lot to answer for. A game contrived of mini-games is one thing, but a game contrived of mini-games based on a shallow, albeit fairly amusing TV show is another.

hen Relic first introduced Company of Heroes a little over 12 months ago, the game was widely regarded as being somewhat of a marvel. Along had come a game that took the rapidly staling real-time strategy genre and moulded it into something fresh and innovative.

in the original, instead leading to faster, hardhitting gameplay as opposed to the slower, territorial based campaign of CoH. Whilst they both work great, the two factions feel as if they’re designed for players with previous experience, and as a result those new to the series may feel slightly out of their depth.

No longer was it about building 50 Mammoth Tanks and rushing the enemy in the vein hope of victory. Instead, Relic honed in on the key word that rather bizarrely was often over-looked; strategy. Carefully picking your positions, holding key buildings and bridges, pushing forward and gaining territory; Company of Heroes wasn’t just about achieving a crushing victory as fast as possible, but managing war on an intense battlefield.

Multiplayer retains the addictive territorial skirmishes seen in the original adopting the stance of ‘if it isn’t broke why fix it’. Presentation is also first-rate; the stunning visuals coupled with the cursing and screaming of your soldiers bringing the harsh reality of war to vivid life.

The main, and quite short-lived portion of Jackass: The Game is the game’s story mode, which has the player perform a series of inane stunts (read: mini-games) for each episode of the show. Each stunt earns you revenue based on your performance and a set amount of money is required before you’re allowed to move on to the next episode. Simple.

Given that there hasn’t been anything come along to rival Company of Heroes jaw-dropping gameplay, it’s hard not to recommend Opposing Fronts. Granted, unlike the previous title, it doesn’t win any awards for trying something new, and those of you that have never played Company of Heroes (and judging by its disappointingly poor sales figures that’s plenty of you) may still be better off starting out with the original. But for CoH-hardened vets looking to get back on the battlefield, Opposing Fronts is an absolute must-buy.

Much like the TV show, Jackass: The Game doesn’t hold back on idiocy, and each stunt will be familiar to any of you that have ever watched the show. From the DDR-style Party Boy games, to trolley cart racing and leaping into a vat of poo, there’s plenty to go around. Unfortunately though, hardly any of them are actually any fun, and rather than go back and willingly replay them as per the intention of a game in this genre, you’ll turn the air blue when you realise you have no option but to replay them in order to progress.

Opposing Fronts introduces two new factions to the series; the British 2nd Army and the German Panzer Elite. Both factions have their own campaigns that collectively make up for a longer single-player experience to that of the first game. Given their nature, the two factions are rather different to play as to the US and Axis factions seen

VERDICT

REVIEWS

Considering the casual market the game was intended for, Jackass: The Game is surprisingly difficult. To use an example, the first episode requires no less than $500,000 to pass onto the next, with money gained by completing the five mini-games on offer. After finishing all five and doing what I thought was a fairly alright job, I’d actually only accumulated just over half of the required figure, meaning I had no choice but to go back and play back through the same five ridiculous mini-games. If the games were any good it wouldn’t be too much of a problem, but instead they’re boring and tedious, and I had much more fun playing Flash-based games on the internet during the course of writing this review than I ever did playing through Jackass. There are some amusing unlockable videos of the Jackass crew that were filmed during the production, but when the best thing about the game is videos of middle-aged men messing around, it really puts the shambolic mess that is Jackass: The Game into perspective.

VERDICT

DOWNLOAD

SPEEDBALL 2: BRUTAL DELUXE

SUPER METROID

EVERYDAY SHOOTER (RIFFED)

For the uninitiated, Speedball is a mash up of American football, basketball and ice hockey all gloriously brought together into one fast paced futuristic package. Speedball 2: Brutal Deluxe’s port onto XBLA features brand new HD graphics which, unless you are brand new to the game, won’t do anything but disappoint when compared with the classic visuals of the original game. Thankfully you can always turn off the 3D graphics and revert back to the classic view if you’d prefer. The core game play is as you would expect from Speedball; 9 armoured players putting their lives on the line to throw a metal ball into the goal. Points are notched up for scoring, and hitting various targets on the floor and wall also bring extra points.

Super Metroid was an important game in the Metroid franchise. Evolving the formula created by the NES original, it was the last Metroid developed under the guidance of series creator Gunpei Yokoi and is often heralded as the best 2D Metroid title.

Similar to Super Stardust HD and Blast Factor in its premise, Everyday Shooter (or Riffed as it’s to be known in the UK) is your basic shooter, moving your ship (or in ES’s case, a floating sprite) around the game space with the left stick and firing with the right. Harking back to cult classics like Rez and Amplitude, the gameplay is structured entirely around music. Each level has a song playing in the background which matches the tone of the visuals. Every sound effect for that particular stage is a music note or riff that harmonizes with the all-guitar soundtrack. This means that explosions either you or your opponents cause sounds like a wave of guitar notes. This musical effect works extremely well and invokes a dreamy haze that truly elevates the overall experience, and really has to be seen (and heard) to be believed.

Format: XBLA Price: 800 MS points

For the asking price Speedball 2 includes a fair amount of play options, including online and local multiplayer as well as the option to play leagues and competitions as any one of the 32 teams. There’s also a managerial mode thrown in for an extra bit of longevity. The game does show its age, but if you were an original player there is nothing better than an action packed game of Speedball to help you remember that long gone Amiga.

VERDICT

Format: Virtual Console Price: 800 Wii Points

The game kicks off with Samus answering a distress call on space station Ceres, where Ridley ambushes her and duly steals the last Metroid in existence. Samus follows, arm cannon at the ready, on an adventure to track him down using items and relics left by her long deceased guardians, the Chozo. While the game is relatively short, cunning level design and elusive (but always intuitive) puzzle solutions cause the initial run through the game to take a while. Enemies are varied and the iconic screen-filling boss battles punctuate the adventure, with each feeling genuinely different from the last. Representing the pinnacle of the Metroid franchise, Super Metroid is an amazing adventure that still plays great today. An essential purchase.

VERDICT

Format: PSN Price: $9.99

It doesn’t do shooting as well as Stardust – you feel less in control of your somewhat sluggish sprite - but it’s likely you’ll not be that bothered as music and colour explode all around you. Everyday Shooter is a perfect ‘pick up and play’ game, and is a perfect tonic to the more serious ‘hardcore’ shooters already available on PSN.

VERDICT

FEATURE

D+BATE is a brand new column that sees our opinionated writing team tackling hot topics from within the world of video gaming. We’ll discuss the good, we’ll discuss the bad, and finally come to a D+PAD verdict.

WHAT ARE ACHIEVEMENTS? In 2005 Microsoft re-launched Xbox Live to incorporate a new and compulsory player rating system tied to your gamertag entitled Gamerscore. Gamerscore provided players with an opportunity to unlock points on the completion of game specific objectives called Achievements.

Achievement points are accumulated in two ways; by completing core single player campaign milestones or by executing tailor-made gameplay tasks. Locally Achievements are indicative of game progression and globally Xbox Live enabled players can browse both your total score and your individual accomplishments across all Xbox 360 titles.

This month we’re talking Achievements, the system hailed by the majority of Xbox 360 gamers and industry media as a way to enrich gameplay and extend the life of videogames. But is that really the case, or are they just a marketing gimmick?

THE BLUE CORNER Life is all about reward. You slave away 9 to 5 doing a job you hate, but at the end of the day come home to your lovely partner (hopefully) with dinner already on the table (maybe I’m pushing it here). Achievements are gaming’s equivalent; Microsoft’s fantastic way of giving you a little pat on the back and rustle of your hair for killing X amount of enemies, playing Y amount of hours, or for doing something just that little bit special. Sure, some games have rubbish achievements (we’re looking at you Mr. Kong), and the notion of the ‘Achievement Wh...’ erm, ‘Addict’ is a depressing one, but when implemented well, achievements can act as a wonderful supplement to any game. For me personally, the greatest thing about Achievements is that they form a rock solid register of every game you’ve played and what you’ve achieved within them. For example, I completed PGR3 on platinum a while back, and, if you’ve played the game you’ll know that, understandably, I’m pretty chuffed with that. Without the Achievement system,

my profile would have no record of that whatsoever. With Achievements though, I can (or could) brag to my friends about it, safe in the knowledge that I have a 100 Gamerpoint-ed piece of evidence to back me up. However Achievements are much more than just a passive record of your actions. They can actively influence your gaming experience. The famous example of this is with Crackdown. People love to mess around in sandbox games and Crackdown is more suited to that than any other. To the developers’ credit, they took that idea to another level by not only allowing, but encouraging the player to take advantage of its open world nature, crazy physics and insane abilities. Another great example of this would be the online Achievements in Gears of War. Take the ‘Hammer of Dawn’. It’s an absolute nightmare to operate at first, but willed on by the Achievement of 100 kills using the weapon, I slowly worked out its mannerisms and has since become my favourite weapon in the game. If not for the Achievement, I never would have bothered.

And there’s more. The Achievement lists of a particular user, whether that be yourself or someone else, can reveal a great deal. At first glance they’ll clearly show who’s an Achievement junkie and who isn’t, but further inspection can show which genres they enjoy, the games they like, what difficult they play games at and whether they prefer online or offline gaming. Even closer analysis can actually reveal playing styles. A great example of this would be the hacking Achievement in the splendid BioShock. A friend of mine noticed that I had, for want of a thesaurus, achieved it, whilst he hadn’t, despite him being further in than myself. This goes to show that Achievements can open up new aspects of your games that you yourself possibly wouldn’t have noticed nor have explored otherwise. Another facet of Achievements is that they can promote further plays by willing you on, to have a go on a higher difficulty or with a different character, or otherwise. There’s even a potentially humorous side to them. As an illustration, Command & Conquer 3 contains a, zero point, ‘negative Achievement’ for

skipping the tutorial, appropriately titled “Mister NO it all”. It even taunts you with further laugh-in-your-face ‘Achievements’ for losing so many online or offline games in a row. This is real proof that Achievements are only limited by their creator’s imaginations. And even ignoring all the above, no one, not even the most cold-hearted of people, can deny that they don’t feel a warm fuzzy feeling inside when that infamous little ‘Achievement Unlocked’ notification pops up to make your day that little bit brighter. John McCormick

FEATURE

ACHIEVEMENTS IN THE COMMUNITY Other than Xbox.com, Achievements have opened up a wealth of opportunities within the online community, and these are some of the best.

Achieve360Points.com details every 360 achievement available and offers in-depth guides as to how to attain them.

MyGamerCard.net allows users to recreate their Gamercard for use in forums and community networking sites.

360Voice.com tracks your Xbox 360â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s movements, writing a humorous daily blog on the previous dayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s activity, as well as offer a whole host of intriguing statistics about your playtime.

THE RED CORNER

I'd be lying if I said I wasn't intrigued by the Achievement system. The prospect of comparing my performance with like-minded gamers seemed like a good idea as Microsoft expertly promoted its online space as a friendly competitive community. Today, the system is hailed by the majority of 360 gamers and industry media as a way to enrich gameplay and extend the life of videogames. However, I feel that Achievements leave much to be desired. The ideology isn't so much the problem, but the implementation. Throughout the videogame generations gamers have been rewarded for prolific and diverse gameplay to become masters of a virtual universe. Although the characteristics of todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s gaming environment has changed, incentives have stayed intact as developers continually strive to provide hard-graft gamers with tangible value added rewards. All of this begs a simple question: By adding 5G's, 10G's or 20G's to your Gamerscore, are Achievements delivering the same feeling of progressive accomplishment and die-hard relief? At the most basic level energy boosts, extra lives or a shield compel gamers to play on in sticky situations. At a more advanced level gameplay enhancing characteristics such as new weapons, upgrades, stat points to improve your

character, gene pools, new body parts and tuning options are amongst the many different ways that developers coerce gamers to be more adventurous and immerse themselves in to the experience. Comparatively Achievement points are faceless against the impeccable taste of garnering new gameplay assets to advance player skill and domination. A digit added to a combined score fails to provide any conceivable advantage when traversing epic environments, seeking a headshot or racing wheel to wheel for first place. As such I can't understand the need for Microsoft to impose and, in such an unconvincing fashion, display gratitude where gameplay characteristics stay true to developer design, especially when unlocking an Achievement has no gameplay advantage or any perception of well-being. Development houses consist of creative, innovative, intelligent and artistic people who are passionately in-tune with the audience they serve by delivering exceptional gameplay experiences. They should continue to be inspired by the hard and fast rules that has empowered creativity for years gone by without the need to consider a constrained reward structure like Achievements. I'd go so far to say that the confines of Achievements are an insult to the integrity of development houses across the globe. Lets be honest here, a proportion of Achievements (and I'm not

talking about single player campaign milestones) can be acquainted by following a pathological route by design. As an example you would get an Achievement in Bioshock for hacking a safe, something a player would eventually do anyway tainting the act of accumulating points. Then you've got developers that incorporate Achievements to make up the numbers. For this I point to collecting all the Dog Tags in Gears of War. Really, who cares? What great asset does collecting all the Dog Tags provide? It does nothing to enhance the core gameplay experience so why get distracted by meaningless endeavours? As such, it seems that some developers have already singled out this system as nothing more than a collection of point scores that not only have very little value but is also condescending to their customers. Additionally, and by the very nature of its mechanics, Achievements provide little correlation between any two gamers. The abilities and imagination of gamers is broad and too expansive for Achievements to recreate a level playing field. In essence this means some will delight in the easy pickings of enemies and opponents whilst more demanding gamers will explore and experiment to a much greater extent. However, both sets of gamers could complete the same game and get the same experience. We know that some games have multiple tiers that unlock Achievement points based on the

difficulty setting selected at the start of your experience, but still the problem lies with how Achievements gratify the player. It doesn't matter what difficulty you complete a game at as one meaningless number is added to another. Personally, I don't find any gratification in being awarded with one superficial number after another like a currency without any value. Achievements that pass me by are left unvisited because they are overshadowed by the core gameplay experience and, realistically, I get nothing for my troubles anyway. Looking back over the years there have been plenty of first class AAA experiences without the need for accumulating points. As it stands Achievements are, quite simply, relative to nothing in videogames, but with a bit of value added fine-tuning by Microsoft, they could mean a whole lot more to the millions of players around the world. Stefan Goerke-Hewitt

FEATURE

What the rest of us think... I like the "Achievement Unlocked" popup as much as the next person, but they're most certainly not the reason I play video games which seems to be the case for some people now. For me, they're a welcome distraction which can add longevity and, if imaginative, can get you playing the game in a different way. Geometry Wars 'Pacifist' Achievement is probably still the best example of this.

Tom Hoggins

Gamertag profiles are a fantastic way of seeing how you square up against someone else, and creative Achievements, when done well, can be great fun. Achievements can also give people a good idea of what games you like, and of course that warm fuzzy feeling when the little symbol appears.

Achievements can sometimes turn me off of a game. With Blue Dragon I sort of thought to myself, “It's good, but those achievements look hard”, actually deterring me from the game. Other than that, I love the system. It definitely adds shelf life (no way would I be going for the GoW 10,000 kills otherwise!) and is a nice thing to show off.

The only negative point I can think of is that Gamerscore seems more important and that some people play simple games because they are an 'easy 1000'. I just don't see the point in that.

Richard Angus

In a growing culture of personalisation and social networking, Achievements seem the next logical step and fit perfectly within the gaming world.

James Bowden

My major gripe with the system is that I'd rather be rewarded with a gameplay altering cheat like in Goldeneye or extra features such as development art, rather than a measly pop-up and a couple of numbers.

They're just for showing off.

Richard Rohani

David Scammell

Grumpy Jo

I'm firmly in the pro-Achievements camp.

The official D+PAD poll...

And the winner is...

Pro-Achievements

THE BLUE CORNER!

Anti-Achievements

The majority of us here at D+PAD love the idea of Achievements. Whilst they perhaps shouldn’t be considered vital to gaming, there’s no denying that they add another layer to the experience and offer inspiration to gamers to approach their games in new and exciting ways.

Were we right in deciding that Achievements are a worthwhile addition to gaming, or do you disagree? We’re not the only one’s with an opinion and we’d like to hear yours! Let us know what you think by sending an email to: dbate@dpad-magazine.com

READER REACTIONS

Did Halo 3 live up to your expectations? Halo 3 met my expectations. Not surpassed, but met. The Campaign, while too short, was very fun, and as good an end as it could have been. Bungie has served us well by possibly creating the best multiplayer experience since Goldeneye 007 on the N64 Joe Medforth

Halo 3 is the most 9-worthy game I've played in a long time. Although once a rude Yank played dance music by a nice man named 'Gunther' down the mic. A 10 then. HenkeSCO

Halo 3 surpassed the expectations I had set. Bman

This month we’re asking: Which game will be at the top of your list this Christmas? Send your opinions to reactions@dpad-magazine.com and we’ll print the best in next month’s issue.

From the brilliant blue blinding explosions of bringing down a scarab in Campaign, to the vehicular madness that is 16 player Big Team Battle, to the slow-mo replays of you shooting people in the face, Halo 3 delivers on all fronts! Kevin DeCastro

It far surpassed them. The cutscenes were immersive, emotional, and the best so far in the Halo trilogy. The storyline left me feeling fulfilled in a way I haven't felt since I played through FFVII. Kyle Martin

I don’t have Halo 3 and didn’t play the beta ;( Mario-hat Kirby

grumpy jo’s

COLUMN

If I had known I would be doing a nude scene, I'd have asked for another million.

Alright people, I’m back. Worryingly, I have very little news to report on this month so I may have to wing this one even more than usual! Highest on the agenda this month is the European release, or lack thereof, of Rock Band. Speaking to an EA rep I’m told they’ve shifted the European release back to March, and for an as yet unspecified reason. America are still getting it November 23rd, so why aren’t we? I know I complain a lot in this column about the disparity between Europe and the colonies with regard to these sorts of things, but I think this time I have a real point. Rock Band is possibly the ultimate example of a party game, and EA really are shooting themselves in the foot by not releasing it pre-party season. And then taking into consideration the price of the full kit, I mean really, who has nearly £200 to spend on one game in March? I know it’ll still sell well enough but I honestly believed it could have been one of the top selling games this Christmas. Shame. On the other hand one of EA’s that is going to be stuck near the top of the sales charts this December is The Simpsons Game. Luckily at my real job I am afforded short (ie. 2-3 hour) breaks to play the latest and greatest games, and The Simpsons Game has actually pushed Halo 3 aside and firmly taken up residence in our 360. I will be the first to admit it has its problems; the camera can be shocking on occasion and sometimes collision detection isn’t wonderful, but it’s just so well made that you can forgive it its flaws. You can tell it’s written by folk that know and love video games, and it’s little things like having to play a game of Frogger to cross a river, seeing John Frink describe his love for a Koopa turtle, or even Maggie’s projectile attack, that add up to make it a more enjoyable and humorous experience. I’ll leave an actual review to someone that can do a better job than me for next month, but suffice to say it’s worth a look, even if Lionel Hutz isn’t in it.

Anyway, enough about EA and their dominance of the sales charts every year end, let’s go back to talking about Manhunt (I told you it was a slow news month.) Okay so the story so far goes that Manhunt (a horrifically over-rated PS2 game) got a sequel, imaginatively titled Manhunt 2. Rockstar spend months and millions of dollars working out how to make the game as controversial as possible only to have the final product banned. So Rockstar threw their toys out of their pram and complain about art and a right to expression for a while (until the shareholders asked where their dividend was at least.) Right about the same time Rockstar realised they weren’t an emo teenager and decided to resubmit the game with the worst bits taken out. “Hooray” quoth the Americans, “now we can play out our serial killer fantasies on our shiny new Wii”. The Brits however said “Boo, rubbish” as the BBFC ban the cut version as well. Still with me? Good, because I think that brings us about up to date. In part I agree with both sides on this one. The BBFC have a duty to protect a largely uneducated buying public, but as a fan of art I believe Rockstar have every right to express themselves creatively. The thing that gauls me most though is the childish manner in which Rockstar are conducting themselves. What pushed me over the edge this month is the news that the PSP version of the game (which bear in mind, is also the region free one) is hackable, enabling the “censored” gore to be switched back on. Pathetic. It goes back to the Hot Coffee mod in San Andreas which I’m sure we don’t all need reminding of. But this will only further the problem. Of course it won’t stop the idiots who bought the first one rushing out to buy it, and hell, if that hack becomes common knowledge it might even stimulate PSP sales as well. But maybe Rockstar had worked that out all along... Ok, so that’s it for this month. Next time we’ll hopefully have something more exciting to report on and not have to rely again on Manhunt 2. If nothing else I can talk about how good COD 4 is (very apparently), if Mass Effect really is as ace as it looks, and how similar to last year’s this year’s Need For Speed is. If there’s anything you fancy discussing you all know my email; grumpyjo@dpad-magazine.com. Laters.

GALLERY

barry ballaran

rise of the prince http://ahbeejieh.deviantart.com

GALLERY

matt cummings

mario sunshine: petey http://eiffelart.deviantart.com

GALLERY

jonathan stone

blood is thicker than water http://jdstone.deviantart.com

NEXT MONTH

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