D+PAD Issue 5

ISSUE 05 | FEBRUARY 2008

RUNNIN’ WITH THE DEVIL DEVIL MAY CRY 4 - REVIEWED ALSO REVIEWED:

ADVANCE WARS: DARK CONFLICT KINGDOM UNDER FIRE: COD BURNOUT PARADISE ZACK & WIKI THE CLUB & MORE!

PLUS!

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH CRITERION

“We knew going open world would be slightly controversial”

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A Resolution As we carried out our annual celebrations with merry abandon, the D+PAD team made a resolution to give you more; to make D+PAD your new home (page), to make D+PAD your PAD. Change is coming, just watch this space.

But enough of the future, what is now? Well, this month we’ve been cruising through the sundrenched metropolis of Paradise City, blasting ourselves out of The Club and slaying all manner of devils and demons in Devil May Cry 4 (and in Kingdom Under Fire too, but we didn’t enjoy that as much).

We also had a chat with Craig Sullivan, the lead designer of Burnout Paradise. Click through a few pages to see how he responded to our unrelenting questioning over where the hell our beloved Crash mode has disappeared to. Oh, and be sure to enter this month’s competition (p.49) for a chance to win yourself a copy of the game.

On top of that we’ve put together a rundown of titles due in 2008, highlighting the top 25 games to look out for later in the year. It’ll be hard to beat some of last year’s fantastic titles, but, rather surprisingly, there’s still some great games in store for this year. Our seven page feature “Spotlight on 2008” kicks off on page 10.

Enjoy.

David Scammell Editor editor@dpad-magazine.com

ISSUE 5 | FEBRUARY 2008 EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

David Scammell

22 10

TURNING POINT FALL OF LIBERTY

DEPUTY EDITOR

Stuart Leech

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DESIGNER

ZACK & WIKI QUEST FOR BARBAROS’ TREASURE

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SPOTLIGHT ON 2008

David Scammell CONTRIBUTORS

Richard Angus DEVIL MAY CRY 4

Zoheir Beig James Bowden

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Gareth Chappell BURNOUT PARADISE

Ian Freeman Stefan Goerke-Hewitt Tom Hoggins

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Greg Latham Graham Naunton

NINJA GAIDEN 2

Emmet Purcell Richard Rohani

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TOM CLANCY’S RAINBOW SIX VEGAS 2

THE CLUB

NEWS

04

The latest headlines from the world of gaming

DLC GETS SOME TLC

NEW CONTENT COMING FOR 2007’S FINEST

GTA IV DATED Rockstar’s incessantly delayed GTA IV has finally been given a firm release date. The latest in the award winning free-roaming series is due for a simultaneous worldwide release on April 29th.

It seems DLC has become the norm - neither consumers nor publishers content with just releasing a finished product, months, weeks or even days after release we can expect to see micro-transactions spun onto our online services.

This month has been no different with recent announcements of incoming DLC for three of 2007’s biggest titles. Mass Effect, Call of Duty 4 and Project Gotham Racing 4 are each set to receive further content, the first of which being Bizarre Creation’s city racer whose ‘Challenge’ packs are set to launch February 14th.

After recent showings of the highly anticipated title, our expectation has reached fever pitch. It’s going to be a long couple of months...

RAINBOW SIX LEAVING LAS VEGAS

The ‘Free Challenge Pack’ is set to include Peugeot’s hydrogen-powered Flux as well as ten additional achievements and two new modes - ‘Tourist Mode’, a free-roaming tool allowing you to drive around each city at leisure, and ‘Free Roam Cat & Mouse’.

In addition, the ‘Premium Challenge Pack’ is set to be released including a further six cars, three bikes and a new ‘World Challenge Arcade Mode’. The pack is due to cost 400 MS Points.

The sequel to 2006’s popular Ubisoft title ‘Rainbow Six Vegas’ may still be over a month away but already there’s talk that future titles in the series will move out of Vegas and be set elsewhere on the globe.

Mass Effect’s new alien race - the Batarians

Mass Effect is next on the agenda with the first in a series of planned DLC. The ‘Bring Down The Sky’ pack is set to include 90 minutes of “heart-pounding action” featuring a new uncharted world that introduces the feared alien race – the Batarians. The pack is due March 10th and will set you back 400 MS Points.

PGR4’s new hydrogen-powered Peugeot Flux

Details on Call of Duty 4’s DLC are light, although it’s been confirmed that we can expect to see new maps and an ‘added gameplay variety” when it launches this spring.

Elsewhere, PSP racer WipEout Pulse saw the first in a weekly series of DLC with its ‘Mirage’ pack, and it’s also been revealed that Burnout Paradise is set to receive further content, although there are no firm details as to when or what the package will include. You can check out our review of Criterion’s latest on p.33, or if you think lady luck is on your side, try winning yourself a copy by flicking to p.49.

In an interview with Eurogamer, Rainbow Six Vegas 2 designer Phillipe Therien stated “We will never go back to Vegas – at least not in the foreseeable future. The concept of being around one location was really good for Vegas, it really works. Whether we'll do that again, I don't know right now."

NEWS

05

The latest headlines from the world of gaming

ACTIVISION REVEALS 2008 RELEASE SCHEDULE

APPLE CONSOLE IN THE WORKS?

METAL GEAR SOLID COMPILATION INBOUND Konami has announced plans to release Metal Gear Solid: The Essential Collection, a commemorative package of all three previous Metal Gear Solid games.

There’s currently no confirmed release date for the pack, which is also set to include artwork by MGS artist Yoji Shinkawa, but we’re willing to guess it’ll launch alongside Metal Gear Solid 4 sometime in the second quarter.

Activision has confirmed a new wave of titles due to hit store shelves later in the year. The big news is the announcement of a new Call of Duty currently in the works. The new title in the popular series is due to launch on Xbox 360, PS3, PS2, Wii, DS & PC later this year.

Guitar Hero fans will also be pleased to hear there are three more titles due to be launched in 2008. Two are due for release before July while another is set to follow in the autumn. Presumably the first two will be spin off titles a la ‘Rocks The 80s’, with the true sequel ‘Guitar Hero 4’ hitting later in the year.

Tony Hawk is set to make a return, although not before receiving a major facelift. The popular series was trounced by EA’s new contender ‘skate’ last year, resulting in Activision taking the franchise back to the drawing board for the next iteration.

An all new Spider-Man is on the way, as well as a sequel to 2006 RPG ‘Marvel Ultimate Alliance’. Activision’s first Bond game also due to launch alongside the next film ‘Quantum of Solace’ this November.

A recent trademark application filed by Apple Inc. suggests the company could be working on a new video games console.

The application, filed February 5th, seeks protection of the Apple trademark against "Toys, games and playthings, namely, hand-held units for playing electronic games; hand-held units for playing video games; stand alone video game machines; electronic games other than those adapted for use with television receivers only; LCD game machines; electronic educational game machines; toys, namely battery-powered computer games."

Whilst the filing doesn’t confirm a games console is currently in production, it lends credence to recent rumours of Apple’s intention to break into the gaming market. And with reports that Apple are set to form a close bond with Intel during 2008, could the two former rivals be working together to deliver a killer gaming device?

TURN 10 HIRING FOR “NEXT BIG THING” In his latest blog post, Che Chou, Community Manager for Turn 10, has stated the team are looking for artists and developers to work on their “next big thing”.

The post outlines how a successful applicant must have a passion for games or racing.

Could this be the first sign that the rumoured Forza Motorsport 3 is currently in development?

COMING SOON

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Why you won't be leaving the house for the next few months CONDEMNED 2: BLOODSHOT

BULLY: SCHOLARSHIP EDITION

Set a year after the events of Criminal Origins, Bloodshot sees the return of Ethan Thomas, called back into duty to hunt down his missing partner. Using a variety of forensic tools to solve mysteries and track down the killer, Ethan will once again be getting to grips with an assortment of blunt objects and firearms with which to dispatch his fear-provoking foes. Bloodshot is also set to take the series online for the first time with the introduction of multiplayer modes.

Another one to add to the list of “Things Rockstar did but probably shouldn’t have”, Bully, or Canis Canem Edit to our European readers, first released in late 2006 to both controversy and critical reception. While receiving generally positive feedback from almost everyone, the game hit the headlines for its questionable content.

As fans of the criminally overlooked original, we can’t wait to fight our inner demons again March 14th.

With eight new missions, four new classes, all new unlockable items and two player minigames (and of course that all important Wii-waggle), we’ll be back bogwashing students when term time starts March 7th.

FIFA STREET 3

LOST ODYSSEY

The five-a-side king is back, kicking off for the first time on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. A hybrid of tech used in previous EA titles, FIFA Street 3 mixes the A.I. of FIFA 08 with the NBA Street Homecourt engine to provide a “larger-than-life arcade football experience”.

The four-disc adventure is finally set to launch across European territories later this month. Penned by awardwinning author Kiyoshi Shigematsu, Lost Odyssey follows the story of Kaim, a 1,000 year old immortal, across various periods from within his lifetime.

From the urban playgrounds of South America to the rooftops in Asia and the streets of Europe, each of the world’s top players have been stylishly caricaturised to fit within the hyperreal environments. We’ll be taking our football heroes back to the street February 22nd.

Produced by an all-star cast of ex-Square employees, including Final Fantasy creator Hironobu Sakaguchi and famed composer Nobuo Uematsu, it seems there’s a lot to look forward to in Mistwalker’s odyssey. Check out our preview on pg. 28 and then rush out to buy it February 29th.

BEAUTIFUL KATAMARI

Still sorely missing from European shores is the delightful Beautiful Katamari.

The latest title in the quirky Katamari series has received mixed feedback thus far, but honestly, we’re going to find it hard not to fall in love with its story; the King of All Cosmos somehow managing to rip a hole in the universe with a powerful serve during a game of tennis.

We’ll be taking on the world with our sticky balls February 29th.

INTERVIEW

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An Interview With Criterion...

This month we had a chat with Craig Sullivan of Criterion Games, lead designer of the fantastic Burnout Paradise. With his latest title smashing straight into the number 1 spot when it released at the end of last month, we had a few questions for him...

D+PAD: You're one of many developers who have taken to both next-gen consoles with Burnout Paradise. Is developing for two demanding consoles simultaneously particularly difficult, especially with the radically different architecture between the two?

Craig Sullivan: We’ve never really seen making games this way as a problem.

When we got hold of the early PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 development kits we knew that we would have enough power to create a new BURNOUT game experience that previous generations of consoles were not capable of. We started designing a totally new game where the focus was something we had talked about for a long time - open world at insane speed, total freedom and discovery.

Two years later we’re all done the game has just shipped. We’ve managed to create something that we think a lot of players won’t have seen before, True open world, drive anywhere at any time gameplay, featuring beautifully rendered cars, dense traffic and crashes, all running at 60 frames per second and running at 200mph plus on both systems with almost no differences between the two.

We feel that BURNOUT PARADISE is the kind of experience that really represents the next generation of the PlayStation games and is what people getting into HD gaming should expect from the future.

DP: You’ve always made it clear that PS3 was the lead platform for Paradise.

Was there any reason you chose to lead with PS3 over Xbox 360?

CS: When we say we lead on PlayStation 3 that means that we always played and reviewed the game on that system, and when we showed the game during development we always showed on PlayStation 3 because we’ve always been Specialists on the console. Both Versions of BURNOUT PARADISE are as identical as they can be, as developers we wouldn’t be satisfied with anything less and certainly never compromise on either machine.

DP: Burnout has raised the bar for the racing genre a few times now, and the move into an open world environment in Paradise once again blurs the precon-

PROFILE COMPANY:

Criterion Games

LOCATION:

Guildford, England

FOUNDED:

1993

KEY TITLES:

Trickstyle (1999) Burnout (2001) Airblade (2002) Black (2006) Burnout Paradise (2008)

Criterion’s latest title - Burnout Paradise

ceptions of a racing game. It's a remarkable challenge - did you encounter many difficulties during development?

CS: We knew going open world with BURNOUT would be slightly controversial to a very small number of gamers, but at Criterion we are always interested in looking forward, innovating and givinggiving gamers a fresh new experience they could not have anywhere else. The only real challenges we faced were those of innovation and thinking outside where the driving genre is. We always wanted to make something fresh and exciting and think that our fans expect that from us.

“WE KNEW GOING OPEN WORLD WITH BURNOUT WOULD BE SLIGHTLY CONTROVERSIAL”

INTERVIEW

08

BURNOUT PARADISE represents our vision of where gaming is right now and where we think it is going in the future.

We don’t want to make backwards looking games and we don’t think gamers out there want to play tired old ideas.

DP: We booted up the original Burnout in preparation for Paradise and it’s surprising to see quite how far the series has progressed. Is Burnout finally at the stage of your original vision or has the success of the series and superior hardware allowed the franchise to develop further than you ever expected?

CS: The games we make at Criterion are always a reflection of who we are at that time and what interests us in gaming tomorrow and the day after. I don’t think we’ll ever make a BURNOUT game that 100% meets our original vision because our vision is always changing as we make the game. We’re always going to keep pushing and innovating, so the goalposts are always moving.

DP: Each Burnout has always been significantly different to the last, adding extra features and tweaking others in each iteration. Paradise takes everything one step further by introducing an open-world environment and online integration. Which Burnout are you most proud of?

CS: All of them. There’s no way I could chose a particular one as they are purposely all different so they can all exists in someone’s game collection alongside each other. BURNOUT PARADISE is a very different game to the first BURNOUT we made back in 2001.

There are unique elements in both and a reason to own them both. I think that’s really important for a series, you can’t just add small changes and expect gamers to stick with you for a long time.

People need to get their money’s worth out of any individual game in a series and we think they always do with any BURNOUT game.

past, however this would have broken the dynamic of the whole game. Showtime was created to allow the user to crash anytime, anywhere. This feels truly Next-gen to us, as it doesn’t give the user any restrictions, and they are able to do what they want when they want. Also creating a specific number of junctions means that once you have completed them all that’s it, with Showtime every time you play, it’s different, you determine the route you take, you determine what you try and hit, and you can continue to get better and better.

DP: The pre-release demo pulled in mixed opinions from a lot of gamers.

Some long-time fans weren’t convinced by the direction Paradise had taken, whilst others embraced it. What do you say to those that doubt it?

CS: We get this a lot and the answer is always the same. Play the full game and see what you think. A demo is just that, a demo. It can never truly reflect the scope of a game like BURNOUT PARADISE, it’s just meant to give you a small taste. On our regular Podcast on our website www.criteriongames.com we talk about this quite a bit and we read out a lot of feedback from people that buy the full game and totally

“YOU CAN’T JUST ADD SMALL CHANGES AND EXPECT GAMERS TO STICK WITH YOU” DP: The Crash junctions introduced in Point of Impact were a highlight to a lot of Burnout players. Why was the decision made to cut Crash mode and replace it with Showtime?

CS: The goal for Burnout Paradise, was to create a completely seamless experience, this had to carry across all aspects of the game including what we’ve previously known as ‘Crash’ mode. We could have created crash junctions as we have in the

change their opinion. That’s all we ask, judge the game based on your own experiences and see if the game is for you.

DP: You were once quoted as saying that arcade classic OutRun was a predominant influence on Burnout. Do other games continue to influence you? What titles are you enjoying playing through at the moment?

CS: Everything we play influences us and we are big gamers in the office, there’s always something interesting to look at or talk about when playing other peoples games. At the moment I think Uncharted: Drakes fortune is hot, the new Ratchet and Clank game is a lot of fun, basically any and everything that comes out we play. We still have the odd game of Outrun too.

DP: Where do you see the Burnout series going from here? Do you have any ideas for further features to really enhance the Burnout experience?

INTERVIEW

09 CS: I can’t say too much yet. We’ve got a lot of new projects being worked on back at the Guildford office, one of which is downloadable content for BURNOUT PARADISE that we have already announced on the Podcast, but you’ll have to wait for us to get into details on that and the other cool stuff we’re working on later this year.

DP: We're delighted that British developers such as yourselves, Free Radical Design and Sega Racing Studio are continuing to produce great games.

But where do you see the British game industry going? Is it in decline, or as strong as ever?

CS: I can only comment on the work we do here at Criterion but I think we’re in pretty good shape. As long as teams keep striving to make the best games they possibly can then the industry will be strong. It has been and always should be about the quality of the software.

“WE’RE NOT MAKING ANOTHER BLACK GAME ANYTIME SOON”

have to say thanks to everyone who bought BLACK and made it a big hit for us.

DP: Bullet-fest Black was a huge game for PS2 and Xbox - some might say that it's one of the better FPS titles of last generation. How easy was it to move into another genre, especially with the successes of Burnout under your belts?

Are there any plans to venture further into different genres?

DP: With the FPS genre full to bursting, are there any plans to bring the Black franchise to next-gen consoles?

CS: We make games at Criterion that are fun and exciting to play and we don’t think that genre should be a barrier to us whenever we look at new ideas. BLACK was a cool game to make because we thought we could do something a little different than most FPS’s on consoles were doing at that time. We had a lot of fun making that game and I’d

CS: Sorry to disappoint you, but as we’ve mentioned many times on our Podcast we’re not looking at making another BLACK game anytime soon, although the rumors never seem to go away and we still get a lot of letters from fans, we’re honestly not working on that game at the moment. I doubt the rumours will go away though.

DP: So what’s next for Criterion?

CS: As I mentioned a little earlier we’re working on Downloadable content for BURNOUT PARADISE so look out for more details on that soon, it’s going to be a lot of fun.

Beyond that we have some very cool new projects the guys are working on the Guildford office, but it’s way too early for me to say anything about them just yet.

Keep checking our website and we’ll keep you updated.

DP: Will do! Thanks for your time Craig!

CS: Thanks for giving us the opportunity to talk to you and your readers.

Burnout Paradise is out now on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. Check out our review on page 33.

“LOOK OUT FOR MORE DETAILS ON [DOWNLOADABLE CONTENT] SOON, IT’S GOING TO BE A LOT OF FUN”

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SPOTLIGHT ON...

Words by Tom Hoggins

2007 was a remarkable year for video games. We finished the fight in style, soared through the universe and were welcomed to Rapture. A year in which a brightly coloured box innovated and enthralled, all while giving new meaning to the word ‘value’.

Even some of the less vaunted games of 2007 would have stood tall in many other years. God of War II was a spectacular swansong for the PS2, Crackdown proved it wasn’t just about the Halo 3 beta by delivering a fantastic open-world adventure and Uncharted showed the world just what the PS3 can do. We could wax lyrical about 2007 for hours.

However, now is a time for looking forward, to explore what 2008 has to offer. Those who hoped this year would bring a respite to their wallets should look away now. Far from being ‘the year after the year’ that many believed, 2008 could stand to be just as phenomenal - we’ve already hit the ground running with Zack and Wiki, Burnout Paradise and Devil May Cry 4. The ‘nextgeneration’ is in full swing, so we expect further greatness to come.

With that in mind, we‘ve compiled a list of the 25 titles we’re most looking forward to in the year ahead. And rather than struggling to compile such a list as we had expected, instead we were forced to compromise to whittle the list down to the magic number. There will be games under the radar that will light up the year, games that are yet to be seen that will surprise and delight us, and epic behemoths are surely waiting in the wings.

It’s what makes gaming so great, the constant promise of sleeping giants awakening to make a list like this seem a mockery a few months down the line. But, for now, we’ll do our best to pick out the ones to watch in 2008.

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STAR WARS

THE FORCE UNLEASHED

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Multi LucasArts LucasArts Q2

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SOUL CALIBUR IV 360, PS3 Namco Bandai Project Soul July

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TOM CLANCY’S ENDWAR

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360, PS3 Ubisoft Ubisoft Shanghai Q2

Set between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope, The Force Unleashed puts you in the role of Darth Vader’s secret apprentice on a quest to track down the remaining Jedi. With that being probably the greatest concept for a video game ever, we’re looking forward to seeing if LucasArts can deliver an experience that matches the promise.

The recent revelation that Darth Vader and Yoda will make console specific appearances (PS3 and 360 respectively) has only served to heighten our anticipation for Namco's arcade brawler, though we can't help but wish they could face off against each other. Online play, customisation and larger stages look to enhance this gorgeous fast-paced fighter.

The usual brand of Tom Clancy international espionage sets the scene for this new RTS in which players will take command of factions from the US, Russia or the newly formed 'European Federation'. Focusing more on small scale battles, EndWar can set itself up as a superior RTS by successfully encompassing the hi-tech warfare trademark of Tom Clancy games.

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CONDEMNED 2 BLOODSHOT

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360, PS3 SEGA Monolith March 14

Ethan Thomas is a broken man, disturbed to the point of madness and alcoholism by the events in the truly terrifying Condemned.

Having to contend with the darkest depths of a disturbed human mind on a quest to find Ethan's missing partner, the harder tone of Bloodshot and a more nihilistic protagonist suggests that the game will be even more vicious and visceral than the first. A tough feat.

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HALO WARS 360 Microsoft GS Ensemble Studios TBA

While the Master Chief's saga may be over, the Halo universe is a rich sci-fi world which we are more than happy to see more of. An RTS, Halo Wars charts the beginning of humanity's war against the Covenant. Taking control of the Spirit of Fire, a UNSC ship, players will command and manage their troops against the alien threat. As a 360 exclusive, Halo Wars could mould a future for console RTS’s.

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FABLE 2 360 Microsoft GS Lionhead Studios TBA

Fable may not have turned out to be everything it promised, but it was still a terrific action-RPG. So we look forward to the sequel with great anticipation. A much larger Albion awaits us, 500 years on from the events of the original. A feature that has been largely touted is the introduction of a dog companion who will happily do your bidding, for good or otherwise...

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NO MORE HEROES Wii Rising Star Games Grasshopper February 29

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TOMB RAIDER UNDERWORLD Multi Eidos Interactive Crystal Dynamics Q4

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RESISTANCE 2 PS3 SCE Insomniac Games TBA

Suda51's hyper-violent, hyper-stylised and hyper-mental No More Heroes hits Europe at the end of February. Following beam-katana wielding Travis Touchdown's rise up the ranks of the world's assassins, NMH is a video game and LOVES the fact. Scorching around the hub world on Travis's Akira-like bike the 'Schpel Tiger' looks to be worth the admission fee alone. We can’t wait!

Returning to form with Legend and Anniversary, our Lara is worth getting excited over again. Underworld revolves around the Mayan myth that during the five days of Wayeb, portals open to link our world with the underworld. Ms Croft, of course, takes it upon herself to investigate.

The follow-up to the PS3-launch FPS sees hero Nathan Hale return to defend against the Chimera. However, the biggest draw for Resistance 2 could be the alternative campaign mode; an online co-op multiplayer for up to 8 players with a selection of classes. Alternatively, you could get your ass kicked in any of the 60 player online multiplayer modes.

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14

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SPLINTER CELL CONVICTION 360, PC Ubisoft Ubisoft Montreal Q2

Sam Fisher’s latest sees something of a reinvention of the series.

Gone are Sam’s hi-tech gadgets, instead the lone agent must blend into crowds and use whatever is nearby to aid his mission - Ubisoft Montreal has tried to make every object in the gameworld interactive. Hopefully, the delays Conviction has suffered will mean it lives up to its promise as one of the better games of the year.

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RAINBOW SIX VEGAS 2 360, PS3, PC Ubisoft Ubisoft Montreal March 21

The sequel to the excellent R6: Vegas is set to feature missions both before and after the events of the first game. Logan Keller will not be the main character for the singleplayer, Ubisoft giving players the option to customise a new protagonist - Bishop. The already superb multiplayer is also getting a host of enhancements making Vegas 2 one to look forward to when it releases next month.

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FAR CRY 2 360, PS3, PC Ubisoft Ubisoft Montreal Q2

Where to for the Far Cry series without Crytek? Ubisoft Montreal take up the task for the sequel, developing a brand new engine, Dunia, for the game. Far Cry protagonist Jack Carver is nowhere in sight, instead players will choose between 12 mercenaries to take to a beautifully realised open-world African setting.

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13

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NINJA GAIDEN 2 360 Microsoft GS Team Ninja TBA

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BANJO KAZOOIE 3 360 Microsoft GS Rare TBA

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SILENT HILL V 360, PS3 Konami The Collective TBA

One thing is clear from what we’ve seen so far of Ninja Gaiden 2 there will be blood. Director Tomonobu Itagaki insists that there’s more to the gore and dismemberment than gratuitous crimson spatter, with maimed foes presenting you with tactical choices. The true sequel to Ninja Gaiden has been long-awaited.

It’s been a long time coming, but it seems 2008 will be the year Banjo Kazooie returns. Most of the original Rare team are back on board to take the bird and bear into their new adventure. Staying close to the original’s roots, we hope that the unique humour can help bridge the generational gap.

Alex Shepherd is the war veteran who returns from duty to find his brother missing; his search leading him to Silent Hill and the horrors it holds. Reportedly Silent Hill V will see something of a return to the unmatched psychological terror of Silent Hill 2 - widely regarded as the finest in the series, if not the genre.

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8

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MARIO KART WII Wii Nintendo Nintendo Q2

While the GameCube’s Double Dash skidded off the track somewhat, Mario Kart DS was a triumphant return to the much loved series. So it’s with great anticipation we wait for the series’ debut on Wii. As well as the obvious motion controls, we hope that Mario Kart Wii is a fine, frantic extension of the series we know and love.

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KILLZONE 2 PS3 SCE Guerilla Games TBA

Sony’s great FPS hope looms ever closer. The weight of expectation is enormous, but from what we’ve seen Killzone 2 has every chance of carrying the load. Taking the war to Helghan, players control Sev, a hardened veteran, in the war against the Helghast. Impressive lighting effects make the game visually stunning, but can everything else match up?

FALLOUT 3

FORMAT: 360, PS3, PC PUBLISHER: Bethesda Softworks DEVELOPER: Bethesda GS RELEASE: Q3 Interplays’ revered post-apocalyptic action-RPG series has been resurrected by Oblivion developers Bethesda. Set in devastated Washington DC, Fallout 3 is set to have unprecedented depth, with player choice playing a huge role in proceedings. Bethesda is under a lot of pressure from Fallout fans to deliver, and it’s looking well on its way.

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ALAN WAKE 360, PC Microsoft GS Remedy Ent. TBA

One of the most intriguing games in development, Alan Wake is billed as a psychological action thriller following the story of a horror author whose stories begin to happen in real life. Visually phenomenal and featuring a free roam world, we’re desperate to get our hands on more info for this long-awaited title.

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GRAN TURISMO 5 PS3 SCE Polyphony Digital TBA

The original ‘Real Driving Simulator’ is back. With up to 16 cars battling it out in each race (Ferrari‘s now included), gorgeous visuals and full online capabilities, PS3 petrolheads will finally get to play the game they’ve all been waiting for later in the year.

5

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ROCK BAND 360, PS3, PS2, Wii EA Harmonix Q2

Though our friends across the pond have been rocking out for a while now, Harmonix’s terrific music game doesn’t reach European shores until later this year. Featuring an updated tracklist for the territory, we can’t wait to get our hands on those instruments and set our four-piece on the path to becoming Rock Gods of the Living Room.

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SUPER SMASH BROS. BRAWL

FORMAT: Wii PUBLISHER: Nintendo DEVELOPER: Sora Ltd/Game Arts RELEASE: Q2 Originally marked as a launch title, Nintendo’s bonkers brawler finally comes to the Wii this year. All of your Nintendo favourites return to duke it out, but getting fans excited is the inclusion of two new characters; Solid Snake (complete with cardboard box) and Sonic the Hedgehog, allowing players to finally live their dream battle of the 1990s. Mario vs Sonic? Oh, it’s on!

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LITTLEBIGPLANET

FORMAT: PUBLISHER: DEVELOPER: RELEASE:

PS3 SCE Media Molecule TBA

Utterly gorgeous, almost insufferably cute and with nigh unlimited potential, Little Big Planet is set to be one of the best, and freshest, games of the year. With high focus on the genius level creation and community, Media Molecule’s ‘sackman’ platformer has stolen our hearts already.

2

FORMAT: PUBLISHER: DEVELOPER: RELEASE:

METAL GEAR SOLID 4 PS3 Konami Kojima Productions Q2

Set five years after the ‘Manhattan Incident’ of MGS2, Guns of the Patriots features a Solid Snake ravaged with age, but still up to the task of facing his enemy, Liquid Ocelot. Featuring a whole host of new gadgets for Snake to use, such as ‘Octocamo’ and ‘Solid Eye’ as well as more intense combat, MGS4 looks to take the series to a whole new level.

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1

FORMAT: PUBLISHER: DEVELOPER: RELEASE:

GRAND THEFT AUTO 4 360, PS3 Rockstar Games Rockstar North April 29

Our most wanted game for 2008 is one that we thought we’d all be playing back in October, but it wasn’t meant to be. The delay was big news, but disappointment was tempered by the fact that we knew GTA wasn’t going to be rushed. If that was the other option, we’d take a delay every time.

We return to Liberty City as Niko Bellic, an Eastern European immigrant trying to make his way in the land of the free. GTAIV is darker and grittier than its predecessors but still has all of its trademark humour. With the game running on the new RAGE engine, GTAIV is looking marvellous, and as our anticipation reaches fever pitch, it looks increasingly likely the wait will be worth it - GTAIV could well be one of the defining games of this generation, just as its predecessors were.

IN CLOSING...

It's terrific news for the industry if developers continue to provide us with the phenomenal amount of progress, ingenuity and brilliance that 2007 provided - and 2008 looks set to do just that. If even half the games on our list deliver on their promise, we're in for a wonderful year of video games. We also hope that 2008 can be a year gaming continues to emerge from the shadows as an entertainment form to be embraced by the masses. Maybe even the negativity towards our hobby amongst certain mainstream publications will reach a plateau, and video games can begin to be taken seriously as a form of artistic expression. Games like BioShock already lead the way, while 2008 titles such as Alan Wake and David Kage's Heavy Rain look to banish the myth that games are unable to spin stories with maturity and finesse, all the while providing the interactivity only video games can provide. Of course, even if these still fail to crack the shell we can all console ourselves with the humour of Tim Schafer in Brutal Legend and a brand new Ghostbusters adventure. And of course, video games finest expression of all - fun.

Happy new year.

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17 18

NINJA GAIDEN 2

20

TOM CLANCY’S RAINBOW SIX VEGAS 2

360

360, PS3, PC

THIS MONTH’S BIG RELEASES 08/02/08 Devil May Cry 4 (360, PS3, PC) The Club (360, PS3) Turok (360, PS3) 15/02/08 Battalion Wars 2 (Wii) 22/02/08 FIFA Street 3 (360, PS3) Unreal Tournament III (PS3) 29/02/08 Lost Odyssey (360) No More Heroes (Wii) Turning Point: Fall of Liberty (360, PS3, PC) 07/03/08 Army of Two (360, PS3) Bully: Scholarship Edition (360, Wii)

With 2008 well under way, this month we take a look at six titles each set to turn heads upon their release - although not necessarily for their merits.

We kick off with Ninja Gaiden 2, the recently announced Xbox 360 exclusive that’s bound to set alarm bells ringing at BBFC HQ when it’s released later in the year the latest in Team Ninja’s respected series literally dripping in the most red stuff we’ve seen in a long time.

We’ll also be taking a look at Turning Point: Fall of Liberty, the upcoming Codemasters title that’s caused quite a stir amongst the online community. The recent demo may be a cause for concern, but is it looking likely the finished product will live up to its hefty ambition?

22

360, PS3, PC

24

BATTLEFIELD BAD COMPANY 360, PS3

Finally we take a last minute look at Lost Odyssey, Microsoft Game Studio’s next big hope brought to you by a team of individuals that, in the past, have delivered timeless classics. But with weeks away until release, does it look set to suffer the same fate as the group’s previous title - Blue Dragon?

26

’S MOST WANTED

GRAND THEFT AUTO IV

TURNING POINT: FALL OF LIBERTY

NO MORE HEROES

28

ROCK BAND

BORDERLANDS

360, PS3, PC

LOST ODYSSEY 360, PS3, PC

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PREVIEWS

NINJA GAIDEN 2 Wipe down your Dragon Swords, sharpen up your shuriken…he’s back. One of the only men to get away with wearing a black rubber suit in public, Ryu Hayabusa makes a triumphant limb slicing, claret spraying return to consoles in Ninja Gaiden 2, one of the Xbox 360’s exclusive killer titles of 2008. There’s no demon blood running through his veins and he isn’t a God of War. He’s just hard as nails and ready to dish out more vengeful fury than ever before.

FORMAT Xbox 360 PUBLISHER Microsoft Game Studios DEVELOPER Team Ninja RELEASE TBA 2008 PREVIEWED BY Graham Naunton

The original Xbox title and its subsequent re-releases were savoured by what we’ll grudgingly call ‘hardcore’ gamers. It was a cult hit, but required several re-releases to ever turn a profit – the most recent of these being Ninja Gaiden Sigma on the PS3, which earned a whopping four and a half stars way back in issue one. And why the lack of embrace from the perceived mainstream?

Because it was hard, very hard. Only the most dedicated, talented and light fingered of gamers made it through Ninja Gaiden. There was no mercy shown to the more ‘casual’ of gamer.

In some ways, that was the beauty of it – the game was so relentless, so ferocious in its demands that it asked real questions of your

gaming integrity. And nobody likes their integrity questioned. Nonetheless, it was a superb title and from what we’ve seen so far of Ninja Gaiden 2, its sequel deserves to be a smash hit. So what are Team Ninja doing to make sure it becomes widely accepted?

Thankfully they have it all in hand, as series producer Tomonobu Itagaki elaborates - “I want to bring the enjoyment of this definitive action game experience to as many people as possible. I intend to make the Normal difficulty level more approachable to various types of gamers. Of course, I will also incorporate intensely challenging levels of difficulty for those hardcore fans that have been enjoying the Ninja Gaiden series since the first game.”

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19 So far, so good for sceptics of the series, but we can’t help but wonder that it’s not just the difficulty that’s going to make it that bit more ‘comfortable’ for those of a more casual disposition. Team Ninja are striving to make as many improvements to other elements of the gameplay as possible, most notably the Ninpo, the weapons, the demons you’re tasked with dispatching and the various methods of doing so.

Ninpo was a bit of a missed opportunity in the original – underused and largely ineffective.

But Itagaki has big plans for it in this sequel “Ryu Hayabusa’s Ninpo in this game will be intense and beautiful in a way that no one has yet experienced.” He also confirms that it can be cast more often and is much more devastating, perhaps paving the way for it to become an integral part of the combat. If not, at least it looks incredible – elemental effects fill the screen, decimating anything in its path. The weapons are also getting an overhaul, the highlights being a huge scythelike weapon that can be used to slice foes limb from limb, and the much-renowned claws. Once fitted to Ryu’s hands and feet, these Talons enable martial arts kicks and punches, but with added decapitation.

Yes, censors look away now; we can’t recall the last time we saw so much gore in a game.

But this gruesome dismemberment actually has some strategic worth to it, and if the censors do decide to take their scissors to the dismemberment, unfortunately they’ll also remove what appears to be a unique way of looking at combat. Hacking off limbs can be invaluable in disabling a particularly large monster, for instance. Relieve a soldier of his legs, and he will still fire his gun at you whilst on the floor. And it’s a good thing that Ninja Gaiden 2 doesn’t aim for realism per se. Sure, it looks great and is unbelievably fluid (much like Sigma) but it aims to be hyper-real.

Colours are bold and striking; everything fresh and clean-cut.

So is Ninja Gaiden 2 going to be any good?

More than likely. Better than the original?

Most probably. Whether you’re a fan of the first game or not (or even the genre in general) Ninja Gaiden 2 will be deserving of at least some of your time. It has all the hallmarks of a great sequel – to iron out the creases of the original, to give us more of the same but with subtle tweaks and refinements, and yet not altering what was so good about it in the first place. It deserves big success this time around and will surely be the envy of those owning rival platforms.

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PREVIEWS

TOM CLANCY’S RAINBOW SIX VEGAS 2 Las Vegas, Nevada - the gambling epicentre of the universe and home to a thousand overused clichÈs, both of which Ubisoft must be reverent fans of given that they’ve decided to plunge the city into a state of emergency for the second time in little over a year. Once again, panic will descend on the neon emblazoned Strip as thousands of intoxicated gamblers and awestruck tourists flock out of the casinos, replaced with hordes of somewhat less friendly terrorists.

It’s a gamble on their part, and on Ubisoft’s.

Having semi-succeeded first time round, what makes these trigger happy menaces to the Western world think that plan B will be eminently more successful than plan A? And what makes Ubisoft think that we didn’t get our fill of Vegas the first time round? As red, blue and black chips form a mountainous pile in the middle of the table, the tidily attired assistant readies a deck of cards.

Looks like everyone’s all in…

FORMAT 360, PS3, PC PUBLISHER Ubisoft DEVELOPER Ubisoft Montreal RELEASE March 21 PREVIEWED BY Greg Latham

Casting an already nostalgic eye back on the original, the decision to keep the action in Vegas might not seem like such an odd one.

Those who played the original through to the last few climactic seconds will remember the large loose end held so tantalisingly close, yet so agonisingly out of reach as the single player faded to black. While Rainbow Six has always had a focus on taught tactical gameplay (a trait that’s become less noticeable over the years), Vegas 2 looks set to introduce a range of subtle evolutionary steps to the series. Perhaps this is most noticeable from a narrative perspective, and as such, branding Vegas 2 as a mere sequel would be a mistake; albeit an incredibly understandable one.

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Throughout the campaign players will explore events prior, during and after the events of the original, giving the player a more concise overview of the plot that will hopefully result in a gripping play experience. Given the combination of timelines, players will surrender the sturdy leather boots of Logan Keller and step into the shoes of ‘Bishop’, a custom created character that will be your alter-ego throughout both the campaign and multiplayer. The new found customisation is only one facet of a subtly different campaign mode; boasting improved AI, a range of new locations that explore the more downtrodden areas of Vegas, and a streamlined hop-in, hop-out co-operative feature.

Whilst most of the new additions are to be expected of a sequel (including a shinier, more user friendly front-end), the customisation that stems through the campaign and multiplayer mode looks to be the most dramatic of changes.

This effectively means that the experience you gain on both fronts will assist in the progression of your character; rewarding your efforts with new armour, weapons and face paint - or camouflage as big brutish military personnel like to call it.

Taking into account the new features, it’s simultaneously comforting and disappointing that the core gameplay mechanics within Vegas 2 remain the same, utilising the intuitive cover system of the original that revolutionised the

series. Turning to a more relevant page in our big book of overused clichÈs, Ubisoft have stayed true to the idea that, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Although a change to the cover system would have proved more interesting, it’s a safer bet to please fans of the original rather than isolate them and a new group of players. Instead the sole addition to the gameplay comes in the form of a sprint button, allowing the player to dash between cover and dodge the more vigilant eyes of the enemy A.I or your online adversaries.

Streamlined and made more accessible through the new customisation features, the acclaimed Vegas multiplayer returns with 13 new maps and two new adversarial modes. The original slowly became somewhat of a cult favourite among the Xbox Live community, but alienated players turned off by the overly complicated menus and network problems. Having remedied these issues, the online arenas of Vegas 2 should prove a worthy contender to the battlefields of Halo and Call of Duty.

So as the stack of red, black and blue chips sway in the artificial casino wind, one only has to clear their weary eyes to see that the mountain isn’t nearly as steep as you first thought. Ubisoft look to have stayed close to the original’s popular formula, adding a few logical, yet interesting additions. Fans of the first should be more than happy with the fruits of Ubisoft’s conservative risk, whilst newcomers would do well to roll with Lady Luck come March.

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TURNING POINT FALL OF LIBERTY At a cursory glance Spark Unlimited’s Turning Point seems to present itself through a colossal oxymoron; that of a revolutionary World War II shooter. Given the development team’s past record (the decidedly average Call of Duty: Finest Hour being the team’s own finest hour) many sceptics have yet to be convinced, but their decision to cast off the binding shackles that restrict many games set in this time period is certain to be encouraged, however the finished game egresses.

FORMAT 360, PS3, PC PUBLISHER Codemasters DEVELOPER Spark Unlimited RELEASE February 29 PREVIEWED BY Ian Freeman

To be rid of the ambiguous nature of games set in this time period, the developers have chosen to centre the storyline in a parallel universe. Winston Churchill, whose brush with death was in fact a reality, is instead killed in the fatal car accident before the beginning of the war, leading to an Axis victory across Europe. With Axis forces multiplying in strength and number, they finally decide to launch a surprise invasion of America in 1953.

Whilst the nature of this attack would lead many historians to scoff - the attacks are carried out by huge German blimps invented due to the number of scientists employed by the Nazis – Turning Point was never designed to be an authentic experience. The developers still, however, want the game to contain a certain amount of harrowing realism and “a feeling of chaos and energy.”

After a thrilling cinematic in which your character, an ordinary American citizen no less, witnesses the vast army of Germans invading, you are thrown into combat against Nazis that promise to “liberate a sleepy isolationist country whose leaders have kept America out of the modern era.” Having captured the White House, the Nazis begin to run a fully fledged propaganda campaign claiming they plan to help America by bringing it, and its citizens, into the modern era.

PREVIEWS

23 One thing Spark Unlimited is keen to focus on is the element of trust; who to listen to and who to believe, both supposedly key to Turning Point. Another goal the team are aiming for is the contrast between being a soldier and an everyday American, although from what we’ve seen so far the difference seems to be non-existent; this ‘ordinary citizen’ seemingly incredibly proficient at handling militaristic weaponry.

Comparisons have been drawn between the D-Day landings and the initial Nazi landing on American soil (albeit from air instead of sea), although nothing we’ve seen so far points to frenzied firing at the incoming blimps. What we have seen though is hand to hand combat with an unsuspecting Nazi paratrooper; options on the D-Pad allowing you to select the fate of the hapless invader. You could, of course, perform a quick and silent kill, or perhaps more interestingly, use the trapped hostile as a human shield – the camera switching to a third person view to show the terrified hostage soaking up Nazi bullets while you continue to dish death with a sidearm. An intriguing development later in the game involves your character joining up with other rebel fighters in an attempt to drive back the invaders, in a similar vein to IO Interactive’s 2003 title Freedom Fighters.

If the level of intensity that seems to be omnipresent in the explosive first level is maintained throughout the entire game we could be looking at a surprise hit. If not, a somewhat failed experiment, though an interesting one nonetheless. Either way, come the end of February there should be plenty more Nazis to shoot, and that never gets old, right?

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PREVIEWS

BATTLEFIELD BAD COMPANY Rising from small time bedroom coders, Swedish-based developers DICE have quickly become one of Europe's premier development houses. Not only have they served up one of the best rally games in recent years but they also possess a strong FPS brand that has served multi-formats for years. That’s right, Battlefield’s back, and with it, DICE are debuting their brand new engine, codenamed ‘FrostBite’.

FORMAT 360, PS3 PUBLISHER EA DEVELOPER Digital Illusions CE RELEASE Q2 PREVIEWED BY Stefan Goerke-Hewitt

FrostBite is the heart and soul of Battlefield: Bad Company. From the outset DICE aspired to create a persistent world where free-roaming empowers you to be creatively destructive, both online and off. FrostBite does just that. To get a sense of scale the engine holds a vast 32km square of geometry, filled with hazy rolling hillsides populated with vegetation, dusty desolate landscapes and snow capped mountain ranges.

Traditional rules of engagement have been swept to one side; no longer can you hide behind walls, run in to a building for sanctuary or, in fact, seek shelter in any capacity.

It's just not possible. To be specific, DICE enthuse that 90% of objects within the game world are primed to be damaged or destroyed in all manner of ways. Grab a grenade launcher and punch a hole in the wall, command a tank and drive straight through a building or send in a missile from above to flatten a structure – the resultant influx of debris acting as temporary cover. Even hillside forestation can be felled and the ground disfigured. The element of freedom provided by the tech allows the player numerous opportunities with which to approach mission objectives and carry them out in whichever way they see fit.

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DICE are aiming to provide a story driven campaign mode but, in truth, it's been kept relatively simple. Sent into battle by the US Army, you and your squad “B-Company” spot a gold haul leading in to Serkozache, a neutral country not involved in the ongoing war. Disillusioned and fatigued the squad re-assemble, ignore US Army orders and cross the border to tear-up a once civilised nation in the hope of laying their dirty hands on a personal fortune.

Together, B-Company is a highly motivated renegade quartet who will engage and destroy anything that comes between them and the gold. You play as Private Preston Marlowe, a new recruit ordered to B-Company under the guidance of Sarge, a high ranking straight talking officer who commands the squad. Sweetwater is a quiet character who likes to stay away from trouble but is very tactile with long range weapons, and lastly there's Haggard, an overly confident combatant who provides heavy weapons support as well as an abundance of humour and attitude.

To complete your modified mission objectives you'll be unsurprised to know that there's an arsenal of weaponry and vehicles at your disposal that, like Call of Duty 4, reflect modern day technology. Rifles, shotguns,

machine guns, sniper rifles, grenades, rocket launchers and variations within each provide ample variation from which to get from point to point in the most destructive way possible.

The laser guided bomb also deserves a special mention, a weapon that’s set to become the people’s favourite for the complete devastation it’s set to provide. If you’re still not content with that offering, tanks and helicopters are perfect matches for the FrostBite engine, opening up new channels for B-Company to advance through the frontlines.

Although DICE are putting more emphasis into the singleplayer campaign mode with Bad Company, online multiplayer has always been key to the series. Unfortunately we’ve been spared no details as to what we can look forward to in the final release, although it's fair to expect the usual high standard with the destructive nature of the FrostBite engine adding a new dimension to online tactics and gameplay.

While it remains to be seen exactly how well the campaign mode plays out, the gameplay components that fans of the Battlefield have grown to love, coupled with the destruction and freedom provided by the new engine should make Battlefield Bad Company a must have title when it’s released later this year.

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PREVIEWS

BORDERLANDS Here we are again – a new year and new possibilities. New hopes, new dreams and new adventures to look forward to. In our 2008 feature earlier this issue, we took a look at top titles we’re expecting to blow us away this year, as well as those that come from relative obscurity to woo us with their as yet unseen charms. Borderlands is one of the latter, but just as we were while mumbling the words to Auld Lang Syne, Borderlands is also looking forward, emerging as a wildly ambitious title.

And it’s all looking fairly promising so far; a free roaming world, a mixture of FPS blasting and vehicle action, 4 player co-op and a near limitless customisation of weapons, clothing and armour. The last part should have FPS fans especially excited; developers Gearbox claiming there are to be over half a million weapons in the final game.

That’s right, half a million. Now that might sound like a bit of a gimmick and completely unnecessary, but we can’t help but be impressed by the code that drives such a feat.

FORMAT 360, PS3, PC PUBLISHER 2K Games DEVELOPER Gearbox Software RELEASE Q4 PREVIEWED BY Graham Naunton

The thing is, Gearbox hasn’t individually crafted such a huge amount of guns as that would take…well, a long time. Instead a wide range of parts and attributes, such as laser sights, grips, barrels and magazine size become randomly attached together to form a weapon. So, you could come across a shotgun with an attached grenade launcher, or a sniper rifle with explosive penetrative rounds.

And it’s not just the weaponry that is forged in this ‘mixing pot’ manner either – all of the clothing and armour are created in this way.

And with so many components available, it may well be a case of picking up a weapon or wearing a suit of armour you’ve never seen before, and that you’ll likely not see again.

This alone makes Borderlands both an exciting and intriguing prospect.

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Unfortunately plot details are thin on the ground, although the recent showing disclosed some tantalising elements of the game. It appears that you are one of the newer arrivals to the planet of Pandora – a post-apocalyptic wasteland which seems to draw heavily from the Mad Max film series and Diablo. Expect drives in homemade buggies across barren sandy deserts, battling other mercenaries (as well as huge alien life forms) as you scavenge together anything salvageable, whether it’s weapons, medical supplies or upgrades for your wheels. But there is something mysterious in Pandora – a vault hidden away which holds a terrible secret. You just know who’s going to have to open it, don’t you?

Three main characters have been spotted so far – Roland the mercenary, Mordecai the sniper and Lilith who has supernatural powers. And all the thousands of guns are all well and good, but here’s hoping that Gearbox can tell us a decent story involving these three protagonists. While unconfirmed as yet, we’d hazard a guess that all three are playable at some point – perhaps in a similar way to Clive Barker’s Jericho, offering the player the chance to swap squad members on the fly.

Now, Pandora sounds like a very big and brutal place, so the inclusion of a four player

co-op mode is a godsend. You and three friends can tear up the sand and take the fight to the various alien wildlife, as well as explore the various human settlements together. Or alternatively, you could just raise absolute havoc. Whether the multiplayer is free roaming in a (excuse the pun) sand box fashion or more of a linear narrative again remains to be seen, however, the prospect of manning a mounted machine gun in your sand buggy holding off pursuing marauders, while one friend places pedal to metal and the other two hang on for dear life sounds very exciting.

As always, there’s the concern that the final game won’t live up to its own ambitions.

Gameplay features get cut, graphics get toned down and many other pitfalls occur in order to get the game out in a working, functional condition. On this occasion, we have faith in Gearbox – their development in first person shooters has been extensive, most recently with the very enjoyable Brothers in Arms series as well as various Half-Life expansion packs on the PC. In any case, we admire Gearbox for having such an epic vision, some big ideas and an eye for doing things that little bit differently. As with most developers, we’re hopeful that all of their hard work translates into a rewarding game experience, and we’ll be seeing for ourselves before the year draws to a close.

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PREVIEWS

LOST ODYSSEY Like its gaming ally Blue Dragon (part one of Microsoft’s two pronged Japanese assault), Lost Odyssey has an array of highly revered industry figures attached to the epic project.

From Final Fantasy creator Hironobu Sakaguchi to popular composer Nobuo Uematsu, if there was a gaming walk of fame it’s comforting to know that 90% of the staff working on Lost Odyssey would have left their imprint on a Tokyo side street. And as is perhaps to be expected, the story is befitting of a title built from the ground up with larger-than-life themes in mind. At the forefront of the narrative is an immortal named Kaim who happens to be battling amnesia amidst a mystical industrial revolution; the human race has stumbled upon mysterious dark powers that are causing chaos within the world’s three kingdoms.

FORMAT Xbox 360 PUBLISHER Microsoft Game Studios DEVELOPER Mistwalker RELEASE February 29 PREVIEWED BY Greg Latham

The ambitious premise is an intriguing one and the epic tone is definitely something of a welcome return after the relatively small scale Blue Dragon - the truly successful RPG titles to come out of Japan have always had a fine balance of dramatic and humorous moments. Whilst Kaim (who looks set to fill the well worn boots of the angst ridden

stereotype) is unlikely to bring any quick wit to the table, the large supporting cast should fill the quota of every RPG stereotype under the sun, from Seth, a strong willed female warrior with a point to prove, to Jansen, a male magician who provides comic relief through immature quips and overt cowardice.

Hopefully over the vast fifty hour adventure these characters will gain an extra level of depth that raises them above mere archetypal character fodder we’ve seen time and time again in RPGs of the past.

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The gameplay has its foot firmly grounded in tradition; utilising turn based combat and random encounters with enemies while traversing paths through the expansive and picturesque wilderness. Given that these traits have been around for over a decade, it’s par for the course that a certain twist is applied to something of an ‘old favourite’. As such, players are able to customise their squad with rings that endow the player with a new skill or element to their attack. One such example is boosting a typical sword attack with water, thus allowing the player to swiftly do away with an opponent grounded in the fire element – essentially a rock, paper, scissors affair.

The rings also determine the skills each character can learn, doing away with the maze like levelling up structures seen in recent Final Fantasy games. Whilst the mortal characters may only utilise rings they’re wearing during combat, the immortal characters have slots in which they can transfer a ring’s skill into. Choosing which skills to pass onto your various warriors will have a huge effect on your tactical decisions during combat and should inject some sense of personalisation into the game.

Lost Odyssey should provide a story befitting of its grandiose title and players will most likely feel at home with the game’s traditional structure, precariously balancing atop the narrative. Yet with only a few weeks until the game hits retail shelves it’s disappointing that a compelling reason to buy Lost Odyssey hasn’t yet emerged. Given the failure of Blue Dragon, many had hoped that Lost Odyssey would deliver on all fronts, but instead it merely looks like a solid game freshly pressed out of a tried and tested template.

Will it be another title that falls into the background, outshone by any other dime-adozen RPG being funnelled out of an Eastern development house? Or will it be an odyssey; a story that really can give new meaning to the word ‘epic’? Thankfully it’s not all that long until we find out.

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DEVIL MAY CRY 4

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BURNOUT PARADISE

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THE CLUB

37

ZACK & WIKI: QUEST FOR BARBAROS’ TREASURE

360, PS3, PC

360, PS3

360, PS3, PC

Wii

39

THE RATINGS An essential purchase.

You need this game!

A great game that provides hours of entertainment Good fun but ultimately nothing special Fans only, worth a rental

Dismal, avoid

It may still be early in the year but already we’ve been treated to a few gems we’re sure to be remembering for a long time to come.

Most of our time this month has been taken up cruising through Paradise City.

Criterion’s first true next-gen venture for their acclaimed Burnout series certainly raised cause for concern when the demo launched early last month.

Can the full game live up its lofty expectations?

Wii

41

RESIDENT EVIL: THE UMBRELLA CHRONICLES Wii

43

ADVANCE WARS: DARK CONFLICT DS

We also spent a few nights down at The Club - Bizarre “PGR” Creation’s latest title that’s bound to split popular opinion right down the centre. Flick through to page 35 for our thoughts on that one.

And because the early months of the year are always quiet we’ve extended Download to accomodate six of the latest titles available on the networks. No prizes for guessing which game comes out on top...

But first, Dante’s back and he’s brought a friend...

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’S MOST PLAYED

45

CONTRA 4

47

REZ HD

47

48 ZACK & WIKI

GHOST SQUAD

Wii

46

48

DEVIL MAY CRY 4

KINGDOM UNDER FIRE: CIRCLE OF DOOM 360

47

BURNOUT PARADISE

NIGHTS: JOURNEY OF DREAMS

48

DS

360

PAIN

PS3

MEGA MAN 2

Wii

SKY DIVING PS3

OMEGA FIVE

360

TOY HOME

PS3

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DEVIL MAY CRY 4 Don’t fear the Reaper

T

FORMAT REVIEWED Xbox 360 OTHER FORMATS PS3, PC PUBLISHER Capcom DEVELOPER Capcom REVIEWED BY Zoheir Beig

he amount of criticism regularly directed at Devil May Cry 2 even today may seem disproportionate and in no uncertain terms a little picky, but the overwhelmingly negative light in which that 2003 release is still held suggests two things: 1) Devil May Cry is a series that demands an opinion, whether devotional or not, like few others; and 2) the second game remains an albatross hanging around the neck of the franchise, which even the fantastic previous instalment has failed to dislodge completely.

That’s why when in this latest instalment new character Gloria says to Dante “Looks like you’ve got a rep to live up to”, it’s almost as if the developers are not only acknowledging that there’s still some debt to pay, but that there are certain things the player expects from a Devil May Cry game; outrageously flashy action, lots of guns and a nonsensical narrative, to give but three examples. It almost goes without saying that Devil May Cry 4 delivers emphatically on these fronts, despite featuring some disheartening flaws.

New character Nero is central to proceedings in the tricky plot, a naive and eager foil to the brash, cocksure Dante. A convincing relationship of master and apprentice develops between these two as the game progresses, although to explain more would be to potentially spoil moments that are best appreciated when accompanied by the most OTT cut-scenes

in the short history of Devil May Cry (and that’s quite an achievement in itself).

That this is the first established Capcom franchise to receive a next-gen makeover meant that the graphics and general presentation were invariably going to be a significant step ahead of what we’d seen before, and sure enough ‘Devil May Cry 4’ positively glistens. The lighting throughout is wonderful, the backgrounds expansive and dramatic (the entire forest sequence being a particular highlight), while in crucial areas such as character animation and bosses, the increased processing power has clearly played an integral role. We can only imagine the delights Resident Evil 5 will offer in twelve months time.

There isn’t anything radical underlining this extra flourish and polish, just Capcom aggressively pushing Devil May Cry 4 towards everything that the series has ever stood for; that fleeting impression of a PlayStation 2 game wrapped in more expensive visuals is quickly replaced with the instant gratification of seeing Dante cut a wall into the shape of a heart using an endless shower of blades, or of watching Nero shatter the armour of flying knights whilst in balletic slow-motion. So far, so thrilling. The major problem though isn’t what Capcom has done with the leap to next-generation, but rather what they haven’t.

The charge often levelled at recent titles such as Call of Duty 4 and Heavenly

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32 “A FLAMBOYANT CONSOLIDATION OF EVERYTHING YOU EVER LOVED ABOUT THE SERIES”

Sword (to give a more relevant example) is that however enjoyable the games, the overall experiences have been extremely brief, lengthened in these cases by an impeccable online mode and a clever system of unlockable extras. Capcom has rather cynically (or deceptively, if we’re being charitable) attempted to swerve this issue by masking some significant repetition with the otherwise welcome introduction of Dante. It is no exaggeration to say that one-third of the game involves Dante traversing across almost exactly the same route that Nero takes, albeit in the opposite direction.

Additionally, though the bosses are all suitably memorable creations, expect to encounter them more than once. Never mind the consistent beauty of the fighting system, such design feels unfairly cheap and draws attention to the potential ideas and environments that could have been explored across such a large portion of the game given more development time.

Just as well then that the mechanics of combat are so finely balanced, for this is truly some of the finest action gaming of recent years. Nero’s new Devil Bringer ability is the most important addition to the already bulging repertoire, allowing him to drag enemies closer as well as frequently swinging them into the path of others. It’s testament to how well the fighting system works though that once play switches to Dante you’re not left hankering for Nero, but are instead fondly recalling the suave carnage of the third game - Dante’s four fighting styles, changeable with the touch of the d-pad, each making a return.

The combinational and tactical possibilities are numerous, and it’s this unprecedented depth and flexibility afforded to the player that raises Devil May Cry 4 beyond the more consistently surprising God Of War 2, or the more studious Ninja Gaiden.

The combat system is also the aspect of the game that goes furthest in (almost) justifying the aforementioned recurring mission structure. Devil May Cry has always placed a strong emphasis on style; completing the game for some players is almost a side concern when there are SSS rankings to achieve and air combos to master. The ends are less important than the means used to get there, and within this context Devil May Cry 4 makes perfect sense.

Although true redemption for this most singular of franchises is still tantalisingly out of reach, consider Devil May Cry 4 a devastatingly impressive placeholder, a flamboyant consolidation of everything you ever loved about the series. It’s impossible to ignore, a joy to watch and suggests that finally, after much internal anxiety, it’s time to stop looking back and instead embrace the future of Devil May Cry. And from here, everything is looking very bright indeed.

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BURNOUT PARADISE Where the grass is green and the girls are pretty

I

FORMAT REVIEWED PlayStation 3 OTHER FORMATS Xbox 360 PUBLISHER EA DEVELOPER Criterion Games REVIEWED BY Graham Naunton

t’s funny how things change.

Save for a handful of universal truths almost everything is susceptible, either becoming all the better for it or suddenly made obsolete by the misguided alterations. It can happen in all manner of ways – sudden and drastic changes that lead to shock and confusion, or inevitable changes that we can all see coming, but are unable to predict their effect until they’re finally made.

With Criterion’s latest automobile smash fest you’ll be thinking of change for almost your entire duration of play, the first of which strikes you nigh on immediately upon entering Paradise City.

Tossed the keys to a beat-up motor, the game merely advises you to visit a local auto-repair before leaving you to your own accord – free to drive through the bustling metropolis as you see fit, to partake in any events you want and in any order, or to simply take on the biggest jumps and craziest stunts that litter the environment.

The freedom comes as quite a shock; the open world hub a mile away from the loading/autosaving/track selection screens we're used to seeing dance before our eyes. But then you begin to marvel at how seamless the whole experience has suddenly become - the

complete lack of loading within Paradise City a stunning achievement even in this day and age, especially given the game’s impeccable sepia-toned presentation. But such is Criterion’s stellar track record we're not all that surprised.

'Freeburning' around Paradise and the inevitable destruction may be entertaining in itself, but the real acid test comes in the form of events. Well marked and plentiful in supply, these events are what you’ve come to expect from Burnout, only lacking the traditional neon barriers with which to restrict your movement. Races, Burning Routes and Road Rages each make a welcome return alongside newer additions Stunt Run, a test of your acrobatic skills, and Marked Man, itself a triumph. Effectively Road Rage in reverse, Marked Man turns the hunter into the hunted – a frantic game of cat and mouse ensuing as you attempt to make it to your target destination in one piece. Paradise can be intense and it knows it; your car weeping from the damage caused by your ham-fisted driving as black-clad adversaries snap at your heels.

As has been widely reported, the much-revered Crash mode has gone AWOL, substituted by the all new Showtime. Hitting the shoulder buttons at any point turns your car into a bouncing wrecking ball of crumpled metal, which

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34 “WHEN IT’S GOOD, IT’S MARVELLOUS”

in turn is used to smash into traffic. Smashing traffic equals points, and smashing buses equals even more points. Sound familiar?

Absolutely, but it’s a comparatively shoddy stand-in and arguably the game’s lowest point.

Incredibly race events can also become hugely frustrating. Paradise City is a big place (over 250 miles of open road in fact) and racing from one end to the other whilst following an optimal racing line isn’t easy. Add to that the lack of adequate on-screen indication leaving you no choice but to pause the game to scan the map for direction and it’s here that the game seems to lose some of its fire, its immediacy abruptly thrown out the window - the very ingredient Burnout thrives upon suddenly put in jeopardy.

Paradise wants you to find your own way from point A to B, it wants you to learn the positioning of every shortcut, and you will given time, but not before going through some truly hair-tearing moments.

So, is Paradise a simple case of out with the old and in with the new? Not exactly, although the events we once held in such high regard don't shine so brightly in this new and improved Burnout philosophy. But with each disappointment comes a great innovation and Paradise’s online overhaul acts as perfect testament to that fact. Pressing right on the D-pad at any moment seamlessly takes you and your city online, opening up the game world to seven additional visitors. No lobbies and no loading, the seamless integration is sensational, shattering all preconceptions of an online backend within videogames. The otherwise awkward setup of

PlayStation Network is suddenly made easy and includes the rare opportunity to message friends while in-game, backed up with zero lag and PSEye support. A benchmark? We certainly think so.

However, it’s not all seventh heaven in online Paradise City. While online multiplayer opens up an all-new set of challenges for you and your co-players to complete, such as colliding with each other mid-air or meeting at a particular landmark, it also takes away much of what we loved in previous iterations. You’re still free to setup races, but a disappointing revelation is the glaring lack of any other online events including the much-loved Road Rage and Marked Man. A disappointment for sure, but something we’re willing to forgive given the freeform carnage that can be created by the eight active players. And with downloadable content incoming, expect to be wheel spinning around Paradise for a long time to come.

It's all too easy to feel apprehensive about the direction the series has taken – a comfortably familiar concept, yet a wildly different scenario to anything that’s come before it. But amongst all of this change, and however loath we are to wheel out such a cliche sodden line as 'familiarity breeds contempt', one thing is clear. Instead of looking wistfully over our shoulder at what the franchise doesn't do anymore, we'd much rather look at what the series does now. And when it’s good, it’s marvellous.

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THE CLUB

Bottle full of bub

T

he term “run and gun” has been part and parcel of video game speak since the dawn of shooters, but never has its use been deemed quite as appropriate as with Bizarre ‘PGR’ Creations’ latest title.

But is their fresh take on an already overcrowded genre a worthwhile endeavour or a fleeting break away from the norm?

FORMAT REVIEWED PlayStation 3 OTHER FORMATS 360, PC PUBLISHER SEGA DEVELOPER Bizarre Creations REVIEWED BY David Scammell

At first glance you’d be forgiven for mistaking The Club as just another third person shooter; the inherently borrowed ‘roadie run’ shake and Resi style ‘quick turn’ homage to the recent groundbreaking titles of the genre. But you’d be wrong. The Club is unlike anything that’s come before it – an unadulterated test of a player’s swift and stylistically chic murdering skills; the simple premise of killing in quick succession using an expansive armoury of modern-day firearms. It seems a natural transition on Bizarre’s part; taking their much loved Kudos system and translating it to a shooting experience. And for all intents and purposes, it works. Kills equal points and successive kills mean bigger points, a combo meter keeping tally of your rapid fire kills before multiplying your score appropriately. The Club is intense, and it’s all the better for it.

For a title of its ilk, The Club is also the closest thing in years to a ‘game’, Google

dictionary hastily reminding us that by definition a game is “a single play of a sport or other contest; a contest with rules to determine a winner”. We couldn’t have said it better ourselves. The Club doesn’t care for engaging stories or expansive character backgrounds. In fact, the story is so light and insignificant that it fits no real purpose than to give the player a brief reasoning behind each of the eight disparate characters willingness to kill - the guilty pleasure gained by the fetishist bigwigs effectively pawned onto you.

The Club may be a dark and dirty secret hidden away by its elitist executives, but that hasn’t stopped the corporation from branching out into eight different locations around the world. Each ‘arena’ provides its own distinct backdrop to the ensuing gunfights – dingy prison cells and antiquated bunkers a stark contrast to the magnificence of the glorious manor house and Venetian streets of others. All, however, feel the same - a series of wide open courtyards and lobbies connected together by a string of tight, claustrophobic corridors. And despite their potential for unique set pieces, it’s disappointing that each arena is static and lifeless, acting only as an empty playground in which to play the unruly game. Later arenas make pithy attempts at mixing up the monotony a little – chain reacting landmines that clutter the battlefield in

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36 “IN SPITE OF ITS LIMITATIONS THE CLUB WILL NO DOUBT SPAWN A CULT FOLLOWING”

the final arena act as the most notable set piece seen in the entire game. Unsurprisingly, even that doesn’t provide the visceral thrill that’s sorely missing.

To make things worse, there’s very little variation within The Club’s repetitive gameplay. Most levels involve running from A to B in a test of both speed and skill, maniacally following a set path through each area, stringing together kill after kill - the player awarded with increased score for pulling off an impressive head shot, proving their long distance marksmanship skills, or by making a kill straight after an ‘impressive’ stunt, such as a forward roll or 180 turn.

To achieve the highest scores you’ve also got to consider “Skull Shots”, small wall-mounted targets usually placed in areas lacking in enemies. Acting as a kill when destroyed, Skull Shots instantly increase the combo bar back to capacity, granting you those few vital seconds to snag your next ‘true’ kill. Learning the positions of Skull Shots and when to activate them will inevitably be key to those wishing to climb the online rankings.

Other levels have you holding off enemies from within an enclosed area, desperately watching that timer tick to zero as wave after wave of enemies pour into the arena.

And whilst we’re on the subject, Bizarre obviously didn’t seek to win any awards for their enemy behaviour; AI seemingly so unintelligent that it only makes daring runs straight for you or stand in a set place and shoot without care. Still, when their only purpose is to act as slow moving targets, it fits.

But that’s it, and for better or worse The Club is incredibly brief. By the time we had clocked all eight arenas (inclusive of numerous replays in an attempt to beat our score) the stat-tracker told us that we

had only been playing for a pitiful 4 hours.

And in spite of this The Club offers nothing in the way of encouraging replayability, the only motivation being a gamers’ instinct to better themselves. The included online and offline multiplayer modes can be a mildly entertaining diversion, allowing for up to eight players to team up in a variety of team and solo based games, but in the wake of such online stalwarts as Halo 3 and Call of Duty 4, it’s doubtful The Club will make any sort of impact online.

Also worthy of note, the PS3 version we tested got increasingly uncomfortable to play after prolonged sessions. The constant exchange between the R1 and R2 buttons to run and shoot meant it was far easier to play with fingers resting over both buttons, rather than using one to quickly switch between the two. It doesn’t help that shooting is set to the spongy R2 button either, and the lack of an option to change button configurations will definitely aggravate more than a few gamers.

In spite of its obvious limitations The Club will no doubt spawn a cult following for its novel take on the genre, but unlike its street racing cousin, The Club will only have a certain appeal. Ultimately its lasting impression comes down to the player’s burning desire to better themselves; the gamer that’s willing to devote countless hours into replaying each level, memorising enemy positions and learning the optimum route through each challenge – achieving that ‘perfect lap’ if you will. If that doesn’t sound like you, The Club will inevitably be a short-lived experience into a sadistically voyeuristic game that was full of potential, but turned out to be a shattering disappointment.

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ZACK & WIKI Wiki-Woo

QUEST FOR BARBAROS’ TREASURE

A

FORMAT Wii PUBLISHER Capcom DEVELOPER Capcom REVIEWED BY Richard Angus

fter months of worry surrounding the calibre of the Wii’s titles, the innovative little console has finally started to come into its own. True AAA games such as Mario Galaxy and Metroid Corruption arrived late last year, while the upcoming Super Smash Bros, Mario Kart and No More Heroes each look increasingly promising. Sandwiched between all of this is a little game from Capcom that promises clever puzzles, colourful graphics and solid length. With that in prospect, Zack and Wiki has plenty to deliver if it is to be the nugget of gold that gamers were expecting.

You play as a young buccaneer named Zack, a member of the Sea Rabbits who works alongside his enigmatic companion, Wiki. A moment of fate results in the tenacious pair finding the head of the legendary Barbaros – a pirate who’s found himself cursed, resulting in parts of his body turning to gold and being scattered around the world. In return for piecing him together, the infamous pirate offers Zack and Wiki a trip to Treasure Island, and more importantly, his glamorous pillaging ship.

What stands between you and Barbaros’ treasure is a collection of fiendish puzzles, ranging from small chain reactions to huge challenges. Every action is carried out with the WiimoteZack is moved around with the on-screen

pointer and when something piques your interest, you use the A button to click on it. In this regard, Zack & Wiki is extremely simplistic, and it works well, though moving Zack around some corners requires multiple clicks which at first can feel a little counter-intuitive. Observation is key too - pressing B will allow you to look around the immediate vicinity, and pressing the camera button located in the top right corner of the screen opens up the whole map as a side on view to help you think about the bigger picture. Having full awareness of your surroundings is often the difference between making a decision that will lead to your demise or one that will lead to success. Visually, the game is wonderfully crafted. Full of colour and full of life, the overly dramatic

facial expressions and effects create an almost comic-book look to the game, similar in vein to the majestic Wind Waker.

Zack & Wiki is also one of the few games that couldn’t have been created effectively without the Wii’s technology, and the functionality of the console is used to its fullest when solving puzzles.

The developers have incorporated conventional twists, turns and pulls, but have also made use of some more original manoeuvres, using the controller in all sorts of positions and motions.

You’ll be making subtle movements when trying to keep Zack balanced one moment, while having to spin the controller rather vigorously the next.

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“CAPCOM HAS DELIVERED A TREASURE”

There are moments that the game can frustratingly misinterpret the motions you’re making (particularly when twisting), but, for the most part, the broad range of controls are recognised superbly, contributing to some thoroughly engaging puzzles.

Zack can’t go it alone though and is going to need some help with certain puzzles. Enter golden flying monkey Wiki. With a quick shake of the Wiimote, Zack’s mysterious ally has the ability to transform into a bell. The purpose? Enemies, bosses and animals alike can each be turned into handy items ranging from straws to saws in order to assist in all manner of scenarios. Sometimes you will have to transform some animals into items which are in turn used to get to others, and sometimes you’ll have to change their forms backwards and forwards

several times to solve the quandary. It’s not always as easy as a quick shake of the bell though, so be careful; miscalculations can often lead to failure.

Unfortunately, there are a few areas where Zack and Wiki can become truly frustrating. Most levels are well crafted, but there are a few that seem over complicated, often padded out with backtracking and unnecessary failures. These “trial and error” deaths have no preceding warning and, when you’ve spent half an hour carefully working your way through the level, can become particularly trying.

Extra-life tokens will help, but it’s likely you’ll forget to buy some from the Sea Rabbit’s hideout at some point. These problems don’t stop the game being the fantastic title that it is, but they leave a bitter taste to what so easily could have been a masterpiece.

But despite Zack & Wiki’s disappointing niggles, when the game is good, it is truly wonderful.

Offering delightfully refreshing gameplay and bursting with innovation and visual quality, the game will make for fifteen-or-so blissfully entertaining hours. Capcom has delivered a treasure to kick start the new year, making Zack & Wiki well worth searching for.

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NiGHTS I’m just a dreamer who dreams of better days

JOURNEY OF DREAMS

W

hen we first heard that SEGA were returning to one of their mostcherished IP’s of the last century, we were euphoric but had our reservations. The enchanting original won over the hearts of many (including our own) when it launched on the ill-fated Saturn back in 1996, but given SEGA’s recent track record of revisiting classic IP’s, were we right in being sceptical over the future of the franchise?

FORMAT Wii PUBLISHER SEGA DEVELOPER Sonic Team REVIEWED BY David Scammell

Much like the original, Journey of Dreams follows the stories of two young children; Will, a wannabe footballer, and Helen, an aspiring musician, who each enter the world of Nightopia while they sleep. The dream land has once again come under threat from the evil antagonist Wizeman the Wicked and henchman Reala, and by “dualising” with the cheery genderless jester NiGHTS, the pair set sail on an adventure to save the day...or rather, night.

Although set in a 3D environment, Journey of Dreams plays via a pseudo 2D rail system that manoeuvres the character along a pre-determined horizontal path. With NiGHTS’ added ability of flight you are also able to control the character’s vertical movement, allowing you to pull off a variety of impressive loops and spirals while

navigating through rings, pursuing renegade birds and trapping enemy Nightmaren. A simple analogue control system would have sufficed, but in typical Wii fashion, Sonic Team has taken it upon themselves to poorly implement motion control, making controlling NiGHTS unnecessarily difficult. Pointing at the screen brings up a cursor and holding the A button moves NiGHTS in the chosen direction, but the whole system feels inaccurate, consequentially making the free-flowing flight and acrobatic loops a nightmare to control.

Thankfully, Journey of Dreams supports every alternate Wii control method possible; GameCube and Classic controllers are both supported, as is an alternative Wii-mote and Nunchuk setup, instead using the analogue stick to move NiGHTS and twisting the Wii-mote to pull off acrobatics. We found the game became immensely more enjoyable using the latter setup, and the added precision also enabled us to achieve the higher grades, something we particularly struggled with when using the default motion controls.

Each of the seven different worlds within Nightopia are home to five separate missions, but in the vain effort to update NiGHTS for the modern gamer, Sonic Team has seen fit to provide a mass of unwanted deviations in the gameplay.

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Luckily the majority of missions are almost true to the “flight action” of the original, and involve NiGHTS giving chase after birds to reclaim a stolen key, or dashing through rings and clearing the level in the fastest time possible. Boss battles also make a return, often acting as an entertaining and inventive break from the norm. But it’s the introduction of conventional platform sections that are the most redundant. Clumsy and annoying, Will and Helen’s platforming segments are more infuriating than they are entertaining.

Other additions include the ability to morph into various animals and objects, such as a rocket to propel through the air faster or a dolphin to swim through water, but do little in the way of enhancing the gameplay. There are also third person sections as NiGHTS transforms into a boat or train in an effort to gather orbs and rescue Nightopians, but unsurprisingly, it’s neither as fun nor as exciting as it sounds.

“A WASTED OPPORTUNITY”

It seems SEGA themselves are unsure of which way to take the IP, and you can’t help but think that if more time had been spent focussing on what made the original the cult classic it became, Journey of

Dreams would have been an infinitely better title. Instead (and as is becoming fairly predictable) Sonic Team have bitten off far more than they can chew, resulting in very much a wasted opportunity.

With our nostalgia-tinted glasses firmly in place, Journey of Dreams could be seen as a delightful return to the franchise; a flattering homage packed with all the floaty flighty action of the original SEGA classic. With said glasses removed we see Journey of Dreams for what it really is.

What could well have been a dream come true for fans of the much loved franchise, in reality is merely an outdated side-scroller with added ineptitude and a sprinkle of irritating design choices.

There’s no denying that NiGHTS has its moments, but ultimately, fans of the series need only apply.

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Death is not the end... just pray so

RESIDENT EVIL THE UMBRELLA CHRONICLES I

n 2003, Resident Evil Zero was released to many critics’ complaints that, while in no way a bad game, the Resident Evil formula had run its course and was becoming an archaic relic of early 3D game development.

Capcom, accepting this, reworked the forthcoming Resident Evil 4 into the game that reached the GameCube a few years later to universal acclaim from all but the most staunchest supporters of the ‘old Resis’.

FORMAT Wii PUBLISHER Capcom DEVELOPER Capcom REVIEWED BY Tom Hoggins

With that in mind, it’s puzzling to discover that The Umbrella Chronicles captures this outdated feel in its retelling of Zero’s story. Indeed, the first hour or so spent playing Chronicles makes you wonder if any lightgun shooters of the past decade ever happened, such is the tedious grind that takes you through the ‘Train Incident’. Charting the fall of Umbrella, Chronicles revisits key entries into the Resi pantheon, allowing you to blast your way through Zero, the original Resident Evil and Resident Evil 3: Nemesis (Resident Evil 2 conspicuous by its absence). More a ‘lightgun adventure’ than a twitch arcade shooter, Chronicles opts for a slower pace which suits the nature of the tense survival horror upon which the series has made its name. Or at least, it should. What actually transpires in the opening exchanges with the T-Virus is a dreary trudge, severely lacking any kind of excitement or tension.

As the first zombie stumbles towards you, you drag your pointer across his rotten mug with the Wii remote to put the poor sod out of his misery. Half an hour or so later you start to envy him.

While the controls are simple and intuitive, they cannot make up for the action onscreen which is SO slow, SO repetitive that it’s coma-inducing. The main culprit being the boss battles drawn out confrontations which boil down to learning their predictable attack pattern before unloading clip after clip into their gruesome gob. Not fun.

So, after trudging your way through Zero’s scenario, you’d be forgiven for burying Umbrella Chronicles in the garden and letting it rot. However, something happens when you step into the Arklay Mansion from the original REthe game that Chronicles should be turns up, apologising profusely for its tardiness while clapping it’s hands together with a “Right, let’s get started shall we?”

Immediately the tension is ramped up, the camera work is smooth and sweeping rather than static and as it guides you around the mansion, zombies appear out of nowhere; the famous Resi Dobermans and terrifying Crimsonheads hurtling towards you. While previously you were trying not to doze off, suddenly you’re on the edge of your seat - with the lights off

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and sound up you find yourself clinging a little tighter than is necessary to your Wii remote.

Fortunately, for the most part Chronicles retains this level of quality throughout RE3 and the brand new scenario which follows Chris Redfield and Jill Valentine in their quest to bring down Umbrella once and for all. Though the boss battles remain rather dull and at times the game is far too pedestrian, Chronicles overcomes its early tedium to become a worthy entry to the series and one aimed squarely at the fans that made Resi the success it is. The game lifts the lid on Umbrella’s fall and explores the fascinating villain who is always in the background - Albert Wesker.

It’s also stuffed full of collectible files (obtained by destroying scenery) which expand upon the Resi universe. Collecting and reading all of these files will no doubt be part of the game’s appeal to the Resident Evil aficionado.

But while Chronicles is undoubtedly one for the fans, its existence and competence is solid evidence that the lightgun shooter has a future in the home console market, and in particular the Wii. Featuring a lengthy campaign with collectibles, upgradeable weapons and a full co-op mode, the game offers remarkable value.

While it has its flaws, Chronicles displays potential for a genre that, until now, has mostly been the domain of the arcade. For that alone, it’s worth persevering past the less than stellar opening to experience what The Umbrella Chronicles has to offer.

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ADVANCE WARS

Judgement Day

DARK CONFLICT

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FORMAT DS PUBLISHER Nintendo DEVELOPER Nintendo REVIEWED BY Emmet Purcell

he 2002 Game Boy Advance release, Advance Wars, was one of gaming’s most pleasant surprises – the ready-made classic. Although an unknown quantity upon reaching Western shores, the series’ fine-tuned gameplay mechanics and perfect balance owed themselves to Japanese-only sequels stretching as far back as 1988 on the humble NES format.

Although gamers have been blessed with two subsequent sequels, a quick glance will tell you that this isn’t the Advance Wars of old. In fact when the prologue first tells you that a meteorite has obliterated 90% of the world’s population, it’s fair to say things are looking pretty grim.

With Dark Conflict, Nintendo has striven to address the few but nonetheless ever-present flaws with the series and brought it fully up-to-date with a new vision for the future of Advance Wars. Recognising that Pokemon-style anime and childish CO’s don’t really belong in a war setting, the title’s new attitude befits its subject matter much more accurately. Whilst the new setting has its highs and lows (an “evil flower” virus a particularly unshakable low), it’s a good example of a rarity in sequels – a sequel that takes away as many features from its forebears as it gives.

In other words, it’s goodbye to the Map room, hello to downloadable online maps, goodbye to battle-altering CO powers, neo-tanks from Black Hole Rising and dual

screen battles of Dual Strike, hello to scaled-back CO powers, reality-based military units and online battles complete with fully-integrated voice chat. Purists may feel the omission of such features represents a step backwards for their beloved but if anything, the success of the new additions results in streamlined, strategic battle devoid of gimmicks.

And what battles they are. For the uninitiated, Advance Wars employs a turn-based battle system. Each army has a relatively equal amount of varying units at the beginning of each conflict, based across land (tanks, artillery, infantry), sea (battleships, cruisers) and air (battle copters, fighter jets, bombers). When two units meet in battle, the probability of success is represented, allowing users to plot a strategic course of action. Each unit has their own strengths and weaknesses.

For example, whilst ground forces such as Infantry and Mechs have much lower firepower, they can “capture” rival or neutral factories, ports and cities (for daily funding to build units at aforementioned ports and factories). Dark Conflict has also added to the DS experience by lending in-battle statistics to the DS’ top screen while units are now upgraded once they have taken down a rival combatant.

In all, it’s a wonderfully employed battle system that ensures battles can last 10 minutes or, in the case of the epic single-player Mission 14, over two hours.

The AI of your computer opponent is also

never unfair - when you find yourself completely dominated by the game, you know it’s all down to that pointless Rig you wasted your funds on at the outset.

Comparisons to Chess are not altogether unfounded; in many cases an entire battle can be decided within the first few moves, while an online drubbing from expert gamers can actually teach newcomers on where they went wrong, rather than cause them to fling their handheld in bewilderment.

If Advance Wars online has always been on many a wish list of hardcore gamers, then with Dark Conflict their wishes are finally heard. Instead of just straight up battles, players can use voice chat to talk to registered friends, download recommended maps from the Nintendo WiFi centre, and even upload their own. It’s a far cry from the awkward GBA link-up battles of old and another example of superbly fleshed out new features, eclipsing any memories of gimmicky AW additions of old.

If you hadn’t noticed by now, we enjoyed this game just a tad. So what else is there to say? The best DS title since Zelda: Phantom Hourglass. A hardcore gamer’s online wet dream. The finest, purest incarnation of Advance Wars yet - one could toss superlatives around Dark Conflict for hours, when really, it comes down to one absolute – this is essential.

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KINGDOM UNDER FIRE Six Feet Under

CIRCLE OF DOOM

T

he Kingdom Under Fire series has always had something of a following. Understandably so; the quite-sophisticated-actually RTS melded with entertaining hack and slash combat has always been a winning combination. Circle of Doom takes a slightly different tack- it’s an action-RPG. And it’s awful.

FORMAT Xbox 360 PUBLISHER Microsoft Game Studios DEVELOPER Blueside REVIEWED BY Tom Hoggins

The backdrop to Circle of Doom is an ethereal war between the Lord of Light, Nible, and the Lord of Darkness, Encablossa, who each rule the world in a cycle of good and evil. Seems that Nible won’t let Encablossa have his turn and he’s thrown his toys out of the pram about it. Cue death and destruction.

From here you get to choose your character from the five available at the outset, with the option of ‘slow but high health’, ‘very slow but high health’, ‘fast but low health’ (x2) or ‘average’. Beyond that, it’s anyone’s guess as to who any of these characters are or what they can do.

Then, after a curious cutscene that reveals precisely bugger all, you’re dropped into a forest that has had an unfortunate overdose of bloom lighting, and before long you’re being charged down by a horde of rabid lizardmen. We don’t know who they are or what they’re doing here, but what the hell? They obviously need slaughtering.

Charging into battle, a judicious mashing of the attack buttons soon yields success.

Now, hack-and-slashers have always

received stick for being shallow experiences, sometimes rather unfairly. Often there are nuances to be learned and exploited to get the most out of a combat experience, and even when the combat is as simplistic as it seems there’s often the fallback that it looks damn stylish.

Ninety-Nine Nights, for example, had fairly rudimentary combat, but smashing your way through hundreds of enemies of a huge battlefield with chained combos made you look like a god; an empowering feeling washing over you. Circle of Doom has precisely none of the above - there isn’t even a flipping guard button.

You can assign different weapons to the face buttons and perform your own simple combinations, but there’s no chaining or counters. The ‘abilities’ you can learn by killing a set amount of enemies are often as useful as a chocolate teapot, and the ranged attacks are unwieldy to perform to any great success at all. What it boils down to is hammering the attack buttons and hoping you smack enough ugly beasties for it all to be over as soon as possible. As for the chance of feeling cool while doing it no chance; horrendous slowdown and tearing don’t help matters, and instead of wide open battlefields against hordes of trained bloodthirsty enemies, the game shuttles you through corridor after corridor, throwing in creatures that seemingly burst into tears when you go anywhere near them. It’s hard to feel like a big tough guy when you’re smashing teary-eyed little fellas into oblivion.

Not that it matters too much really, half the time the camera is so schizophrenic that you can’t see what’s going on anyway, often deciding to park itself behind a tree.

You can adjust it with the right stick, but it still seems intent on snapping back to give you a view of that tree. Very nice, though a better idea than playing Circle of Doom would be to go to a park and look at a tree.

If you play Circle of Doom long enough to give one about the story, you can be ‘treated’ to what is quite possibly the laziest expository device in a video game we’ve ever seen. Reaching a certain point in your latest dungeon crawl, you’ll come across the Grim Reaper, a golden fat guy (?) or a pretty lady. Here you can trade or ‘synthesize’ your weapons or alternatively, go to sleep, where you’re taken back to a dreamscape in which a nonsensical story is spun with terrible voice acting and bizarre camera angles.

It’s hard to come up with a single redeeming feature for KUF:COD. Even the drop-in and drop-out online multiplayer relies on finding three other people crazy enough to want to play the game to any great length. It’s monotonous, bland and lazy, and features technical issues for which one can find no excuse for in such an unambitious title. Steer well clear; there are far better options on the shelves for your action fantasy fix.

VERDICT

REVIEWS

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GHOST SQUAD Who ya gonna call?

T

FORMAT Wii PUBLISHER SEGA DEVELOPER SEGA-AM2 REVIEWED BY Tom Hoggins

he traditional video game arcade has become rather difficult to come by in the UK, often the only option being the local bowling alley where the odd arcade cabinet can be found between air hockey tables, fruit machines and tuppenny pushers.

Naturally, this decline is down to the advanced tech found in home consoles; the term ‘arcade-perfect’ now a lost and irrelevant one. Indeed, Tekken 6 launched in Japanese arcades using PlayStation 3 based-tech - quite the turnaround. Yet, there always seemed to be room for the odd lightgun shooter. Let’s face it, there’s nothing quite like standing in front of a huge cabinet, wielding the tailor-made gun to blast zombies or gun-toting baddies.

Ghost Squad was one such cabinet that we used to seek out, the chunky assault rifle dug into our shoulders, picking off

over-the-top terrorists in a quest to save the President while the speakers scream SUCCESS at a perfectly-placed sniper bullet. This is a fine example of what makes Ghost Squad such an outrageously entertaining blast. It never, for one second, takes itself too seriously. Everything feels like a huge exaggerated parody of action shooters of cinema and arcade. Even the chunky angular graphics (which even in 2004 were hardly cutting edge), and terrible dialogue with equally ridiculous voice acting do nothing to harm the game, only serving to enhance its kitsch appeal.

Another wonderfully indicative moment comes when your hero of Alpha Team bursts into a hut searching for a hostage, only to be confronted with a bearded mountain of a man. After successfully performing a ‘lightgun QTE’ your character picks up the never do-well and powerbombs him to the wood floor, complete with multiple replays from different angles and another of those screaming SUCCESS notifiers. It’s a delightfully silly OTT moment, and one that can have you in a fit of giggles for some time.

None of this absurdity has been lost in translation to the Wii. Indeed, the opportunity to flesh out the frivolity has been pounced upon. But, most importantly, the game is great as a shooter; the

twitch dispatching of terrorists both exciting and enjoyable, and broken up with well-realised minigames and boss battles.

The Wii remote works as well as it should as a lightgun, with accuracy aided by the ability to configure the pointer within the game. However, the best way to play Ghost Squad is undoubtedly with the Wii Zapper peripheral and with the on screen sight turned off. The menu screen offers ‘a faithful port of the arcade game’, and with those options it’s exactly that... all the way down to its length.

This is Ghost Squad’s sticking point - the game’s three missions can be blasted through in under half an hour. Though the game encourages repeat playthroughs by offering multiple paths, repetition will eventually set in and can be a little difficult to shake. In a somewhat shallow attempt to increase longevity, Ghost Squad offers new costumes and weapons to unlock. It shouldn’t work, yet somehow it does.

Tapping directly into the game’s silliness, new costumes can alter the game superficially but substantially. Ninja mode dresses you and your enemies as Ninjas appropriately arming you with shurikens, while Japanese dolls adorn tables with heads that expand when hit. You can take to battle in a Panda suit or embark on Paradise mode, armed with Dolphin shaped water pistols battling bikini-clad babes instead of terrorists. If that isn’t enough to encourage repeat plays, we’re not sure what is. And on a more practical, tactical note, the unlocked guns offer

genuine alternatives to play, but even so, it would have been nice to have been offered some new Wii-exclusive missions.

Some will baulk at the price for what Ghost Squad actually offers, but those willing to take the plunge will find a game that holds the essence of ‘pick up and play’ and is, for the most part, ridiculously entertaining. And for the rest, is entertainingly ridiculous.

VERDICT

REVIEWS

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CONTRA 4 Guns don’t kill people. Commandos do.

K FORMAT DS PUBLISHER Konami DEVELOPER Way Forward REVIEWED BY James Bowden

onami’s decision to outsource the development duties for their new Contra game to Way Forward initially seemed a curious one. However, the self-confessed Contra fanatics’ understanding of what makes the series tick is obvious after just a few sessions with the game. A return to its side-scrolling-shooter roots with a DS twist make this the best the series has offered since Contra III.

Contra 4 retains most of the gameplay standards of its predecessors, with the major change being its dual-screen presentation. Smart bombs have also been removed, while characters now wield a grappling hook that allows for quick transportation between the DS’s two screens.

The single player is just as punishing as the arcade machines of the 90’s, offering

minimal continues to finish what is essentially a thirty minute lesson in twitch 2D blasting… and constant recurring death. At least at first. On repeat runs you will learn enemy positions and the attack patterns that each stage presents. This allows you to overcome challenges that were previously causing you grief, and feel a real sense of accomplishment for it. The levels themselves are packed full of surprises. Bosses that tower two screens tall, controllable vehicles, constantly changing enemy types; Contra 4 will keep you guessing until the very end.

Unfortunately, the game does have its problems, albeit minor ones. Due to the nature of the DS there is a dead zone between the two screens- it’s frustrating when you can’t see the icy touch of death looming beneath the plastic joint. And while the co-op multiplayer is arguably the best part of Contra 4, there is, regrettably, no option for single card play.

The package also initially seems light on content, offering only one mode with three difficulties, but you can unlock the challenge mode as well as the first two NES Contra games for extra retro-style shooting. It’s a shame then that these modes do not have multiplayer, however they do add essential replay value.

Completing these challenges unlocks a large amount of bonus content detailing Contras explosive history, an extra incentive for the hardcore fan.

Contra 4 is an exercise in punishing old-school gameplay that will probably give the Brain Training crowd nightmares.

However, for gamers that have been clamouring for a true test of skill on the DS, they need look no further than this terrific return to form for the franchise.

VERDICT

DOWNLOAD

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REZ HD

PAIN

MEGA MAN 2

Rez contains all the hallmarks of a typical LIVE Arcade game; gloriously simple graphics, a plethora of neon colours and an unashamedly straightforward pick up and play premise. But to brush it aside would be to overlook a game that creates the perfect synergy of graphics, music and sound. Initially basic, Rez asks the player to shoot targets from a third person perspective, all the while appreciating the stunning wire-frame design and pulsing techno beats. But it’s in these beats that the magic happens, building layer upon layer of sound as you progress, where each on screen action adds a sound or effect that blends seamlessly with the music.

Pain is the bizarre lovechild of Burnout’s (now sadly MIA) crash junctions, the Carnage mode of FlatOut and an episode of Jackass.

The premise is pretty juvenile - launch a man out of an enormous slingshot to crash, collide and cause as much havoc as possible within an inner city environment. The entire game, however, is fully aware of this, loaded with crass gallows humour, sexual innuendo and double entendre. On paper, Pain is purely a tech demo with which to showcase some admirable ragdoll physics, yet seeming to only apply to the lowest common denominator of gamer, giggling at catapulting Pain’s unlucky protagonist into the smutty signage.

The Mega Man franchise has well and truly been milked to the point of madness. Seemingly every other week a new game in the series is released for DS or PSP each containing the same content as the last.

It wasn’t always like this. Once upon a time Mega Man was fun.

The XBLA package contains five core levels, each playable in an alternate immortal mode for those simply wanting to admire the game. Each level brings a variety of interesting new experiences and locations to the player, and is backed by a selection of additional content including the extremely addictive score attack mode. Rez is a fun, albeit challenging game, offering an unparalleled aural and visual experience that many players will return to relive countless times.

But no matter how elitist you may think you are, we dare you not to at least smile as the carnage in Pain unfolds. The game certainly isn’t teeming with content – there’s currently only the one environment in which to tumble through and a mere handful of game modes, although we’re assured extra content is forthcoming. The game’s basic premise may be unable to hold significant interest, but Pain is undeniably fun in short bursts or for some post-pub giggles with mates.

Format: PSN Price: £TBA/$9.99

Format: XBLA Price: 800 MS points

VERDICT

Format: VC Price: 500 Wii Points

VERDICT

Mega Man 2 is seen by many as the best game in the series. Improving on the original in almost every conceivable way, the classic sequel offered excellent level design and clear graphics. Encouragingly, much of the prevalent flicker and slowdown has also since been cleaned up for the Virtual Console release. More importantly though the game has a well balanced difficulty curve, making Mega Man 2 one of the few in the series that any gamer should be able to make progress with. It’s remarkable how well the title has held up over time. Even twenty years on the game remains fun, inventive and charming, and although there are a few minor niggles (our blue hero can’t duck for instance) there’s nothing that should really put you off.

For some old style run and gun action, the pocket money price of £3.50 means you can’t really go wrong.

VERDICT

DOWNLOAD

48

SKY DIVING

OMEGA FIVE

TOY HOME

Do you remember those ‘put the correct shape block in the correct shaped hole’ toys we all used to have as a kid? Sky Diving is that, only disguised in a slightly more exciting videogame premise. The idea is simple – as an aerobatic skydiver, recreate the required shape and formation by twisting and turning the SIXAXIS as you fall 10,000 feet through the sky. Sounds easy, right? Wrong.

As one of the D+PAD team elegantly put it this month, “XBLA has scrolling shooters up the f’ing ying-yang”. So what makes Omega Five worth your time and, perhaps more importantly, 800 of your MS Points?

We’re sure many would agree that SIXAXIS should purely be used as an additional feature within traditional genres; a way to enhance a game’s otherwise standard gameplay, rather than a feature to which an entire title is based around. That’s especially true of a racer; a genre that requires a fair bit of accuracy and finesse in order for it to work.

Format: XBLA Price: 800 MS Points

Format: PSN Price: £3.49/$4.99

The SIXAXIS’ sensitivity is completely unbalanced and unnecessarily fiddly, resulting in major ‘oversteer’ when lining up a formation. In a game that requires accuracy and fine-tuning to pull off the perfect stunt, Sky Diving just doesn’t work as well as it should do.

But every cloud has a silver lining, and in Sky Diving’s case it’s the mildly enjoyable ‘Landing’ mode. A hark back to the days of Pilotwings, Landing mode involves directing your jumper onto a target. It’s the more enjoyable option of the two and the easiest to control, but as is true of the entire package, it won’t keep your attention once you’ve ham-fistedly attempted the few levels on offer.

VERDICT

Format: PSN Price: £4.99/$9.99

Make no bones about it; despite a gloriously modern exterior Omega Five remains delightfully old school. Simple yet stylish, OF’s side scrolling action involves the player slowly progressing through countless waves of incoming ships and screen-filling baddies. With four unique characters, each of which sporting a variety of unique weapons that demand wildly different tactics, OF offers a certain amount of substance which other games in the genre simply lack.

Mixing weapon styles soon becomes order of the day, and whether you prefer to use slow but destructive projectiles or less powerful but more direct laser beams is your choice. The crux of the game may come in replaying each level, perfecting each character and chasing high scores, but thankfully the mechanic is so enthrallingly classic that Omega Five offers a charming experience to those looking for it.

VERDICT

So enter Toy Home, a third person Micro Machines of sorts that, rather than straight-out racing, requires you to drift your way through a series of checkpoints across a multitude of domestic locations, smashing into any unfortunate household object that stands in your path. And drifting around a corner straight into a herd of miniature giraffes is certainly fun...on the rare occasion you actually manage to pull it off. The mandatory SIXAXIS controls are clumsy and awkward, made even worse by a complete lack of sensitivity – a full 90 degree lock can be required for even the slightest of turns. It certainly isn’t the first title that SIXAXIS has ruined, but unfortunately, not even the bright colours or cheery concept can save Toy Home from the realms of mediocre.

VERDICT

COMPETITION

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WIN!

This month we’re giving away a copy of the fantastic Burnout Paradise on Xbox 360 and entering the competition couldn’t be easier!

For your chance to win simply send your name and address to competition@dpad-magazine.com with the subject title “Take me down to the Paradise City”.

We awarded the amazing racer 4 Stars this month. So what are you waiting for? ENTER TODAY!* Last month’s winner was Owen Roberts who walks away with a copy of Super Mario Galaxy. Have fun being a spaceman!

*Terms & Conditions: D+PAD reserve the right to close this competition at any time without notice. Entrants must be residents of the United Kingdom and all entries must be received by 17th March 2008. One entry permitted per household. A winner will be chosen at random and notified within 28 days of the competition closure. Entrants will be added to our mailing list to be notified of future D+PAD releases. Your details will not be passed on to any third-parties. The editor’s decision is final.

DISCUSSION

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Each month two members of our writing team face off against each other over a particular hot topic from within the world of gaming. With online rental becoming increasingly popular, this month we’re putting it to the test. Is renting really a more viable option to ownership?

RENT BOY Looking to get started in the world of online rentals?

These are two of the best:

One of the most popular online rental services out there,LoveFilm’s packages start from only £3.99 a month. And with the option to rent movies too, a surefire winner.

An established online rental service, SwapGame offer a 10 day free trial and unlimited rentals from their library of over 3,000 titles, all from only £9.99 a month.

RENTAL - WHAT IS IT GOOD FOR? If, like me, you've been a gamer for any extended period of time, chances are you'll have a stack of games lying around somewhere, many of which remain uncompleted. Have you ever gone and counted how many titles are in that stack? I have, and it was a scarily high number. But then I began to think about it a little bit more. Some of those games just weren't as good as I'd hoped, left on the shelf ignored and eventually forgotten. Then I worked how much it had cost me – a lot! All those wasted notes on half-played and half-enjoyed games.

And then I started thinking about the alternative – rental. For the price of just a single title I can take advantage of three months of unlimited game rentals instead. Sure, I’m only allowed so many at one time, but three months worth of game playing has got to be more cost effective than owning a single title. In case you were wondering, that can be around twenty games if you have both the time and desire. Many companies offer free trials for those wary of the service, and if you still find yourself on the fence, the fact that you can opt to rent films as part of the same package should tip you over the edge.

So, you’ve registered with said rental company, created your wish list and playing an extra double figures worth of games, all the while weighed down on your sofa by the extra cash in your wallet. But bar the financial implications what does this really mean? Let's look back at our stack of games. The underlying reason that they go unfinished is the simple fact that you know you can come back and complete them in the future. The vast majority you never will, but you like to kid yourself anyway. Now imagine that you won't get any more games until you put down your current ones. Welcome to the world of game rationalisation. Your current games are really good but you also can't wait to get hold of your next title? Then finish one and send it back sharp. Picked out a dud? Send it back immediately instead of forcing yourself to squeeze any enjoyment out of it.

Unlike owning a game there is no wastage, there is no reason to force yourself to spend time with a title to try and enjoy it.

But herein lies another beauty. By renting games that you otherwise couldn't afford or wouldn't want to risk purchasing, you can try them out for

minimal risk. Wii owners rejoice! The myriad of short, accessible games that just weren't worth owning but looked intriguing are suddenly easily available for you to try out. Liked Koroninpa but don’t fancy shelling out for the similar Mercury Meltdown Revolution and Super Monkey Ball on top? Rent them.

Own Resident Evil 4 on the GameCube but want to know how the Wii version compares? Easy. Family really wants to play Alan Hansen's Sports Challenge?

Well, there is no reason to go crazy.

I recently took the plunge and invested in an Xbox 360, promptly getting my gamertag added to the D+PAD Magazine leaderboard. Unsurprisingly, with next to no points to my name, I'm dead-last. Now I'm not too interested in achievements but I can't bear to be last in any table but don't have enough games to get out of the relegation zone.

Luckily my rental subscription means I can grab myself some easy points here and there and I should be climbing up that leaderboard in no time at all! Of course, apart from saving my pride, you could always use your rental service to boost your gamerscore via back catalogue titles for your own personal merriment.

I’ll be using rentals for exactly that; a cheap and logical way to catch up on all those games that I ought to have played but, being a new owner, haven't yet had the privilege. While easier than scouring the high street for that elusive older title or searching and bidding on eBay for goods that look like they’ve been handled by a knife-wielding toddler, there is the added bonus that they won't get added to my towering pile of forgotten games. No, nowadays I'm unable to even contemplate paying out the mountain of cash required for a brand new game, and I can't give a better seal of approval than that.

Richard Rohani

DISCUSSION

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TOTAL OWNAGE Of course, online presence isn’t just limited to rental services. If you’re looking to buy games from the comfort of your own home then look no further than these respected etailers:

The biggest games retailer in the UK also sports one of the better online services. Promising release day delivery and competitive prices, GAME comes highly recommended.

Being based in Jersey means slightly longer delivery times, but it also means we can take advantage of cheaper prices.

Reliable and home to some great prices, Play.com is another recommended etailer.

And if you want to keep track of your collection, you’ll be hard pressed to find better software than MediaMan. Click the image to find out more:

OWNING ME, OWNING YOU I’ll admit it, renting has never been a bad idea. The option to rent a game for a couple of days has been around for a long time, however, with new (and arguably better) online services, people have begun to question whether renting games could take the place of conventional ownership. The answer to that question should be no, and there are several reasons why.

Owning games is a wonderful thing. It’s great that we can step into a local indie and pick up a fresh copy of Mass Effect after work. There’s little better than stripping off the packaging slowly, relishing the first flick through the manual. The box art’s nice and the disc is pristine. Stick that wonder into your elite collection and admire from afar.

Opening up a little paper sleeve with a grubby, scratched disc doesn’t come close. We own all sorts of entertainment, often selling them when they’re surplus to requirements.

Yet the reason for renting, with most, concerns price. As explained in the opposing argument, a small monthly fee can offer unlimited rentals. How can ownership possibly stack up to that? I was greeted to the wonder of the brown packet from Gameplay today, concealing a glimmering copy of a brand new title that set me back £28. That may well

sound expensive by comparison, but I dare say I’ll be selling it in a month. It may cost me that little bit extra than were I too just rent it, but that cost is justified. I would sooner have the game in all its glory on my shelf, knowing that I don’t have to return it in order to get a different game.

A big justification for the expense, however, is the fact that owning games allows for the spontaneity and flexibility that renting simply cannot. In a generation where the online functions of consoles are ever increasing, many will make frequent use of them, some even being part of a gaming community.

There’ll be plenty of sessions of older online games going on constantly; games like Rainbow 6: Vegas and Gears of War still see plenty of playtime. But what if you were renting? Chances are, when people want to play them, you won’t have them. You’ll have to try and negotiate an evening in advance, and ensure that the rental gets to you by then – hardly the ideal arrangement.

Older titles, such as the aforementioned Vegas, can now picked up fairly cheaply, and with that in mind, the benefits of keeping the game in your collection negate the cost.

But what of the more recent games, for example, Halo 3? Completing the main

quest may only last you a matter of days, but the online multiplayer is a different story. I’m still enjoying it four months after release and will keep doing so for quite a while. In this instance, buying the game actually works out cheaper than renting it. By my reckoning, having one title on loan for four months would cost at least £30 as well as take up one of your rental slots. The sheer number of games with such a plethora of things to do surely indicates that rentals cannot take over from ownership.

How about downloadable content? If you wanted to keep renting the game each time additional content is released, you’ll find yourself paying over the odds.

And spending a couple of thousand Microsoft Points on Shivering Isles would make you want to hang on to Oblivion for as long as you possibly could. Again, renting is the more expensive option here.

So, ownership, a much more logical and all round better option than rentals. It may be more expensive if you choose not to sell your games; however the positives far outweigh the negatives.

For the extra money, you can own as many as you like at a time. You can play a quick game of Gears of War, exactly when you want it. You can have them for

as long as you like without worrying about extra expense. You can build up that dream collection of games you’ve always wanted.

And let’s face it - you all love the smell of a new manual!

Richard Angus

DISCUSSION

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What the rest of us think...

I don’t think it would be right to suggest one method is necessarily outright better than the other, but more down to the choice of the individual in question. Many people simply can’t afford the hefty price tag that comes with ownership, leaving them with no choice but to rent. As an avid gamer however, building up my own games collection is part of the pleasure in the hobby, even if I know full well half of my games may never see the inside of a console again.

I can only imagine my dismay at having an absolute blast with a game, only to realise I’ve got to send it back. Not for me, thanks. And I'm no manual sniffer either.

David Scammell

Surely owning that extraordinarily expensive plastic case goes hand in hand with gaming? Renting is just a cheap, cruel and shallow intruder into the gaming world, trying to do away with a game's longevity and turning gamers into rabid consumers and achievement point bounty hunters.

Ownership for me. Maybe it’s because I can't be bothered to go to my local Blockbuster every time I want to play a game, or more likely because I'm pretty strict with my purchases, only buying the stuff I know will interest me.

If a quick fling with a rental title leads a player to buy that game then perhaps the rental situation actually has a reason to exist. Anything else though, and it turns into a thing of pure evil.

Stefan Goerke -Hewitt

The official D+PAD poll...

Rental

Ownership

Graham Naunton

Anyone with an ounce of sensibility should know that a healthy mixture of owning and renting games is the best way to experience what is an expensive hobby. Spending £30-40 on a game that you may not like is never a great idea.

But, of course, if I had bottomless pockets I'd go for ownership every time. I'm a consumer, so a shelf stacked full of game cases gives me a warm, fuzzy feeling. Though the best feeling comes from knowing you can take one of those cases down and relive some of your favourite moments whenever you like. Not so easy when you have to go to the video shop or wait for that envelope to arrive.

Tom Hoggins

Greg Latham

And the winner is...

OWNERSHIP! It was never any competition - almost everyone here at D+PAD loves the satisfaction of owning the latest and greatest titles (and the smell of a freshly printed manual). Online rental may be gaining popularity but it’s still got a long way to go before it sways any of us.

Were we right in thinking the positives of ownership greatly succeed those of renting, 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

GALLERY

richard kwok

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fearless www.ghostyurei.deviantart.com

GALLERY

danny m. valdez

54

super mario bros. www.dmvcomics.com

GALLERY

bonnie tang

55

one winged angel http://sypri.deviantart.com

NEXT MONTH

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next month...