D+PAD Issue 7 (May 08) by dpadmagazine

ISSUE 07 | MAY 2008

THAT SPECIAL SOMEONE

GTA IV - REVIEW & 10 PAGE RETROSPECTIVE E: ALSO IN THIS ISSU

RACE DRIVER: GRID MARIO KART WII UEFA EURO 2008 RED ALERT 3 WII FIT & MORE!

PLUS!

MOTORSTORM 2

The first details & screens revealed in our exclusive interview

So, the one we’ve all been waiting for is finally here. Like many of you, most of the D+PAD team found themselves queuing outside their local game store on that cold April’s night for the ‘Game of the Forever’ - but boy was it worth it! To celebrate, we’ve put together a mammoth 10 page feature covering the history of GTA which kicks off on page 7. And of course, don’t forget check out our 4 page review of the game that everyone’s talking about, starting on page 36. No prizes for guessing our verdict on that one... But it isn’t all GTA talk this issue. This month we’ve integrated video streams into the magazine to give you a better D+PAD experience than ever before. As with any new additions though, there are a couple of things you’ll need to know beforehand. First, you’ll need the latest version of Adobe Reader, which you can grab for free by clicking here. You’ll also need QuickTime, which is available to download here. That should be enough to get you going, but don’t forget to allow a few seconds after clicking ‘Play’ for the stream to buffer! We also had a chat with Nigel Kershaw, Game Director of MotorStorm 2, and are proud to present you with the first ever screens and information on the upcoming racer. From what we’ve seen so far, it’s one of those you’ll want to keep a close eye on... Check out our exclusive interview on page 17 for more on that one. I also hope to be able to reveal an exciting new development in time for next month’s issue, so keep an eye out for that. But until next time, see you in Liberty City! David Scammell Editor editor@dpad-magazine.com

ISSUE 07 | MAY 2008 EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

David Scammell

27 07

DEPUTY EDITOR

PROTOTYPE

Stuart Leech

GRAND THEFT AUTO THROUGH THE AGES

SUB EDITOR

Tom Hoggins WII FIT

DESIGNER

David Scammell

CONTRIBUTORS

GTA IV

Richard Angus Zoheir Beig

COMMAND & CONQUER RED ALERT 3

James Bowden Ian Freeman Stefan Goerke-Hewitt Emily Knox

Greg Latham MOTORSTORM 2

John Meadowcroft Graham Naunton Simeon Paskell

44 25

FABLE 2

Emmet Purcell MARIO KART WII

Richard Rohani Rhys Simons

NEWS

The latest headlines from the world of gaming

GTA IV BECOMES FASTEST SELLING GAME EVER

GOW III TO INCLUDE ONLINE MULTIPLAYER? A recent job listing on SCEA’s website suggests that God of War III could be going online for its next instalment.

XBOX 360 WINS DAY ONE SALES Grand Theft Auto IV has become the fastest selling game ever with UK sales of the controversial title standing at 609,000 at close of business on day one. Up to now the record was held by the previous game in the series, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, which sold over 500,000 units on release day.

The ad outlines a position for an “Online gameplay programmer to join the team behind the critically acclaimed AAA titles ‘God of War’ and ‘God of War II’.” Little is currently known about the third title in the series, but given Sony’s recent online push, we wouldn’t be surprised to see Kratos go online when GOW III launches next year.

Unsurprisingly, GTA IV has also become the fastest selling game on both host platforms. 335,000 copies were sold on Xbox 360, beating Halo 3’s previous record of 226,000 units. Meanwhile on PS3, GTA IV managed to shift 274,000 copies, wiping the floor of Gran Turismo 5 Prologue’s 80,000 day one sales. The launch itself wasn’t without controversy, with reports of stabbings and muggings following midnight openings across the country.

TIGER WOODS 09 COMING THIS SUMMER

You can check out what we think of this year’s biggest game on page 36.

NEW PRINCE PERSIA REVEALED Mass Effect’s new alien raceOF - the Batarians

OPEN-WORLD, CEL-SHADED POP HITS NEXT-GEN

PGR4’s new hydrogen-powered Peugeot Flux

It’s been announced that the next game in Ubisoft’s popular Prince of Persia series is currently in development for Xbox 360, PS3 and PC.

Perhaps controversially, time powers have been removed for the sequel, although the Okamiinspired cel-shaded visuals and rumoured co-op play seems promising.

For the first time in the series, the new Prince of Persia features an open-world setup which dynamically switches between two states as an infectious black mist known as ‘The Corruption’ taints the world. It’s the player’s job to heal the land and return vibrancy to the world.

The game, which is believed to be titled Prince of Persia Prodigy, is being developed by the original Sands of Time team at Ubisoft Montreal and is due to go on sale this winter.

EA Sports has announced that the next title in its multi-million selling Tiger Woods PGA Tour series will be released this summer. Pencilled in for 360, PS3 & Wii, the title promises new performance coaching features and a club tuner to “maximise your swing”.

However, there’s no mention of a PC version, and with EA dropping the PC port of Madden 09, it seems Tiger may share the same fate.

NEWS

The latest headlines from the world of gaming

PIRACY PREVAILS CRYTEK GOES MULTIFORMAT

BURNOUT GETS BIKES PLANES A POSSIBILITY

GTA IV ANGERS DRUNK-DRIVING GROUP US group Mothers Against Drunk Driving has issued a statement expressing its disappointment with Rockstar for allowing players to drive while drunk.

“MADD is extremely disappointed by the decision of the manufacturers of the game Grand Theft Auto IV to include a game module where players can drive drunk. Drunk driving is not a game and it is not a joke. Drunk driving is a choice, a violent crime and it is also 100 percent preventable.” MADD has also appealed to the ESRB to reclassify GTA IV as an Adults Only game. Crysis developer Crytek has stated that it will no longer be developing PC exclusives thanks to pirated games “inherently destroying the platform”.

For the first time in the Burnout series, Criterion is to let players loose on motorbikes in an upcoming DLC package for Burnout Paradise.

Speaking with PC Play, company president Cevat Yerli said “We are suffering currently from the huge piracy that is encompassing Crysis. We seem to lead the charts in piracy by a large margin; a chart leading that is not desirable.”

A recent video showed the team cruising around Paradise City on motorbikes, with the added options of turning off traffic and driving at night. Footage of a fully controllable biplane was also shown but Criterion made it clear that the option to fly around Paradise City is still early in development and may never make it to release.

Yerli’s statement backs up the shocking revelation that Crysis bombed at retail, selling only 86,000 units in its first month despite glowing reviews and huge anticipation. "It was a big lesson for us and I believe we won't have PC exclusives as we did with Crysis in future. We are going to support PC, but not exclusive anymore." We awarded Crysis 4.5 stars back in Issue 04, and if you want to play it, go out and buy it!

GTA IV DOMINATES XBOX LIVE

The premium DLC is to be packaged as part of the Davis update, due for release this August. GTA IV has toppled Halo 3 and Call of Duty 4 as the most played game on Xbox LIVE. In the first 24 hours of release, 1m users played GTA IV online, 2m GTA IV achievements were unlocked, over 15m Gamerscore points were added to users’ accounts and 1.5m crossgame invites were sent out.

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

The Americans may have been rocking out for the best part of six months, but finally it’s our chance to live out our teenage dreams of being a rock star. Featuring an outstanding soundtrack that includes the likes of Red Hot Chili Peppers, Metallica and David Bowie, Rock Band has already won dozens of awards for its music, innovation and multiplayer gaming. It may be ridiculously overpriced, but frankly, what’s better than having a virtual three-piece band in your living room? We’ll be frantically unpacking our ‘Band in a Box’ May 23rd.

METAL GEAR SOLID 4: GUNS OF THE PATRIOTS

Solid Snake’s final mission is almost upon us – and we can’t wait. Set five years after the ‘Big Shell Incident’ of MGS2, Guns Of The Patriots sees a rapidly aging Snake sent into a war torn Middle East to eliminate Liquid Ocelot. Spanning across five locations throughout the globe, MGS4 portrays a world overcome by nanotechnology and private military companies hired to fight proxy wars. MGS-legend Hideo Kojima may have expressed his disappointment in the final game’s graphics, but that’s not going to stop us from sneaking to our favourite games retailer on June 12th.

NINJA GAIDEN II

HAZE

ALONE IN THE DARK

Possibly the goriest game ever created, next month sees Ryu Hayabusa returning for an Xbox 360 exclusive.

The repeatedly delayed PS3 exclusive (Ed – What’s new?) finally hits store shelves next month. Developed by UK-based Free Radical Design, best known for their award winning TimeSplitters series, Haze revolves around the performance-enhancing drug ‘Nectar’, used to improve a soldier’s ability in the midst of battle.

Set in the present time in New York City’s Central Park, Edward Carnby returns for the fifth game in the long-running Alone In The Dark series.

With a new dismemberment system that allows for enemies to become handicapped by having their limbs hacked off, our fingers are crossed for Ninja Gaiden II reaching European shores uncut. Promising a 30-hour story mode and improved weaponry, we’ll be sharpening our Shurikens and dishing out death June 6th. And if you just can’t wait that long for another slice of Ninja Gaiden, be sure to check out the demo hitting Xbox LIVE Marketplace later this month.

While we’ve been indifferent to Haze up until now, with an interesting plot filled with twists and turns and a four-player online co-op mode, could Haze actually be worth the wait? We’ll find out next month when we shoot up and shoot it out on May 23rd.

Centred on secretive activities occurring in the tunnels below the park, Alone In The Dark is structured around a unique episodic format. The innovative inventory system and environmental manipulation also holds plenty of promise, allowing gamers to create useful items from everyday objects. We’ll be unravelling mysteries and reaching for a change of underwear June 20th.

gRand theft auto

through the ages Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s difficult to imagine that in 1997 people would have been able to predict the phenomenon that a game developed by a team best known for Lemmings would become. Eleven years and seventy million sales later, the release of a new GTA game has become a global event. But it wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t always this way...

Words by Tom Hoggins

THROUGH THE AGES

in the beginning... Founded in 1988 by developer David Jones, Rockstar North began life in Dundee, Scotland as DMA Design. Signing to UK publishers Psygnosis in the same year, DMA would go on to become one of the world’s premier game developers. DMA’s genesis began with side-scrolling shmups Menace and Blood Money. But it wasn’t until 1990 that they truly gained mass attention with the release of a puzzle game about stopping small furry animals committing mass suicide; Lemmings. Lemmings was a huge success and remains one of the industry’s iconic titles. And without it, we may never have seen hide nor hair of any Grand Theft Auto. Various iterations of Lemmings would take up most of DMA’s time for the next seven years, up until the release of Grand Theft Auto, which would shift the

company’s focus forever. However, before GTA became the phenomenon that it is, an agreement with Nintendo led DMA to release two games on the N64 to favourable reception. Body Harvest - perhaps GTA III’s true pre-cursor - and Space Station: Silicon Valley. Following this, DMA changed hands in a bout of complex publisher wrangling. Owned by Gremlin since 1997, their acquirement by French publisher Infogrames in 1999 caused problems due to an agreement between DMA and GTA publisher BMG. Under Take-Two Interactive’s label, BMG was now part of Rockstar Games. Eventually Infogrames agreed to sell DMA’s publishing rights to Take-Two, with the parent company moving DMA under Rockstar’s banner. By now founder Jones had left, setting up Rage Software, which would later become Real Time Worlds.

PROFILE TEAM:

Rockstar North

LOCATION:

Edinburgh, Scotland

FOUNDED:

1988

KEY TITLES:

Lemmings (1990) Grand Theft Auto (1997) GTA III (2001) Manhunt (2003) GTA IV (2008)

DMA would remain under their original name until 2001, developing GTA2 and GTA III in the interim. Rockstar bought the Scottish developers outright and changed the name to Rockstar North, setting up base in Edinburgh, which is still the home of Rockstar Games most famous, and controversial, studio today.

THROUGH THE AGES

grand theft auto “You’ve got insurance, so don’t be a prick” Released on PC and PlayStation in 1997 to marginal fanfare (but a fair amount of controversy), DMA Design’s Grand Theft Auto was the catalyst for a series that, to date, has sold around 70 million units. What is doubly remarkable about that figure is that, in stark contrast to the series today, the original Grand Theft Auto was developed on a low budget. And it’s fair to say it shows. Even at the time of its original release, the top-down 2D visuals were considered extremely basic, but they were, more importantly, functional. Driving around GTA’s cities in the Matchbox style cars didn’t set the pulse racing due to any amount of graphical fidelity. However, what did capture the imagination was the huge scale of the world and the freedom to get up to criminal mischief in an open-ended sandbox. Unlike further iterations, the original GTA had little in the way of a storyline; merely dropping your character on the sidewalk with the instructions to find a payphone. From there, you’re tasked with finding work from shady fellows and causing general mayhem to up your point tally to the level needed to progress to the next city. Unfortunately, GTA was full of ambition but limited by some fairly serious flaws. The missions ended up following a very similar pattern, often lapsing into repetition. The controls were twitchy and imprecise. And in what seems a gross oversight, you couldn’t save your

game in the middle of a stage, only able to record your progress at the end of each level - having to repeat the early missions ad infinitum negated much of the fun found in the game. But fun was GTA’s favourite weapon, and there was enough for many to overlook the obvious flaws. Playing the bad guy in a free-roaming world was a fresh departure from much videogame fare of the time, and the seeds of ambition that were not to truly flourish until a fair few years later were plain to see: tonguein-cheek humour, minor but clever detailed touches and the radio stations that were to become the series’ trademarks were born here. Humble beginnings then. But it was a beginning flush with potential and ambition.

THROUGH THE AGES

grand theft auto 2

“Nothing brings down real estate prices like a good old fashioned gang war” If nothing else, Grand Theft Auto certainly caused a stir. Nevertheless, it’s fair to say that it was the media controversy that drove the GTA name into the limelight more than the game itself. So by the time the sequel arrived in 1999 it had been hyped by expectant gamers, and decried for its violent tones by politicians and media sources alike. This combination rose awareness to an unprecedented level and DMA claimed that over 1 million people had downloaded GTA2’s demo by the time it hit retail. However, what people found when they had their hands on the full game was pretty much more of the same. The crude top-down visuals returned spruced up with lighting effects and smoother textures - and while the controls were tightened to give improved handling, the basic gameplay remained the same.

What did set GTA2 apart from its predecessor, however, was the updated mission structure. Protagonist Claude Speed needed to earn ‘respect’ from the three gangs in each district of ‘Anywhere City’. With enough respect Claude was able to carry out missions for each faction, while playing them off against each other in the great gang war engulfing the city. The missions were afforded more variety and the rival gang dynamic offered a touch of depth missing from the original. But, in truth, GTA2 remained a fun but limited game which fell foul of many of the previous instalment’s flaws (including the irritating lack of a ‘saveanytime’ option). Riding on the wave of controversy could only last for so long critics were fairly nonplussed by GTA2 and felt the series needed to move on to realise its obvious potential. It would take a new generation of hardware and a leap into the third dimension to do it...

THROUGH THE AGES

grand theft auto III “Hello, caller... you're on Chatterbox” It’s been called “the defining game of a generation” - a label attributed to Grand Theft Auto III by fans and gaming media alike, and with good reason. Grand Theft Auto’s potential was unearthed in Liberty City, a massive 3D world that was brought to life by the extra power of the new PlayStation 2. It was also the first game in the franchise to feature a full storyline in which iconic characters were voiced by Hollywood stars such as Joe Pantoliano, Michael Madsen and Kyle MacLachlan. It was still a rare thing indeed to have famous actors provide the voice acting for a video game, and it was one of the many things that GTA3 pioneered. Liberty City was a sprawling facsimile of New York; a city so memorable that players would soon learn each road and junction as if they were driving around their local neighbourhood. The incredible amount of freedom allowed in GTA3 was so liberating, so much fun, that attempts to recreate it have been made by countless GTA derivatives. But one thing that has proven impossible to imitate is GTA’s heart, soul and humour. Who can forget driving around Liberty City listening to the irrepressible Lazlow on Chatterbox? Who didn’t stifle giggles at some of the juvenile humour that littered Liberty City and its potty-mouthed denizens? It wasn’t all fart jokes either; some of the dark humour and tongue-in-cheek satire providing an unmistakable social commentary.

Liberty was teeming with life, with so much to see and do. The missions your silent anti-hero would carry out were varied and enjoyable, and the plethora of side-jobs meant that running out of things to do around Liberty was a vast improbability. It wasn’t perfect - the scale of the city pushed the PS2 to its limits, resulting in glitches such as pop-up and slowdown, while combat was fiddly at best, frustratingly clunky at worst. But they were small flaws in what was an incredible achievement. One that realised the possibility that videogames could create a living, breathing world and put you right in the middle of it. At the time it was a true step into the ‘next-generation’. A step that would shape the industry for years to come.

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THROUGH THE AGES

vice city

“You have proved yourself, man’g. You got big cojones” The very first thing you do as you take control of Tommy Vercetti in Vice City is hop into a nearby car. As the door slams shut, the radio clicks on with the disco beat of Michael Jackson’s ‘Billie Jean’. A trivial moment perhaps, but an unforgettable one that is clear in its intention - to deliver a message, one that’s positively screamed into your ear by the most subtle of touches. The message was, of course, “Welcome to the 1980s”. Miami in the 1980s to be precise, under the pseudonym of ‘Vice City’. Vice was the anti-Liberty. Where GTA3’s city was gritty and downbeat, Vice was a neon-hued, glamour extravaganza that celebrated the crime thrillers of the 80s; Miami Vice and Scarface the obvious points of reference (indeed, the house that Vercetti eventually wins is a carbon-copy of Tony Montana’s esteemed mansion).

While the game engine remained almost identical, Vice City was a glorious change of scene. The rolling sandy beaches and brightly coloured boulevards were a joy to explore, and the story of the new-guy-in-town, Vercetti, building his own criminal empire from scratch was a terrific interactive recreation of the movies that Vice City was tribute to. The target of Vice was ‘bigger, brighter and better’. There were more weapons, more gangs, more vehicles (now including motorcycles and helicopters) and more side-jobs. This sequel was a remarkable expansion on an already huge game, and one that captured the vibe of 80s culture magnificently. And if you thought Vice City was as big as it could get... well, in the words of Judas Priest, you’ve got another thing coming.

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THROUGH THE AGES

san andreas

“Good afternoon, Balla dope pushers!” Not content with creating two unforgettable cities, Rockstar North were faced with the question of where to go next. Their answer was to supply not just a city, but a whole state. The phenomenon of San Andreas was born. Complete with three re-imaginings of the biggest cities on America’s west coast - Los Angeles, San Francisco and Las Vegas - each as expansive and dynamic as Liberty and Vice, San Andreas’ theme revolved around the far grittier gang warfare of 90s South LA. You play as Carl ‘CJ’ Johnson, a young African American who returns to his hometown to find it in disarray. The game’s early stages see CJ running with his old gang, the Grove Street Families, before branching out into the surrounding cities. Again, the core game engine remained similar to the previous 3D games, save for some refining tweaks to the control. However, that’s not to say San Andreas didn’t offer its own innovations. Even aside from the enormous scale of the game, RPG elements were added. CJ’s appearance could be customised through clothes stores, tattoo parlours and barbershops, and skills were developed by practicing at certain disciplines, such as shooting and driving; CJ even had to visit a gym to stop himself from becoming overweight. Some felt such elements were unnecessary fluff, but it added a further connection to your character, placing you right into CJ’s shoes.

San Andreas was an incredible technical achievement, creating a gameworld of unprecedented size. While the PS2 struggled with the sheer scale at times, the trade-off was worth it. Now, with the power of the 360 and PS3, it seems the hardware had caught up with Rockstar North’s vast ambition and talent. GTA IV had a lot to live up to.

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THROUGH THE AGES

gta on the go

“Just think of this as socialism in action” Many thought it couldn’t be done, but Rockstar can never be accused of shying away from a challenge. 2005 saw the PSP release of Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories, and the result was astonishing.

Liberty City of GTA III fame was recreated perfectly and featured all the hallmarks of the GTA experience, complete with an almost seamless streaming world. On a system notorious for lengthy load times, this was certainly something to shout about.

the game still retained most of the GTA magic - and in a form that could be carried in your pocket!

The feat was remarkably recreated with the even larger Vice City the following year. Both games featured a prequel storyline that fitted in with the vast GTA canon that has built itself around GTA III’s universe, making the handheld games nigh-on essential for the GTA aficionado.

The PSP’s lack of two analogue inputs and only one set of shoulder buttons did hamper the controls markedly (shooting and driving at the same time becoming a crampinducing exercise of dexterity) but

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THROUGH THE AGES

hot controversy

“Tommy, the police are here for you” It was Irish writer Brendan F Behan who first uttered the mantra “There’s no such thing as bad publicity, except your own obituary” and despite Take-Two’s widely reported financial issues, Grand Theft Auto is far from dead. It would take a fool to think that the constant barracking that the GTA series receives in the media does its sales any harm whatsoever: public awareness raised every time the Grand Theft Auto name is decried by an ignorant politician on prime time news. Ever since the first Grand Theft Auto, politicians and publications have been calling for the ban of the series, which is only a stoking of the fires that piques interest beyond any reasonable level. Everyone’s favourite lawyer Jack Thompson has tried to make a career out of bringing Rockstar down with a multitude of class-action lawsuits. Even US presidential candidate Hillary Clinton has waded in on the argument, calling for a probe into San Andreas at the time of the borderline ridiculous ‘Hot Coffee’ incident. Very few of the game’s detractors seemed too bothered about the fact that the crude, and actually rather tame, sex minigame was only found in abandoned code by intrepid modders. The incident even resulted in bans in some countries, and an increased AO ESRB rating in the US lead to some retailers pulling the game completely.

As sensible and intelligent gamers, we do tend to take the high-ground in these incidents, chortling heartily at the general ignorance people in the public eye show towards our hobby. Unfortunately, the reality isn’t always funny. GTA has been accused of spurring some onto murder and real-life crime, should the perpetrator happen to have a copy of the game lying around their room. While it would be naive to discount the possibility of any entertainment medium influencing the already unstable, to pin so much blame on a piece of software is extremely dangerous. GTA is the favourite scapegoat when people are having a tough time attributing blame, and it’s a real blight on a burgeoning industry (and a series) that is full of artistic promise.

THROUGH THE AGES

the gta legacy

“What do you know about counterfeiting?” Take a look at your games collection. Now count how many you believe to have taken some form of inspiration from GTA. It’s probably a lot more than you think. While it’s misleading to attribute the whole phenomenon of ‘free-roam’ gameplay to the series, it undoubtedly perfected and popularised it. The list of GTA ‘clones’ runs as long as your arm - The Getaway, The Godfather: The Game, DRIV3R, True Crime, Scarface: The World Is Yours, Just Cause, Mafia, Crackdown and on and on. Even The Simpsons and comic book heroes such as Superman, Spiderman and The Hulk have all been dropped into GTA-style cities for their adventures.

the game added its own innovations on top of using of the established GTA framework, making for a satisfactory stopgap for the new generation.

Easily the most derivative is Saints Row, ripping off GTA almost wholesale and revelling in it. Thankfully

Grand Theft Auto IV is out now on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. Check out our review on page 36.

However, not one of these clones has come close to matching the GTA magic, which is built upon wonderful humour (which is not afraid of taking sly digs at its derivatives), a great script featuring iconic characters, and a gameworld that is engaging and enjoyable to be in. Rockstar North is the master and none have yet come close to even replicating their success, let alone bettering it. And after playing through their latest masterpiece, we don’t expect that to change anytime soon.

Cloning Crazy Title The Simpsons: Hit & Run True Crime: Streets of LA The Getaway The Godfather: The Game Saints Row Crackdown Scarface : TWIY

Sales* 4.87m 4.04m 3.37m 2.43m 1.71m 1.43m 1.40m

*Sales figures courtesy of VGChartz.com

MAKING TRACKS Launching alongside Sony’s revered PlayStation 3 back in March 2007, MotorStorm went on to sell over three million units worldwide. A year later, Evolution Studios are back and ready to unveil their highly-anticipated sequel. We sat down with Nigel Kershaw, Game Director of MotorStorm 2, to find out exactly what to expect when the game rushes onto store shelves later this year. D+PAD: The original MotorStorm took place entirely in Monument Valley, a real world location but with fictitious tracks created specifically for the game. You’re taking MotorStorm onto a tropical island for the sequel, but is it based around a particular real world location? Nigel Kershaw: Not directly, but we did send a group of (lucky) people off to Hawaii to gather all sorts of video and photographic reference, just as we did with Monument Valley. So our process has been exactly the same. DP: What sort of locales can we expect to see within the island environment and how many tracks are Evolution aiming to have in the final release? NK: We are building 16 tracks, which is twice as many as the initial release of MotorStorm. Each track has its own distinct look and feel, so it’s going to take a while for somebody to really get to know all of them. DP: We were impressed by MotorStorm’s vehicle physics and their reaction to the various types of terrain. Can we expect any new type of road surfaces in the sequel? NK: Absolutely. The island environment means that we have so much more freedom in our track creation than we did previously. And the different vehicle types have different strengths and weaknesses over the various surfaces, which all adds to the challenge and enjoyment of the game as a whole.

DP: Track deformation was a major factor of MotorStorm, but unlike SEGA Rally it didn’t affect the physics or handling. Has this been addressed in the sequel? NK: The environments are much more interactive in the new game. This is especially true of the new track elements – the water, vegetation, lava and so on. And again, their effects differ from one vehicle class to the next. Seven different types of vehicle featured in the original game. We’ve already seen Monster Trucks, but are any more vehicle types being introduced? What new gameplay features do the new vehicle types bring? NK: We’ve kept all 7 from the previous game, but we’ve spent a considerable amount of time rebalancing them. So even if you didn’t like a particular class from the first game, it’s definitely worth giving it a look because it might just surprise you. As you say, we’ve also added the monster truck class, and we’ve made it a real star too. I’m not saying it’s going to win you races straight away, but it can really shift once you get the hang of it. We’ve also expanded on what the player can do when it comes to scrapping with your rivals, which can help tip the balance in your favour at just the right time. DP: Drivers and riders in the original game showed an element of personality with their animations and unique gestures. Has this been expanded on for MotorStorm 2?

THE ISLAND

Set on a remote island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, MotorStorm 2 promises an element of unpredictability as you race through thick swamps, dense jungle and even an active volcano. NK: Yep. The riders’ animations were a great way to get across the attitude of MotorStorm, and this has definitely been retained. In fact, we’ve expanded on pretty much everything in one way or another. The game’s really a big leap forward. DP: MotorStorm featured a very straightforward progression structure with no other single player distractions on the original disc. Will this structure be expanded on and will the sequel feature new modes for solo players?

NK: The single player structure is different, but still recognisable from the first game. And there is more to keep an individual player entertained this time. MotorStorm was a really tight, focussed game. For this game we’ve been a little bit more expansive, without losing that core. DP: The CGI trailer shows a falling tower crushing drivers racing beneath it. Can we look forward to destructible environments in MotorStorm 2? NK: The environments certainly contain destructible elements, yes. This was

something that we actually had in MotorStorm, but we’ve been able to improve our technologies and so can now make more out of the feature.

GLOBE TREKKING

DP: Were there any other features unveiled in the trailer that gamers might have missed? NK: Take another look and see what the different bike/ATV riders do!

FORMAT: PlayStation 3 RELEASE: Q3 2008 PLAYERS: 16 online, 4 split-screen LOCATION: Unspecified island, Pacific Ocean TRACKS: 16 multi-route courses HAZARDS: Thick mud, tangled undergrowth, flowing rivers, volcanic clouds, lava pools VEHICLES: ATVs, Rally Cars, Buggies, Motorbikes, Racing Trucks, Mudpluggers, Big Rigs, Monster Trucks

DP: Have there been any other major improvements made to the engine over the course of developing the sequel?

MotorStorm 2 at a glance

19 NK: The engine is completely new. For MotorStorm we were working on a brand new console with brand new tools and libraries. They have all now matured a bit, and of course we now have more experience and knowledge of how to get the console to work to its enormous potential. So rather than try to improve upon the previous tech base, we built a new one using what we’d learnt during the previous game’s development. As with every console, later games use the hardware better and we’re already on our second PS3 game, which is not something that many developers can say. DP: The first game sported impressive visuals, especially considering its launch title status. How have you managed to improve the visuals for MotorStorm 2? NK: As I mentioned, we’ve taken a whole new approach. The first game still looks great, but this already looks better. And of course moving from a desert to a tropical environment means there is much more filling the screen. It’s hard to get a really lush looking jungle, but we’ve definitely succeeded. And then some. DP: The original MotorStorm allowed players to control vehicles with the motion controls of the SIXAXIS. Will we be seeing any additional use of the SIXAXIS in the sequel? NK: The player still has the option of using the SIXAXIS to steer their vehicle. We felt that there were enough gamers who really valued this feature for us to put it in again. We’ve also spent a good amount of time working with the new DualShock3. It’s nice to have rumble again, as it can really help get across the state of your vehicle.

DP: MotorStorm was great fun online but it lacked a community spirit with no party system, inadequate voice communications and no local multiplayer. Given that the PS3 is making a big push in this direction this year, what are you doing with MotorStorm 2 to offer an engaging multiplayer experience? NK: As with a lot of the other technology for the PS3, the tools and libraries are better now than when we were creating the online code for MotorStorm. So we now have a more robust online code-base, and this has allowed us to increase both the quality and quantity of features available to the players. It’s definitely going to be much better and more fulfilling this time round.

that a game of ours would benefit from using the hard drive in that way, then we’d certainly give it a lot of thought. It’s all about what’s best for the individual title.

what gave Sony the confidence to ask us to make MotorStorm. As for whether we’ll make another WRC game, our policy is that we loved it so much we’d never rule it out.

DP: Evolution Studios spent a great deal of time working on the World Rally Championship series on PlayStation 2, but we’ve heard nothing about the future of the franchise. Does the team have any plans to return to WRC or is MotorStorm the future? NK: We had a great time making all 5 WRC titles (6 if you include the French “Seb Loeb Rally”), and they are really

DP: Thanks for taking the time to talk with us! NK: No worries, nice to talk to you too.

DP: Will MotorStorm 2 take advantage of Home integration and Accomplishments? NK: Home is a really exciting area for all PlayStation 3 developers; it’s going to have a huge impact upon the gaming public when it comes out. I think it’s going to really start binding the PS3 online community together. I’m really looking forward to watching it progress, and MotorStorm will be a strong presence from the off. DP: What are your views on many current PlayStation 3 games requiring large installations onto players’ hard drives? Do you see yourselves following suit with MotorStorm 2 in a bid to make the game run more effectively? NK: Installing a game to the hard drive does give certain advantages, but it’s not a magic bullet. Of course, it’s not suitable for every game, but some will really benefit from it. So if we thought

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THIS MONTH’S BIG RELEASES

LET ME REPHRASE THAT...

09/05/08 Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney (DS) Boom Blox (Wii) Dragon Quest Swords: TMQATTOM (Wii)

"You can't get rid of Cole Train...at least not until halfway through!" – Gears of War 2 script-writer, Joshua Ortega, hints at a bleak outlook for GOW’s supporting cast.

20/05/08 Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures (PC) 23/05/08 Emergency Heroes (Wii) Haze (PS3) Rock Band (360) Top Spin 3 (360, PS3, Wii, DS) 30/05/08 Enemy Territory: Quake Wars (360, PS3) Supreme Commander (360) TBC echochrome (PS3, PSP) Ferrari Challenge (Multi) WipEout HD (PS3)

"One of the problems with the 360 is the fact that they don't have a significantly larger storage medium than the previous systems. The 360 is going to have to get 'round this issue." – Rockstar’s Sam Houser warns that GTA may cause Microsoft some problems in the future.

SOULCALIBUR IV

THE AGENCY

“We can’t say Darkness and video game sequel in the same sentence. So, Darkness. Wink. Sequel.” – Top Cow discreetly reveals that a sequel to 2007 shooter The Darkness is in the works.

360, PS3

PS3, PC

FABLE 2

360

"I got in contact with Paul Sams of Blizzard, and he said, 'We will not sell the movie rights, not to you... especially not to you.'" – Shamed movie director Uwe Boll is ‘politely’ refused the rights to the World of Warcraft flick. “Your son, this very moment, is doing everything he possibly can to sell as many copies of GTA IV to teen boys in the United States, a country in which your son claims you raised him to be “a Boy Scout.” More like the Hitler Youth, I would say. Happy Mother’s day, Mrs. Zelnick, which this year is May 11, two weeks after your son unleashes porn and violence upon other mothers’ boys. I’m sure you’re very proud.” – Jack Thompson sends a heart-warming letter to T2 chairman Strauss Zelnick’s mother.

’S MOST WANTED

HAZE

METAL GEAR SOLID 4

ROCK BAND

PROTOTYPE

360, PS3, PC

RACE DRIVER: GRID

C&C: RED ALERT 3

THE SIMS 3

360, PS3, DS, PC

360, PS3, PC

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SOULCALIBUR IV Grab your nunchaku and sharpen your Kulutues! Come summer, one of the most consistently high-performing videogame fighters will be making its mark on PS3 and 360. As ever, it goes without say that the leap into a new generation will bless gamers with lustrous, detailed characters and arenas that match; although it’s worth noting this criterion is also met by some of the worst games we’ve endured on our latest consoles. Soulcalibur IV, however, brings forth promise of genuine gameplay advancement.

FORMAT 360, PS3 PUBLISHER Ubisoft DEVELOPER Namco Bandai RELEASE July PREVIEWED BY Emily Knox

In line with the series’ constant progression, Project Soul’s sixth title promises to introduce an intriguing new feature to the renowned franchise - non-stop matches, or ‘Active Matching Battle’ as Namco prefer to call it. Similar in vein to Dead Or Alive 4’s ‘Survival’ mode, Active Matching Battle throws opponents at the player one after the other until your inevitable defeat. Not that exciting you might think, but an obvious opening for keen gamers to hone their skills and build that prestigious high score. And hone you must, for Soulcalibur IV marks the first occasion the series has jumped online via Xbox LIVE and PSN. With multiple online versus modes promised, we’re hopeful that the online mode doesn’t disappoint.

Perhaps most exciting is SCIV’s new ‘Critical Finish’ system. A secondary meter, known as the ‘Soul Gauge’, runs alongside the player’s standard health meter, filling when attacking and decreasing when guarding. Emptying your opponent’s gauge allows the player to deliver a devastating strike, visibly shattering armour and tearing clothes, and leaving the player more vulnerable to future attacks. Emptying the gauge again allows the character to pull off their unique Critical Finisher, instantly knocking out the opponent in a magnificent show of balletic swordplay. Namco states that the Soul Gauge system should give SCIV a much faster and more offensive tempo, discouraging players from sitting back and persistently guarding.

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22 The cast for the game also looks as strong as ever. With twenty-five characters confirmed and a further five favourites rumoured to be included, fans of the series will be delighted to see a large host of returning characters, with the transition onto the latest platforms leaving them looking no less than stunning. Of course, there are also the mandatory new characters; including a minor invasion from the Star Wars universe. Yoda and Darth Vader both make an appearance, exclusive to the 360 and PS3 versions respectively. But solo-console owners frantic to play as the other character needn’t despair; Namco has hinted that both characters may be available to download post-release – although we’re willing to bet they’ll come at quite a cost.

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In spite of the exciting changes, combat still looks to be the tactical, fluid recipe that the series is celebrated for. And with gloriously sun-drenched arenas where light glints from bulky armour, attire flows realistically behind its wearer, and hair flutters around those gloriously detailed faces, Soulcalibur IV certainly looks capable of paving new ideas and graphical ingenuity for the genre to learn from. With the series framework widely regarded as the benchmark of the genre, we’re anticipating another title from the Project Soul team that strives to provide much more than the bare basics of ‘just another beat ‘em up’. And with that July 31st ship date looming ever closer, there’s not that long left to go until we find out.

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THE AGENCY FORMAT PlayStation 3, PC PUBLISHER SOE DEVELOPER SOE Seattle RELEASE TBA PREVIEWED BY Graham Naunton

The Agency makes it official. Sony and their third instalment of PlayStation are the biggest mischief makers in video gaming at the present time. You might think that statement is a bit odd, but let us explain. There’s an awful lot to admire about this generation. In one corner, we have Nintendo; seemingly ignorant to the deafening alarm bells ringing in the distance by bringing motion controlled gaming to a casual audience. There has already been plenty of commentary on whether or not the success of the Wii is a good thing or a bad thing, but it’s clear by now that the console is a revelation whose shockwaves will ripple through the industry for years to come. And then there’s Microsoft with the their vastly improved Xbox – the epitome of the Friday post-work commuter, bustling their way through the crowds and employing a mix of tenacity and sheer strength to get under your television. But then we come to Sony’s latest effort. Remarkably bullish over the power of the Cell chip, distaste began to grow after sampling some early games. Then came the furore over Blu-Ray technology – Sony digging trenches and drawing battle lines in the sand for a format war that few people knew was happening. With the price of said technology leaving wallets feeling rather light, that Killzone trailer debacle and the frankly shoddy ports of several multi-format titles, things looked bleak. Part of us wondered if Sony were just feeling overly-confident, much like Nintendo, by moulding the PS3 into a multimedia hub of every home for the foreseeable future. Some gambles pay off, and some, inevitably, don’t.

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In 2008 however, it certainly appears that good times are on the way. The Agency appears to completely typify Sony – it’s something previously untested, yet familiar at the same time. Sony Online Entertainment is taking the unprecedented step of bringing the MMO to console, but making its aesthetics and game mechanics recognisable enough to attract the sceptics. It’s attempting something different from the crowd, yet isn’t so radical as to alienate anybody. It doesn’t require you to play in grinding 18-hour sessions to stand a chance of survival. It’s not all about intimidating stats, magic spells and fantasy lands akin to most MMOs on the PC. Instead, smooth super-spies, globetrotting across familiar locales and using hi-tech guns and gadgets are the order of the day. As Matt Wilson, executive producer of Sony Online Entertainment Seattle, simply puts it, “If we were going to target the mainstream audience we needed something that people could pick up immediately…we’re just trying to take the stuff we know that works, the gameplay that we know to be fun, blend them together and provide enough persistent perks on top of it to keep you coming back for a couple of years.” And there are plenty of said perks, such as upgrades to your weapons and vehicles, the ability to swap character class at will, and extra missions to unlock. The world of The Agency is split into two factions where the player must choose a side. ‘UNITE’ are the more traditional spies – sharp-suited, well-

groomed, and with access to cutting edge technology. In contrast, ‘ParaGON’ are rough, explosive mercenaries suited to more ‘hands-on’ players who wouldn’t think twice to reach for the dynamite ahead of the gun silencer. Most of the game will involve making sure your side stays one watch laser ahead of the other, either by acquiring superior guns and gadgets, or by sabotaging the opposition looking to do the same devious deeds to you. The acquisition of said resources is a rather neat twist on an existing template – rather than learning new magic spells or fashioning a new axe out of a plank of wood in more traditional MMOs, The Agency rewards you with Operatives. Referred to by SOE as ‘living loot’, these contacts are awarded to you upon completion of objectives, whereby they are utilised in keeping you up to date with happenings inside The Agency universe. For example, a huge arms deal may be taking place and if you have the Operative to inform you of its whereabouts, you can crash the party and nab the goods for yourself. Other Operatives may offer you chance to upgrade your weapons, but what excites us the most is the idea of corresponding with your Operatives outside of the game world – playing the game whilst not physically being anywhere near your console. One example Matt Wilson uses is an Operative texting your mobile telephone to keep you abreast of developments, and to offer you missions there and then. The Agency may well turn into a case of

wheeling and dealing with Operatives whilst out drinking with mates in your local. SOE are treading a very fine line. The Agency must be clear in what it’s about – is it really an MMO, or is it straying away from preconceptions far enough for it to be simply another shooter with innovative unlockables? At the moment it’s hard to tell - the basic premise sounds comfortably familiar, but just that little bit different to attract MMO non-believers. But this appears to be Sony’s game plan in 2008 – giving us that we know to be good, but creating a winning formula to stand out as something different from the competition. We’ll be memorising our favourite Bond one-liners and developing a taste for vodka martini in time for The Agency’s release later this year.

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FABLE 2

It’s fair to say that it pays to be cynical around Mr. Molyneux. The esteemed creator of Fable and Black & White is the proverbial gaming belle of the ball; uttering sweet promises, sweeping hundreds of their feet and ultimately leaving thousands of broken hearts in his wake. With the original Fable on Xbox, he delivered a great product unfairly handicapped by the broken promises that lay around every corner of Albion. It seems Molyneux and Lionhead Studios have learnt their lesson; instead of promising the Earth and showing little evidence of such ostentatious pledges, the features promised have also been shown running in real time. That doesn’t mean the promises have been any less ambitious though.

FORMAT Xbox 360 PUBLISHER Microsoft Game Studios DEVELOPER Lionhead Studios RELEASE TBA 2008 PREVIEWED BY Greg Latham

Five hundred years have passed since our original hero traversed the land of Albion, and since then things have changed dramatically. Gone is the quant fairytale tone where the populace would speak in disturbingly inaccurate farming accents. Instead, Albion has moved into a period of enlightenment where settlements have become more grandiose and weapons more sophisticated. Guns are now present in Fable 2, although they’re primitive enough for there still to be enough incentive to use the bow and arrow.

The combat system has also had a complete overhaul. In Fable 2 each combat technique (of which there are three: melee, ranged and magic) is mapped to one button, with the on-screen action determined by the way in which the player presses that button. For example, if the button is tapped fast, a succession of fast and weak attacks will be carried out, and if the button is simply held then the user will start to block incoming attacks. Lastly, if the button is held for a limited amount of time and released, a charged attack will be unleashed. The system also takes into account your immediate surroundings allowing the player to string together a powerful succession of attacks that combines physical and magical attacks with a candlestick, a plate of food or perhaps a glass of ale. The possibility for a series of dramatic combos is an exciting prospect, especially if the environments prove to be interactive, but if the system lacks any kind of depth the immediate novelty factor could wear off far too quickly.

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Lionhead has also gone to some lengths to add an extra dramatic dimension into the sequel, expanding on features originally intended for the original. Many of these features simply allow for a more realistic representation of everyday life. For example, plant a seed and you’ll see it gradually grow into a colossal oak tree. Or, if you’re feeling particularly spiteful, slaughter a child’s parents and that child will slowly make his way to the local orphanage – after grieving of course. This notion of cause and effect plays a large part in Fable 2 in both your character’s life and his/her surroundings. Another feature looking to add an additional layer of emotional depth is the inclusion of a pet dog that accompanies you along your journey. The dog has its practical uses, such as warning you of nearby enemies and attacking adversaries during battle, but first and foremost the dog is there to probe any visible heartstrings. Whether Lionhead can pull this off is entirely dependent on a long list of factors, but the inclusion of such a leftfield feature is a sure-fire sign that the notion of choice, consequence and emotion is something that Fable 2 is looking to explore much more meticulously than any game that has been before it.

Offline co-operative gameplay is also a new feature that should play an important part in Fable 2. While RPGs and co-op modes have always been an oil and water affair, Lionhead looked to have found the right balance within Fable 2. Exploring Albion, players can choose to invite a friend into the world they’ve created and uniquely twisted through their actions. The host and the joining player must then decide how they wish their bounty to be divided; whether gold collected is evenly shared, or whether the visiting player deserves a plentiful sum of money for their effort. Any actions that the visiting player makes inside the hosts world are permanent, meaning that the resulting player has the potential to systematically destroy the host’s life, from his family to his gathered real-estate. The potential for emotional strife is terrifyingly plausible. The lack of pre-release controversy concerning Fable 2 and its creator should hint at a game bereft of any ambition. But Fable 2 seems to be a special case, for what has been shown many months before the pencilled release date is already cause for excitement. The visuals, technical achievements and inspired new features only add to what should be a standout game amongst the crowded holiday release schedule.

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PROTOTYPE The hooded gentleman you see in our screenshots is Alex Mercer, the titular protagonist in the new title from Radical Entertainment, creators of Scarface: The World Is Yours and The Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction. Mercer is an apparent prototype of sorts, but his game doesn’t have that never-before-seen shock factor like conventional ‘concept’ productions - it’s more a hasty mix of Assassin’s Creed, Crackdown and Radical’s previous Hulk title with a dash of seminal 80s horror film The Thing thrown in for good measure. Remove everything unsavoury – Creed’s quite frankly awful mission structure, Crackdown’s wafer-thin plot and Kurt Russell’s grizzly beard, and we’re left with a truly mouthwatering prospect. Alex Mercer is the living embodiment of power. Whether it be leaping huge distances into the air, running up walls, skipping parkour-esque from rooftop to rooftop or throwing cars at pedestrians, it’s clear that Alex is no ordinary man. And that’s before he

FORMAT 360, PS3, PC PUBLISHER Sierra DEVELOPER Radical Entertainment RELEASE Q2 PREVIEWED BY Graham Naunton

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begins to shape shift – morphing his arm into an enormous blade, or his fists into massive clubs, or sending waves of spikes shooting up through the city streets. Prototype is a quest to discover the truth behind his extraordinary abilities after suffering from amnesia (yes, that old chestnut), and then wreaking very messy revenge. Alex’s remarkable talents will be pushed to the very limits as a deadly virus spreads throughout New York City, transforming its citizens into rabid monsters who bear an uncanny resemblance to our anti-hero. And then there’s the special forces unit ‘Project Blackwatch’ to deal with, whose mission is to contain the infection, repel the monster hordes and terminate you. In true videogame convention, the fact that you’re the anomaly amidst the carnage will be your strength and weakness. It’s down to the player to tidy away everyone’s mess, as well as create a fair bit of your own on your way to unlocking your mysterious past and, coincidently, saving the day at the same time.

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Some of the skirmishes we’ve seen have been frenetic to say the least – dozens of Blackwatch soldiers sporting tanks and assault helicopters in their attempts to bring you down. With huge scaly mutants adding to the mix, expect frantic, fast-paced mayhem. And we do mean mayhem – explosions abound with dozens of enemies on screen at once and you in the middle of it all, running up a building in an attempt to hijack a nearby chopper. It laughs in the face of any 5 star wanted level we’ve ever seen, that much is clear. As the virus spreads and the battles escalate, the city becomes split into colourcoded zones – the more neutral palettes indicating a calm, infection-free area, the more flame-tinged districts currently locked in conflict between the mutated and the Blackwatch forces. Red zones are seemingly lost to the virus altogether. Pitting your combat skills against armies of mutants and army troopers might sound rather intimidating, but there’s one more ability in Alex’s armoury that almost spins it all onto its ambitious head - the further extension of his shape shifting powers, the power to literally consume humans to steal their identities, emotions and memories. In an open world environment with an open mission structure akin to Assassin’s Creed and Hitman, being able to morph into somebody else has huge potential. The possibilities are numerous – morph into a Blackwatch general and lead an army into battle against the mutant hordes if they’re getting you down. Having trouble getting past a security guard on a mission? Kill him silently and become him, and learn his thoughts and

memories in the process. Maybe he knew all of the security codes for all of the doors in the level. This method of learning information is what Radical call the Web of Intrigue. It also allows for missions to be tackled in a free, unrestricted way – either by using your more offensive capabilities to tackle enemies head on, or by becoming one of them, slipping in and out unnoticed. There is always the mild concern that Prototype might be simply typecast as yet another open world, urban GTA clone, and disregarded as such. With the next-gen debut of Rockstar’s opus, there are fears that every game of even a similar ilk will simply not get a look in for the foreseeable future. Surely though, the rather special talents of Prototype should be enough to make most gamers take a closer look. It really is a special amalgamation of the open world superhuman playground that is Crackdown, mixed with the nimble-footed graphical splendour of Assassin’s Creed. It’s an ambitious title, but every facet we’ve seen of the game so far screams promise, and reeks of imagination. Our only quibble would be the omission of any multiplayer mode – removed as to not detract from the quality of the single player mode, according to Radical. With this in mind, we hope the game is as enjoyable to play as it is to look at as it takes shape before its release later this year.

FORMAT 360, PS3, PC, DS PUBLISHER Codemasters DEVELOPER Codemasters RELEASE May PREVIEWED BY Stefan Goerke-Hewitt

RACE DRIVER: GRID There's something of a revolution taking place in middle England. Tucked away in a plush bespoke Warwickshire building, Codemasters has been busy re-branding the company and aggressively retooling its technology at the cost of millions of pounds. The result is a focused development team ready to evolve the prestigious TOCA Race Driver series to appeal to more than just the European demographic. Race Driver: GRID is the first step in Codiesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; reinvigorated world-wide ambition.

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In recognition of the need to expand its demographic, Codemasters has made a number of cuts to the renowned series. Historically TOCA games have always featured licensed championships from all over the world, including the British Touring Car Championships, Germany's DTM and Australia's V8 Supercar series, but with the necessity of finding new markets in mind, the developer has opted not to renew these licenses this time around. The radical shift in direction sees the list of cars and tracks culled, but in context, what has replaced them seems just as appealing.

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30 GRID is focused around three specific regions North America, Europe and Asia (specifically Japan) - each requiring a cultured style of racing finesse to progress through your career. European races continue to be the most traditional using purpose built circuits such as Donington Park, Nurburgring and the Holy Grail, Spa-Francorchamps, as well as the gargantuan Circuit de La Sarthe (Le Mans) and inner-city races. Furthermore, the cars on offer are more accustomed to circuit racing, ranging from touring cars like the BMW 320si, Le Man prepared Aston Martin DBR9's and the lightning quick open-wheel Formula 3 series. European races should provide the most sensory experiences where quick reactions, precision racing and finger light controls will reward the best drivers. In contrast events across the pond are a little less tactile but just as competitive. Racing brutish race-prepared Dodge Viper SRT's, Ford Mustang GT-R's or the famous Chevrolet Corvette C5-R will be formidable when navigating the beautifully recreated city streets of sun-soaked Long Beach, motor city's Detroit, presidential Washington D.C. and the angular hillside concrete elevations of San Francisco at breakneck speeds. On point to expand GRID's demographic, Japan delivers two new events that diversify the series. Drift Trials resemble the D1 Championships, utilising heavily modified Japanese sports cars to score a driverâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ability to drift around a meandering course. Persistently arcing at speed around the course will award the most points as well as choking you in the dense plumes of smoke. Touge, literally meaning "pass", is a race between two drivers on narrow mountain roads, but at the time of writing little is known on how this type of racing is being implemented. The most fascinating aspect of GRID is how the player develops through career mode. As racing fans will know, it can become tiresome ploughing through an uninspiring cash

converter reward system of winning races, accumulating money and buying new cars. GRID provides a career structure that evolves around you as a driver and not the deft craft work of the 3D models. First you're required to get a drive at one of the teams in the playerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s chosen region. The initial stages of your career take place exclusively in your region but, as you perform well, you will attract the attention of sponsors to display on your car - for a price. Over time you will accumulate cars diverse enough to compete in championships located in other regions. Interestingly, with a stockpile of money and cars at your disposal, you will still be able to create your own racing team complete with a personalised livery - a perfect excuse to hire a team-mate from a selection of over 600 AI drivers. Although this modern iteration has been resized for a modern audience, the aim to encapsulate the very essence of specialised competitive racing still remains. By design, Codemasters has limited the number of cars to 45 (all of which come race prepared, no modifications allowed) and reduced the amount of tracks, but have incorporated a meaningful career mode and astute AI promising an exciting racing experience. Scheduled to launch at the end of the month, look out for our review of the final game next issue.

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COMMAND & CONQUER

FORMAT 360, PS3, PC PUBLISHER EA DEVELOPER EA Los Angeles RELEASE Q4 2008 PREVIEWED BY Ian Freeman

RED ALERT 3 The Red Alert series evokes nostalgic memories like few others. Whether they are formed from the almost perfect balance achieved between factions, the revelatory speed previously unheard of in RTSs, or simply from the extravagant and over the top acting differs from player to player, but brand recognition is an ideal situation to be in - as long as old fans are kept happy. Fortunately EA seem to have recognised the need for fans to remain just that, bringing in a new faction, units and play style while keeping the inimitable vibe and distinct feel that produced so many devotees.

Having been repelled back to Moscow by the Allies during the events of Red Alert 2, a select group of Soviet forces plot to travel through time to undo their opponentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s victory. Their mission? The assassination of Albert Einstein. Upon returning it seems they have triumphed; the Allies have retreated. Unfortunately for them their time travel has inadvertently created an alternate timeline, and with it a deadly new faction - the Empire of the Rising Sun.

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Chris Corry, executive producer on the project, stated that each faction will “feel very different from a capability standpoint”, managing to quash fears among fans that the new Japanese faction would simply be a blend of the other two; “Japan has the most dramatically different building mechanic with an emphasis on higher technology weapons.” Oriental influences flow throughout the Japanese faction as ninjas, samurai warriors and military history all feature. Interestingly, due to being a predominantly technological cult, the ninjas have futuristic weaponry and fight alongside beings such as robots decorated in symbolic red and white colours. In traditional Red Alert style the new faction has dedicated missions designed specifically to cater for its strategic nuances. This, along with a promised eight to ten missions for both the Allies and Soviets, should provide a substantial single player offering. Co-op has become a significant part of Red Alert 3, with the ability to play through the entire game with an online friend now available. To make this possible an AI co-commander has been granted to those playing solo. The AI commanders (of which each faction has three to choose from) each hold different personalities and prefer dissimilar weapons, making a different strategy for each a must if you wish to succeed. Many RTS developers shy away from fully integrating naval combat, in part due to it being relatively unwieldy at times. EA are attempting to dispel this problem by making the lines between land and sea less distinct, thus, in theory, making it much easier to board and exit sea-based vehicles.

This will be of utmost significance as amphibious vehicles feature prominently, so much so that even your mobile construction yard has the ability to travel over water. Although the amphibious vehicles have less firepower than units dedicated to either sea or land, they still provide valuable flexibility in abundance. Thankfully, EA also plan to make RA3 slightly slower and more considered than Command and Conquer 3, which could often descend into a battle to see who could generate units quickest and rush them to the enemy’s base. Red Alert 3 is set to feature fully modelled physics damage, represented in style with buildings crumbling and shells scorching the ground with their blast radiuses. These transformation effects aren’t the only additional visual feature of note, with the sea now rippling realistically and producing beautiful waves. Though these impressions may be aesthetically pleasing, it will have to be seen how powerful a computer is needed to process such graphically challenging instances, and of course, whether they make the leap to 360 and PS3 unaffected. Most units that feature will now only have single capabilities to ensure that certain, all-powerful, units aren’t used to defeat every other type of vehicle. Giving every unit a primary and secondary power not only simplifies matters greatly but, coupled with the now ubiquitous ability to build on grids, also shows that EA are not only trying to bring back diehard fans, but also lure new gamers in. Come Christmas (or earlier for lucky beta invitees), they should be able to make up their mind for themselves.

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THE SIMS 3 Life’s a strange one, really. It’s all about making friends, learning new things and starting a family. Yet between those landmark achievements, life often boils down to sleeping, working and eating. Not to depress you readers, but much of life’s ‘routine’ seems mundane. Why then, would anyone want to create a game to simulate it? Indeed, Will Wright’s concept of virtual dollhouses wasn’t initially met with a favourable reception by his superiors. Yet, 100 million sales later, The Sims has become the most valuable games franchise ever created. Millions of users, of all ages and genders, have been captivated by the task of guiding their little guys and gals along the course of life, through job promotions, child-rearing and retirement parties right through to the end, for better or for worse. With such a plethora of titles available on all

FORMAT PC PUBLISHER EA DEVELOPER Maxis RELEASE TBA 2009 PREVIEWED BY Richard Angus

sorts of platforms, the creators have sculpted a fanbase from all corners of the market. With that in mind, the Sims team would be forgiven for sitting on their laurels (and presumably, massive piles of cash). With the potential of the new sequel, their intent to continue innovating is clear. The most exciting change revolves around the whole of The Sims 3 playing out in real-time. Previously, Sims games were played from a lot-based system, and if you went into town, your home progress was frozen. If you went to the park, it was frozen again. As well as spoiling the continuity of the game, it took away much of the realism. For The Sims 3, the developers have promised that Sims will be able to go beyond the boundaries of their home lot and immerse themselves in an open, living neighborhood. Playing in real-time, you will likely see families arguing, children playing and the postman doing his rounds, all developing in real-time. But more than that, the possibilities of what can be done with a completely open world are truly exciting.

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Personalities and the way they were governed in previous Sims titles have often been criticised for being far too restricted, relying on a few sliders to decide whether a person is neat, shy or brash. This has also been addressed for the sequel, with the studio claiming gamers can create 700 million different combinations of Sims, giving a huge pool of individual character traits to achieve this. Starting out by picking five, your character develops around the selected key traits. The team has asserted that the differing traits dramatically affect what happens in-game, opening up a world of unique possibilities. You could create a shy, yet arrogant genius, or a paranoid, insensitive kleptomaniac. As always with The Sims, the choice is yours. But what about the routine facets of life? That’s depressing, right? Rest easy. In the morning, before work, just click on the box ‘[Your Sim] is hungry’ and he’ll sort himself out for the morning. Perhaps insignificant compared to the idea of a seamless world, yet a refreshing move away from the dull, repetitiveness of sending your Sim to the toilet.

The Sims has given birth to an unbelievable online community with users creating a plethora of new objects, contributing thousands of ideas, and even spending an unbelievable amount of time making hundreds of thousands of Sims home movies – just take a look on YouTube. Yet, despite this, creative director Rod Humble and his team have kept The Sims a single-player affair, arguing that the fans like control of their own neighborhoods. There will however, be a website dedicated to the exchange of everything and anything between those especially keen, continuing the success of similar sites established in the past. ‘Possibilities’ seems to have become the buzzword for The Sims, and with the studio working hard to create as much potential as possible, that also seems true for the sequel. Despite the scare of being under a publisher much maligned for poor excuses for clones of games and annual updates, the innovation Humble and his team look to provide is like a beacon of light in the shadows of unoriginality. And when a developer says that his open-ended gameplay “inspires endless creative possibilities”, you just can’t help but feel a little excited.

REVIEWS

THE RATINGS

CLASSIC MOMENT

GRAND THEFT AUTO IV

WII FIT

UEFA EURO 2008

MARIO KART WII

DARK SECTOR

CONDEMNED 2: BLOODSHOT

EVERYBODY’S GOLF: WORLD TOUR

An essential purchase. You need this game!

Wii

360, PS3, PS2, PSP, PC

Wii

360, PS3

PS3

A great game that provides plenty of entertainment Good fun but ultimately nothing special

NINJA GAIDEN: DRAGON SWORD

UNIVERSE AT WAR: EARTH ASSAULT

360

Fans only, worth a rental

57 58

Dismal, avoid

Winning your first GP - Super Mario Kart - 1992

’S MOST PLAYED

GRAND THEFT AUTO IV

METAL GEAR ONLINE

TIME CRISIS 4

PS3

THE WORLD ENDS WITH YOU

METAL GEAR SOLID PORTABLE OPS PLUS

PSP

MARIO KART Wii

360, PS3

EMERGENCY MAYHEM

Wii

REVIEWS

GTA IV

Perhaps here, things will be different

Three and a half years, 100 million dollars and a handful of “technical...challenges” later, Rockstar North’s latest gaming phenomenon is ready to hit the streets. But should you believe the hype?

FORMAT REVIEWED Xbox 360 OTHER FORMATS PlayStation 3 PUBLISHER Rockstar Games DEVELOPER Rockstar North REVIEWED BY David Scammell

SPOILER

FREE

As gamers ourselves, we understand the importance of discovering memorable moments for yourself. Rest assured that this review is devoid of any details that may spoil your Liberty City experience.

REVIEWS

Aloft its Scottish domain, Rockstar North hold the key to unmitigated supremacy over the gaming populace: a gaming superpower that has even the most casual gamer queuing in their droves for their latest piece of software, a domineering force that has film studios casting doubts over their opening weekend’s box office takings, and a studio that can provoke a response from world leaders who can’t help but comment on the latest controversial title. But more importantly, Rockstar North has proven time and time again that they have the ability to create unparalleled gaming experiences. So where do you start with the biggest game the world has ever seen? How about on a boat, introducing GTA IV’s Eastern-European protagonist Niko Bellic, a Slavic ex-army type with a mysterious past and a penchant for cold hard cash. For the first time in the series, the starring role has been handed to an affable crook over the typical hard to love, tough-nut gangster; the nigh-on genius script portraying our anti-hero as a man that would do anything for the right price, but equally a man emotive and responsive to his world and the characters around him. That world, of course, being an instantly recognisable depiction of New York City, a comprehensive rebuild of GTA III’s Liberty City. Liberty City teems with life. The crashing ocean waves gloriously sparkle in the gleaming sun, skyscrapers intimidatingly peer down over the streets below, while beautifully modelled vehicle and character models populate the bustling

city. The visuals would be impressive to even the smallest and most linear affair, but to achieve such graphical proficiency in the immense open-world environment is a magnificent achievement for Rockstar. And for those still unconvinced, one night flight through Liberty City’s neon-lit peninsula should be more than enough to convert even the biggest non-believers. Citizens of Liberty City, once detached targets that most gamers wouldn’t think twice about mowing down, now carry a weight of sentiment, not only thanks to the much improved visuals and lifelike reactions, but their interaction with the world. It’s very possible gamers could spend many an hour mingling amongst the townsfolk for a spot of shopping, cabaret or a magnificently rendered drinking session. Alternatively, they could make the evening news in a hail of bullets, plumping to put one in an unexpecting lap dancer’s head at the local sleaze-infested ‘Triangle Club’.

REVIEWS

But the real meat of GTA IV comes in Niko’s desire to rise to the top and seek out that ‘special someone’. The majority of Niko’s missions are typical of GTA – drive to X, kill Y, or follow Z, albeit with interesting twists and additional ‘seasoning’ – but the odd few show sparks of both sublime originality and revering homage to GTA’s inspiration. Undoubtedly everyone will have their own favourites, the Heat-inspired ‘Three Leaf Clover’ being a particular darling of ours for its intensity and cinematic quality. Also playing a central part to the Liberty City experience is the relationship between Niko and other larger than life characters he meets on his journey. Each with their own defined personality, the characters add a further sense of sentiment and attachment to the town, whether it be Niko’s “fake titty” loving cousin Roman, pot-smoking Rasta Little Jacob, testosterone-fuelled Brucie or the many others that roam the streets of LC. Further playing on gamers’ emotions, players have the ability to choose both their destiny and those of others, making life and death decisions for major characters on the fly and paving the way for the game’s branching mission structure. It’s a tale of greed, a tale of lust and a tale of revenge - simply put; GTA IV’s narrative is the finest example of story-telling ever seen in a video game. And despite its relative lengthiness, the humour and aptitude never wanes.

The ever popular side-activities and their seamless integration into the ongoing game world and mission structure are also unsurpassed. Visiting the internet cafe ‘TW@’ early on in the game soon became a popular pastime of ours, frequently popping in to check our in-game emails and download new ringtones for our mobile phone. Seemingly only an enormously detailed ‘add-on’, the ingenuity of a later mission that required us to create an online dating profile had us in awe; fully immersed in the parallel universe that had been created and the hilarious events that unfolded around us as we carried out our mission. The new taxi system (although an extremely simple addition) is a godsend, removing the tedium of driving across the city to reach waypoints and locations. And while there’s the option to skip straight to your destination, sitting in the backseat watching passers-by go about their day (all the while listening to the ever-amusing Lazlow over the airwaves) adds a further sense of being a part of Liberty City, rather than the untouchable big shot of games past. Those that struggled to finish previous titles in the series will be pleased to note that GTA IV is relatively easier, undoubtedly due to a refined control and cover system. At the touch of a button Niko has the ability to find cover, poking out to deal death at any given opportunity.

EVERYONE’S A (FLYING) RAT In true GTA style hidden packages are back – but with a twist! Liberty City is littered with pigeons, and Niko’s got the role of exterminator. Gone are the days of accidentally driving over big, glowing packages. In GTA IV you must actively seek your prey, before finishing them off in an explosion of feathers.

REVIEWS

39 “LESS A GAME AND MORE AN EXPERIENCE”

It’s simple and effective, and while it’s not quite as well implemented as games like Rainbow Six Vegas, it serves its purpose well without ever feeling overly clunky. The oft-cussed shooting mechanic has also been much improved, auto-locking on to the most relevant target and offering a free-aim system that could stand up with even the most-honed third person shooter. And then there’s the hefty task of delivering a substantial multiplayer component – which Rockstar would have you believe is straightforward. With support for 16 players, GTA IV’s online multiplayer is everything you could ask for from an online Liberty City. Much like the single player component there’s plenty to do, whether it be free-roaming around the city with a handful of mates (complete with traffic, citizens and cops), blasting them away in a team deathmatch, or working as a team to either arrest or outrun in a game of Cops ‘N Crooks. And with plenty more besides, all without even a hint of lag, online multiplayer is both a technical marvel and amazingly addictive. However, it would be unfair to say that GTA IV was perfect. Animations, while naturally fluid for the most part thanks to the amazing Euphoria engine, can jolt rather forcibly on occasion. Pop-in, while infrequent, does exist and can mar the immersion of the living, breathing world, and many missions are simple rehashes of those that we’ve seen in previous titles. Minor imperfections don’t soil

the experience, but are irritating lapses in an otherwise perfect package. At times the shooting system can unwittingly resemble that of Team SOHO disaster The Getaway (especially when donning a suave suit), but regardless, the mechanic is much improved from the series’ renowned hit & miss gunplay. Which seems to be the driving force behind GTA IV. It’s not so much the evolutionary step that we saw between GTA 2 & 3, but more of a refinement of everything that we loved in the 3D games, fine-tuned and tweaked to create an unmatched title. GTA IV is less a game and more of an experience; a dazzling insight into the mind of a man with nothing to lose pulled off with an unmitigated level of passion, scope and sophistication. It’s the game you’ve always dreamed of, the game you’ve always wanted, and the game that you’ll be playing for years to come. Rockstar has managed to raise the bar yet again. GTA IV is a modern-day classic.

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REVIEWS

WII FIT

You’re fit but my gosh, don’t you know it

FORMAT Wii PUBLISHER Nintendo DEVELOPER Nintendo REVIEWED BY Tom Hoggins

Day One It must be my lucky day. Thinking that tracking down a copy of Wii Fit was going to be a quest of biblical proportions, the first store I come across has one unit left. Perhaps it’s a sign- “We’re giving you this last Balance Board as a gift, my son. Get off your fat ass and make it count.” Maybe the fact that I’m hearing voices is a good indication that I should cut down on the red meat anyway. £70 is perhaps a bit steep, but should Nintendo’s latest phenomenon work it’ll be worth every penny. Upon arriving home, I pull the gleaming Balance Board out and it’s an impressive piece of kit- sturdy and good-looking. What comes next is not good for the self-esteem. Firing up Wii Fit, I’m asked to stand on the board for a body test. Apparently, I’m obese and lean to the right. “Great” I think, “I’ve turned into a Republican.” While proclaiming my porkiness as obesity is perhaps a little harsh, I’m not perturbed. I set my target to lose 1st 8lb in 2 months (at 3lb a week) and decide to kick off with a little light yoga. The instructor is polite and her instructions easy to follow. Even I (as someone with the flexibility of a service-station sandwich) managed to successfully hold the ‘tree’ stance for half a minute. The Balance Board is also showing off its technical abilities; it follows my centre of gravity and asks me to hold my stance correctly. It’s an impressive start- I can feel the stretch on my stomach from just a short yoga workout. However, it’s late and I call it a day. Tomorrow, the real work begins...

Day Two Wii Fit tells me it’s time for a break. And who am I to argue? While I wouldn’t say I was exhausted (I am still on the ‘beginner’ levels after all), a thin layer of sweat is resting on my brow and I can feel the stretch on my muscles. Not surprising really, considering I’ve been doing yoga and muscle workouts, run a lap of a virtual park, and completed a downhill ski-slalom in the last hour or so. If nothing else, Wii Fit certainly adds spice to your daily workout. The software also plays to the gamer inside me, offering star rankings and leader-boards based on my performance. While self-improvement is the ultimate goal, of course, that nerd deep within wants those four-star rankings just as much as a six-pack. However, they’re not handed out lightly; those muscle workouts are tough... at least for a jelly-armed weakling like me.

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REVIEWS

41 “NINTENDO HAS DONE IT AGAIN”

With the kindly instructors offering encouragement and tips, the yoga and muscle workouts form the more austere side of Wii Fit. On the other hand, we have the aerobic and balance games, which are all utterly charming. My Mii chums pop up in these colourful, delightful games; kicking me footballs to head or joining me in a rhythmbased step class. Some of these games are a real workout, but all are a lot of fun- the perfect incentive for the exercise shy. I’m only two days in, but I already have the feeling that Wii Fit’s intention to get gamers off of the sofa with the perfect blend of work and play is going to work very well indeed. Day Three Ok, this time I’m exhausted. It was the Super Hula Hoop that did it. I also looked like a complete plonker due to me madly swinging my imaginary plastic hoops. I can see now why you have to slowly unlock more advanced exercises, the intensity is rising even on this third day and I’m glad I was eased in with the less strenuous activities available from the beginning. It seems to be working too, I woke up with my muscles feeling stiffer than I expected and my scores are improving with each attempt. However, while it’s great to be able to choose each exercise individually, I wonder if Wii Fit could offer set routines to help me towards my goal. A small complaint, but otherwise colour me very impressed.

Day Five No pain, no gain. Right? I hope so. Taking on Wii Fit and upping the tempo every day has really stretched the muscles. Painful? Yes. But they’re already feeling firmer from the regular workout. I’m also continuing to unlock extra exercises. The boxing is a particular favourite - good fun. The balance games also seem to be getting crazier every time I unlock a new one too. One involves shifting the balance of an iceberg so you’re penguin-suit clad Mii can catch fish. Absolutely bonkers, but very enjoyable. In fact the balance games are a good indication of what the board can do in more ‘traditional’ gaming situations. Day Seven So after a week of working out, I guess it’s time to come to some kind of conclusion about Wii Fit. I’ll avoid any pointless semantic discussion over whether it’s a ‘game’ or not and come straight to the point of whether it works as a piece of fitness software. And the answer is a fairly resounding yes. According to the Balance Board I’ve lost 4lbs in the last week, 1lb over my target. I’m also feeling more flexible and toned; at least as much as you can within a week. The real test is whether I and many others keep at it. Though the same can be said for any kind of exercise, Wii Fit does its level best to keep people pumping that plastic. While the trainers repeating comments can start to grate, I’ve returned every day and looked forward to unlocking more activities; which is a good incentive in itself. So yes, Nintendo has done it again. Some may scoff at such a gameplay-light product, but Wii Fit has the potential to get the otherwise exercise-shy toning their ample waistlines in between games of Super Mario Galaxy and No More Heroes. In my opinion- and I’m talking from experience here- that’s a very good thing indeed.

VERDICT

REVIEWS

UEFA EURO 2008 Can you hear the Germans sing?

I FORMAT REVIEWED PlayStation 3 OTHER FORMATS 360, PS2, PSP, PC PUBLISHER EA Sports DEVELOPER EA Canada REVIEWED BY Tom Hoggins

t’s easy to give tournament tie-ins a hard time; often bemoaned as cynical, lazy cash cows. Understandably so, as in years gone by that’s exactly what they have been. However, today sees a new and improved EA Sports, one that has long since banished the spectre of FIFA’s utterly dreadful ‘new-gen’ debut- Road To FIFA World Cup 06. Regular readers will remember back in Issue 3 that we heaped a fair amount of praise on FIFA 08, declaring it “the most realistic representation of football yet” and a hefty amount of play in the intervening months has done nothing to assuage that assertion. Until now.

It seems that EA Canada knew exactly where FIFA 08’s problems laid. While it was still a very good game it was perhaps a little too slow, the passing a bit wayward and there was a lack of a certain weight to both players and ball. The FIFA engine has now been refined to an inch of its life for Euro 2008. It’s quicker without being hyperactive, the control you have over every kick and dribble has been tweaked for the better and the physics are a far more accurate representation of the hustle and flow of a football match. There’s the odd technical glitch and the PS3 version suffers from some irritating slowdown when there are a lot of players on screen but, these aside, Euro 2008’s match engine is difficult to criticise. On the surface, we appear to have a more accessible game of football than FIFA but, while this is true, a deeper look reveals that EA has taken another step towards the ideal soccer simulation.

The improved AI means your team-mates make smarter runs while opponents cannily close off the channels. Teams holding onto a 1-0 lead will start dabbling in gamesmanship to run the clock down. And when a lowly minnow brings its team of part-timers to Wembley or the Parc des Princes, they will set-up with ten men behind the ball in an attempt to grind out a 0-0 draw. Score a goal, however, and you may see them becoming a little more adventurous. Touches like this add immeasurably to the representation of a tough qualifying campaign, along with the whistles of derision that greet your every touch when playing away. The sound design as a whole is top notch, with crowds belting out well known songs before being silenced by an opponents goal.

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REVIEWS

43 “A MARVELLOUS DIGITAL FACSIMILE OF THIS SUMMER’S EXTRAVAGANZA”

Clive ‘balmy night in Barcelona’ Tyldesley and Andy Townsend are on a commentary duty which flows terrifically, is always relevant and is full of trivia and anecdotes. As always, EA’s eye for presentation is spot on, with crisp visuals and an impressive front end. Though if anything, it is perhaps a little too bright and clean; England’s players can look like they’ve just starred in a Daz advert, rather than playing a tough match in rain-swept Estonia. While it must have been tempting to just shove in the tournament itself and push the game out of the door, EA has provided us with a plethora of modes to keep our interest alive. Captain Your Country mode is undoubtedly the highlight, allowing you to create your own player and take him from B-International to captaining the team at the Euro 2008 finals. It’s an impressive step for EA’s excellent ‘Be A Pro’ mode which was introduced in FIFA 08 but criminally underused. The aforementioned improved AI raises this mode to something rather special rather than just a novelty and controlling just one player leads to a different, more disciplined style of play. The constant online competition ‘Battle of the Nations’ is also a nice touch. When you fire up Euro 2008 for the first time you’re asked to choose a country to represent. Then every match you play, online or off, will add to your country’s score, which will be tallied up at the end of the real tournament on 29th of June and the winner announced. It’s a play to our tub-thumping, flag-waving patriotism. And if nothing else, at least it’s a chance for England

to actually win something. The usual ranked online matches are offered, of course, but you also have a chance to play in the brilliant Euro Online Knockout Cup, which offers a 16-team competition that can be jumped into at will. If all that wasn’t enough, there’s also a chance to recreate or rewrite history from the real-life qualifiers in the comprehensive Scenario mode. If you’ve sneaked a peek at the bottom of the page you would have noticed that, despite the almost constant fawning, we’re awarding Euro 2008 the same score as FIFA 08. Does not compute, right? Well, despite EA’s sterling efforts in creating a fantastic football sim and a terrific companion piece to the European Championships, it suffers from its own nature as an international competition tie-in. The lack of club teams and essentially only one tournament to play in (albeit in an impressive variation of modes) is naturally going to limit Euro 2008’s lifespan. Not to mention that FIFA 09 is likely to be with us around October time. A churlish complaint perhaps, but it is something that must be taken into account. However, those not willing to wait until then or find themselves swept away in the football frenzy come June, Euro 2008 will offer a marvellous digital facsimile of this summer’s extravaganza. That’s what it set out to do and taken as that alone, it’s almost faultless.

VERDICT

REVIEWS

MARIO KART WII P Let’s waste time chasing cars around our heads

FORMAT Wii PUBLISHER Nintendo DEVELOPER Nintendo REVIEWED BY Tom Hoggins

laying Mario Kart Wii, we were reminded of a time before Nintendo’s motioncontrols started to take over the world. How we chuckled whenever a friend not au fait with the world of videogame racing used to tilt the controller left and right in a vain attempt to aid their steering, complete with their tongue sticking out in a picture of intense concentration. Things have changed. Now that friend can tilt and twist to their heart’s content and, worse still, you may find them bursting out of your slipstream, drift-boosting around the next chicane, busting a trick over the nearby ramp, before pulling a wheelie across the finish line. Now that tongue is poking right at you, its message clear; "Who’s laughing now?" Well, everyone actually. Mario Kart is that kind of game. It’s a series that has rarely failed to raise a smile during its illustrious 15 year career. Sure, there have been some wrong turns along the way, but not once has a Mario Kart lacked that ‘fun factor’. Yet, Nintendo’s ever-increasing task at making Mario Kart the wackiest race out there has not come without a cost to the ‘racing integrity’ of the series. As with all things, there is a breaking point and perhaps, with this version, Mario Kart is bending at the bows. The game is positively stuffed with different vehicles, crazy tracks, overpowered

weapons, ramps, half-pipes, boosts, tricks and stunts. It’s utter chaos, but manages to stop well short of being a mess. In fact, that there’s so much going on in each race is what makes Mario Kart Wii so endearing. It’s difficult to keep track of everything, and a lot of the time, it’s downright gimmicky. But it’s also brilliant in a bonkers, whirlwind kind of way. The bikes are a welcome addition, their lighter handling and zippy acceleration offering a real alternative to the beefy karts. Furthermore, despite the misgivings at their announcement, the tricks work well. Offering a speed boost as you land, successfully pulling off these manoeuvres can mean the difference between a win and a loss.

REVIEWS

45 The Wii Wheel that comes packaged with the game is also, perhaps surprisingly, excellent. Essentially a piece of plastic to house your remote, the wheel is delightfully chunky and a pleasure to hold, with the big B button on the back perfect for hitting those drifts. Attempts at motion-steering up until now have been twitchy and hyperactive. With MK Wii, however, the calibration is spot on. Conventional controls are also supported for those not wishing to use the wheel. PLAY

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However, get yourself a set of Wii wheels and multiplayer hijinks can reach new levels of hilarity, with players jostling for position on the sofa as well as the track. As is always the case with Mario Kart, it should come with a tasting note: "Best enjoyed with friends". Not that the single player career doesn’t have its merits of course. Trying for that last gold cup and unlocking every last secret character can be helplessly addictive. Unfortunately, the flaws Mario Kart has are at their most apparent during solo play. Some of the track’s gimmicks lose their charm when playing alone, and the rubberband AI is flat-out annoying at times, especially when they seem to just help themselves to blue shells whenever the fancy takes them. Let’s get one thing straight - having all your hard work in a particularly tough Grand Prix undone by a flurry of these menaces is not remotely charming or funny when you don’t have the yowls of laughter and derision coming from beside you. It’s cheap and downright infuriating, and it happens far too often for it to go unmentioned. For a game billed as ‘family-friendly’, Mario Kart can bring about some of the most colourful language we’ve heard this side of a Tarantino flick. So far, so Mario Kart. Even with the extra features, the game excels in its own special niche carved throughout the years and suffers from the same pitfalls. What sets Mario Kart Wii apart from its predecessors is the superb introduction of online play. We’ll forego the perennial moans of no voice chat and having to use Nintendo’s dreadful friend code system and focus on what it does right.

The game runs smooth as silk online, without a hint of lag in any of the races we’ve partaken in. You can set up custom GPs with people on your friends list, and in a very nice touch you can download ghost data to challenge the world’s fastest time trials. All of this can be accessed via the Mario Kart channel, which can be loaded to the Wii dashboard meaning you don’t even have to load up the game to access the leaderboards. We hope that such a comprehensive online experience is a sign of Nintendo embracing the connectivity that is becoming such a major part of video-gaming. Where Mario Kart Wii will rank in the series is difficult to say. It almost entirely depends on your attitude towards the franchise as a whole. It’s easily the craziest Kart yet, which may put off racing purists, but it’s also the most accessible, despite the feature overload. And through it all, whatever side you take it’s still joyously, inimitably Mario Kart.

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REVIEWS

DARK SECTOR When I’m walking a dark road, I am a man who walks alone

FORMAT REVIEWED PlayStation 3 OTHER FORMATS Xbox 360 PUBLISHER D3Publisher DEVELOPER Digital Extremes REVIEWED BY Simeon Paskell

ark Sector has been a long time in the making. Originally unveiled in 2004 with an in-game cinematic, it immediately set tongues wagging. Here was a game that seemed to epitomise what the (then) next-generation of consoles would offer - stunning visuals, lifelike human characters and an unprecedented level of detail. What it lacked was a clear sense of identity. Aside from the odd piece of interesting character design, it was all fairly generic stuff; part Metal Gear Solid, part Splinter Cell. Dark Sector was an enigma that held as much promise as it did uncertainty. Fast forward four years and the fruits of Digital Extreme’s efforts have arrived, finally allowing us to peel back the facade and take a close look at what lies beneath. Dark Sector has changed massively since 2004, most obviously by shifting location from the depths of space to the fictional Russian state of Lazria. Gone are the space stations, replaced instead by desolate corridors, warehouses and scorched Soviet streets. The emphasis on stealth has also fallen by the wayside and it is now, on the surface, a fairly straight forward third-person shooter. From the opening level (which is rendered rather effectively in black and white) to the final set-piece, Dark Sector is a grim affair. Aesthetically it offers some of the gloomiest, grubbiest and downright joyless environments ever forged in a videogame. Hopes that more welcoming locales lie around the corner are regularly crushed, as yet more squalor and disarray awaits you. Similarly cheerless is the plot.

Following American forces Special Agent Hayden Tenno through a catalogue of video game cliches (genetic experiments, double crossing, femme fatales, evil bad guys etc), its narrative leaves much to be desired.

Plodding through the first few levels, the game feels like a functional third-person shooter at best, and an uninspiring one at worst. The controls are tight and the visuals are impressively solid but lacking in verve. Enemies act as you would expect, and no real curve-balls knock you off your feet. Levels are very linear though the battlefields are generally well designed. Dark Sector’s opening chapters do little to amaze, but those who stick with it will gradually unveil a much more rewarding experience.

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47 “EXPERTLY EXECUTED... THOROUGHLY DESERVING OF ATTENTION”

Feeling like any number of games bolted together, what it is that grabs you is hard to define. There’s a little Resident Evil 4 here, a smattering of Splinter Cell there and a hefty portion of Gears of War thrown on top for good measure. However, upon your acquisition of the glaive, you can almost feel one eyebrow rising. This triple-bladed wheel of death has a number of uses. Slicing your enemies in half (using the SIXAXIS’ tilt functionality to guide it to your intended target) is the most obvious, accompanied by a suitably gory spray of claret. It can also be used to collect items and seize weaponry from a distance but it is its ability to absorb elements that proves most interesting. Fire, ice and electricity can all be temporarily stored by the glaive, a function that facilitates some interesting environmental puzzles and yet more ways of dishing out death. Though probably falling short of being the iconic weapon that Digital Extreme’s had no doubt hoped, it is nevertheless an integral part of the experience, shaping the ebb and flow of combat, and proving immensely satisfying to use. When the game does fall short of expectations, it more often than not compensates through shrewd design decisions. The generally (and often hilariously) bad enemy AI is counterbalanced by excellently designed adversaries and battlefields, with each needing to be approached in a particular manner. As new skills are learnt,

new possibilities elegantly open up, and if you get to grips with Hayden’s abilities even the mightiest of foes can be easily slain – doing so proving immensely rewarding. Digital Extremes also artfully controls the rhythm of the game - one moment you are the hunter, the next the hunted, the next a lumbering cannon-toting death machine. The limited lifespan of guns is a particularly shrewd piece of design, encouraging you to let rip while the weapons are still functioning. With time, the visuals also manage to sink their teeth into you, impressing through sheer technical grunt. Waves realistically lap at the shoreline, tarnished metal glints, heat-waves shimmer and the ever-pervasive black goo (the same that infects Hayden early on in the game) almost drips out of your TV. Characters have real weight and the cutscenes, though vacuous in content, are an opportunity to marvel at the graphics uninterrupted by zombie-mutants. With a bit more polish and a more gripping narrative, Dark Sector could have very well been a classic, but as it is, it merely has to settle for being a great game. Brazenly borrowing from other titles but managing to blend these ideas and mechanics to create a cohesive, compelling and often unique whole, Dark Sector is expertly executed and thoroughly deserving of attention.

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REVIEWS

CONDEMNED 2 Can’t you hear the steel rail humming? That’s a hobo’s lullaby

BLOODSHOT E

FORMAT REVIEWED Xbox 360 OTHER FORMATS PlayStation 3 PUBLISHER SEGA DEVELOPER Monolith REVIEWED BY Tom Hoggins

than Thomas has hit rock-bottom. His encounter with the psychotic Serial Killer X in the events of Condemned has left him a burnt-out, broken man. Far from the clean-cut detective seen in the first game, Thomas is a drunken bum, a bar-crawler dressed in vomitstained clothes, his lank, greasy hair framing a haggard, pale face. Content to wallow in his own filth, Thomas is a perfect fit for a game that revels in squalor and violence. Like its protagonist, however, Bloodshot has a sharp edge, a game sophisticated in its horror and brutal in its execution.

Bloodshot is also a game that is unapologetic of its unpleasantness. It is a game that is determined to crawl under your skin and send shivers down your spine. It pushes the borders of your own distaste as you smash a toilet seat over the head of the latest thug to rush your position in a flurry of drug-fuelled shrieks and profanity. Combat is even more vicious than in the first game, with Thomas far more comfortable with using his fists as weapons since being suspended from the Serial Crimes Unit and finding the bottom of a bottle; the revamped system allowing for far more dynamic brawling and bone-crunching combos. Weapons are even more varied and macabre, with bludgeons ranging from metal pipes to foosball rods, complete with plastic players still attached.

The nature of the melee combat is mercilessly in your face. Braining your attackers with the nearest wrench is uncomfortably visceral; every connection felt as your foe stumbles back, every thunk of weapon onto flesh audible enough to make your hair stand on end. The new environmental kills are even worse, with downright nasty demises that would make Manhunt wince. Make no mistake; this is not a game for the faint of heart. However, if this all seems a bit too overtly malevolent, it’s because the context of Bloodshot demands it.

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Tasked with finding the now missing Van Horn, Ethan must fight his way through the filth of a city that is decaying from the inside, with violent criminals sent mad by sonic emitters placed by a clandestine organisation. The plot, despite eventually descending into nonsense, is surprisingly entertaining. Every bit a Hollywood sequel, Condemned 2 is no longer just about a serial killer on the rampage, but a far grander conspiracy. And the stages on which this story is set is where Bloodshot truly excels. Each level is dripping with atmosphere as well as blood. You are rarely aware of what is lurking in the darkest corners of the grimy and rotting city blocks. The sound design is terrific throughout; thumping footsteps on the floor above send your heart leaping into your throat, the breathing of a violent crazy nearby makes you spin, flailing your weapon into thin air. Monolith has the gift of building tension to an almost unbearable degree, before bringing it crashing down around you in breathless and terrifying fashion. The stages also offer a remarkable diversity. As the story progresses Ethan will find himself in a dank doll factory, a snowbound mountain cabin and a magic theatre that bears more than a passing resemblance to BioShock’s iconic Fort Frolic. It’s not just in location where the stages vary either. One minute you’re using the muchimproved forensics system to determine the

cause of death of an unfortunate victim, the next you’re embroiled in a vicious melee battle with creatures so deranged that you’re never sure whether they’re reality or demented hallucinations brought on by Ethan’s alcoholriddled mind. Then, when gunplay is introduced, Monolith shows its FPS pedigree with robust shooting; enemies are far from bullet-sponges, a few well-placed shots bringing them to their knees. That such varying styles of play are pulled off with such aplomb is a real boon for Bloodshot, and avoids the creeping repetition that threatened the first game. There are complaints of course. Combat can be unforgiving to the point of frustration, not helped by erratically placed checkpoints. And the forensic investigation, while a massive improvement over the hand-holding original, never quite lives up to its potential. However, as Bloodshot reaches a thrilling crescendo these flaws can be forgiven, if not forgotten. While some may find the relentless brutality too much to stomach, the game creates an exquisitely terrifying atmosphere that is as compelling as it is distressing. And even as the game heads deeper into gun-toting action territory in its denouement, it rarely loses the edge that so many horror games lack.

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50 It headed for two but it bounced off nine

EVERYBODY’S GOLF

WORLD TOUR

T FORMAT PlayStation 3 PUBLISHER SCE DEVELOPER Clap Hanz/SCEI REVIEWED BY Zoheir Beig

he logic-defying stratospheric success of the Monster Hunter and Dynasty Warriors games in Japan (to give just two examples) is proof that while Western gamers will happily devour derivative first-person shooters, our friends in the East are happy holding up their end of the stereotypical gaming culture cliches. Though Everybody’s Golf is a comparably straightforward game, its modest standing with European and American gamers is dwarfed by the fervour that greets the series in its homeland. The absence of irony with which this PlayStation 3 debut was labelled a “system-seller” speaks volumes - as do first week sales of 150,000. Combining some robust mechanics with an accentuated cartoon aesthetic, Everybody’s Golf: World Tour maintains the series’ lofty traditions, while utilising the new host hardware to provide an experience that feels both revitalized and frequently revelatory. New additions are expertly introduced (expanded shot

selection and online play the two main features), and the balance between accessibility and challenge finely honed throughout.

The new advanced shots substitute the idea of stopping a sliding point on a scale (which has always felt a little too abstract to be really enjoyable) with a system that puts the emphasis on the animation of the characters: stop their swing at the right point, then focus on a rapidly decreasing target to get optimum power in the shot. It’s a graceful development that, despite the ‘advanced’ tag, makes it easier to hit consistently strong shots than if using the conventional method, and is as close to an intuitive experience that has been seen in a golfing game to date (Tiger Woods Wii and Wii Sports both excepted of course). With that first crucial innovation successfully hurdled, the rest of World Tour, while not proving quite as radical, is still a prime lesson in game structure. The presentation throughout is bright and clean, the characterisation distinct and cheery without lapsing into irritation (a particular highlight being the way your caddy wills the ball on in a particularly close shot). Unlockables are also well paced, and their steady accumulation is a strong part of why the game has the ability to suck hours from one session without you even realising; from new courses to clubs and costumes, it’s a completist’s dream.

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51 “EVERYBODY’S GOLF HAS QUIETLY BECOME ONE OF THE PS3’S MOST ESSENTIAL GAMES”

But before this review turns into a glorified press release, it’s worth pointing out that the new system of putting, which covers the green in Tron-esque gradient lines, isn’t as successful as the progression shown by the new advanced shots earlier (although there is a more traditional putting mode available), and for serious golf fans the sense of depth is not quite as pronounced as EA’s more studious offerings. But then, although weather and spin can be influencing factors, Everybody’s Golf has never been about the minutiae of the sport (in the same way Mario Kart has never been about pure racing) and World Tour makes no pretensions to the contrary. The other significant leap made by this latest iteration is the embrace of online play. In fact this is the area for which World Tour may come to be remembered; from the title screen itself which features a weblink direct to a portal featuring tips on how to unlock various characters, to an extensive lobby system, developers Clap Hanz has gone to great lengths to ensure the experience is as pleasing and more importantly, personable, as possible. Though joining tournaments could be easier and actual communication tools are limited, Everybody’s Golf has laid something of a benchmark here. The lobby system in particular is almost as fun as the smooth online game itself, with your created character running around several floors talking to (and jumping around) random players from across the world. It is also the most concrete evidence so far that Home, Sony’s much-vaunted social world for PS3, could be as ground-breaking as promised. And that’s the essence of Everybody’s Golf: World Tour: in caring for the details and the small changes, it has quietly become one of the PS3’s most essential games. The East has known for a while; maybe it’s time the rest of us caught up.

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52 Dragon days and the fire’s hot

NINJA GAIDEN DRAGON SWORD

FORMAT DS PUBLISHER Ubisoft DEVELOPER Team Ninja REVIEWED BY Tom Hoggins

omonobu Itagaki is clear in his intentions for Ninja Gaiden II to straddle the line between the ‘hardcore’ and the mainstream in terms of appeal - “I think sometimes we look down at the casual crowd a little too much. If you give them a good place to start from and show them how much fun a sophisticated game can be, we can ease them into it” he says. This philosophy for creating more accessible experiences than the notoriously difficult Ninja Gaiden is clear to see in Dragon Sword, a game appearing on a console that has already straddled that same line with remarkable success. As a way of ‘easing them into it’, Ninja Gaiden DS is the perfect introduction to Ryu Hayabusa and his battle against the fiends of Vigoor. So, how do you take a series revered for its complex, combo-heavy combat and rework it into something fresh and accessible on a handheld with its own unique possibilities? Team Ninja began

not by flipping it on its head, but on its side. Holding the DS vertically like a book, a map of the area is displayed on one side and the action is viewed on the other. Initially, playing an action game in this vertical space is slightly odd, given the narrow but tall dimensions of the screen; yet the camera and combat are handled deftly enough to overcome any disorientation. Not to mention the game looks incredible. Ryu and his enemies look terrific, moving with liquid fluidity across the wonderfully realised pre-rendered backdrops. At one point Ryu finds himself in a lush, green forest that almost bursts out of the screen. Dragon Sword is, if nothing else, a phenomenal achievement in visual fidelity for Nintendo’s technically humble handheld. It’s a good job too, as you’ll need every bit of that clarity as you slice ‘n dice your way through the Black Spider Clan and a variety of other foes. Conventional control has been tossed to the wind for Ryu’s handheld outing, with virtually all control assigned to the touch-screen.

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53 Movement is controlled by guiding Ryu with the stylus, and various slides and taps perform attacks, with blocks assigned to the DS’s buttons. This is generally very intuitive, with most stylus actions performing the moves you’d expect. However, as you get to grips with the controls, your attempts at sweeping aside enemies can occasionally be little more than crude scribbling. Moreover, your moves can be misinterpreted at times, with combos interrupted by unintended jumps. Yet as you progress and become more adept with the system these mistakes greatly reduce, and the unique control begins to really shine. That scribbling becomes a nimble stylus dance, racking up impressive combos against the great variation of foes Ryu must face. The stylus to screen connection brings with it some palpable satisfaction, and Team Ninja has devised a control scheme that plays to the DS’s many strengths superbly. For all its merits, however, stylus control does remain less precise than more conventional methods. Dragon Sword compensates for this by focusing strongly on combat, eschewing much of the acrobatic platforming found in the original, with some rudimentary puzzles to break things up.

“THE MOST IMPRESSIVE VISUAL EXPERIENCE ON DS”

Much of the game makes some concessions to the host platform - Ryu carries few items, with health replenished at save points, and the titular Dragon Sword is the only melee weapon used throughout (though ranged weapons upgrade from shurikens to exploding arrows). It is to Team Ninja’s immense credit that, despite these allowances, the Ninja Gaiden experience in Dragon Sword feels more streamlined than cutback. The default difficulty is perhaps too easy (experienced ninjas may find the game over within 5 hours) and revisiting areas with recycled bosses from the original may be somewhat over-familiar to veterans, but the unique control system offers something genuinely fresh that will appeal to fans as well as prospective newcomers. Add to this a narrative driven by beautifully drawn (and wholly suitable) comic strips and a Hayabusa village populated with friends worth protecting, and you have a game which is not only the most impressive visual experience on the DS, but also its finest example of all-out-action.

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UNIVERSE AT WAR When stars were still just the holes to heaven

EARTH ASSAULT

H FORMAT REVIEWED Xbox 360 OTHER FORMATS PC PUBLISHER SEGA DEVELOPER Petroglyph REVIEWED BY John Meadowcroft

ow many times has it been said that a real-time strategy game simply will not work on a console? There have been many a valiant effort - Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars gave gamers a brief glimpse of what could be achieved - but for the most part, the genre leap from PC to console just hasn’t had the desired effect. Sadly, Universe At War: Earth Assault is the perfect example of how resoundingly true that statement is, and it comes as a great shame because like one of the bestial walkers in the game itself, it has some strength underneath its bonnet.

War has broken out on Earth as an unknown power of celestial beings called the ‘Hierarchy’ invade our beloved planet to mine the globe. As the initial battle wages, an interstellar portal opens carrying a race known as the ‘Novus’, sworn enemies of the Hierarchy. To make matters worse, the war waging on the surface hasn’t gone unnoticed by the ‘Masari’, an ancient race residing at the bottom of the Earth’s oceans and have to protect the planet at any cost. And so the premise is set; three entirely different factions for you to control and wreak havoc with on our beautiful home. Except it actually isn’t that simple, or come to think of it, even that fun. With a script seemingly written by Paul and Barry Chuckle, you’ll have encountered every science fiction cliche ever written within the first five minutes. Stereotypical US Army man Colonel Moore repeatedly demands the safety of the President, while

is she/isn’t she cyborg Mirabel contemplates her human emotions, as the robotic Novus dismiss them as unessential to their mission. While intentionally tongue-in-cheek and crammed with in-jokes, the poor script is a real damp squib on the promising proposition of the campaign.

Perhaps surprisingly, the game goes some way in bridging the gaps on RTS console gaming. The menu system uses cycle functions via the bumpers and triggers to select units and skills, and it works quite well. The inspired alien vehicles can be a joy to control, carrying a lot of weight to them and imaginatively designed.

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The Hierarchy walker, for instance, is a towering upgradeable behemoth with several strengths and weaknesses to turn the tide of battle. Unfortunately though, the system’s flaws far outweigh the good points. The poor camera control can really take away from the experience, and the immense frame rate problems slow down what should be fast-paced action to a juddering crawl. When these colossal alien modules square up to fight, the game freezes and jerks frenetically; it’s clear Petroglyph hasn’t optimised the games engine for the 360’s architecture. It would be more excusable if the graphics were impressive, but for a 360 game, it’s pretty mediocre stuff. Where a lot of detail has been offered to the vast alien weaponry, battles seem futile when you’re blowing up polygonal messes or trawling vast, lifeless deserts. Bashing a game because of its graphics may seem pretty cheap, but it just shows up UAW as the mediocre PC port that it is. And while the control scheme works effectively when using the basic menu system, trying to select a group of soldiers to fight as one unit becomes a painful muddle as you ‘paint’ over them with a big green circle. Distinct vehicle selections and targeting specific enemies soon becomes a nightmare, and having to

cope with the incessant frame rate issues in the heat of battle soon causes the game to become very frustrating, very quickly. As a result, the pick up and play mechanics of genre-tradition skirmish mode is all but ruined by the technical niggles, although the online ‘Conquer The Globe’ mode which promises 360 owners the ability to battle against their PC counterparts will be interesting to see – when the service is finally up and running, of course. So all in all, Universe At War offers some interesting and fresh ideas, but is damaged by numerous basic complaints. It’s a huge disappointment because where the game starts off promising a big-budget blockbuster experience, it ends up being more B-Movie tosh. The race for the perfect console RTS is still on, and it’s looking more like console owners will have to wait for the similarly intergalactic Halo Wars to deliver a satisfyingly sweet experience.

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TIME CRISIS 4 Ticking away the moments that make up a dull day

T Ubisoft

FORMAT PlayStation 3 PUBLISHER SCE DEVELOPER Namco REVIEWED BY David Scammell

here’s something infatuating about light gun shooters that we can’t quite put our finger on. Despite housing an obviously thin gameplay experience, many gamers can’t help but feel allured to the novelty of recreating that perfect arcade sensation in the comfort of their own homes. But in the age of the Wii – where every shooter is a light gun shooter of sorts – what chance does a traditional light gun package have at staking a claim in a cut-throat market? Namco’s secret to success, it seems, is to stick to their guns (if you’ll excuse the pun). Save for a few minor additions to the gunplay, each Time Crisis has remained virtually identical to the last, with the series’ trademark pop-and-shoot gameplay remaining true throughout each title. Time Crisis 4 continues with this familiar approach as our ridiculously overdressed heroes - Orlando Bloom-alike Giorgio Bruno and partner Evan Bernard - are sent on a characteristically ludicrous quest pertaining to US terrorists and killer insects. Overtly camp and laughably OTT, nonsensical isn’t the word, but in a catalogue comprising of Ace Combat, Ridge Racer and Katamari Damacy, it’s clear that that’s always been Namco’s way.

In addition to the long-standing series familiarities, Namco has also seen fit to include minor gameplay extras in an attempt to enhance the traditional old-school setup. Throughout the hour long Arcade mode you’ll be ‘treated’ to two airborne on-rails stints (neither doing little other than add a fast-paced diversion to the usual getup), and ‘Multi-screen’ opportuni-

ties, where manoeuvring the GunCon to the left or right of the screen switches views between preset points. Multiscreen certainly intensifies the action, although it’s more often as a direct result of the GunCon failing to pick up which direction you want to turn rather than the on screen action itself, and the lousy attempt at offering an element of autonomy is a far cry from that provided in similar games like the recent Ghost Squad. Enter PS3-exclusive mode ‘Complete Mission’. Complete Mission is Namco’s feeble attempt to bring Time Crisis into the modern age. Conceived as a method to innovate the first person experience, Complete Mission plays much like that of a conventional shooter, using the GunCon 3’s dual analogue sticks to move and rotate the character just as you would in an FPS. And it’s utterly atrocious. Given the obvious limitations of a light gun, Namco have done their best to both design and customise a fitting control scheme, but the irregular button placement and extra third dimension offered by the light gun’s manual aiming only confuses matters further. Coupled with moronic AI that does nothing more than stand in one place and shoot, insipid level design and a level of graphical incompetence that would shame even last-generation efforts, Complete Mission is a colossal disappointment.

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Namco’s willingness to innovate an antiquated genre is certainly admirable, but the end result is nothing more than a novel experiment gone badly wrong a once brilliantly simple series fashioned into an overcomplicated mess. It’s painful to see the once-king of light gun shooters merely updated with an abysmal attempt to get with the times. The pop and shoot Arcade offering (though littered with its own inherent flaws) is just as enjoyable as those of the previous titles, but in all honesty, it’s beginning to feel tired and grossly neglected. There are better light gun games on the market that offer far more substance, have a great deal more polish and are much more fun. And considering the substantial cost, Time Crisis 4 simply isn’t worth your time, or money.

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57 And I think to myself...what a wonderful world

THE WORLD ENDS WITH YOU T FORMAT DS PUBLISHER Square Enix DEVELOPER Square Enix/Jupiter REVIEWED BY James Bowden

he DS is lucky. It plays unique titles designed specifically for the system that couldn’t be made for anything else, but it also supports a lot of games that could have been developed for a typical single-screen handheld as well as garbage knocked up over a Friday lunchtime to generate a quick penny.

The game is split into manageable chapters of self-contained stories that each add to the overarching tale. Missions require legwork and combat around Shibuya’s various districts, asking you to perform tasks like planting thoughts in people’s minds, tracking down items, and taking part in the game world’s current fad, Tin Pin Slammer.

The World Ends With You (TWEWY) comfortably falls into the first group and makes you wonder why so many workshy developers are filling the shelves with shoddy games. Developed by Square-Enix and Jupiter, TWEWY’s visual style has a whiff of Square/Disney adventure Kingdom Hearts about it, and while TWEWY is another RPG, it’s unlike any that have preceded it.

Naturally, combat appears throughout the game, but it is not traditional RPG fare. The player assigns collectible pins to Neku and activates them during fights using the touch screen by tapping, slashing, dragging and performing other aggressive stylus moves, all the while increasing the power of your pins. Meanwhile your partner fights on the top screen which you control using the dpad or face buttons, following specific button combination to activate special moves. The combat can be overwhelming but the game achieves a design that is both accessible and rewarding, offering plenty of depth for people adept at multi-tasking.

Taking the role of traditionally angst ridden, spiky haired Neku you are thrust into untraditional contemporary Shibuya, Japan’s fashion district, where you wake up with the ability to read minds and are given one, clear message: you have seven days to live. Remembering nothing about how he’s gotten into the situation, Neku stumbles into a story with more twists than a bag of fusilli and some of the best writing in a video game ever seen - even if it does have a few moments of teen anime barf-inducing dialogue. The game’s unique soundtrack is also impressive, containing a variety of styles from brooding piano attacks to something that sounds remarkably like the Sugar Hill Gang. All thirty tracks are infectious and drive the game’s modern setting.

Combat, however, is a small part of the game as random encounters are non-existent. Any additional scraps you engage in are of your own free will, and the game has a number of ways with which to power up your pins that don’t require you to fight including playing the aforementioned Tin Pin mini game and by connecting to DS’ that are in WiFi mode. Even leaving your DS off will give you an experience bonus when you come back.

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Brilliant writing, good art, infectious music, and clever use of the combat system make The World Ends With You one of the best games on DS. The eye-blistering combat can occasionally be chaotic, and some essential features take time to activate, but this is a game that thinks big and delivers a genuinely original title. Let’s just hope that more developers remember that the DS is a unique system, and not a cash cow to milk dry.

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METAL GEAR SOLID PORTABLE OPS PLUS You can’t kill the metal, the metal will live on

FORMAT PSP PUBLISHER Konami DEVELOPER Kojima Productions REVIEWED BY Simeon Paskell

he Metal Gear Solid series has come to epitomise the PlayStation brand, helping to sell millions of consoles. That this cycle will repeat itself with the arrival of Metal Gear Solid 4 on the PlayStation 3 seems inevitable, but PSP owners have been deprived of a more traditional Metal Gear experience. After the quirky yet flawed Metal Gear Acid, Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops saw Snake sneaking onto the small screen in a slightly altered form. Stand-alone expansion pack Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops Plus (‘PO+’) attempts to build on that title, but is the budget price reflected by budget ambitions?

Metal Gear creator Hideo Kojima is a notoriously idiosyncratic games designer who consistently confounds (and delights) critics and gamers alike with titles that stubbornly plough their own furrow, and ‘Portable Ops’ was no exception. Taking the conventions, settings and characters of the series as a starting point, it focussed on mission-based gameplay and the multiplayer experience. The series’ dense melodrama, though present, took somewhat of a back seat as it shifted emphasis away from narrative and even Snake himself, placing you in control of a whole team of soldiers. Offering more of the same with a few tweaks and additions, PO+ caters for newcomers while supplying veterans with new arenas within which to test their already established squads.

Although retaining much of what made the original special, PO+ unfortunately lacks refinement, and it is hard to shake the feeling that the package as a whole is little more than a cash in. The single player mode (dubbed ‘Infinity Mission’) all but deserts narrative, consisting of a series of randomly generated maps that players can plunder for new items and squad members, all while hunting down an exit. It is far from captivating stuff, and for those that have yet to spend time with the original’s online modes (and thus those who will miss the whole point of PO+’s exercise), it will no doubt prove more than a little inane. The package also adds new playable characters from the series, including Raiden, Roy Campbell and old-Snake from MGS4 (whose appearance feels somewhat anachronistic). Although hardcore Metal Gear fans will jump at the opportunity to spend a bit more time with these characters, their addition feels like a token gesture at best. The real meat of the game is the online mode, which is as solid as that featured on the original. Minor tweaks include a multi-tier system enabling ‘Rookies’ to

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ease themselves into the game, taking less damage than more experienced players. Although this is a commendable gesture, it is an unsubstantial addition to a generally unsubstantial package. Overall, as enjoyable as online play can be, too few advancements have been made to classify PO+ as a definitive experience, and for this reason it is hard to recommend it. The original, which is now widely available at the same/similar price as PO+, featured an already well-honed online mode and came with far more satisfying single player experience. It is good to see Konami supporting the community that has grown up around the Portable Ops, but unfortunately PO+ is far from an essential purchase.

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EMERGENCY MAYHEM Another last call casualty

FORMAT Wii PUBLISHER Codemasters DEVELOPER Supersonic Software Ltd REVIEWED BY Emmet Purcell

hey say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, but try explaining that to SEGA. The developer has been fiercely protective of its Crazy Taxi franchise in the past, even bringing EA to court for infringement for their startlingly similar The Simpsons Road Rage title. Now, 8 years on from Taxi’s initial release, Codemasters’ Emergency Mayhem hits the shelves, yet we doubt even SEGA would bother creating a furore over one of the laziest Wii titles in some time. Itself an aborted PS2 and Xbox title under the defunct Acclaim Development brand, Emergency Mayhem is another in a long line of rush-released, previous-gen ports that are beginning to seriously hamper the Wii’s third-party reputation.

The core gameplay of Mayhem is ripped straight from Crazy Taxi. Driving around an open-world environment you must complete tasks set against a strict time limit, with each successful mission allowing you to accrue more time to complete such tasks. One of the most promising (but under-utilised) elements of Emergency Mayhem is that rather than driving a taxi, the player has a choice between the three emergency services – fire, police and ambulance. From here, players must unlock the four precincts of Crisis City by completely filling up their ‘Mayhem Bar’ against a time limit upon each successful mission. Not only are there Taxi-like missions, Wii-specific minigames also abound. With the promise of Crazy Taxi mixed with Wario Ware, it’s hard to see how things could have gone so badly wrong. While such an interesting concept could

have succeeded admirably in the hands of stronger developers, from the very start it is clear something has gone seriously awry in Crisis City. Simply put, the choice of three emergency services is a fallacy when you discover that each service-specific mission is almost entirely interchangeable. For example driving as a police officer, one mission has ten “criminals” dotted around the precinct, all of which must be “caught” by simply driving right into them, naturally. However driving as the fire service, the mission is nearly identical, with the “criminals” having been inexplicably replaced by wild monkeys (?), known as “Minkees”. Similarly, driving precious cargo towards a pre-determined destination involves transporting fragile cargo/medical equipment/donuts, depending on which emergency service you choose. As such, it’s hard to see how the three emergency options can be fully justified, rather than artificially extending the Mayhem’s lifespan. If you also hoped this title would have you extinguishing raging fires or embarking on dangerous police missions, sadly you will have to make do with nudging criminal’s vans or fixing traffic lights from your police vehicle, or extinguishing enflamed garbage or fixing fire hydrants as a fire-fighter. Again, it’s not quite the “Mayhem” one might expect, as our first three ambulance missions each involved guiding a Wiimotecontrolled fly from a victim’s intestines. Unlike Wario Ware’s hundreds of Wiimote minigames, here the same illogical, mundane tasks are repeated ad nauseum.

Thus, it’s fair to wager that despite its formidable name, Crisis City is anything but. Sadly this attitude of tacked-on Wiimote support to maddeningly awful previous-gen ports is indicative of the worst case of laziness in the Wii’s current software library.

Apart from these misgivings, Mayhem ultimately PLAY suffers from sub-PS2 visuals, grating voice work and nonsensical environment layout, all of which deliver an unplayable mess which should have died with Acclaim Entertainment four years ago. It’s a struggle to understand how Emergency Mayhem could have been shipped in its current state with full support from its publishers. Vote with your wallets and avoid a supreme case of missed potential that would struggle to please even its admittedly young target audience. Arriving at least eight years too late, Emergency Mayhem is not even worthy of a SEGA lawsuit, only pity.

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HIGH FIDELITY

Each month two members of our writing team argue over a particular hot topic from within the world of gaming. This month we tackle the importance of graphics over sound and vice versa. Do realistic graphics propel the gamer further into a game’s world, or does excellent sound design offer more immersion?

“GRAPHICS ARE A CATALYST FOR THE ENTIRE INDUSTRY” Asked which sense I’d rather lose if, God forbid, I ever had an accident, sight is always the last answer that would be uttered. Please, by all means, take taste. I would miss it, but it would be a loss that I’d get over fairly quickly. Hearing would occupy the second place on this depressingly morbid list. It would be a sore loss, but I must confess to being something of a sight-whore. I can’t get enough of the vibrancy of life, the vast and endless cloudless skies that await me as a cold winter’s day steadily falls into darkness. Lambast me as a fan of the cheapvisual-trick if you will, berate my love for all things vibrant and intricate to the eye, but the visual allure of sight is too much to resist. This love transcends entertainment barriers, mediums and forms, as long as I can see it; moving on screen, scratching at my nerve ends, making my jaw drop in awe as events unfold on screen that would feel lucidly out of place in reality. Many in the gaming community have been branded shallow fools for their love of the fine visual arts, while their love for gameplay is somehow deemed cultured and dignified. How is it that such an integral part of the gaming experience is given so little critical weight? Of course, a beautiful game with painfully shallow gameplay amounts to very little and will have

created very few long term gaming memories, but with truly beautiful games this is rarely the case. Many games create visually pleasing front ends. The gun that sits so steadily on the television set six feet in front of could quite possibly be a fine example of texture work in your routine first person shooter. The environments, although gleaming unnaturally with a seemingly permeant coat of early morning dew, are nicely rendered. The enemies inspire fear and hatred on the player’s part; the drool seeping from their ravenous, and foul, mouths disgusting every moral bone in your body. But if the experience amounts to very little, what may be visually pleasing turns out to be an ugly game; a cliched catwalk model of videogame entertainment, if you’ll allow me to break out a popular and admittedly overused cliche. Because, visuals go further than the screenshot you may have seen in your favourite gaming publication. What may have been a glossy richly textured and lovingly anti-aliased screenshot in the magazine can be worthless once it is in the hands of the gamer. Take for example, Gears of War on Xbox 360. It is quite simply, a good looking game from a visual point of view. But if the designers (yes Cliff Bleszinski, we all know you had some help) had painfully and misguidedly decided to keep Marcus Fenix and his muscle adorned friends

chasing Locust down narrow corridors, the game would have produced a great deal of unhappiness in the gaming community and within the gaming press. It’s only because these graphics were used so effectively, setting up numerous set pieces and epic alien encounters that this game is truly beautiful. Perhaps it was graphically beautiful beforehand, but in an argument where graphics must overcome sound, one could and should look deeper than this. Graphics are also a catalyst for the entire gaming industry. If the pixelated cubes that eventually came to form Mario’s torso were left unscrutinised many years ago, then we’d still be seeing them today. As much as some of the more, so-called tasteful gamers, may cast aside the importance of graphics, it’s only natural that we continually strive for more realistic looking, and thus realistically feeling games that look to re-create increasingly accurate gaming worlds. When things are more realistic they tend to shock us more. They’re more likely to loosen those muscles holding the jaw in place and create that warm, fuzzy feeling of awe when you realise that what you’re playing is some kind of work of art; no matter what those conservative critics of gaming may attest to. Yes, Roger Ebert, I’m looking at you.

So in my attempt to put across the beauty of visuals (or graphics if you are more inclined to that clunky term), I’ve delved further into how visuals work with design and gameplay to intensify the emotional experience of playing a certain game. Would Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare have been so effective if it was rendered with textures relative to the Nintendo 64’s processing power? The answer is obviously, no. The visuals Infinity Ward were able to conjure up rounded off what was undoubtedly an incredibly solid overall package. Would that moment in the American campaign, reminiscent of the television series ‘24’, have been anywhere near as effective if the cloud looming on the horizon was a jagged mess of pixels? Yet again, the answer is no. Graphics are integral to the development of video gaming; they give greater weight to the punch of a good story, and only act to intensify any emotional moments found in a given game which, given the heartbreaking tendencies of recent games, may not be such a good thing. Greg Latham

“BUCK THE TREND. INVEST IN SOME LUXURIOUS SPEAKERS” I can hear your sighs now, graphics vs. sound, chances are your minds are already filled with preconceptions of how this debate is going to go down. Graphics are essential for a game; sound on the other hand is not. Even the recent release of Mario Kart has taught us, via a barrage of wheees and wahoos, that some games are best played on mute. But hold your horses reader, I suggest you go and try playing Halo 3, Call of Duty 4 or Team Fortress 2 online, muted, and then see if you’ve misjudged the situation. Ok, that point about playing shooters online with no sound may seem a bit desperate, but read on and hopefully you’ll see where I’m coming from. The primary job of any graphical department is to visually present the game world to the player. The role of the sound designer is to place the player inside that environment and make them a part of it. This is the crux of this debate. Graphics facilitate a gaming experience; a game’s sound is the experience. This issue is more apparent with current generation of gaming consoles than ever before. As we inch ever closer to the holy grail of photo-realism, graphics, though visually stunning,

are becoming increasingly sidelined as part of the experience. After the initial wow factor of the likes of Mass Effect and Gears of War, their role in many games boils down to merely presenting the game world to the player. It is extremely rare for a games graphics, realistic or stylised, to significantly contribute to the gameplay in one way or another. Assassin’s Creed illustrates this point well. As one of the finest looking games ever created it won numerous awards for its visuals. Yet despite this, received a distinctly lukewarm critical reception, why? Because despite the game world being a treat for the eyes, once the graphics had faded into the background players found that it lacked the same attention to detail elsewhere. Though it was magnificent to look at Assassin’s Creed’s graphical beauty simply could not carry the gaming experience, which many felt overall to be lacklustre. This is where sound design reveals itself at the forefront of the gaming experience. Would the fear you felt whilst tentatively creeping around Raccoon City be anywhere near as palpable without the groans of zombies echoing in the background? Would you have been able to tell how dangerously close you were to pushing your car just that fraction too far if the shriek of the

Who could forget the distant groans of a Big Daddy?

tyres on tarmac hadn’t sounded so real in GT5 Prologue? Could you possibly have got that precious seventh kill in Call of Duty if you hadn’t been able to hear the subtle tapping of your foes footsteps creeping up the stairs behind you? The answer to these questions and hundreds more like them, quite simply, is no. A game’s sound design allows you to interact with the gaming environment like nothing else. Exemplary pieces of design, such as the hyper realistic bullet noises of Black, or the some 60,000 sound samples of Halo 3 go above and beyond what any means of graphics, no matter how spectacular, can do in terms of creating a realistic gaming experience for the player. It is not just samples that go into making a games sound design such an important part of the experience either. Soundtracks from the likes of Grand Theft Auto and The Legend of Zelda are instantly recognisable to fans of the series and are incorporated into their respective game’s design to make them integral parts of the experience. After all who could forget the melancholic stylings of the enchanting melody that rang out in the Windmill Hut of Ocarina of Time’s, Kakariko Village. The success of the Video Games Live concert just goes to show how deeply gamers across

COD 4’s use of sound immersed us in the ongoing war

the world interact with the soundtracks of their favourite games. Though it is impossible to deny the importance of graphics in creating a gaming world, despite how hard I might want to try, this debate is about the gaming experience and not which component is more central to allowing the game to be played. I do not wish to rob my esteemed companion of all credit, as a game’s graphical quality can enhance the overall experience. One need only look at the likes of Okami, or Geometry Wars for an example of this. However, these rare occurrences cannot possibly eradicate the memory of a plethora of ditties hidden away in the back of gamers’ minds, ever reminding them of some of their most treasured gaming experiences. So I say to you, buck the trend of component cables and HDTV sets and instead invest in some luxurious speakers and usher in the sound of the next generation. Rhys Simons

GTA IV’s sound excellently portrayed a ‘real’city

WHAT THE REST OF US THINK While graphics are undoubtedly one of the most obvious cornerstones of gaming, for me, great sound design can heighten the experience to an even greater level than swanky visuals can.

I think I have to go for visuals. For all the beauteous melodies that Kondo and Uematsu can create within a gaming experience, a game just could not capture your imagination fully without a reasonable graphical style.

Close your eyes and Super Mario Galaxy's soaring orchestral score makes you feel like you're flying. And on the other hand, Condemned's terrifying thumps, bumps and moans send cold shivers down your spine.

Think about games like Shadow of the Colossus, Super Mario Galaxy and Final Fantasy X. Each game featured a magnificent soundtrack. However, as well as sounding great, each game looked fantastic. Whilst I am by no means a ‘graphics-whore’, I fully believe in the impact a beautifully created world can make. Richard Rohani

Time to sit up and listen, I say. Tom Hoggins It's amazing how often sound in games is overlooked. As an owner of a surround sound system, I have to say that it has enhanced my gaming experience much more than I thought it would. The roar of competitors’ engines erupting in my rear speakers as I check my mirrors in Gran Turismo, the meaty, gutsy rat-a-tat of an assault rifle in Rainbow Six Vegas and the unsettling Splicer talk in BioShock add real weight to proceedings. A decent sound system won't cost the earth either, unlike an HDTV. Graham Naunton

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I vote for sound on the basis that, although my favourite games of all time have left me gorping at their beauty, I can play back a soundtrack from them and feel utterly back at that place, in that level. Music can be so poignant and powerful that it's tear inducing, (Suteki Da Ne, anyone?) and I can't overlook speech when it's used so thoroughly to tell a story - especially with a distincitve gravelly voice like that of David Hayter. Emily Knox

We’re not the only ones with an opinion and we’d like to hear your thoughts too. Do you think better graphics are more important to a game than great sound? Send an email to debate@dpad-magazine.com with your thoughts on the subject.

I vote sound. Whereas graphics are used to help us navigate around worlds, it's often the soundtrack that sets the mood for them. I remember the gun in Hybrid Heaven on the N64 whimpering into life each time it was fired - the sound effects guy must have taken the day off. I think I would turn a game off first if it had an annoying soundtrack over bad texturing. Richard Angus

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