Gamecca Magazine July 2011 by Gamecca Magazine

Red Faction: Armageddon Hunted:The Demon Forge Duke Nukem Forever Dungeon Siege 3 Child of Eden MX vs ATV Alive and more...

The Big Show E3 2011 Round-Up

A Little Crazy Alice: Madness Returns

High Voltage InFamous 2 reviewed

I S S U E 2 5 / Vo l . 3 Ju l y 2 0 1 1

w w w. g a m e c c a . c o. z a

UNRAVEL MEGATRON’S PLAN TO UNLEASH THE ULTIMATE DECEPTICON ASSASSIN: SHOCKWAVE

HARNESS THE POWER OF STEALTH FORCE AND ENGAGE IN EPIC VEHICULAR COMBAT PLAY BOTH SIDES AS THE ICONIC AUTOBOT AND DECEPTICON TRANSFORMERS CHARACTERS WAGE WAR ONLINE – CUSTOMISE AND LEVEL UP YOUR TRANSFORMERS CHARACTER EXPERIENCE THE GRIPPING BATTLES LEADING UP TO THE FILM

13V HASBRO and its logo, TRANSFORMERS, DARK OF THE MOON, and all related characters are trademarks of Hasbro and are used with permission. © 2011 Hasbro. All rights reserved. © 2011 Paramount Pictures Corporation. Paramount and the Paramount logo are trademarks of ParamountTM. © 2011 Paramount. All Rights Reserved. Camaro, GMC Topkick, and Corvette and all related Emblems and vehicle body designs are General Motors Trademarks used under license to Hasbro, Inc. Game © 2011 Activision Publishing, Inc. Activision is a registered trademark of Activision Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved. ‘2’ , ‘PlayStation’, ‘PS3’, ‘PSP’ and ‘ ’ are trademarks or registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. ‘ ’ is a trademark of the same company. All Rights Reserved. Nintendo 3DS, Nintendo DS and Wii are trademarks of Nintendo. © 2011 Nintendo. KINECT, Xbox, Xbox 360, Xbox LIVE, and the Xbox logos are trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies and are used under license from Microsoft. All other trademarks and trade names are the properties of their respective owners. All rights reserved.

ì ITíS DIFFICULT TO IGNORE

WWW.TRANSFORMERSGAME.COM FACEBOOK.COM/TRANSFORMERSGAME

Inside 6 From the Editor 8 Unstuck No new stuff, please! 10 The Hero Game Moving from raccoons to super-heroes... 16 Gamecca E3 2011 Round-Up A whole bunch of good looking games from E3 2011 50 PS Zealot Arnie’s day in court... 52 Xbox Beat How much more is possible 54 House of Mario Right 3D vs wrong 3D 58 Reviews 20 games we didn’t expect... 104 Flashtastic Strategy is key... 106 Mobility Sports on your phone 108 Essential Classics Building Metropolis 110 Hardware Some awesome gear and gadgets 121 From Space The Duke dilemma

THIS MONTH’S COVER Cole McGrath is as electrifying as ever! Read our review on page 60.

23 51 71 75 81 101

Competitions Dungeon Siege 3 WD Live TV Hub Media Player PS3 Games Bundle Two Worlds 2 Collector’s Edition Shadows of the Damned Tales from Monkey Island Collector’s Edition

gamecca contents • issue 25 • July 2011

InFamous 2

Alice: Madness Returns

Red Faction: Armageddon

The Sims 3: Generations

White Knight Chronicles II

Kung Fu Panda 2

Hunted: The Demon’s Forge

Duke Nukem Forever

Wildlife Park 3

Dungeon Siege 3

Letters: letters@gamecca.co.za

Naruto Shippuden 3D – The New Era

Competition Entries: competitions@gamecca.co.za

Shadows of the Damned

Newsletter Subscriptions: www.gamecca.co.za

No More Heroes: Heroes’ Paradise

Design & Photography: 1337 Media

NRL Rugby League Live

Technical Support: Brian Murdoch

MX vs ATV Alive

Marketing Contact: Katia Taliadoros katia@gamecca.co.za

Surgery Simulator

Child of Eden

Green Lantern: Rise of the Manhunters

100

Happy Party with Hello Kitty & Friends

102

Digger Simulator 2011

Reviews

GAMECCA Vol. 3 Issue 25 July 2011 Editor: Walt Pretorius walt@gamecca.co.za Sub Editor: Charlie Fripp Writers: Alex Scanlon Alexia Pestana Brian Murdoch Bryan Banfield Christo van Gemert Dion Scotten Dylan Bouch James Francis Suvesh Arumugam

Taking fun seriously! CREATED USING

Adobe CS5

MASTER SUITE All rights reserved. No content may be reproduced, copied or transmitted without the express permission of the publishers. Opinions expressed are not necessarily those of the editors and publishers. All Trademarks and Registered Trademarks are the sole property of the respective owners.

GAMECCA is published by 1337 MEDIA

gamecca contents • issue 25 • July 2011

Lots of Excitement From The Editor

by Walt Pretorius

t is with great excitement that I write this Editor’s Note. See, I generally leave writing this part of the magazine right to the end of the creation process, because you never know what interesting things come up while we put Gamecca together. And this time around, we believe that we have a very exciting magazine for you. First of all, we’re excited because this is our birthday issue. It marks the start of the third volume of Gamecca Magazine, closing a two year cycle. It seems longer sometimes, and at others much shorter. But, either way, I think it’s safe to say that we have spent two years building a fun product, and that this magazine is quite obviously here to stay. We hope you feel the same way, and that the 24 issues prior to this one provided you with a great deal of enjoyment and even guidance. The next reason we’re excited is that we have put together a roundup of our favourite

titles from E3 2011. While websites may have blurted the news out mere minutes after it left speakers’ mouths at the expo, we like the fact that we could spend some time digesting the information before delivering it to you. And, as always, there’s quite a lot to be excited about whenever E3

comes to a close; games, consoles and tons of other stuff on the near horizon. The third reason we’re excited – and this may seem strange, but bear with me – is the fact that, in the middle of the year, we are still able to bring you twenty game reviews in a single issue. And some of those reviews are of really big titles. This could perhaps be the start of a shift in the way games are released during the year. Traditionally, US Summer (around this time of year) may be big for movies, but its pretty dead on the game front. And with it being winter here in the Southern Hemisphere, that means many cold days of replaying old games. But, thanks to these new releases, gamers all over South Africa are venturing into the cold to go and buy brand new, good quality products. You may notice that there are no previews in this issue. Quite frankly, we thought it would be somewhat redundant to put previews in, in addition to the E3 round-up. Besides that, try and find preview information at this time… until E3 is over, planning a preview section is next to impossible. But rest assured, the previews will be back from next month. Right, that’s enough from me – if I keep going, I’ll probably get overly verbose and wax lyrical about some ephemeral concepts, while all you want to do is get on with the magazine. So I’m letting you off the hook, as soon as I have thanked everyone on the Gamecca Crew for yet another year of hard work, dedication and overall awesomeness. There. I’m done. You’re free to carry on with your Gamecca reading… g

gamecca column • issue 25 • July 2011

INCREDIBLE DEPTH FOR THE ULTIMATE GAMING EXPERIENCE.

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*3D glasses are required and are included with purchase.

No New Stuff Unstuck

by Charlie Fripp

e all love our respective consoles – and with good reason. If one is even a mild gamer, many hours will be spent on it during the week playing favourite games. Not all players have the disposable income to buy a new game every week, but we still try to get as much out of it as we can. So not all can buy games regularly, never mind a new console. When Xbox released the Slim version of the 360, a lot of gamers rejoiced in the fact that they can acquire the latest technology, while a great deal of us had to sit back and bemoan the fact that we simply couldn’t afford it. I fall into that category, and when the Slim came out my first thought was “Oh, here we go again”. See, I bought my Xbox console about four years ago, so it was still relatively new tech at the time. But we all know that tech doesn’t wait for anyone… The point that I’m working towards is the fact that there have been some rumours that Xbox will be releasing a new console, a follow-up to the 360, in the near future. This comes after Microsoft said that there is still a good four to five years left in the 360. Besides the monetary situation, I don’t think it will be a good idea to release a new console too soon. There is nothing wrong with the way the Slim works at the moment, and if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Sure, game developers are probably itching to code games that can push out more graphics and maybe run faster, but who are they trying to complete with? It has already been established

that PlayStation won’t release the PlayStation 4 for a while, so what’s the rush? If they do release a new console in the next two years, it will probably be my chance to finally grab a Slim console at a very good price, but their only real competition is PlayStation, and we know where that one is going. Sony incurred massive losses when they released the Playstation 3 and only recently started to make a profit on the console that is a good few years old. In the industry it is called Return on Investment, and I don’t think that they would be stupid enough to release a new console so quickly after making a couple of bucks. It will be a sure way to kill off Sony, and nobody would allow that to happen. Sure, the makers have

said that they have the latest tech inside the PS3 and there is no need for a followed-up, but Crytek leaked earlier this month that they are already developing for the next console. So who is dragging us along by the nose? As for the name, I think it would be incredibly stupid to call it the Xbox 720, as some gamers and media have been suggesting. It goes against the grain of what the 360 stands for. For those that don’t know, the 360 means 360 degrees of entertainment, being movies, music, photos and gaming. The name 720 will imply that they have come full-circle and started back at a square one. Well, it will actually be square three if my quick calculations are right, but you get the point… Aside from me not being able to buy a new console in the near future, I think there are a lot of gamers in the same boat. Gaming is still on the increase, with more consoles being sold daily, and it would alienate the gamers who just bought a 360 Slim. Sure, one could argue that you would have known about the new console well in advance and would thus hold off on buying one, but what if you bought one a day before the announcement? I wouldn’t be impressed, but then again, there really isn’t anything anybody can do about that. Bad luck, I guess. So in closing, please Microsoft… don’t release another console within the next two years. It will be rushed and you have nothing to prove to anybody. I can assure you that you have nothing to worry about, despite what might have been announced recently. g

gamecca column • issue 25 • July 2011

Feature

The Hero Game Trading racoons for super-powers

gamecca feature • issue 25 • July 2011

by Walt Pretorius

ounded in 1997 in Bellevue, Washington, USA, Sucker Punch productions forn part of a trio of development teams specialising in platforming titles for Sony Computer Entertainment. Or, at least, they used to. But, like Naughty Dog and Insomniac Games, Sucker Punch have moved towards more mature games. The games that defined much of Sucker Punch’s reputation were the Sly Cooper games. In fact, up until 2009, only one of the four games that Sucker Punch produced did not belong to the Sly Cooper franchise. This game, called Rocket: Robot on Wheels was also the only title they made that wasn’t exclusive to a Sony console. All three of the Sly Racoon titles – Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus, Sly 2: Band of Thieves and Sly 3: Honor Among Thieves – were PlayStation 2 titles. Incidentally, all the games they made up until this point featured raccoons as main characters. The release of the PlayStation 3 opened up new opportunities for Sucker Punch. They were well aware that they needed to create a game for this new Sony platform, and the increased hardware power that it possessed allowed them to run with some new ideas. But InFamous was not that new an idea for Sucker Punch. With the completion of the third Sly Cooper title, the team decided that they wanted to move away from the stealth-platform genre and towards something more ‘outspoken.’ Being comic book fans, they decided that a superhero game was the right direction to go in, and a potentially long development cycle meant that the game would be destined to be released on the PS3. However, they didn’t necessarily want to go with a known comic franchise. Instead, they wanted to make it something unique and original, and follow the idea of a comic-book style origin story… basically a tale which tells how a character goes from being a normal human to a super-hero. But there were inspirations behind the title admitted director Nate Fox. These included DMZ and No Man’s Land, both published by DC Comics, as well as the Batman Begins movie and the Grand Theft Auto game franchise. Fox even pointed to his own experiences in the WTO riots

gamecca feature • issue 25 • July 2011

Feature

gamecca feature • issue 25 • July 2011

in Seattle in 1999. Armed with a strong idea and a lot of ambition, Sucker Punch began developing the game with a team of 60 people. While they could have taken advantage of requesting funds from Sony to increase the team (and thereby cutting the development time from three years to two) Brian Fleming, the producer of the title, felt that Sucker Punch’s iteration-based approach to development worked better with a smaller team. One of the key features of InFamous was the freedom that the player would enjoy within the title. Initially, the game was even more free and open than the final product, with the player able to buy new powers at any time. However, this led to problems for the team, in terms of mission structure and plot-lines, and the decision was made to grant the player new powers as part of the story. There were numerous powers that were also cut from the final product. Another massive consideration was the setting. The team wanted to create a truly lawless environment for the player to experience. In addition, they had to make sure that the powers given to Cole, the main character of the game, worked well in the environment. The city was intentionally made in a way that Cole would easily be able to climb buildings, because this was considered (by the team) to be an important part of the super-hero motif, as well as being ‘fun to do’. Perhaps one of the most important elements of the game was the inclusion of the ‘karma’ system. The team wanted to create the idea that the player had choices. They also wanted the player to be able to opt for the more difficult ‘good’ route or the easier ‘evil’ route, thus reinforcing the idea of a selfless hero – at least for those that took the good path. To display the differences in the two approaches, Cole’s powers were carefully designed to complement them; good powers were more precise, while evil powers were more destructive. InFamous was well received by press and public alike. By the end of 2009, over 1.2 million copies of the game had been sold, and it had received numerous awards and accolades, including Best

gamecca feature • issue 25 • July 2011

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glamecca feature • issue 25 • July 2011

Story from IGN, and Game of the Year and Best Acting at the 2009 Golden Game Awards. A sequel was not an option – it was inevitable. News of a sequel became official in July of 2010, when Game Informer put InFamous 2 on their cover. Part of that news was that the character of Cole had undergone extensive changes – essentially making him look completely different. But when fans came out in overwhelming support of the original character, Sucker Punch decided to meld elements of the old and new designs, to keep him more recognisable. In addition, the developers worked to make the karma system have more of an effect in the second title, rather than just influencing cosmetic changes and minor in-game elements. Part of this is the ability to develop augmented abilities, based on those of other characters in the game. Additionally, the team worked on improving the environment, making it far more interactive than the original title. The combat system, as far as melee was concerned, was also overhauled. The sequel would prove to be a much more ambitious project than the first game. Where the first iteration used around 30% of the PS3’s cel processor’s power, InFamous 2 weights in closer to 60%. And yet Sucker Punch required a shorter development time on the new title, which hit shelves around two years after the first. With the InFamous franchise, Sucker Punch have proven that they aren’t just platform-specialists, but can also produce excellent open-world games with more mature themes. Whether there will be a third instalment in the InFamous franchise remains to be seen, but it does seem likely. And what about Sly Cooper, the franchise that helped them build their reputation? Well, it seems that the franchise is alive and well. But it’s not with Sucker Punch anymore… a remastered version of the three games was released for PS3 by Sanzaru Games, who are also working on a fourth instalment of that particular series. Not that Sucker Punch need to go back to Sly Cooper. Thanks to InFamous, they have proven themselves to be more than capable of creating inspiring, engaging and fun titles that don’t involve raccoons. g gamecca feature • issue 25 • July 2011

Feature

Gamecca

E3 2011 Round-Up

e love this time of year here at Gamecca, for two main reasons. The first is that it’s our birthday. The second is that E3 is done and dusted for another year. That might seem like a strange thing to say; most people look forward to E3, but we look forward to the end of it. It’s pretty simple, really... once the show is over, we can sit back - and by we, I mean gamers - and take stock of what the show had on offer. We can take a leisurely look at what was announced, what was on show, and what to look forward to. Sure, the rush and excitement of the three day event is all fine and well, and journalists all over the world hurry to get their stories up before everyone else, because there’s an information hungry public out there who want to know now, now, now!

But here’s the thing... while it’s great to get all that information crammed into your brain within a 72 hour period, it is something of an overload. Call us laid back if you will (and trust me, you would be wrong) but sometimes it’s nice to sit back and take stock of something at one’s own pace. And that counts for E3, too... Not that it happened all that long ago, of course, but enough time has passed for us to properly digest all that exciting info from LA. And so, without further ado, here are the games we think are worth mentioning from E3 2011. They take up the next few pages, and are presented in no particular order because we don’t want to seem biased in any way, means or form. You’ll need to turn the page to get started... we hope that it doesn’t take too much energy... gamecca feature • issue 25 • July 2011

18V © 2011 ZeniMax Media Inc. Hunted: Die Schmiede Der Finsternis, Bethesda, Bethesda Softworks, ZeniMax and related logos are registered trademarks or trademarks of ZeniMax Media Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries. Developed in association with inXile Entertainment Inc. inXile Entertainment and the inXile Entertainment logo are registered trademarks or trademarks of inXile Entertainment Inc. Windows, the Windows Start button, Xbox, Xbox 360, Xbox LIVE, and the Xbox logos are trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies, and “Games for Windows” and the Windows Start button logo are used under license from Microsoft. “2”, “PlayStation”, “PS3”, “Ã” and “À” are trademarks or registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Feature

Spider-Man: Edge of Time Release Date: Sep 2011 Platforms:PS3, X360, Wii, 3DS, DS

Spider-Man: Edge of Time is a focused, action-packed adventure set in two connected and evolving timelines. It ranges from the contemporary times of the Amazing Spider-Man to the corrupted future world of Spider-Man 2099, against the backdrop of a rich, tightly crafted narrative by acclaimed Marvel veteran Peter David. Spidey-Tron.

Lord of the Rings: War in the North Release Date: 2011 Platforms: PC, PS3, X360

Warner Bros is using its rights to the Tolkien novels and movies for this thirdperson action RPG. Head up North for the big War of The Ring. It promises to be mature, in-depth and chockfull of co-op goodness. It might even be fun for people other than LOTR fans...

The Gunstringer Release Date: Q4 2011 Platforms:X360

The Gunstringer is set in the Wild West and revolves around a sheriff who rises from his grave with one thing on his mind: revenge. Gameplay will feature Kinect interaction instead of a controller, controlling movement with one hand while shooting enemies with the other.

gamecca feature â&#x20AC;˘ issue 25 â&#x20AC;˘ July 2011

Battlefield 3

Release Date: Oct 2011 Platforms: PC, PS3, X360 The Battlefield series has been one of the most successful war titles since the early 2000s, and the third instalment (eleventh in the complete series) will be no different. The title will feature stunning graphics with realistic physics, which will draw the player closer to the combat. In terms of gameplay, the title will feature a single player campaign, which is a slight departure from the previous Battlefield games, which were multiplayer only. Other additions come in the form of fighter jets, the prone position and 64-player battles on PC that were absent from Battlefield Bad Company. Most of the combat will take place in familiar locations like Paris, Tehran, Sarajevo, Sulaymaniyah (Iraq), New York, Wake Island and Oman, and it will mainly involve urban warfare in streets and back alleys, while some open maps will lend themselves to vehicle battles. In multiplayer combat, gamers can take control of a class-based soldier, namely Assault, Support, Engineer or Recon. A few changes have been made with the Frostbite 2 engine, which will now allow players to blind others with the engineer’s flashlight, while LMG fire will blur the vision of suppressed players.

gamecca feature • issue 25 • July 2011

Feature

Gears of War 3 Release Date: Sep 2011 Platforms:X360

One of the most anticipated games of the year, Gears of War 3 will give players a stunning conclusion to the trilogy that they’ll never forget. The title will feature fourplayer co-op for the first time in the series, and players will get to fully control a silver mech suit.

Far Cry 3

Release Date: 2012 Platforms: PC, PS3, X360 It’s no surprise that we’re seeing a new Far Cry game on the way. This time, the franchise returns to the tropical island idea used in the first title, which should be lots of fun. Freeform action and lots of choices for the player will be the order of the day.

Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City Release Date: Q4 2011 Platforms: PC, PS3, X360

After mostly exhausting any future stories for this franchise, Capcom turns back to the start and revisits the events of ill-fated Raccoon city from the second and third games. This time you work for Umbrella Corp. and take care of company business in 4-player co-op third-person shooter.

gamecca feature • issue 25 • July 2011

Forza Motorsport 4 Release Date: Oct 2011 Platforms: X360 The highest rated racing franchise in history is back with a new title Forza 4. The latest title in the Forza franchise has cutting edge graphics, revolutionary KINECT integration and a diversity of exciting and exotic cars. Forza 4 will have a variety of different handling assists to accommodate the seasoned veteran or any newcomer to racing games. The graphics have had a renovation of their own, with an all new unified lighting – and the alternating time of day will make sure you see the track in a different way, also bringing the most beautiful environments to life. Car clubs will let online communities get closer than ever before, working together towards a common goal, sharing liveries, tuning and car set-ups. Race on-line with up to 16 players and earn team points with your car club. Forza will have a world tour career mode where you’ll be racing the world’s best circuits. As well as the usual exciting and intense career modes you will also find autocross, time trial as well as Top Gear inspired challenges, which include the not so top secret top gear track.

gamecca feature • issue 25 • July 2011

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Ratchet & Clank: All 4 One Release Date: Oct 2011 Platforms: PS3

The mechanic and his robot are back in another platform adventure, but this time flanked by two series regulars, Dr Nefarious and Captain Qwark - and it will support stereoscopic 3D. Together they form the first co-op iteration in the series, so start making three friends.

Need for Speed:The Run Release Date: Nov 2011 Platforms: PC, PS3, X360, Wii, 3DS

The franchise is return to the world of underground racing, with lots of fast cars, high-speed action and illegal street antics. EA are working a story into the game as well, which will lead the player on a race across the USA. Powered by a DICE engine, it should be lots of fun.

FIFA 12

Release Date: Sep 2011 Platforms: PS3, X360, Wii, PSP, 3DS The nineteenth game in the series, and the FIFA franchise has just grown in strength every year. The latest instalment promises to add a lot of new features, such as a new player impact engine, all-new tactical defending and precision dribbling. If history is anything to go by, this instalment will be the best one yet.

gamecca feature â&#x20AC;˘ issue 25 â&#x20AC;˘ July 2011

c ompe t i t io n • c omp eti ti o n • c om pe tit ion • com pe t ition • com pe t it ion

DON’T VENTURE OUT

ALONE

WIN

A Dungeon Siege 3 game hamper + an extra game for your buddy! Courtesy of Megarom and Square Enix TO ENTER: Send an email to competitions@gamecca.co.za. Tell us the name of the publisher of Dungeon Siege 3 Tell us whether you would prefer Xbox 360 or PS3 Insert ‘DS3 competition’ in the mail’s subject line. Subscribe to www.gamecca.co.za Become a fan on Gamecca’s Facebook Page Competition closes 31 July 2011. Gamecca subscribers only. South African residents only. Prizes may not be exchanged for cash. Games may be ‘white label’ products. Hampers may not include a copy of the game. Competition closed to employees (& employee’s family) of 1337 Media CC & Megarom Interactive The judges’ decision is final.

Feature

Dead Island

Release Date: Sep 2011 Platforms: PC, PS3, X360 A tropical island full of zombies and you: sounds like a vacation nightmare. But spice it up into a Far Cry 2-style open world with loads of exploration and this might be onto something. The E3 announcement of co-op gameplay makes Dead Island just sound so much sweeter.

Aliens: Colonial Marines Release Date: Q2 2012 Platforms: PC, PS3, X360

Players are a part of the United States Colonial Marine squad and must face the assault of alien life, the biggest assault on mankind yet. Aliens: Colonial Marines will feature an all new four player co-op in which each player will be their own marine and will have a complete role in every mission.

Overstrike

Release Date: TBA Platforms: PS3, X360 The first non-Sony venture by Insomnia (Ratchet & Clank, Resistance) is a four-player co-op action game where your team has to stop the world from being conquered. Heavy action, lots of gadgets, great graphics and cutting-edge gameplay - this is what Insomniac is promising and we have no reason to doubt.

gamecca feature â&#x20AC;˘ issue 25 â&#x20AC;˘ July 2011

Skylanders: Spyro’s Adventure Release Date: Platforms:

Now this is a great idea. Activision are combining collectible toys with a video game. No, not basing a game on a toy range, but rather integrating the toy range into the game itself. Skylanders: Spyro’s Adventures will introduce the player to a colourful action-platformer that will combine puzzling with more standard platform dynamics. And the world will be populated by a bunch of really entertaining and cute characters, each with their own strengths and weaknesses. That’s where the toys come in. When placed on the ‘portal’ peripheral (which will be hooked up to the console) the character figurine will activate that character in the game, instantly. Characters can be changed in game, just by changing the figurines (provided you have extra figurines, that is.) And it gets even better. The characters gain experience and new powers, the data of which is stored in the physical figurines themselves – this means that you can take your figurines to a friend and still play at the level they were at when last used. And there’s even more – these figurines will be “cross platform”. So, if you play the game on a PS3, for example, and want to use them on your buddy’s Wii, you can – with all data intact. Now how cool is that? gamecca feature • issue 25 • July 2011

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Soulcalibur V

Release Date: 2012 Platforms:PS3, X360 It will be exactly 17 years since the release of the first Soulcalibur game when this title hits shelves, but don’t expect any Street Fighter 4-level makeovers. It does take advantage of the timeline (which takes place 17 years after the original) to introduce new characters and return old ones. So more of the same.

Mario Party 9 Release Date: TBA Platforms: Wii

They haven’t been saying much about Mario Party 9, but if Nintendo’s track record is anything to go by, this will be a fun filled title. We’re anticipating tons of mini-games and the like – more of what we’re used to from this franchise.

Mass Effect 3

Release Date: Mar 2012 Platforms: PC, PS3, X360 With the final chapter of the trilogy coming to a stunning end, gameplay for this instalment will be affected by decisions made in the first two games. Combat has been slightly refined with a new cover system, and the inclusion of Kinect support is sure to see out the series with a bang.

gamecca feature • issue 25 • July 2011

Wii U I was watching when the Wii U was announced and at first thought they were talking about their new online section for the Wii. It moved on to more questions of whether the controller was just a new add-on to the current Wii. Then when I started hearing the game line up and in the demo video I saw a glimpse of the new console. The next Nintendo home console is finally upon us but to be honest, I was expecting a little more. The Wii U might have a not so good name but it is a long awaited upgrade of the current system. The new controller has a touch screen with the buttons build around it. There are two analogue controls and two triggers at the back, and an array of standard Nintendo buttons in the right places. The interaction with the touch screen and the main 1080p TV screen opens up so many possibilities for gaming. The Wii U controller, which has not got a name yet, can also be used as a screen to play current Wii games off of, while others watch TV. The good news, other than Nintendo popping up their hardware specifications to just above those other HD consoles, is that all the controllers and games that you have for the Wii will be usable with the Wii U. This means all your money invested in Wii Remotes and Nunchuks is not going to be wasted when the new console comes out. There will, however, will be no support for the GameCube controller and games any more. The Wii U is going for the CoreGamer market and we know that the current Wii was aimed, fired... and shot the social market into gaming. This makes me think that with all this compatibility, the two consoles might live side by side for a long time to come. Wii games will continue to be made for the social gamer and the Wii U games will be for the more passionate gamer. They are currently doing this same thing with the 3DS and DS! gamecca feature â&#x20AC;˘ issue 25 â&#x20AC;˘ July 2011

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Resistance 3

Release Date: Sep 2011 Platforms: PS3 The Chimera virus has wreaked havoc across the U.S. and its hordes are picking away at the remaining pockets of human existence. It’s this gloomy world, compared by developer Insomniac to The Road and District 9, that you step into. Expect stealth and action alike in this shooter.

Deus Ex: Human Revolution Release Date: Aug 2011 Platforms: PC, PS3, X360

Deus Ex: Human Revolution takes place 25 years before Deus Ex, with the story line leading up to the original series title. Play as Adam Jensen, the survivor of an attack that forces him to undergo human augmentation which leaves him with near superhuman abilities.

Brothers in Arms: Furious 4 Release Date: Platforms:

Published by Ubisoft, Brothers in Arms: Furious 4 take players on a journey through Germany, as the four zany main characters try to hunt down Hitler himself – which is a stark departure from the franchise. The title should be a combination of the film Inglorious Basterds and Borderlands.

gamecca feature • issue 25 • July 2011

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Silent Hill: Downpour Release Date: Oct 2011 Platforms: PS3, X360

You can’t keep an evil, reality-twisting, dreamfuelled town down and this franchise is back with a new original episode, this time starring a convict trapped in the foggy streets. Will it go back to the original psychological horror or opt for the scare-a-minute of the new games? The former, we hope...

Paper Mario 3DS Release Date: TBA Platforms: 3DS

There have been more than a few grumbles about the fact that Nintendo’s iconic hero, Mario, hasn’t appeared on the 3DS yet. Well, now there are a bunch of games coming, including a 3DS version of the very popular Paper Mario. This will certainly keep fans more than a little happy.

Tales of the Abyss Release Date: 2011 Platforms: 3DS

Do you love Japanese RPGs? Did you fall for Tales Of The Abyss when it appeared on the PlayStation 2 in 2006? Have you ever thought: “Gosh, if only they would make a version for the 3DS?” Hold onto your sexually-ambiguous trousers, because it’s happening...

gamecca feature • issue 25 • July 2011

Bioshock Infinite Release Date: 2012 Platforms: PC, PS3, X360 2K Games’ very popular Bioshock series is about to emerge from the murky depths and go soaring into the heavens. Yes, that’s right: when Bioshock Infinite hits shelves next year, the player will no longer be exploring the sunken city of Rapture. Rather, they will be transported to a city in the clouds, the floating city of Columbia. Set in 1912, Bioshock Infinite will see the player take on the role of an exPinkerton agent searching for a young woman imprisoned in the lost city of Columbia. “In order to explore the floating city of Columbia, we needed an entirely new engine,” said Irrational Games creative director Ted Levine. “To bring Elizabeth to life, we had to build brand-new animation and AI systems. To create wide-ranging indoor and outdoor firefights at 30,000 feet, we had to rethink, rebuild and expand the BioShock arsenal. The only thing gamers can be certain of is this: the rules of the BioShock universe are about to change.” It all sounds rather thrilling, and seeing the franchise move from its previous location to an allnew setting is great news. There’s nothing wrong with Rapture as a location, but keeping Bioshock fresh will make this new instalment that much more exciting.

gamecca feature • issue 25 • July 2011

Feature

Inversion

Release Date: 2012 Platforms: PS3, X360 Gravity is one force that shooter games have attempted to reign in since the 90s, sometimes with mixed results. Namco believes it has nailed it this, where you can bend gravity and even have zero-g battles amongst destructible terrain with special weapons.

UFC Undisputed 3 Release Date: TBA Platforms: PS3, X360

Undisputed 3 will give you a chance of traditional or simplified gameplay control options but with the same brutality as before. It will include two new fighting classes, more than 150 fighters to choose from and new fighting moves like soccer style kicks, head stomping and ground moves such as knees to the head.

SSX: Deadly Descents Release Date: TBA Platforms: PS3, X360

We haven’t seen an SSX game in ages! This new snowboarding title will carry on the over-the-top nature of the previous games, but with a bit more of a serious edge. It will pit the player against the forces of nature on the deadliest slopes in the world. Sounds thrilling.

gamecca feature • issue 25 • July 2011

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Release Date: Nov 2011 Platforms: PC, PS3, X360 If there is one series that made a name for Bethesda, it has to be the Elder Scrolls. These games go back ages, and have struck a cord with fans of action based fantasy role playing pretty much since the word go. The long awaited fifth instalment in the series will likely do the same. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim will take gamers on an epic journey as they enter the reimagined world of Tamriel at a time of crisis. While political squabbles fill the void left after the murder of the King of Skyrim, an ancient evil awakens to threaten the world once more. OK, it might not sound like the most original plotline but, let’s be honest, original fantasy plots are extremely rare. What the game will offer, though, is an intriguing open-world fantasy adventure (if the series’ track record is anything to go by) complete with an all new engine driving it. Players will have ultimate flexibility with tons of weapons, abilities and spells to choose from as they adventure is a world that developers are promising us is like nothing we have seen before. Oh, yeah, and did we mention the dragons? Those extra-cool mythological creatures will be making a return to the franchise, and players will learn to harness their secrets and powers. Nothing better than being a bad-ass, right? gamecca feature • issue 25 • July 2011

Feature

Halo 4

Release Date: TBA Platforms: X360 Bungie might have retired from its epic series, but the torch has been passed to 343 Studios as Halo 4 becomes official. What is it about? Not a clue, but it’s back in Master Chief’s boots. Also, a remastered version of the first Halo is on the cards.

Professor Layton and the Last Specter Release Date: Q3 2011 Platforms: DS

With everyone going gaga over the 3DS, it’s nice to see solid games for the older handheld still being released. Despite the dodgy spelling in the title, this game will continue the excellent puzzling and brain-teasing set forth in all the previous Professor Layton games. We hope to hear a few more details soon…

Ghost Recon: Future Soldier Release Date: March 2012 Platforms: PC, PS3, X360, Wii, DS, PSP

Previously titled Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon 4, the next instalment of the hugely popular Tom Clancy’s and Ghost Recon series will transport players to a futuristic battlefield across various locations such as Norway, the Middle East, and Asia. With stunning graphics and a hard-hitting story, players will once again be fighting an ultra-nationalist force.

gamecca feature • issue 25 • July 2011

PS Vita While Nintendo have been churning out a new DS model pretty much every other month, Sony has been quiet on the handheld front. However, that has come to an end with the announcement of the PS Vita. The 3G and Wi-Fi enabled Vita will introduce connectivity unlike any seen on previous Sony handheld models. Party play and connecting with friends will be easier than ever before, or so Sony claims, and a number of facilities will enable users to interact with their friends vie the network set up around the Vita. Playing games on the Vita will be a different experience, thanks to some new control ideas that have been added. The unit has the standard D-pad and four face buttons, as well as two shoulder buttons – much like a PSP. It also has two analogue sticks. But the real difference will come from the 5-inch multitouch LCD screen and the rather unique rear mounted touch pad. By combining these two control devices, Sony are hoping to create what they describe as a “three dimensional motion” through using both control systems at the same time. A whole bunch of games have been announced for the Vita already, including firstparty franchise entrants like WipeOut, Uncharted and ModNation racers. The Vita promises to be highly original, if nothing else, and a refreshing change in the Sony handheld stable. Chances are that the 3G unit will land locally at the R3000 mark, although no prices have been confirmed just yet. Still, this may be one that you want to start saving up for… gamecca feature • issue 25 • July 2011

Feature

Metro: Last Light

Release Date: 2012 Platforms: PC, PS3, Wii U, X360 Last Light will combine the familiar survival horror and first-person shooter elements from its predecessor Metro 2033, and although it’s a sequel, it will bear no resemblance to the novel of the same name. Set a year later, players will once again take control of Artyom as he struggles for survival.

LEGO Harry Potter:Years 5 – 7 Release Date: Q4 2011 Platforms: 3DS, DS, PC, PS3, PSP, PSV, Wii, X360 The last years of Harry’s tenure at that wizard’s school, presented in the money-printing LEGO games franchise and just in time for the final movie in the series. Expect even more strange magic-based puzzles, extra spells, as well as the new characters and areas from the books.

Dark Souls

Release Date: Oct 2011 Platforms: PS3, X360 As if Demon’s Souls wasn’t difficult enough, Namco Bandai are releasing an even tougher sequel in the form of Dark Souls. This fantasy epic will provide the player with tons of monsters and equipment, and more challenge than you can shake a stick at. This is gaming masochism at its best.

gamecca feature • issue 25 • July 2011

Feature

Fable:The Journey Release Date: TBA Platforms: X360

Microsoft needed a hardcore game for the Kinect and Peter Molyneux obliged. Ride your horse and wield magic in this Kinect-only Fable, which is a spin-off and not a sequel. It didn’t really blow the roof off E3, but maybe everyone was hoping for a Kinect version of Black & White.

XCOM

Release Date: Mar 2012 Platforms: PC, PS3, X360 XCOM will be a brand new perspective on the well-loved strategy series, introducing a personal first person view of the alien invasion. The plot is set in the 1960’s with the FBI assigning the player to investigate the mysterious appearance of the alien invaders.

From Dust

Release Date: Q3 2011 Platforms: PC, XBLA, PSN The people in From Dust are primitive and have lost touch with their history and culture. It is up to the player to help them restore what they have lost by helping them relearn skills, build new villages and add lush greenery to their barren lands. Micro-God complex, anyone?

gamecca feature • issue 25 • July 2011

Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception Release Date: Nov 2011 Platforms: PS3 Nathan Drake, that dashing adventurer that fans have come to love in the first two instalments of the Uncharted franchise, will be making his return fairly soon, thanks to developers Naughty Dog. This time around a search for a 16th century artefact will take him to the heart of the Arabian Desert – with lots of action along the way. The developers are promising a lot from this title but, knowing the track history of this franchise, those promises won’t be empty. We’re talking bigger set pieces, more action, improved physics and visual effects, better graphics, tweaked control… the whole shebang. And then, naturally, there will be the multiplayer aspect of the title, allowing up to ten players to engage in Team Death Match sessions (5 vs 5), as well as eight player free for all and six player Three Team Death Match (2 vs 2 vs 2, as it were). Player matching will be improved, and the awesome cinematic feel of the single player campaign wil also be introduced into the multiplayer sessions. Treasure hunting is what Drake does best, and the player will be able to collect a variety of items that will unlock new stuff within the game. Sounds good to us.

gamecca feature • issue 25 • July 2011

Feature

Assassin’s Creed: Revelations Release Date: Platforms:

“I have lived my life to the best of my ability. But I have not been able to escape fate, anger, or pain. Bring me the answers and the road that leads to the truth. Reveal to me once and for all, how all of this will end.” Ezio Auditore, Assassin’s Creed: Revelations

Dragon’s Dogma Release Date: 2012 Platforms: PS3, X360

Capcom has paired two of the big talents behind Devil May Cry 4 for this project, an action-packed 3rd person fantasy brawler. Take on fantastic monsters and, with the help of two sidekicks, take them down, improving your skills to take on the titular dragon at the end.

Gotham City Imposters Release Date: 2012 Platforms: PC, PS3, X360

Gotham City Imposters is a DC Comic based first person team shooter featuring good versus bad guy combat, Batman style. Players will choose between a Batman or Joker themed team and kit up using the chosen side’s favourite gadgets while engaging in deathmatch or capture the flag games.

gamecca feature • issue 25 • July 2011

Hitman: Absolution Release Date: 2012 Platforms: PC, PS3, X360 Agent 47 is set to make his return in the long awaited fifth title of this series. It will be the first to come out since the deal happened between Eidos and Square Enix, but it doesn’t look like that business arrangement has changed too much of what we can expect. The story, of course, will follow Agent 47 – that much-loved bald-headed anti-hero – as he takes on his most dangerous contract yet (again.) It’s a story of betrayal, intrigue and conspiracy, meaning that it’s pretty standard stuff for the franchise as far as plot goes. “For the first time we are taking Agent 47 on a personal journey which allows us to explore other parts of the Hitman fantasy,” said Tore Blystad, game director, IO Interactive. “This is both a familiar and yet significantly different experience to any of the other Hitman games, something our silent assassins will relish as well as those who are new to the Hitman world.” Well, it sounds pretty interesting, to be honest, and the fact that the game has been built from the ground up using Eidos’ proprietary Glacier 2 technology means that it should look and feel pretty good.

gamecca feature • issue 25 • July 2011

18V

Feature

Ninja Gaiden 3 Release Date: TBA Platforms: PS3, X360

Ryu is in Britain to save the Prime Minister. Seriously - that is the plot of Ninja Gaiden 3. But who ever really cared about the story? This series is about chaining bloodcurling combos and laying down the law with sweeps of your sword, rewarded with ample gore and dismemberment. The third outing is no different.

Sniper: Ghost Warrior 2 Release Date: Q1 2012 Platforms: PC, PS3, X360

With locations based on the real world, realistic bullet physics and new vehicle sections (to name but a few) the sequel to this year’s Sniper: Ghost Warrior will certainly be a great game for stealth shooter fans. Lots of new innovations and technology are promised for this early 2012 release.

Saints Row:The Third Release Date: Nov 2011 Platforms: PC, PS3, X360

Published by THQ and developed by Volition, the third game in the sand-box series will see players once again take control of the leader of the Third Street Saints, as they battle it out again The Syndicate in the fictional town of Steelport. Just as with previous games, the final instalment will also feature co-op play.

gamecca feature • issue 25 • July 2011

Super Mario

Release Date: Q4 2011 Platforms: 3DS Super Mario is coming to the 3DS and gives the impression that it’s going to be another Super Mario Galaxy, but for the 3DS. The level designers from the Galaxy games have been brought in to design the stages in this game as well. The reality is that the 3D here is actually only 2.5D. All the modelling and objects are in 3D and the 3D effect of the game is great but the stages lead to more corridorstyle paths through the stage and not 3D world effects. There aren’t even any wide open space like those in Super Mario 64. This, combined with a few bad camera angles (locked in place) will make the game hard to play, if not particularly difficult. It is a good idea to have a new Mario title on the 3D, but I do feel that some new Mario fans, wanting the next best thing in the game and having played Galaxy, will be a bit disappointed. The tail on the end of the logo was shown to us at the GDC, but they were keeping back what it is until E3. It’s a raccoon tail and Mario has new suits to turn into. It comes from the old Tanooki suit but let’s not dwell on that because the new one does not let you fly. There is a bit of a glide but the main use of the tail is to bash enemies.

gamecca feature • issue 25 • July 2011

Feature

Anarchy Reigns Release Date: Jan 2012 Platforms: PS3, X360

Anarchy Reigns is an action brawler with more online multiplayer options than your standard fighter, while including unique characters, each with their own devastating weapons and attacks. Free for all death matches and unique challenge matches involving up to eight players at a time promise something new for the player.

Crush3d

Release Date: Sep 2011 Platforms: 3DS It’s not just a play on words: Crush3d is a clever platform game for the 3DS where switching dimensions is key to making your way to the exit. Alternate between 2D and 3D to get past obstacles and defeat enemies - used to great effect by the 3DS’ screen.

Supremacy MMA Release Date: Sep 2011 Platforms: PS3, X360

If it can happen in a real match, it can - and will happen in Supremacy MMA. Telling the story of up and coming fighters in their quest for supremacy, brutal action and no holds barred fighting is the flavour of this official television style presentation. This game aims to raise the bar with fast, fluid combat, intuitive controls and true to the sport brutality.

gamecca feature • issue 25 • July 2011

Tomb Radier

Release Date: Sep 2012 Platforms: PC, PS3, X360 Lara Croft is more interesting than she has been in years. Square Enix’s new Tomb Raider will take a large step back to when our beloved Lara was only 21 years old and in search of adventure. Little did she know that the adventure would make its way to her. The younger, frightened Lara will draw you in to the story that made her who she is today. Things don’t go according to plan as Lara ends up shipwrecked on a mysterious island and held captive by an unknown enemy. Is it a coincidence? We know her better than that! Tomb Raider is primarily about survival and the maps will consist of open environments to explore. It is going to be a visceral, emotional experience as Lara is not yet a strong fighter and must learn the hardships of surviving in the wild. The story is very much character based, and in the way we see Lara express fear and anxiety during the opening ordeal, that certainly seems true. Forget about Angelina Jolie and her over-exaggerated female attributes, this will be a definite ‘facelift’ for the Tomb Raider series.

gamecca feature • issue 25 • July 2011

Feature

Just Dance 3

Release Date: Oct 2011 Platforms: PS3, X360, Wii The Just Dance franchise was a surprise hit the world over, so it’s little surprise that we’re seeing a third instalment. Was is big news, though, is that the addictive dance action will now be available for owners of HD consoles as it makes its debut on the PS3 and X360 platforms.

Renegade Ops Release Date: 2011 Platforms: PSN, XBLA

From the makers of Just Cause, a top-down allaction shooter heading straight for digital download stores. Four-player co-op (two-player split-screen), destructible terrain, special character abilities, huge weapons... it sounds like an action game wet dream. Considering whose making it, Renegade Ops probably will be.

We’re sure you’ll agree, there is a lot to look forward to within the next year of gaming... and this list is by no means exhaustive. Although there are a lot of sequels on the cards, and not a great many new IPs, one can draw some comfort from the fact that sequels offer familiar territory and the new IPs that have been announced look fairly solid. A number of games that were expected to have announcements made at E3 2011 didn’t appear at all. Some of them are popular and long-anticipated titles, but it seems that some developers and publishers are playing their cards closer to their chests this year. The industry is in one of those weird spaces again, with a lot of people expecting announcements of new console hardware any day now. Of course, if it isn’t announced at E3, it’s not going to be announced anywhere else, so we’ll probably have to wait to hear anything from Microsoft and Sony. Nintendo have, of course, unveiled their new Wii U, which has received mixed responses around the world. With the lack of huge announcements and a bunch of sequels on show, this was one of the quieter years for the LA based trade show. Whatever the case may be, there is great gaming ahead... and Gamecca Magazine will be right there with you, bringing you previews and reviews of all the games you need to play.

gamecca feature • issue 25 • July 2011

He Won’t Be Back PS Zealot

by Suvesh Arumugam

he verdict is in! Those of you following the court petition by (among others) disgraced former California Governor Arnold Schwarzennegar against the gaming industry, claiming that violent games should not be rented or sold in retail stores as they corrupt youth… there is news. It may have taken them a whole six years, but the good folks down at the US Supreme Court ruled that not only was such an action unconstitutional, but that there was no precedent to shield youth from violence and other social ills in other media. To drive the point home, the vote was a landslide 7-2 decision, with one of the dissenting votes being cast by a Justice Clarence Thomas, whose own reputation falls far from the “socially responsible”. I’m much more interested in recent speeches by former Vice President (and President for 15 minutes) Al Gore. He was quoted recently at the Games for Change Festival at New York University, calling for more socially responsible games like Oceanapolis and Trash Tycoon. He also praised Sims developers for their latest project Bar Karma, currently airing on US TV. Gore hailed gaming as the new mass media, and had some very thought provoking ideas about the role the industry is playing and could play in the future. Sony’s digital security woes continue, with several smaller breaches

having occurred in the past weeks… while Sony, and their security providers Symantec, have been adamant that things are under control. A 19 year old suspect was arrested and is still currently being questioned in Britain for suspected cyber terrorism. We now know that a group calling themselves LulzSec have claimed responsibility for the breach in April, as well as several other attacks on game developers, like Bethesda. Three people were also arrested in Spain on suspicion of being part of the group. Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception wowed audiences and critics alike at E3 this year, earning it the shared title of Critics Award for 2011 (along with Bioshock Infinite). The really big news though is that Naughty Dog,

the game’s developers, have created a limited release online multiplayer trailer, which runs until July 14th for selected fans. For those of us without that type of clout, there is still plenty of good DLC to look out for. Expect Call of Duty: Black Ops Annihilation Pack from June 26, with additional maps and a new zombie level, exotically named Shangri-La. UFC has also released their UFC Personal Trainer, for the exercise market. You can also pick up Super Street Fighter IV: Arcade Edition, for some pick-up and-play madness, featuring all the classic characters and a few surprise additions. The launch of Nintendo’s Wii U has definitely been the talk of E3, with a lot of speculation being cast on the other console developers with regard to their reply to this amazing piece of tech. Rumours have surfaced that Microsoft could be planning to launch the next-gen Xbox at next year’s E3. German Developers Crytek have leaked that they are developing a new installment in the Timesplitters series, to coincide with next year’s launch of the console at E3. Sony’s outgoing CEO, Jack Tretton, was unphased by developments at E3. Having just launched the Vita, Tretton was adamant that the PS3 console was only just “hitting its stride” and that the company felt no pressure to fast-track the development and launch of the PS4. Sources have revealed however that Sony have already begun development of the new console, and we hope to help leak as much of that info as possible to you. g

gamecca column • issue 25 • July 2011

c ompe t i t io n • c omp eti ti o n • c om pe tit ion • com pe t ition • com pe t it ion

Entertainment

WIN

A Western Digital TV Live Hub media player! Courtesy of Pinnacle Africa and Western Digital TO ENTER: Send an email to competitions@gamecca.co.za. Tell us the name of the TV Live Hub manufacturer. Insert ‘WD competition’ in the mail’s subject line. Subscribe to www.gamecca.co.za Become a fan on Gamecca’s Facebook Page

Competition closes 31 July 2011. Gamecca subscribers only. South African residents only. Prizes may not be exchanged for cash. Competition closed to employees (& employee’s family) of 1337 Media CC & Pinnacle Africa. The judges’ decision is final.

The Sky’s The Limit Xbox Beat

by Bryan Banfield

ow, E3 came with a flurry, delivered its awesomeness and was gone again. I am always amazed at expos like this one and Gamescom in Germany, and The Tokyo Game Show, at just what these studios are able to put together on a disc and use to push the limits of our gaming experience. I was impressed with The EA conference, with the line up of what they are calling “The Game Changers”… and really, that is what they are proposing. E3’s line up this year, from all the studios, proposes one of the best lines we have ever seen. Yet we say this every year. I am always stunned after events like E3 and am left wondering: “Where to from here?” Haven’t we pushed the Xbox 360 to its limits? Haven’t we squeezed every ounce of processing power out of its three cores? I remember playing Gears of War for the first time. We were setup at the ESWC 2007 at Emperor’s Palace in Johannesburg. Vapour (from the Mayhem Crew) had his Xbox there and I was amazed. What an awesome game. The game-play, graphically… everything. And all of this able to be delivered on 512mb of GDDR3 RAM, clocked at 700MHz. It’s amazing when you are able to develop games knowing exactly what hardware you are dealing with. Well, that was in 2007 when I was left speechless with the first Gears of War title. Now in 2011, with titles like Battlefield 3, Mass Effect 3, Modern Warfare 3, Gears of War 3 and Halo 4, I am left speechless again. Gameplay is changing, studios are pushing

for a more realistic game experience. If, as a player, you are not looking for the overly realistic experience then a title like Torchlight, which is definitely not a new title, is one that offers an amazing experience and is a very well executed dungeon crawler on the Xbox 360 platform. Indie games and Xbox Live Arcade games are packed with hours of fun. Capitalism, profits, shareholders, ego and reputation are what drive this forward and we as gamers have everything to gain! Take a look at DICE, for instance. The release of the Frostbite 2 engine will push the limits further and further. In those circles phrases like MLAA, rendering, market share and profitability are headlining. On the other hand we gamers are the ones that stand to benefit every time. Fork over a little hard earned cash and we are taken to worlds that we can only dreamed of. With the current line up and release dates set, time just can’t seem to march any faster. As an Xbox gamer that started on the old 8-bit Nintendo then moved to me 16-Bit Sega MegaDrive, this is one of the best times to own a console. Can it really get any better? You bet. It will and for the price of a new Xbox 360 title, I’ll be along for the ride. g gamecca column • issue 25 • July 2011

3D vs 3D House of Mario

by Brian Murdoch

don’t like 3D movies anymore. They are keeping me from the cinemas nowadays. I was deterred from going to watch Kung Fu Panda 2. Most of the time it is my five year old son that holds me back a bit from watching movies, but he could come with to watch Kung Fu Panda... 3D movies cost more, are darker because of the glasses and 3D action scenes are lost because they are moving too fast for the eyes to translate 3D and speed at the same time. This is not so bad with the animated movies, but still… The fact that glasses are needed in the movie but not for a 3DS is not just a selling angle. Those cheap glasses given too you are just the bare minimum to enable you to watch. Everyone can go spend R1000 on a good set of glasses but saving R5 per movie is going to take you a long time to make that back. The 3DS has only been showing games and animations in 3D so far. The 3D movies displayed on the device are only ‘almost there’. Am I going to have the same problem? The Green Lantern trailer downloaded via the eShop was not great quality at all, so I am hoping that the actual movie is better. Core Group did a lot of effort in advertising the 3DS to customers, but why were there no 3DS ads in the cinemas shows 3D movies? I believe that it’s because Nintendo wanted a complete separation from the 3D in the movies and the glass-free 3DS effect. Nintendo South Africa are

filming their own ads. I was asked if I wanted to “work for Nintendo South Africa”, or “be on TV”. They were looking for people who could “set up a Wii blindfolded”, so of course, I was that man. Core Group, the South African distributor of Nintendo products, is tired of using the UK ads to advertise the brands. They want a more local feel to the adverts. At Zoo Lake (Johannesburg) on the 25th of June, families were invited to come and play on the Nintendo Wii and maybe be on TV. I was one of the ambassadors, tasked to instruct and demonstrate the games to them. We had four practise rooms for them to warm up in and two live areas to be filmed while playing. The footage needed to be authentic and not put-on, like most would do if they knew they were being filmed, so the “practise rooms” were the room

with the actual cameras. What joy I had watching people “practise” and giving us some of the best reactions to playing Wii I have ever seen. It was cold and we wanted the look in the rooms to be natural so I spent most of the day undressing people out of their warm cloths into what they would wear in the house. I must apologies to the girl I made take off one too many pieces of clothing if I see her again, but don’t worry… they only started filming when I had left the room. We had some really fun families that were so good that they were pulled into the next room to “practise” some more. The one family played for around three hours in total: all natural, beautiful footage. I don’t think they could have gotten better from actors. If you were there, look out on TV, movies, YouTube for the advert to see if you were used. g

gamecca column • issue 25 • July 2011

wii care

faq@nintendogamer.co.za ...for DS too

You wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t only find reviews, news and great community features at www.nintendogamer.co.za. You will also find extremely informative FAQs all about the Wii & DS platforms, and the games you can play on them. At www.nintedogamer.co.za, we want to make sure that the most accurate information & support is free and easy to find.

www.nintendogamer.co.za

And the Award Goes To... Gamecca’s new award system explained

Bronze Award

t may seem like third prize, but the truth is that a Bronze Award from the Gamecca crew is nothing to scoff at. This award is given to games that score between 80 and 89 on our extremely technical and algebraically challenging rating system. Needless to say, Bronze Awards will be the most common ones you see. If a game has a Bronze Award attached to it, you should consider looking into it, particularly if you are a fan of the franchise or the genre it is part of. Now you know... g

Silver Award

f good games get Bronze Awards, great games get silver ones. Games that are rated between 90 and 95 by our panel of experts (well, self-proclaimed experts, actually) then it will get one of these babies. Silver Awards consitute a group of ‘must-play’ games for fans of the genre or franchise they are part of, and should be strongly considered by those that own one of the platforms they appear on. Silver Award games may not be the best of the best, but they are certainly up there, and warrant at least a few more moments of consideration than others. g

gamecca feature • issue 25 • July 2011

gamecca • review

Gold Award

he best of the best get the coveted Gamecca Magazine Gold Award. Well, we’re hoping it will be coveted. We’re prety sure it will be... Games that score between 96 and... ok, well, in theory a game can never score a perfect 100, but you see what we’re saying. Let’s leave existentialism out of this, shall we? These are the games that should require no second thought, or no questions as to whether they need to be played. These games are essential. These are games you buy new platforms for. g

gamecca feature • issue 25 • July 2011

Editor’s Choice

he Editor’s Choice Award is not necessarily presented to a title according to score. Sure, a high scoring game might get one, but a low scoring game might get one too. They tend to be rare, though. Editor’s Choice Awards mark games that stand out for one reason or another. They are the Editor’s pick to play... and while he might not be in full possession of his mental faculties, letting him select his favourite titles and stick an award on them helps keep him quiet. Seriously, though, this award marks a title that might not be superior, but still stands out. g

Reviews Highlights 60 InFamous 2 Time of the Beast 64 Alice: Madness Returns Back into Wonderland 68 Red Faction: Armageddon The fight for Mars 78 Duke Nukem Forever It’s finally here! 82 Dungeon Siege 3 A new take on the franchise

011 has brought a very strange phenomenon with it... see, normally - in the past, that is - this time of year is pretty quiet. That’s largely because all the developers and publishers hold off on releasing new titles so that they can take advantage of E3 to squeeze just a last title bit of exposure out of games that are, essentially, ready for the shelves. But this year, there were actually numerous game releases right round E3 time, meaning that gamers could, for a change, have something to blow their hard-earned cash on in the middle months. It’s awesome, really, because we like doing a birthday issue with lots of reviews in it! g

gamecca review • issue 25 • July 2011

EACH

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InFamous 2

Electrifying!

Cole McGrath’s adventure continues…

hen a sequel comes along to a game that you really enjoy, there’s always a moment - a brief, fleeting moment - that sees you experience just a little bit of doubt. Will the game live up to its predecessor? Theoretically, any sequel should be an improvement on what came before, thanks to advances in technology and game-making techniques. But even the best technology doesn’t mean that the game being driven by it will be a little slice of awesomeness... there’s a lot more to a game than technology, after all. In fact, most of the technology is hidden under the hood, and you might have to really look for it to see it. Rather, it’s the game dynamic that suffers in sequels, in the same way that the plot might suffer in a follow-up movie. It seems, at times, that some game developers rest on their laurels, and create games that are just good enough to ride on the coat-tails of their predecessors. But if you were a fan of the first InFamous game (and if you are a PS3 owner who has not played that title, then shame on you) none of the above will apply. The momentary doubt felt when slipping the InFamous 2 disc

by Walt Pretorius

into the PS3 is unnecessary. The sequel, quite simply, is excellent. Its not the first franchise to show major improvements, of course - things like Assassin’s Creed spring to mind - but the improvements made to the game are of such a nature that they aren’t overpowering. Let’s be honest... the first game was pretty great to start with, so the tweaks in this one often seem to be cosmetic. But the technical improvements are there in InFamous 2, rest assured. The game continues the tale of the first game’s protagonist; Cole McGrath is forced to flee Empire City when the prophesied Beast arrives. He makes his way south to the city of New Marais, which becomes the new playground for the player. While Empire City certainly reminded one of New York City in many ways, New Marais has the flavour of postKatrina New Orleans. The sprawling city was also victim of a disaster (in this case a flood that makes controlling the electrically charged Cole a challenge in later stages of the game). But beyond that, the city has the eclectic and bohemian feel that one associates with New Orleans,

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ranging from areas that are strongly reminiscent of the French Quarter right through to shanty towns. New Marais feels wonderfully believable. Naturally, you need enemies in a free-roaming action adventure like this, and InFamous 2 offers the player three varieties. The first are a bunch of militia lead by a charismatic and rather insane, power-hungry local politician. The second are a pack of mutated humans coming out of the swamps (it seems that the power of the ray sphere explosion in the first game affected more than just Empire City.) And the third is a team of mercenaries, augmented by the power unleashed by that explosion. They are South African, too (once again we get to be the bad guys) with accents that range from a passable turn of phrase you might here in the Johannesburg suburbs right through to a ridiculous mangling of the way we speak here. But it’s still pretty cool... besides, we’re used to people not being able to get our accent right. And hearing someone get it just a little wrong (so that, for example, the word “fight” sounds a lot like “fart”) is amusing. Actually, there is a fourth enemy as well, in the form of the Beast. However, we don’t want to talk about him too

gamecca review • issue 25 • July 2011

much, because he is integral to the story. And what a story it is. Just like the first game, InFamous 2 offers a tale that is complex and full of intrigue. And the player has a bit of influence over it, as before. See, the player can decide whether they want to be a good guy, or a nasty villain. This is determined, as before, through their actions, in the form of major choices, side mission selection and general activities while in New Marais. To follow the good path, for example, the player will be able to heal the sick and diffuse bombs. On the other hand, he can attack cops and beat up street performers. Virtually every action has some effect on the way that the people of New Marais see the character. The powers for the two paths are quite different, too, although they are all based on lightning. In addition, Cole will befriend other charcters who also display powers, and they will add options for good or evil actions. These friendships will, at later stages in the game, even modify Cole’s powers, but you’ll have to play the game to find out about those changes. The action in this game is exactly what players of the previous title would expect: free-roaming, with lots of

fighting and cool movement options. All of these can be affected by Cole’s powers as they grow within the game. Speaking of powers, a tweaked control system will allow the player to easily change between different kinds of powers - in effect keeping the control scheme simple while adding a lot more variety than the first game had on offer. If a criticism must be made - and it’s kind of my job to criticise - then it would have to fall to certain elements of the graphics. Overall, the game looks stunning, to be honest - a vast improvement over the previous title, with nice little extra details and nuances to make the world even more believable. The problem arises from clipping - every now and then the character models will interact incorrectly with their surroundings, resulting in Cole looking like he’s passing through objects that should be solid. But these instances are admittedly few and far between, and tend to be brief inaccuracies, rather than ruinous annoyances.

As an added bonus, those who played the first game will be able to import their save games into InFamous 2, which will give them a few small advantages. While playing the first title isn’t absolutely necessary to enjoy InFamous 2, it certainly is advised; the continuity between the two games is great. As far as free-roaming action adventure games go, Sucker Punch are running two for two with this really great franchise. And when you consider that the first game can still hold its own against newer titles, then the improvements made to the new InFamous are really something worth experiencing. This is a game that every fan of the genre should play - it’s a reason to buy a PlayStation 3, if you don’t have one already. And it’s a reason to get the first game, too, if you somehow managed to miss out on it. This franchise is superb... there will be no momentary doubts if a sequel to InFamous 2 comes out. g

gamecca review • issue 25 • July 2011

An awesome addition to the franchise… fans will be thrilled by McGrath’s adventures in New Maarais. Developer: Sucker Punch Publisher: SCEE Distributor: Ster Kinekor

Parental Advisory Violence Language Sex Drug Use Prejudice

16+ gamecca review • issue 25 • July 2011

Accessibility Hard-Core Medium Casual

PS3 Platforms

AT A GLANCE:

PC X360 Kinect

PS3 Move

Wii PSP DS 3DS

Score

97 63

Alice: Madness Returns

Back to Wonderland Roaming the imagination of a twisted mind

uite a few years ago American McGee made quite a name for himself when he decided to reinvent the wonderful world first described in Lewis Carroll’s classic novels, Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass. But where Carroll’s works might have reminded one of trippy hippies and generally harmless fantasy, McGee brought an edge to the imaginary world inhabited by Alice - he introduced insanity to the picture, and created a new take on Wonderland based on what he believed the effects of Alice’s madness might be on her fantasy kingdom. The end result was a profound, violent video game that had fans begging for more. The odd scenery and often disturbing concepts that the game explored made for good gaming. It has been some time since Alice was first released long enough for many to believe that McGee had moved on to other things. But now, at the helm of his new Spicy Horse development team, he is taking us back to the same fantasy world, created by Alice’s unstable mind and tempered by improved technology. Thankfully the hype for this game was relatively short

by Walt Pretorius

lived - it arrived quite soon after it was first announced. This is good because many fans started baying for it the second it was first announced (myself included). Alice: Madness Returns continues the story of Alice some years after the completion of the first game. She’s now grown into a young woman, but the emotional disturbances resulting from her entire family dying in a house fire are still as strong as the last time we adventured in her mind. The game kicks off with Alice getting help from a psychologist in Victorian England, but events soon transpire that force her to regress into the deep, dark recesses of her mind; Wonderland. Once there, The player discovers a rich, beautiful environment to explore, which speaks beautifully of the trauma and madness that tears at Alice’s mind. Now, anyone familiar with the original works will know that Wonderland is a strange and surreal place. When that is combined with McGee’s impression of how it would have been affected by Alice’s disturbance, it becomes a tormented and often disturbing vision of the young woman’s psychology. And it’s pretty awesome. The environments are as much characters in this game

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as the twisted versions of the Cheshire Cat, The Mad Hatter, the March Hare and the Caterpillar. These in-game places can be breath-taking in their scope and intricate in their detail, all the while making one think that someone a little twisted was behind their design. The player will do a lot of travelling in this game, through various settings ranging from lush forested areas right through to clanking, stinking factories. That’s what the game really revolves around - Alice’s mental journey - and the result is what one could call an action-adventure, but truthfully it feels like more of a platform title with action adventure elements. Most of the challenge comes into it from the movement the player has to make through the environment, with difficult jumps, careful timing and often heart-stopping close calls being the order of the day. That’s not to say that the combat is a breeze - in fact, some of the enemies need a very specific approach to be taken out. And we’re not talking boisses here, but rather larger, common enemies. That’s all fine and dandy, but when the game throws a wide variety of these enemies at you at the same time, things get rather tricky.

gamecca review • issue 25 • July 2011

Actually, they get down-right frustrating. Between having to juggle monsters like chainsaws and having to perfectly time sequenced movements and long jumps, Alice: Madness Returns gets immensely frustrating. This is doubled when, for example, the player has just completed a tough movement section, only to suffer a cheap death in combat - and is set back right to the start of the stage. This title is unforgiving in that way. Death is punished harshly, and clues about how to go about things, and sometimes even where to go, are few and far between. One mitigating factor is Alice’s ability to shrink at will. When in a shrunken state (which the player can thankfully decide the duration of, as it is really just a matter of holding down a button) clues may be revealed. In addition, shooting pig snouts with Alice’s pepper grinder may also open up hidden paths. But the only clue to finding the snouts is following the noise they make... See, that’s how this game works. Just as Alice is puzzling through the maze of her cracked mind, the player needs to puzzle their way through that journey. It can be wonderfully rewarding, but there will be more than a few face-palms and frustrated moments along the way.

and players who are easily frustrated will probably blow a gasket within the first hour of game-time. Overall, though, the experience is well worth it. Those playing the game on console will have the added benefit of having access to the original game, remastered, via DLC - but this DLC is only for people who have bought Alice: Madness Returns. If you’re looking at this title, be warned; it’s not everyone’s cup of tea. It’s a cerebral and mind bending game where combat - although frequent - is secondary to the tale that is being told, as well as to the overall experience of Wonderland. It’s not a fast-paced action game. Rather, it’s the kind of title that you need to take your time with. You may even want to take breaks every now and then to mentally process puzzles and some of the weird stuff that goes on in the title. If you’re after something that’s out of the ordinary in many ways, while being uncomplicated in terms of dynamics - yet still challenging - Alice: Madness Returns may just provide you with a thrilling experience. g

AT A GLANCE: Although it won’t appeal to everyone, this title can provide the player with a thrilling and challenging experience. Developer: Spicy Horse Publisher: Electronic Arts Distributor: EA South Africa

Parental Advisory Violence Language Sex Drug Use Prejudice

16+ 66

Accessibility Hard-Core Medium Casual

PC Platforms

The game dynamic is simple enough, and doesn’t require a complicated control scheme (even though the controls may need to be used in complicated situations quite often.) Alice has two principle weapons, being the Vorpal Blade (in the form of a wicked upgradeable kitchen knife) and the Pepper Grinder, which serves as a ranged weapon. Both can be upgraded as Alice earns enough currency going through the levels. And that currency is teeth. Yep, it’s that kind of twisted. In addition to teeth, each of the lengthy, intricate levels offers a number of other collectable items, like memories and bottles. This adds to replayability, which is good, because this is a game that you’re going to do solo. Alice is not a multiplayer experience. The game is beautifully presented, with excellent graphics and voice acting that is superb (even though most of the characters speak in the kind of nonsensical riddles that will make your brain leak out of your ears most of the time.) The level of challenge is very high, though,

PC X360 Kinect

PS3 Move

Wii PSP DS 3DS

Score

gamecca review • issue 25 • July 2011

Red Faction Armageddon

Red-Headed Step-Planet

Aliens and rebels out to ruin your day.

he original Red Faction was awesome. Just as a concept it was truly unique, when just about every other FPS on the scene was very samey. The developers had Geomod technology: a physics and terrain system that allowed for destructible environments. The demo famously had a test room with some glass panels and interactive terrain that let you sample the engine’s wares, while the full game had a few novel uses of this technology. We’ll ignore the second game because it was terrible and jump straight to the third, 2009’s Red Faction: Guerrilla. Guerrilla gave us some of the trademark Red Faction destruction, in an open world. It was Grand Theft Mars. With less pedestrians to run over and a whole lot of nothing on the Martian landscapes. It felt awesome, driving around and causing havoc, but there wasn’t really much in the way of things to do outside the missions. Armageddon backtracks a bit, exchanging open environments for a more linear level-based mission structure. The destructible environments persist, but

by Christo van Gemert

remain limited in what they bring to the actual gameplay. In fact, this would be the same game without the Geomod physics. Sure, you now have the awesome magnet gun that lets you magnetise two surfaces and use the physics engine to dismiss enemies, but it doesn’t bring anything new to the missions. Whether you make an enemy fly towards a magnetised wall and let him splat, or make the wall crumble apart and crush a group of unsuspecting marauders, makes no difference. It’s still a case of “arrive at checkpoint, get instructions, take out a wave of enemies, proceed to the next area”. What RFA really needs is fully destructible levels, not the impervious walls and rocks it currently has. Shoot a rocket into the ground to create a hole for a trap. Smash your way through a wall, using the Maul, and flank your enemies. Yes, it’s a linear game, but it’s still possible to make players feel like they have the freedom to complete objectives in different ways. All we get are semidestructible rooms with some scenery to smash up. At least doing the latter will gain you “salvage”, the game’s currency for buying modifications for your character.

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- and the action is really fun. Sadly, there’s little physicsbased gameplay here, and you’re left relying mostly on “shooting things with weapons” rather than “make a building collapse to defeat a bad guy”. There are two types of Infestation maps, too. Survive maps, as the name implies, require you to fend off aliens until you die. Defend maps see you protecting a structure, fending off attacks and repairing damage before it gets demolished. Were it not for the multiplayer mode, this wouldn’t be a particularly noteworthy title. The campaign is good, but a bit of a let-down as far as creativity goes. There are far better single-player experiences, but this brings fun to the table with an excellent online mode. If you enjoyed the Horde mode in Gears of War, this will tide you over until the third game arrives late this year, but it won’t last much longer than that. Let’s hope the next Red Faction title makes better use of its great environmental physics. g

AT A GLANCE: Get this for a fun Martian multiplayer romp, even though it’s a bit bland everywhere else. Developer: Volition Publisher: THQ Distributor: Ster Kinekor

Parental Advisory Violence Language Sex Drug Use Prejudice

18+ gamecca review • issue 25 • July 2011

Accessibility Hard-Core Medium Casual

X360 Platforms

As it stands, the linear missions and semi-interesting storyline make it a by-the-numbers action shooter. The awesome selection of weapons isn’t done justice, though, as you can just use bullets to kill most enemies, or explosives to kill hordes of them. It’s not particularly pretty, either. Player models are quite pretty, but the colour palette is a very Martian selection of red, brown or hues of grey. Now and then you’ll get some bright blue lights, but don’t count on the diversity of a Pride parade. Controls are spot-on, with no complexity to get in the way of the fun. The sound is also very good, with the assault rifles sounding impactful, while explosions can rock the room if you’ve got a subwoofer. Where RFA does come into its own is the multiplayer mode. Instead of featuring a co-op campaign (which could’ve been quite cool, had they chosen to implement more physics-based puzzles and action) there is a hordemode type game called Infestation. Here you can partner with up to three buddies and fend off thirty waves of enemies. There are a number of different levels available - with more probably planned as downloadable content

PC X360 Kinect

PS3 Move

Wii PSP DS 3DS

Score

76 69

The Sims 3: Generations

Growing Up

New activities in the first non-essential expansion

more boring sim characters a lot more interesting. Other cosmetic changes have also been added, in the form of things like new hairstyles and decor, as well as body hair for male sims. When all is said and done, Generations is the first expansion for Sims 3 that could be called ‘additional’, rather than necessary. Completionists may well want to get hold of it, but it doesn’t offer enough for it to be a ‘must have’ expansion pack. If you want more things for your Sims to do, it’s great. But it’s not a necessity. g

AT A GLANCE: It offers a lot of new content, but isn’t really a big game changer. Developer: EA Games Publisher: Electronic Arts Distributor: EA South Africa

Parental Advisory Violence Language Sex Drug Use Prejudice

13+ 70

Accessibility Hard-Core Medium Casual

PC Platforms

he Sims 3 juggernaut keeps on plowing along. This time around, they have released a full expansion, rather than a Stuff Pack. But, in all honesty, Generations almost feels like a Stuff Pack. That’s largely because the added extras in this expansion are subtle, rather than the big changes we came across in World Adventures and Ambitions. Generations adds more activities to the various phases of Sim life, making the little computer people a bit more real. This applies more to the ages outside of adulthood and young adulthood, making some of the

by Walt Pretorius

PC X360 Kinect

PS3 Move

Wii PSP DS 3DS

Score

gamecca review • issue 25 • July 2011

c ompe t i t io n • c omp eti ti o n • com pe tit ion • com pe t ition • com pe t it ion

Surprise!

WIN

A PS3 game hamper! Courtesy of Ster Kinekor TO ENTER: Send an email to competitions@gamecca.co.za. Tell us the name of the main character in Infamous 2 Insert ‘PS3 competition’ in the mail’s subject line. Subscribe to www.gamecca.co.za Become a fan on Gamecca’s Facebook Page Competition closes 31 July 2011. Gamecca subscribers only. South African residents only. Prizes may not be exchanged for cash. Games may be ‘white label’ products. Hamper includes 2 games and a T-shirt. Games may not be related to competition question. Competition closed to employees (& employee’s family) of 1337 Media CC & Ster Kinekor The judges’ decision is final.

White Knight Chronicles II

Mech Fantasy An epic fantasy game with a JRPG twist

he release of the first White Knight Chronicles game was a bit of a non-event. It didn’t get punted much at all. Yet it still did well enough to warrant a sequel from developers Level-5, and the story set out in the first title continues seamlessly into White Knight Chronicles II. It would bear mentioning at this point that not having played the first game is no reason to not buy this title; the publishers have included a remastered version of the original game on the same disc. No DLC tricks here - the White Knight Chronicles II disc comes with two complete games on it, which is a rather nice bonus if you never got round to playing the first one. White Knight Chronicles continues the story of a boy who manages to bond his spirit with a powerful, magical suit of armour, called the Incorruptus (or, in popular terms, the White Knight.) He must undertake a journey to once again save the kingdom he holds dear. It’s pretty stock standard fantasy stuff as far as the plot goes, with nothing that will leap out at you in terms of surprises or twists. But the strong Japanese influence in the game

by Alex Scanlon

has resulted in a fantasy world that is unique and fresh. Incidentally, the Japanese influence goes further in this title - it’s pretty much a JRPG, for all intents and purposes, complete with the kinds of management screens and team based combat that one would expect from games of that genre. However, the combat is real time, which is a nice touch. The player will be in control of a team of warriors, although only three of them can enter combat at a time. This makes for a nice tactical element to the game, and the tons of new skills and equipment that the player can earn and find along the way make the experience quite varied - even though some of the ‘random encounter’ combat that the player will have to go through starts feeling like a bit of a grind before long. One mitigating factor to the grind is that the player can develop their own combos. This is a very nice touch, and adds even more strategy and tactical thinking to the title. The only restriction is the number of moves that can be added to a combo, but this increases as the player gains experience. The presentation of the game is exactly what one would

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it’s a real-time system with a turn-based feel, which can be a little jarring and unfamiliar in a world filled with fast paced slashers. All told, White Knight Chronicles is not fast-paced at all. The story unwinds slowly, and the lengthy cut-scenes and lots of reading that shows up from time to time do their bit to bring the pacing of the game right down. That said, the tale is entertaining and truly epic in scale. The control scheme is also not the fastest when it comes to switching between attack types (something that will need to happen quite a lot, as different enemies are susceptible to different categories of attacks) but it works with the overall effect of the title, and doesn’t do anything to change the pace of the game. If you’re a JRPG fan, White Knight Chronicles II is a great option, particularly when considering that you’re getting two games for the price of one. g

AT A GLANCE: Offering two games for the price of one, this is a real treat for JRPG fantasy fans. Developer: Level-5 Publisher: SCEE Distributor: Ster Kinekor

Parental Advisory Violence Language Sex Drug Use Prejudice

12+ gamecca review • issue 25 • July 2011

Accessibility Hard-Core Medium Casual

PS3 Platforms

expect from a JRPG. The graphics are decent, although not revolutionary. The voice acting - well, it’s standard for the genre. And the story is presented through a series of lengthy cut-scenes - which use the game engine - as well as some spoken and some written dialogue. Control-wise, White Knight Chronicles II doesn’t hold any surprises either. In fact, this game is pretty much a bog standard JRPG set in a fantasy world. But their is one element of it that is very cool - the White Knight itself. When this comes in to play, another strong Japanese influence becomes obvious; the White Knight is pretty much a fantasy version of a mech suit. The juxtaposition is amusing, and the White Knight is awesome to use (pretty much nothing stands up to the awesome fighting power of the Incorruptus.) This is a game that will appeal to a certain type of gamer - those who enjoy things like Final Fantasy and other JRPG epics - but it may leave others a little cold. While there is tons of combat in it, and the combat is real time, the fact is that characters have a sort-of “recharge” cycle that needs to be completed between attacks. In other words,

PC X360 Kinect

PS3 Move

Wii PSP DS 3DS

Score

79 73

Kung Fu Panda 2

Beating Bad Guys A sampling of Jack Black for the kids…

of Po the Panda himself - voiced by Jack Black - as he and his various kung fu master friends take on a force of gorillas, wolves, crocodiles and more, all set in locations that perfectly suit the feel of the game and the film. The game features lots of simple action and platform-style adventure, and will certainly strike a cord with youngsters who enjoyed the movie. Older players may find it just a little on the easy side, but it’s still fun. The uncomplicated controls, recognisable characters and generally inoffensive nature of the title make it perfect for youngsters. g

AT A GLANCE: Although rather run-of-the-mill, Kung Fu Panda 2 will probably be a big hit with the kids. Developer: THQ Publisher: THQ Distributor: Ster Kinekor

Parental Advisory Violence Language Sex Drug Use Prejudice

7+ 74

Accessibility Hard-Core Medium Casual

PS3 Platforms

ith a big movie release like Kung Fu Panda 2, it’s little surprise that a video game supporting it has hit the shelves. And while the kids will certainly love it, it does feel a little like a carbon copy of the action-adventures that so often get released bearing the name of animated movies. That’s not entirely a bad thing. The games might start feeling similar to each-other, but as a group they’re still a couple of steps up from movie games in the past. Kung Fu Panda 2 sees the player take on the role

by Alex Scanlon

PC X360 Kinect

PS3 Move

Wii PSP DS 3DS

Score

gamecca review • issue 25 • July 2011

c ompe t i t io n • c omp eti ti o n • com pe tit ion • com pe t ition • com pe t it ion

A PATH TO GREATNESS

WIN a Two Worlds II Royal Edition for PC or Premium Edition for PS3!

Courtesy of Apex Interactive and Topware Interactive TO ENTER: Send an email to competitions@gamecca.co.za. Tell us the name of the publisher of Two Worlds II Tell us which prize you would prefer (PC or PS3) Insert ‘TW2 competition’ in the mail’s subject line. Subscribe to www.gamecca.co.za Become a fan on Gamecca’s Facebook Page Competition closes 31 July 2011. Gamecca subscribers only. South African residents only. Prizes may not be exchanged for cash. Games may be ‘white label’ products. Hampers may not include a copy of the game. Competition closed to employees (& employee’s family) of 1337 Media CC & Apex Interactive The judges’ decision is final.

Hunted: the Demon’s Forge

Pop ‘n’ Drop A different approach to fantasy

here’s something refreshing when game developers try to do something different. These days, though, there is very little that hasn’t been done yet. So, originality comes down to combining things that have already been tried and tested, and working out new and unique ways to present those ideas. This is something that Hunted: The Demon’s Forge tries to do and, to a degree it succeeds. But poor implementation of ideas and apparently thoughtless game design in some areas prevent the game from reaching its full potential. The game deals with the characters of Caddoc, a tough human in-fighter, and his partner E’Lara, an Elven ranged specialist. They are pretty much swords for hire, but when a routine jobs turns sour, it becomes a fight for their very survival. It’s a decent basis for a game, and the originality that the game was approached with is refreshing. When playing as Caddoc, things are generally third-personaction in nature, but E’Lara brings a bow-based third-

by Alex Scanlon person pop-and-drop feel to the game, which is pretty unique in fantasy titles. The characters can change their fighting methods, of course, but their specialities are best stuck to. In addition to that, the game is presented as a co-op title, and that’s where it shines. If there are two of you playing, the combination of the two characters is strong, and the combat is really exciting. Take it on as a single player title, though, and things fall apart. The companion AI isn’t so much stupid as stubborn, for example. It will deal with certain things, without variation... like situations in which your character may be laying bleeding to death, waiting for assistance from the AI, while it busies itself with taking out enemies. This could have been mitigated by allowing the player to switch between characters at will. This would have done wonders for the title. But the player can only switch between characters (if they choose) at prescribed points, an idea which is decidedly odd. And so the single player is left at the mercy of an AI that is an ineffective partner

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This game does raise a question or two, I must be honest. Not about the game, but about the publisher. Bethesda have a decent reputation, but they are really capable of delivering games that are great, or really nasty, or somewhere in between (like this one.) There seems to be no consistency in their products these days which, considering some of the stuff they’re done in the past, is a bit worrying. Hunted: The Demon Forge is by no means a waste of time - let’s be clear on that. But it falls flat in some areas that it shouldn’t which is a bit disappointing. And then it manages to shine in others. And all the weaker sections could have been avoided, if you want my opinion. If you’re planning to play this game, make sure there’s someone out there who’s going to play it with you. It doesn’t have a good match-making system, though, so you’ll need to arrange things the old fashioned way. If you go to the effort, you may just be in for a rewarding experience.. but don’t expect too much if you go it alone.g

AT A GLANCE:

PS3

Although it has moments of brilliance, this game falls a bit flat. Nice idea, though…

PC X360

Developer: InXile Publisher: Bethesda Distributor: Ster Kinekor

Parental Advisory Violence Language Sex Drug Use Prejudice

15+ gamecca review • issue 25 • July 2011

Accessibility Hard-Core Medium Casual

Platforms

when it comes to team play - although not totally useless. The two characters can be developed via fairly limited skill trees - one which deals with their combat speciality, and one that gives them access to combat magic. Once again, in a co-op game, these new skills help a lot. Graphically, the game has moments of brilliance, but also a few sections that leave a little to be desired. The character models, for example, are a mixed bag, and the environments range from breath-taking though to bland. The lack of an in-game map can make this worse, as the player keeps seeing the same things over and over again. The voice acting, though, is something different altogether. It’s actually rather good, and some of the comments flying between the two are brilliant. They’ll be repeated a lot, though, so be prepared for that. The control scheme is fairly simple to use, and the coverbased combat is great fun. That’s the thing with this game - despite its problems, it’s quite engaging and rather fun to play. E’Lara is a personal favourite, thanks to the ranged combat, but Caddoc can have his moments too.

Kinect

PS3 Move

Wii PSP DS 3DS

Score

74 77

Duke Nukem Forever

Finally!

But was it worth the wait?

o you know that feeling you get when a beloved family pet grows old? That nostalgia mixed with sadness and pity? It’s a feeling I suspect that many fans of Duke Nukem felt recently when Duke Nukem Forever arrived, after many years of promises, delays and waiting. Fans around the world were thrilled when the title was first announced (around the time that Noah looked out a portal and said that it looked like the rain was letting up) but the numerous delays and stalling dampened any hope of seeing the title actually arrive. Then, when Gearbox announced that they were picking the license up a few months ago, a resurgence of enthusiasm flowed through fans of the Duke. I mean, Gearbox, right? Borderlands? Brothers in Arms? It seemed that Duke Nukem would finally get the next outing many believed he so richly deserved. But when it comes to kicking ass and chewing bubble gum, it seems that Duke Nukem’s dentures are loose and he has arthritis in his feet. The game doesn’t so

by Alex Scanlon much charge along as hobble, possibly with the aid of a pulpit walker. Duke is old, tired, and probably long past his sell-by date; the game feels extremely anachronistic, both in execution and concept and, when finding the same old jokes that we came across in Duke Nukem 3D repeated here, the realisation dawns that this game wasn’t created for fan-boys, but rather by fan-boys. And that’s really surprising, because Gearbox is a very decent studio. Even if they took up development where other ill-fated teams left off, surely they should have created a game that stands toe-to-toe with modern firstperson shooters? I promised myself that I wouldn’t compare Duke Nukem Forever to games that didn’t apply, and that I would look to the spirit of the title, and whether it was in line with the spirit of the older games. It is. But you cannot overlook the fact that this horse is tired right out of the gate. The game’s plot has about as much depth as was expected which, in all honesty, isn’t much at all. It’s all about killing aliens and rescuing babes, which is fine. It

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the fact that I had held out hope for this game, only to discover that the time for this type of title is long gone. The concept is old, the humour is old and the franchise is old. It was a game that I hoped would ressurect the flagging Duke Nukem franchise, but it didn’t. It assured me that the glory days of the Duke and his war against aliens are over. There are a lot of people that defend this game and, to their credit, Duke Nukem Forever does have it’s moments - particularly for those that enjoyed Duke Nukem 3D. But the truth is that nostalgia is not something that features strongly in the fast-changing world of video gaming. Duke Nukem Forever may strike a cord or two with older gamers, but it cannot stand toe-to-toe with games that are flooding the shelves these days. And even though the average age of gamers gets older every year, the younger market is very strong in the activity, and they may well not take well to game dynamics and humour that harkens back to a bygone era. g

AT A GLANCE: Although it has its moments, the long awaited Duke Nukem Forever feel dated. This is for true fans only. Developer: Gearbox Publisher: 2K Distributor: Megarom

Parental Advisory Violence Language Sex Drug Use Prejudice

18+ gamecca review • issue 25 • July 2011

Accessibility Hard-Core Medium Casual

X360 Platforms

even features a few highly amusing mini-games and lots of crude toilet humour, just as was expected. But it still doesn’t fly. It feels old in far too many ways. Take the graphics, for example; there are moments of really good looks in the game. But that’s not enough... we don’t want our games to sometimes look good. They have to look good all the time, and Duke, sadly, doesn’t. The voice acting is hammed up (which was to be expected) but it feels far too forced. The controls, too, are sluggish and feel like they belong in a game released ten years ago. And that’s just the thing. This is a game that should have been released a decade ago. For all intents and purposes, when the previous developers went bust, the project should have gone to its grave. It almost seems like this is a case of cashing in on a long-awaited game, and the hype that could be generated around the fact that it took so long to come out - rather than a project to which the development team was dedicated to the right degree. I know this all sounds rather angry, but it isn’t. I feel saddened by this, a horrible melancholy that stems from

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Score

69 79

Wildlife Park 3

Zoo-Keeping Trying to please everyone…

complex, yet is sparse at the same time. Creating the animal enclosures can be tricky, because they are completely free-form (a nice change to blocky attempts in the past.) And keeping visitors (in particular) happy can be quite challenging. In addition to the campaign missions and sandbox modes, Wildlife Park 3 also has a rather nice and well researched encyclopaedia in-game, adding a didactic value to an other wise enjoyable title. It’s a great game for parents to enjoy with their kids, even though it may be a little complicated for youngsters at times. g

AT A GLANCE: Although it might seem to be aimed at youngsters, some of the game’s complexities will appeal to older management fans. Developer: B.Alive Publisher: Deep Silver Distributor: Apex Interactive

Parental Advisory Violence Language Sex Drug Use Prejudice

0+ 80

Accessibility Hard-Core Medium Casual

PC Platforms

hile one might easily assume that Wildlife Park 3 is aimed at a younger market, there are certain elements of the game that suggest it would appeal more to older players. In this game, the player has to take care of wildlife parks - basically zoos with a bit more to them. This involves looking after animals, staff and visitors, and ensuring that the three groups are always happy, healthy and have their needs taken care of. While the idea may seem aimed at children, as we mentioned, the overall design of the game has a very adult feel to it. The user-interface is surprisingly

by Walt Pretorius

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gamecca review • issue 25 • July 2011

c ompe t i t io n • c omp eti ti o n • com pe tit ion • com pe t ition • com pe t it ion

Into Hell

WIN

A copy of Shadows of the Damned for PS3! Courtesy of Electronic Arts TO ENTER: Send an email to competitions@gamecca.co.za. Tell us the name of the main character in Shadows of the Damned. Insert ‘SOTD competition’ in the mail’s subject line. Subscribe to www.gamecca.co.za Become a fan on Gamecca’s Facebook Page

Competition closes 30 June 2011. Gamecca subscribers only. South African residents only. Prizes may not be exchanged for cash. Hampers may not include a copy of the game. Games may be ‘white label’ products. Competition closed to employees (& employee’s family) of 1337 Media CC & Electronic Arts. The judges’ decision is final.

Dungeon Siege 3

Reinvention Prepare for some teamwork

ans of action adventure games - particularly the kind in which the player gets to beat up throngs of bad guys in a fantasy setting - will likely be familiar with the Dungeon Siege franchise. The first two Dungeon Siege games saw players taking on a whole bunch of fantasy-type high adventure as they went from zero to hero in a rich and diverse world that allowed for a fairly free-form adventure style, complete with tons of equipment and side quests. There has been a change in the Dungeon Siege franchise, however, in terms of development and publishing. The third instalment of the game got put together by Obsidian (instead of Gas Powered Games), and was published by Square Enix (rather than Microsoft.) A change in publisher does not always mean that the game will be effected, but when its Square Enix, you can pretty much be sure that things are going to change, even if just a little. The company seems to have a strong idea of their identity created through the games they publish, and so it seem that titles touched by them get influenced. And Dungeon Siege III is no different.

by Walt Pretorius The changes are noticeable right off the bat; while that game is not a JRPG, it does have some elements that have been influenced by this genre - which is exactly where Square Enix made their name. The story features a lot of cut scenes and a fair amount of reading, and the character menus, while not strictly JRPG in nature, certainly do have a feel that stems from the genre. Similarly, some of the character design seems to have been influenced by popular Japanese cultural movements... we’re talking moderately crazy hair and the like. On the other hand, Dungeon Siege III also has elements that felt a lot like the more ‘traditional’, Westernised action adventure; an isometric view-point and real-time combat that doesn’t take a hell of a lot of strategy to get through. So, in the end, Dungeon Siege III is a strange and rather refreshing mix between the two, which makes for something of a change. It is very important to note that this particular game was built with co-op in mind. Like Darkspore (which we reviewed last month) it is a game that is unforgiving to the single player. While it is not impossible for a single player to smash their way through some of the game’s

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Additionally, one player will be responsible for saving the game’s progress, and team mates who miss out on sections will be automatically levelled-up when they rejoin. But this requires the same team to meet time and again - characters do not carry over between different game sessions. The four playable characters work well to complement each-other. Each has a close and ranged attack, and some are better than others. A full team works well, particularly if the players understand their characters’ strengths and weaknesses. In the end, Dungeon Siege III will be exactly what the players make of it. It’s far from perfect, but it does provide an enjoyable hack-and-slash stop-gap until You-Know-Who 3 finally arrives. As a single player game it’s a little on the tough side, but it works well as a co-op title. With the right attitude and good teamwork, Dungeon Siege III will provide players with a rewarding enough experience. g

AT A GLANCE: It’s quite a break from the rest of the franchise, but will provide a decent experience in co-op mode. Developer: Obsidian Publisher: Square Enix Distributor: Megarom

Parental Advisory Violence Language Sex Drug Use Prejudice

16+ gamecca review • issue 25 • July 2011

Accessibility Hard-Core Medium Casual

X360 Platforms

bigger challenges, they should be prepared to die a lot in the process. Rather, the best way to experience this game is in four-player co-op, with each player controlling one of the key characters in the title. In that mode, many of the game’s weaker aspects (like lacklustre voice acting and graphics that could have been better) have less of an impact... it turns into a very fun way to kill a few hours (and monsters)with friends. Certain things have been built into the title to support this idea. The inventory system, for example, won’t see characters quibbling about equipment and spending time chopping and changing items between themselves. Rather, specific characters use specific items and no matter who picks them up, the items will appear in the inventories of the characters who can use them automatically. This helps keep the action fast paced and avoids unnecessary arguments. On the other hand, gold is communal, so you’ll have more than enough to quibble about when buying new equipment from in-game vendors. The game is pretty generous with items, though, so the need to actually spend the team’s gold to get that really cool sword or rifle (yes, there are guns in the game) is kept to a minimum.

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79 83

Naruto Shippuden 3D – The New Era

Not a 3D Fighter! Naruto challenge at its best

hen I was told about the new Naruto Shippuden game coming to the 3DS there was no question about whether I was going to have it or not… it was more a question of when. Anticipation smacked my unprepared face as I found that it was not the 3D fighter that I was expecting, like those from Street Fighter and DOA, but a sidescrolling adventure with character development. I say side-scrolling because of the nature of the game but it has such a good 3D effect that it points these sides in different directions. Enough to say that after my initially disappointment the game continued to impress me the more I played. To start off the game is hard, so hard that players not used to the intense difficulty that comes from some Naruto games towards the end will feel the pain. The boss battles are particularly challenging, added to by the fact that they make Naruto start at the beginning of the stage if his lives are up. Followers of the anime or manga might be concerned where the game is in the story and if they are up to scratch (to not have the game spoil

by Brian Murdoch the story). The story takes time a little after the Pain vs. Naruto battle and is a side quest, or filler, as my friends like to call it. I don’t like to spoil but there are certain elements in the game that will confuse those that have not read or watched beyond that big battle. The story is about Naruto fighting a female medical ninja that can extract chakra from a person and create a puppet of them. She does this to the five Kage leaders. This brings a great range of battle because Naruto needs to fight and beat them to prove that they are fakes… and some aren’t. The Ninja Dojo will hold all the power-ups and abilities that are upgradable through the game. The power-ups come in the form of health boosts, close and long range power-up and even increased damage of the lethal technique used in battle. Supplies are the three items that can be used at any time during the stage and boss battles… they can provide full health or chakra, or even recharge the sage mode. In the Dojo players will buy characters to have as allies in the game. Allies are activated by touching their faces, or

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The graphics are crisp and clean, even in 2D mode, having Naruto run towards the screen and attacking enemies in the front while ninja’s throw projectiles at him from the background. The sound in game could have been done better but it does create the atmosphere for the stage that you are in. Every now and then it’s time for some animation in the moves that Naruto is performing and a great clip is displayed. Naruto deserves the extra effort on graphics, even for its mobile games, and receives it in this title. There is a range of Sharingan Codes that are read by the 3DS camera and interpreted to unlock extra content for the game. I have only seen these codes given with preorders of the game, but I’m sure 505 Games will receive more at a later stage to get people back into play the game for a bit. There are no other 3DS features like Street Pass or Spot Pass enabled for the game so it should lead to the codes being used more. g

AT A GLANCE: This DS title is an entertaining side quest in the story of Naruto Shippuden. Although it does not use the other features the 3D is great! Developer: Takara Publisher: 505 Games Distributor: Apex Interactive

Parental Advisory Violence Language Sex Drug Use Prejudice

12+ gamecca review • issue 25 • July 2011

Accessibility Hard-Core Medium Casual

3DS Platforms

pressing arrow keys down, left and right. They change the battles a bit because some of their powers are Naruto’s enemies’ weaknesses. These support allies are also used to find and access extra areas for gold coins. Medal Exchange is a very good reason to replay past stages before the game is finished because these remove shackles from the player’s abilities, to give them things like extra combo hits and a close range charge. Collecting all 60 coins provides a great surprise in the end. These power-ups actually become essential in some stages. That said, the stage can be done in two modes, namely Ninja and Challenge Mode. Ninja mode will give Naruto all of his power-ups while Challenge Mode will take away something to make the stage harder, like those upgrades or even his health. The challenge mode is only unlocked after the stage is completed normally first and the skill that they take away could have been the best tool for beating the stage. Doing the stage over will not hurt and will give more scrolls and maybe a few coins to unlock more stuff. The screenshots do not do the graphics justice at all.

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89 85

Shadows of the Damned

Hellish

But with moments of brilliance…

t was with some trepidation that I noted the involvement of Suda 51 in Shadows of the Damned. He was the director of No More Heroes, a game which we review in this issue... and as you can see from the review, we have not too many nice things to say about it. On the other hand, Suda 51 is joined by Shinji Mikami (the director of Resident Evil 4) and Akira Yamaoka (the sound director of Silent Hill) in this title from EA, so I still had a little hope. I won’t say that this hope was dashed, but Shadows of the Damned was certainly not what I expected. It pretty much does what it claims to, but in ways that are... well, unexpected. If it were to be compared to a movie, it is to horror games what From Dusk ‘Til Dawn was to the horror movie genre. Odd, sometimes funny and extremely - almost terminally - erm... hip. Do people still say hip? I just can’t think of another word, really. The story is about the ludicrously named Garcia Hotspur, a demon hunter who has earned the ire of

by Walt Pretorius

Fleming, Lord of the demons (another odd name, but anyway.) Fleming drags Garcia’s girlfriend to hell, and the intrepid killer of infernal dudes follows hot on his tail. Accompanied by a disembodied demon called Johnson who can change forms into a variety of weapons and other tools - Garcia takes on the demon world. This world isn’t much like any hell I could image. Rather, it looks a lot like a rundown Mediterranean village. And it is here that the game immediately stops taking itself seriously and opts for crass humour and attempts at being really, really cool. Methinks Suda 51 had something to do with this, and he doesn’t do any better here than he did in his other projects. Take, for example, that save points are marked by a demon - basically an eyeball with wings - who screeches and flees whenever you get close to him, leaving a steaming pile of dung in his wake. Or the fact that health is regained by quaffing alcohol, which has a very short-lived negative effect on Garcia. Or that most of the humour has either recently crawled out of a toilet, or

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The graphics in the game vary between pretty OK and lacklustre. Some of the character models - particularly scantily clad women - have a lot of detail, while others like Fleming himself - feel cobbled together and rushed. The overall looks are a little dated. Sound is equally a mixed bag. The music has a Latin twang to it, and some of the sound effects are great, but others are annoying and repetitive. The controls are also good and bad. They’re pretty simple and generally responsive, but aiming can be a real pain at times. Let’s put it this way, as a summation: if Quentin Tarantino felt like making a movie during his Death Proof phase, that game would probably have felt a lot like this... minus the savvy dialogue. It’s fun, but it isn’t anything to rave about. There will naturally be those that enjoy Shadows, but it really will be more of a cult classic than anything else. A little more effort and a bit less of the ‘let’s try to be cool’ thing would have done it a world of good. g

AT A GLANCE: This game has its moments, and can be a lot of fun if you don’t take it seriously. Developer: Grasshopper Manufacture Publisher: Electronic Arts Distributor: EA South Africa

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18+ gamecca review • issue 25 • July 2011

Accessibility Hard-Core Medium Casual

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prefers to reside on the questionable side of the belt line. Had just a few of these elements been changed - or left out - the game would have felt much, much better. As it stands, it’s not a bad game, though, tending towards survival horror ideas. Garcia is a bad-ass, and not much scares him, even in the odd (often ludicrous) version of hell he is visiting. But there are monsters aplenty to get the player nervous, and demonic enemies attack with a single-minded purpose that may just get your hands sweating around the controller - if the world manages to engage you. Additionally, in a style similar to Microsoft’s Alan Wake, darkness is bad. But while it didn’t harm you in that particular game, here spending too long in the dark will be the death of Garcia. And demons are stronger in this unnatural lightless state. The result is a game that is light on horror, fair on adventure and puzzling, and heavy on action and off-colour humour. It’s a surprising release from EA, but that’s all I’m going to say about it.

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Score

72 87

No More Heroes: Heroes’ Paradise

No Hero at All… Trying to be really cool is so not cool…

hy do we game? Well, for many reasons, I suppose. It’s a great escape from the pressures of life, some may say, or it’s a brilliant way to unwind. Many others may point to the fact that living vicariously through an imaginary character that we can control has a big appeal - it allows us to do things that we would, or could, never attempt in everyday life. Fair enough... but what if the character that you’re planning to spend your hours of living through is an unmitigated douche-bag? We’re not talking the kind of character who is a generally bad guy because it serves the game for him to be so. We’re not even talking about a nasty dude who is really just not likeable. rather, we’re talking about a character who is intended to be extremely cool, but the overcompensation that has gone into making him so has turned him into someone that you wouldn’t urinate on if he was on fire. That’s exactly the kind of guy you get to control in No More Heroes: Heroes’ Paradise. Meet Travis Touchdown, an assassin who tries so hard to be cool that you just

by Alex Scanlon

want to beat the hell out of him every time he speaks. Travis is on a mission to become the top assassin in the United Assassin’s Association; to do so, he needs to kill the ten people who are ranked higher than he is. No More Heroes: Heroes’ Paradise is the first trip that this sword-fighting franchise is making to the PS3 – and it is basically a rather poor port from the Wii platform. In it, the player must lead Travis through various locations and take on tons of carbon copy enemies, using either the Move system, or the traditional controller. The action is not as fast-paced as one might guess, though - it is constantly interrupted by quick-time sequences that occasionally grant the player power-ups. That, and a bunch of inane chatter that becomes nauseating before long. It’s almost as though the developers thought they understood cool, and tried to demonstrate it by cramming tons of gore, huge numbers of expletives and senseless, inane soundbytes into the game. “Let’s make this game as adult as we can,” they probably said, and then just went off of the bad taste deep end. I am no prude... this doesn’t offend. It just seems desperate, like that one kid in the school yard who

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18 age restriction on it. To be honest, using the Move controller with the game can be fairly fun, but it’s the kind of masochistic fun that ranks up there with picking scabs and cutting yourself. In an attempt to be edgy - gritty, even - the developers produced a title that is pretty lame. Sure, there will be a handful of people that enjoy No More Heroes: Heroes’ Paradise. They might even claim that the game is misunderstood. But the mindless, guided hack and slash of the title, combined with unlikeable characters and a failed attempt at being ultra-cool, added to lacklustre presentation and a plot so thin it couldn’t support a feather, plus, of course, the weird retro-chic presentation of certain game elements... none of these hide deeper meanings or even redemption for this title. It’s a poor game, plain and simple... it doesn’t even show any form of true originality. Play it if you must, but there are better games out there. g

AT A GLANCE: A disappointing first appearance of this franchise on an HD console, this gae leaves a lot to be desired. Developer: Konami Publisher: Konami Distributor: Ster Kinekor

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18+ gamecca review • issue 25 • July 2011

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would do anything to be considered cool, but was really just pathetic. Where the developers should have had their attention (rather than looking up rude words in the dictionary and giggling) was on more important stuff, like graphics and game dynamics, not to mention plot and player engagement. But that certainly wasn’t where the focus of the process was. Why improve the graphics when we can make it look like Travis is masturbating while he recharges his electrically powered sword? Why write a plot when we can introduce a bunch of lame snippets of expletive-ridden voice acting that actually make no sense, in terms of the plot and the language? Why try to engage the player when we can try impress him with our knowledge of off colour humour? In short, it’s sad. It’s not annoying, or disappointing, or even frustrating... it’s just sad. Maybe it’s cultural, but we don’t get how this character could appeal to anyone but the most juvenile of fans. It’s like sticking razor blades in candy - make the game appeal to an immature sense of humour, and then slap an

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Score

60 89

NRL Rugby League Live

Nice try..

There just aren’t enough good rugby games…

ugby League Live is a game based on the sport of rugby league. It is the fifth in the NRL Rugby League video game series, and the first on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.If you’re new to the sport or to the franchise then you’re forced to jump in at the deep end, as the game offers no tutorials or training modes to bring you up to speed and you’ll have to figure everything out during match time… and it’s not just any rugby, it is rugby league. The rules are different in this game, compared to the traditional game we all know here in South Africa. An attacking team gets a maximum of six tackles to progress up the field before possession is changed over, for example. There are a few other rules which may seem odd to those not familiar with this ‘off-shoot’ of our national sport. The graphics in Rugby League Live are a little old school and, well, not much to speak of. The players don’t have many features to separate them from one

by Dylan Bouch

another and most of the characters are of the same build, as well as being quite blocky and stiff. The one cool thing I did enjoy a lot was the TV referee… with the mass of tries flying in because of bad defence (and control setup) most of the calls go to the TV referee where they are overturned, keeping the score card from turning into an embarrassing eye-sore. There are over 30 different stadiums to choose from while playing Rugby League Live. While in the stadium you will notice that the crowd does not move and does not look real at all… even these finer details could have made the game a little more exciting on the eye. The commentary by Andrew Voss was very informative about the game in progress; if the player kicks the ball, commentary states player A is kicking the ball. Unfortunately you’ll be hearing the same comments and commentary continuously throughout a match, and this repetition lays the intuitive nature of the calls a little low. The control scheme has quite a complex lay out,

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time. This will all depend on the difficult setting - on easy, 90% of the time you will recover the ball, on any other difficult settings kicking is not really an option. Passing is more difficult because of the camera angle. Passing to the next player normally ends up with you being sacked really hard and when you attempt to do a cut out pass you can’t see your player and run the risk of throwing an interception. Also, depending on the difficult settings, the intercepted pass could, and most probably will, be taken for a try . There won’t be too much to come back to as the game doesn’t change much, even with over 40 licensed teams and a few modes to play. The most enjoyable feature of the game are the tackles; they feel and look really hard and come with a sense of accomplishment once you opponent hits the ground. But it’s not quite what it should be. We’re holding out our hopes for the World Cup game later this year… at least that will be rugby we recognise. g

AT A GLANCE: Overall this title might appeal more to the diehard fans, or the few that understand it.. it’s a very different style of rugby! Developer: Big Ant Studios Publisher: Alternative Software Distributor: Apex Interactive

Parental Advisory Violence Language Sex Drug Use Prejudice

3+ gamecca review • issue 25 • July 2011

Accessibility Hard-Core Medium Casual

X360 Platforms

especially to first timers to the Rugby games, although with a little effort even these complex controls will become manageable, and you will be able to develop a kind of rhythm as you play on. The first few games felt like a button bashing marathon, though. Defence becomes easier as the game progresses but your attack will need much attention. Kicking seemed to be the easiest and the best part of the offence. Chip kicking during your attack is made easy with the system setup - just as you hold the button down for the chip / long kick down field the game pauses for the duration of you holding down the button. During this time you have a chance to aim where you would like to kick and determine the power needed for your kick. Most of the time kicking down field ends up in a handover of position so the up and under would be the best bet as your players seem to get the ball most of the

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Score

55 91

MX vs ATV Alive

Flinging Dirt

She’ll be coming around the race track when she comes by Charlie Fripp

HQ recently released their fourth game in the MX vs ATV series, and although the franchise has been fairly successful to date, MX vs ATV Alive isn’t their best motocross game ever. In terms of graphics, the initial shock of the menu might be a bit too much to bear for some players. The menu’s graphics seem very dated, and pixelated at some points, but luckily the same can’t be said for in the game itself. The environments have been recreated with a high level of detail, and it’s refreshing to see that the developers decided to add visible tracks in the sand as the drivers whizz through the dirt and mud. But one thing that gamers won’t like at all is racing. There isn’t anything wrong with it, and in certain parts

it actually works rather well, but it will become very monotonous, very quickly. In order to progress through the levels and different stages, riders will have to earn a certain amount of points, and that can only be done through racing. If gamers don’t have the right amount to progress, it’s back to racing the same tracks over and over again in order to rack up the right amount. This lets the game lose a bit of its shine, as it would have otherwise been a good title to kill the time with. Being the fourth game in the MX vs ATV series, THQ has learned a couple of things from the previous three titles, but racing the same tracks up to six times just to progress is a bit silly – in all honesty, its grind work, and nobody likes that. One aspect that could be singled out as a bit of a plus is

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through the menu. It’s not necessary to pull off any tricks during a race, but it always looks pretty cool when doing a knack-knack or a superman. Ultimately the game fails to deliver any real driving or racing experience, which pulls it back to its predecessor. After racing the same track after track, it’s more fun to just drive around and practise tricks in the free-roam areas. The main complaints levelled against the title are that the content is a bit on the scarce side, and while the graphics are sufficient, it’s nowhere near where it could have been. Although the controls are easy to understand and have a plug-and-play element to them, this doesn’t rescue the game play and round-about way of completing objectives. g

AT A GLANCE: Although it’s great for dirt bike fans, it doesn’t deliver on much. Developer: Rainbow Studios Publisher: THQ Distributor: Ster Kinekor

Parental Advisory Violence Language Sex Drug Use Prejudice

A gamecca review • issue 25 • July 2011

Accessibility Hard-Core Medium Casual

PS3 Platforms

the control scheme. Sure, riders will have all the buttons to their disposal, but as any true bike rider will know, turning at high speed isn’t done by turning the handlebars – it’s done by leaning the body left or right. The same is true for Alive, and riders will find it a lot easier to turn when leaning than they would by turning the bars. The falling aspect of rider and dirt bike is everpresent, and Alive is no different – riders will fall. But THQ kept the balancing feature so that rider will at least have a split second to correct themselves before they go headover-heels. Although not a great part of the game, the tricks have also been preserved from the previous titles. The buttons are a bit tricky to figure out at first, but at least there is a trick guide built into the game, which can be accessed

PC X360 Kinect

PS3 Move

Wii PSP DS 3DS

Score

76 93

Surgery Simulator

Stat!

Is there a doctor in the house?

walks you through the steps of the procedure and explains why things happen when and how they do. The graphics are fairly detailed, if not really on par with some of the high-end titles out there, and the controls are simple enough - yet the game can be alarmingly complex, as the player needs to maintain the patient’s vital signs while performing a wide variety of medical procedures. And the game - like real surgery - leaves extremely little room for error. Folks with an interest in medical matters will find the didactic approach the game takes to be very informative. If nothing else, this is a rather original title.g

AT A GLANCE: It might not turn you into a real surgeon, but the game is engaging for those with an interest in medical stuff. Developer: Visual Imagination Publisher: Excalibur Distributor: Apex Interactive

Parental Advisory Violence Language Sex Drug Use Prejudice

7+ 94

Accessibility Hard-Core Medium Casual

PC Platforms

here are all kinds of simulation games out there these days, ranging literally from the sublime to the ridiculous. Surgery Simulator falls somewhere in-between... it’s interesting enough for people who have a taste for medical type things to find it engaging, but it will hardly teach you how to perform an appendectomy in real life. Essentially, the game boils down to a number of mouse based mini-games couched in the guise of complex surgical procedures. What is interesting is that the theory behind the procedures is fairly sound. It might not show you the practical side of said appendectomy, but it

by Walt Pretorius

PC X360 Kinect

PS3 Move

Wii PSP DS 3DS

Score

gamecca review • issue 25 • July 2011

Child of Eden

Psychadelic.. A journey into sight sound

here are, these days, very few games that truly stand out from the crowd. There are likely many reasons for this. The first would probably be that making a game that doesn’t hold a degree of familiarity is a risky proposition. The second is possibly that it takes a very special kind of mind to come up with something that is so out of the ordinary that it is breathtaking. And these minds, realistically, are not common. In fact, it’s something that Ubisoft’s new title, Child of Eden, has in common with another game that was also rather unique - the old and rather trippy Rez. They both come from the same mind, that of Tetsuya Mizuguchi. He was also the brain power behind the PSP game Lumines, which felt quite similar to these two titles, despite the fact that it looked a bit more like Tetris. The plot of Child of Eden is almost negligible, in terms of the game dynamic, but it does actually have one. When the human race is spread far and wide across the galaxy in the far future, the most contact that many have with Earth is through a massive database called Eden.

by Walt Pretorius This database is also home to the consciousness of Lumi, the long dead first human ever born in space. But when a ravaging virus threatens Eden, a new consciousness is created to combat it and save Lumi - and it is this ‘person’ that the player controls. All of this is actually only incidental to the game itself, because a title like this doesn’t really need a plot of any kind. It is a tour-de-force of visuals and sounds that the player has a fair degree of control over, and these elements of the game are paramount to anything else. When you first experience Child of Eden, you may well be forgiven for thinking that you have stumbled into the hallucination of someone having a really great acid trip. It’s a bright world, full of strange shapes and whirling elements, pulsating with music and other sounds. Using either of the two weapons at their disposal, the player can add sounds and change the visuals of the world (even if just by blowing up elements of the virus.) This is the appeal of the game - it’s not trying to be a realistic anything. Rather it is a surreal journey that sweeps one

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grind a little to unlock new levels, which require a certain amount of stars to be earned. For those that don’t want to work too hard, the ‘Feel Eden’ mode will allow them to experience the game without the risk of their character dying... although they won’t earn any stars in this mode. Child of Eden is a unique, extremely surreal experience that adds an element of action shooting to a collection of out-of-this-world visuals and sounds. This is the game’s greatest asset, but it may also be it’s biggest hurdle. In a world where most consumers are happy to re-chew the same old cud over and over again, a truly unique and thoroughly different experience like this may only appeal to a few. And that is a great pity, because Child of Eden deserves all the attention it gets. It’s not the best game ever made, but its slick presentation and awesome concept really do make it a worthwhile experience. g

AT A GLANCE: This engrossing game is nothing short of a tour-de-force for the senses. Developer: Q Entertainment Publisher: Ubisoft Distributor: Megarom

Parental Advisory Violence Language Sex Drug Use Prejudice

7+ gamecca review • issue 25 • July 2011

Accessibility Hard-Core Medium Casual

X360 Platforms

away. As such, it will appeal to a possibly limited amount of gamers... many want a game with lots of guns, as opposed to something that almost leads to an altered state of mind. This is a sad thing, really, because this is quite the experience. The game dynamic is extremely simple: shoot anything that you can. But getting the timing of attacks right, so that you not only destroy the bad guys before they get you, but also add to the overall visual and sound effect of the game, can be tricky. Later stages can also get quite challenging, as they get rather busy with virus-enemies. Child of Eden can be played with either the standard Xbox controller, or with the Kinect system. This latter option is a little more challenging, but on the upside it is a whole lot more engaging, allowing the player to feel a greater depth of involvement, thanks to the motions they are making. Either way, Child of Eden is a great experience. It has limited levels, unfortunately, and the player will need to

PC X360 Kinect

PS3 Move

Wii PSP DS 3DS

Score

89 97

Green Lantern: Rise of the Manhunters

The Ring Fight with light... kinda...

reen Lantern: Rise of the Manhunters features the voice talent of Ryan Reynolds, the star of the film Green Lantern, as Hal Jordan. The Green Lantern is a chosen individual who is “utterly honest and born without fear”, and the objective of the Green Lantern Corps is to stop destructive beings, in the form of the Manhunters, that seek revenge on the Guardians of the Universe. The Rise of the Manhunters feels very similar to God of War, with the same type of combat and game style. From the beginning of the game you’ll recognise the similarities to God of War, with a quick attack and a stronger attack, and a multitude of melee combos. Although the similarities are very apparent, they have problems that just hold the game back from its full potential, with a fixed camera angle making it difficult to see enemies at times. The fighting scenes feel like

by Dylan Bouch they flow smoothly but after a while things get a bit monoyonous and it soon feels like a button basher. The controls are very simply and there is a large amount of un-lockables and weapons upgrades available soon after your first battle, making the attacks by the swarms of Manhunters much easier to handle. The further you move on the journey, the better the weapons and upgrades become. One of my favourite attacks was the whip-like grabbing tool the Green Lantern possesses; whip it, grab it and then toss it (or your enemy) as far as you like… or into another enemy, taking care of the two. The flying part of the game was a favourite of mine. I had a real fun in these stages although the flying was way too easy and felt less intense than the rest of the game The graphics have been done really well, with a great recreation of Ryan Reynolds and other characters from the movie. The characters, in general, move and look like they

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while in an epic fight against the couple dozen Manhunters and other robotic beings. Being a late bloomer I didn’t get to read the classic comic book (or any at all for that matter) and with all the latest movies being base on comic books, Green Lantern: Rise of the Manhunters almost starts from the beginning of Hal Jordan’s tale, so if you have not read the comics or seen the recently released movie, you won’t be left in the dark as you help Hal Jordan to save the universe from the Manhunters. Your powers will increase, as well as your knowledge about the Green Lantern Corps. The game moves and feels good and, even though it looks similar to God of War, the game is still a fun one. Even with the same continuous battles and button bashing, the game is very addictive… the longer you play the harder it gets to put the controller down. g

AT A GLANCE: It doesn’t follow the plot of the film (thankfully) and actually makes for a fairly enjoyable experience. Developer: Double Helix Publisher: Warner Bros Interactive Distributor: Nu Metro

Parental Advisory Violence Language Sex Drug Use Prejudice

12+ gamecca review • issue 25 • July 2011

Accessibility Hard-Core Medium Casual

X360 Platforms

should, with rounded features taking the blocky look away. And with added shadows and lighting there is not much more you could ask for. The quick movements, change of scenes, and good visual effects all gel well with the game dynamic and are delivered at just the right kind of level. Sadly, the same can not necessarily be said for the cut scenes. After each level, one pops up, and while they look OK, the one liner dialogue that Hal Jordan seems restricted to make him come across as a bit of a dork. Overall the voice acting, as well as the sound in general, is pretty good - besides the cheesy one liner every now and then. The character lips move in sync with the dialog, which should be standard in games these days, but is still nice to see when it’s done right. The music is dramatic and fits well with the game setting, although you don’t take much notice of the music

PC X360 Kinect

PS3 Move

Wii PSP DS 3DS

Score

75 99

Fun for all?

ello Kitty is a franchise that will continue for a long time. Kittens are cute and girls around the world will love them forever. This DS game will appeal to the same group of the children that can play with Hello Kitty. Don’t be too quick to discredit the boys that play this game. Most games aiming at this low age in the target market get one thing wrong. It’s the most important thing: reading. Even the most basic games forget the fact that children that have not learnt to read or are still learning want to play the game. Most of the Nintendo games are based at the whole family and their games are all age restricted at 3+. In this title 3+ is the actual age of children that can play the game, not just a maturity guideline. Every instruction is given in the voice of Hello

by Brian Murdoch Kitty… there is no reading required! The 22 mini games are simple and improve fine motor skills. One example of a game is sorting buttons into the right boxes. The buttons of a certain colour and shape need to be place into the right basket. There are even rhythm games, like tapping the right object in time as they more across a conveyer belt. The game splits the mini games over stages of organising a party. Hello Kitty is throwing a party and the mini-games are what the children can do to help. The theme helps them understand why they would be doing the task and also motivates them to carry on to the next task. The game plays itself and does not require a parent to sit and watch as they play or help them if they get stuck. The game will be a great gift for the ages 4 to 6 or 7 year old girls. g

AT A GLANCE: This Hello Kitty DS game targets the young gamers around 4 – 6. All the instructions are verbal and games are simple. Developer: Idea Factory Publisher: Majesco Entertainment Distributor: Apex Interactive

Parental Advisory Violence Language Sex Drug Use Prejudice

3+ 100

Accessibility Hard-Core Medium Casual

DS Platforms

Happy Party with Hello Kitty & Friends!

Child’s Play

PC X360 Kinect

PS3 Move

Wii PSP DS 3DS

Score

gamecca review • issue 25 • July 2011

comp et it io n • c o mp eti ti on • com pe tit ion • com pe t ition • com pe t it ion

Island Adventure!

WIN

Monkey Island Collector’s Edition for PC! Courtesy of Apex Interactive and Lace Mamba TO ENTER: Send an email to competitions@gamecca.co.za. Tell us the name of the publisher of Monkey Island Insert ‘MI competition’ in the mail’s subject line. Subscribe to www.gamecca.co.za Become a fan on Gamecca’s Facebook Page

Competition closes 31 July 2011. Gamecca subscribers only. South African residents only. Prizes may not be exchanged for cash. Games may be ‘white label’ products. Hampers may not include a copy of the game. Competition closed to employees (& employee’s family) of 1337 Media CC & Apex Interactive The judges’ decision is final.

Digger Simulator 2011

Digging Your Own Grave It’s the only merciful option left

qualities. The game is a sequel to Digger Simulator, and is a vast improvement upon it. The graphics have been given a boost, but they’re still nowhere near high-end. But, one thing that developer Astragon added was physics – even though it’s only for the ground and dirt. In terms of control, simulator games are more often than not bugged with weird combinations of key-presses, and Digger Simulator 2011 is no exception. Although they are straightforward, they will need some getting used to. The title is great for someone who doesn’t expect a lot in terms of graphics, controls and action, but it will be utterly boring for someone who has no intention of ever getting behind the wheel of a digger. g

AT A GLANCE: If digging holes is your thing, this title will amuse you for ages. Developer: Astragon Publisher: Excalibur Publishing Distributor: Apex Interactive

Parental Advisory Violence Language Sex Drug Use Prejudice

A 102

Accessibility Hard-Core Medium Casual

PC Platforms

n a world filled with amazing possibilities, it’s always incredible to see that some people are willing to do the most mundane things. Take a paint tester, for example. These clever people apply paint to a wall and watch how it dries – no jokes. They have to make sure that the colour is even and constant, and actually the right shade when it dries. Luckily there isn’t a game about paint testing... but just as mundane is Digger Simulator 2011. If the name hasn’t put you to sleep already, the title is pretty much self-explanatory. Last month we reviewed Road Construction Simulator, and well… this is almost exactly the same, minus the road tarring parts. But the title isn’t all bad, and has some redeeming

by Charlie Fripp

PC X360 Kinect

PS3 Move

Wii PSP DS 3DS

Score

gamecca review • issue 25 • July 2011

logolink Essential surfing made easy

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Flashtastic

Real-Time Strategy Warfare in a flash...

By James Francis

ver since some caveman worked out that your chances for victory in battle become significantly better when you employ strategy, we have also had cavemen who figured out that commanding those armies is consistently less fatal than doing the fighting. Today this epiphany is called Real-time Strategy, typified by the

StarCrafts of the world. Flash has not yet taken on the task of delivering a game that looks like a “real” RTS, but it has plenty of its own strategy genres, approaching the demands of attack, defend and logistics from different angles. g

Army of Ages http://armorgames.com/play/11789/army-ofages Not counting Tower Defense, the most common strategy games in Flash are typically side-scrolling defence titles, where you have to put down defences, construct new buildings and spawn units that charge forward automatically as quickly as possible. If you don’t pace yourself and keep the resources flowing you will soon be overwhelmed, while your objective is to overwhelm the guy on the other side. Army Of Ages is a perfect (and tough) example of this. Gather resources, upgrade your armoury and spawn offensive units to fight off the alien invaders. If you gain enough battle experience, you can upgrade your civilization and access more advanced technology. It’s unforgiving, but epic.

My Little Army http://www.kongregate.com/games/rudy_ sudarto/my-little-army Whether you are riding a giant ape in search of snacks, a fierce warrior (in her pyjamas) after the power of 3D or a sultan off for no apparent reason at all, My Little Army shows that the reasons for war can be really senseless. You command the battle from one end, spawning units from your energy bar and throwing down spells to tally up the enemy casualties. Upgrade your units with special weapons and classes you buy with cash from the side-missions, and be sure to spoil yourself with a few spells. Then take it back to the battlefield in this deceptively cute-looking action game.

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Siegius http://www.maxgames.com/play/siegius.html Step into the legendary boots of the Romans, Gauls and... pigs in this side-scrolling warfare game. Launch legions forth against the enemy horde, placing them where you want them to take a stand on the battlefield. Whereas in similar games units are just spawned, here you get to place them with a bit of foresight - for example, placing archers behind melee fighters. It puts a new type of strategy experience on the table, where using your units smartly takes priority over churning them out. This isn’t easy and the daunting formula is tricky to understand, but it’s a different challenge to the usual strategy offerings.

Civilizations Wars http://www.bubblebox.com/play/ adventure/1603.htm The classic text Art of War recommends that if you do not have a large army, you must make it look like you do. The point is that you do better with numbers. This game steps into the RTS sub-genre where you direct units to take buildings on the map. Some building generate units, others help with your attack. The more buildings you grab, the better, because the other guy is trying the same thing. It’s all about speed and logistics, made easy with this game’s crafty multi-select order system. Command an army with mere sweeps of your mouse, like a true monarch would.

Mastermind: World Conqueror http://www.kongregate.com/games/theswain/ mastermind-world-conquerer To conquer the world, you need three things: money, minions and science. Use minions to steal cash, then use the cash to hire more minions and fund missions. Missions get you more cash, steal science and other skills desired on an evil mastermind’s resume. All this evil activity attracts opposition, so your base is attack at intervals. Use the science to buy new turrets and weapons to repel them, then go get more money so you can get minions to send after some science. See how this goes? It’s a lot of fun being the Mastermind, though the minions are a bit unnervingly loyal... gamecca regular • issue 25 • July 2011

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Mobility

A Sporting Chance Sports titles on the go

by Charlie Fripp

ut of all the genres available to gamers, the most popular of them all will probably be sports titles and racing games. And with South Africa being a

sporting nation, we’ll have a look at some of the athleticbased titles on offer for mobiles. g

Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 07 Even though the game is a couple of years old, it is still great fun. It has been stripped of all the fanciness from the latest games, and is purely just golf. The graphics aren’t too great, but for a mobile title, it’s still awesome.

Big Range Hunting 2 Hunting games might not for everyone, but for the few who like them, this will be a great game to load onto their phones. The graphics aren’t fantastic and the controls are a bit iffy, but it’s the only hunting game that also includes fishing – so everybody wins (except the animals).

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Fight Night Round 3 For those inclined to punch other people, they will instantly be at home with EA’s Fight Night Round 3. The controls could have been better, but its excellent fun as EA got all the moves right on such a small screen. Playing as some of the boxing greats, the title will keep users busy for hours.

Skate Another favourite from EA are the games in the Skate franchise. Although two more versions have been released, the first one is still a solid choice. The graphics are as good as one would expect from a mobile game and the controls are simple. It’s prefect for a skater on the go.

NBA Pro Basketball 2009 Although South Africans don’t really follow basketball much, it’s strangely one of the more popular games when it comes to mobile downloads. With this one, it features real teams and real players, so the action is authentic. Graphically it’s not too great, but it’s very easy to pick-up and play.

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Essential Classics

SimCity 2000 Complex management fun

by Walt Pretorius

efore the Sims franchise – that wonderfully popular people simulator that is now in its third iteration – there was SimCity. First released in 1989, this franchise had much to do with the success of Maxis (as a development house) and Will Wright, as a game designer. The first title was made for the Commodore 64 in 1985, and was originally called Microville, but it didn’t hit shelves until four years later. But one of the true champions of this franchise – which is where The Sims get their name from, seeing as how they are residents of SimCity – was the sequel to the original game. Where the first game was a top-down title, SimCity 2000 took on an isometric view, and began introducing

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ideas like topography and underground elements to an already complex management simulation. SimCity 2000 managed to elevate the complexity of the series considerably, by adding new elements like prisons, schools, libraries, museums, marinas, zoos, stadiums, hospitals and arcologies. In addition, the player could also build highways, roads, bus depots, railway tracks, subways, train depots and zone land for seaports and airports, as well as power plants that included coal, natural gas, wind turbines, hydroelectric dams, fusion power and satellite microwave plants. The game was surprisingly deep for its time, with complexities like zoning, crime, pollution, taxation, gamecca regular • issue 25 • July 2011

budgeting and whole bunch of other stuff thrown into the mix. In this complexity, the game managed to set standards for many of the simulation titles that followed. The popularity of this title was undeniable, and it spawned three more PC based sequels – SimCity 3000, SimCity 4 and the ill-fated SimCity Societies. In addition, it appeared on other platforms, and spawned numerous spin-offs, including Streets of SimCity and the massively popular The Sims franchise. Management games are, naturally, not everyone’s cup of tea. In addition, many of them fail to get the balance of proper management just right. This, though, wasn’t the case with the second game in the SimCity franchise. gamecca regular • issue 25 • July 2011

It was complex and challenging – running a successful city was extremely difficult – and brought a great many variable factors into play, including natural disasters. And, at the time, it’s graphics, sound and overall game dynamics, not to mention management model, were superb. By today’s standards, SimCity 2000 is ‘old’ in approach and appearance. But it’s contribution to video gaming is undeniable, and its legacy continues through a number of spin-offs and franchises that it inspired. Whether we’ll ever see another SimCity game again is highly debatable… but at least we’re left with the excellent memories of being the all-powerful ruler of a city provided us by SimCity 2000. g

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MSI GT780R Notebook

A True Player

A powerhouse in a relatively small package by Walt Pretorius

have to admit, I am surprised every time a device like this comes along for review. Perhaps it is because I am battling to break out of that old school mould that states “you don’t game on a notebook.” But when you hit the switch on this baby, its power as a gaming machine - and PC in general - becomes more than apparent. It packs more power than a lot of desktops (which run current games perfectly well, mind you) have on offer. While the GT780R is built with gaming in mind, it serves as an extremely powerful and versatile notebook overall. It’s aesthetic, though, screams gamer, so you might want to keep that in mind when you drag it into a business meeting with you. And drag you will. Although not as large as some of the previous gaming notebooks we’ve seen, this laptop is still rather chunky. Not that it isn’t easily portable... but it certainly isn’t the lightest one we’ve ever seen, nor the smallest. That’s OK, though, because it looks impressive.

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Finished in black plastic and dark, brushed metal, the GT780R looks like it means business. When you turn it on - and the OS boots - the keyboard lights up with a gradiated red-to-green-to-blue backlight, which is a little tacky. A press of a button highlights the WADS keys, while a second press turns the backlighting off. But that’s about the only complaint that we can level at the unit. It’s generous 17.3 inch screen displays performance delivered by an Intel Core i7 processor. This is supported by up to 16GB DDR3 RAM, and graphic power is delivered by an Nvidia GTX 560M chipset with 1.5GB of VRAM. Twin 500GB hard drives (for a total of 1 TB) provide more than ample storage. The GT780R is packed with other features. The keyboard is a chicklet style affair by Steelseries, while sound is provided by Dynaudio. MSI have also built a bunch of useful utilities and overclocking tools into the notebook. If you’re looking for a mobile gaming solution that g a m e c c a h a r d wa r e • i s s u e 2 5 • J u l y 2 0 1 1

doesn’t fit in your pocket, this is a great option. The overall design is sleek and clever, and the performance that it delivers is undeniably good. It is obvious that a lot of thought went into putting this particular notebook together and - aside from the varied colours backlighting the keyboard - it looks the part from a hard-core gaming standpoint. Sure, one could argue that a desktop is still going to allow for easier upgrading and consequently more power. That has always been the case. But if you are going to be travelling with your gaming machine a lot, having something like this - which is easily transportable and powerful all at the same time - makes tons of sense. We put the GT780R through its paces with some of the latest, more demanding PC titles, and it handled the job beautifully. And then, just because we could, we tried a few office applications on it too. In fact, this review is being written on it, partly because it is a great all-rounder and partly because the keyboard is nice and quiet, even for a smash-typer like me. g g a m e c c a h a r d wa r e • i s s u e 2 5 • J u l y 2 0 1 1

AT A GLANCE: PROS:

• Good power • Awesome keyboard • Large screen

CONS:

• Some of the backlighting options are… dodgy…

Manufacturer: MSI Distributor: Pinnacle Africa Online: www.pinnacle.co.za RRP: 19199

TECH SPECS: • • • • • •

Max 16GB RAM Intel i7 processor 1.5GB VRAM 1TB HDD HD Webcam USB 3.0

Score

A very powerful notebook for gamers on the go.

92 111

Razer Onza Xbox 360 Controller

Snakebite!

Razer steps into the console arena by Walt Pretorius

hen it comes to console controllers, there aren’t too many third party offerings that trump original, first-party designs. If you’re using an Xbox 360, for example, the controller made by Microsoft is generally the best one to use. There are some, though, that make good alternatives - particularly when they’re created by a company with a lot of experience in gaming controllers and devices... and few companies can claim as much expertise as Razer. The Razer Onza is a wired controller for use with the Xbox 360 console. The fact that it is wired is a bit of a let-down, because wireless gaming is preferable. That said, the cable attached to the Onza is very generous in length, and the user never really has to worry about batteries giving out during a frantic gaming session. The Onza is an extremely light and very comfortable controller. It’s design is well thought out, and long gaming sessions with this controller will lead to a little more comfort than the original Xbox 360 controllers.

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The device is beautifully contoured, and sits perfectly in the user’s hands. As far as controls go, the Onza uses a standard Xbox 360 configuration, with a little added extra. All the normal buttons are present, of course, but two extra bumpers are mounted on the shoulders of the controller. These can be mapped to any function that the controller has - the most useful of which is probably the L or R3 stick-click. The extra bumpers mean that the original bumpers are slimmer than on a normal Xbox 360 controller. However, they have been contoured in such a way that the player won’t go about accidentally hitting the wrong buttons. As long as the player knows where the buttons are positioned - relative to each other - they will be able to discern between the two sets of bumper buttons easily, without looking. While the other buttons follow a standard configuration, they are a bit different from the standard controller. The triggers are slimmer, for example, and angled in a way that g a m e c c a h a r d wa r e • i s s u e 2 5 • J u l y 2 0 1 1

is a bit more comfortable. The D-Pad is comprised of four directional buttons, rather than a multidirectional rocker, which makes things a little easier when using it. The four face buttons are extremely sensitive, requiring very little pressure. The analogue sticks do not have nodules on them, so telling the direction the stick is being pushed in can be a little tricky. Additionally, the Start and Back buttons have been inconveniently placed at the base of the controller, near the headphone jack... although the programmable bumpers can be set to take care of their functions. And speaking of the jack, it is not standardised - the older Xbox headset won’t fit. But Razer also produce a Xbox 360 headset, which will probably work just fine with the Onza. Aside from a few niggles, the Onza works just fine. It’s stylish and extremely responsive, making it a good alternative for those looking for an effective third-party Xbox 360 controller. Whether it’s better than the original... well, that will come down to personal taste. g g a m e c c a h a r d wa r e • i s s u e 2 5 • J u l y 2 0 1 1

AT A GLANCE: PROS:

• Responsive • Comfortable • Programmable buttons

CONS:

• Corded • Some button placements • Headphone jack

Manufacturer: Razer Distributor: Apex Interactive Online: www.apexint.co.za RRP: R599.95

TECH SPECS: • 5m cord • Enhanced ergonomics • Programmable buttons • Precision D-pad • Fast button actuation • Textured surface

Score

A good alternative to first party Xbox 360 controllers.

90 113

LG IPS226 IPS LED 21.5” Monitor

Bright and Shiny! Good looks in every way

by Walt Pretorius

here’s a lot going on in monitor technology that we don’t necessarily think about every time we switch on our desk-top computer. As long as it works, we’re pretty much OK with it, it seems. But there’s working well enough, and then there’s working beautifully. In an attempt to attain the latter, LG have introduced a new idea into monitors that combines the more power efficient IPS technology with the clearer, brighter looks of LED backlighting. The result is the IPS226, a 21.5 inch wide screen monitor that not only performs particularly well across various applications, but also manages to look stylish while doing so. The design of the IPS226 fits in well with LG’s general aesthetic, which we’re quite fond of here at Gladget. It features a lot of shiny black plastic, of course, particularly in the thin bezel surrounding the screen itself. The bottom section of the screen houses touch

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sensitive buttons, and a translucent plastic section below that indicates power and the like. The sturdy base connects to the monitor by way of a stylish clear plastic pillar, the colour of which is best described as ‘fine brandy.’ Once mounted on the base, the IPS226 has a fair degree of tilt, allowing the user to make comfortable use of it in pretty much any situation. The touch sensitive controls are responsive, and the general use of the monitor - apart from the software that comes along with it, which is LG’s usual, generally horrible stuff - is simple, fast and effective. The real beauty, though, comes from the actual display performance of the monitor, which is top notch. With a native HD resolution, the IPS delivers clear images across all kinds of functions, from computing through to video gaming. It also allows for versatility, thanks to having D-SUB, DVI-D and HDMI connection ports in the rear, as well as a headphone jack (always useful for gaming or g a m e c c a h a r d wa r e • i s s u e 2 5 • J u l y 2 0 1 1

watching movies.) The real star of the show here is the LED backlighting. As with all LED monitors, the brightness and contrast of this monitor is superior to standard LCD offerings, making the pictures look prettier. Even setting it up is extremely simple - apart from the cables, it’s a matter of one screw to connect the base to the unit. And for those that are environmentally conscious, it is extremely power efficient, too. We would have liked to see another HDMI port on the back (LG have used dual HDMI ports in the past) but this is a small niggle. On the whole, not a lot can be faulted with the performance of this monitor at all. The menus are fairly straight forward, and the whole effect - from performance through to design - is effective and stylish. Anyone would - and should - be happy to have this monitor gracing their work-space. g g a m e c c a h a r d wa r e • i s s u e 2 5 • J u l y 2 0 1 1

AT A GLANCE: PROS:

• Good image quality • Energy saver

CONS:

• Software • Another HDMI port would have been nice

Manufacturer: LG Distributor: Pinnacle Africa Online: www.pinnacle.co.za RRP: R2499

TECH SPECS: • • • • • •

21.5” screen IPS technology LED backlight HDMI port DVI-D port Headphone jack

Score

A great looking monitor that performs very well... and is good for the environment, too!

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Nitho Universal Dock Charger

Charge Me!

A universal solution for PS3 and Move controllers by Charlie Fripp

lot of companies make peripherals and accessories for all the individual consoles, but first-party accessories are usually a bit more pricey than third-party ones. This is where Nitho comes in, as they supply a wide range of accessories at affordable price for both the PS 3 and Xbox 360. Their Universal Dock Charger solution for PS3 and PS Move controllers is one such accessory, and it works really well. The station is sturdily built, and although the PS3 has to stand upright, it effectively secures it from tipping over. The docking station comes with a small power cable at the back, which plugs into the PS3. The PS3’s power cable plugs straight into the station, which in turn allows all the PS controllers to be charged while the actual PS unit is switched off – which is fantastic. The same goes for the Move controllers. The docking station comes with four special cups that lock into position in order to hold the Move controllers in place while they charge. The only real problem is that the docking station lights up like a kid in a candy store when switched on, and the light emanating from the charge indicator lights is enough to light up a room with blue and green. g

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AT A GLANCE: PROS:

• Pass-through power system • 2.0 USB hub with 4 plugs

CONS:

• PS3 unit stands upright • Charge lights are very bright

Manufacturer: Nitho Distributor: Gammatek Online: www.gammatek.co.za RRP: R499

TECH SPECS: • Built-in 1,5A AC adapter • Compatible with PS Move • 2.0 USB hub with 4 plugs • Pass-through power system

Score

Really well-built, the charger will ease a lot of charging hassles.

g a m e c c a h a r d wa r e • i s s u e 2 5 • J u l y 2 0 1 1

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MSI Big Bang Marshal B3 Motherboard

Appealing! Powerful, but not overly niche…

by Walt Pretorius

he competition for the high-end motherboard market is getting hotter and hotter by the minute, with consumers being truly spoiled for choice when choosing a backbone for their desktop PC system. Most of these boards are being built with overclocking performance in mind, which implies that they are aimed at high-end users like gamers. But even the most simple boards these days seem to have some kind of overclocking facility... Not that the MSI Big Bang Marshal B3 is a simple board. Rather, it fits comfortably into the higher-middle range of boards, with facilities that will do all but the most picky of users proud. It features all the bells and whistles that one would need, without going to the lengths of being an enthusiast’s board. That does make it sound like the board is less capable than it actually is, though. MSI are really good at making fast and dependable devices, and it would serve us well to remember that. As with all MSI motherboards that come out these days, this one concentrates on fast performance, which

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is helped along by the DrMOS system that the board incorporates. Without going into too many details, this system is far more efficient that a standard MOSFET, and the change is noticeable. Another break from tradition comes from the heat-pipe that the board’s cooling system uses. It is around 60% thicker than traditional heat pipes, meaning that the board runs significantly cool than one would expect, even under a heavy load. Another great feature of the board is that it takes a lot of hassle out of overclocking, thanks to the OC Genie system. It’s a very decent automatic overclocking tool that detects hardware and automatically assigns overclocking ratios accordingly. You may want to tweak these settings, but the automatic system delivers a fairly stable and generally improved performance. ‘Military grade’ is a popular sales catch-phrase with hardware these days, and the Marshal makes the same claims, with high standard Hi-c Caps, Super Ferrite Chokes and Solid Caps providing quieter and more efficient performance overall. g a m e c c a h a r d wa r e • i s s u e 2 5 • J u l y 2 0 1 1

One of the sweeter aspects of the board are the eight PCI-E x16 slots that it sports. Thanks to these, the board becomes a graphic junkie’s dream, able to support up to four dual slot graphics cards in either SLi or Crossfire configurations. Also on the sensory side is the on-board Soundblaster X-Fi MB2 system. When properly set up, the visual and sound performance made possible by the Marshall is excellent. We would have liked to see a few more RAM slots on the board, but with the right kind of RAM four should be enough. Another nice addition - although one that isn’t extremely uncommon - is dual LAN ports, making the machine just that little more versatile in a network setup. Even better are the eight USB 3.0 ports - rather than seeing just one or two, as one might expect at the present time. The performance from the Marshal is superb. While it might not rival some of the really high end motherboards out there, it does a fantastic job ... the majority of users will find it to be very capable, versatile and stable as a motherboard option. g g a m e c c a h a r d wa r e • i s s u e 2 5 • J u l y 2 0 1 1

AT A GLANCE: PROS:

• Easy to use • Excellent performance • Looks good

CONS:

• More RAM ports would have been nice

Manufacturer: MSI Distributor: Pinnacle Africa Online: www.pinnacle.co.za RRP: R4199

TECH SPECS: • 8 x PCI-E ports • 12 x USB 3.0 Ports • 8 x USB 2.0 Ports • X-Fi chipset • Intel P67 B3 Express • Dual LAN ports

Score

A good motherboard option for tweakers and laymen alike

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Duking It Out From Space

by Columnist A

’m gonna go ahead and risk writing about Duke Nukem Forever this month. Yes, you’ve probably had it up to your ears, hearing about this game. The unfavourable reviews. The PR gaffs. The long and drawn out development cycle. The jokes. And now, this column. Just hear me out, though, please. May I be as bold to suggest that reading what I’ve got to say might just change your point of view on the game and at least make it half enjoyable, rather than plain rubbish. Go into Duke Nukem Forever expecting the game they demonstrated at E3 conventions between in 1997 and 2002. The game we got is, for all intents and purposes, the game that it was going to be in those years. Sure, it’s got a few topical “jokes” (I use the term loosely) that are from more recent times, and the game engine is more modern than what we would’ve seen 10 years ago, but the core game is pretty much what we were gonna get then. The story, it’s been admitted (depending on who you ask), was half-written at that time. What’s been committed to disc isn’t the great glorious Duke everybody expected, yes. But let’s take a look at those expectations. Were you just expecting something, anything, out of desperation? Or were you expecting a game that would have fifteen years’ worth of content? A decade-and-a-half of blood, sweat and programmers’ tears? Let’s be realistic. There wasn’t a lot of

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work being done on the game in all that time. When you sit around sniffing farts and procrastinating, while you should be doing homework, will you say that it really took you four hours to write that essay? Or did it take 30 minutes, but you were just messing around while on the clock? Or doodling ideas? Or scrapping the introductory sentence, over and over? DNF wasn’t being worked on for fifteen years. And the most work being done on it was in the last 12

months, when Triptych and Gearbox took over. They picked up the notes and random sentences written by a kid with attention deficit disorder, and tried to make sense of it. They did the best they could, just as a service to the fans. I didn’t expect much, and I got a game that is a bit of fun. It’s not awesome, but it’s like one of those surreal movies where you take a trip inside somebody’s head. And all we can glean from DNF is that George Broussard is a very terrible person. g

gamecca column • issue 25 • July 2011