Gamecca Magazine May 2010 by Gamecca Magazine

www.gamecca.co.za

issue 11 / volume 1 May 2010

Empire Building

The Settlers 7

The New Moscow Metro 2033

Seeking Justice Splinter Cell: Conviction

Live by the Sword Red Steel 2

Amazing Spider-Man makes a comeback

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Inside 18 Previews 23 incoming video game titles 52 All in a Name Tom Clancy as a gaming franchise 56 PS Zealot What will E3 2010 hold? 58 Xbox Beat Go on, flash us! 60 House of Mario Mario magic... 62 Battle Ready Get all the Pokémon basics 66 Reviews We take a look at ten titles 94 Beginners Guide to Good Gaming Once again, advice for beginners 98 Hardware Stuff you want to spend money on! 106 The Lair Confession time... 108 From Space Weirdness rules, OK!

THIS MONTH’S COVER The ever-popular Spider-Man will return to video gaming soon. Read the feature on page 12.

31 35 61 67

Competitions: Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands FIFA World Cup 2010 South Africa Pure Football Red Dead Redemption g a m e c c a c o n t e n t s • i s s u e 1 1 • M ay 2 0 1 0

Previews Reviews

20 22 24 25 26 28 29 30 32 33 34 36 38 39 40 41 42 44 45 46 48 49 50

Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days Tiger Woods PGA Tour 11 Super Mario Galaxy 2 The Sims 3: Ambitions Ace Combat: Joint Assault TNA Impact!: Cross the Line 15 Days The Last Airbender Naughty Bear Pro Cycling Manager: Tour de France 2010 Green Day: Rock Band International Athletics Restaurant Tycoon Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker Rooms: The Main Building Sea Park Tycoon Dragon Ball: Origins 2 Pirates: Adventures of the Black Corsair Beat City Club Penguin: Elite Penguin Force: Herbert’s Revenge Big Beach Sports 2 I’m Not Alone Vacation Isle: Beach Party

GAMECCA Volume1Issue 11 MAY 2010 Editor: Walt Pretorius Writers: Walt Pretorius Matthew Vice Jimmy Glue Brian Murdoch Bryan Banfield Dion Scotten Alexia Pestana Suvesh Arumugam Adam Shore Columnist A Photography: Walt Pretorius Marketing & Creative: Katia Taliadoros

68 72 76 80 82 84 86 88 90 92

Splinter Cell: Conviction Red Steel 2 Settlers 7: Paths to a Kingdom Supreme Commander 2 Metro 2033 Racket Sports Party Resonance of Fate Yakuza 3 Pokémon Soul Silver GTA: Episodes from Liberty City (PC)

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Letters: letters@gamecca.co.za Competition entries: competitions@gamecca.co.za Newsletter subscriptions: www.gamecca.co.za GAMECCA is published by 1337 Media CC GAMECCA is powered by ISSUU

From the Ed

Hot Ash and Cold Days by Walt Pretorius

s far back as I can remember, April has always been a month that could be described, in generous terms, as ‘interesting’. Perhaps it has to do with all the public holidays that the month brings with it here in South Africa… there’s hardly a full five day workweek in the entire month. It makes getting things done trickier, at very least. This past April, though, has been more interesting than usual, thanks to a few unforeseen events that occurred. The first – and the biggest on a global scale – was the eruption of Eyjafjallajokull in Iceland. The images were impressive, as they always are when lava spews forth through the Earth’s crust, and the effect on European air traffic was total. This meant, of course, that games scheduled for release in South Africa got caught up in the backlog of airfreight. This meant that one of our most anticipated games for this issue got delayed… at least, it did for a few days. Just enough time, in fact, for us

to restructure the issue planning and rework the page sequence without it. Then it got un-delayed. And then it got delayed again… thank goodness for file back-ups. The second interesting event that took place was a good one, but one that still had the entire Gamecca crew scurrying around; our readership increased dramatically. Actually, the word dramatically doesn’t come close to describing the growth that took place, but it will have to do. Needless to say, we’re all very excited and gratified that our efforts are getting such a great response. The third thing – and this is purely a personal thing – is that it got very cold, very suddenly here in Johannesburg. I don’t do well in the

cold. Sure, it’s an excuse to play more video games, but three blankets, two heaters and copious amounts of hot chocolate are needed to expedite such activities. There is also a lot of excitement building among the Gamecca crew as we approach our first birthday issue – which will, of course, be the July 2010 edition. Despite all of this, we managed to put together 113 pages of gaming goodness for you this month – one of our larger issues to date – and we sincerely hope you enjoy it. We’d also like to welcome Alexia Pestana to our writing crew.in our writing around here! Alexia is an experienced writer and seasoned gamer, so we’re looking forward to seeing great things from her. Whether you’re a Sam Fisher fan, like creating kingdoms, want to get busy with a bit of sword fighting or wonder what life would be like in Moscow after a nuclear holocaust, we have something for you. Also, Spider-Man fans (who would have already liked the cover) will be thrilled to know that we have a chunky feature all about the history of Spider-Man video games, as well as an early sneak peek at the new Spidey title. As usual, I have waffled on far too long… let’s get on with the show. g

Gamecca’s PC requirements powered by

www.pinnacle.co.za CPU: Intel Core I7 920; MB: MSI X58 Pro E; RAM: 6GB Apacer DDR3 1333mhz; GPU: MSI N260GTX OC Edition; PSU: In Win Commander 80+ 850W ATX2.3 EPS 12V; HDD: Western Digital Black 1TB; Chassis: Sigma Metal Storm Unicorn; Mouse: SteelSeries Ikari Laser Gaming Mouse; Keyboard: Steelseries 7G Gaming Keyboard

Unstuck

The Stand-Off by Jimmy Glue

s usual, I left my column ‘til the very last minute. The Ed was threatening me with four hours of non-stop Rogue Warrior if I don’t hand something in by the end of the day. We have a Mexican Stand-off. Goodness knows why they call it a ‘Mexican’ stand-off… since we don’t live in Mexico, the wording doesn’t really apply. For those who aren’t familiar with the phrase, a quick Google search will deliver the goods in terms of meaning. But most of us are quiet lazy when it comes to searching for stuff on the net, so according to Urban Dictionary it’s n: a situation in which no one can emerge as a clear winner. A poor man’s Mutually Assured Destruction. If I don’t hand in my column on time, I will have to sit through 240 minutes of what is possibly the worst first-person shooter ever made. If you don’t believe me, which you always should, go have a look at the Metacritic score. Courtesy of 33 critic reviews, the title scored a massive total of 28. One reviewer stated that it was completely bankrupt of any value whatsoever, while another blurted out that it’s short, repetitive, and crappy all the way through. I’ve not played the game myself, for reasons I don’t think I need to repeat. But those in the immediate vicinity of my humble cubical who have pretty much have the same views. That is what I’ll have to play for 14 400 seconds. A Mexican Stand-off wouldn’t be a

proper stand-off if there isn’t another loser, and in this case it will be Ed. A column in Gamecca, or any publication for that matter, takes time. Time is money, and money buys page space. So if I don’t hand in a masterpiece on shiny white paper, Ed will lose a page in the magazine... a page that he could have used for something else. But if I’m rushed to write a column, Ed will get a doughnut-stained, handwritten article of sub-standard quality. And this is how Ed will lose his part of the Mexican Stand-off. We can’t both be losers, and I’m not so sure if we both want to be winners. If I refuse to write a column and accept his punishment willingly, I will have to torture myself through the eyes of Dick Marcinko, but get away with sitting back for another month. If I do manage to miraculously slap together a written assignment that remotely resembles a column, I would have worked for about 10 minutes and he will have his column. But I can almost guarantee that it won’t be nearly as good as my previous efforts. That might not seem like such a big deal to you and me, but to Ed it’s a huge problem. Contrary to popular

belief, Ed also has a boss (yeah, I know. I only found out the other day). And when Ed’s boss doesn’t like something, the whole office knows about it. You know that little game called God Of War? Apparently that’s modeled on Ed’s boss. Scary stuff! Back to the problem. If I don’t hand in a column, I have to play Rogue Warrior and the magazine will be a page thinner. But if I do hand in a column, it will be of sub-standard quality and Ed’s boss will come down on him like a lightning rod thrown by Zeus himself, which will eventually come my way. Between all the banter, threats and cups of cold coffee being thrown around, I started to wonder why developers actually release substandard work. Since Ed mentioned Rogue Warrior, I’ll use that as an example. Surely someone had to play the game and realise that it’s not what it was meant to be. Or did they give it to one of the designer’s sons to try out over the weekend and show off to his buddies? The only logical explanation I can think of that he took it home, misplaced it and couldn’t find his copy for two months. The kid eventually found it and snuck it into the “complete” basket. I guess my ranting could go twoways here. Consumers, and more importantly gamers, should do a little bit of research on games before they make any purchase decisions. I know you read Gamecca, which is good. But I’m talking when you standing in BT Games or something, looking for a game. Take out your phone, connect to the net and do a quick search. It will help you a lot in the future. g

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Geekology

Not What You Think... by Walt Pretorius

s I said in the Ed’s Note, April as been a strange month. One of the events resulted in me needing to step in and write the Geekology column for this month. I’m not going to go into details. The situation is what it is. It seems to me that one of the myths that exist regarding the life of a video game reviewer – and there are a great many of those – is that everyone doing this job is a great gamer… the kind of super-geek that will own any competitor at any game, regardless of genre or platform. I am sad to report that this isn’t the case, and the main root of my sadness stems from the fact that I, personally, am not a great gamer. Don’t get me wrong, I am not bad, and I will finish any game that I put my mind to with relative ease,

but when it comes to things like competitive multiplayer gaming, I am hardly a top-notch contestant. This seems to surprise people, more often than not, and they will grin widely with each well timed frag, while I mutter and swear beneath my breath and wait for the respawn. Being a game reviewer does not require one to be a gamer of superheroic proportions, though. The skill-set required is different from what many people think. Being a great gamer doesn’t mean you can be an effective gaming journalist, just like being a Pulitzer prize winner doesn’t mean you know what’s good or not in video gaming. Rather, the requirements are a combination of different abilities and skills. None of these are more important

than the other, really – they blend together, each relying on the other for the best result. The first skill that is required is the ability to write. Writing is a little like singing, really – many people think they can do it. But putting words together effectively is sometimes tricky. A firm grasp of the English language and a casual confidence are things that develop over time. The next requirement is the ability to dissect a game effectively while reviewing it. A game reviewer needs to be able to pick up on what is good or bad on a game, and deliver qualified arguments for all of these factors. Simply saying that something is good, or bad, is not enough; the reviewer needs to construct a compelling argument to support the statements. Thirdly, knowledge. Well, knowledge and experience, really. It doesn’t help playing a lot of games if you don’t know anything about the industry and history of video gaming. Then there’s passion, discipline and dedication. Game reviewing often requires long hours, and reviewers often face heavy deadlines. Adherence to deadlines is crucial… miss too many, and no-one will want you writing for them any more. The good news is that these skills can all be learned and honed. However, getting to the desired point takes time and hard work. Don’t get me wrong – being a video game reviewer is a great job. I feel very fortunate to be where I am. But it takes time, dedication, and a skillset that isn’t necessarily what every aspirant game reviewers thinks it is. g

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Amazing

Success Few franchises are as well loved as Spider-Man

by Walt Pretorius

gamecca feature â&#x20AC;˘

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ctivision have announced that they will be bringing another Spider-Man video game to the market. Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions promises to take players on a rollercoaster ride as they experience four very different Spider-Man characters. The premise is simpleâ&#x20AC;Ś The mystical Tablet of Order and Chaos has shattered, sending shards scattering across four different dimensions of time and space. Each of these places has a Spider-Man character, which the player must assume control of to help restore balance to the universe. Each of the four Spider-Man characters will have a unique look and feel, as well as gamecca feature â&#x20AC;˘

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specialised moves to complement his particular setting. At the time of writing, only two of the four have been announced: Amazing Spider-Man, being the expected red and blue spandex clad hero that everyone loves, and Spider-Man Noir, a stealthier, sneakier version of the hero set against a film-noir style 1930s-inspired backdrop. The other two variations on the Spider-Man theme will be announced as the game gets closer to its release date, no doubt, but there is already quite a bit of speculation as to which alternate universes they may inhabit. Destined for the PS3, Xbox 360, Wii and DS platforms, Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions promises to provide players with a wealth of

intrigue and action. The four settings will allow players to explore beyond the traditional New York setting that has always played home to Spider-Man games, although each dimension looks like it will feature an appropriate version of the city for players to enjoy. The game promises massive boss battles (even including the super-villainous Carnage as one of the bad guys) and players will be able to make use of a first person perspective during these epic struggles. To wrap it all up neatly, Spider-Man: Shattered

Dimensions will be the most varied, explorative title ever to bear the name of this particular superhero. It’s a well-loved name, and one that has been around for a very long time… Peter Parker originally got bitten by a radioactive spider in August of 1962, when Spider-Man made his first appearance in that month’s issue of Amazing Fantasy. The creation of writer Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko. The character they brought to life on comic book pages was something new and exciting. Previously, teenage super-heroes were relegated

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to the role of a side-kick to a more powerful, adult character. Spider-Man was different. The teenage Peter Parker not only had to deal with his “self-obsessions with rejection, inadequacy, and loneliness”, which the creators felt that younger readers could relate to, but he also had to deal with the massive changes and crime fighting abilities his new powers brought about. As an orphan raised by his aunt and uncle, Peter had no adult mentor to turn to when it came to the latter. He had to learn on his own. The character struck a chord. A few months after the Amazing Fantasy #15 hit shelves, the then early Marvel Comics learned that it was the most popular issue ever, and Spider-Man was given his own title. The Amazing Spider-Man #1 was released in May 1963. The comic franchise grew to be Marvel’s most successful series, and spawned several other Spider-Man spin-offs. It’s hardly a surprise that the character also became gamecca feature •

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a darling of video games. The first ever Spider-Man video game was released in 1978. This text based game was called Questprobe #2: Spider-Man, and was ported to several video game systems in 1984, although it still required text input from players. 1982 saw an Atari 2600 Spider-Man game released by Parker Brothers, in which Spider-Man had to climb a skyscraper, rescuing hostages and diffusing bombs set by the Green Goblin. Spider-Man and Captain America in Doctor Doom’s Revenge was released in 1989, and was presented as a Streetfighter style game in which players could play as either Spider-Man or Captain America. The early 1990’s saw numerous super-hero and comic-book inspired video games released, with around a dozen games bearing the hero’s name. He made appearances in many more. However, the pace of Spider-Man games slowed

towards the end of the decade as Marvel went through an economic slump, even filing for bankruptcy. By 2000, Marvel’s books were back in the black, and the company once again began pushing their characters into new media forms. A number of games featuring Spider-Man appeared early in the 2000s, but the release of the first of the most recent films

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(starring Tobey Maguire as Peter Parker) saw a new lease on life for Spider-Man as a video game character. The original game based on the movies was developed by Treyarch, and allowed a new level of freedom within the confines of the video game world, with the player able to web-swing around New York. The success of both the film and the video game spurred everyone on, with Treyarch once again developing the game for Spider-Man 2. By this time, Activision was solidly entrenched as the publisher for Spider-man games, and numerous releases, including Spider-Man and Friends, Marvel: Ultimate Alliance, SpiderMan 3 and Spider-Man: Friend or Foe saw the webslinger either as the main character, or a strong favourite among others. gamecca feature •

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The most recent releases in the franchise were Spider-man: Web of Shadows, which allowed the player to take on a more role-playing oriented approach in an all new story line, and Marvel Super Hero Squad, which featured three different guises of Spider-Man as playable characters. The popularity of Spider-man across multiple media forms is undeniable. The original appeal that Lee and Ditko built into the character still applies to this day, even as Peter Parker has grown from a geeky teen into an adult. And, doubtlessly, the release of Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions (and all the other spider-Man games we can expect from Activision in the future) will solidify this character’s position as one of the world’s best loved super-heroes on video game platforms. g

Previews

Pre-E3 Quietness

Highlights 20 22 24 25 30 32 34 39 42 45

Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days Tiger Woods PGA Tour 11 Super Mario Galaxy 2 The Sims 3: Ambitions The Last Airbender Naughty Bear Green Day: Rock Band Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker Dragon Ball: Origins 2 Beat City

ith E3 just around the corner, there will be a lot to talk about in preview terms over the next few months. However, the upcoming Los Angeles based expo also means that a lot of publishers and developers are playing their cards very close to their chests at the moment – they’re not going to be talking about games that they plan to make big announcements for at the show. Still, we have managed to put together a rather nice collection of upcoming games for you in this issue (more than twenty). Hopefully we pique your interest in a few of them and help you plan your game buying strategy as a result. g

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Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days

Every dog has its day Down not Dead

by Alexia Pestana

ogether again… it’s so good to be together again. Well, let’s hope that the second time is the charm and better than their luke-warmly received first attempt. Our unlikeable duo are at it again but this time in the streets of Shanghai. The story picks up after a long time has passed since you had to make the crucial life or death decision in the first title. The main character this time is self-medicated psychotic Lynch. Just a note, rumour has it that Bruce Willis and Jamie Foxx are to star as Kane and Lynch in an upcoming film. The visual style of the game has taken a film grain approach, inspired by documentary filmmakers. The goal here is to make it feel like the player is holding a handy

cam. We can see images pixelated on purpose and bright lights over-saturating the camera and even ‘buffering’ in places. A few new improvements to the actual game-play include taking cover, blind fire, and the ‘down not dead’ feature which allows the option of either returning fire while you are down or dragging yourself to cover. Dog Days also includes a brand new single-player ‘Fragile Alliance’ arcade mode, in which you can play all the heists with bots and compete against your friends on the leader board. This title may not top the third person shooter scoreboard but it looks to be far more intense, interesting, and gritty than its first attempt. g

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gamecca • review

You don’t have to be pretty to be in a video game...

AT A GLANCE: Developer: IO Interactive Publisher: Eidos Interactive Distributor: Square Enix gamecca preview •

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August 2010 Platforms

There is something interesting about the ugly world of Kane & Lynch

PC X360 PS3 Wii PSP DS PS2

Tiger Woods PGA Tour 11

Easy, Tiger Tiger Woods is back

by Jimmy Glue

Another first for the title is that gamer will not only be he Tiger Woods franchise is arguable one of the best able to play in team mode, but they will have the ability to golfing games in the history of sports titles, and the series just seems to grow from strength to strength. take that same team online and play against other teams. With the eleventh title soon to be released, Electronic Arts The new mode will allow for up to 24 players to participate against each other on PSN or Xbox Live. g have something special up their sleeve. Not only will gamers get the opportunity to play as The deceptive prickly-pear trap... Tiger Woods himself, but this year the prestigious Ryder Cup has been included as a featured mode. Gamers can choose to play in either the American or European squads, and participate in the various competition formats; foursomes where players hit alternate shots, fourballs, and singles, which traditionally bring the event to a close with players going head to head. Players on the PS3 will be able to use the new motion controller, which promises to give gamers an authentic interactive swing experience. Xbox gamers, however, won’t be able to play the game with the soon-to-bereleased Project Natal from Microsoft.

AT A GLANCE: Developer: EA Sports Publisher: Electronic Arts Distributor: EA Africa

July 2010 Platforms

The Ryder Cup has finally been included, which will make for exciting virtual golfing.

PC X360 PS3 Wii PSP DS PS2

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Super Mario Galaxy 2

Star Jumps The Princes is in another Galaxy

by Brian Murdoch

t is a never ending story with Mario but we love it. Don’t think that Nintendo have just copied and pasted another game, put Mario in it and are awaiting sales… there is always something new with Mario. Fans of New Super Mario Bros. Wii wanted more Yoshi, and so Yoshi is in the mix in this title. Let’s hope that there are not just a few stage with him in. Not only will you be able to smash open an egg and jump on Yoshi to take you higher, but you will also be able to eat enemies, pull objects and even redirect rockets! Clouds have always been in the Mario games, but this time there will be a cloud suit that Mario can create and use to step on soft clouds. There looks to be a return of some of the older monsters to battle again, but a wide range of new ones to figure out. 2 player mode is better, with the second player doing more than just helping with star collection and being a controllable character, and if things get too difficult, the player assist from New Super Mario Bros Wii will help. There is still enough time to take out the old first Super Mario Galaxy and play that through before this new title hits. A Wii is not complete with at least one of the exclusive Mario games, but owning all three triples the fun. g

When you do psychedelics, it looks like this...

AT A GLANCE: Developer: Nintendo Publisher: Nintendo Distributor: Core Group

June 2010 Platforms

Yet another Mario game, but not a copy and paste job by any means.

PC X360 PS3 Wii PSP DS PS2

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The Sims 3: Ambitions

Mad Science What will you do to get to the top?

by Jimmy Glue

This remind anyone of anything?

AT A GLANCE: The Ambitions pack is sure to bring a lot more meaning to the Sims’ lives. Developer: Maxis Publisher: Electronic Arts Distributor: EA Africa

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June 2010 Platforms

he Sims franchise is now in its tenth year and it seems as though there is no stopping its success. The franchise has been the provider of many smiles, laughter, sadness and memories, as gamers try to dominate their little virtual companions. The franchise has also seen a number of expansion packs, and following hot on the heels of World Adventures comes Ambitions for The Sims 3. The title is almost selfexplanatory, in the sense that the added expansion pack will allow Sims to fulfil their life-long dreams. Want to become a ghost hunter? No problem. Create wonderful and majestic art pieces? Just pick up a brush and let it happen. Sims will also be able to completely transform their home town to just the way they like it by becoming an architect and directly affecting the neighbourhood around them. With the added stylist career and new tattoo system, it will allow players to make-over their Sim neighbours in fashionable or catastrophic ways. Another added feature is the ability to plan the outcome out the Sim’s career. Will the scientist work for good or for evil? The possibilities are virtually endless. The expansion is sure to add a lot of laughter and excitement to The Sims players, and now it will truly be up to the player whether their Sim makes a success or a failure of their career. g

PC X360 PS3 Wii PSP DS PS2

Ace Combat: Joint Assault

Flying High

Aerial combat as never been so intense by Jimmy Glue

ce Combat: Joint Assault is the second combat flight title in the series to be released on the PSP and the fourth game for a portable platform from Namco Bandai. Setting another benchmark, the title is also the first one to take place in the real world, rather than the alternate version of Earth that had been used in previous games in the series. Taking place in familiar locations like Tokyo, London and San Francisco, gamers will have to dodge, fly and shoot their way to victory in a variety of high-flying, fast-paced dogfights and aerial manoeuvres. The development team behind the flyer promises gamers the most visually-stunning details for a PSP title, and also added some extra multiplayer functionality – which will be able to support up to eight pilots. The Enhanced Combat View mechanic is also a new feature, which is sure to deliver intense combat and make the title believable for gamers on the small screen. The game sure does promise a lot, but aspiring pilots will have to wait until June to see if it joins the Mile-High Club, or falls flat on its face. g

For PSP, the detail is astounding!

AT A GLANCE: Developer: Project Aces Publisher: Namco Bandai Distributor: Ster Kinekor Interactive

June 2010 Platforms

Flying over real-world locations like Tokyo, London and San Francisco should make for exciting combat.

PC X360 PS3 Wii PSP DS PS2

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TNA Impact!: Cross The Line

Ready to Rumble? TNA makes its way to the PSP

by Jimmy Glue

NA Impact!: Cross the Line for the PSP and DS is essentially a port from the Xbox and Playstation 3 version released in 2008, but because Midway went belly-up, SouthPeak Games acquired the rights to reboot the franchise. A couple of new additions were made over the console versions, most notably three new modes. Full Metal Mayhem is just what the name implies; the fighting arena is littered with all kinds of dangerous weapons; Super X Cup is a 16-fighter tournament, and Gauntlet pits you against the 25 fighters from the game. But even with the three new modes, the character models, moves, menu screens and even the story mode is identical to that of the 2008 console version. So if gamers played the last title, they will know exactly what they are getting themselves into. The port shouldn’t offer too much of excitement for the wrestling fraternity, but for die-hard TNA fans, the title should be a nice addition to the collection. Sadly, it doesn’t seem willing to compete with the enormous WWE franchise. g Wrestling and the Macarena share similar roots...

AT A GLANCE: Developer: Midway Publisher: South Peak Interactive Distributor: Ster Kinekor Interactive

June 2010 Platforms

Although it’s a direct port from console, players will still enjoy it.

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15 Days

The Art of Crime Steal from the rich and give to the poor

by Dion Scotten

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Dude, it’s a flag...

AT A GLANCE: A group of modern day Robin Hoods get caught up in an international murder mystery. Developer: House of Tales Publisher: dtp Entertainment Distributor: TBC

June 2010 Platforms

s 2010 the comeback of the pointand-click PC adventure game? I definitely hope so because I will always be a fan of good stories and puzzle solving. 15 Days promises to have both as the player joins a group of international art thieves. The group is made up of Londoners Cathryn, Bernard and Mike, who carefully plan and execute daring art heists from museums all over the world. The player will have to use cunning and sophisticated equipment to crack the high level of security protecting these art pieces and get away without getting caught. The trio of political activists are modern day Robin Hoods, whose main aim is to relieve wealthy art collectors of their treasures and to redistribute the wealth to the needy and more deserving. Of course things could never be that simple and their escapades catch the attention of US special agent Jack Stern. Stern is investigating the mysterious murder of a member of the British government and believes the art thefts could be linked in some way. Unravelling the murder and mystery plot while performing daring thefts, all in the name of welfare, should keep the player’s attention all the way to the unsuspected twist at the end. 15 days may just be a refreshing break from the usual paranormal theme for point-and-click adventure games, but we’ll only find out in June when it’s scheduled for release. g

PC X360 PS3 Wii PSP DS PS2

The Last Airbender

Wind Warrior Learn to twist the elements

by Walt Pretorius

ased on the film by M Night Shyamalan (which is, in turn based on an animated TV series that has already seen a number of video games follow its story) The Last Airbender tells the story of Zuko (a bad guy) who wants to capture a young boy names Aang. Aang is also called the Avatar, and is a very significant child. Zuko, who is an exiled prince, wants to capture the boy to return to his own father’s favour. During the game, players will get to control Zuko, Aang and the Blue Spirit. Using the Wii remote and nunchuk, players will be able to unleash special abilities with specific motions. They will get to engage in epic battles and fierce hand-to-hand combat sequences, as well as overcome numerous other challenges. During the course of the game, the player will learn how to manipulate air and fire, resulting in devastating effects. It sounds great, and one would hope that it breaks free of the usual stigma attached to movie-games. g

AT A GLANCE: Developer: TBC Publisher: THQ Distributor: Ster Kinekor Entertainment

June 2010 Platforms

Based on the film which was based on the animated series… we’ll have to wait and see on this one.

PC X360 PS3 Wii PSP DS PS2

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UNLEASH THE POWER OF TIME!

WIN A PS3 COPY OF PRINCE OF PERSIA: The Forgotten Sands

Courtesy of Megarom & Ubisoft TO ENTER: Send an email to competitions@gamecca.co.za. Tell us your name and the name of the actor playing the Prince in the upcoming movie. Insert ‘popfs competition’ in the mail’s subject line. Subscribe to www.gamecca.co.za

Competition closes 31 May 2010. Gamecca subscribers only. South African residents only. Prizes may not be exchanged for cash. Games may be ‘white label’ products. Competition closed to employees (& employee’s family) of 1337 Media CC, Ubisoft & Megarom Interactive The judges’ decision is final.

Naughty Bear

Bad Bear! Stuffed with naughtiness

by Jimmy Glue <Please insert your own terrible ‘bear’ pun here>

AT A GLANCE: Naughty Bear is definitely not for children, and it’s not as cute as you might think. Developer: Artificial Mind And Move Publisher: 505 Games Distributor: TBC

June 2010 Platforms

aughty Bear has the possibility to be one of the strangest and creepiest games released this year. A lot of people associate teddy bears with good times, childhood memories and snuggle-nights, but not this one... Living on the Island of Perfection, Naughty Bear is tired of everybody blaming him for all the wrongdoing on the island, and he has simply had enough. In the true style of games, Naughty Bear goes on a campaign to terrorise and intimidate all the other stuffed animals, and for Naughty Bear, violence is never out of the question. The game will use a level-progression technique, where the animals will steadily become bigger and more dangerous for Naughty Bear to take on, but luckily it will all be done in a mixture of comic mischief and snugly cuteness. Don’t let the underlying cuteness fool you, as Naughty Bear has a huge variety of sadistic and brutal weapons which he will use to wreak havoc on the island. And in doing so, the player will get Naughty Points, which can be used to unlock even bigger and better weaponry. It is definitely not a game for children, no matter how cute the surrounding elements might be. The truth of the matter is that a rogue bear has gone bananas and vows to brutally slaughter all those who accused him for the wrong reasons. But, with that said, it might just prove to be very entertaining. g

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Pro Cycling Manager:Tour de France 2010

Tight Shorts and Slipstreams Not exactly an everyday type of game…

by Bryan Banfield

or the last 3 years Focus House Interactive have brought you one of the most unique sports simulation games on the market. Pro Cycling Manager 2010 is following closely in its predecessor’s slipstream and is set to over-take with this release. Developed by Cyanide Studio, the same team that brought you Blood Bowl in 2009, comes this PC, PSP and Xbox Live Arcade title. This year Cyanide have opted for an enhanced graphics engine that will capture the speed and adrenaline of this sport. High resolution textures and a focus on the handling of flora offer an experience that is more luxuriant and diverse. The bloom effects help stimulate realistic light while the motion blur simulates speed. On the simulation side, players are offered the ability to customise the race stages, as well as a new Seasons mode. Players are also able to customise tracks while being given control over all the tracks features, including weather effects. For those of you not yet sold on the excitement a bicycling sports simulator can offer, you are welcome to pop over to the Pro Cycling Manager website and download the full version of Pro Cycling Manager 2009. g

AT A GLANCE: Developer: Cyanide Studio Publisher: Focus Home Interactive Distributor: TBC gamecca preview •

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June 2010 Platforms

A brand new game engine is set to offer better, more realistic racing environments

PC X360 PS3 Wii PSP DS PS2

Green Day: Rock Band

Punk Rockers

Green Day raise the tempo in Rock Band by Bryan Banfield

AT A GLANCE: Green Day: Rock Band is the first Harmonix title to feature 3 full albums: Dookie, American Idiot and 21st Century Breakdown. Developer: Harmonix Publisher: MTV Games Distributor: EA Africa

June 2010 Platforms

reen Day: Rock Band is the 5th game release in the very successful Rock Band franchise. From the humble beginnings this punk rock band has made huge strides in the music industry. Dookie, Green Days debut album, was a sleeper hit in the early ‘90s, with many alternative music lovers having a copy in their personal collections. Green Day: Rock Band will feature 47 tracks from Dookie through to American Idiot and is the first game that Harmonix is shipping with full album support… Dookie, American Idiot and 21st Century Breakdown are full playable. All of the Green Day: Rock band tracks will be able to be imported into your Rock Band library for a small fee. The game will feature a complete story mode but will have all songs unlocked for the player right from the beginning. A meta game will run alongside the campaign, allowing players that have scored 4 stars or higher to unlock photographs or videos. Due to the pace of most of the Green Day tracks, no improvised sections have been included… so there is no space for free-style drum sessions or open-mic vocals, although three part vocal harmonies are catered for. Little to no censoring of the vocals has taken place. Chris Foster, the project lead, has said that: “Only four or five words across the entire game have been muted.” g

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SCORE WITH EA!

WIN A COPY OF FIFA World Cup 2010 South Africa Courtesy of Electronic Arts TO ENTER: Send an email to competitions@gamecca.co.za. Tell us your name and in which country the 2010 FIFA world cup will be hosted. Insert ‘FWC competition’ in the mail’s subject line. Subscribe to www.gamecca.co.za

International Athletics

On Your Mark… Making a mad dash for the finish line

by Jimmy Glue Bill was a gold medalist in the ‘100 metre standing around like a dork’ event

AT A GLANCE: International Athletics should be loads of fun, and cause some stiff competition. Developer: Ghostlights Publisher: Nintendo Distributor: Core Group

June 2010 Platforms

ii games, using the Motion Plus as their primary source of fun, sometimes turn out to be a flailing contest, to say the least. A host of genres have also made their appearance on the console, giving gamers the chance to act out any situation in their living room. Well, Ghostlight will now give gamers that chance to run, jump and throw their way into the record books with International Athletics. Also being released on the PSP and DS, it promises to be the most realistic athletics game ever released for the Wii. The game promises to accurately represent the 14 main events at an athletics grand prix, and gamers will be able to compete in 100m, long jump, shot put, high jump, 400m, 110m hurdles, discus, pole vault, javelin and even rapid fire pistol shooting and archery. It boasts a superior control system and character animation, and promises to deliver competitive A.I, in settings ranging from Canada, France and Spain, through to Japan to China. With a multiplayer mode supporting up to 4 players, competitive times can be set in Decathlon, Tournament and Quick Event modes. If Ghostlight delivers on their promises, it is sure to be one of the most exciting games to be released on the Wii this year. Well, at least in the athletics department. And no, a broom handle won’t help you in the javelin. g

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Restaurant Tycoon

Snack Size

Restaurant management in your pocket by Walt Pretorius

any people would love to run a restaurant (personally, I am a kitchen-based natural disaster, so not me.) Setting up a restaurant, though, is a very expensive undertaking, and one that requires long hours and tons of stress. So, for those that don’t have the money and want to avoid heart problems, Restaurant Tycoon offers a virtual alternative. This DS title will allow players to manage every aspect of their pocket eatery, from menu design through to macro-management. Crammed with lots of challenging mini-games to complement the overall title, Restaurant Tycoon measures the player’s success by measuring how happy the player’s virtual customers are. Restaurant Tycoon will offer a campaign, as well as a sandbox mode, to ensure that players get the most out of the game. While you might not really be making California Rolls for a demanding clientele, Restaurant Tycoon will certainly provide enjoyment for management fans. g

AT A GLANCE: Developer: Foreign Media Games Publisher: Foreign Media Games Distributor: TBC

June 2010 Platforms

Run a restaurant in your pocket, thanks to this DS management title.

PC X360 PS3 Wii PSP DS PS2

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Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker

Not Really Naked… Naked Snake is about to save the world

by Jimmy Glue

Being in a box marked ‘Love Pack’ with a guy called Naked Snake seems dodgy...

AT A GLANCE: Naked Snake appears on the PSP, and this time he has to stop a WMD. Developer: Kojima Productions Publisher: Konami Digital Entertainment

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June 2010 Platforms

etal Gear Solid has a following akin to that of Resident Evil or even Silent Hill, and with the release of Peace Walker on the PSP, a couple of questions will be answered that are sure to lift a few eyebrows. Developed by the same team behind Metal Gear Solid: Guns Of The Patriots, the title will explain the story of Big Boss and lead up to the events of the founding and the creation of Outer Heaven. Not only will questions be answered, but gamers know that they will get a riveting plot, as Hideo Kojima will be directing, writing and producing the title. Taking place in 1974, players will assume the role of Naked Snake/Big Boss, and need to make sure that a weapon of mass destruction isn’t detonated in Costa Rica, or risk being viewed as an enemy of the USA. Other than the plot, some interesting changes were made in terms of game-play. Movement will now be controlled through the analogue stick, actions such as co-op actions use the directional-pad; melee actions use the R button; and weapons use the L button with the R button. It’s the first time that a Metal Gear Solid title appears on a portable platform, so a lot of gamers should be standing in line to get their hands on it. Even before its release, the title won the Best of Show and Best PSP Game awards during the 2009 Tokyo Game Show. g

PC X360 PS3 Wii PSP DS PS2

Rooms:The Main Building

Stuck Inside Let me out of here!

by Brian Murdoch

uzzle games that require discovery and investigation are always better on the Wii and DS. In this story there is a young man trapped inside a world of rooms and his only way out is to solve the puzzles in each one and complete the building’s puzzle by shifting the rooms around to form a picture. Once the building is solved the young man moves on to the next building. These puzzles are normally completed by just moving the squares (rooms) into the right place to form a picture, but in this game the rooms can’t move unless the character is in them. The player guides the character through the entrances to get into each room, but it is sometimes not as simple as walking through a door. Some rooms have teleporters, are filled with water, or have magic cupboards and switching panels to complicate the puzzle. Once the player has mastered the art of room puzzle solving they are able to create their own puzzles in the level editor and share them with other players, in the DS version. Sharing will require both players to have the game and to be in Wifi range. In the Wii version the level editor is there but sharing is not available. The Wii version does, however, make up for it by including a battle mode where the two players race to get to the exit. g

AT A GLANCE: Developer: Hudson Publisher: Hudson Entertainment Distributor: Ster Kinekor Entertainment

May 2010 Platforms

It’s all bout shifting thing to make other thing look like things… and stuff

PC X360 PS3 Wii PSP DS PS2

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Sea Park Tycoon

Sit, Orca, Sit! Train and nurture sea-life on the DS

by Walt Pretorius

anagement titles are a great break from the usual ‘blowing away bad guys’ that is so pervasive in video gaming these days. Even better, there are a few heading for the Nintendo DS, which means that you can carry them around with you and get a management fix virtually anywhere. With the wide variety of management games available on other platforms, it’s hardly surprising to see a range of these titles making their way to the DS. Sea Park Tycoon will offer hand-held gamers to build and manage an amusement attraction full of dolphins, orcas, seals and otters. The game will be about more than sticking animals in tanks, though… players will have to look after and train the animals, as well as build other attractions, hire staff and ensure that visitors to the park are kept happy. In addition to the main game, players will also be able to engage in a variety of mini-games. Best of all, the player will be able to run the virtual park whenever they like, and will never have to clean a single tank or scoop up seal poop. g

AT A GLANCE: Developer: Foreign Media Games Publisher: Foreign Media Games Distributor: TBC gamecca preview •

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June 2010 Platforms

A sea-park in your pocket, with lots of animals

PC X360 PS3 Wii PSP DS PS2

Dragon Ball: Origins 2

Back to the Beginning, Part II Complete with multiplayer support

by Walt Pretorius

ans of Dragon Ball – and there are many of them – will be delighted to know that the franchise is making a return to the DS platform, in the guise of Dragon Ball: Origins 2. Like the first title, this game will return to the roots of the well-loved saga, this time exploring the Red Ribbon saga. Aside from a graphics update, this title will also include new game-play features, like enhanced controls, an improved camera system and lots of new playable characters. Probably top of the improvement list is the inclusion of ad-hoc multiplayer, which will allow two players to face the challenges the game presents together. The enhanced control scheme will also allow players to choose between stylus control, or more traditional d-pad based input. Players will be given the opportunity to play one of several popular Dragon Ball heroes. With the improvements that will be present, as well as the strict adherence to principles, ideas and looks of the Dragon Ball universe, Dragon Ball: Origins 2 should prove a delight for fans of the series and the DS alike. g

It’s all about the big hair...

AT A GLANCE: Developer: Game Republic Publisher: Namco Bandai Distributor: Megarom

Jul 2010 Platforms

More off-the-wall action for Dragon Ball fans who own DS units.

PC X360 PS3 Wii PSP DS PS2

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The sea is there for the taking

by Jimmy Glue

rrr! Pirates have been a fascinating subject for generations and there is still so much that we don’t know about them. From their living conditions on the high-seas to their acts of chivalry, albeit few, their lifestyles have many in awe. But luckily Wii and DS players will get a small glimpse into their chosen career path with Mamba Games’ Pirates: Adventures of The Black Corsairs. Presenting itself as a family-friendly adventure, players will have to fight their way through many enemies, in the hopes of clearing their rotten name. The title takes place during 17th century London and, double-crossed by their pirate captain, gamers will face countless perils in the pursuit for pirate justice. Oh yes, it will also be an aim to become the fearless pirate the Black Corsair - defender of the Crown. It’s somewhat of a party game, and will feature versus, single, cooperative, and story modes. Sticking to the party theme, tons of minigames have been included that will unlock special game features, which is sure to cause a few laughs. It promises to be a hilarious take on the savage pirate lifestyle, and parents need not worry; all the scallywag language has been taken out, and the swords have replaced with glowing orange sticks. g

Well, pirates do have to eat, don’t they?

AT A GLANCE: Pirates is sure to be a very interesting title for the Wii, because everybody knows that they secretly want to be one. Developer: Virtual Identity Publisher: Mamba Games Distributor: TBC

July 2010 Platforms

Pirates: Adventures of the Black Corsair

Swashbuckling…

PC X360 PS3 Wii PSP DS PS2

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Beat City

Rock to the Beat Saving the world with happy tunes

by Jimmy Glue

usic-based games have taken the market by storm over the last couple of years, and it seems as though everybody is willing to jump on the band wagon. Not to be out-done, although with a different spin, THQ will be releasing Beat City in early June. The main game consists of a series of minigames, in which the player needs to restore order in their oncemelodic city. Through a series of taps, swipes or holding on queue, players will receive a star rating – much like Guitar Hero or Rock band – which will then in turn drive the story forward. But as with most games, there needs to be a villain too, and in this case, it’s Dame Isolde Minor and her Cacophony Corporation, who bring nothing but monotony to the town. By keeping the beat going, and achieving higher star ratings, the Dame’s minions will be forced to leave the city, returning it to its once-musical state. The game will be largely aimed at a younger audience, but if gamers are old enough to hold a stylus, they should be able to beat their enemies into formation and musical happiness. g

A game that’s loud... even for the hearing impaired

AT A GLANCE: Developer: Universomo Publisher: THQ Distributor: Ster Kinekor Entertainment gamecca preview •

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June 2010 Platforms

Save your town from the evil Dame, and restore peace through the power of music.

PC X360 PS3 Wii PSP DS PS2

The world’s weirdest polar bear

by Walt Pretorius

ere’s one for the youngsters (or the young at heart). The very popular Club Penguin returns, this time in the guise of Club Penguin: Elite Penguin Force: Herbert’s Revenge. Aside from having one of the longest titles we’ve seen in a while, Club Penguin will offer youngsters a great environment to explore and play in. Following the misadventures of Herbert, a vegetarian polar bear who can’t swim and dislikes the cold, this title will introduce a host of mini-games and feature missionbased game-play. “Featuring new mysteries, missions and mini-games, Club Penguin: Elite Penguin Force: Herbert’s Revenge will continue to entertain and delight kids around the world,” said Craig Relyea, senior vice president of global marketing, Disney Interactive Studios. “Fans of the original DS game can expect to navigate through popular, familiar elements from the virtual world, plus numerous new adventures and gadgets unique to DS.” g

AT A GLANCE: More icy adventures await youngsters in this DS title Developer: 1st Playable Productions Publisher: Disney Interactive Distributor: Prima Interactive

June 2010 Platforms

Club Penguin: Elite Penguin Force: Herbert’s Revenge

Icy Adventure

PC X360 PS3 Wii PSP DS PS2

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Big Beach Sports 2

Sand in your Shorts Did you think you could do more at the beach?

by Brian Murdoch

ig Beach Sports 1 was a typical Wii party game for the whole family; it had a refreshing approach to the controls and it was good fun to play the games with friends. We are expecting the same from Big Beach Sports 2. There will be 5 new main games included in this title, with the more traditional ones being rugby, cricket, disc golf and soccer. With these games I would advice making sure that the wrist strap is on because there is a great chance of breaking the TV with all except the soccer. These should be fun additions, but I don’t see them taking on the sport exclusives like Pro Evolution Soccer and Ashes Cricket. There are a few extra competitions and side games too, ranging from surfing, canoe, water rockets and dune buggy racing. There will be an option to play the collection of games in single and multiplayer modes, with the single player mode being supported by AI opponents. It seems to have a good starting line up for a standard party game and working from its predecessor quality will be a good buy for some laughs at the next gathering. g

This. Is not. A beach.

AT A GLANCE: Developer: THQ Publisher: THQ Distributor: Ster Kinekor Entertainment

June 2010 Platforms

A return to beach games awaits in this title, with a few new activities added in.

PC X360 PS3 Wii PSP DS PS2

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I’m Not Alone

In the Dark

Exploring the Von Grubers’ mansion by Alexia Pestana

t’s been called the “spine-chiller of the year.” Honestly, any game that I know I can only play via Steam download will already give me nightmares. Built in the beginning of the 19th Century, the Von Grubers’ mansion is the stage for this action-horror. It seems the old house has a few skeletons, or rather disfigured demons, in its closet, the kind that will jump out at you when you least expect them to. Follow the story of Patrick Weber, a child scarred from birth and troubled by an episode of frightening hallucinations. With his deceased grandmother as his spiritual companion, he is an exorcist on his way to Austria - and the Von Grubers. The game was developed using the S2Engine, so it looks really impressive. One of its best features is the high quality of graphics based on technology that allows shadows to be projected over any surface or object in the scene, regardless of its complexity. It does, however, remind me of Alone in the Dark, and not just the title. I’m not Alone seems to have got the camera controls right at least. Fight off a variety of enemies in close combat or armed with a crossbow, figure out intricate logical puzzles, and forget trying to find your way down a dark passage if you are running holding your torch. g

AT A GLANCE: Developer: Pixel Revolution Publisher: The Games Company Distributor: Steam gamecca preview •

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May 2010 Platforms

Third person action/horror adventure that might just keep you playing with the lights on.

PC X360 PS3 Wii PSP DS PS2

Vacation Isle: Beach Party

Sand, Wii and Surf We’re going to the beach!

by Jimmy Glue

each themes and big parties seem to be the hottest thing for the Wii at the moment. But we’re not complaining, as we all need a virtual break from the savage city life every so often. If you’re still in the party mood, Warner Bros. Interactive will have the ideal game for you. Sticking to their Game Party series, June will see the release of Vacation Isle: Beach Party, and with the help of your Wii Balance Board, it will be time to hit the beach. The game will feature a collection of smaller beach games, and using the board players will be able to participate in activities ranging from wakeboarding through to surfing and even fire dancing. But if a Balance Board isn’t readily available, the Wii Remotes on their own will also do just fine. As with most party games, the Miis will be incorporated into the fun, and along the way, gamers will collect Sand Dollars that can be used to purchase a wide variety of sports equipment and beach gear from the Surf Shack to uniquely personalise their Vacation Islander avatar. The sunny beach title should be tons of fun for the young and young-at-heart alike, let’s just hope we don’t get sand stuck in our undies. g

AT A GLANCE: Vacation Isle should provide hours of fun for the whole family. Sand sold separately. Developer: FarSight Studios Publisher: Warner Bros Interactive Distributor: Nu Metro Interactive

June 2010 Platforms

Setting your Wii remote alight may enhance the experience

PC X360 PS3 Wii PSP DS PS2

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All in a Name A good reputation goes a long way

by Walt Pretorius

n 1996, Tom Clancy was already a well known name, having written many prominent books – some of which had been adapted into feature films. Names like The Hunt for Red October, Patriot Games, Clear and Present Danger and The Sum of All Fears were, at the time, at least on the tongues of readers of thrillers and politically charged novels. It was in this year, though, that Clancy began making his mark on the video game industry: he and British naval captain Doug Littlejohn formed a new company, with the purpose of delivering a new level of tactical games to gamers around the world. Called Red Storm Entertainment, the company soon developed a reputation for solid strategy and tactical titles. In August of 2000, Ubisoft bought Red Storm, along with the rights to use Clancy’s name on games. Tom Clancy’s name has appeared on more than 30 games and expansions since 1998, making up the Rainbow

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Six, Ghost Recon, Splinter Cell, EndWar and HAWX franchises. While it is unclear how much input Tom Clancy himself has when it comes to creating these games, the common threads and solid premises that they all contain would imply that the author does have something to do with them. His particular style and solid military knowledge can be seen within the titles.

All the Books The Hunt for Red October (1984) Red Storm Rising (1986) Patriot Games (1987) The Cardinal of the Kremlin (1988) Clear and Present Danger (1989) The Sum of All Fears (1991) Without Remorse (1993) Debt of Honor (1994) Executive Orders (1996) SSN: Strategies for Submarine Warfare (1996) Rainbow Six (1998) The Bear and the Dragon (2000) Red Rabbit (2002) The Teeth of the Tiger (2003) Dead or Alive (2010)

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gamecca • review

All the Games

Clancy’s name has become a successfully brand for Ubisoft. Most titles bearing the author’s name have been received very well by gamers and critics alike, spawning numerous sequels. This trend is likely to continue well into the future, with the upcoming Ghost Recon: Future Soldier next up for release. Those that enjoy the games bearing Clancy’s name would do well to investigate the numerous books the author has written. Clancy’s understanding of world politics and the intricacies of international relations and conflicts can be found in virtually any product bearing his very valuable name. g

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Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six (1998) Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Eagle Watch (1999) Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Rogue Spear (1999) Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Urban Operations (2000) Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Covert Operations Essentials (2000) Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Black Thorn (2001) Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Take-Down – Missions in Korea (2001) Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon (2001) Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Lone Wolf (2002) Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell (2002) Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six 3: Raven Shield (2003) Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Desert Siege (2003) Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Island Thunder (2003) Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six 3: Black Arrow (2004) Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six 3: Athena Sword (2004) Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Jungle Storm (2004) Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon 2 (2004) Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow (2004) Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six 3: Iron Wrath (2005) Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Lockdown (2005) Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon 2: Summit Strike (2005) Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory (2005) Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Critical Hour (2006) Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Vegas (2006) Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter (2006) Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Essentials (2006) Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Double Agent (2006) Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2 (2007) Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Vegas 2 (2008) Tom Clancy’s EndWar (2008) Tom Clancy’s H.A.W.X (2009) Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Conviction (2010) Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Future Soldier (2010)

PS Zealot

E. E. E. by Suvesh Arumugam

ith about a month to go to E3 2010 (Electronic Entertainment Expo), everyone in the gaming world is buzzing with excitement to know what showcases, surprises and rivalries are going to emerge from the event. For those of you who don’t know, E3 is an annual trade expo held for computer and video games in Los Angeles. This year’s event will run from June 15 to 17. The event is hosted by the Entertainment Software Association (ESA), and is regarded as the biggest convention in the world, as far as gaming is concerned. Once again, I will gaze into my crystal ball, and predict some of the highlights of the coming convention. The big buzz usually centers around hardware, last being the war between Sony and Microsoft around “true” motion controlled gaming. I expect that this will mostly be the case again. Microsoft have already been making promises that Project Natal could be available in time for Christmas 2010, whilst Sony will most likely be promoting their PlayStation Move and compatible titles, as well as forthcoming 3D gaming (the firmware to support this was already included in the last PS3 update). There are rumors that Sony will give us a first look at the PS4, and a possible price-drop announcement for the last quarter of the year. In terms of games, there is no doubt that the big studios are going

to come out all guns blazing. EA Sports are already promoting their latest FIFA offering, FIFA World Cup 2010 South Africa (to coincide with the 2010 World Cup), which is due for release in mid-May. EA will also be putting a lot of focus on another long-running franchise, Madden 2011, which is already impressing reviewers lucky enough to get a “first look”. The big news from EA is more likely to be the console version of the Sims 3. The game, set for release in November/December 2010, promises all the functionality of the popular PC version, and will be available on all platforms. Ubisoft (everybody’s favourite game developer) haven’t said too much in the press lately. I expect they will continue to promote DLC add-ons for Assassin’s Creed 2, but they may surprise us with an add-on rumoured to be called Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood. There may also be some hints about the next Driver game, due for release in early 2011. We’ll just

have to wait and see. Japanese giant Capcom will most likely be tantalizing fans with scenes from Marvel Vs Capcom: Fate of Two Worlds, due sometime in 2011. The one game that is most likely going to cause the most waves, if there is anything to be shown, will be Eidos’s sequel to pretty much everyone’s Game of the Year for 2009, Batman: Arkham Asylum. So far, only a few plot twists and characters have been leaked to the press. This is probably the most highly anticipated game this year, and I will be falling over myself to get the smallest bit of information about the game might offer. In short, a lot to look forward to, and there is no doubt that, despite the biggest sporting event in the world taking place right on our doorstep, it will definitely be worthwhile to keep an eye on Los Angeles for a few days in June! Make sure you read Gamecca for all the latest updates and titbits leading up to and following E3! g

This page is provided by PlayStation Gamer www.playstationgamer.co.za

Xbox Beat

In a Flash! by Bryan Banfield

t’s always fun when you turn on your Xbox360 and you get an announcement about an update that is waiting for you. A few weeks back this happened and with it came a change in Microsoft’s game plan. Let’s review the playing field that was set out a little while back. As some of you might remember, portable hard drives used to be supported by your Xbox360. The enforcer team at Microsoft headquarters, the guys that look after the Xbox Live Service, removed the support for portable hard drives due to the fact that more and more users were appearing on the service that had hacked their gamerscore or profile. Hacking your gamerscore and profile by changing a character or two in a hex editor isn’t the most difficult thing in the world but that does not make it right or acceptable. Now let’s jump forward a few months... March 2010 saw a few pictures appearing on the internet, proving that there is a new Xbox360 motherboard in development. This motherboard is hinting towards the speculation that Microsoft is in fact working on a slim version of the Xbox360 console. This motherboard, however, has zero support for the Xbox360 memory units. And no expert or genius is needed to understand why Microsoft’s Xbox360 memory unit sales are dropping or why they just never took off. A 512 megabyte Xbox360 memory

unit is almost the same price as a 4 gigabyte memory stick. With this motherboard heating up the Xbox speculation forums and the phasing out of the Xbox360 memory unit support it was a pleasant surprise to find that the latest Xbox360 dashboard update allows support for flash drives, memory sticks or thumb drives. I raced out and picked up an Adata 16 gigabyte memory stick raced home to test the update for myself. I’m still one of those 20 gigabyte Xbox360 users so an extra 16 gigabytes is like Christmas for me. Well, I learnt the first lesson of this update. Lesson one: Use a well known, reputable brand of memory stick. I personally recommend Kingston or Verbatim memory Sticks. One of the reasons is that Microsoft still want you to have a good experience when playing on the console, even if you are loading your games off of your memory stick. For this reason your memory stick has to live up to the read/ write specifications Microsoft have required. Slow read/ write speeds on your memory stick can lead to laggy game-play and long load times as well as the memory stick failing all together. When this happens people tend to blame developers, the Xbox360

or Microsoft and do not blame the culprit; the cheap, sub-standard memory stick. Lesson two: You can partition your memory stick from 1 gigabyte up to 16 gigabytes. From your dashboard head to the system setting and then to the memory option. This will display all your storage devices connected to your Xbox360. Once you have selected the memory stick you will be able to format it to the Xbox specific file system or you can customise the size of the partition on the memory stick that you wish. You need at least 1 gigabyte as the first 500 megabytes are used for system support and then the additional 500 odd megabytes are used for storage. Lesson three: You can store your profile, Xbox Live Arcade Games, Downloadable Content and install your games to your memory stick. Installing your games is a great option. I install the game that I am playing to my memory stick. This reduces the load times and does not require my disk drive to spin-up every time something needs to be loaded. With Microsoft allowing memory stick support in the last update, this logically points towards the fact that there are possibly a few more exciting projects in the works. Time will tell. The Xbox360 slim console is definitely exciting and something worth looking forward to. But, for now, an additional 16 gigabytes of storage is right up my alley. Thank you Microsoft. g

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House of Mario

28 Years by Brian Murdoch

ario has been Nintendo’s mascot for 29 years now and appeared in over 200 games. He’s the same age as me. Super Mario Galaxy 2 is coming to the Wii in May but there are already 10 Mario titles for the Wii… is there enough space for another one? The average life span for a Wii title is 6 months and the Wii is only 4 years old. So, fan boys aside, this means there is no space for another Mario title. Here at the House of Mario we have every Mario title for the Wii that

is available in South Africa but we fall into the fan boy category. Our personal favourite is Mario Kart Wii; even with it being 2 years old, it is still inserted into the console for a good race around the track quite often. To think that a simple racing game that lets the player throw shells and other forms of weapons at the other racers could prove so popular is almost laughable. There is not even a long list of cars or tracks in the game. But it’s got that certain something that Nintendo does to their games. Mario Kart Wii is also one of those games that every other 3rd party developer has tried to make a copy of, with the likes of My Sims Racing, Madagascar Karts and Sonic & Sega All Stars Racing sitting on store shelves. They are good games but did not even touch Mario Kart, but for some reason they don’t come close to what they’re copying. We can’t even say that it’s because of Mario not being in these games that they are not as successful. Mario has been borrowed out to other titles, after all, and they have not done all that well either. Look at the SEGA games that have included Mario and friends in their line-up of characters:

Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games and then at the Olympic Winter Games. These titles were fun but lacked a certain essence that we find in other Mario titles. Shigeru Miyamoto created Mario in 1981, and Mario is now one of the most famous video game characters ever. Miyamoto did not just wake up one morning and start making some of the greatest Nintendo games ever. The first failed attempt was the game Sheriff, which did not come close to then bar of success, Pacman. Mario was at first called Mr. Video and appeared in every video game Miyamoto developed. Meanwhile, in America, Nintendo’s warehouse landlord Mario Sagale confronted Nintendo’s Minoru Arakawa, insisting on getting back rent. After a fighting about this for some time, Nintendo employees convinced Mario Sagale that he would be paid and they said they would name a character after him. It’s a very good thing, as Miyamoto said that if Mr. Video was not renamed he would have disappeared off the face of the Earth. Nintendo has brought out other fun filled character and their games have also been great successes. Nintendo focus on the fun element of gaming and, to date, it has not steered them in the wrong direction. Is every game with Mario made by Nintendo in a top seller? There have only been one or two that have not achieved the high figures expected. So it is rather easy to say that if you are picking up a game with Mario in it, it’s going to be a good buy. g

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Pure Football Courtesy of Megarom & Ubisoft TO ENTER: Send an email to competitions@gamecca.co.za. Tell us your name and the name of pure football’s distributor in SA A Insert ‘pf competition’ in the mail’s subject line. Subscribe to www.gamecca.co.za Competition closes 31 May 2010. Gamecca subscribers only. South African residents only. Prizes may not be exchanged for cash. Games may be ‘white label’ products. Competition closed to employees (& employee’s family) of 1337 Media CC, Ubisoft & Megarom Interactive The judges’ decision is final.

Battle Ready Get to know the Pokémon games by Brian Murdoch

lthough they might have different features and stories, most Pokémon games feature the same type of gameplay. Most reviews on the titles need to focus on these extras to prove why that version is better than the others. Here at Gamecca, we came up with this starter guide to the world of Pokémon to help those gamers that are looking in to buying their first Pokémon game and even teach experienced gamers a thing or two.

Lesson 1: Choices... In every Pokémon game you start by making what seems to be the hardest choice in the game… picking from one of three different starter Pokémon. They are normally a choice between fire, water and leaf types and the choice comes down to personality, really, as they are all equal in power. Note that the other two Pokémon that are left behind will not be available to catch in the game and will have to be obtained by trading.

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Lesson 2:The Competition

Lesson 3: Rustling Bushes

Your journey to become the greatest Pokémon trainer in all the land can’t be that easy, so to sharpen your skills you’ll need a rival, a competitor following the story with you. His name is left up to the player and you should give him a name that makes you laugh, or of someone you don’t like, because when he pops up to challenge you or someone talks about him it will give you a little giggle. The competitor will take one of the two Pokémon left behind by you, which will always be the one that can exploit your chosen starter’s weakness.

Set with your chosen Pokémon, the journey starts. The game is all about battles and strengthening your Pokémon. When running through the bushes, caves and water, wild Pokémon will attack you. This leaves you with a few choices. Flee, fight and beat the Pokémon until they faint to get the experience, or, if the Pokémon is one you would like to keep, throw a Pokéball at it to catch it. When you successfully catch the Pokémon they will either join your party, or (if you already have six Pokémon with you) will be left in the storage boxes back at the town.

Lesson 4: Battle Basics When travelling, not only do you battle wild Pokémon, but you will also fight other trainers. When fighting other trainers do not waste Pokéballs trying to catch their Pokémon as the trainer will block it. Battles are setup in one vs. one mode, with the Pokémon taking turns at attacking to reduce their opponents HP down to 0… resulting in them fainting. Each Pokémon is given attack instructions before the turn, and the one with the highest speed attribute goes first, so reactions to enemies’ moves may need to be based on guesswork, or performed in the next turn. Most Pokémon don’t start out with four attack variations but, as they level up and evolve, they will learn more. There are a range of different attacks (not just increase in damage) and it will be a good idea to keep at least one status attack like sleep, burning, or confusion in your Pokémon’s set of four.

Lesson 5:Type vs Type Besides the different status and damage attacks, there are other factors that change the amount of damage taken. The level difference multiplies the damage taken because a bigger Pokémon is naturally more powerful than a smaller one. On top of that, the types of attacks can make a difference as well. Take water and fire types as an example. If a water type Pokémon attacks a fire type Pokémon with a water-based attack, the damage is multiplied by 2 because the attack type is the target Pokémon’s weakness. If the fire type Pokémon attacks back against its weakness the damage is halved. Watch out for the occasional critical hits as they have a random multiplier. gamecca feature •

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Lesson 6: Growing We like to call it growing because the game is all “touchy feely” but it is really just levelling up and experience. As your Pokémon goes through the levels it not only learns new moves and increases its stats, but can also change form… which might change its type. Take Charmander, for example… it has three different forms. At level 16 Charmander will change into a Charmeleon and at level 36 into a Charizard. Now, when in Charizard form, it is no longer only a fire type Pokémon but a flying type as well. Most Pokémon change when reaching a certain level, but others need happiness, specific items, or even need to be traded before they can level. Some attacks can only be learnt when the Pokémon is in a specific form. Some Pokémon don’t evolve at all and like it just the way that they are.

Lesson 7: Pokédex A Pokédex is given to you at the start of the game, and is not really essential to the story, but helps the player record Pokémon and get into the collector aspect of the game. It will record two main things for you; whether you have seen or battled with a specific Pokémon and if you have captured a Pokémon. Basic information about the Pokémon can be obtained if seen, but full details are only shown when it is caught. Things like the type, the sound they make and the areas that they are found are all there, at the tap of the stylus.

Lesson 8: Items & Shops There is a Pokémart at almost every town, and items are bought from these shops. Not all items can be found at all stores, but most of the basics are available everywhere. There are three main types of items: Poke balls, healing items and other. Pokéballs come in different shapes and sizes. Different types give you greater chances of catching certain Pokémon. Healing items are essential and are used in and out of battle to heal or remove status changes from your Pokémon. Using them in battle will use up a turn, so use them at the right time. Other items are things like ‘escape ropes’ to get you out of a cave, or ‘repel’ that will let you take a certain amount of steps in the bush without being attacked by wild Pokémon. Note that items that are filed in the item part of your bag are not quest related and can be used for any purpose.

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Lesson 9: At the Gym Every Pokémon story has gyms and gym leaders, and these leaders will need to be beaten to continue with the story. Every gym follows one type and having that type’s weakness in your range of six Pokémon will give you the advantage in the fight. Most of the gyms don’t just let you in straight to the leader and, not only will you have to finish some part of the story, you will need to fight a few trainers to get to the end. Don’t think that because you can beat the trainers in the gym that the leader will be at the same level, he is the leader for a reason and will always show you a Pokémon that you have never seen… and it will be a higher level than the others you have faced. Your Pokémon don’t have to be at this level to continue but note that as the story continues the gym leader’s levels will only get higher.

Lesson 10:TMs & HMs As said before your Pokémon will grow and learn new moves, but not every move in the book… most moves are taught via training machines (TM). These can be found or will be given to you during the story, and can even be bought from some Pokémarts. Use these wisely as you can only use them once. Hidden Machines (HM) are special moves that are needed to get through areas in the story to progress; for example ‘cut’ to cut trees and ‘rock smash’ to break rocks that block the way. These moves can also be used in battles and are most times very strong. Don’t worry too much when you teach your Pokémon these moves as the HMs can be used more than once. We have obviously not covered every little thing in the world of Pokémon but we do have to leave some things for the player to figure out. Good luck with you quests in Pokémon and don’t miss the Pokémon Heart Gold and Soul Silver review on page 90 in this issue. g gamecca feature •

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Reviews

Calm and Quiet... Reviews 68 72 76 80 82 84 86 88 90 92

Splinter Cell: Conviction Red Steel 2 The Settlers 7 Supreme Commander 2 Metro 2033 Racket Sports Party Resonance of Fate Yakuza 3 Pokemon Soul Silver GTA: Episodes from Liberty City

t has been a fairly quiet month for us here at Gamecca, at least in terms of game reviews. There are 11 in this issue, as it says on the cover, but some of them are really big names. Sam Fisher’s long awaited and very welcome return in Splinter Cell: Conviction leads the pack, with reviews of Red Steel 2, The Settlers 7 and Metro 2033 also filling some of our pages. As we work our way towards the second half of the year, more and more exciting releases are getting closer (not that the beginning of the year was without excitement.) Watch this space as some of the most anticipated games in years arrive over the next few months. g

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TO ENTER: Send an email to competitions@gamecca.co.za. Tell us your name and the name of the previous ‘Red Dead’ game Insert ‘RDR competition’ in the mail’s subject line. Subscribe to www.gamecca.co.za

Competition closes 31 May 2010. Gamecca subscribers only. South African residents only. Prizes may not be exchanged for cash. Hampers may not include a copy of the game. Competition closed to employees (& employee’s family) of 1337 Media CC, Ubisoft & Megarom Interactive The judges’ decision is final.

Splinter Cell: Conviction

Out of the Shadows Sam Fisher is out for vengeance

by Walt Pretorius

ong time Splinter Cell fans will notice something of a difference to the overall feel of the game when they try out Splinter Cell: Conviction. Historically, darkness and stealth were Sam Fisher’s weapons but, in this latest instalment, he steps out of the shadows and takes his enemies on directly. Well, at least more directly than he used to. Those that have been following Fisher’s story will be able to see that this makes perfect sense – betrayed by his former employers and grieved at the death of his beloved daughter, Sam is pulling out all the stops to get through this tale. He no longer has the luxury of full support from Third Echelon, and his anger has made him bolder. Sure, Sam is always angry, or at very least grumpy, but this time around, things have got personal. We see a very different side of the main character is this game, because he isn’t acting on orders anymore… he’s acting on impulse, instinct and emotion. And I, for one, love it.

There has been some criticism levelled at this instalment of the franchise, generally along the lines of the fact that the spirit of Splinter Cell has been stripped from the title. That’s just not true – the game has evolved, yes, and is far less reliant on stealth than before, but using stealth tactics and low light conditions are still to the player’s advantage. Sam never was, and probably never will be, the superhuman hero we see in other video games. He is a tough warrior, yes, and a clever tactician, but he is also a very human character, both emotionally and physically. The kind of damage that other game characters would shake off will put Sam in an early grave, so the clever player will still need to use elements and ideas from the previous Splinter Cell games to succeed in this most dangerous of Fisher’s missions. Stealth and darkness are still Sam’s allies. It’s just that he isn’t necessarily a sitting duck in a stand-up fight. In a way, it’s more realistic than previous games, which saw Fisher’s goose neatly cooked if he was spotted. Sam got his revenge by forcing Jim to do push-ups in the men’s room...

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I couldn’t help thinking of 24’s Jack Bauer while playing this game. The situation that Fisher finds himself in is so similar to the plot lines of the TV series. He has an apparently impossible goal to achieve in Conviction, but he has the guts and determination (and the player) to see it through. Another criticism that has been raised is that the game is very short. Granted, it’s not as long as other Splinter Cell games, but only the best of the best will get Fisher from start to finish in a short time. Other players will realistically be looking at eight to ten hours of single player gaming, without touching the deniable ops missions or multiplayer. Even though Sam is now a more able fighter in terms of face-to-face confrontation, the game still retains some of the challenges that made Splinter Cell such a great experience in the past. There is only minimal linearity in the title, for one thing. Yes, the story follows prescribed missions, but it is very seldom that the player

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is funnelled into a ‘right way’ of tackling individual areas. Many are quite large and free-form, allowing the player to use the environment the way they see fit, and throwing out numerous options for tactical approaches. This also means, though, that enemies aren’t always directly ahead. They will be coming from all sides, particularly in some of the more intense fire-fights. So the player will need to weigh up numerous strategic options when undertaking missions, just like before, and will have to find the best way to handle situations. The scouting of locations and careful examination of enemy positions may seem pedantic, but it once again panders to the spirit of the series, and allows the player to meet a greater degree of success. This is reinforced by the idea that Sam is virtually alone during his missions, and the fancy equipment that made his job easier before is, for the most part, unavailable to him. Graphically, Splinter Cell: Conviction is a real treat. The

character models are well handled and feature excellent animations. The environments are rich and detailed. But the best of all is the way the game handles light. See, Sam still works well in shadows, and virtually any light source can be destroyed or turned off by the player. This means a lot of changes in the lighting of the levels. Additionally, there is a smooth transition between colour graphics and black-and-white. The latter is used to indicate that the player is hidden in shadows. On the sound front, the game is a little more disappointing – not, mind you, because the sound or voice acting is bad, but rather because AI enemies will utter the same phrases repeatedly. While this isn’t usually a bad thing, the rather verbose bad guys will often repeat a phrase far too much, taking away from the increased realism that the game offers. Not that the enemies are stupid. They will hunt Fisher when they become aware of him, and they are tipped off

about his presence very easily. A light going out suddenly or, even worse, a dead body, are sure signs for them that there is trouble afoot, and they will hunt the player down almost mercilessly. Not, mind you, if they are alone. Then the AI enemies will rather hold a position and try to coax the player into making a mistake. To help deal with the enemies, the player has been given an indicator of where they believe Sam to be. A ghostly image will indicate where he was last spotted, and serves as a great tactical tool. Causing a distraction and then circling round to flank enemies is great fun. The controls take a little getting used to, because they are slightly different to the run-of-the-mill. However, once the player has the hang of them, getting Sam to execute stealth kills while hanging from a window ledge or pop a bad guy in the head are simple. To add to the game, several multiplayer options exist. Even played split-screen, the co-op missions within the

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game are great fun. None of the multiplayer missions feature Sam, but they all have that same Splinter Cell feel to them. In the end, this breaks down to a more accessible Splinter Cell, but one that follows the progression of the series logically and beautifully. This is a great game for action fans who like their games with a little thought required, rather than a guns blazing affair. The challenge level can be quite high, and the multiple paths through the game even allow for a degree of replayability. This is, without a doubt, one of the finest Splinter Cell games ever. g

Sam Fisher steps out of the shadows and into one of the finest Splinter Cell games ever. Developer: Ubisoft Publisher: Ubisoft Distributor: Megarom

Parental Advisory Violence Language Sex Drug Use Prejudice

18+ gamecca review â&#x20AC;˘

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Accessibility Hard-Core Medium Casual

X360 Platforms

AT A GLANCE:

PC X360 PS3 Wii PSP DS PS2

Score

88 71

Red Steel 2

The Cutting Edge Beware of dislocating your arm…

by Brian Murdoch

have spoken to a lot of people about this game. The first thing that comes to their minds is Red Steel 1 and how unimpressed they were with that title. Because of that we can’t really call this a sequel to the original. Red Steel 2 has set its own new standard in Wii games. If Ubisoft had given the game a different name it might have thrown off this initial bad impression, but they were likely confident in this version that it would make up for the bad taste left in our mouths by the original. So is Red Steel 2 the title that we have all been waiting for? Does it live up to the hype? In Red Steel 2 the player is one of the last of a clan nearly wiped out by enemies. Starting off with being dragged to near-death by a rival, cutthroat clan, the player escapes but loses his katana. This lost blade that has a deeper significance than just a weapon, of course. The player then finds an old teacher and begins his quest to get the katana back and save the town… The game is single player only and is mission based. The player goes through each mission following the story line,

but there are secondary missions that are good for some extra cash to buy more upgrades and new moves. The player continues on with his gun and a borrowed sword. When unlocking new moves a compulsory training session becomes available. The player is not allowed out of the training without performing the new move successfully a few times in a row. Shooting is accurate as it uses the infrared sensor of the Wii remote. Be warned that this is not a game that will let the player sit on the couch and play; the swinging motions needed for effective sword slashes are large and a simple flick of the wrist will not do. Light and heavy attacks, as well as other complicated moves require the player to really get into the game. There are a range of special moves and finishing moves that are well executed and some surprising ones that probably lead to the 16 age restriction. Red Steel 2 can be categorised as a first person shooter, but should rather be a first person brawler as the sword is often used the same amount as, or even more than, the

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Truck-surfing was a big thing in the old West, of course...

gun. The quick swapping of targets and one-versus-many fights support this idea. The player moves around with the nunchuk’s thumbstick, only using the Wii remote to turn the view and look around. It takes a bit of getting used to, particularly considering that sword swings can put the player offcentre. This would be natural in a real sword fight, though. People that get motion sick from FPS games will likely suffer even more in Red Steel 2. Red Steel 2 comes bundled with the Wii Motion Plus accessory, which is required for the game at all times. When I played the development code of Red Steel 2 there were some issues with the control. The game boasts automatic calibration of the Motion Plus accessory and in that version I could see the need for it. Every now and then the sword was pointing in the wrong direction and then it would sort itself out, which threw me off at times. I mention this because in the full version game I couldn’t find the same problem… and I was looking for it! The autocalibration of the Motion Plus was perfect when playing

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the full version and I never had to recalibrate at all. I have heard that others have had problems but switching to another Motion Plus solved the problem [yes, it was me… - ed]. The graphics of this game are really up there with the greats. It is fantastically pretty and reminds me of the Borderlands graphic style. Besides the obvious game features clash Eastern and Western culture in a sort of Samurai Spaghetti Western style, the graphics show the sword-slinging player-character beautifully. I did not see the Wii struggle with the visual performance of the game. It’s a Wii title so don’t expect too much gore - there is no blood pouring out of the enemies. But the cartoonish feel of the game negates the need for excessive gore. This would also have put strain on the Wii’s graphic performance, so the omission is quite welcome. Red Steel 2 was to be the title to swing the masses from their Xbox 360 or Playstation 3 to the Wii and bring to light the hard-core nature of the Wii. As a Wii fan boy and also having both HD consoles I am very impressed with

Less of a slice, more of a slap...

the quality coming through in Red Steel 2. It is a must -buy for hard-core gamers that have a Wii, but I don’t see it as being good enough to buy a Wii specifically for Red Steel 2. It’s a good starter game for those considering a Wii, but only if there are other games you will also want to buy. The game was longer than expected, but features no multiplayer and offers little reason to replay. A single play through should provide at least 10 hours of gaming, though, which is decent enough. In the end the game is a smooth and satisfying journey and the little things done to help this along are appreciated; the way the cogs on the doors seem to hide the fact that it is loading the next area are a good example. The movements that characters make as they talk to the player are great, even though there is no interaction from the player the dialog is overly dramatic. Red Steel 2 has taken Wii games to a new high that I hope others will build off of its achievements. g

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One of the best games to come out on the Wii, solidly geared towards the hard-core gamer with its hack and slash combat. Developer: Ubisoft Publisher: Ubisoft Distributor: Megarom

Parental Advisory Violence Language Sex Drug Use Prejudice

16+ gamecca review •

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Accessibility Hard-Core Medium Casual

Wii Platforms

AT A GLANCE:

PC X360 PS3 Wii PSP DS PS2

Score

80 75

The Settlers 7: Paths to a Kingdom

From the Ground Up Micromanaging a kingdom

by Walt Pretorius

hen it comes to management games, balance is king. If the management game is based on a model that doesn’t have the required balance, its most basic foundation is shaky, and the game falls flat, no matter what the developers might have done in terms of other dynamics. Graphics, sound and virtually anything else lose importance in these cases… a game that looks great but plays poorly is not a good game. Thankfully, the team behind The Settlers has had a lot of experience when it comes to balancing issues. They have been making these games for ages, and have even set standards for management ideas. A Settlers product is almost guaranteed of having a decent management model applied to it.

On a quick side note, I recently heard someone describing The Settlers 7: Paths to a Kingdom as a strategy game. This isn’t the case, except for the fact that management games require a degree of strategy to play. But, by broad definition, strategy games require a military approach, or are generally based on conquest ideas. While conquest is one of the central themes of The Settlers 7, it is handled in a very light way, and the player will need to strategise supply lines rather than troop formations and tactical battle approaches. The Settlers 7 places the player in control of a kingdom at around the Renaissance period of history. Most things produced in the kingdom are still pretty primitive, but gunpowder is available for the creation of certain troop

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types. The player will need to establish a series of small settlements to provide resources for their growing kingdom. There are several resource types, ranging from the expected wood and stone through to fertile land and various kinds of things that can be mined (gold, coal and iron ore.) The resources are, in turn, used to produce other items, some of which are available for use after one step, and others that form part of longer production chains. In the end, every kind of raw resource is turned into something else, and everything is needed to grow the kingdom. The map is divided into numerous sectors, which the player will need to take control of to effectively expand. Not all resources are available in all sectors, and the

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limited size of each sector alone makes expansion into multiple sectors a necessity. The more sectors a player has, though, the longer supply lines threaten to become. Long supply lines mean slower production, which in turn hampers the growth of the kingdom. The player will be required to discover the best tactic to overcome this and many other challenges. One of the challenges, as mentioned before, is taking on enemies. These could either be neutral forces holding sectors, or the soldiers of competing kingdoms. Military tactics come down to simple sending the right kind of troops in to battle. There are very few troop types, with varying specialities, but the player who can build a large, varied army will never run into any major problems as far

as combat is concerned. The player has no direct control over how battles are fought. Instead, he can send one of his generals, along with the army he controls, into a sector to conquer it, and hope for the best. The only real tactical decision that the player can make during battles is whether to press the attack or retreat. Unlike previous Settlers games, goods are now produced by building attached to residences. There are a few resource gathering buildings that don’t make use of this system, but they will be attached to other ‘base’ buildings. Woodcutters, sawmills and hunters, for example, are all extensions of a building called a lodge, while mines, coking plants and iron smelters are extensions of the mountain shelter. Even farms use extensions, which will either produce grain or animals. Each basic building has around six extensions that can be added, but most only offer a maximum of three expansions slots, depending on placement. While resource gathering and warfare will help a kingdom grow, the player will have the opportunity to increase the rate of growth through research and trade. Research is performed by the clergy (which, amusingly, require beer to be recruited.) The research tree is shared by competitors. In other words, there is only one research tree, and if a player’s enemy beats the player to researching a particular kind of technology, the player will no longer have access to it. The player can outbid his opponent while the technology is being researched, and the web-like nature of the tech-tree means that losing a particular basic technology doesn’t mean that other, more advanced sciences will become unavailable. Trade works on a similar basis, with various trade routes opening new trading opportunities to who-ever

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That DRM Thing The Settlers 7: Paths to a Kingdom makes use of Ubisoft’s controversial new DRM system. This requires the player to be online at all times, even when playing single player games. While many people are complaining about this system, Settlers 7 uses it fairly nicely. The player can minimise traffic through a few settings, and losing a connection with the server will prompt the player to save the game locally. It’s not an ideal system, but it works better than previous attempts. However, the player will be forced to install patches with this system. While patches are good, and improve performance and so on, the player will be saddled with a few large downloads when first installing this title. The DRM system doesn’t ruin The Settlers 7, as some people claim, provided the player has a good internet connection. But those that have limitations on bandwidth may be put off by the idea that the game will eat at there cap, even if the consumption of bandwidth is pretty small.

AT A GLANCE: An enjoyable and solid management title, despite the DRM. Developer: BlueByte Publisher: Ubisoft Distributor: Megarom

Parental Advisory Violence Language Sex Drug Use Prejudice

12+ gamecca review •

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Accessibility Hard-Core Medium Casual

PC Platforms

gets there first. With resource management, population management, kingdom expansion, military preparation and building upgrades, not to mention trade and research, there is a lot to do in The Settlers 7. It’s by no means a fast-paced game, with even multiplayer sessions becoming protracted affairs if the players are well matched. Winning doesn’t require total conquest, though. A system of victory points, awarded for achieving predefined goals, can allow a player to win without ever entering combat with main opponents. The Settlers 7 is one of the better recent Settlers games. It is pretty to look at, and the kingdom’s inhabitants are rather adorable. Some of the dialogue is a bit funky (probably because the dialogue has been translated into English) and the voice acting feels a little hammed up in places, but the overall presentation is great. The user interface is easy to get to grips with, and the control scheme is simple and solid. The Settlers 7 may not be everyone’s cup of tea, and the DRM system used may put some players off, but if you are after a management game with lots of replayability and character, as well as a nice (sometimes deceptive) pace and tons of micromanagement, The Settlers 7 is a very decent option. It’s not a perfect game, but it has a very solid management model underlying it, making for a strong foundation. g

PC X360 PS3 Wii PSP DS PS2

Score

80 79

Supreme Commander 2

Bigger is Better Carpet nukes… need we say more?

by Dion Scotten

upreme Commander 2 is the anticipated sequel to what was quite possibly the first of its kind in the RTS genre. Truly massive armies faced off against each other, brandishing epic titan units on both sides and all controlled by just a single commander. Obviously fans of the first are expecting a lot and the question is: has the latest release kept the good and improved on the bad? My first impressions, unfortunately, weren’t very good as the graphics are definitely a step down from the first game. The reason for lowering the graphic intensity was to promote seamless gaming and I must admit the game

does run smoothly, even during huge battles. While the reasons all make sense, it still came across as the Lego version of more popular RTS systems. The cut scenes and mission intros are also not up to the standard of other RTS releases and I was again left a bit disappointed with the story delivery. Game-play, though, is a lot of fun and this made up for any bad first impressions I had. The story takes place in the centre of the deterioration of peace between the United Earth Federation, the Cybran Nation and the Illuminate faction. A comprehensive campaign leads the player through each faction, boasting a total of 18 missions divided equally among the three. As the campaign progresses, the battles become more complex, as expected, but the AI is a bit predictable and can be easily beaten by veterans of the series if the difficulty is set to normal. Newcomers, though, will find themselves challenged by the AI but won’t be overwhelmed by it. The research tree in Supreme Commander 2 works very well and allows the player to research new or upgrade existing units and structures, including the ACU. Research points are earned through battle or generated through research facilities, which can be built. These points are allocated to the type of unit you want to improve which could range from an additional gun barrel to a protective energy field. As in the first instalment, the four main types of units are land, water, air and experimental units, which the player can choose to build and hurl at the enemy. The production buildings are built quickly and huge armies can be amassed in no time. Although the experimental units require their own special research and manufacturing facilities, when they do arrive they have enough punch to swing the battle in the player’s favour. Game-play, on the whole, is effortless and allows for g a m e c c a r ev i ew • i s s u e 1 1 • M ay 2 0 1 0

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A job well done...

AT A GLANCE: A definite improvement from the first Supreme Commander, the game is fun to play and renders smoothly. Developer: Gas Powered Games Publisher: Square Enix Distributor: Nu Metro Interactive

Parental Advisory Violence Language Sex Drug Use Prejudice

Accessibility Hard-Core Medium Casual

PC Platforms

strategy on all levels with a very easy-to-use interface. Resource requirements come in the form of mass and power, which are easily obtained but are just as easily destroyed. These need to be protected from resource denial tactics used by the AI and some players and, besides building defence turrets, the player can upgrade buildings to house defence weapons to drive off enemies. Online multiplayer matches are really what this game was made for and once you’ve completed the single player campaign it will be time for a true test of your skill. Players can choose to play casual or ranked matches online but, either way, they find themselves face to face with some serious encounters in no time. The beauty of Supreme Commander 2 is that it provides enough diversity in unit options and movement to allow players to do just about anything on the battlefield. From hunkering down defensively and cluster nuking your opponent to dust, to resource denying him through co-ordinating bombing runs, the choice of attack depends on the player’s imagination. One thing that surprised me was the huge update required through Steam before the game could be played. A massive 2GB download and patch will run shortly after installation, so players should be aware of this before they spend their money on the game. Nowadays most games do require a patch of sorts after the release of the game to fix bugs and provide tweaks to ensure smooth game-play. This we all accept but a patch that size just seems unreasonable to me and the content should have been included in the disk package that the player paid for. Supreme Commander 2 is a fun game to play but ultimately really only comes alive in the online multiplayer environment. Unfortunately I can’t help but feel that something is missing overall though to put this game up alongside the best RTS games out there. g

PC X360 PS3 Wii PSP DS PS2

Score

74 81

Metro 2033

In the Dark Moscow ain’t what it used to be

by Walt Pretorius

hen the world is destroyed by nuclear fire, the only survivors left in Moscow are those that fled to the massive metro railway system that serviced the city. Virtually trapped underground, the survivors scratch out a meagre existence while fighting tooth and nail against the horrors left behind by the radiation. Based on the novel of the same name by Russian author Dmitry Glukhovsky, the game tells a bleak tale of horrific monsters and a desperate struggle to survive. The player assumes the role of Artyom, a young inhabitant of a Metro station that is about to be over-run by mutants. The stations are islands of humanity among the hundreds of miles of dark tunnels that used to allow underground trains to ferry people back and forth, and so the only way for Artyom’s home station to get help is if he undertakes a perilous journey to one of the larger stations. A number of elements within the game are tied together to reinforce this desperation, which the player most certainly feels while adventuring through the dark subterranean tunnels. The first is, naturally, the darkness.

Metro 2033 is a very dark game, which may put some players off, but it is dark out of necessity. What little light is around in the various tunnels and stations only helps to hide the monsters that the player will fight (both human and inhuman) more effectively. It also manages to set up a stark contrast with the blasted and blighted city above, which the player will venture out into from time to time. The next element that adds to this feeling of desperation is the equipment the player makes use of. Good equipment is rare, with many of the weapons the player gets to use being makeshift things thrown together in hastily constructed mini-factories. The guns are unreliable, battery power doesn’t last long and almost everything of real value is in short supply. When going above ground, into the toxic air that fills Moscow, the character’s heavy breathing in the all important gas mask (which uses filters that eventually run out) is a great example… not only can the player run out of filters, but the gas mask itself might be destroyed if the player takes too much damage. Thirdly, the sound; the game has very little music, and relies on sound heavily to create atmosphere. The gas

Shooting at nothing earned him the nickname ‘Jumpy Yuri’...

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AT A GLANCE: Metro 2033 is a flawed gem… not problem free, but still a fun survival horror. Developer: 4A Games Publisher: THQ Distributor: Ster Kinekor

Parental Advisory Violence Language Sex Drug Use Prejudice

16+

Accessibility Hard-Core Medium Casual

X360 Platforms

mask example above is relevant once again. All the voices were performed by Russian actors speaking in English (for the English sound track, of course) and the tunnels and stations are alive with sounds both mundane and mysterious. The heavy accent that some of the actors have is charming and adds a wonderful sense of believability to the game, but might necessitate the use of subtitles… Calling Metro 2033 a first person shooter isn’t really fair – the game is more of a survival horror title with FPS sentiments. And while part of being a survival horror necessitates the use of challenging enemies, these do illustrate one of the game’s many problems. The enemies are just too tough sometimes, and the organic feel of the levels means that finding effective cover can be quite challenging at times. Also on the problems list is the fact that enemies can charge straight through the player’s ‘body’, as well as the fact that the game is almost entirely linear, with only a few places allowing players freedom to move around as they wish. As a game, Metro 2033 is full of extremes. While it doesn’t necessarily make it into the upper echelons of first person shooter games, it certainly does merit a strong mention for its well crafted atmosphere and beautiful use of mood. While it has numerous problems that could have (and should have) been sorted out through a little more care in the development process, the story is intoxicating and interesting. Metro 2033 is a flawed gem, when all is said and done, but one that still shines despite the faults. More forgiving players will likely thoroughly enjoy it (as long as they can get past some overly challenging and unforgiving sections.) At very least, this title is worth investigating further – who knows, you might just be one of those players that loves it. g

PC X360 PS3 Wii PSP DS PS2

Score

78 83

Racket Sports Party

More Than Just Tennis Make a racket with your racquet

by Brian Murdoch

acket Sports Party is hard to place into a single Wii category because it touches on a few different ones. There is a range of different types of games to play, which makes it a party title. It has elements to get the player fit and give them a bit of a work out, so it’s also a fitness title. And then it focuses on one area of sport (sports that use a racquet) so it could also be called a sports title. Let’s find out if being spread over a few categories rather than focusing on one is bad or good thing. There are 5 different sports to be played in Racket Sports Party and they all involve hitting things with racquets… who would have guessed that? They are tennis, badminton, Ping-Pong, beach tennis and squash. Players might think that the controls for these games are all the same but there are a few exceptions, so reading through the manual to get the tips on how to play the special shots in each event might give the player an upper hand. There are a range of different modes to play in, namely quick match, around the world, party mode, friendly championship, friend tournament and practise mode. All the modes, except around the world and practise, are 1 to 4 players (practise obviously being only 1 player). Around

to world allows the player, or players, to fight their way through a world tour in any of the sports available. They are able to jump from one game to the next and after each match there is an extra challenge that is available to unlock more stuff and characters. These challenges can also be played with 1 or 2 players. There are three different ways to play Racket, excluding the party modes. The player can play with just the Wii remote, have the Motion Plus accessory or have no controls whatsoever and just use the camera. While using only the Wii remote the basic strokes of the game can be performed. When the Motion Plus is added the extra features of slices and spins can be added to the player’s shots, for more control. There also seems to be more accuracy in hitting the ball in this case. When it comes to the camera that is included with the game, no controller is needed… the camera simply picks up the player’s movements. Although the camera is easy to set up, it sometimes take time to set up the rest of the environment. The player will have to take note of the things that the camera needs, like good lighting and space for the player to move around in. And the last thing (which they don’t mention) is not to wear the same colour as

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AT A GLANCE: 5 different racquet games that can be played in three different ways, to help players move on from Wii Sports tennis. Developer: Ubisoft Publisher: Ubisoft Distributor: Megarom

Parental Advisory Violence Language Sex Drug Use Prejudice

3+ gamecca review •

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Accessibility Hard-Core Medium Casual

Wii Platforms

the background, because the camera might not find the player. With this done it makes it possible for the player to just swing their arms to serve and hit the ball. This mode is fun to play around with, but the fact that spins and slices can’t be used (and party mode is not supported, for obvious reasons) made the Motion Plus option more of an appealing prospect. What helps is that I can have four people with Motion Plus playing at the same time! The game is about tennis and uses the Wii Motion Plus, and one can’t but help to compare it to other titles that do the same. EA Sport’s Grand Slam comes to mind, with the tournament structure being very similar. EA’s title had well known characters, though, while Racket is stuck with Brian and Susan, but the fact that Racket uses a tournament structure for each game and extra tasks that can be played in co-op makes it more of a fun title. The controls to add top spin and slices are the same for both titles. Racket ends as a solid game and a good buy for those that have not moved off of Wii Sports Tennis yet. It is easy to play for even a 3 year old, as the age restriction suggests, and the good incorporation of a multiplayer is great for family bonding. g

PC X360 PS3 Wii PSP DS PS2

Score

62 85

Resonance of Fate

Not So Shiny Pedantic, slow and very difficult

by Walt Pretorius

he thing with JRPGs is that the genre is getting a little stale. The combination of long stories, turn based (or semi-turn-based) combat, magic meshing with technology and completely over-the-top characters (not to mention heavy-weight cut scenes) has almost been done to death. That’s why Resonance of Fate introduces a breath of fresh air to the genre… it leaves a few of these ideas behind. Then again, it adheres to others on the list vehemently, making it something of a mixed bag. There are a few things that stand out in this game. Firstly, it’s very long, with a lot more than 60 hours of gaming for those that undertake the bulk of the side quests. While this does add the idea of value for money to the proposition, one needs to factor in the idea that the game’s story takes around ten to twelve hours to start developing properly. That’s a lot of time to engage in apparently pointless wandering. Additionally, a lot of the side quests are little more than grind missions. They might seem varied in their descriptions but, more often than not, they follow very similar formulas; go somewhere, beat

something up, come back and get a reward. The side-quests are important, though, because of the second aspect of the game that stands out. It’s very, very difficult. Players who avoid side quests just won’t pick up enough bonus experience to hack it at certain stages. Even if they do, the combat in this game is tricky, and a single bad decision or unlucky event can result in disaster. The player controls three characters in the game. Team leader Vashyron is cynical and sarcastic, motivated by freedom and choice. Zephyr is a bratty, disgruntled youngster who wants to make a difference. Lastly, Leanne is something of a wallflower (initially, at least). The three live in Basel, a massive tower city built to keep humanity safe from the Earth, which they effectively managed to destroy. But Basel itself is falling apart, and it is up to these three characters to put things right. It’s an interesting premise and the story does, eventually, develop rather nicely. Initially, though, it’s almost as though the game has no plot at all.

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The third stand-out aspect of Resonance of Fate is its saving grace. See, the game doesn’t have the greatest graphics, and the pedantic nature of the title (complete with all the grinding) will be enough to put off all but the most hardened JRPG fans. Even the cut-scenes may be distasteful to some, as they try and mesh a serious story line with humour that some would call quirky and others would call juvenile. And so it comes down to the game’s rather unique approach to combat to save it. The combat is a blend of turn-based and real time fighting. The player can plan fairly complex strategies, employing all three characters if necessary, and then have an influence on the real-time execution of those strategies. It’s fast paced and furious stuff, all based on gun-play and grenades, rather than swords and magic. While the inclusion of firearms as the weapons of choice in this game is fresh, the combat system is rather complex. A long, optional tutorial will teach the player everything they need to know about gunplay early in the game, and these concepts never change. The characters do not learn

new moves or gain new abilities during the game; rather, they get weapon, grenade and ammo upgrades. The player will find themselves getting beaten quite a lot during combat, particularly at first. Resonance of Fate’s new approach requires the same from the player, and until they have modified their style to suit that of the game, most combat sessions will prove very challenging and highly frustrating. Another nice aspect of the game is the way the map is unlocked. As the player completes missions and achieves goals, they are rewarded with combinations of hexagonal shapes that allow power to be restored to the city by way of placing the shapes onto the overhead map. It’s an original idea, although not necessarily a logical one. In the end, Resonance of Fate is a great game for hardcore JRPS fans who want something slightly different from the usual titles in the genre. But the lack-lustre graphics, monotonous environments, slow story and high degree of difficulty will likely alienate anyone who is not one of those gamers. g

Let’s hope he notices that his gun is empty...

AT A GLANCE: Developer: Tri-Ace Publisher: Sega Distributor: Nu Metro Interactive

Parental Advisory Violence Language Sex Drug Use Prejudice

16+ gamecca review •

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Accessibility Hard-Core Medium Casual

Platforms

This game is slow, long and very difficult – recommended for hardcore JRPG fans only

PS3 PC X360 PS3 Wii PSP DS PS2

Score

71 87

Yakuza 3

Do it for the Kids Save the orphanage, save the world

by Jimmy Glue

o be brutally honest, I wasn’t sure what to expect from Yakuza 3, although the previews did look very enticing. I have never heard of, let alone played, any of the previous Yakuza titles, so it was pretty much up in the air as far as excitement goes. I was lead to believe that it would be a GTA-type game, set in Japan and revolving around the Japanese mafia, but I couldn’t have been further from the truth. What I found was a delicately woven plot, with tons of intricacy and a strong sense that family is one of the most important parts of Japanese culture. The story, written by Masayoshi Yokoyama, revolves around former Yakuza member Kazuma Kiryu and his adoptive daughter Haruka Sawamura, as they run an orphanage outside Okinawa. Kiryu decided to leave his criminal past behind to open the Morning Glory orphanage, but when his good friend Daigo Dojima is involved in an assassination plot, he has to act quickly in order to save his now-peaceful life. Although the story carries on from the previous two instalments, it is not necessary to have played them. The game, on many occasions, features the ability to watch lengthy videos in which the past plots are examined. As mentioned, they are rather lengthy, as one video can easily

reach 10 minutes. Most of the story takes place in Tokyo, and although it features real-life landmarks, some of the city has been fictionalised, such as a virtual version of Tokyo’s red-light district. Ryukyugai in Okinawa is also fictional, but is based on Naha’s Makishi district. Speaking of visuals, the title’s graphics won’t push the PS3’s capabilities, but it’s a good effort none the less. The detail is sufficient to deliver an engrossing world and the smallest details add a nice touch. The graphics in the cutscenes, one would think, aren’t much better than in-game, but a slight difference can be seen. In terms of control, the title uses the standard control scheme for getting around, although the analogue stick is incredibly sensitive, for some odd reason. While walking around town, a slight increase forward on the stick will send Kiryu running the 100m dash down the main road, leaving his poor daughter to run after him. Fighting, although slightly more complex, is also easy to master. Essentially the gamer will have two different kinds of hand-to-hand attacks, coupled with the ability to block, grab enemies and pick up objects for over-the-head smashing. As the game progress, the player will learn new moves, abilities and even level up. “Are you sure that you dropped your contact lens here?”

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But all is not bad with the title. To the contrary, the title is actually very enjoyable. I won’t go as far as to say that it’s good, but it certainly has it bursts of goodness. There were a couple of occasions where I sat back and realised that Yakuza 3 wasn’t so bad, but just as fast as I said that, a 10 minute cutscene will make an appearance, or I have to read through a novel of dialogue accompanied by muffled grunts, groans and disturbing laughter. Fans of the franchise will thoroughly enjoy it, and although it has a couple of niggling issues, I suspect that they might just be all part and parcel of the Yakuza series. Hardcore fans might also want to consider investing in Like a Dragon 4: Successor of the Legend, the sequel to Yakuza 3, which was released only in Japan. g

AT A GLANCE: Although it’s no GTA-clone, the latest instalment will instantly satisfy any Yakuza fan. Developer: CS1 Team Publisher: Sega Distributor: Nu Metro Interactive

Parental Advisory Violence Language Sex Drug Use Prejudice

18+ gamecca review •

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Accessibility Hard-Core Medium Casual

PS3 Platforms

The game is meant to be serious, but before every fight there will be a short dialogue in which the hero is taunted into combat. The street gangs are the most hilarious, in a bad way, as the English translations aren’t always spot on. It seems as though they have a limited English vocabulary, and just keep on repeating the same words, but constructed in different sentences. Which brings us to the next part: the game’s dialogue. During the opening sequence and cut-scenes, the characters all speak Japanese with English sub-titles. I’m totally fine with that, as I pretend that I’m translating their speech into English in my head. But during game-play, there is only text on the screen, and it then starts to feel like reading becomes a chore. And the text is usually very long, just like the cut-scenes, which, by the way, you can’t skip. During the aforementioned text dialogues, the characters also have stagnant and repetitive motion. While using the street gangs as an example again, the gang leader will slap his knee while joking with you, and he will keep doing that until you drive the conversation forward. When someone says something funny, you will only hear child-like laughter, which can be disturbing at times.

PC X360 PS3 Wii PSP DS PS2

Score

72 89

Pokémon Heart Gold and Soul Silver

Heart and Soul Same Pokémon, different story

by Brian Murdoch

ith the wide range of Pokémon games out there it becomes very hard to pick between the different ones… or even know where to start. Is there even a beginning? Well, to get players started in Pokémon we have included a special feature to give a jump start to those new to the game, and tips and tricks that some experienced players can learn on page 62. In this review we are going to focus on the main points of the Heart Gold and Soul Silver and how they are different from the rest of the Pokémon games out there. Team Rocket is back after a bad break up and they are at it again. They are forcing Pokémon to evolve into their bigger states and also attempting to control all Pokémon in the land. They have taken over the radio stations and are sending out their control signal over all of Johto. As a trainer the player journeys through the land of Johto, fighting various Pokémon gym leaders. There is almost always someone or something in the way of fighting the

gym leader and the player will need to solve each bit of the story to continue; this is where Team Rocket comes in. After getting all the badges in the area, the player moves on to the Pokémon league to eventually fight the league champion. In most other Pokémon games, after the league champion is beaten it only opens up the battle area and continued general battling is available. In Heart Gold and Soul Silver beating the league champion will open a new area with 8 more badges and another league to win! That is like buying two Pokémon games for the price of one. This fact alone should help when looking to buy a Pokémon game, as these are twice as long. Are there differences between Heart Gold and Soul Silver other than the box art and loading screen? Only one main difference is the time in which legendary creature is available to catch. It ends up about as important as picking the gender of the player’s character. The Pokémon seen on the cover of each of these versions are both available in the game. Lugia is the Soul Silver Pokémon

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and using items in the menus, with most of the buttons now on the bottom screen. The player has three different ways to play: using just buttons and selecting with the “A” button, or switching the second option on and using the “L” button to select and only needing one hand, or just using the d-pad to walk around and the stylus for everything else. Before the stylus use was limited and buttons where only on the top screen. Don’t forget that buying any of the same type Pokémon games also lets the player battle or trade with other version of the same type, so playing with a friend and their Pearl version is still possible. This is the only way to collect all of the more than 250 Pokémon… if you gotta catch ‘em all. g

AT A GLANCE: A great improvement on other Pokémon games… with double the story and the Pokéwalker, it is the best Pokémon game yet. Developer: Nintendo Publisher: Nintendo Distributor: Core Group

Parental Advisory Violence Language Sex Drug Use Prejudice

Accessibility Hard-Core Medium Casual

DS Platforms

with Ho-oh being the Heart Gold one. Lugia can always be found in the Whirl Islands (after obtaining the silver feather and beating both Team Rocket and the Kimono Girls) while Ho-oh is found at the Bell Tower in Ecruteak City and will need a Rainbow Wing and victory over the same Team Rocket and Kimono Girls. The difference in version is whether you meet them there at level 45 or at level 70. If playing Soul Silver, for example, the silver feather will be given during the story and the Rainbow Wing will need to be found in Pewter City from someone there. The Pokéwalker is a new addition to the Pokémon games and only comes with SoulSilver and HeartGold. This is a pedometer: it counts the steps that a person takes when it is attached to their belt. It is in the shape of a Pokéball and the player is able to load a Pokémon onto it and walk around, with each step adding one point of experience. No matter how far you walk, though, a trip on the Pokéwalker will only ever add one level to any Pokémon loaded onto it. There are two mini games on the Pokéwalker, which allow the player to dowse for items and use a PokéRadar to catch Pokémon. The items and Pokémon change according to the area the player selects to ‘walk’ in. Pokéwalkers are also able to communicate with each other, allowing gift exchanging. Being able to catch and find different Pokémon with the Pokéwalker does help in filling the player’s Pokédex. There are also a few general feature improvements in the game. The first Pokémon that comes out in a battle now walks behind the player as they walk around. The Pokédex view has been altered to show a scrollable grid of Pokémon before selecting a single one. There are also changes to the way of selecting

PC X360 PS3 Wii PSP DS PS2

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They’re new, but they’re also old

by Walt Pretorius

few months ago, Rockstar released a boxed copy of the first two downloadable episodes for GTA IV. Called Episodes from Liberty City, the product was exclusive to the Xbox 360. However, the powers that be at the controversial company have decided that PC owners should also benefit from a boxed copy of these episodes. Episodes from Liberty City for the PC includes The Ballad of Gay Tony and The Quick and Damned, each of which add to the game significantly. GTA protagonist (if he can be called one) Nico Bellic doesn’t appear in these shorter stories (except for the odd cameo appearance here and there.) Rather, they let the player explore other arenas in the seedy underbelly of Liberty City. The biggest problem is that the game they are based on is becoming dated. GTA IV has been out for quite some time now and, although the player doesn’t need a copy of the original to play these episodes, they don’t feel particularly fresh. The DLC versions of the episodes have also been available for some time. Still, fans of the game will enjoy the opportunity to play these two episodes, which introduce some new ideas to the overall concept of GTA IV. If you are a fan but haven’t played the episodes yet (possibly because you weren’t able to download them) then this product is worthwhile. Others may want to hang tight for a new version of GTA, which shouldn’t take too long to materialise. g

AT A GLANCE: They’re not exactly fresh, but fans of GTA IV who haven’t played them will certainly enjoy these episodes Developer: Rockstar Publisher: Take Two Distributor: Nu Metro

Parental Advisory Violence Language Sex Drug Use Prejudice

18+ 92

Accessibility Hard-Core Medium Casual

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PC Platforms

GTA: Episodes from Liberty City

Further Misadventures

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s there a need to educate people about video gaming? This is a question that was recently posed to us. The fact that the question was asked in the first place leads directly to an answer of “yes”. But let’s take it further... The video game industry continues to grow by leaps and bounds, with more and more people flocking to the activity daily. Yet there is a large portion of the population - particularly here in South Africa - that do not see the importance of this industry, and the activity it promotes. The debate about the importance of the video game industry is not a hotly contested topic, true, but one could counter any argument with another question: “How important is the film industry?” Many people would probably say that it is very important, although they might not be able to tell you exactly why. As human beings living in a society that is growing increasingly insular, despite allusions towards ideas of global villages, we need to be entertained. Entertainment is, to be honest, vital. It helps us de-stress, and stimulates mental activity in ways that other activities do not. Entertainment forms a vital part of our leisure time, which, in itself, is important for effective functioning. The film industry is important for this very reason. Kicking back and watching a DVD at home, or taking a trip to the local cinema to watch a new release give us the opportunity to perform a form of mental escapism. These activities allow us to relax, recharge and recuperate. But films provide stimulus only up to a certain level. We

are passive observers of motion pictures, seldom required to apply anything but the most simple of problem solving activities to appreciate a good movie. Movies, as enjoyable as they are, spoon-feed us to a large degree. Video games require a higher degree of interaction, because, as players, we have to give back to a game to have it entertain us. We don’t just sit back and passively absorb information; we have to problem-solve, react and strategise when playing a video game. This means a higher degree of mental stimulation. And it shows. The top three entertainment launches of all time, in terms of earnings, are Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, Grand Theft Auto IV and Halo3 - all of which are video games. In 2009, the video game industry earnings exceeded that of Hollywood, box office and sellthrough combined. So, if the movie industry is important for the reasons mentioned before, it can be argued that the video game industry is even more so. Aside from generating billions of dollars in revenue each year, it also provides average people with a high grade, stimulating form of entertainment. In answer to the original question, while video gaming is still a niche when compared to other entertainment forms, it is one that is growing quickly. That, combined with concerns that some people have about video gaming, makes education about video gaming important. g g a m e c c a B G G G • i s s u e 1 1 • M ay 2 0 1 0

Gaming Anatomy 101: The PlayStation 3 Console Rear Connectors: Various connection ports are mounted in the rear of the console, allowing for LAN connections, HDMI output, Optical output and component AV output.

Power and Eject Button: Older units use flat, touch sensitive panels for power and eject functions. The newer ‘Slim’ version uses buttons.

Disc Slot: The PS3 uses an automated slot, rather than a disk tray.

Indicator Lights: Show hard drive and wireless connection activity.

USB Ports: Connection ports for various peripherals. Also used to charge controller.

Hard Drive: The PS3 uses an internal hard-drive to store save games, files and other information. The hard drive varies in size, according to the model.

Other Capabilities: The PlayStation 3 is a very capable home entertainment unit. While it obviously allows games to be played, it also serves as a Blu-Ray movie player, DVD and CD player. The device is also Bluetooth enabled, and supports various multimedia file types. The PS3 is Dolby True HD, Dolby Digital and DTS Digitial Surround enabled.

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Status Indicators: Multicoloured LEDs that show power status (on or standy) as well as whether a disk is loaded.

Genre Check: Management

anagement games - sometimes called simulations, sims or tycoon games - are one of the oldest forms of video gaming around. They stem back to the heyday of early game development, when titles like SimCity first hit the shelves. These games are sometimes incorrectly described as strategy titles but, while strategy of a sort is required for playing a management game, the military overtones of strategy titles are generally missing (or downplayed) in true management games. The hallmark of management is arguably the high level of micro-management required by the titles. Players of this genre will need to not only consider global results of their actions, but will have to manage even the smallest elements of achieving success. Management games come in a wide variety of flavours, from running a city, to managing a movie studio - even building a global empire. But their common elements are often quite similar, with the player needing to improve facilities and processes through research and experience, as well as to manage supply-and-demand chains across a variety of categories. g

The Settlers 7

The Movies

SimCity Societies

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The New Addiction? A

lot of noise has been kicked up over the last few years about the effects of video gaming, particularly on youngsters. While the hottest topic has always been concerning the effects of violent video games on younger players, there is growing concern over the apparent addictive nature of video games. Anyone who has played a lot of video games will be able to tell you that they have found at least a few of the titles they have experienced to be highly addictive. This is generally used as a compliment, but numerous cases around the world demonstrate how the addictive nature of video gaming can become a problem. There have even been deaths associated with obsessive video gaming in the past - one particular case involved a Far Eastern man playing MMORPG games non-stop for so long that his body shut down. While this phenomenon hasn’t been highlighted very much in the West, the governments of China and South Korea have been investigating steps to combat video game addiction. China has instituted limitations and gaming time - particularly of persistent online games - and have investigated rehabilitation for gamers who have a problem. South Korea appear to be following a similar route, with legislation to limit the gaming time of younger players online in the works in that country. One can very easily argue that there are more addictive things available, even legitimately. Additionally, the argument that addiction to video games is less harmful than a dependency on, say, alcohol, both to the person in g a m e c c a B G G G • i s s u e 1 1 • M ay 2 0 1 0

question and those around him. The fact still remains, though, that playing video games can become a problem. Sure, such an addiction would only be probably in a certain segment of society, but the possibility does exist. While the risks of such an addiction are not as immediate as a drug or alcohol problem, obsessive gaming can be a very damaging activity, leading to social alienation, decreased performance in school or at work, and even health problems. As with any activity or substance that runs the risk of becoming an addiction, moderation is the key. While some may feel the need to completely avoid video gaming activities to eliminate the risk of addiction, a disciplined approach to the activity should prove beneficial to keeping it from becoming a problem. Setting specific times for video game playing - and sticking to them - is the foundation of this discipline’s approach. It can be quite difficult to achieve, particularly considering the fact that it is easy to lose a few hours to a game without even realising, but setting timed alarms or even asking for others to help is a great idea. In the case of youngsters, parents need to monitor the amount of time they spend playing video games, as well as be aware of the fact that obsessive gaming may well become a problem. As always, video gaming can be a very beneficial part of a well-balanced lifestyle. Responsible gaming habits can reap wonderful rewards in terms of relaxation and entertainment. g

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New Vision 3D gaming on a laptop...

by Walt Pretorius

e already know that the G series of notebooks from Asus are great gaming machines. The G51 may not be the top of the line, but it still sports a punchy Intel I7 processor, 2GB of RAM (expandable to 4GB) and a 1GB video card, along with a 500GB hard drive. What makes this particular model so special, though, is the 3D integration it features. The G51J 3D will allow users to experience 3D graphics, thanks to the inclusion of a special system devised by NVidia. It’s quite an interesting experience, but not one that will suit everyone. The 3D conversion is the most effective we have seen yet, but works best with products that take 3D into consideration (games like Avatar, for example). As a notebook, the G51J is excellent, even in gaming performance. It even provides the player with a num-pad, which is always welcome. The 3D component is not a gimmick, and when more developers take it into account, it will be a valuable addition to the machine for those who want to use it. g

NVidia 3D Vision At the heart of the G51J’s 3D capabilities is the NVidia 3D vision device. Comprised of a pair of 3D spectacles and a transmitter, the system helps convert images and video into 3D. The wireless glasses (which can be recharged via a USB cable interface) respoond to the signal from the transmitter, which, in turn, takes it’s cue from conversion software. The system works, but because it is still fairly new technology, could enjoy more supports from developers and the like. Still, it’s a great idea, and one that will certainly make its mark on video gaming in the future. It’s just a pity the galsses are a little uncomfortable, and rather nerdy-looking...

AT A GLANCE: A decent gaming notebook, supported by a 3D vision system, the G51J is a viable option for gamers on the move.

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Steelseries Xai Laser Mouse

Left, Right, Whatever... A mouse for all seasons (sort of)

, like the majority of people out there, am righthanded. So I never really battle when it comes to things like a computer mouse. But (and there was even a Simpsons episode about this, around the second or third season) left-handed folks do often battle to find the exact thing they’re after... particularly when it comes to computer mouse input devices. It seems that mouse creators who work on the high end spectrum don’t often think about these things, while those that do don’t make the best devices. Well, if you’re a lefty (or you just want a good mouse) the Steelseries Xai is a great option. This ambidextrous mouse was put together with performance in mind. The folks over at Steelseries know that gaming is serious (even though it’s fun) and so they have made a mouse that delivers in ever area. Whether it’s the programmable CPI setting, which lets you quickly change between two sensitivity settings, or the10.8 megapixel per second that

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by Walt Pretorius the Xai delivers, or even the non-slip surface material and ergonomic, comfortable design, this mouse screams quality, reliability and sturdiness. Made from top grade materials, supplied with high grade sensing and electronics and supported by excellent software, the Xai laser mouse is an excellent, lightweight yet reliable input device... no matter which hand you use to scratch your nose. g

AT A GLANCE: The ambidextrous design and excellent quality combine to form a versatile and top-notch gaming mouse.

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Steelseries Z-Board

Vesatility A keyboard for all occasions

by Walt Pretorius

he Steelseries Z-Board is not a new product. In fact, they have been around for quite some time. However, such a unique device does bear mentioning over and over again, because it offers a degree of versatility and customisation that no other keyboard can match. The principle behind the Z-Board is to make gamer’s lives easier. This is done by offering diffrent key configurations for different games. Pictured above is a standard FPS layout, but users can even buy game-specific keyboard layouts, complete with artwork. The key-layouts clip into the main body of the board. An onboard chip tells the body what kind of keyboard is attached, and software does the rest. The Z-Board ships with the standard FPS layout, as well as a normal keyboard layout. These layout can be folded g a m e c c a h a r d wa r e •

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up and easily stored when not in use. As a gaming device, the Z-Board is great. As a keyboard though - we’re talking about for ‘normal’ use here - it does leave a bit to be desired. The versatility of the device saboutages its most basic functionality, to a degree. Then again, the real difference will be whether the end user uses their PC mainly for gaming, or as a multi-purpose tool. g

AT A GLANCE: The Z-Board is a great gaming device, but does leave a bit to be desired as a functional keyboard.

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Sharkoon Xtatic Digital Headset

Deep Sound They work with everything! by Brian Murdoch

he Sharkoon is going to be the terror in the deep among the other 5.1 channel headsets out there. The only input into the included sound control unit is via digital cable, however the headset connects to the sound control unit via a 9 pin analog jack and, in the box, there is an adapter for the 9 pin into four 3.5 mm stereo plugs (for microphone, subwoofer, front and back connections). This is used to connect to audio devices that don’t have digital output. I tried the headset out on a few devices but my favourite had to be the PS3. After reading the manual and setting up the 5.1 up correctly the real quality of the headset was best shown when playing a Blu-ray movie through the Playstation. After sitting through a 2.5 hour movie I realised that I had not moved the headset at all, yet I was still comfortable. The cable with these headphones is fairly generous, but at 3.6 meters, some may feel that they are still a bit close when using the headphones with a TV. The fact that the kit also needs to be powered is a bit of a minus, but the quality of the Xtatic’s performance would be far less without it.

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Each earphone sports 4 speakers, which provide full Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound. Even if this superior sound quality could be transferred wirelessly, the headphones would still need a cable for the power. Thankfully the headphones only have one cable, for both power and signal. The Xtatic is compatible with virtually everything – for correct connection, refer to the included manual. Sound is never fun alone, so there is an option of a second headset from the one sound control unit, and the control unit also outputs to 3.5 surround sound. g

AT A GLANCE: Sharkoon presents a wonderfully versatile and high quality personal sound solution in the form of the Xtatic Digital headset.

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Thrustmaster T-Charge All NW

Lots of Life

No more unwanted battery death... by Walt Pretorius

f your batteries die half way into a thrilling mission of the latest Wii game, you won’t be blamed for feeling a little miffed. In truth, the fact that the Wii remote uses a pair of AA batteries that need changing fairly often is probably one of the console’s weakest points. The Thrustmaster T-Charge All NW provides a potential solution to the problem. In fact, except for one small niggle, it provides an excellent solution. The unit, which houses two Wii remotes and two Nunchuk units in neat compartments, comes with two specialised remote backs. These backs create a connection between the charging bays built into the T-Charge cradle and the rechargable batteries that are also in the pack. These batteries are AAA size, but a special converter that fits into the Wii remote’s battery compartment takes care of the size diffrence. g a m e c c a h a r d wa r e •

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The unit has a USB plug that slots into the back of the Wii console. Any controller with the modified back that is placed into one of the two cradles automatically recharges. The only problem is that this unit doesn’t fit remotes kitted out with the MotionPlus peripheral. Still, for the relatively little effort of disconnecting the MotionPlus each time, you can save tons on buying new batteries. g

AT A GLANCE:

Although it doesn’t take the MotionPlus into account, this cradle system is a great way to keep you Wii remotes charged up.

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Hori Headphone for Nintendo DS Lite

Comfort

Versatile, comfortable sound delivery.

lthough the name might lead you to believe otherwise, these headphones work across a variety of devices. Then again, their lack of microphone input puts them on par with any other headphone that uses the same size jack... they can all be used with the DS range of devices, after all. But the Hori headphones make for a great purchase for DS users. Being fully licensed products, they have Nintendo’s stamp of approval, which is a plus, because that’s pretty much a guarantee that they’re going to do the job well. The sound quality, particularly when used with the DS, is very ggod. Best of all, though, is the high level of comfort that these headphones offer. A positionable ear-bracket on each holds them firmly in place, without placing too much pressure on the user’s ears. They’re so

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by Walt Pretorius comfortable, in fact, that the temptation to use them with other devices is strong. We tested them with phones, MP3 players and virtually everything else we could plug them into. While the bass response on the speakers could be a little better, they do an excellent job of reproducing sound. They’re a bit bulky to stick in your pocket, but they’re so comfortable that you’ll probably forget you’re wearing them. g

AT A GLANCE: Versatile and comfortable, these licensed headphones do the trick for DS users.

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Hori Protective Filter Nintendo DS Lite

No More Scratches Protect that sensitive touch-screen

by Walt Pretorius

here is nothing quite so heart-breaking as when your favourite hand-held gaming device gets a scratch on the screen. The imperfection becomes the only thing you see, with every game marred by the ugly gouge... no matter how small it is. People will tell you it’s ok, and will suggest that you ignore it... but you can’t. It’s just not the same anymore... Thankfully, there are ways to protect the screens of the various hand-held gaming devices out there. Hori produce products that fit both the PSP and the DS, but the touch screen of the latter is the one that damage most affects.. Not only does it look horrible, but the smooth feel of the stylus gliding over the screen is interrupted by bumps. Touch screens are funny things, though, and can easily be interfered with. The Hori solution, though, almost seems like there is nothing between the screen and the stylus. Yet this tough product will protect the screen beautifully. Naturally, there is a protector for both of the DS’ screens g a m e c c a h a r d wa r e •

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in the pack, and they bring the added benefit of reducing glare as well. A word of warning - you’ll want to take applying these protectors slowly, and will want to make sure that the screens are perfectly clean beforehand. Even the smallest piece of debris can cause a bubble under the protector and, while they can be re-used, dust that gets trapped on the stickier side is there to stay. g

AT A GLANCE: It’s a great idea to protect the screens of your favourite handheld gaming devices... But you’ll want to apply these very carefully.

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In the Lair

Recovery by the banman

rowing up, many gamers in South Africa were pirates. We just couldn’t get games here, thanks to various embargoes, and a solid culture of piracy was bred into us. And the culture tends to stick. In 2005 I got married and early 2006 I moved to Johannesburg. My pirate ways came with me. LAN gaming sessions were the order of the day and content was freely available with little or no control. The attitude towards piracy was: “What we can’t see we can’t control,” so grabbing a few gigabytes kept you topped up for a month or so. It was in Johannesburg that I met and became good friends with a fellow gamer. He has a zero piracy policy and I could not understand what his problem was. It is all out there for the taking. Why not dip your digital cup and drink to your hearts content? We now find ourselves in a world where DRM or Digital Rights Management has begun to rule our gaming world. This is due to the fact that a culture has emerged in our industry, one that has not sprung up over night, but on that has been nurtured for years... and it’s across the whole globe. The notion that: “I can take what does not belong to me, or what I have not paid for and it is perfectly okay and socially acceptable.” When we were younger we all had stories of kids that ruined a sports game or cheated in Monopoly, the same kid that peeked when playing hide and seek. Remember how angry that made you. How your sense of

justice had been violated. It definitely was not okay and socially acceptable to behave like that. But now-a-days in digital lobbies and at LAN parties is has become acceptable to take what is not ours and cheat in the odd game or two. Sometimes I cannot tell which is worse. Both are enough to ruin your gaming experience. One team that I have been following is the Xbox Live team of enforcers. These are the valiant guys and gals at Microsoft that police the Live Service to make sure that everybody has a good gaming experience and that a select few do not ruin it for others. Basically this team is looking for those that are using exploits to ruin games or people who have hacked their consoles or have edited their profiles to change their gamerscore to give themselves achievements that they have not earned. Just think of what kind of a person this is. Then pray that you do not fit this description. Recently at PAX East, the popular geek (geek being the highest complement you can pay someone) and gaming expo on the US east coast, Stephen Toulouse (the person at Microsoft who heads up the enforcers) was giving a panel discussion on the enforcement process at Microsoft. After spending 40 odd minutes explaining this and asking people to support them and to help change the culture of some of the gamers on the

Service, the first question asked was by a gamer who wanted his account unbanned for playing Fortza 3 early. To do this you need a modified, chipped (illegal) console and a pirated copy of the game. There are a few reasons that Microsoft will not unban an account. This is one of them. This same person then made his was to the expo floor and, with his own personal laptop, connects to an exhibitors network and begins to copy the files across that network for a title on display that had not been released. He was caught and will now stand trial is the US for his actions… to make matters worse, he tried to run. If this type of profile fits your character, I hope that now is the time you choose to rethink your ways. As a recovering pirate myself I know the road can be long and can take time. Our industry needs more gamers with good morals. It’s not cool to take what is not yours. So please... Don’t be a jerk! g

This page is provided by The Lair www.thelair.co.za

From Space

Crazy Cool by Columnist A

started playing Bayonetta the other day. Crazy game, man. Like, freakin’ insane. Here’s this woman – huge, uhm, lungs – with a skin-tight suit made of her own hair. Halfway through a combo the hair comes undone and starts doing weird stuff like power-slamming enemies. Oh and she has guns. In her boots. In. Her. Boots. And while all that’s happening, there’s this J-pop soundtrack, which can best be described as jazz, with

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techno beats and dance vocals. As unappealing as it sounds, the game makes it work. See, this is Japan’s draw-card. It can pull off creative stuff like this no matter what. Despite all the flak I give Japanese RPGs (Yakuza 3, Final Fantasy, etc), there’s no denying that the guys from the Far East are definitely the most creative video game creators around. Their grand visions range from issues that deal with the human

condition (Metal Gear Solid) to a simple ball that rolls around Earth collecting more objects as it goes along (Katamari Damacy). Some titles, like Katamari, are so niche in their appeal that they’re never brought to more mainstream gaming markets like Europe (and, by extension, South Africa) simply because they’re so off the wall. And that bit about being “niche” is just marketers being too scared to say “this game is so nuts, even people without peanut allergies will go into anaphylactic shock”. But it’s cool, guys. We need these crazy games. Silly concepts often work best in helping us tear ourselves away from reality. As much as I love racing and golf sims, they’re a bit too much of what I already have: real life. Sometimes you just need to explore a bit. Get out there and shoot some vending machines with a gun made from car tyres. And when it explodes, you’re left with golden coins that buy you upgraded rabbit fur armour. Beats the hell out of tactically sneaking around in Modern Warfare 2, only to be sniped by some camper who calls you a cheater when you eventually knife him in the head. g

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