Gamecca Magazine September 2009

i s s u e 3 / vo l u m e 1 - S E P T E M B E R 2 0 0 9

Th ‘ IssuDear Sae e the : we prnta’ en ev reled of yeaiew ases r

Assassin’s Creed 2 Dead Space Extraction Borderlands Guitar Hero 5 Blur Tekken 6 Avatar DJ Hero Dragon Age Saboteur Uncharted 2 Just Cause 2 and many more...

Just Add Friends

the Facebook game phenomenon

The Good Fight

the new Wolfenstein reviewed

Hit a Six!

Ashes Cricket is here

Inside 6 From the Editor On this month’s cover: It’s time for some nostalgia with the new look at G.I. Joe. but does the game live up to our fond memories? See the review on page 68

8 News 10 Unstuck Are game release delays a necessary evil? Jimmy Glue believes so.

12 Geekology Matthew Vice talks single player vs multiplayer 14 Just add friends The Facebook game phenomenon 20 Previews A huge preview section awaits 62 PS Zealot Our resident expert looks at the PS3 Slim 63 Xbox Beat What do you do if your Xbox 360 falls over?

64 House of Mario Get a few handy Wii hints 66 Reviews Read seven top notch game reviews 82 Hardware Some more tech toys for fans 88 In the Lair DoTA style games 90 Showdown Gamers vs developers...

4

issue 3 • september 2009

Reviews Previews

21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61

Guitar Hero 5 Dead Space Extraction The Saboteur Assassin’s Creed 2 Tekken 6 Avatar Dragon Age: Origins DJ Hero Just Cause 2 Championship Manager 2010 Uncharted 2: Among Thieves NEW Mario Bros. Wii Alpha Protocol Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 Blur Rock Band: The Beatles Cars: Race-o-Rama Borderlands Band Hero Rabbids Go Home Star Wars - The Clone Wars: Republic Heroes Red Steel 2 Ratchet & Clank: A Crack in Time Shaun White Snowboarding: World Stage Brutal Legend Batman: Arkham Asylum Up Heroes Over Europe Cities XL Bayonetta Cursed Mountain Risen LEGO Indiana Jones 2: The Adventure Continues Academy of Champions MagnaCarta 2 LEGO Rock Band Tropico 3 Dragon Ball: Raging Blast Your Shape Operation Flashpoint 2: Dragon Rising NHL 2K20

68 70 72 74 76 78 80

GI Joe: The Rise of Cobra Wolfenstein Ashes Cricket ‘09 Overlord: Dark Legend Anno 1404 Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn Terminator: Salvation

GAMECCA Volume 1 Issue 3 September 2009 Editor: Walt Pretorius Writers: Walt Pretorius Matthew Vice Jimmy Glue Brian Murdoch Bryan Banfield Andre van der Westhuizen Dion Scotten Suvesh Arumugam 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

Copyright © 1337 Media CC 2009

issue 3 • september 2009

5

gamecca • from the editor

The Grand Experiment

G

by Walt Pretorius

amecca of it. Pinnacle Micro have has entered a sponsorship deal been an with Gamecca, and have interesting provided us with a fantastic rig experience thus far, to do our PC game reviewing with more than a few on. Quite honestly, it has surprises in store for been a while since I have me and for those who had access to a machine are so generously that runs games beautifully contributing their time (my whole leaning towards and efforts to the console platforms was really magazine. Almost a move away from my PC everything about it gaming roots, and largely has been a learning because I couldn’t afford the curve.

PC I wanted.) Actually writing I have been in the this article is very difficult for publishing industry me, because I have at least for many years (yes, a year’s worth of PC gaming I am getting on) but to catch up on. If you take this project has been a look at the bottom of the unlike anything I page, you will see exactly have done before in what this wonderful PC has in many ways. Sure, terms of components (and, as the editing and layout a bit of a side note, the guys and grunt work at Pinnacle did an amazing really doesn’t differ job putting the machine from traditional print together… so neat!) formats, but just And so, on to the third issue about everything else of the grand Gamecca does. Gamecca has experiment. You will notice been an experiment that this issue is very heavy “The past few from day one, with (I am afraid to on previews, and somewhat lighter on reviews. say) the readers as the unwitting test months have seen This is due to the fact that we have to review what things accelerate is available (and it’s one of those quiet times for subjects.

Thus far, it’s working. Sure, this is gaming) and because we have another massive beyond my “only the third issue”, but it is also end of year ahead of us, crammed full of all sorts own optimistic “already the third issue,” if you get my of gaming goodness. I hope you enjoy this slightly expectations.” meaning. The past few months have unusual issue. seen things accelerate beyond my If you are a new reader, welcome. Send us a letter, own optimistic expectations, and they seem to have passed very why don’t you (letters@gamecca.co.za)? And don’t forget to quickly. subscribe to our newsletter by visiting www.gamecca.co.za and The big news from my desk is all about what’s sitting on top following all the usual motions. 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: Inwin 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

6

issue 3 • september 2009

13V

activision.com

Marvel, and all related characters and the distinctive likenesses thereof are trademarks of Marvel Entertainment, Inc. and its subsidiaries, and are used with permission. Copyright © 2009 Marvel Entertainment, Inc. and its subsidiaries. Licensed by Marvel Characters B.V. www.marvel.com. All rights reserved. Super Hero(es) is a co-owned registered trademark. Game © 2009 Activision Publishing, Inc. Activision is a registered trademark of Activision Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved. ‘ ’ , PLAYSTATION, PlayStation, ' ‘ and PSP are trademarks or registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. Microsoft, Xbox, Xbox 360, Xbox LIVE, and the Xbox logos are trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies.Trademarks are property of their respective owners. Nintendo DS and Wii are trademarks of Nintendo. All other trademarks and trade names are the properties of their respective owners. All RIghts Reserved.

gamecca • news

news news news Dragon Age to feature Curry’s flavour Electronic Arts seem to like Tim Curry. He played a fairly hefty role in the latest Red Alert title, and will now be lending his voice to BioWare’s Dragon Age. Curry will provide the voice of the character Arl Rendon Howe, a charming and cultured chap who is a calculating villain none the less. Howe’s character, who never lets anything or anyone stand is his way, will provide Curry with a good platform to show off his voice acting abilities.

Another important character with a famous voice will be Flemeth, a powerful witch who hangs on to immortality through some pretty nasty methods, and who will be very important to the player’s survival in the game. Her voice will be provided by Kate Mulgrew, who played Captain Janeway in Star Trek: Voyager.

Other well known voices in the game will come from the likes of Tim Russ, Claudia Black and Steve Valentine.

8

issue 3 • september 2009

gamecca • news

news news news Setting the Score

In the Driving Seat

Jason Graves, the man behind the music for Dead Space and Star Trek, as well as being a BAFTA award winner, will be composing the score for Section 8, a new first person shooter coming from TimeGate Studios.

“Section 8 was a great opportunity to combine my three musical passions: orchestra, electronics/synths and guitars,” Graves said. “It was so much fun playing guitar and tweaking my analog synths. I treated them as additional members of the orchestra, sometimes taking the spotlight and other times adding textural background.

“The music focuses on the two primary locations of the game,” added Graves. “One is more orchestral in nature and the other has a hybrid rock edge to it. TimeGate gave me a lot of freedom to try different things - it was refreshing to experiment with such a diverse sound palette.”

This is what the press releases say about the upcoming title: Section 8 gives players unprecedented strategic control over the battlefield, employing tactical assets and on-demand vehicle deliveries to dynamically alter the flow of combat. Set at the crossroads of a growing insurrection among its colonies, Earth dispatches the elite 8th Armored Infantry to turn the tide. Utilizing advanced powered armor suits, these brave volunteers are the only ones crazy enough to smash through enemy defenses and drop directly into the battlefield from 15,000 feet, earning them the nickname “Section 8.”

London-based videogame publisher System 3 and Netherlands-based driving seat solution company Playseats have announced an exclusive racing partnership to promote Supercar Challenge on PlayStation 3.

The two companies will work hand in hand to create the definitive racing seat experience for System 3’s brand new SuperCar Challenge racing simulation. The deal will involve various cross-promotion activities including race day events and exclusive Supercar Challenge branded seats. These fantastic branded seats will be made available for purchase across PAL territories and online when the game launches in the spring.

“System 3’s up-and-coming, edge-of-your-seat PlayStation 3 racer is best experienced within a professional seat and wheel set-up… there’s nothing that can match that kind of racing experience,” explains System 3 Brand Manager Chandra Nair.

“With the passion and racing heritage that’s going into SuperCar Challenge we wanted to work with a company that shares our goals and passion. Professional race driver Fernando Smit and his company Playseats can provide the perfect set-up for SuperCar Challenge, enabling gamers to enjoy the ultimate racing experience at a price that won’t break the bank.”

gamecca • unstuck

Hurry Up and Wait

T

by Jimmy Glue

he greatest thing in gaming, besides having a physical copy, is being informed about a particular title’s release date. Instead of staring into the netherworld, wondering when the sequel will released, it gives us a glimmer of hope, a flickering sign that excitement is on the horizon.

We all avidly stare at the flickering ray of greatness, pondering the next step in the game’s evolution. It brightens, then dims, and then... and in a huge cataclysmic bugger-up, the whole bloody release date is blown to smithereens by the wonderful development team who cites “unforeseen circumstances” as the reason for your star’s demise.

My first reaction would be to shake my fist angrily to the empty space in the heavens where the gaming gods used to sit, but that feeling is often short lived. I have realised that there is absolutely nothing that I can do about the situation and instead resort to moping around my house, wondering what these “unforeseen circumstances” might be.

A water cooler, which just happened to be filled with deadly acid, exploding on the top I have a friend who worked as a game tester on Fable II, and if floor of the developer’s office is an “unforeseen circumstance”. the game sucked, I would have confronted him about it. I would A Kodiak bear breaking lose from the circus down the road and have rather waited a couple more weeks, knowing the creases eating it’s way through half of the executive committee is, in all were being ironed out, than playing a paint-by-numbers oddity. essence, an “unforeseen circumstance”.

Yeah, I know. Release date changes can be the bane of our But, no matter how awesome the exploding water cooler might existence, but just remember; they sometimes happen for the seem, delayed release dates are something that all of us needs right reasons, and for the better of the game. to deal with at some point or another. There is usually a good There is nothing worse than being super-excited to hear the reason for a game being delayed, and no matter how nasty it disc tray click to a close, dashboard dimming away, and the might be to wait an extra month, it’s usually worth it. dreaded ‘ploop’ of an update notification dotting the screen. If When the initial release date is announced, I have a mental that happens on the game’s first run, something went wrong, as time-frame in which I can prepare no game should have an update myself, and fill every waiting “I would rather play a game out within its first week of release. minute with newly-released This could have been avoided that has been designed, screen shots, HD trailers and if they just took their time, and fan-created box art. We all want developed and tested to maybe delayed the game for the game, and we want it now. the best of the developer’s another week.

But, that ain’t gonna happen.

So instead of bitching and ability, than play a game Sure it sucks, I’m with you on moaning about it being delayed, that has been rushed” that one. But I would rather play rather rejoice in the fact that it a game that has been designed, will be super-awesome when you developed and tested to the best actually get to play it in its glorious entirety. of the developer’s ability, than play a game that has been rushed, As for Duke Nukem Forever, that’s an entirely different kettle of photoshopped, and endured a last-minute marathon-session of fish... g copy and paste.

10

issue 3 • september 2009

LAST YEAR WE SCORED OVER

,000,000 GOALS 40 HELP US IMPROVE OUR GAME THIS SEASON

OUT 2nd october available on all formats

A © 2009 Electronic Arts Inc. EA, EA SPORTS, and the EA SPORTS logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Electronic Arts Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries. All Rights Reserved. Official FIFA licensed product. “© The FIFA name and OLP Logo are copyright or trademark protected by FIFA. All rights reserved.” Manufactured under license by Electronic Arts Inc. The Premier League Logo © The Football Association Premier League Limited 1996. The Premier League Logo is a trade mark of the Football Association Premier League Limited and the Premier League Club logos are copyright works and registered trade marks of the respective Clubs. All are used with the kind permission of their respective owners. Manufactured under licence from the Football Association Premier League Limited. No association with nor endorsement of this product by any player is intended or implied by the licence granted by the Football Association Premier League Limited to Electronic Arts. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

gamecca • geekology

The Unwashed Masses

I

by Matthew Vice

n this issue, I’m going to talk about a subject that has been under discussion since the days of Quake: Single player games vs Multiplayer games. Which Seriously, dude, I swear to are better? And this time, unlike my usual, you... I am a GUY! impartial self, I’m going to choose a side.

That’s not to say that I’m slamming the other side – just that what I want from video games falls more into the one camp than the other.

Since I was a kid, I’ve been a lover of storytelling of all kinds. Fantasy, sci-fi, contemporary thrillers, you name it. I became an avid reader, a fan of animation, a Star Wars nut, and then eventually an otaku – everything a lifelong-nerd-in-training should have on their checklist. But I’ve also always been a lover of computer and video gaming, having had a PC in my home for a decade and a half before they became a mandatory household appliance. I grew up on the early Sierra adventure titles and eventually branched out into other genres of gaming.

Games back then were severely limited, and the term “multiplayer” was unheard of.

For this reason, what I came to love most about videogames was the sense of being the Sorceress and Dumbass the Barbarian. It didn’t help that immersed in another world, of becoming Dumbass’s vocabulary consisted of few words beyond “lol” and another character.

Streetworker kept dropping in and out of the game, complaining Like everyone else at the time, I was wowed by Doom, and that none of her nVidia drivers were giving the frame rate they even more wowed by the manual’s claims that you could play it should be. with up to four players at once. Once my neighbour and I figured I tried World of Warcraft too, thinking that, of all multiplayer it out, we spent many, many weekends engaging in furious twogames, this one would surely provide me with an immersive player Deathmatches over a null-modem cable. But it wasn’t fantasy experience. Unfortunately, I’d until Quake came along “Morons – like the teenage underestimated the ability of gamers that the worldwide online in general to #%$ it all up. The power multiplayer frenzy started. kid who insisted on players are only concerned with the I joined in, of course, following my female rogue numbers and couldn’t care less about and I persuaded my creating a suitable adventure ambience, Deathmatch-loving friends around just in case, against to try some multiplayer my explicit claims, I turned and the rest of the players consist of 95% morons – like the teenage kid who games from other genres out to be a real female insisted on following my female rogue too, which they did, gamer ” around just in case, against my explicit begrudgingly. claims, I turned out to be a real female It was round about this gamer. (*snigger* –ed) time that I came to realise something. The sense of immersion With that extensive experience behind me, I think that I will and adventure I had cherished over the past fifteen years was all probably be sticking primarily to single player games to satisfy my but absent in multiplayer. It dawned on me when I played Diablo gaming needs. Deus Ex, Oblivion, Bioshock, Fallout 3, Ratchet II for the first time. It was a multiplayer session, and as much and Clank, Uncharted: Drakes Fortune, Metal Gear Solid – all as I was looking forward to hunting the Lord of Terror into Hell incredible games with great stories and, best of all, nobody itself, it was impossible to ease myself into the fantasy feel of the around to say “lol”. g game when my fellow party-members were named Streetworker

12

issue 3 • september 2009

gamecca • feature

Just Add Friends

The Facebook game phenomenon has added millions of casual gamers to the mix

by Walt Pretorius

14

issue 3 • september 2009

gamecca • feature

W

hen two major movements collide, the results are always interesting. Sometimes it’s like watching a car crash in slow motion – all shattered glass and twisted metal – but at other times it’s like watching a plant grow via time-lapse photography.

When that happens, it really is splendid to behold, bordering on awe-inspiring.

A little while ago two such movements did collide, and the result was a thriving industry that is growing daily.

Playing games online is hardly a new idea. In fact, the concept goes back to the late ‘70s, when pioneers of the internet (yes, it does go back that far) would play word based games with each other. But it wasn’t until the internet became widely used in the ‘90s that massive scale online gaming became viable.

Additionally, the technology required to drive these kinds of games had to be discovered and refined.

issue 3 • september 2009

15

Zynga’s Mafia Wars has proven to be a massive success, with more than 5 million users accessing the game on a daily basis.

The game has grown and expanded to keep offering new activities to long-time users, while still staying simple and accessible.

These days, we’re talking millions of people playing games online; whether action or role playing, whether on PC or console, multiplayer gaming online is the definite future of the activity. Various services, like the PlayStation Network, Xbox Live and Battle.Net exist purely for that function; to allow players from around the world to play games against each other. The earnings generated by these services are massive – companies like Activision Blizzard owe large amounts of their current success to online gaming, particularly to subscription based services like World of WarCraft. Even during difficult economic conditions, a game like this (which costs the end user relatively little on a monthly basis) can generate massive amounts of revenue (purely because there are so many end users.)

But the idea of joining one of these games or services can be daunting for the more casual gamer – whether it actually is or not.

We live in an age of duality, when many people are still afraid of what happens in the ether. Many are still distrustful of the more technical aspects of online gaming, and even find the games themselves quite intimidating.

Social networking is a much newer idea than online gaming, at least in terms of mass-user experiences. Sites like MySpace set trends for the whole concept, but the true success story belongs to Facebook. The social networking site’s success came long after the “Dot Com” crash, and has taken some time to build. But Facebook has literally millions of users around the globe now, and more people joining every day. It has changed from being a case of “have you heard about Facebook” to “what do you mean you don’t have a Facebook profile?”

The real beauty of Facebook is that it is so very simple to use, and employs a fairly complex system for viral marketing. When people use applications or become fans of pages, their friends know about it.

Users can even invite friends to join them in one of the huge number of activities that Facebook has on offer. Facebook has also made the platform available to hundreds of developers, thereby increasing the activity offerings that the site has.

So the idea of playing games on the Facebook platform is a natural one. The appeal that the site has to users of varying ability, online knowledge and tastes means that virtually any game could work via the network. And it makes sense for developers to stick games up on Facebook, because the viral potential that the platform offers is truly massive.

By keeping games aimed at casual gamers, those who make games for Facebook can access a massive user base. One such company, Zynga, makes use of Flash games to pull in the users. Typically of Facebook games, Zynga’s titles are easy to play, and very addictive.

Games like Mafia Wars and FarmVille draw millions of users on a daily basis, making them some of the most played games online today. And yet none of them are particularly complex. There is a lot to do in a game like Mafia Wars, true, but none of the operations required to play the game require more than a little thought and a few mouse clicks. They are far less intimidating than the average MMORPG title.

Facebook is a free service, of course, meaning that players who make use of the games made by Zynga (and a host of other companies providing this kind of content) don’t need to pay to play them. In fact, there isn’t even much downloading required, thanks to the software

issue 3 • september 2009

gamecca • feature

used to present the games. Why, then, make these games at all?

The answer is simple: by creating an addictive game and allowing people to play it for free, the audience gets hooked rather quickly. However, certain aspects of the game are not free. Using the FarmVille example, a player can earn coins by running their farm. These coins can be used to buy certain decorative elements for the farm, as well as some time-saving tools. However, some decorations cannot be bought with coins, and some of the tools (like tractors) require additional upgrading to be truly effective. These can only be bought with the game’s second form of currency, and this currency cannot be earned. It must be bought, either with a credit card, the PayPal system, or even via mobile phone commerce systems. Not every player is going to make use of this feature – some will just play for free, forever. But there will definitely be a percentage of players that will spend money to improve their gaming experience, and it is these gamers that keep companies like Zynga in business. And when you’re talking millions of users, even a small percentage can translate into very healthy revenues for the companies in question.

Part of a game’s success, when talking about more traditional, boxed games like the ones you would buy in a shop, is hype. This hype is generated through funded marketing as well as the video game media, and can make or break a game.

But, thanks to Facebook, these often costly exercises are not necessary for the success of games presented on that platform.

Having a good product is enough – which might not be the case with other ventures.

See, there is a fairly large base of people who habitually try out new things on Facebook. If these users find a game that is appealing, the likelihood is that they will invite friends to try the game out as well. However, this isn’t a sure thing… users need a reason to try and involve others. To this end, Facebook game developers often use a system that rewards players for adding friends. It’s a form of internal viral marketing that works very well. In Mafia Wars, the more friends a player has in the game, the stronger his organisation. In FarmVille, expanding the farm in terms of size requires a certain number of friends. It’s a good idea, and one that works beautifully. The viral marketing of the game takes place as a function of the game, rather than just a plain old “word of mouth” thing.

Players who are keen on a game will often attempt to get as many of their friends involved as possible, and may even join informal guilds and clans to further their game performance.

Additionally, many games offer players the option to become fans. They have Facebook pages dedicated to the game, just like the page Gamecca has, dedicated to this magazine. When someone becomes a fan of a particular page, a further level of viral marketing takes place – through the “highlights” and “suggested friends / pages” functions that appear on every Facebook home page. The pages are added into a rotation and will periodically be displayed to friends of the game’s fans. It is

Zynga is a great example of a company that is making a name for itself through the publishing of Facebook games. Some of the network’s most popular game titles, including Mafia Wars,Vampire Wars, FarmVille and YoVille were developed by this team.

Zynga was founded in 2007, and soon became a powerful force in the world of social networking site games.

Situated in San Francisco, California, USA, Zynga staff includes ex Electronic Arts Chief Creative Officer Bing Gordon and IT guru Mark Pincus.

In March of 2009, Zynga’s site claimed 46 million active users monthly, as well as 71 million registered users.

Those numbers have doubtlessly grown over the last few months.

Although known for their high quality games, Zynga has been accused of cloning other games available on Facebook. Mafia Wars has resulted in the company being sued by the creators of Mob Wars, for example.

issue 3 • september 2009

17

The nature of Facebook means that there will be many variations on any given theme.Virtual farming games, for example, are plentiful.

These simple and addictive management titles each offer something a little different.

Farm Town (top) allows for more social interaction, for example, while FarmVille (bottom) provides better graphics and a sturdier system.

18

issue 3 • september 2009

gamecca • feature Social interaction is a big thing when it comes to Facebook games... it makes sense to utilise the core function of the network, after all.YoVille is an example of a very socially oriented game. It allows players to decorate their virtual home, as well as interact with users who they have added to their “crew”.

a more passive approach to viral marketing, but one that results in massive exposure for the products in question.

Overall, the marketing and growth in user numbers takes care of itself, almost, with the users themselves being responsible for that requirement. And, to sweeten the deal somewhat, most games allow users to send virtual gifts to each other within the confines of the game in question. These gifts tend to be useful additions to the game, or even items that can only be received as gifts. Some of the trees and animals that are sent as gifts in FarmVille are a good example of this idea.

The developers keep players interested by adding expansions and new ideas over time, for the most part.

FarmVille has recently added the ability to buy a tractor, and expand farms to previously unavailable sizes, while Mafia Wars has expanded on their additional Cuban activities list.

While these rollouts do make the games more complicated, they ensure that long time users always have something new to do – rather than grow bored and stop playing.

A number of games that are available for play on Facebook offer social aspects as well. Games like YoVille allow the player not only to decorate a virtual home, but also to interact with other users online via in-game chatting and other activities. Farm Town, a competitor to FarmVille, allows players to hire other players to work on their farms. The hired help earn money and experience, while the player doing the hiring earns more off of harvests and spends less for getting fields ploughed. Players can even meet new online friends through these kind of activities, adding yet another level of interaction to the whole idea.

The entire premise borders on ingenious. These simple games virtually sell themselves, with marketing and promotion relying on a very active and effective viral system – a system that even rewards those that do the viral marketing. The addictive nature of the games ensures that most users will return, and some of those will even spend real money to ensure that their experience is as good as it can be.

It’s a win-win situation. The user is entertained, and the developer makes cash. However, no good idea stays without competition for long, and Facebook games are no different.

There are huge numbers of games available on Facebook,

ranging from card games through to fairly complex management titles, and virtually everything else in between.

Still, the overall user-base on Facebook is truly mammoth, meaning that there is, theoretically, still lots of room for competitors to manoeuvre. And with those user numbers growing each day, the related room for competition will keep expanding.

Facebook gaming shows a none-too-subtle trend in the overall video game industry – a move towards appealing to the more casual gamer. There are many that decry this idea, but the truth is that this is where the money lies. And, realistically, casual gamers will eventually ‘graduate’ into the ranks of hard-core players which is good for the gaming industry as a whole.

Whatever the case may be, these games are a prime example of an internet gaming success story. g

There are games that cover virtually every kind of subject matter on Facebook - from Texas Hold ‘Em Poker to Street Racing and everything in between.

With Facebook games, the casual gamer can be a pirate, a mob boss, a vampire and a super-hero, to name just a few. issue 3 • september 2009

19

gamecca • preview

Previews

Get ready for a wealth of end-of-year gaming goodness...

Highlights 21 Guitar Hero 5

22 Dead Space Extraction 23 The Saboteur 24 Assassin’s Creed 2 25 Tekken 6 26 Avatar 28 DJ Hero 31 Uncharted 2: Among Thieves 33 Alpha Protocol 34 Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 35 Blur 36 Rock Band: The Beatles 38 Borderlands 42 Red Steel 2 43 Ratchet & Clank: A Crack in Time 45 Brutal Legend 46 Batman: Arkham Asylum

A B C D E F 20

good above average average below average poor terrible

T

52 Risen

he end of the year is always a feast for gamers. Publishers flood the market with a huge number of games, all in an effort to take advantage of the Christmas spending frenzy that people invariably get into.

With the fourth quarter of 2009 staring us in the face, the release lists are crammed with top quality stuff - a host of triple-A titles that have been hyped for at least a year. Although there are a number of titles that have been delayed, the end of 2009 is still looking great in terms of massive game releases. And so, seeing as how we love games and we love telling people about games, we have prepared a big preview section for this issue. Each quick-hit preview will give you enough information to whet your appetite Genre: What kind of game is it?

P l at fo r m s : Wh at c a n i t b e p l aye d o n ? and start you saving up all that hard earned cash, without getting D e v : W h o i s m a k i n g i t ?

Pub: Who will release it? overly technical or too caught up Release Date: When will it hit shelves? in the hype. g

issue 3 • september 2009

Guitar Hero 5

And the Rock Rolls On...

There’s just no keeping a good franchise down

by Jimmy Glue

I

f a franchise is generating the most profit a company has seen in the last decade, why not milk it for all it’s worth? I’m specifically referring to the Guitar Hero brand. I think it’s still one of the most exciting titles out there, but when is it going to stop? (Never, probably - ed) Guitar Hero 5 is due to be launched soon, and while players will still be concentrating not to miss the virtual notes, a few changes have been made. Well, actually every title in the series had a few changes, so it really comes as no surprise.

The biggest surprise to me was the inclusion of Johhny Cash’s ‘Ring of Fire’ and Rammstein’s ‘Du Hast’. Other tracks in the fifth instalment include Bob Dylan’s ‘All Along The Watchtower’, Darkest Hour’s ‘Demon(s)’ and The Rolling Stones’ ‘Sympathy For The Devil’.

Yes, the drums, vocals and two guitars will be back, but this time a player will be able to jump in or jump out at any time during the song. Another first for the franchise is the ability to have any combination of instruments, so if you feel the need to rock out with three lead guitars and a bassist, you can.

Guitar Hero 5 will also feature Challenges (Hmm, where have we seen those before?) that will unlock new avatars, clothing, and other extras. A bunch of musician like Johnny Cash, Carlos Santana, Kurt Cobain and Matthew Bellamy from Muse have also had their likeness turned into avatars through motion-capture, which should make things interesting (how did they motion capture Kurt Cobain and Johnny Cash, I wonder? In a seance? – ed).

So, with a track list of 85 songs from 82 artist, motioncaptured avatars and brand-new challenges, Guitar Hero 5 might G e n r e : R h y t h m P l a t f o r m s : X 3 6 0 , P S 3 , Wi i , P S 2 just be the most exciting title Dev: Neversoft in the ever-popular franchise.

Pub: Activision Blizzard Can’t wait! g

Anticipation:

Hardcore < > Casual

Release Date: September 2009

A

The drums, vocals and two guitars will be back, but this time a player will be able to jump in or jump out at any time during the song. issue 3 • september 2009

21

Dead Space Extraction

Dead Scary In space, no one can hear you shake a Wii remote...

by Brian Murdoch

T

he Dead Space franchise is coming out with an exclusive Wii version in the form of Dead Space Extraction. This is a prequel to Dead Space. The story starts from the beginning of the infestation seen in the Xbox and PS3 games.

One of the new features that will come to the Wii is called the “Glow Worm”: in some areas of the game you find yourself in pitch black surroundings, but a quick shake of the Wii remote light’s up this “Glow Worm” in the bottom right corner, to provide you with bare minimum light.

Your secondary firing mode on your weapons will be performed by twisting your Wii remote 90 degrees, pointing at the screen and shooting. This was included so that the player will get an alternate fire mode without having to push another button. The puzzles in the game require both players when playing in co-op. You’ll find the first part of the puzzle needs player 1 to do it, and the second part can only be completed by player 2… all while enemies are still attacking.

This will not be an on-rail-shooter, but rather a “guided first person shooter”. The designers say this because they have moved away from the bad points of on-rails-shooters by removing the cut-scenes, and it’s not just a point and shoot affair.

All the cool features from the original Dead Space have

Oh, look! A glow worm!

I feel so much safer now...

been brought over, like stasis, telekinesis, dismemberment and zerogravity. g

G e n r e : S u r v i va l H o r ro r P l a t f o r m s : Wi i Dev: EA Games Pub: Electronic Arts Release Date: September

Anticipation:

Hardcore < > Casual

A

This Wii exclusive part of the Dead Space franchise will tell the tale of what happened before the events in Dead Space... if you can get past having the living daylights scared out of you.

22

issue 3 • september 2009

The Saboteur

For Freedom Sneaking around in

the streets of occupied Paris

by Jimmy Glue

N

othing is as sweet as revenge, and in Pandemic’s new title, The Saboteur, you will get to exact just that. Before everybody starts shouting “Oh, it’s another WWII shooter!”, let me tell you that Saboteur will be vastly different.

First of all, it takes place in an open-world version of Nazioccupied Paris, so it’s not a front-lines game like we are all used to. You will play as Sean Devlin, a mechanic who has been servicing the underground world of street racing. After the Nazi army killed most of his friends, he decides to take action, and become a saboteur.

Stealth will be the key, and Devlin will do anything in his power to rid Paris of the Nazis for good. Colour is also an important part of this title, as certain areas of occupied Paris

Genre: Action Platforms: X360, PS3, PC Dev: Pandemic Pub: Electronic Arts Release Date: December 2009

will be rendered in black and white. As Devlin fights off the enemy forces, normal colours will be restored to that area.

Players will also be able to use various methods for Nazi scalpcollection, which will include stealth attacks, disguise, distractions, and, of course, explosives.

Not a lot more is known about the game, but it was recently revealed that if Devlin engages in a fight with the enemy, normal French passers-by, French Resistance and Marquis will intervene against the occupiers.

With a huge arsenal of awesome weapons, seedy underground clubs and cabarets to gather intel, loads of vehicles and Nazis to fight off, it has a winning formula to be a gun-totting hit this summer. g

An Irishman blowing up German stuff in France... how delightfully cosmopolitan

Anticipation:

Hardcore < > Casual

B

Playing as Sean Devlin, the aim will be to kill off as many soldiers from the Nazi army as possible, silently and effectively... unless you get your hands on some explosives. issue 3 • september 2009

23

Assassin’s Creed 2

Blades for Hire Ending lives in Renaissance Italy

by Walt Pretorius “What, I must be scared of a guy with a feather on his hat?”

T

here is so much that can be said about Assassin’s Creed 2 that I am not quite sure where to start – or what to include in this short space. Continuing the story from the first game, the action shifts from the Medieval Holy Land to Renaissance Italy this time around. The player will be able to engage in numerous new activities thanks to more freedom injected into the game, as well as a new economic system. Aside from upgradeable weapons and missions that can be completed in numerous ways, the game will see an upscaling of graphics and overall dynamics.

The player will even meet Leonardo da Vinci in the game, and will be able to make use of some of his ingenious and legendary inventions to complete missions. The new economic system means that players will be able to earn money from completed missions, and spend it on all manner of goods – including doctors, who the player will have to visit to Genre: Action get healed.

Platforms: X360, PS3, PC Ubisoft have gone all out with Dev: Ubisoft this exciting title – it should be Pub: Ubisoft quite something. g R e l e a s e D at e : N ove m b e r 2 0 0 9

Anticipation:

Hardcore < > Casual

A+

Assassin’s Creed 2 continues the story that started in the original game, but allows the player far more freedom in completing missions (among a bunch of other improvements).

24

issue 3 • september 2009

Tekken 6

Over the Top Massive moves and big hair are

the hallmarks of the Tekken series

by Matthew Vice

A

series to date – 40 playable characters – each of whom can be s a long time fan of versus fighting games, it customised extensively with outfits and accessories. amuses me to hear casual fighting fans arguing But by far the best news of the lot? It’s coming to the Xbox 360 over which system is deeper. Some say Virtua also.

Keep an eye out for this one. g Fighter, some say Tekken, some say Dead or Alive – but the truth is that they’re all more or less the same. They work more or less the same way and their game play mechanics have many things in common.

However, when it comes to style and flavour, they differ quite wildly. In this regard, Tekken has always packed more attitude than all of its competitors combined. Back when 3D fighters were new, the unspoken rule was that gamers wanted reality – but Tekken chose to stuff that advice and gave us characters with wild designs, flashy hit effects, slightly fantastic moves, and crazy combos.

This legacy has endured and Tekken has become more and more off-the-wall with every A shapely butt is as important as instalment. Tekken 5 was a huge step forward for the series because fighting talent... of its retouched animations which made the characters look like they were actually trying to hit something rather than simply practicing moves in an open space.

Tekken 6 is due sometime in the coming months, and it looks wild. In addition to a bunch of interestinglooking new characters, Namco has added in some of the craziest moves the series has ever seen.

This is also the largest roster in the

G e n r e : Ve r s u s F i g h t i n g Platforms: X360, PS Dev: Namco Pub: Namco Bandai Release Date: Q4 2009

Anticipation:

Hardcore < > Casual

A

With lots of over-0the-top action,Tekken 6 will continue the tradition set by this popular fighting franchise, with 40 characters for the player to make use of. issue 3 • september 2009

25

Avatar

Blue Planet High adventure awaits

in a strange new world

by Walt Pretorius

“Say, Bill? I think we’re about to get a really big bug-splat on the windshield...”

Genre: Action Adventure P l a t f o r m s : X 3 6 0 , P S 3 , P C , W i i , P S 2 , P S P, D S Dev: Ubisoft Pub: Ubisoft Release Date: December 2009

J

ames Cameron has been quiet for a long time now, but the good news is that he has been working on a movie that is going to be something of an event. Avatar will be a CG animated film that will introduce viewers to the mysterious and fantastic world of Pandora. And, naturally, there will be a game attached to the project.

But the Avatar video game will not be a run-of-themill movie game. Ubisoft and Cameron have been working closely together on the project, in an effort to create a game that doesn’t mimic the film, but rather complements it.

The Avatar video game will also take the player to Pandora, but will allow the player to experience the world on their own terms. It won’t regurgitate the film’s plot – rather, it will allow the user to experience the world in a different way, adding to the universe instead of copying it. They aren’t saying much about the game at all, though – this is one of those cases of the developer and publisher keeping their cards close to their chests.

We recently got to see a special preview of the movie – not the whole thing, sadly – and it looks great. The game also looks fantastic, with lots of freedom and role playing elements to keep the player entertained in this vast and mysterious world. g

Anticipation:

Hardcore < > Casual

A

The game is not so much based on the film as partnered with it - it tells a different story in the same universe, and acts as a compliment to James Cameron’s movie, rather than a copy.

26

issue 3 • september 2009

Dragon Age: Origins

Freedom!

Making all the important choices...

by Bryan Banfield

T

in most games. Either you are a good player and there are flowers here is a buzz word in the RPG development circles everywhere and you live happily ever after, or you are bad (and these days and that word is “choices”. If an RGP is nowadays you can’t just be bad, if you are bad you automatically really supposed to by a role-playing game, then the have to be evil.) What if your choices might be seen “bad” in choices and decisions should be yours and these context, but when taken into account across the whole game choices should affect the way the story line develops. (Which is they were actually “good” choices? This is the main challenge what us pencil-and-paper, ‘real’ role players have been saying for successfully handled in Dragon Age: Origins. (At last, mass media freakin’ years. – ed) that realises that morality is NEVER black and white! – ed) Gone are the days of scripted, linear storylines, where players The world and lore have totally been created from the ground are making decision based on what they feel the game requires. up – a case of new IP, new lore, new lands. This is not your BioWare have got this right and they have taken it to a new typical “Lord of the Rings” style game. BioWare will likely earn two level with Dragon Age. They have even coined the phrase thumbs up on this one.

“Choice 2.0” when referring to the I’ll see you in Ferelden. g way in which choices are made Genre: RPG and decisions are rolled out in this P l a t f o r m s : X 3 6 0 , P S 3 , P C Anticipation: D ev : B i owa r e game.

Hardcore < > Casual P u b : E l e c t r o n i c A r t s There is too much of a distinction between good and bad R e l e a s e D a t e : N o v e m b e r 2 0 0 9

A

It’s all about choice in Dragon Age, and more importantly, how those choices play out in the short and long terms.

At last, a game that doesn’t depend on black and white morality... (we hope) issue 3 • september 2009

27

DJ Hero

Spinnin’ the Decks Get the party started with this innovative new title

by Bryan Banfield

D

id you ever have dreams of being a DJ? I know I did. I even wanted to have my own club. You see, for me it was all about the music, never the ladies or the drinking. I love music and really do enjoy dancing. Well, my dreams are about to come true.

Shortly our homes, some offices, LANs and malls will be hopping and bopping with Activision’s latest rhythmbased music game, DJ Hero.

Following on from the very successful run that Guitar Hero continues to have, DJ Hero is a game that is moving into a whole new market and group of music lovers.

You will now be able to scratch and mix over 100 tracks on the new turn table peripheral. This turn table is solidly designed and has a very authentic feel to it. (Granted you don’t have 3 buttons on the face of a real deck, but anyway.) You will be able to scratch, cross-fade, and beat match your way though you favourite mixes.

Nearly 80 tracks have been remixed for you, from numerous popular music genres, like hip-hop, electronica, R&B, Motown, pop, and rock. With songs from such popular artists including The Black Eyed Peas, 50 Cent, Justice, Marvin Gaye, Beastie Boys and N.E.R.D, it should be a jumping party starter.

The game offers online and offline multiplayer competitive and cooperative modes, namely DJ vs. DJ, DJ with DJ, and DJ with Guitar.

This game is compatible with the turn tables and your Guitar Hero guitars. g

Genre: Rhythm P l a t f o r m s : X 3 6 0 , P S 3 , Wi i , P S 2 Dev: FreeStyle Games Pub: Activision Blizzard Release Date: Q4 2009

Anticipation:

Hardcore < > Casual

A+

DJ Hero will bring the world of really cool music rhythm games to a whole new sector of people, as it takes on genres not used before in any of Activision’s music games.

28

issue 3 • september 2009

Just Cause 2

Rico Returns The Latin special agent will

be causing even more mayhem

O

ne of my fondest gaming memories is playing through Just Cause, one of the first truly free-form games ever produced. The hero of the game, Rico, was like the love child of James Bond and Antonio Banderas, and his mission was to topple a government of a banana republic.

Rico is making a return. This time around, the game has received a massive Next Gen overhaul. But not only the graphics have been improved – developers Avalanche Studios have

by Walt Pretorius run the game dynamic as a whole through a massive upgrade regime, resulting in a smoother, more exciting and action packed experience for fans and newcomers alike.

The open-ended game play will allow the character to get up to all kinds of mischief, whether on official missions as a secret agent, or just for fun. Lots of vehicles and action await, as well as the awesome stunts that made the first game so great. This one is going to be well worth the effort! g

Being on a tight budget, Rico could never afford to sit inside the aircraft...

Genre: Action Platforms: X360, PS3, PC D ev : Ava l a n c h e S t u d i o s Pub: Eidos Interactive Release Date: TBC

Anticipation:

Hardcore < > Casual

It’s non-stop action and absolutely awesome stunts as Rico, a special agent, takes on yet another corrupt government in some or other banana republic issue 3 • september 2009

A 29

Championship Manager 2010

Calling the Shots Telling over-paid sports stars what to do is about to

become even more fun than before...

H

by Walt Pretorius

ow many times have you yelled at the TV in frustration and disgust while watching a sporting event. At least once, I am sure, but probably just about every time you watch your favourite team in action. You could do a better job managing them – you know you could. Well, here’s your chance.

The new instalment of Championship Manager will allow you to make all the important decisions for your favourite football team. Because this franchise has been around for a while, players can expect a high quality product.

Numerous changes have been made for this new version of the game. These include a new, fully animated 3D match engine, which makes use of over 500 motion captured animations per player. The engine was specifically built for the purposes of this game, and promises to have the player feeling like he’s sitting in the manager’s seat at the side of the pitch.

Let’s see if you really can do a better job… g

Genre: Sport Management Platforms: PC Dev: Beautiful Game Studios Pub: Eidos Interactive Release Date: September 2009

Anticipation:

Hardcore < > Casual

C+

It’s all about the action that happens around what happens on the field (if that makes any sense.) Managing your favourite football team will get even better this time around.

30

issue 3 • september 2009

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves

Priceless!

Drake’s at it again, doing what he does best

by Matthew Vice

U

“For such an ugly guy, I look damn good!”

ncharted: Drake’s Fortune came at a time when the PS3 really needed the boost of a highly polished action title to give owners and prospective buyers a bit of faith in the machine’s capabilities during its less-than-stellar first year. And what a boost it was. The game was great to play, the story was fantastic, the characters were endearing, and most of all, it looked absolutely amazing.

Would you then believe that the developers at Naughty Dog believe that, with this graphical masterpiece, they only managed to utilise 30% of the PS3’s total power? No? Then take a look at the screenshots for the upcoming sequel, and be ye amazed. These aren’t pre-rendered, the game actually looks like this, honest.

This time round, Nathan Drake, intrepid explorer and treasure hunter, is out to solve the mystery of Marco Polo’s famous Doomed Voyage. Apparently he left China with eighteen ships, but reached England with only one, and wouldn’t speak of what happened. Following ancient clues left in plain sight, Drake and his friends, Sully and Elena, plus a few new faces, set out to find what Marco Polo was hiding.

If it’s anything like the first game, and it will be, then Marco Polo’s secret will turn out to have some seriously dark twist to it – and we’ll get to enjoy it all in what might be Anticipation: Hardcore < > Casual the most cinematically apt game ever released when Uncharted 2: Among Thieves hits later Genre: Action this year. Oh yeah! And it’s P l a t f o r m s : P S 3 got multiplayer now also.

Dev: Naughty Dog P u b : S o ny C o m p u t e r E n t e r t a i n m e n t How about that? g

A+

Release Date: Q4 2009

Drake’s back, looking absolutely fantastic in the second instalment of the Uncharted franchise - and this time he’s hunting Marco Polo’s lost treasure issue 3 • september 2009

31

NEW Super Mario Bros. Wii

Plumbing with Company Mario makes his way onto the Wii, and he’s not alone...

by Brian Murdoch

W

ith Super Mario Bros on the DS, all the Wiionly players were left wanting. Nintendo felt sorry for them and now has birthed New Super Mario Bros. Wii. This is what they told us at its presentation at E3. Well, whatever reason the game is here for, we’re happy that it’s on its way.

At times, playing Super Mario Bros by yourself can get a bit boring. But in the New Super Mario Bros. Wii up to four players will be able to play the same Mario style game at the same time. You will need to work as a team to get through the stages, but at times you will forget you’re in a team and eat, push, shoot and assist the enemy in hurting your mates.

All the older features from the good Super Mario games have been kept, like jumping off the sides of walls, stomping

Genre: Platform P l a t f o r m s : Wi i Dev: Nintendo Pub:Nintendo Release Date: Q4 2009

down on block, pushing down on a hill to slide, and many more.

There is a great collection of new features to improve the game and help Mario adapt to beat the stages: the Penguin suit that makes you slide farther on ice and shoot ice block to freeze your enemies for a short period, or shaking your Wii remote to spin and float longer. You will also be able to ride Yoshi, and have him shoot out his tongue to eat friends or enemies.

With these and more improvements, this game will be a must have for any Mario fan and Wii owner. g

Anticipation:

Hardcore < > Casual

A+

Nintendo’s strangely named NEW Super Mario Bros. Wii will have players jumping, running and beating up bad guys, either on their own or with friends in this new look at a gaming classic.

32

issue 3 • september 2009

Alpha Protocol

Righting Wrongs Get ready for some sneaky spy action

“I’m a good guy, and that’s why I’m gonna shoot you in the face!”

Genre: Action Platforms: X360, PS3, PC Dev: Obsidian Pub: Sega Release Date: October 2009

by Matthew Vice

W

hen most gamers think of tactical espionage, one game immediately springs to mind.

You know which one I’m talking about – Metal Gear Solid. Well, this isn’t Metal Gear. It’s an entirely new take on the spy/stealth genre from the developers of Neverwinter Nights.

Players will assume the role of Michael Thornton, a young secret agent cast out by his government, who learns of an impending threat.

Being the noble guy that he is, he decides that he can’t just let his former ingrate employers suffer for their ignorance, and decides to help them out – from the shadows, if he must.

Apart from the usual stealth game play mechanics we’ve come to expect, Alpha Protocol will also employ a generous role playing element.

We will be able to develop Thornton’s skills as we see fit to suit our own play style. Also, sometimes Michael will have to go undercover, but in the high-risk world of international espionage, every smiling face potentially hides an undercover agent waiting to stick a knife between your ribs. So to be successful, you’ve got to control Michael’s behaviour when he’s talking to others undercover – and you can be damn sure that they’ll be watching carefully for any telltale signs that you don’t belong there.

It’s an ambitious sounding title, and we’re hoping that they can pull it off. Well, we’ll find out next month, whatever happens. g

Anticipation:

Hardcore < > Casual

B+

Sometimes good guys don’t finish last - particularly with the player’s help. Alpha Protocol will offer a heady mix of stealth action and RPG elements... provided the developers pull it off. issue 3 • september 2009

33

Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2

Liberty and Justice Choose carefully...

by Bryan Banfield

T

he Marvel Universe is being torn apart and is beginning to crumble. You, my superhero friend, are responsible for holding this all together and restoring normality to the world.

To top it off, the public have turned against you and your fellow super heroes. A superhuman registration act is being enforced and is coming into play. Now all super heroes need to register as weapons of mass destruction and become agents to the American government.

Iron man is pro-registration and Captain America is against registration. You need to make a choice. Which side will you join?

Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2’s game play will allow you to customise your Marvel dream team, from over 25 different super

Genre: Action P l a t f o r m s : X 3 6 0 , P S 3 , P C , W i i , P S 2 , P S P, D S D ev : Vi c a r i o u s Vi s i o n s Pub: Activision Blizzard Release Date: September 2009

heroes from around the Marvel universe.

You will also be able to team up with up to 4 of your friends, offline or online, for co-operative game play modes.

Based on the Civil War comic series, this game will force you to make an important choice: choose to join the pro-registration movement and defend national security or oppose it and fight for personal liberties.

You will also be able to link your team’s special abilities in over 250 combination fusions to create an unimaginable arsenal of abilities and firepower, ready for any battle.

Dust off your tights and spandex, my friends, we are going to need it! g

Anticipation:

Hardcore < > Casual

B

The Marvel Universe has been dumped into a state of turmoil, and it will be up to the player to choose between liberty and patriotism.

34

issue 3 • september 2009

Blur

The Meaner Streets Blur will combine reality with all out racing fun

by Walt Pretorius

D

riving fast is a great way to kill off a few hours while gaming, but sometimes you need something more.

More competitors, more action, and more ways to mess with the competition. Blur will combine realistic handling with all of the above; the game will feature a massive number of competitors on the track, and will add in a system of collectable power-up weapons to use against other racers.

It seems a bit like the love-child of Need for Speed and MarioKart, but the overall dynamic is breathless, exciting and tons of fun. The cars look great, the tracks are awesome, and the special effects are wonderful.

Blur will also be supported by a social network that will play off of the player’s abilities and reputation, just for a bit of added fun.

This game promises to be a breath of fresh air in the rather stale racing game genre. g

Genre: Racing Platforms: X360, PS3, PC Dev: Bizarre Creations Pub: Activision Blizzard R e l e a s e D at e : N ove m b e r 2 0 0 9

Anticipation:

Hardcore < > Casual

B

Realistic cars and awesome tracks combine with nasty little collectible weapons in a game that will probably be the freshest thing we’ve seen from the racing genre in years. issue 3 • september 2009

35

Rock Band:The Beatles

Beatle Mania Play as John, Paul, George and the guy who did the voice for Thomas the Tank Engine

H Damn hippies...

Genre: Rhythm P l a t f o r m s : X 3 6 0 , P S 3 , Wi i Dev: Harmonix Pub: Electronic Arts Release Date: Septermber 2009

by Jimmy Glue

ot on the heels of the other rhythm games, Electronic Arts is due to release The Beatles: Rock Band, and boy, is this one going to be absolutely smashing!

If you by now have no idea what a rhythm game is, or went “Rock what?”, then I’m afraid you are truly a lost soul.

But in a last ditch effort to redeem you, Rock Band is EA’s answer to the popular Guitar Hero franchise.

And given the competitive nature of us gamers, it was only right for EA to release a Rock Band title highlighting one of the best groups ever. Although some people might disagree, like our dear Ed, The Beatles were responsible for transforming the rock genre and spawned all-time hits.

(Yeah, whatever – ed) You too, will be able to play as your favourite member, whether it be John, Paul, Ringo or George. Not only that, but if you save up enough money to buy the super bundle, you can play with Rickenbacker 325, Gretsch Duo Jet and The Höfner 500/1-inspired controllers.

Fighting back the nostalgia, you can prance around your living room, while singing to songs like ‘A Hard Day’s Night’, ‘Can’t Buy Me Love’, ‘I Am the Walrus’, ‘Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds’ and forty-one others, spanning twelve albums.

The game is, however, not an expansion pack, so don’t go expecting John Lennon to cover Rob Zombie’s ‘More Human Than Human’. However cool that might seem, you won’t be able to import any previous Rock Band DLC. Making a Beatles-themed Rock Band game is a brilliant idea, as it will expose real rock ‘n roll to a younger generation, all while learning much-valued hand-eye coordination. g

Anticipation:

Hardcore < > Casual

A

As the next incarnation in the Rock Band franchise,The Beatles are sure to bring back some good memories, and introduce their music to a whole new generation.

36

issue 3 • september 2009

Cars: Race-O-Rama

Driving McQueen Yet another Cars game is due to appease the franchise’s fans

by Brian Murdoch

C

Genre: Racing P l a t f o r m s : X 3 6 0 , P S 3 , P C , W i i , P S 2 , P S P, D S Dev: THQ Pub: THQ Release Date: October 2009

ars is a brand name that will live forever. Well, at least until Cars 2 comes out to take over and revitalise Lightning McQueen and his friends. The Cars film came out 3 years ago, yet its merchandise and games are still selling. In this, the third instalment of the franchise, you will join Lightning McQueen and Chick Hicks to race around Radiator Springs and prepare for the Race-O-Rama.

There will be 12 of the 30 playable characters making their video game debut. This next instalment will also bring new customization that can be done to Lightning McQueen. You will be able to change the wheels, rims, hood, side skirt and rear bumper, to give Lightning McQueen a unique and personalized style.

It’s a car game, so racing is what you will be doing... in the metro city streets, the Baja desert and sandy beaches. There will also be multiplayer mini-games, based on the movie characters, to keep the children happy.

This is not the first in the series; the previous version sold more than 13 million units, so this one should be something to see. The game will be released on six different platforms and will be a nice addition for all the Cars fans. “Kachow”! g

Anticipation:

Hardcore < > Casual

Although the Cars film is three years old, the franchise is still ticking along, and fans are still snapping up everything related to it. issue 3 • september 2009

C 37

Borderlands

Tons of Guns Free-form action games are

about to get a whole new look

by Matthew Vice

Lots of ways to make things go boom, pow and zipPANG...

W

hen it comes to first person games, it’s hard to think of something that hasn’t been done before. Ever since gamers and developers alike learned that, yes, it is acceptable to have a first person viewpoint without guns, it seems that they’ve tried just about everything.

Well, how about combining the first-person shooter genre with the RPG genre and then adding in seamless transitions between single player and multiplayer action, with an automatic content generation system that ensures there are always new weapons to find and things to do? How many of those have we had?

Hmmm... You know, I actually can’t think of any.

Well, we’re in luck, because this is exactly what developer Gearbox has in store for us come this October. Borderlands is a fresh franchise which will allow players to take control of one of four different character types and enter a chaotic world filled with bandits, monsters, vehicles and weapons.

While the game is clearly a first person shooter with vehicle combat, there is also a heavy role playing element that allows players to customise their characters with unique abilities and skills as they progress. You’ll also be able to invite other players online to join your game at any time and have them leave at any time. Add to this a content generation system which ensures that there are hundreds of thousands of unique weapons for players to use and you’ve got something fairly unique as far as FPS games go.

This is clearly an ambitious title from Gearbox, and we don’t have long to wait to see if they pulled it off. g

Genre: First Person Shooter Platforms: X360, PS3, PC D ev : G e a r b ox Pub: 2K Games Release Date: October 2009

Anticipation:

Hardcore < > Casual

A+

A unique random generation system means that Borderlands will feature more guns than you can shake a stick at, combined with a unique graphic style and huge amounts of action.

38

issue 3 • september 2009

Band Hero

Startin’ a Band, Baby...

Music rhythm games are about to get simpler...

by Brian Murdoch

F

rom the creators for Guitar Hero comes Band Hero. Guitar Hero is one of the best-selling video game franchises of all time, and it is branching out to cover the genres of music that Guitar Hero has not covered before.

Band Hero will be a party title, with songs from Taylor Swift, No Doubt, Lily Allen, The AllAmerican Rejects and Jackson 5.

Party Play will let novice and expert players jump in and out of the game at any time without fear of failing the song or interrupting the jam. For example, if you have queued up a few songs to play through and, during the second song, the drummer comes back from the toilet, he can jump straight in with no song restart.

If you have too many people that all want to play the drums, let them join in. In Band Hero you will be able to add any combination of vocalists, bassists, drummers or guitarists to create your band. There will be a list of extra challenges that can be played to enhance your competitive spirit.

If 65 songs are not enough for you, you will be able to download all of your Guitar Hero: World Tour songs into Band Hero.

There are features that will come with the specific platforms. For example your Mii and Xbox Avatars will be usable as characters in the game, as well as your DS version of the game adding extra features to the Wii version. g

Genre: Rhythm P l a t f o r m s : X 3 6 0 , P S 3 , Wi i , D ev : N eve r s o f t / Vi c a r i o u s Vi s i o n s Pub: Activision Blizzard R e l e a s e D at e : N ove m b e r 2 0 0 9

*sniff* *sniff* “Damn! That’s the last time I eat a super-spicy, kill-your-dog-strength chicken and prawn bunny-chow before coming on stage...”

Anticipation:

Hardcore < > Casual

B+

A much more accessible version of the Guitar Hero franchise, Band Hero will be a game that the whole family can enjoy with ease. issue 3 • september 2009

39

Rabbids Go Home

Reaching for the Moon The insanity resumes as the Rabbids make plans to go home...

by Brian Murdoch

T

he Rabbids may have lost their raving, but not their insanity. They have sold 6.5 million copies being in other games as side-kicks and are now being featured in their own game; Rabbids Go Home, starring the Rabbids themselves. They have a quest to go to the moon by collecting as much human junk as possible, heaping it onto a giant pile and literally climbing home. But the humans object to this plan and send out the Verminators, whose only objective is extermination, to deal with the Rabbids.

Start off controlling two Rabbids: one pushing a shopping cart and the other grabbing as much stuff as possible. Collect varying sizes of human stuff to add to the sky-high pile of junk.

Riding around in a shopping cart is not all that you will get to do, though… there are other mission formats and enemy battles. The game will introduce a new ingredient every 5 minutes to keep you on your toes, with either a new gag, a story event or a gameplay mechanic introduced to keep things lively.

You will also be able to gobble up Rabbids with your Wii remote and then create your own Rabbid avatars to play with ingame, using the collected pieces.

The comical mischief that comes with every Rabbid will be present in this game, and there will be laughs for everyone who plays it. g

Genre: Action P l a t f o r m s : Wi i Dev: Ubisoft Pub: Ubisoft R e l e a s e D at e : N ove m b e r 2 0 0 9

“Dude, what would you do if someone pinched your butt right now?”

Anticipation:

Hardcore < > Casual

B+

The Rabbids of Rayman fame are back, this time in a mission to return home to the moon. Collecting junk and building a massive tower are the orders of the day...

40

issue 3 • september 2009

Star Wars - The Clone Wars: Republic Heroes

The Force is Still With You Even more Star Wars action awaits

in this game, based on the TV series

by Walt Pretorius

T

he movies may have slowed down (apparently) but the Star Wars franchise just keeps on rolling. In support of the CG TV series that has been spawned comes Star Wars – The Clone Wars: Republic Heroes. In this game the player will be able to assume the role of one of a number of popular characters, either Jedi Knights or clone troopers, to fight against the evil Separatists.

The story-line in the game will bridge the gap between the first and second season of this popular series.

Players will be able to make use of familiar characters like

Genre: Action P l a t f o r m s : X 3 6 0 , P S 3 , P C , W i i , P S 2 , P S P, D S Dev: Krome Studios Pub: LucasArts Release Date: September 2009

Anakin Skywalker and Obi Wan Kenobi, or even new faces, like Clone Captain Rex. Droids will fall like chaff before the player’s lightsaber attacks and force powers in this exciting game, which lends the graphic style of the series. Characters will also be upgradeable.

Accessible controls and family-friendly dynamics will ensure that everyone can enjoy this exciting title. g

Anticipation:

Hardcore < > Casual

C+

The Star Wars franchise will never stop rolling! This new game is based on the popular CG TV series, and bridges the gap between the first two seasons in terms of story line. issue 3 • september 2009

41

Red Steel 2

Cutting Edge Swords and guns, guns and swords... Wii style

O

by Brian Murdoch

ut of the ashes of a “failed” game comes the promise of a highly anticipated sequel: Red Steel 2. This will be the new, hardcore, Wii exclusive title that uses the MotionPlus add-on, a good combination of combat styles and up-scale graphics to blow your socks off. The game is set in the middle of the desert in a high-tech metropolis, and your quest will be to kill an evil warlord in the middle of the town. As you progress through the grand solo campaign, the enemies will get tougher; but that does not matter because you’re a bad ass with an attitude.

With just a single player campaign on offer, there is an impressive expectation coming from the combat system. In firstperson-view you will be able to wield an accurate katana and a

powerful sawed-off shot-gun, and will be able to switch between these at any time. The new accuracy of the Wii MotionPlus will give you a 1:1 recognition of your sword strokes and pin point shots with your gun. Your sword movements are precisely reproduced within the game. Parry your opponents’ attacks, while fighting several opponents at a time and performing numerous combos and great finishing moves. The harder you swing your Wii remote the harder you swing in the game; perfect to go through your enemy’s defences.

Red Steel 2 looks to be a must-have game for this end-of-year, particularly for those who wish to challenge themselves and stretch their own abilities. g

Genre: First Person Action P l a t f o r m s : Wi i Dev: Ubisoft Pub: Ubisoft R e l e a s e D at e : N ove m b e r 2 0 0 9

No one ever told Frank the one about knives and gunfights...

Anticipation:

Hardcore < > Casual

B+

Despite Red Steel having been very poorly received, it looks like the sequel will be a title to pay attention to swords and all.

42

issue 3 • september 2009

Ratchet & Clank: A Crack in Time

Return of the Lombax Prepare for the answers to the mother of all gaming cliffhangers...

by Matthew Vice

I

f I were a single-console kind of gamer, and I owned only an Xbox 360, then perhaps the reason that would make me most lament not owning a PS3 would be this game.

The Ratchet and Clank series has always been one of the PlayStation 2’s most attractive franchises, but Insomniac blew us all away when they brought it to the PS3 in 2007 with Ratchet and Clank: Tools of Destruction. Unfortunately they also ended that game with the mother of all cliffhangers, and the filler game we received last year, Ratchet and Clank: Quest for Booty, did little to satisfy our craving to see what happens next.

For those who don’t know, Ratchet and Clank is all about relentless action. Blasting hordes of enemies with a large arsenal of creative and wacky weapons is what it’s all about, and Insomniac have come up with some pretty wicked toys for Ratchet to play with over the years. But it gets better, because as you use your weapons, they level up and become more powerful, often acquiring entirely new abilities or enhancements. Ratchet also has access to a wide selection of hi-tech gadgets such as jetpacks, gravity boots, and various lock-picking devices to name but a few.

The acting and animation have always been solid too, but it looks like Insomniac are pulling out all the stops this time to ensure that A Crack in Time has some of the best cinematic treatment yet seen in a videogame.

This intergalactic adventure should be hitting our shelves sometime before the end of the year. g

Genre: Action Platforms: PS3 Dev: Insomniac P u b : S o ny C o m p u t e r E n t e r t a i n m e n t Release Date: Q4 2009

Anticipation:

Hardcore < > Casual

A+

Ratchet & Clank return to answer all those nagging questions that came up at the end of Tools of Destruction (and that weren’t answered by Quest for Booty). issue 3 • september 2009

43

Shaun White Snowboarding: World Stage

Globe Trotting The Shaun White series returns with a global experience

G

by Brian Murdoch

rab your balance board and enjoy pipe slide down the middle of New York’s Times Square. Yes, Shaun White and his crew will be on a world tour in Shaun White Snowboarding: World Stage. World Stage is the sequel to Shaun White Snowboarding: Road Trip and promises some great improvements to the game.

Your snowboarding quest will, as always, be to become a member of the best snowboarding crew in the world. Each location will bring its own challenges and trials to increase your prestige, leading up to taking on the world’s top boarders in an epic competition. On your way there you will need to build up your crew; each member will give you more tricks and ride modes to use. You’ll take these tricks back to previous runs to unlock each

map’s achievements. Keepsakes have been kept from Road Trip and are sure to keep you trying, again and again, to collect them all.

While in single player mode you will travel the world, from New York to France, Canada and Japan. You will be able to join up with friends and hit slopes that you have unlocked with them, and any progress you make will be carried over to your single player career.

Most franchise games get better and better with each version and this one looks to be a solid improvement on Road Trip (not that this would be hard to achieve). The impression that Road Trip left me with was poor, so I am expecting a notch up in the quality stakes from this title. g

Genre: Sports P l a t f o r m s : Wi i Dev: Ubisoft Pub: Ubisoft R e l e a s e D at e : N ove m b e r 2 0 0 9

Anticipation:

Hardcore < > Casual

B

With several improvements, it looks like this new Shaun White title will be making up for the last one.The player will be able to take to icy slopes all over the world in this one.

44

issue 3 • september 2009

Brutal Legend

Black is Back A combination of great metal, awesome action and prime grade cheese...

by Jimmy Glue

One of the world’s gravity-defying native inhabitants...

I

’m not very fond of open-world games, but one title that I’m definitely looking forward to is the action-adventure game Brutal Legend. If the name isn’t enough to grab your attention, then you should know that it stars Jack Black and features 108 heavy metal tracks from 75 different bands for a really awesome soundtrack.

The game plays off in approximately 64 km squared area, as you guide Eddie Riggs through a fantasy heavy-metal world.

Black’s character got its name from two iconic metal figures, Iron Maiden’s mascot Eddie the Head and Derek Riggs, the man who created Eddie.

As for the story, Eddie is tuning his guitar when he manages to cut himself. The blood from the gash drips onto his cursed belt buckle, which in turn awakens Ormagöden “The Fire Beast, Cremator of the Sky, and Destroyer of the Ancient World”.

Ormagöden transports Eddie to a fantasy world, where it is up to him to decipher the numerous relics and instructions that the Titans in the underworld left behind.

Since Eddie is a roadie by profession, he should be able

to solve the puzzles in no time, but just in case, he has some awesome tools to help him during his journey.

His Flying-V guitar, ‘Clementine’, has the ability to cast magic spells, enemies can be mowed down with a broad axe cleverly named ‘The Separator’, and to get around town, Eddie built himself a hotrod he dubbed The Deuce, a.k.a. ‘The Druid Plow’.

This is bound to be the best heavy metal-inspired actionadventure we have seen in a long time, and the player will find various metal references dotting the fantasy word. At one point, Eddie must battle Kill Master, who is voiced by Motörhead’s Lemmy Kilmister, and later he meets Lita Halford and her younger brother, Lars. These are both reference to Rob Halford from Judas Priest and Lars Ulrich from Genre: Action Adventure Metallica.

Platforms: X360, PS3 Metal music, Dev: Double Fine Productions hotrods, Nordic gods P u b : E l e c t r o n i c A r t s and a Flying-V. Need R e l e a s e D a t e : O c t o b e r 2 0 0 9 I say Anticipation: more? g Hardcore < > Casual

B

This is bound to be the best heavy metal-inspired action-adventure we have seen in a long time, and considering Black’s involvement in Tenacious D, is bound to deliver tons of cheesiness too... on purpose, of course. issue 3 • september 2009

45

Batman: Arkham Asylum

Locked In With the Loonies Be the Bat... Strike from the shadows... escape Arkham Asylum... sounds simple enough...

by Jimmy Glue

H

aving played the demo for Batman: Arkham Asylum, I can tell you that this title is going to be one of the most interesting and action-packed games this year. Well, maybe not as huge as the new Call Of Duty, but close.

In this action-adventure stealth game, players will obviously assume the role of Batman. It is based more on the comic book series than the movies. Presented in an over-the-shoulder view, this title sees Batman and Commissioner Gordon trapped inside Arkham Asylum after The Joker locked-down the prison, with the help of Harley Quinn, of course. And may I add, that even though she is a baddie, Harley Quinn looks rather foxy.

Although combat plays a large role in dispensing with the enemies, Bruce Wayne (that’s Batman to you and me) also has a great deal of investigating to do. After all, he needs to find out what The Joker is up to. When engaging Detective Mode, a Batman arrests the Joker visor will drop down from his cowl and highlight points of interest, scan on a charge of awful objects and be generally helpful. fashion sense...

Combat can be waged in several ways, but nothing is more gratifying than a successfully executed stealth manoeuvre. While sitting perched on a ledge, Batman can target his enemy, swoop down with a swoosh of his cape and stun the unsuspecting foe. After enemies have been stunned, he will engage in a Take Down move, which is sure to bring a swift end to the baddie’s life.

The demo for Batman: Arkam Asylum was a little bit short, but I saw enough of the combat, gadgets and the stealth fighting to know it will be hit. The game plays Genre: Action almost like Wolverine Platforms: X360, PS3, PC with a cape, which Dev: Rocksteady Games is never a bad thing.

P u b : Wa r n e r B r o s Expect to be amazed Release Date: September 2009 and thrilled! g

Anticipation:

Hardcore < > Casual

B

Batman needs to fight its way out of the Arkham Asylum, while figuring out what The Joker is up to.The player will get to strike from the shadows and do all sorts of cool stuff...

46

issue 3 • september 2009

Up

Seeking Upliftment Embark on a grand adventure...

by Brian Murdoch

T

he video game Up takes Carl Fredricksen and his ever helpful sidekick, Wilderness Explorer Russell, on a fantastic adventure through the undiscovered jungles of South America. The player will be able to play as any of the four main characters from the movie; Carl, Russell, Dug the dog, or Kevin the prehistoric bird.

Carl is a 78-year-old balloon salesman who finally fulfils his lifelong dream of adventure.

Russell is a persistent, inexperienced boyscout on a quest to do a good deed. Dug is a dog-genius who has made a collar to interpret speech for him. Kevin is just a huge prehistoric bird that copies most of what you do.

Fly and navigate your way through treacherous terrain, exploring caves, rock gardens, mazes, raging rivers and Paradise Falls. Fight for survival in aerial dogfights and evade giant anacondas, man-eating plants and ferocious crocodilesâ&#x20AC;Ś all this while uncontrollable weather, dizzying heights and moving boulders attempt to kill you.

You will be able to play through the campaign solo, or have a side-kick join you in the fun.

Along the way you need to collect merit badges to earn Quest Cards. These in turn provide information on bugs and other hidden collectibles that you will find and gather to unlock bonus art and film clips. g

OK, hedgehogs are so NOT scary...

Genre: Adventure P l a t f o r m s : X 3 6 0 , P S 3 , P C , W i i , P S 2 , P S P, D S Dev: Heavy Iron Pub: THQ Release Date: October 2009

Anticipation:

Hardcore < > Casual

C+

Movie based games are often aimed at a younger market, and it looks like UP will be no different - this one should work well to keep the kids busy, on any platform. issue 3 â&#x20AC;˘ september 2009

47

Heroes Over Europe

Aces High Aerial battles over Europe are the order of the day

by Walt Pretorius

F

ollowing on the heels of Heroes of the Pacific, Heroes over Europe shifts the aerial battles of World War II to the heartland of the struggle. The player will be able to engage in HD tactical dogfights in a variety of locations, including the skies over London and Berlin. These landscapes will be brought to life by authentic details and landmarks included in their visuals.

Heroes over Europe will offer the player more than 40 iconic World War II aircraft to make use of, and will allow up to sixteen players to enter battle with each other in multiplayer modes.

Additionally, new, downloadable content will be available from the game’s launch, ensuring that the dogfighting action stays fresh and exciting for a good long time.

The combination of recognisable locations, realistic planes and great graphics – not to mention some very intense action – should have flight sim fans quite excited over this one. g

Genre: Flight Simulation Platforms: X360, PS3, PC Dev: Transmission Games Pub: Ubisoft Release Date: September 2009

Anticipation:

Hardcore < > Casual

C+

Intense dogfighting action will be what players get in this one, with more than 40 authentic aircraft to take into battle in the skies over Europe.

48

issue 3 • september 2009

Cities XL

Keeping People Happy Cities XL will look to capitalise on the popularity of playing Mayor...

by Jimmy Glue

I

can remember the first time that I played SimCity:1 I watched in glee as my small-time town slowly started to boom into a sprawling metropolis.

Upgrading the roads, installing waterlines, and supplying neighbourhoods with electricity was the order of the day. And boy, did I love it!

No gaming concept is sacred, and developers Monte Cristo are now trying their hand at the city simulator genre.

Cities XL will be a SimCity-type game, but there will be a few twists.

The major attraction, besides being a city-builder on realistic 3D maps, is that online players can share resources and blueprints in order to exploit their city’s capabilities. Don’t worry, as you won’t be thrown into a huge world and expected to populate it, and online play is completely optional.

Players will only interact with players who are part of their persistent online virtual community, known as a planet. You will also be able to wander around your neighbour’s city in avatar form. Oh, and most of the buildings will be already built, so you’ll just take up the role of the city’s Mayor.

And as the Mayor of your own little town, you will have to make sure that the citizens have everything they need.

You will need to start social services, leisure activities, special events and create job opportunities so that citizens can entertain, feed and employ themselves.

The single player campaign will also feature 20 maps with varying landscapes, hundreds of buildings, and the ability to create an in-game avatar. We suspect that certain challenges will allow the player to drive the city forward.

Cities XL will definitely shape the future of the citybuilding genre and has the potential to become one of the most influential games around. It’s well worth the wait, and even more so a look. g

Genre: Management Platforms: PC Dev: Monte Cristo Pub: Monte Cristo Release Date: October 2009

Anticipation:

Hardcore < > Casual

A

The major attraction, besides being a city-builder on realistic 3D maps, is that online players can share resources and blueprints in order to exploit their city’s capabilities. issue 3 • september 2009

49

Bayonetta

Stand Back, Dante Unleash hell on those heavenly fools

F

by Matthew Vice

or a company that has been bitten on the ass so many times by smaller developers, you’d think Sega would have done something to curb their habit of seeking out smaller studios to develop games for them to publish, but they keep on doing it anyway.

This time round, though, it seems as if Sega has at least found themselves a worthy studio. PlatinumGames, who recently proved themselves capable with the gratuitously violent Wii title, Madworld, have been working on a brand new action game for the PS3 and 360, Bayonetta.

Bayonetta, the titular character, is a witch who has guns attached to her hands and feet, and can use her hair (and probably some other things we haven’t been told about) as a weapon. What for? To fight angels, of course – what else would a witch do? This demonic sounding premise is accompanied by suitably gothic-looking artwork of the most devilish sort.

Game-play-wise Bayonetta doesn’t appear to be too far removed from other extreme action games, particularly Devil May Cry. Still, if you want to find out if this chick can show us a few tricks that Dante can’t, you’ll have to wait until early next year to find out. g

Bayonetta prepares her awesome Moisturiser Strike...

Genre: Action Platforms: X360, PS3 Dev: PlatinumGames Pub: Sega Release Date: Q1 2010

Anticipation:

Hardcore < > Casual

C+

Bayonetta looks like an interesting idea in terms of storyline, but may not offer anything particularly original in terms of game dynamics. Still, we’ll have to wait to know for sure.

50

issue 3 • september 2009

Cursed Mountain

The Power of Prayer Faith becomes a weapon in this rather unique Wii title

by Brian Murdoch

A

Some Oriental deities are heavily armed... (oh, man, that was awful!)

Genre: Adventure P l a t f o r m s : Wi i Dev: Deep Silver Pub: Deep Silver Release Date: September 2009

s you search for you brother in the Himalayas you might find more than you bargained for. In this game we will find more East meets West as the player explores this cursed mountain and encounters the souls of the people have died in the area. You will learn about the Buddhist religion and start understanding their practises and secrets to do what is needed to lift the curse.

The title will be a Wii exclusive because of the fact that there will be no weapons in the game. That’s right: no swinging of chain-saws and chopping off of zombielimbs. All the player will be armed with in this game are prayers, and these prayers are performed with Wii remote gestures.

The player will progress up the mountain in stages, and will learn new prayers and understand more and more about the curse.

The game will require the player to be the nice guy through the game, but don’t worry about the spirits that you will be “killing”… they are already dead.

Thriller games are few and far between but are noteworthy. Cursed Mountain is going to be one of those games. The people that try it out are going to remember the experience, without a doubt. g

Anticipation:

Hardcore < > Casual

Using prayers instead of weapons, it will be up to the player to learn the secrets of an acient curse in this interesting and different wii-exclusive title. issue 3 • september 2009

A 51

Risen

A Solid Pick Seamless Medieaval adventure on a volcanic island...

by Walt Pretorius

R

isen is set on a volcanic Mediterranean island, during the Medieval period of history. It will allow players to explore and develop their characters through the course of four chapters. Player actions will also affect the way the story progresses, making for a host of different possibilities.

As an adventure game, Risen may seem a little daunting to some, but the developers have ensured that the game will be highly accessible to all who want to play it, through the use of an innovative and intuitive control system.

Risen promises to be quite an experience, presenting the player with a seamless and fully simulated game world to adventure in. While the developers arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t saying too much about the title, it has been revealed that there will be some pretty well known voice actors coming in on the project, to make the game a treat for the ears as well as the eyes. g

Genre: RPG Platforms: X360, PC Dev: Piranha Bytes Pub: Deep Silver Release Date: October 2009

Anticipation:

Hardcore < > Casual

C+

Theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re not saying too much about this one, but it seems that the developers are making sure that it is as accessible as possible...

52

issue 3 â&#x20AC;˘ september 2009

LEGO Indiana Jones 2:The Adventure Continues

Crackin’ the Whip Indiana Jones returns to LEGOland

I

by Brian Murdoch

ndiana Jones returns in his Lego form in LEGO Indiana Jones 2: The Adventure Continues. LEGO Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures went through the first trilogy of movies with you being able to play as Indy himself. The adventure will continue with the new Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, as well as new objectives and levels from the previous films. You will also be able to play as any other character. There are around 80 characters to choose from, including new ones from Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, like Mutt Williams on his motorcycle.

There have also been more improvements to the game play, especially regarding Indy’s whip. He will be able to whip someone and throw them over his shoulder, and interact with other Lego

Genre: Adventure P l a t f o r m s : X 3 6 0 , P S 3 , P C , Wi i Dev: Traveller’s Tales Pub: LucasArts R e l e a s e D at e : N ove m b e r 2 0 0 9

objects in a better way. There will be a range of new vehicles, including planes, boats and mine carts.

You will be able to play through each level in Story mode and then go back in Free Play to experience a new challenge in the same stage. The Lego builder is the big seller in this Lego title, though, giving you the freedom, with an infinite amount of Lego, to build any stage you want, and then share it with friends. There will be a drop-in, drop-out cooperative game-play mode; players will be able to come and go without having to restart the game.

It’s good to see the limitless nature of Lego and the great classic hero movies being combined into an entertaining game yet again. g

Anticipation:

Hardcore < > Casual

B

It will be more family-friendly puzzling and LEGO construction in this new title, as well as an included level editor... to relive those heady days of actually playing with real LEGO issue 3 • september 2009

53

Academy of Champions

Learn to Go Pro Not everyone gets a football

legend for a coach...

by Brian Murdoch

O

your skills and buying equipments to be the very best and beat ne of the 100 most important people of the 20th the Scythemore Academy!

Century, according to Time Magazine, is Edison There will also be some famous teams and players to play Arantes do Nascimento, better known as PelĂŠ. He against, like Sam Fisher, Altair, and my personal favourite, the becomes your headmaster at a fantastic football Raving Rabbids Team. There will also be an appearance by academy. Here you will spend 4 months of your life improving Rayman himself! your football skills at a place that most only dream about, in You can also practise out-of-game in one of the 12 miniAcademy of Champions. games that will be provided, including goalkeeping, shooting, After choosing your boy or girl avatar you will spend your time passing and tackles. You will also be able to just have plain fun in in the academy in madcap training drills, but also enjoying a Brazilian Freestyle, juggling with your Wii Balance Board. social life, where you will interact with other students and even The game will support the Wii MotionPlus, which will be used recruit them into your team. to pull of tricky moves like high passes, dodges and lob shots, by Academy of Champions gives simply shifting the remote. g you 5 on 5 action packed football G e n r e : S p o r t s games and a control scheme P l a t f o r m s : Wi i Anticipation: Dev: Ubisoft that kids of all ages can pick up Hardcore < > Casual P u b : U b i s o f t and play with ease. Progress Release Date: September 2009 through the games, upgrading

This very family-friendly game will allow the player to learn how to play virtual footbaal from an in-game recreation of Pele.

54

issue 3 â&#x20AC;˘ september 2009

B

MagnaCarta 2

KRPG It’s not just the Japanese that

make deep role playing titles...

by Matthew Vice

F

female characters with ridiculously long legs or a long We THINK this is a girl... and impossible curves, and male characters time, the that are so effeminate they’re only identifiable Japanese from the females by the fact their chests are have infinitely flatter. Interesting design choice, that. dominated the Magna Carta 2 will use the Unreal 3 Engine console Role Playing to power the action, and promises things like market with their own, seamless transitions between exploration distinctive brand of and battle, interactive background items, and role playing games, a unique and innovative combat system that characterised by combines turn-based and real time game play. their spiky-haired Now someone just has to tell RPG developers protagonists, that there’s nothing unique or innovative about impractical outfits, combining real-time and turn-based combat – in flashy magic effects, fact, the idea is getting quite stale. Expect this and the import lesson one in October. g that swords are somehow far more dangerous than guns. It seems like the Japanese had everything well in hand, and nobody could compete with them… until Korean developer Softmax came along, that is.

Their first RPG, Magna Carta, stuck so closely to the formula laid out by games like Final Fantasy, Suikoden, and Star Ocean that it would be hard to believe it wasn’t made by a Japanese studio. The rendered cut-scenes were impressive, the story was epic, and the game was laid out in a huge world with filled with towns and fields where players could do battle with enemies and follow the story.

Now, Magna Carta 2 is just on the horizon for Xbox 360 owners. Like the first Genre: RPG game, the characters Anticipation: Platforms: X360 were designed by Hardcore < > Casual Dev: SoftMax Hyung Tae-Kim, which Pub: Namco Bandai R e l e a s e D a t e : O c t o b e r 2 0 0 9 means we can expect

C

Complete with boys that look like girls and a deep, engaging story line, MagnaCarta 2 looks to be just what role playing fans are after - but it looks none too original... issue 3 • september 2009

55

LEGO Rock Band

Rockin’ the Blocks Build your band... literally

by Jimmy Glue

Y

es, there will be another Rock Band game and yes, there will be another Lego title. So if you don’t like either of them, you’ll just have to crawl under a rock and stay there until it’s over.

Aimed at the younger generation of rockers, Lego Rock Band will feature all the goodness from the previous titles, but obviously with a Lego flavour. The track listing has also been tuned down a bit, as not to poison the delicate minds of would-be rockers.

Some of the songs confirmed so far includes Pink’s ‘So What’, ‘Accidentally In Love’ by Counting Crows and Bon Jovi’s ‘You Give Love A Bad Name’. The Lego incarnation of the franchise will again allow up to four players to band together for lead guitar,

bass, vocals and drums.

Although the main premise is exactly that of the original Rock Band, small changes have been made to complete the Lego look.

Notes will no longer be round, but rather small Lego bricks.

At the end of each song, players will also be awarded Lego studs, which they can use to buy anything from crew upgrades, customising their Lego avatar to updating their “rock den”.

It’s definitely one for the younger folk, or anybody looking for a true family game, but that doesn’t mean it won’t be any fun.

Merging great songs with an iconic toy such as Lego just seems like a natural progression and will be your kid’s licence to rock! g

Genre: Rhythm P l a t f o r m s : X 3 6 0 , P S 3 , Wi i , D S Dev: Harmonix Pub: Electronic Arts R e l e a s e D at e : N ove m b e r 2 0 0 9

Anticipation:

Hardcore < > Casual

C

It’s all rock music and LEGO blocks in this rather unusual and potentially entertaining amalgamation of two popular video game franchsies

56

issue 3 • september 2009

Tropico 3

Banana Republic Being a tyrant can have its rewards...

by Walt Pretorius

S

ometimes games just come out of no-where.

There is no hype, or very little at least, and they suddenly appear, almost unbidden. Some of these games prove to be diamonds in the rough, absolutely exciting and fantastic titles that are massive amounts of fun. The original Tropico was like that, and it looks like Tropico 3 might be the same.

The Tropico franchise dropped off of the radar a while ago, and it was purely by chance that I saw the announcement of this game – it was all under-played and stuff. Well, I (for one) am excited at the idea of a new look at what could only have been described as a Banana Republic Simulator. If this game is anything like the first one, the player will be entering the world of third world politics, doing whatever is necessary to stay in power for as long as possible, as El Presidente of a fantasy land.

This should be tons of fun! g

Genre: Management Platforms: X360, PC Dev: Haemimont Pub: Kalypso Release Date: September 2009

Anticipation:

Hardcore < > Casual

B

This game is coming to us without any fanfare at all - and with little hype, there is also little information. But if it’s like the original, it should be lots of fun. issue 3 • september 2009

57

Dragon Ball: Raging Blast

The Fight Continues Yes, that’s right...

Another Dragon Ball game.

F

“Take THAT for stealing my styling gel!”

by Walt Pretorius

or me to claim that I am a Dragon Ball fan would be a bald faced lie. In fact, I don’t watch much animation at all these days, and even less that has its roots in the Far East. But, I would be equally wrong to assume that my tastes should dictate what other people experience, and the undeniable success of the Dragon Ball franchise is… well, undeniable.

So it is hardly surprising that the already huge stable of Dragon Ball themed games will be growing by one yet again.

Dragon Ball: Raging Blast will present players with a high action, over-the-top fighting game in the spirit of the popular series. Interactive and destructible environments will add to the mayhem, which will feature a variety of the most popular characters from the Dragon Ball Universe.

New special moves and super-powered moves will keep the action way up where it belongs.

This one will G e n r e : Ve r s u s F i g h t i n g certainly be Platforms: X360, PS3 a delight for Dev: Namco Bandai Dragon Ball Pub: Namco Bandai fans. g Release Date: Q4 2009

Anticipation:

Hardcore < > Casual

C+

The Dragon Ball franchise just gets bigger and bigger , with more games than you can shake a bottle of hair gel at.

Still, the games tend to be solid.

58

issue 3 • september 2009

Your Shape

The Fitness Police You won’t get to loaf with this

fitness title... because it will be watching you!

by Brian Murdoch

A

re all the fitness programs on the Wii the kind of thing you use for a couple of days before shelving (much like that home exercise equipment you have been using as a clothes rack)?

Your Shape is the first Wii fitness program to include a camera. This camera will use fitness tracking technology to scan your body’s shape. After checking you out, you will be given a small fitness test. Then you will be able to select a body area and type of work you want for that area; slim, strengthen or tone. You also select how much time you have. Sounding better already? There’s more!

While you are working out your body will be scanned and a real-time projection of your body will be displayed - but more importantly, the software will tell if you are doing the exercises correctly. Best of all, this will leave your hands free of a controller and you will be able to use other exercises equipment with both hands and feet. Now that is a fitness program.

The game will also feature a virtual coach to provide feedback on your position and technique. The training sessions will have 500 unique exercises, including Yoga, Cardio fitness, Strength Training, Flexibility, and Weight Loss Routines. g

Genre: Fitness P l a t f o r m s : Wi i Dev: Ubisoft Pub: Ubisoft Release Date: December 2009

Anticipation:

Hardcore < > Casual

B

Staying in shape meets George Orwell’s 1984 in Your Shape, a game that will monitor your shape, progress and exercise actions through the use of a camera issue 3 • september 2009

59

Operation Flashpoint 2: Dragon Rising

All-Out War Prepare to engage in a massive battle

C

by Walt Pretorius

odemasters have launched what they are calling their most extensive R&D project to date. The end result will be Operation Flashpoint 2: Dragon Rising, and it will see the welcome return of one of the world’s favourite ‘total conflict simulators’.

With a mammoth development team working on the project, we are being promised a game that will take combat simulation to a new level. The title enjoyed more than two years of pre-production work, and will make use of the proprietary Neon technology

middleware package.

What Codemasters are hoping to release is a massive, modern day war simulation that allows the player to take on any of a large number of combat disciplines. They are also promising more realistic game dynamics than ever seen before, and that the robust multiplayer component will allow for battles on a scale that has previously only been dreamed of.

Seeing is believing, of course, but it does sound exciting. g

Genre: First Person Shooter Platforms: X360, PS3, PC Dev: Codemasters Pub: Codemasters Release Date: October 2009

Anticipation:

Hardcore < > Casual

B

Codemasters certainly are taking this anticipated title seriously, with a huge team putting in a hell of a lot of work to make it the best combat simulation ever seen...

60

issue 3 • september 2009

NHL 2K10

Cool as Ice Hockey simulations are about to get smarter

by Jimmy Glue

H

ockey isn’t really a major sport here, and ice hockey, in particular, has been riding the back burner on the South African sports calendar for ever.

That’s actually a pity, since we have a very good national team with incredible talent, and our beloved team jersey can actually be viewed in the NHL Hall Of Fame in Toronto, Canada. Whether it’s still there is anybody’s guess, but I made a point of seeing it in 2001.

I doubt that SA will soon be churning out another Wayne Gretzky, but at least we have NHL 2K10 to look forward too. The 2K Sports title is due to be released soon, and with that comes a few changes.

Not only will this be the only hockey game for the Wii, but 2K have also paid more attention to detail.

Accurate player looks and styles will re-enforce the realism, and pre-game introductions will add to that.

In previous titles, the AI players weren’t the sharpest tools in the shed, but 2K is promising smarter hockey, with improved AI. Let’s just hope they actually know where the net is...

The one thing that I’m looking forward to is the improved puck control. It can become very frustrating if your skater loses the puck for no apparent reason and NHL 2K10 is fixing this issue. Lifting your stick for the all-important slap shot is useless if you don’t have the right defence, and once again 2K promises new defensive moves, like stick lifts and stumble shots.

It goes without saying that all the favourite teams and players will be available Genre: Sports for selection, but there’s P l a t f o r m s : X 3 6 0 , P S 3 , Wi i , P S 2 really only one team you Dev: 2K Spor ts should be playing - Toronto Pub: 2K Games Maple Leafs. g

Anticipation:

Hardcore < > Casual

Release Date: September 2009

B

With more attention to detail and a better control scheme, NHL 2K10 will be one of the must-haves in this sports simulation genre. issue 3 • september 2009

61

gamecca • ps zealot

F

Slimming Down

by Andre van der Westhuizen

or months now PS3 Zealots have been foaming at the cut from 280 watts to 250 watts, thanks to the 45nm version of mouth in anticipation of a new, slimmer, cheaper version the Cell processor. Less power means less heat, so the Slim is of the PS3. The rumour mongering reached fever pitch fitted with a smaller, more silent cooling fan. With the Fat version when Sony hinted at a big announcement being made at you where able to have your PS3 sitting in either a vertical or GamesCom 2009 in Germany. Fuel was added to the fire when a horizontal position, whereas the Slim is designed to be in a scans started surfacing, apparently showing advertisements for horizontal position. You can however buy a stand that will enable a new “PS3 Slim”. 18 August 2009, the rumours were confirmed; you to have the Slim in a vertical position for US$24 (R160). Sony we officially have a new version of the PS3, Product Code: also moved the hard drive to the front of the unit to make it more CECH-2000 (Charcoal Black): let’s take a closer look at the “PS3 accessible when replacing the hard drive and doing so will no Slim”, shall we. longer void your warranty.

If you’re one of the many The PS3 is finally (it’s PS2 owners that have been been a long wait) more patiently biding their time, affordable for all the waiting for the PS3 price to Playstation Faithful that has drop, then the good news is been champing at the bits that there isn’t much difference to get their hands on a PS3! between the 80 Gig “Fat” and This is what video game the 120 Gig “Slim” versions, analyst Colin Sebastian, so you haven’t missed out on a senior vice president for much. As a Slim owner you equity research at Lazard get everything the Fat version Capital Markets, had to had… well, almost everything. say before the new slim Sony has taken away the version was announced: functionality to install multiple “Beyond generating operating systems on the Slim. consumer interest over This isn’t a big loss to some, a new hardware form but for someone like me that factor, the most obvious likes tinkering with alternative reason to celebrate the OSes and CPU architectures, arrival of a PS3 Slim is it’s something that will be that it should allow for a sorely missed! lower price, through lower The story then is in the new costs of components design. It’s 33 percent smaller and 36 percent lighter, and the high and production, I expect (Sony) to lower the price on the older gloss “scratch friendly” piano black of its predecessor has been versions (now confirmed), but the cost to make the new version replaced with a matte finish. The should be lower.” According to a PS3 lettering has been redesigned, Fin24 article I read the PS3 slim 120 “ It’s a new look PS3 the touch-sensitive power on/off and gigabyte version and old 80 gigabyte with exactly the same eject buttons on the front of the unit version will both sell at US$299 have been replaced by standard push performance and (around R2375.56) in the US. This buttons and the master power switch features as the older price will be inflated when it hits that was on the back of the old unit South African shores because of PS3. ” has been removed. import taxes, but it will be cheaper…

Because of the smaller size, the so we’re not complaining! internal design architecture had to be completely redesigned It’s a new look PS3 with exactly the same performance and “from the main semiconductors and power supply unit to the features as the older PS3. It looks a heck of a lot better than cooling mechanism,” according to Sony. The power supply is still its predecessor and it’s smaller and saves energy (read treeinternal, so you won’t have to deal with a bulky external power hugging-crystal-gripping-hippie-approved), all this at half the price supply like the XBots out there. Power consumption has been of a launch day PS3! g

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

gamecca • xbox beat

M

Help!

by Bryan Banfield

ost of us know that our console is plagued with a and exchange of your console. They have a document that they few technical problems. The Red Ring of Death need you to complete. This document contains all of your info, as is a common Xbox well as your return shipping address. phrase. (You can Now the most important part. They “ Did you know that now also purchase the red ring of need your proof of payment. They there are roughly 1267 cannot do anything for you if you do death for your avatar in the Avatar different SKUs (Stock Marketplace.) not have any record of purchasing the In South Africa these issues console. So if you make sure you have Keeping Unit) for don’t escape us either and with the it in a safe place. I keep mine under my Xbox360 consoles? ” Summer coming we are set to have a pillow (that’s safe? –ed). They will accept few more console travel the receipt from the store you to the great CPU in the purchased it at, a credit card sky. statement or bank statement.

So what is a gamer to Powercare is very willing to be do if your console does accommodating in this regard. stumble over a red ring?

Microsoft will bill them for the Introducing Xbox360 if they start bending Powercare. .. Powercare the rules. bring with them 30 years If all your documentation is of customer service in place and the stock levels experience, and will be are sufficient, then they have your friends when you’re assured me that the swap in need. out of consoles will take 72 This week I was able hours. If you live outside of to catch up with Colin the major hubs, maybe you Berger, the Managing live in Buffelsfontein, (hey, Director of Powercare, my mom’s from there! – ed) to understand the then please understand that process that we need to it’s going to take a little longer. go through in order to Powercare is working on restore awesomeness to opening centres around the our lives. country to make this process To understand this slicker, but please keep the process I was surprised SKU issue in mind. to understand that it is Powercare also allow you not as easy as: “Please to drop past their offices and can I have your old take care of this in person. console. Here is your Their offices are at 145 van new one.” Did you know Riebeek Ave, Edenvale. They that there are roughly are also contactable on 0861 1267 different SKUs Xbox 360 (0861 9269 360).

(Stock Keeping Unit) for Colin Berger (remember Xbox360 consoles? You him) is willing to look into your might have an Xbox360 issues if you feel the process with the SKU of 986 and they have to get you a 986 replacement is taking a little too long. You can contact him directly on the console. Remember that Microsoft is always improving and number above, or at colinb@powercare.co.za tightening the design of the Xbox360. Yip, not as clear cut as we Now you can sleep at night (after your Gears 2 session) might have thought. knowing that Powercare is there for you, and if something does Next, that they need the correct documentation for the return go amiss, you know who to call. g

This page is provided by Xbox Gamer www.xboxgamer.co.za

gamecca • the house of mario

E

Some Handy Tricks

veryone needs a little help every now and then, and those people that say they don’t need help really need help. I would like to help a few Wii owners out there to understand and learn more about their console.

Sometime these things just go unnoticed and will not affect your life in the big picture, but these tips might just make your life easier.

You are all very social Wii players and go and play Wii games with your friends, going over to their houses, only bringing the titles that they don’t have and maybe your Wii remote. Ever tried to re-make your Mii on your friend’s console?

Not easy, right, and you never quite get it looking the same. Why don’t you just copy your Mii onto your Wii remote?

If you go into the Mii channel there is an option to move Miis to and from the Wii remote. Use this to copy your Mii onto your remote, then go to your friend’s house and copy it onto their console. Now you can use your Mii in both locations.

Now a few questions are going to rush to your brain… does this keep my Wii Sports Tennis score that I have been working on over the last year? No. All the save data and information is stored in the save file of the game; all we are doing here is copying your appearance onto both consoles, not the skill.

With this mode of Mii movement there comes another short

by Brian Murdoch

cut. You need to re-sync your controller with your friend’s Wii and then back at your house with your own. Please don’t tell me you popped open the flap and pushed the red button on the console and the remote? Or even worse you forgot which order and pulled out the instructions... No! Pushing the home button on your controller brings up the Wii menu and on the bottom bar is a “Wii Remote Settings”… go into this and select reconnect in the connection section. This clears the current memory of connected remotes and allows you now to pair any Wii remotes to the system. This method of linking your controllers also helps when you have rechargeable batteries and the red button requires a pin or match stick to push.

On your Wii you have three different power modes, and you now ask yourself why, and what are they? The lights are Red, Blue, and Orange. When blue is shining the Wii is on and you are playing your favourite game; this one is simple. If you turn off by holding in the power button for a few seconds it turns off and goes Red. Red is really off... you can’t turn your console more off with the power cable plugged in. Now to the orange...

“It always turns orange and not red when I turn it off?” Orange is on standby… in this mode it is still connected to the internet and still providing power to the USB ports, so when you come back to your Wii, you might have messages that it picked up while on stand-by.

This also gives your disc tray and blue flashing until you turn it on.

As for the power still going to the USB, this is for charging your rechargeable batteries in your Wii remote. And if you don’t want to over charge them or simply want to save power, then push and hold the button next time to turn your Wii off properly. g

This page is provided by Nintendo Gamer www.nintendogamer.co.za

Reviews

Ah, yes, it’s that quiet time of year again...

Reviews: 68 GI Joe: The Rise of Cobra 70 Wolfenstein 72 Ashes Cricket ‘09 74 Overlord: Dark Legend 76 Anno 1404

T

he video gaming industry goes through a number of phases every year. These determine when games will be released, for the most part, and follow what is sometimes a very strange system. See, one would think that the game releases from major publishers would be spaced out, allowing games to get their time to shine, without being crowded out by a huge amount of other good games. But no - instead of spacing things out smoothly, game publishers have identified a number of times each year when they flood the market with massive amounts good of games, all of which above average have to do battle for shelf space and attention from consumers. Go figure. average The reason we’re below average bringing this up is because you may notice

A B C D E F

poor

Hardcore < > Casual

terrible

Game: The name of the game Genre: What kind of game it is Platforms: Which machines it is made for Dev: Who made it Pub: Who sells it A g e R at i n g : Wh o s h o u l d p l ay i t

66

78 Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn 80 Terminator: Salvation a slight shift in focus in this issue of Gamecca. Instead of a huge number of reviews and relatively few previews, things have switched around a bit. This is because, at the time of writing, we are experiencing a quiet time in terms of new game releases.

It’s the last calm of the year, though, and the storm is truly about to hit us, as the publishers dump large numbers of top quality games onto store shelves. I love the smell of the Christmas gaming rush in the morning... it smells like awesome.

Awards: So, while this issue of Glorious Game Gamecca doesn’t have a Star Award huge number of reviews Given to the in it, the next few issues cream of the are guaranteed to be video gaming crammed... the Gamecca crop crew is going to have their hands full for the rest of the year!

Anyway, there still are some reviews for you to look at, and some really good games get coverage in this issue, despite the quiet times. g

issue 3 • september 2009

Editor’s ‘Right On’ Button Given to those games that the editor believes are really cool, although not necessarily the best of the bunch.

WIN ONE OF FIve

MARVEL ULTIMATE ALLIANCE 2 HAMPERS! EACH HAMPER CONSISTS OF A COPY OF THE MARVEL ULTIMATE ALLIANCE 2 VIDEO GAME AND A COPY OF THE FIRST ISSUE OF THE NEW MARVEL ULTIMATE ALLIANCE COMIC!

TO ENTER, TELL US THE NAME OF TWO CHARACTERS APPEARING IN THE GAME... SEE THE PREVIEW ON PAGE 34!

PLEASE SEND YOUR NAME, THE ANSWER AND WhETHER YOU WOULD PREFER A PS3 or XBOX 360 VERSION of the game!

Send your entry to competitions@gamecca.co.za to enter.

Please use the subject line: “MUA 2 Competition”. Competition closes at noon on the 24th of september!

Judges decision is final. Prizes will not be exchanged for cash. Competition is closed to employees and family members of Megarom Interactive and 1337 Media. Games will be ‘white label’ products.

gamecca • review

GI Joe:The Rise of Cobra

Go Joe! Mindless violence and a nasty camera await in this movie spin-off game

T

he unbridled and often shameless efforts that go into milking an intellectual property dry can, at times, be astounding. Whenever a big name movie hits the screen, there is a myriad of merchandising spin-offs to suck the unwary fan dry – in a financial sense, of course. Not least of these little off-shoots is the movie-based video game. There have been a handful of movie-based games that have been worth playing through, but, for the most part, they just don’t make the grade.

Once upon a time I used to blame the developers and publishers of these games for this phenomenon, but the truth is that they have been trained, in something like a Pavlovian market response therapy, that people will buy these games, no matter how poor they might be. You cannot blame the publishers for taking advantage of that fact.

Still, you would expect that massive properties, potentially worth millions and more, would be treated with the respect and care that they sorely lack. The GI Joe franchise, for example, could be worth a hell of a lot. Then again, the movie wasn’t all that great to begin with.

“The difficulty settings for the In all fairness, game follow an unreasonable GI Joe doesn’t fall curve. On its easiest setting, into the category of ‘abysmal’, like most the game is far too easy. One other movie based step up, it gets a lot harder. games do. In fact, it Any higher, and the title gets has a few redeeming unforgiving.” qualities that may allow a forgiving

by Walt Pretorius

gamer to look past some of its faults.

In the game, the player will be in control of one of two GI Joe operatives as they hunt down the minions of the nefarious Cobra. There will always be two Joes on screen (unless one is taken out during the mission.) The second Joe will be controlled by the AI in single player games, but is always available as a drop-in, drop-out

gamecca • review

character for multiplayer options. That means that the game is strictly neither single- nor multiplayer, but rather both at any given moment.

The drop-in, drop-out feature is quite nice, but the game restricts how far the Joes can move away from each other. I doubt that this was a design feature – rather, I think it’s a flaw, and one that can disrupt numerous ‘give me some covering fire’ kinds of situations. The player moving forward will only be able to move so far, before hitting an invisible wall. Maybe the Joes are close in that kind of way. I don’t know.

The control scheme is another nice aspect. The Joes are easy to control, and very responsive. Using special weapons or some of the context sensitive functions is an easy task. It would have been a better prospect if the camera didn’t act like a retarded bumble-bee, always homing in on the Joes, and not always showing the action effectively.

In combination with the camera come the graphics, which are decidedly mediocre. At times the game hints at graphical brilliance, and the characters are easy enough to tell apart, but they lack the ‘pop’ that one would expect on current hardware.

They show the action clearly enough, when the camera cooperates.

Speaking of things that lock weirdly, GI Joe offers many collectables. Amongst these are crates of extra score. These can be picked up, or shot. Be warned, though, that the game will, for some or other reason, prioritise shooting these over enemies.

If you’re getting taken to shreds and cannot figure out why your enemies aren’t dying, you’re probably shooting at one of these.

The biggest problem that the game has is the really poor sound.

The voice acting is stiff, the kind of thing you would expect in a

Reviewer’s Rating:

Hardcore < > Casual

D+

below-B grade movie, and the sound effects are rotten. There’s a really big machine gun, for example, that sounds like a pop-gun.

The difficulty settings for the game follow an unreasonable curve. On its easiest setting, the game is far too easy. One step up, it gets a lot harder. Any higher, and the title gets unforgiving.

If you want a game that allows you to shoot a lot of enemies in numerous locations, then this is one to consider. It has numerous issues, but it can provide a bit of mindless fun for those who can get past the problems. However, it is not a title that will please habitual gamers – it may appeal to the more casual player, but a serious gamer will likely get annoyed by all those little things that are wrong with it.

It offers a lot of variety in terms of unlockable characters, and fans of the whole GI Joe thing will likely find the game to be enjoyable, if Genre: Action P l a t f o r m s : X 3 6 0 , P S 3 , P C , W i i , P S 2 , P S P, D S only to relive the movie a Dev: EA Games bit. g Pub: Electronic Arts

Age Rating: 16+

This is one for the fans only - the game has a few good points, but the irritating bad ones outweigh them. Only forgiving players will derive pleasure out of this game’s near endless shooting-type missions. issue 3 • september 2009

69

gamecca • review

Wolfenstein

In the Den of Evil These aren’t run-of-the-mill Nazis that you’ll be dispatching...

T

here are some franchises in video gaming that get pulses racing at the slightest mention of their hallowed names: Quake, Doom and Wolfenstein are three examples, all from the legendary development studio id. In fact, most of what id touches turns to gaming gold (at least in terms of sales) and the fact that the company has, among its crew, the people that actually started the whole First Person Shooter genre, it’s hardly surprising that they make games of this type that are so popular.

In fact this version of Wolfenstein is a relook at the first FPS title ever. Wolfenstein started everything off, and so it is only fitting that the franchise gets paid lip service (at the very least) from time to time.

In Wolfenstein the player takes on the part of BJ Blazkowicz, an American agent working for the OSA (a sort of precursor of the CIA, apparently) during the Second World War. When he discovers a mysterious medallion aboard a Nazi warship (which he naturally sends to the bottom of the ocean) he is sent on a mission to a German Genre: First Person Shooter city to investigate Nazi activities – particularly P l a t f o r m s : X 3 6 0 , P S 3 , P C D ev : E n d r a n t S o f t wa r e their investigation into the occult.

Pub: Activision Blizzard It’s a solid enough story (although not the Age Rating: 18+ most original – Nazis and the occult have

70

by Walt Pretorius

been linked in many media) that provides a decent backdrop for what the game is really about: shooting lots and lots of bad guys.

The action within the game is intense. The player will have a number of weapons at their disposal (some based on historical weapons and others related to the more fantastical elements of the story) which can be upgraded for greater effect. In addition, the player also gets a Thule Medallion, which allows them to use the very occult power that the Germans are after: the power of a dimension known as The Veil.

Throughout the game, the player will have to deal with enemies of varying difficulty – from standard Nazi grunts and SS troopers through to armour plated heavy troopers and supernatural beasts. Most require a bullet or two to take out, but some (like the heavy troopers) require pinpoint accuracy in hitting several weak spots that will bring them down. It’s a nice mix, and allows for some decent tactical play. Enemies can be flanked and outwitted in this one, which is great fun. Not that outwitting them is too difficult – the AI isn’t the sharpest brick in the knife drawer. It’s not awful, and it will do its best to take the player out, but there are a few errors that it makes which are easy to exploit. The AI of the player’s allies fares no better: at times these characters will get in the player’s way and, when

issue 3 • september 2009

they accompany BJ on one of his missions, their effectiveness is highly questionable. There is no doubt that BJ is the hero of this tale, and any other fighters that work with him are merely window dressing.

When it comes to upgrades, the player needs to be picky.

There is a limited amount of money that can be earned in the game, and the end result of that is that the player can only buy some of the upgrades, not all of them. But the game is fairly forgiving in that regard, and the player will be able to tailormake his weapons for his particular play style. A fully upgraded MP40, for example, will be better for players who prefer a stealthy approach, while the same on an MP43 will give the player a very powerful multi-range weapon, for run-and-gun style play.

The player can also upgrade the four Veil powers that become available within the game. These allow the player to enter another dimension, moving faster and seeing better when in that state. They will also allow the player to slow down time, give him a shield, and provide his weapons with a damage boost – all at the cost of energy, which needs to be recharged at one of the plentiful Veil energy points.

Wolfenstein offers action fans exactly what they want. It might This game looks good, although it might have looked a little have benefited from a little more depth, and the action can get better, all things considered. The Veil effects are a little plain, with slightly repetitive after long play sessions, but, on the whole, it’s everything gaining a green haze, and the overall graphics, while worth the effort. It feels a lot like a combination of Far Cry 2 and solid, may be called just a little dated at the same time. Sound any of the later Call of Duty titles, and sets itself apart from the wise, Wolfenstein delivers wonderfully. The sound effects are growing mass of World War II shooters by adding a sciencepunchy and full, although some of the ‘German’ accents used by fiction element to the story and game dynamic. While the game the voice actors leave a bit to be desired. has been receiving mixed reviews, it is my considered opinion On the downside, Wolfenstein reserves most of its that it is certainly one of the better shooters around. It might not achievements for the multiplayer version of the game, which exactly live up to the tremendous is a little lack-lustre at the end of amount of hype surrounding it, but, the day. It’s not bad, but it is hardly Reviewer’s Rating: then again, which game does these revolutionary.

Hardcore < > Casual days? In short, give it a try. You may With simple controls, an easy-tofind yourself pleasantly surprised. g understand goal and tons of action,

B+

Wolfenstein delivers and, while it might have been just a little better than it is, it provides an enjoyable experience for action fans. issue 3 • september 2009

71

gamecca • review

Ashes Cricket 09

Hit a Six! Rising up from the ashes of the Brian Lara series comes a competent new cricket simulator

I

by Suvesh Arumugam

am a huge fan of the Brian Lara Series, but the last one I played was in 2005 on PS2 - which was one of my favorites at the time. While there have been other cricket titles, like EA’s franchise, no other game has ever captured the spirit of batting and bowling like Codemaster’s series.

So, with expectations at max, I fired up the PS3 version. The first thing I realised is that the game is only licensed for English and Australian players. Like previous titles in the series, the rest of the players have garbled versions of their names and faces in the game. Okay, I can live with that, but as the game progresses, even the licensed players don’t look very real. The graphics are not as good as expected, and I thought they could have done a lot more to improve on the pitches, stadiums and players. training mode that teaches people (who haven’t been exposed One of my favorite aspects of Lara 2005 was the Classic to the series before) the basics of the game. Once completed, Match mode, which had been a feature of the series. In 2005, Beefy and Warney have thrown in some challenges, some based you could either repeat or re-write history in a host of classic on actual classic matches, others on Beefy’s favorite parts of games. There is a new mode called Legends mode, presented the game. The challenges are pretty easy. Except for one or two by cricketing greats Sir Ian Botham (or Beefy) and Shane Warne. (especially the last batting challenge) anyone The name “Real improvements have been who has played the game before will complete “Legends” is these in one or two sittings. It really lacks the misleading made in the actual game play, excitement (and endurance) of trying to score because this in terms of batting, bowling 400 runs against the great fast bowlers of is, for the yesteryear. Customisation is also limited, but and fi elding” most part, a

gamecca • review Please note... this is not a paid for, upside-down chicken retaurant advert...

you can still create your own players, which is always fun.

The game gives you a choice of all the current versions of cricket (Test, One Day and Pro-20) but obviously has a dedicated mode for playing the Ashes series, which is where you find the best of the game. You get commentary from Warne and Botham, and more realistic looking players. I was happy to see that they have finally incorporated a 5 over game, which is perfect for those “pick up and play” multiplayer gaming sessions. Real improvements have been made in the actual game play, in terms of batting, bowling and fielding. Players stats are extremely important, and play a much more vital role in how the batsman or bowler is able to perform. Also, the players have confidence meters that affect how accurately and with how much power or pace they are able to play. Play and miss a few times and your batsmen become hesitant. Bowl a few dot balls, and your bowler becomes fearless. This was attempted before, but this time they’ve got it right. Timing, for batting, has become very intricate, whilst still maintaining a natural feel. You can play off the front or back foot, and shot selection is crucial. For bowling, there is a much wider selection of deliveries, while the skill of the bowler can also provide additional pace, turn or temperament. A brilliant feature is that the game also recognises that the ball gets old, so reverse swing becomes available as the match progresses.

Having said that, bowling seems a lot harder than it used to be. I still haven’t managed to bowl anyone out, but have taken a few catches and run-outs. On Genre: Sports P l a t f o r m s : X 3 6 0 , P S 3 , P C , W i i the subject of Dev: Transmission Games fielding, this aspect Pub: Codemasters has been vastly Age Rating: 3+ improved.

Catching Reviewer’s Rating: the ball Hardcore < > Casual now requires

B

split second timing, as the ball flashes red (no chance), orange (he might catch it) or green (insanely hard but it will be out). Runouts and throwing in from the field also require a little more input and attention, which is great when you have multiple players.

A new screen layout gives you loads of info and options, but is still conducive to multiplayer matches. My one peeve is that you are limited to one view, where previous titles allowed you to change camera angles. I do miss positioning the camera behind the stumps to get that real feeling of being bowled at. The game also lacks the batsman view feature, which allowed you to look around the field for gaps, from the batsman’s point of view. It’s probably not really necessary, but it did create a feeling of actually being “in the middle”.

Despite its few limitations, I am still enjoying Ashes 09. It feels natural, realistic and provides hours of entertainment. The commentary from Agnew & Greig seems like it hasn’t changed since 2005, but then you don’t expect too much variation from a cricket commentator. I like games that will give you different results everyday, and Ashes 09 really delivers on this. For the die-hard cricket fan, unrealistic player likenesses and names notwithstanding, Ashes 09 delivers awesome game play, and will have you playing for months without getting bored. g

Despite a few limitations, Ashes Cricket 09 delivers an authentic cricket experience, and fans of the series will not be disappointed. issue 3 • september 2009

73

gamecca • review

Overlord: Dark Legend

Wii are Evil!

Shaking minions warmly by the throat...

by Brian Murdoch

characters in the story: the 16-year old boy finding his grand-fathers old Overlord glove, and Gnarl, fresh from a tome, to be your personal adviser and your ever obedient servant. The other characters in the story show you that evil’s in everything… you just need to bring it out: the not-soinnocent Red Riding Hood, a tooth fairy plotting with a gingerbread witch, and a pair of siblings with elf and dwarf fever.

Controlling the Overlord and minions at the same time was only a challenge at first. I did feel, however, that I had some training wheels on, as the story and quests are quite linear, with only a few side quests.

There are times when you need to go back and remember that there was a health or mana upgrade efore you get confused by the appearance of another that only the blues or green minions could get to. There is an even Overlord review and the fact that there is no 2 in the balance of just controlling the minions as a group and pointing to title, let me explain a little “The fact that Little Red Riding kill enemies, and carefully allocating the right type of minion to the right something. Overlord 1 Hood can move a boulder 5 task and watching the number of was an excellent title and minions you assign to each colour. it would have been a great times her size but needs your The big numbered circles on top of port to the Wii platform, help to get through the woods an object or creature help you keep only what’s the point? is hilarious. ” control of the number of minions Why would you want to

B

play the same story over again, just for some improved controls? So Rhianna Pratchett (the daughter of the famous Terry – ed) in all her brilliance wrote us different stories for each platform in the second wave of Overlord games. The reason Dark Legend does not have a 2 is because it’s not the second Overlord on the Wii platform.

Dark Legend differes from the other titles with its family fun approach and a new control scheme. Although the title is still very brutal, it does not incorporate the blunt bad manners of minions getting drunk and peeing on the table. Notably, you can still pick up a minion and shake him like a Genre: Action rag doll ‘til his eyes light P l a t f o r m s : Wi i D e v : C l i m a x E n t e r t a i n m e n t up, and toss him like Pub: Codemasters a well timed grenade.

Age Rating: 12+ You have a few main

74

issue 3 • september 2009

gamecca • review

assign to a task. These “puzzles” are not too challenging and you only fail the first few times, if at all. The only really difficult control action I had was asking a minion to hold a rocket and moving him into position under a moving target, and telling him to release at the correct moment.

The graphics are what you would expect from a Wii title, with a few highlights and a few lowlights. All the instructions, other than the journal and ‘mincyclopedia’ are verbal, most spoken by Gnarl.

The instructions give you a good idea of what you need to do, and keep you laughing. The other sound effects and voice prompts from the minions are good at first but can get annoying if you don’t like their cute voices.

With plentiful minion spawning portals and even more minion longevity when your blue resurrecting minions join the party, you don’t need to worry about preserving you minions. Sending them to do your bidding without any concern for their health or safety will also put you into the Overlord character. The hordes of minions are only half that on the HD versions of the game, but you will not really notice it over all. Your minions are also very self-sustaining and improve their armour constantly by sticking any junk to their Reviewer’s Rating: Hardcore < > Casual bodies and

B

wearing the craziest hats. Money flows like water in this game and you are almost never short to buy any of the numerous upgrades for you or your minions. If you are not fully upgraded at the end of the main story, then you did something wrong - and I am not even including the side missions in that calculation.

There are four types of minions grouped by colour. Browns are your hardest minions, the melee fighters. Reds are your fire minions that use ranged attacks. Blues are your cold minions that raise other minions from the dead and don’t mind water so much as the others. Greens smell awful (and that’s when they don’t fart), so poison and gasses are what they are good at.

The humour carries the true spark of evil that comes through in the game. There is the clown minion in the castle that returns to you after each beating... this is a good, relaxing exercise after a mission. The fact that little Red Riding Hood can move a boulder 5 times her size but needs your help to get through the woods is hilarious. And the cheerful smile that stays on your minions’ faces no matter how much you smack him is priceless.

Massage the evil side of your character and see what life is like as an Overlord. g

Over all a good title, but a little to easy.The controls are not exciting until you pick up your first minion and shake him all about. issue 3 • september 2009

75

Anno 1404

The Spice Route Anno 1404 offers the player a challenging

management experience - and lots of options, too.

G

ood management games are few and far between. At its core, a management game needs a solid model for the way that supply and demand is handled, and that model needs to be carefully balanced… a task that many developers seem to not understand, or attach enough importance to.

An imbalance in the game’s model means that certain aspects related to success are just a little too tough to come by reasonably. This is a problem that far too many management games have, in varying degrees… including Ubisoft’s Anno 1404.

The game isn’t too bad in terms of getting things right, but it does have leanings towards an imbalanced system that makes it a tough game when all is said and done. However, it’s far too much fun to just set aside in a frustrated huff.

The premise behind the game is that the player is in charge of establishing trade routes and colonies, taking advantage of the newly discovered Orient. The player will need to ferry all kinds of goods between Europe and the Middle East, although the game is based on an island principle, rather than relying on actual, real world geography.

Each island the player populates will have a number of resources and fertilities available. These fertilities determine what exactly the player can grow on a given land mass, and no one island will provide the player with everything he needs in terms of what he can grow and what he can dig out of the ground. With 24 types of resources, the player will likely have to set up a number

76

by Walt Pretorius

of island colonies, and establish several trade routes running between them.

Culturally, the game presents the player with stylised versions of Oriental and Occidental peoples, both of which can be used to expand the player’s empire. Once the player discovers the Orient, the rulers of those lands will give the player access to buildings that they have, according to the level of diplomatic esteem that they have for the player.

When these Oriental resources enter the game, there is massive scope for expansion – particularly in terms of the quality of life enjoyed by the player’s subjects. They can rise through the ranks (both Occidental and Oriental citizens have a class structure) as demands that they have are met. And this is where the balance issue comes in…

OK, I might be skill challenged, but I would think that having more affluent citizens would have a positive effect on the taxes I was earning. But, for some reason, that doesn’t seem to be the case. Perhaps there is a little balance issue here – then again, I might experience a head-slap moment a few days from now (yes, I will keep playing this title) when I realise that I have been doing something wrong. I’ll have to keep you posted.

Anno 1404 gets pretty demanding, whether it be in the fairly long single player campaign, or in one of the other game modes (my personal favourite being the Continuous Game mode,

issue 3 • september 2009

gamecca • review

which allows players to set all the parameters and just play, unfettered by goals and objectives.) Despite being demanding – or maybe because of it – the game is immense amounts of fun to play. The early stages of any empire tick away slowly, but once a certain point is reached, the activity becomes rather manic. And it’s not all supply and demand either. There are corsairs to deal with, and the amount of combat in any given continuous game can be either amped up or cut down, depending on what the player wants from the title.

That’s really what the game comes down to – it is so eminently adjustable that the player can enjoy almost any experience with this game, within the parameters that it allows.

And it’s pretty, which helps. The towns are lively and colourful, with buildings that change in appearance as the player develops them. This is supported by a very decent sound offering, making the overall presentation quite sweet in all.

On the whole, Anno 1404 is a very enjoyable management title that belongs in the upper echelons of the quality race. It will provide the player with a very gratifying experience despite one or two very minor flaws. The complexity of the game is quite astounding, and the player will certainly have to strap on a thinking cap when tackling it. The game can tend towards being unforgiving at times, and bad decisions on the player’s part will certainly have long reaching effects. That’s a good thing, though – Anno 1404 is a Genre: Management challenging game, at the end of Platforms: PC the day, and that’s something that D e v : R e l a t e d D e s i g n s management fans want from their Pub: Ubisoft games. A title that is too easy Age Rating: 7+ is just pointless.

Reviewer’s Rating: Then Hardcore < > Casual again, it does drive

B+

the title into more hard-core waters; a more casual game would ask less of the player. Still, the variable conditions that the player can set mitigate that to a degree.

This is not a game that you will finish in an afternoon, either, which is a massive plus point in my book. With games becoming shorter and shorter, and delivering longevity based purely on multiplayer experiences, it’s great to get a title that will keep the solo player entertained for long stretches of time. Whether the player is going to replay the game is entirely up to them, of course, but improvement of management styles is a great motivator to keep this one fresh.

If you enjoy management games, Anno 1404 is a very solid option for you to look into. g

Anno 1404 offers the player a lot of variety within the context of a Medieval resource-based management game. It looks good, sounds good, and can be played for a good long time. issue 3 • september 2009

77

gamecca • review

Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn

Bridging the Gap Here’s a game that will appeal to both casual and hard-core players

F

by Brian Murdoch

rom the makers of Advance Wars comes another brain warming strategy title - Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn. There have been a few versions of Fire Emblem in the past but Radiant Dawn works perfectly well as a stand-alone game. While there are some references back to the older titles, these basically tie in to in-jokes… the game will explain sufficiently why you are becoming a member of the “Dawn Brigade”. To give you a heads up, the “Dawn Brigade” is a group of rebels who fight against oppression in their homeland. The player takes control of Micaiah, a beautiful sage in this group who is kind and loving, and can sacrifice some of her life to give life to others.

Fire Emblem is a role playing game with a turn based strategy combat system.

When fighting in Fire Emblem, you will strategically move your characters around the map grid, attempting to defeat enemies through turn-based tactics. Most of the time the goal is to get everyone else dead, but load, but the process is surprisingly quick. I’ve heard that the sometimes there are goals to just get someone to a doorway, or main reason for this feature being left out in the previous games a similar alternate combat goal. The combat system has a basic was to keep it hard core. Now that Fire Emblem has made its rock-paper-scissors system, using the swords, axes and lances. appearance on the ‘everyone-has-one’ Wii, the developers These weapons needed to help the casual crowd along. all have specific There is nothing in the control scheme “In Fire Emblem, when a advantages and to set this apart as a Wii exclusive title… character dies, they stay dead disadvantages. but there doesn’t need to be for an RPG – unlike many other games” Swords beat axes, like this. Who needs waggle, shake or axes beat lances, and lances beat swords. This is not always the case, though, because skill and character level also enter the mix… but your basic strengths are set at that. This also works the same with the magic in the game. You also need to pick your characters carefully when going into battle, because if you don’t and they die, and they will no longer be in your game. In Fire Emblem, when a character dies, they stay dead – unlike some other games.

One of my favourite new features in Radiant Dawn is the ability to save during combat. This just like in the days of UFO: Enemy Unknown, in which you would save when your turn started, in case any of your characters died, so that you would not have to start from the beginning. This helps you get through each stage faster, without losing Genre: RPG valuable characters.

P l a t f o r m s : Wi i Dev: Intelligent Systems This would be a Pub: Nintendo drawback if it took a Age Rating: 12+ long time to save and

78

issue 3 • september 2009

gamecca • review

Miis in an RPG, anyway?

Radiant Dawn is the follow on from the GameCube’s Path of Radiance and the controls and a few other things have just been ported across to the new platform. This also means that the player will be able to select their type of controller: the Wii remote, Wii remote and nunchuk, GameCube controller, or my personal favourite, the classic controller. For those who did not know, that’s what the black connections on the side of your Wii are…

GameCube controller connections. But who uses wired controllers anymore?

Visually the title doesn’t push the Wii’s limits in-game, but the cut-scenes and animations during the uncontrolled battle sequences are better than average. I was expecting more of a graphical upgrade from the GameCube version, but there does not seem to be anything much, other than a 16:9 widescreen support. If you are not too impressed with the battle sequences, they can be turned off, or even shortened, saving you from seeing the same animations repeated over and over again. I don’t advise this the first time round, though, as they add to the overall presentation of the game.

The game difficulty is something to mention, as the game can be hard, even very hard, at times. If the game is too hard then the easy difficulty is a good option. It is suggested, when you first start the game, that you

Reviewer’s Rating:

Hardcore < > Casual

choose easy as the difficulty for first time players. If you are a very casual gamer, then this is the best option for you, because the game will help you along you way. If not, then play on normal difficulty – although playing through the tutorial will help you familiarise yourself with the controls, which is never a bad idea.

Previously, the Fire Emblem titles were hard-core games. That element has not entirely been lost, and Radiant Dawn may go a long way to help casual gamers ‘move up’ the ranks to hard-core status. I will, however, warn you that this game will take up a good chunk of your free time, and some casual gamers may lose interest due to the game’s high time demands. You may replay the game again once you have finished it, but not right away - it will take you around 40 hours to finish, and you’ll probably want to take a break between play-throughs. g

B+

Long satisfying game-play, and a good point for casual gamers to get into real RPGs and other hard-core games. I am looking forward to more from this franchise. issue 3 • september 2009

gamecca • review

Terminator: Salvation

Terminated Wasted opportunities are very common, but this one takes the cake...

T

by Walt Pretorius

erminator: Salvation was an enjoyable film, with more than a few exhilarating scenes. The same could have been said about the game but, in truth, the title is just too short to get the player fully involved. It’s an odd game, when all is said and done, because it makes use of some very good ideas, and then totally underdelivers on them. In the end, we are left with a game that could have been great but, for all intents and purposes, is rather lacklustre.

The game has received a great many poor reviews, which I do not think have been entirely fair. It’s not an awful title at all – it just has bad elements that scupper it.

This was pretty much the last game to come from Grin, and it doesn’t do much to remind us that that particular developer had a fairly good track record.

The game is set two years before the film. Obviously that’s enough time for some completely nondescript actor to turn into Christian Bale – he’s in the film, but he’s no-where to be seen in the game. It tells the story of John Connor before he becomes the high and mighty resistance leader. Basically the game finds the hero as a fairly unimportant grunt who still needs to find himself… which he does in the game’s barely four hour run. The story isn’t particularly deep… in fact, it’s not deep at all. While trying to escape from LA, a city which has fallen to the forces of SkyNet, Connor intercepts a radio transmission and decides to go look for the survivors that are sending it out. That’s it. No bells, frills, whistles or even minor twists or plot devices.

Still, the game is supposed to be more about action, I guess, and it has that in spades. Obviously the player is going to be disabling lots of machine enemies in this one, and that’s one of the points where the game shines. The enemy AI is very good, and the various opponents act as one would expect. The humanoid T-600s march straight at the player, heedless of cover or danger. The Spiders are a little more cautious, using their heavily armoured fronts as shields for their weaker back sides. This requires flanking manoeuvres which, in multiplayer co-op, are fairly easy and effective. In single player, though, the spiders will tend to focus their attention on the player, leaving the back side exploit for the allied AI to take care of. Most of the time, the AI gets it right. Other times, it becomes thick as two short planks and leaves the player pointlessly playing bait while it finds something better to do. Still, the action is fairly good, and a fair variety of weapons allows the player to take on enemies in a number of different ways.

The viewpoint is a tight, over the shoulder, third person affair, and it works quite well – although the overall G e n r e : T h i r d p e r s o n S h o o t e r graphic performance Platforms: X360, PS3, PC Dev: Grin is hampered P u b : Wa r n e r B r o s by jerky Age Rating: 16+ graphics

80

(even at a clocked 160 frames per second) and the odd, irrational camera jump. The game looks good, though, with well modelled characters and enemies, all set in vibrant, busy environments.

The same can not be said for the game’s numerous cut scenes.

Some of the cut scenes are good, others are bland, some are poor, and even others that should have been included (like a Hunter Killer aircraft slamming into a building after the player blasts it) are nowhere to be seen.

The overall feeling that Terminator: Salvation leaves the player with is that the game was rushed out. It almost certainly was – most games based on movies are, to a degree. But even with the rushing, it seems like there could have been a lot more to this title. What there is, is enjoyable for the most part, coming across as a fairly competent (if not super-special) third person shooter.

issue 3 • september 2009

There just isn’t enough of it.

I think, perhaps, the thing that makes this game poorer than it should be is the fact that it is disappointing. It starts out with a lot of promise (I was even thinking that this looked surprisingly good for a movie-based title) but fails to deliver on that promise rather consistently. It’s quite a pity, because with a little more effort this game could have been so much more.

Fans of the movie and casual gamers may well enjoy it – it isn’t particularly challenging, and is visually impressive enough to please all but the most demanding of gamers. But four hours is just too short – there is no-one who wouldn’t feel cheated by the game. Additionally, its complete linearity is a let down, as are the lack of upgrades, collectables or any of the other extras that gamers demand from their products these days.

It’s actually sad, rather than annoying. This title could have been fantastic – but, in its current form, it is little more than a grossly wasted opportunity. g

Reviewer’s Rating:

Hardcore < > Casual

D

While this game could have been a superb movie-based game, the opportunities that it presented to the ill-fated developers (Grin) were largely wasted. A pity, really... issue 3 • september 2009

81

gamecca • hardware

Pinnacle Micro Sponsored PC

Hooray for Solid Performance A good gaming PC is a real joy...

by Walt Pretorius

CPU: Intel Core I7 920 MB: MSI X58 Pro E RAM: 6GB Apacer DDR3 1333mhz GPU: MSI N260GTX OC Edition PSU: Inwin 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

82

issue 3 • september 2009

gamecca • hardware

T

he gaming PC has become a standard for high power performance in the modern age.

Once upon a time, a PC was judged by the office software and applications it could run - these days, a solid gaming PC means that it will be able to run virtually everything else (except for some of the truly top line, specialist apps out there.)

Recently Gamecca entered into a sponsorship deal with Pinnacle Micro, one of South Africa’s top PC suppliers. The generous folks at Pinnacle dropped a really awesome gaming PC on us, for us to use to do all our PC game reviewing (and other useful things, like lay out this particular issue of Gamecca.)

Over the next few months, we will be reviewing each of the components that make up this PC, but to start everything off, we’re going to look at the system as a whole.

The PC was delivered to us with Windows Vista Ultimate Edition installed.

The Vista system is a notorious resource hog, but the 6GB of Apacer DDR3 RAM plugged into the motherboard take care of any OS requirements, alongside the pacey and capable Intel Core I7 920 processor. The machine purrs along amiably with even high end applications running, and the gaming that we have done so far (including loading up a number of high-demand titles that were recently released) has been flawless. The MSI N260GTX graphics card delivers smooth performance, and high frame rates for

even the most demanding titles. Terminator: Salvation, for example (reviewed in this issue) ran at at steady 150 - 160 frames per second.

The Western Digital Black 1 TB hard drive provides both performance and tons of storage space, with fast access keeping the whole system dashing along perfectly.

All these elements are tied together by the MSI X58 Pro E motherboard, which features a number of useful features for the gamer, including a decent number of USB ports and very good on-board sound.

The system is powered by the silent yet powerful Inwin Commander 80+ 850W power supply, which makes sure that the power requirements of the PC are taken care of steadily and effectively.

The entire system has been built into the attractive Sigma Metal Storm Unicorn chassis - this box is the perfect blend of flash and style, with a great deal of practicality thrown in. Easy access panels allow the user to get to the guts of the machine very easily, thanks to this cleverly designed and temperatureeffective box.

In addition to the system, Pinnacle supplied us with a SteelSeries 7G Gaming Keyboard, and a SteelSeries Ikari Laser Gaming Mouse... these products will be reviewed in more detail on the next two pages.

Look out for further, in-depth reviews of this great system in the coming months. g

issue 3 • september 2009

83

gamecca • hardware

SteelSeries Ikari Laser Gaming Mouse

Simply Great Sometimes, performance trumps frills...

T

he need for a decent gaming mouse is not even a matter for debate anymore. Players know that to draw the best experience from their PC gaming activities, they need a mouse that is capable, comfortable and accurate.

SteelSeries offer such a mouse, in the form of the Ikari Laser Gaming Mouse. This device is one of the more accurate input controllers we have seen in a while. It might not feature all the bells and whistles of some of its competitors, but the beauty of the mouse lies in its ease-of-use and overall simplicity.

The Ikari is a fairly large mouse, and not left-hand friendly (so few are these days.) It’s design offers a high degree of comfort, with contours that allow easy use without the need for a very tight grip. It offers four input buttons (two in the normal position and two in easy reach of the user’s thumb) as well as a clickable scroll wheel. These inputs should be enough for any gamer,

84

by Walt Pretorius

but the included software also allows the user to record macro functions, and assign them to mouse buttons. These marcos are stored in specific game profiles, adding versatility to the whole package.

The lightweight, yet solidly constructed Ikari also allows for on-the-fly CPI sensitivity changes, with two settings that can be adjusted in the software, and switched between using a button to the rear of the wheel. A small light at the bottom left of the mouse allows the user to identify the current sensitivity setting at a glance. Sensitivity can also be changed on the fly, although the system is a bit tricky at first.

With a sensitivity that can be set as high as 3200 CPI, a comfortable design and solid construction, the Ikari Laser Gaming Mouse is a great option for those wanting an effective and easy to use input device - without the need for weights, alternate “feet” and other fancy frills. g

issue 3 • september 2009

gamecca • hardware

SteelSeries 7G Gaming Keyboard

Built to Last Few keyboards are this solid, while performing really well...

by Walt Pretorius

S

teelSeries apparently have a unique approach to producing gaming peripherals, and one that is rather unique in the peripheral world. The designers working for this company adhere to the idea that frills are not the same as quality - they produce devices that appear simple on the surface, but pack in the punch where it counts.

And where it counts in terms of a gaming keyboard is performance, especially when talking response time.

But aside from performance (which I will get to) the 7G keyboard also offers practicality. The board has two USB ports built in, as well as headphone and speaker jacks. This means the wire clutter can be easily controlled.

The non-click keys are built to deliver a long lifetime of great performance - they are rated for up to 50 million keystrokes.

The gold-plated connectors that interface between the keyboard and the PC deliver extremely low latency, making this one of the quickest keyboards you will find today.

Further, the keyboard comes equiped with a full suit of media controls, for quick access to various volume and media related functions.

The extremely solid construction of this device ensures longevity, and is complemented by a ‘wrap-around’ wrist support that increases the users comfort.

It might not look like the flashiest keyboard around, but the SteelSeries 7G delivers the goods time and again. It’s built to last, and to perform - extreme quality, without all the unnecesary and possibly questionable extras that clutter the keyboard and confuse the issue.g

issue 3 • september 2009

85

gamecca • hardware

ASUS Rampage II Extreme Motherboard

Overclock Alert!

This motherboard is the overclocker’s dream

T

he ASUS Rampage II Extreme Motherboard isn’t just some other copy-cat mobo joining the ranks of similar products. No, rather, this board sits on the extreme side of PC tuning, making it a very aptly named device

indeed.

There are a number of features that set this board apart, and make it something of a hard-core tuner’s playground. The first clue to that stems from the fact that the board can support up to three SLI graphics cards, delivering what could only be the most incredible degree of graphic performance.

The board also features the TweakIt system, which comes in

86

by Walt Pretorius

the form of a number of physical buttons and toggles on the board face, as well as an LCD monitor, to push the device to its absolute limits. An extensive heat-sink system ensures that temparatures will be kept to the lowest possible ranges, as well.

The board, oddly, does not come with any on-board sound capabilites - rather, it ships with an X-Fi sound card.

This is one of those devices that is so trimmed towards overclocking that not pushing its limits would be a waste. If you are the type that enjoys tweaking (even to the degree of pulling out the soldering iron, according to the board’s manual) then this is a great option for you. g

issue 3 • september 2009

gamecca • hardware

ASUS Radeon EAH4890 Graphics Card

The Big Picture Big power in a big package

H

igh performance graphics cards have become something of a key selling point for ASUS, and with good reason. This company regularly manages to deliver top notch graphics solutions that are more than just a good way to deliver video - they are overclocking dreams.

The ASUS Radeon EAH4890 makes some decent improvements on the ATI GPU architecture, resulting in a card that is solid in terms of graphic performance. To compensate for the power (and associated heat) that they squeeze out of the card, ASUS have strapped a massive heat dissapation solution

by Walt Pretorius

to the device, in the form of a fan and extensive heat sink system.

The result is a card that is very bulky indeed - despite its top noth performance, this card will take up a huge amount of space inside your PC case.

With a gigabyte of onboard RAM, the card is already capable of delivering top notch performance. However, it is highly possible to squeeze even more performance from the product, using ASUS’ customised overclocking software tools.

As with most ASUS products these days, this card is made for pushing to the limit. Not doing so would be wasteful of this card’s awesome capabilities and excellent heat dissapation structure. g

issue 3 • september 2009

87

gamecca • in the lair

T

Be a Hero! he gaming scene is a-buzz with what is known as “DotA style gameplay”… either you like it or you don’t.

WarCraft III – DotA (Defence of the Ancients): This preferably 5v5 custom map for WarCraft III: The Frozen Throne has kept servers full for close on 5 years now. The WarCraft III Engine is getting old now and the net code leaves a lot to be desired nowadays.

Blizzard has recently released a new patch for WarCraft III in the form of version 1.24b. This has meant that some of the older DotA maps will no longer be compatible with this new version, but it is always worthwhile sticking with the latest stable map.

For the latest maps and info visit www.get-dota.com DotA is a free custom map and available to play if you own both WarCraft III: Reign of Chaos and the expansion Frozen Throne.

LoL - League of Legends: This game is still in closed beta and is still having features revealed to the public, like the summoner system. Some of the original creators of DotA are working on this project to allow for the DotA style gameplay to be housed in its own engine and run off of separate servers.

Recently this title was available to play at the GamesCon in Germany, during the month of August.

League of Legends will be free to play, but will have a microtransaction model that will allow them to monetise the title. This in itself carries a few issues related to “he who has the most money on his credit card can have the better items.” We trust that Riot

by thebanman

games will have some solution to this when the game makes it to release.

For more info here please visit www.leagueoflegends.com HoN - Heroes of Newerth: This game was designed and built by S2 Games, the same guys who brought us Savage and Savage 2. This title is also rumoured to only have cost four million US Dollars to make.

Heroes of Newerth is set in my mind to be the next successful version of the DotA style of gameplay. It features a similar map design as the traditional 5v5 DotA map.

S2 have also added a few new maps of their own, as well as a few new game modes. Items and recipes are different but similar to what you might be accustomed to in DotA. We are currently in the beta phase of testing and we are already seeing close on 15,000 players on the servers during our South African nights.

With built-in VOIP and net code that a master of networking must have written, HoN allows for us South African players to successfully play on the USA, EU and JPN servers with a rough ping of about 250ms to 350ms, depending on the speed of your ADSL. The Lair has access to beta keys for this game. Should you be interested in getting involved and playing a seriously awesome game then please drop me an email at thebanman@thelair.co.za and I will help you out.

For info on HoN please visit http://beta.heroesofnewerth.com. g

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

our back issues are NEVER out of print...

subscribe to gamecca magazine at www.gamecca.co.za

gamecca • showdown

Demands...

T

his month, we drew out inspiration from that mysterious and dapper dude, Jimmy Glue.

The ruckus kicked up by game delays is one that never subsides, and probably never will. And, with numerous games having been delayed until 2010, gamers all over the world are groaning loudly. So, to try and get both sides of the story, we decided to ask a gamer and a developer to duke it out in our third Showdown...

Developer: Well, we could give it to you now, but that will mean you’ll have to download a fourteen point two kajillion gigabyte patch just after you install it.

Gamer: Man, I am gonna go onto every forum and slate you guys! I am the centre of the universe... you will listen to me, or I will flame you on the entire internet.

Gamer: Oh, cool, the latest edition of Really Awesome Game will be released on the third of November, at exactly 2:42:26 PM!

Developer: Look, it’s a business thing. But we can give it to you now, it’s just that you’ll have to download a fourteen point two kajillion gigabyte patch just after you install it.

Developer: Um, yeah, dude, about that...

Gamer: What?

Gamer: Don’t talk to me about business. I am an expert in business. I am studying first year Expert in Business. Don’t try tell me how the world works. I am nineteen - I am a wise sage!

Developer: Well, see, we’re going to have to delay the game.

Gamer: No, dude, that sucks. ‘Til when?

Developer: Well, ok. We’ll give you the game now, but you’ll have to download a fourteen point two kajillion gigabyte patch just after you install it.

Developer: Fourteen years...

Gamer: What?! Why? Developer: Well, you see, we have had some technical issues, meaning that the Particle Interface Modulator doesn’t want to talk to the Physics Integration Doohicky.

That means that the Dimensional Stabilisation Matrix clashes with the LevelBased Content Manifestation Aggregator, which results in a glitch in the Nominal Player Random Death Modifier, causing the game to crash every fifteen milliseconds.

That, and the marketing department think it’s better to delay release.

Gamer: Whatever. I am tired of your crap. Gimme the game!

Developer: OK. But you’ll have to download a fourteen point two kajillion gigabyte patch just after you install it.

Gamer: Just give me the damn game right now!

Ten minutes later...

Gamer: Damn! I have to download a fourteen point two kajillion gigabyte patch to make this work! You developers suck!

I am going to slate you guys on every page on the internet. You never give us what we want!

Gamer: Dude, you guys suck. I hate you, because my life is now completely ruined. I don’t even have a real life - the little life I have is based on being really good at games and fantasising about real women while I surf for porn. What will I be left with now? Just the porn? Dude, how am I gonna live without the game?

Developer: See, we don’t want to release a product before it’s been completed and works properly...

Gamer: I don’t care. I don’t care at all. I want the game and I want it now.

90

Game delays are an inevitable factor in the video game industry. They happen for a variety of reasons - but they do happen. It might be a good idea to relax and realise that every now and then the development of a game encounters difficulties, which is a good reason for the delay, or that sometimes publishers are trying to run a business to the best of their ability and need to maximise earnings (to make up for all you pirates out there). The best policy - and one that seasoned gamers should have come to adopt, is to just wait for the game to hit shelves, and ignore release dates and other hype. g

issue 3 • september 2009