Gamefreaks Issue 85

gamefreaks PLAYSTATION 3 / PS2 / XBOX 360 / WII / WINDOWS / PSP / NINTENDO DS / HARDWARE / DVD

NEW ZEALAND’S DEDICATED VIDEO GAME MONTHLY

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Best Game

of the Year?

We review the latest PlayStation 3 blockbuster from developers Naughty Dog, Uncharted 2: Among Thieves

ROAMING THE BORDERLANDS We speak with Gearbox Software’s president Randy Pitchford about his new shooter/RPG $4.00 inc. GST

ISSUE

85

MOVIES AND GAMES GALORE Over 50 brand new games and movies inside

Ratchet & Clank: A Crack in Time / Brutal Legend / Halo 3 ODST / Scribblenauts

LET’S SCORE 10 MILLION

GOALS AT HOME

AND ANOTHER 10 MILLION AWAY. LET’S REWRITE HISTORY BEFORE BREAKFAST AND LIFT THE CUP BEFORE LUNCH. LET’S SEND DEFENDERS THIS WAY AND THAT WITH 360 DEGREE DRIBBLING. LET’S USE THE PITCH TO THE FULL WITH ENHANCED TRAPPING, PIN POINT PASSING AND POSITIONING. PUT YOURSELF IN THE GAME THIS SEASON. LET’S FIFA.

LET’SFIFA10

fifa.easports.com © 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.

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IN STORES NOW Available on all formats

4/11/2009 9:46:30 a.m.

gamefreaks playstation 3 / ps2 / XboX 360 / Wii / WindoWs / psp / nintendo ds / hardWare / dVd

neW Zealand’s dedicated Video GaMe Monthly

www.gamefreaks.tv

For those about to rock!

contents oct/nov 2009 | issue 85

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Double Fine mastermind Tim Schafer talks about Brutal Legend and his heavy metal destiny

Masterchief Unmasked We chat with Steve Downes – the man behind the Master Chief

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$4.00 inc. GST

ISSUE

84

Batman Arkham Asulm

Not just the best Batman game ever made but arguably the best licensed title ever

need for speed shift / dissidia final fantasy / beatles rockband / soulcalibur broken destiny

editorial Well you would have no reason to be aware of it, but changes have been afoot at Gamefreaks; and it’s not just our sumptuous new layout that I’m talking about here. Nope its personnel that’s making things different.

First of all I’m no longer going to be the lone editor after this issue. I’ve got a proper job at a multi-zillion dollar company and kids to worry about and tragically there aren’t enough hours in the day. Not that you’re getting rid of me that easy mind you – I’ll still be kicking in with reviews and titled a semi-honorary role of Senior Editor.

Don’t be fooled though it pretty much means helping out when asked, making cups of tea and pretending to be important.

However the good news is that we now have two dedicated editors. First off there’s our long serving Adrian Hatwell who’s been all but un-official Movie Editor for quite some time now. Well that title is now official with the man himself responsible for all things good in our movie/DVD section.

As for the games side of things, Julie Gray is stepping up and we feel very lucky to have her with her experience in both writing, and editing for another magazine (one that we shall not name). I wish her all the luck in the woozy, sometimes chase-fest that is dealing with publishers and pr companies (nah you guys are all right really). I won’t spoil the other surprise but things are being planned so keep your eyes peeled real sharp!

In the meantime we’ve muscled through a gritty month that was a little short on the software side of things. But finally managed to pull together with some wicked reviews. We discover Batman Arkham Asylum is as good as everybody was pumping it to be (2.5 million sales and climbing!!!). Need for Speed Shift successfully pulls off a re-launch while on the other hand Raven’s Wolfenstein harkens back to the old school shooter day.

I hope you enjoy the mag; it’s been a delight being in this role. But it’s time to move on… just a little.

Nigel Clark (Senior Editor)

contact Tenth Planet Publishing Limited Phone: 09 846 2220 Email: mail@tenthplanet.co.nz

advertising Tenth Planet Publishing Limited Phone: 09 846 2220 Email: jon@gamefreaks.co.nz

people Publisher: Jon Minifie jon@gamefreaks.co.nz Creative: Scott Judson scott@gamefreaks.co.nz Senior Editor: Nigel Clark nigel@gamefreaks.co.nz Games Editor: Julie Gray julie@gamefreaks.co.nz Film Editor: Adrian Hatwell adrian@gamefreaks.co.nz Design: Kela Rose Contributors: Lee Marrett, Adrian Hatwell, Stan McGuigan, Julie Gray, Caleb Judson, Ben Sparks

thanks Aaron, Adrian, Amanda, Angely, Annie, Ben, BNE, Bob, Bruce, Clare, Craig, Danny, Dave, David, Drew, Ewan, Gary, Haley, Ian, Isabella, Jacqui, Jemma, Jen, Jeremy, Julie, Justine, Kate, Katie, Keith, Keri, Leigh, Leroy, Luc, Mark, Matthew, Mike, Paul, Pip, Samantha, Scott, Simon, Teresa, Zeljana The contents of Gamefreaks are copyright and may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the consent of the publishers.

The views and opinions expressed in Gamefreaks are not necessarily those of the publisher.

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featured

14 Uncharted 2: Among Thieves Section 8

10 Tim Schafer: Rebel with a Cause

15 Gran Turismo Tekken 6 16 Heroes Over Europe Halo 3 ODST 17 Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising SingStar: Motown 18 Mini Ninjas Beaterator

reviews 20 Batman Arkham Asylum 21 Wolfenstein 22 Need for Speed Shift 24 The Beatles RockBand 26 SoulCalibur Broken Destiny 27 Watchmen: The End is Nigh GI Joe: Rise of the Cobra 29 IL-2 Sturmovik: Birds of Prey Shadow Complex

Double Fine’s outspoken creative director breaks down his forthcoming heavy metal action epic, Brutal Legend.

12 Steve Downes: The Voice of a Hero We recently got the opportunity to chat with voice actor Steve Downes, better known to us as his alter ego from the Halo universe, Master Chief.

movies 32 The Flight of the Conchords: Season 2 Zack and Miri make a Porno Underworld: Rise of the Lycans 33 Fast and Furious Weeds: Season 3 Kolchak: The Night Stalker 34 Jerusalema Passengers The Transporter 3 36 Withnail & I Boston Legal: Season 5 How the West was Won 34 The Boat that Rocked Myster Science Theatre 3000

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Available in stores Sony’s latest portable gaming gadget, the PSP Go, hits retail stores this month

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he latest model in Sony’s portable gaming line, the PSPgo, launched this month.

The redesigned handheld gaming system went to retail on October the 1st for a recommended retail price of NZ$499.99.

The new device’s most obvious difference to its predecessor is the lack of a UMD drive, where older models played game off UMD game carts the PSPgo only plays digitally downloaded software. The PSPgo features a 16GB internal flash drive memory for storing games and other media data, a capacity that can be upgraded 32GB with a Memory Stock Micro flash card.

While the PSPgo is not intended to replace the older PSP 3000 Sony have announced that every UMDbased PSP game produced after October 1st will also be available via download from the PlayStation store.

Many older PlayStation and PSP games are already available in digital format also.

Another major redesign feature is the PSPgo’s sliding

display panel which folds down to cover the device’s control inputs when not in use, making it the smallest and most compact iteration of the PSP line yet.

The machine’s screen has been one of the most positively commented upon aspects in early reviews, with its bold and crisp video performance. The PSPgo also packs a clock frequency of 480Mhz as compared to the previous models 333Mhz, which makes for a smoother gaming experience.

The device also features built in Wi-Fi functionality and, unlike it’s older iterations, now boasts Bluetooth connectivity, allowing it to function with wireless headsets and sync up to Bluetooth-enabled phones.

Launching alongside the PSPgo is a new section in the PlayStation Store, PlayStation Minis.

Here PSP gamers will be able to purchase small titles of less than 100MB contributed by various developers.

Expected to be on offer are the likes of Tetris, Sudoku, Pac-Man, and many sport-based games.

Ratchet & Clank competition starts an arms race Design the ultimate weapon for Ratchet and Clank: A Crack in Time

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ver wanted the chance to have your own hand-made death ray created by the world famous WETA workshop? Well, now you’ve got the opportunity with the Ratchet and Clank: A Crack in Time weapon competition. To celebrate the exclusive PS3 release of Ratchet and Clank: A Crack in Time Sony Computer Entertainment New Zealand (SCENZ) is giving you a special chance to get their own weapon design bought to life made by WETA. Would be creators must submit their designs to www.tvnz.co.nz/ratchetandclank.

Running from November 1st to November 28th, the competition provides people with plenty of time to put their thinking caps on, design their dream weapon and enter it on the TVNZ website.

Do you think you could better the (insert weapon name here)?

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There are two ways of submitting your entry. You can either upload your designs to the TVNZ website or post your entry to: Ratchet and Clank Weapon Competition, 100 Victoria Street West, P0 Box 3819, Auckland.

Entries will be judged by Ratchet and Clank developer Insomniac’s Creative Director Brian Allgeier who will choose a final winner. The winning design will then be hand crafted by WETA Workshop into a one-ofa-kind model. WETA has worked on films such as King Kong, The Lord of the Rings trilogy, The Lovely Bones and the current release, District 9.

So start cracking on your design for this once in a lifetime opportunity Ratchet and Clank weapon competition.

Entry is open to NZ residents only. For a full set of terms and conditions check the terms and conditions on www.tvnz.co.nz/ratchetandclank.co.nz.

Bungie Vets Form New Studio Former Bungie developers form a brand new development studio

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trio of veteran contributors to the hit Halo series have split from Bungie to form their own production studio, Moonshot Games.

Moonshot Games intend to take their experiences in creating triple-A titles and apply them to the arena of downloadable software.

Michel Bastien is managing director of the company; he previously worked as producer on both Halo 2 and Halo 3.

Rob Stokes takes on the roll of creative director at Moonshot after his stint at Bungie as writer and designer on Halo 1 and 2, and lead designer on Halo 3.

Damian Isla is Moonshot’s technology director leading out of his role as AI and gameplay engineer on Halo 2 and Halo 3.

The company have yet to specify a particular platform of development but are “dedicated to exploring the uncharted spaces of high-quality downloadable games.”

Stressing smart, economic design over bloated blockbuster development the company are hoping to prove that “there is a place in history for that small, nimble craft, built smartly on a modest budget, and piloted by expert hands.”

The profile of downloadable games has been on the rise with the success of digital distribution systems for all three major consoles as well as computer platforms like Steam. Titles such as Shadow Complex for the Xbox 360 and Flower for the PS3 have attracted considerable critical and commercial attention.

Bungie has found itself the genesis of many splinter development houses recently, including the company’s co-founder Alex Seropian launching Wideload Games and Max Hoberman’s Certain Affinity.

Moonshot Games is based out of both Seattle and Boston

Disney’s Epic Mickey revealed Details have emerged from the new Epic Mickey game exclusive for the Wii

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he cover of Game Informer Magazine’s November issue has afforded the first substantial look at Disney’s mysterious Epic Mickey game.

The cover depicts the eponymous mouse wielding a paintbrush and advancing on a monstrous inky figure, his iconic ears seemingly unravelling in inky streaks.

The image backs up earlier rumours of the game having Mickey plunged into a paint thinner-distorted world in which he must battle with unpopular characters jealous of his fame.

The game, for the Nintendo Wii, is said to be a platformer though with the involvement of veteran

developer Warren Spector it is likely to incorporate a fair share of RPG elements as well.

The title is being developed by Junction Point Studios and both Walt Disney Animation and Pixar have been working closely on the project.

Epic Mickey is said to feature a retro, steampunkinspired look at the iconic Disney cast, reimagining the likes of Goofy, Donald, Spaceship Earth, Epcot, and Cinderella Castle in a surrealistically bizarre style.

Famed composer Jim Dooley will be contributing to the game’s score.

The title is currently expected to be out some time in late 2010.

Aion takes place as biggest MMO release of the year Aion received almost 400,000 pre-orders and has been selling well since launch

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t’s official – Aion is the biggest MMO launch of the year.

NCsoft today revealed the latest preorder figures for its newest massively multiplayer online (MMO) game, Aion, which is nearing 400,000 preorders and outpacing other major MMO launches this year.

Already topping preorder sales charts, securing accolades from major media outlets, garnering event awards, including gamescom 2009’s “Best Online Game” and PAX’s “Best MMO” by Inside Gaming, and receiving rave reviews from players in the game’s beta testing, Aion has steadily built its reputation as the biggest MMO release in recent years. And unlike many Eastern MMO imports, Aion has been uniquely designed to appeal to Western audiences. Along with a completely rewritten storyline spanning more than twomillion words, players will experience enhanced character customization with a host of Western styles, new zones, instances, skills, quests and continued game balancing.

Unlike any MMO before it, Aion is a uniquely crafted online experience where flight offers much more than just a way to explore the landscape – it is a strategic and integral part of combat, quests, and exploration. Players will dive into battle and plunge through thousands of unique, story-driven quests, all while trying to save a world literally shattered in half from centuries of brutal conflict. Using one of the most flexible and in-depth character customisation systems ever featured in an MMO, players will be able to create genuinely distinct characters and explore a visually stunning world of ethereal beauty brimming with otherworldly inhabitants, mysterious enemies, and ancient secrets.

EA Announce FIFA Interactive World Cup 2010 FIFA, the world’s governing body of soccer, EA and Sony Computer EntertainmentEurope have announce upcoming tournament

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IFA, Electronic Arts and Sony Computer Entertainment Europe announced the new season of the FIFA Interactive World Cup, the world’s only official FIFA global football gaming competition. The FIWC is a season-long tournament mirroring the real world of football in which competitors from all around the world participate playing FIFA 10 on PlayStation 3.

This year marks the sixth FIWC season, which kicks off as of now inside FIFA 2010. Players will be able to compete for their spot in the Grand Final at one of 10 FIWC Live Qualifier Events across the globe, taking place in Australia, Brazil, Denmark, France, Italy, Japan, Poland, Russia, South Africa and the UK, or by playing online.

For the first time in the tournament’s history, the online competition of the FIWC via PlayStation Network will be split into two seasons. Season one starts with the launch of FIFA 10 on 2nd October and concludes on 18th December 2009.

The ten best players of season one from across the FIFA confederations will go through to the Grand Final, which will take place at Port Olympic in Barcelona on 1st May 2010. Players who didn’t make it during season one have another shot at their spot in the Grand Final in season two, which kicks off on 4 January 2010 and concludes on 31 March 2010. Registration for participating in the online leg of the FIWC 10 tournament will take place directly inside the retail version of FIFA 10 on PS3 from 2 October across Europe and Asia and from 20 October in North America.

Alongside the 2009 FIWC champion, Bruce Grannec from France, the 31 finalists will compete to be crowned FIFA Interactive World Champion of the Year, rewarded with an invitation to the FIFA World Player Gala along with a USD 20,000 cash prize. The runner up will receive USD 5,000, while the player coming third will be awarded USD 1,000.

Fable II Digital Release one Episode at a Time Fable 2 Digital to be released one episode at a time

Infamous 2 accidently revealed by Voice Actor Sony sequel inadvertently announced by hired voice talent

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witter: the loose lips of the 21st century. Indeed, while there have been no literal ships sunk, yet another gossip cat was let out of the developer’s bag this month.

According to David Sullivan’s tweeting, Infamous 2 for the PS3 is well and truly in production.

The open-world superhero sandbox adventure game was a huge success upon its release, and barely a couple of months after its debut, it seems the developers are already crafting a sequel.

Sullivan was auditioning for the part of lead character Cole in the sequel after producers decided to re-cast

the original voice.

“First voiceover/motion capture audition today for a video game. Re-casting of Cole in the sequel of Infamous. ‘I’ll melt your face.’ E.g,” he tweeted.

And just to obliterate any chances of an official ‘denial’ line from Sony, actress Yvette Nicole Brown – who voiced Mora in the first game – then replied with “I hope you get it, you’d be a great ‘Cole’!!!”

Unsurprisingly Sony has chosen the rather more dignified response of just refusing to comment, but from those statements, it’s looking likely that fans of the original should start getting very, very excited.

Sony Ad Annoys Nigerian Government Sony has responded to the recent complaints made by the Nigerian Government

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e careful what you say, the Nigerians might be listening. Sony has gotten into a spot of trouble lately over one of the new advertisements it has talking about the Playstation 3 price drop. The ad in question shows a Sony employee walking through the Sony marketing department, surrounded by material shouting about the new, cheaper PS3, denying rumours about any sort of drop in price.

The line that caused all the commotion was a dig at the unreliable nature of online journalism, stating “You can’t

believe everything you read on the internet. Otherwise I’d be a Nigerian millionaire by now.” The line refers to the so-called 419 scams – more commonly known as those emails you get from Nigerian royalty asking to use your credit card. Nigerian officials have gotten their panties in a twist over the reference, demanding an apology from the company for the rash generalisation. Sony has since changed the line to “That’s how WWI got started.”

Unfortunately, now Nigerians will have to deal with the unfounded rumour that they are humourless bores.

Ultramarines (Warhammer 40k) CGI Movie Announced Games Workshop has officially announced that they will be making a feature-length animated CGI movie

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n indirect but related news to the gaming scene is news that Games-Workshop and production company Codexpictures is busy making a movie based on the Warhammer 40,000 Universe. By now many geeks will already be squirming most uncomfortably in their seats at the revelation.

Completely in CGI, the news release is relatively brief on the details – to quote “The moment fans have been waiting for is finally here... for the first time, the Warhammer 40,000 universe will be realised in a feature-length movie on DVD. Ultramarines is a 70-minute sci-fi thriller that will use CGI and state-of-the-art animation production techniques.

Games Workshop is delighted to be working with UK-based production company Codex Pictures, who have the momentous task of bringing the Warhammer 40,000 universe to the screen.”

Warhammer 40,000 is a more popular offshoot to the also well loved Warhammer fantasy games. With roots

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in table-top board games of many types, Warhammer 40,000 is set in a dark Sci-Fi future and first saw notice in New Zealand waaay back in the 90’s with a board game called Space Hulk – inspired in many ways by the film Aliens.

The Warhammer 40,000 Universe includes a vast Human empire under siege by a number of stereotypical fantasy races in futurist garb including Elder (Elves), Orks and the subversive forces of Chaos. Wearied by millennia of warfare the embittered Human Race is zealous in their believe of their immortal Emperor; gothic in Style and full of super tough Space Marines of the like that make Master Chief look like a pussy.

Our only regret with this news is that they chose the Ultramarines, perhaps the most ordinary and boring of all the Space Marines Chapters. Next time perhaps guys hey maybe make it the Blood Angels eh! (Yes I played the game 15 years ago – bite me). Sign up for more news at ultramarinesthemovie.com

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n case anyone did not catch Lionhead Studios’ worldsaving, choice-making, dog-owning, swashbuckling, fantasy adventure of Fable II the first time around, it is now being released in digital form. Travelling to Xbox Live, the game will be re-releasing in episodic form, as “Fable II: Game Episodes”. This will mark the first time a big name title has been distributed in pieces.

Accessed through the new Games on Demand section, there will eventually be five episodes which make up the full game. The first episode is already available to download for free as an incentive for newcomers to try out the game for themselves.

The opening episode will encompass your hero’s traumatic childhood introduction to the fantasy world of Albion, then let you play through his or her time as a young adult, setting them on a path to glory or ruin. The four episodes that follow will not be free and have not yet been released on Xbox Live. Should you find yourself unable to wait, you can buy a hardcopy of Fable II from a shop and you will be able to use the save files from your downloaded version.

The digital version will be fully compatible with the disc copy of the game in all other ways as well. This means that you can still play cooperatively with someone who owns either version, all the achievements are the same, and both the existing add-on adventures – “Knothole Island” and “See the Future” – will work on the digital game.

“‰”, “PlayStation”, “PLAYSTATION”, “ ”, “PS3” and “ ” are registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. “ ” is a registered trademark of Sony Corporation. “Blu-ray Disc” and “BD” are trademarks.Ratchet & Clank: A Crack in Time™ ©2009 Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. Published by Sony Computer Entertainment Europe. Developed by Insomniac Games. “Ratchet & Clank” and “Ratchet & Clank: A Crack in Time” are trademarks or registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. All rights reserved. *Broadband internet service required. Users are responsible for broadband access fees. Charges apply for some content. PlayStation®Network and PlayStation®Store subject to terms of use and not available in all countries and languages. Users under 18 require parental consent. SCE2066\TBWA

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Left 4 Dead II Boycott Group Calls it Quits The Left 4 Dead 2 Boycott group has finally decided to call it quits

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fter much digital huffing and puffing, the group that was set up to boycott Left 4 Dead II have called it quits.

With just more than a month before the sequel hits stores, the leaders of the boycott have declared a rather ambiguous victory (it is still coming out, after all).

“We have accomplished everything we can on our manifesto,” said Agent of Chaos with absolutely no hint of irony.

“People have lost sight of why we’re here,” said co-founder Walking_Target. “People are unwilling or unable to wait for Valve to follow through in any cohesive way.”

Which translates as ‘we had a load of trolls on the site and we couldn’t be bothered to argue anymore’.

They originally took up verbal arms against developers Valve due to the quick turnaround between the first and second games. They argued that Valve were abandoning their original commitment to downloadable content, prompting fans to fork out an extra full RRP to purchase what was essentially Left 4 Dead 1.5.

Valve responded by inviting the pair to visit the company’s Seattle office, and reassuring them personally that the company would continue to support the original game.

Yet, as annoyingly nerdy as they are, we can’t help but get where they’re coming from. Would you rather play the shiny, brand new version or last year’s model with a couple of half-arsed add ons?

EA Hinting at Jack the Ripper game EA’s Visceral Studios is working on a game based on the famous 19th century serial killer, Jack the Ripper

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ith the new Sherlock Holmes movie on the horizon, it seems that Hollywood (and Gaming-Wood) have gone mad for all things ghoulishly British.

Rumours are currently floating around that EA are set to release plans for a Jack the Ripper game. For those merrily oblivious to Mr Ripper, his murderous, psychopathic and downright terrifying 19th century reign resulted in the numerous, excessively murders of a number of London’s prostitutes. Even scarier, he was never caught.

A ‘source close to EA’ told The Los Angeles Time that Visceral’s next game would be Jack the Ripper.

The historical material is copyright-free, ensuring that they have pretty much violent carte blance to do with it what they will. Adding fuel to the fire came news from the Trademark Applications and Retrieval system of the US Patent and Trademark Office that EA has indeed filed a trademark for a title based on the killer.

As long as it’s nothing like the abominable Johnny Depp movie adaptation of From Hell (a graphic novel based on the original murders), then we should be ok.

As yet, actual content is pure speculation, but our inner sociopath is already imagining a Victorian spin on the media-baiting Manhunt franchise.

to make Graphics Processor for Next Xbox?

California-based semiconductor firm Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) has reportedly secured a deal to create the graphics processor for Microsoft’s next Xbox

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s the third generation of the Xbox console already under development? Well to be honest we would expect it to be by now. That said details of the consoles specs are usually much closer to the release...and sorr y it will remain that way for now. However in the realm of heav y rumour and speculation comes the...err, well, rumour, that AMD/ATI is once again going to be making the GPU for the...what do ya call it, Nex tbox...Xbox 720, Xbox 3...whatever, the successor to the Xbox 360.

This will probably come as no surprise to gamers who followed the cycle of the first Xbox, where Microsoft was famously shafted by nVidia when the then less than console savvy super corporation was tied into a fixed price for it’s processors for the length of the Xbox’s production. This lead to

reports of Microsoft loosing USD $ 50- $100 for each Xbox sold over the entire generation.

It also lead in many’s opinions to its rather early retirement and the perhaps rushed launch of the Xbox 360...and thus the many hardware faults including the infamous Red Ring of Death that followed.

According to sources AMD/ATI has already won the GPU deal for the next gen (are we going to get sick of that word?). This should be good news especially for those who are interested in backwards compatibility as well as, again – the “belief is” that incompatibility between the previous nVidia developed core and the AMD follow-up was the reason behind Microsoft’s struggle to allow only a portion of their first gen games to be able to be played on the Xbox 360.

LEGO Rock Band Track List and Export Ability Announced Console versions to support downloadable content from the Rock Band Music Store

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armonix are teaming with Lego for the next iteration of the Rock Band series and have just announced the full track list for the title.

The company has also announced that, for the first time with a game of this nature, the track list will be fully exportable to previous versions of Rock Band.

Gamers will have to purchase the Lego Rock Band song export key in order to transfer music to different versions. It is expected to cost US$9.99, twice the price of the previous Rock Band key.

Lego Rock Band track list: All American Rejects, “Swing, Swing” The Kooks, “Naïve” The Automatic, “Monster” KoRn, “Word Up!” Blink-182, “Aliens Exist” KT Tunstall, “Suddenly I See” Blur, “Song 2” Lostprophets, “Rooftops” Bon Jovi, “You Give Love a Bad Name” PINK, “So What” Boys like Girls, “Thunder” The Police, “Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic” Bryan Adams, “Summer of ’69” The Primitives, “Crash” Carl Douglas, “Kung Fu Fighting” Queen, “We Are The Champions” The Coral, “Dreaming of You” Queen, “We Will Rock You” Counting Crows, “Accidentally in Love” Rascal Flatts, “Life is a Highway” David Bowie, “Let’s Dance” Ray Parker Jr., “Ghostbusters” Elton John, “Crocodile Rock” Razorlight, “Stumble and Fall” Europe, “The Final Countdown” Spin Doctors, “Two Princes” Everlife, “Real Wild Child” Spinal Tap, “Short & Sweet” Foo Fighters, “Breakout” Steve Harly, “Make Me Smile” Good Charlotte, “Girls & Boys” Sum 41, “In Too Deep” The Hives, “Tick Tick Boom!”

Supergrass, “Grace” Iggy Pop, “The Passenger” Tom Petty, “Free Fallin” Incubus, “Dig” T-Rex, “Ride a White Swan” Jackson 5, “I Want You Back” Vampire Weekend, “A-Punk” Jimi Hendrix, “Fire” We the Kings, “Check Yes Juliet” Kaiser Chiefs, “Ruby” The Zutons, “Valerie” Katrina & The Waves, “Walking on Sunshine”

Early on this year, the level of hype surrounding Borderlands was minimal at best. But a radical change in the RPG/shooter’s visual style from a familiar realistic look to a more concept art-like approach has ignited renewed interest. We recently spoke with Gearbox Software president Randy Pitchford, who proudly compares Borderlands’ refreshing presentation to that of a “high-quality graphic novel”, about the process of bringing the titles’ daring style to gamers.

Science Fiction fans will likely pick up some strong influences present in Borderlands, where did you look for inspiration in creating this world?

Randy Pitchford: I think each person on the team drew some influences from somewhere and that coupled with a strong motivation to try to do some things that haven’t been done before. Some of the more obvious influences are Mad Max, Firefly and Deadwood. Some of the less obvious influences are Elvis Presley, The Gorillaz and American Airlines. How can those things possibly be influences? Well, maybe that too will be a fun game for someone to work out.

So, what exactly should we expect of the planet Pandora? Nice place to visit but you wouldn’t want to live there. What are the locals like?

Randy Pitchford: If you’re equipped, have your head on straight and are interested in discovering and claiming a legendary alien vault rumoured to hold infinite wealth and incredibly powerful alien technology, then the planet Pandora IS a nice place to visit. But, it’s a tough place. Most of the life on Pandora is wildlife - great beasts that will eat your face off. There are a few factions of humans on Pandora, and most of them are pretty dangerous and hostile. There are also bandits roaming the landscape. These guys are the mutated and twisted descendants of criminals who were once the slave labor force of the corporations, but were turned loose to fend for themselves when the corporations left.

They’ll kill you just for the odd chance that you might have something that can help them survive another

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day in the wasteland. Additionally, the Crimson Lance is the private army of Atlas Corporation.

Borderlands combines First-Person Shooter with Role-Playing Game, what genre elements would you say were most important to the title’s specific game play mix?

Randy Pitchford: From the shooter side, there are the fundamentals of moving and dodging and aiming and shooting. We invested a lot of effort into making sure that the fundamentals of first person shooter game play are solid and tight and comfortable. It just feels good to move and shoot in Borderlands and that was a really important base to make sure was right.

From the role playing side we were actually quite selective. What we borrowed were things that really are about growth and choice and discovery where they relate to game play. So, we get experience points through activities and we level up and we become tougher and more powerful as the game goes on. We develop new skill and abilities and we collect tons of loot - tons of gear and GUNS! There aren’t a great deal of titles that have attempted to fuse FPS and RPG games, but from the few that have would you say you identified any particular issues or pitfalls that you wanted Borderlands to surpass?

Randy Pitchford: There have been a few in this generation and they’ve all been great, I think. But there are some things we really wanted to avoid. For example, we think growth is really important and for growth to be real, you need to actually be powerful

against weaker enemies or weak against stronger enemies. There have been some games that in order to deal with balancing just sort of automatically make all of the enemies the same strength that you are regardless of your level. I think that kind of autobalancing fights against the sense of growth.

One of the Borderlands trailers exclaimed the title would offer 87 bazillion guns, can you explain how AI weapons generating system works?

Randy Pitchford: What we did was create a system that can make the guns for us. We gave the system some loose definitions about different classes of weapons so that the AI can understand the fundamental difference between a sniper rifle and an assault rifle. We fed all this stuff into the system and we were really happy to discover that we had a few thousand weapons come out of it. So we kept feeding the system. I remember when we started, I was thinking, “Wow! With this technology, we can have, like, a THOUSAND GUNS!” When we first unveiled the game, we had over 500,000 weapons already. The technology just totally beat our expectations. I don’t know the exact count, but we’re shipping the game with over 15,000,000 unique guns.

That’s more weapons than in every game ever released for the Xbox 360 and every game ever released for the PS3 all added together. It’s insane.

What are some of the most memorable weapons you’ve come across so far?

Randy Pitchford:I found a grenade that when it detonated, it would pop up into the air and then shoot a rain of fire downward like a jet engine just cooking

all enemies underneath. I got a pistol that fired micro rockets that swirled towards the enemy in a sort of helix pattern and when they exploded, tiny little pellets would all pop off and each of those triggered a ball of lighting that would shock and cook anyone nearby. I was looking over Charles’ shoulder when he found a legendary-class weapon that is only on level 19 which is some kind of SMG with a 4x incendiary effect that would basically melt and microwave anything the spray-andpray bullets touched almost instantaneously leaving nothing behind but ash and cinder. It was WICKED and exceptionally rare. So many surprises! I actually cannot WAIT to play through again with my final retail copy.

Pandora sounds like a large place, and the game boasts an awful lot of randomization in various elements, yet it’s been said players won’t have to suffer a single load screen once the game is started. How did you swing that?

Randy Pitchford: It’s a large connected world - a lot of space to discover and explore. I haven’t counted the square miles, but it’s the largest game Gearbox has ever made. We actually did end up bringing in transitions to instances and dog legs that display the name of where you’re going and some other tips and things. It’s really similar to how World of Warcraft does it, which is nice. But, yeah, it’s a big place. Lots to see and do! I think people will be surprised at the variety as they get to the end of the main story line. We’ve been showing off these arid environments because they really capture the mood of the wasteland feeling experience.

Up to four players can play Borderlands cooperatively, can characters of different levels just jump into others’ games, and how does that affect things like difficulty and rewards?

Randy Pitchford: Your character is yours. It’s persistent. You can use your character playing alone and you can, at any time, invite people to join you or you can join their game. Your character can always be developed and any new experience, skills or gear you discover in any way you’re playing all contribute to the growth of your character and you keep that character when you play. You can play alone and it’s great as a solo game. You can play split screen on the consoles so friends can play together off-line. You can connect systems together for network play. You can connect together over the internet and no matter what you’re doing and no matter how often you change who you’re playing with, your character is persistent – no matter what game, no matter how you’re connected.

We have heard the game incorporates certain competitive aspects as well, care to elaborate?

Randy Pitchford: As we’re playing the game, we’re realizing that from time to time we want to see which of us is better. We wanted to take our characters and have some competitive games with them. So, we created two different ways you can have competitive games. The first thing you can do is start a duel. You can do this ANYWHERE in the game. All you do is walk up to another cooperative player and strike them with a melee attack. It will say, “You demand satisfaction!” If they strike you back, it’s like they’re throwing down the

gauntlet, slapping you across the face and accepting your challenge. When that happens, you’ll both be surrounded in a shimmering dome, one of you will have your colors changed to red, the other blue and a HUD element will appear that says “DUEL” and the fight is on! You can then shoot at each other and dog fight through the environment and one of you will survive!

We’ve seen brief footage of the game’s vehiclebased elements; can you elaborate on how prominent vehicles are in the game, their level of customisation, and the scope of variation we might expect to see?

The runner is a great ride for getting around. Several hours into the game, you’ll have a mission chain that will end up with you powering up a network of vehicle stations. These things are cool - you can just walk up and use an interface to materialize a runner. You can choose a paint job and a turret weapon and just roll out! The vehicle stations are scattered around the world and are very useful as runners are a faster way to get around and they’re armed so you can fight back against bandit raiders that are rolling through the landscape looking for prey.

The vehicle elements are fun and great, but Borderlands isn’t a Racing Shooter, it’s a Role-Playing Shooter.

It’s always risky trying something new and introducing a new IP, especially amongst the end-of-year AAA glut, what are your thoughts as the release date grows closer?

Randy Pitchford: Wow, thanks for asking! Honestly...

I’m feeling exhausted, excited, terrified, enthused, anxious and proud.

Little Big Planet PSP Sony - PSP

While Sony’s huge 2009 IP gamble may have fallen somewhat short of an overwhelming commercial success, the mind-bogglingly flexible Little Big Planet was an undoubted creative and critical success. Sony are aiming to build on the versatility inherent in the concept by porting it over to the PSP – surely building levels on the go could lend itself better to quick fix attention spans?

If God of War has proved anything though, it’s that just because there’s a few generations of technology difference, doesn’t

mean you’ll necessarily notice. Obviously the detail in the levels has been scaled down somewhat and the number of useable items and applications reduced, but the gameplay looks to have survived the transition relatively intact.

The controls are surprisingly intuitive, while the all-important physics of the game world seem identical to its big brother, ensuring all the puzzles are just as frustrating and enlightening.

The level creator has all the tools and material you’d expect from the PS3

creation toolset too, and stunningly, developers Media Molecule seem to have actually learnt from the minor mistakes they made on the original – a lot of the niggling bugs have been ironed out, despite the lack of processing power.

It may not share the audacious scope of the original, but if it manages to bottle even 50% of the potential it’s currently showing, we’re looking at yet another must-have PSP title.

tracks, adding samples, crossfading, and turning the turntable in particular directions indicated by onscreen prompts.

DJ Hero will feature two-player competitive mode and will also feature, on certain tracks, the opportunity for one player to play using the Guitar Hero controller while the other mans the decks.

Activision have brought in many big name DJs and producers to oversee and contribute to the game. The renowned DJ Shadow played a big part in the game’s development and artists Eminem and Jay-Z have also had considerable input.

The individual songs available for mixing in the game come from a range of genres and include artists like Motorhead, 2Pac, Weezer, Public Enemy, Gwen Stefani, Beastie Boys, Daft Punk, M.I.A., Tears for Fears, and Afrika Bombaataa.

The game is due for release on the Playstation 2, Xbox 360, and Nintendo Wii at the end of October.

DJ Hero Activision - Multiplatform

One supposes it was only a matter of time; Activision will soon be dropping DJ Hero as the latest edition to the Guitar Hero family. As the name suggests, the title will put players in the roll of a DJ utilizing a new wireless turntable controller.

The controller features a rotatable turntable with three ‘stream’ buttons, plus a console containing an effects dial, crossfader, and something know as the Euphoria button.

Gameplay, developed to roughly simulate actual turntabilsm, is akin to Guitar Hero’s score attack, wherein the player must hit the correct instrument prompts as the track plays. In DJ Hero this will include scratching the turntable, mixing

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Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Activision – PC, PS3, Xbox 360

Held by many to be one of the finest FPS experiences yet crafted, Activision’s follow up to Call of Duty 4 has some intimidating expectations to live up to.

As a direct sequel to Call of Duty 4, Modern Warfare 2 continues the story advanced in the original. Players will take the role of Sergeant Gary “Roach” Sanderson, a new member of the elite Task Force 141, headed by Call of Duty 4’s protagonist Captian “Soap” MacTavish.

The Russian Ultranationalist organization is back on the move after the death of Imran Zakhaev in the previous game. Assembled by

worried world powers, Task Force 141 is established to counter whatever mischief the Ruskies are up to this time around.

Early footage shows gunfights going down in exotic global locales such as Russia, Kazakhstan, Afghanistan, and Rio de Janeiro.

The game’s proprietary engine, the IW 4.0 is reportedly an improved version of the engine that powered previous CoD games.

Multiplayer gaming will remain largely similar, including experience points and unlockable reward systems. New rewards include the ability to receive a

supply drop, order a predator missile strike, and call in a strike by an AC-130 gunship after successive kills.

Another new addition is Special Ops missions, designed with cooperative play in mind to put players in situations that the campaign mode couldn’t allow. Pairing up either locally or online two players can blast their way through a snowmobile race, fighting alongside a Navy Seals unit, taking on a wave of 50 enemies at once, and running a gauntlet with the sole objective of surviving.

Modern Warfare 2 is due to launch early November.

Assassin’s Creed 2 Ubisoft - Xbox 360, PS3, PC

Assassin’s Creed II is a game with a lot to live up to. The first game was amazingly pretty to watch, but unbearably dull and repetitive to play. But it seems that Ubisoft Montreal may have taken some of the loudly raised concerns to heart.

The second game is set in 15th century Italy, during the Renaissance, and you are Ezio Auditore da Firenze. Ezio is a nobleman turned murderer for hire after his father is executed by sinister forces – a vast improvement over the previous game’s protagonist, whose motivation was as invisible as his personality. The two assassins are both ancestors of Desmond Miles, the unfortunate fellow held hostage in the future by yet more sinister forces.

With a new location and time period comes new surroundings, this time

encompassing Venice, Florence and Rome – as well as the Tuscan countryside. The free-running from the first game makes a welcome return, but is now joined by swimming, riding in canal boats, and escorting people around the cities. You also get the chance to ride around in a Da Vinci designed flying machine. In contrast with the original’s 5-6 mission types, Assassin’s Creed II will have 14-16, which hopefully will make the game far less of a chore than it’s predecessor.

There is a living world for your assassin to inhabit, with the ability to blend into any crowd, gain notoriety depending on your actions, and pickpocket for spare cash. With any luck it will all come together to realise the grand potential of the series.

Blur Activision – PC, PS3, Xbox 360

Blur is all set to put a new spin on all things racing with an approach which is… unique among other things. Set in slightly adjusted real world locations, fitted with hot exotic cars such as the Ford GT, Audi R8 and the Dodge Viper and with a campaign and online community focus inspired by the likes of Facebook.

A career mode will see you accepting challenges via email and the racing is not your typical approach. Taking things further than the Project Gotham Racing games that studio Bizarre Creations were previously responsible for, Blur puts a strong focus on fanpoints which are earned by pulling off tricks and special in race challenges… and powerups.

Yes you hear that right. Not satisfied with simply breaking the rules of physics, Blur will also include 6 powerups which will be made available one by one as the game progresses. These include self repair, mines, nitro boosts and some attack powers such as an electromagnetic pulse which I imagine would do its fair part in shocking its hapless target.

Multiplayer fans can also find reason to be excited by Blur. Its facebook type impersonation includes online communities which players can join as they wish. Online races can include a hefty 20 players at once – great seeing

as most racers set the limit at 8. A special bonus for those couch lovers is also the news that a single console can handle a 4 way split screen. We’re hoping for something akin to Mario Kart – just with real cars.

Left 4 Dead 2 Valve Corporation – PC, Xbox 360

As regular readers of this fair mag will know, Left 4 Dead II has generated column inches for a variety of reasons.

First up, zombies are awesome, we loved the original and we’re extremely jazzed about the sequel. Secondly however, is the fan fury that erupted after news that the sequel would be coming out so soon after the original. Really, they decried, how could it be that different?

For the uninitiated, L4D is a co-operative multiplayer shoot ‘em up that relies on teamwork for all four humans to survive the slavering, bitey undead hordes.

The sequel introduces several new boss zombies, with the highlights in the form of the Spitter – a terrifying bikini-wearing,

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green goo dribbling acid flinger, the jockey - who leaps onto unsuspecting humans and doesn’t let go, digging his claws in and directing the player away from friends and into hazards, and the Charger – who can pin, crush and destroy you with one swing of his enormous arm.

The brand new Scavenge mode distils the fuller levelled co-op experience into smaller maps, smaller space to escape, and one goal: survivors have to nab as many fuel canisters as possible and dump them into a generator. Each one adds time to the countdown clock, and you’re left to decide tactics on the fly.

It’s looking just as pant-wettingly terrifying and - more importantly - fun as usual.

Dragon Age Origins Electronic Arts – PC, PS3, Xbox 360

RPG royalty BioWare are ploughing deep into the Fantasy roots of the genre for Dragon Age: Origins. The game, inspired by works of ‘realistic fantasy’, is a dark heroic epic that might be thought of as a spiritual successor to the Baldur’s Gate series.

The game, available for PC, Xbox 360 and, after a small delay, PS3, puts players in the role of one of six different characters, each with their own unique background.

Before even starting in on the main narrative players will play through their chosen character’s origin story, some hours of gameplay that will establish that character’s position in society.

For example if one were to chose a City Elf they would have to battle through the prejudice of being a second-class citizen, whereas a Dwarf Nobel would likely find himself in more accepting, if not

pleasurable company.

As the player completes their character’s origin story they will come in contact with many NPCs that will crop up later in the game, as allies or enemies. The decisions a player makes on their quest will alter the course of the story and the arrangement of the world around them.

Rather than using a system of tracking moral alignment, as seen in previous BioWare titles, the player’s actions will have consequences regardless of whether they are considered a ‘good’ or ‘evil’. Characters may leave your party, even turning on you, kings can be made or broken, and entire societies welfare can be jeopardised.

BioWare have also been good enough to release a developer-grade toolset with the release to allow thorough customisation of the game. Early reviews of the game are positively glowing

Alpha Protocol Sega - Xbox 360, PS3, PC

At first glance, Alpha Protocol looks terminally average. A modern-day spy thriller with a clean cut, average height, average build, 25-to-40 year old white male fighting against forces which threaten world peace and security. What might make this game – developed by Obsidian – a different kettle of spy fish is that it’s an RPG. Gameplay will vary based on how you choose to play, moving between stealth play, running and gunning, talking your way out of trouble and fiddling with the usual spy gadgets. The game will be broken up into missions, selected from a central hub – your safe house, from which you can customise your agent’s skills, his appearance (including hairstyle) and even his weapons.

The game’s real hook is letting you approach each situation in various ways, based on the M.O. of the three famous faces of the spy game – Jason Bourne, Jack Bauer and James Bond.

In other words, will you be a perfect

professional who always takes the practical route, an aggressive madman who leaps into every firefight with bared teeth, or a suave ladies man who uses his charm to find a less violent – and more sexy – solution. In this way the initially generic main character, Agent Michael Thorton, gradually becomes the spy that you want him to be.

If Obsidian can pull off a system that truly allows you to create your own believable spy hero, with the flexibility to alter your play style, Alpha Protocol could be worth at least a hundred hours of your time.

Forza Motorsport 3 Microsoft – Xbox 360

With over 400 vehicles to choose from and over 100 race tracks to crash and burn in, Forza 3 is more than just ready to take the mantle as the top racing car sim contender.

If you like your racing sim’s with more than just a dash of gritty realism, Forza 3 won’t disappoint. Afterall, it’s the crashing of metal on tarmac that sometimes makes the game worthwhile and you’ll get to see it all in brilliant, fluid clarity in Forza 3.

And oh the salivating you will do when you realise you’ve got access to almost every car from the get-go. Yup, that’s right, no more bothersome ‘unlocks’ to wait around for, although you’ll still have to wrack up a decent amount of credits to purchase some of the flashier cars which is all good.

A lot of work has gone into the game

mechanics especially from a driving perspective; when we mentioned realism, we meant it. Try taking corners at speed in the 2009 California Ferrari! Unless you’re really really good at racing games, you’re going to find driving some of these baby’s takes a certain degree of skill.

Customisation has also been bumped up a notch so if you’re looking to go wild on designing your own art for your vehicles, again, you’ll be pleasantly surprised by what’s on offer. You can also upload your art to the ‘Storefront’ where you can purchase car designs or sell your own. Very cool.

Forza 3 is definitely a step up from Forza 2. There’s a whole lot more going on under this hood than the previous game with great new content for both fans and budding racers alike.

Grand Theft Auto 4: Episodes from Liberty City Rockstar Games - Xbox 360 The only thing better than a new piece of Grand Theft Auto 4, is two new pieces. The Lost and Damned the first expansion for the big time crime game has been out since February over Xbox Live. With the second expansion – The Ballad of Gay Tony – just on the horizon, Rockstar is making everyone happy by also offering both the expansions on a solid matter disc, available for purchase in a real life store.

While The Lost and Damned took players to the darker, grittier side of Liberty City, through biker gang member Johnny Klebitz - following his trials and tribulations as he worked to keep his group together and stay alive in the crazy world of GTA – Gay Tony promises an equal yet opposite experience, dropping

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you into the glamorous nightclub scene of America’s dirtiest imaginary city. As the right hand man of nightclub owner Anthony ‘Gay Tony’ Prince, Luis Lopez is set to struggle with life, love and crazy car chases. This chapter will have new vehicles and weapons – including, but not limited to, an explosive shotgun, advanced sniper rifle, sticky bombs and a golden machine gun. There will also be new tunes, which will no doubt make you want to dance the night away at the best of the Liberty clubs. Most importantly, the parachute makes a return, letting you jump out of helicopters without becoming a street stain.

The stand-alone disc is due for release at the end of October, and will not require GTA 4 to play.

SCRIBBLENAUTS software © 2009 WB Games Inc. Developed by 5TH Cell Media, LLC. Trademarks are property of their respective owners. Nintendo DS is a trademark of Nintendo.All other trademarks and copyrights are the property of their respective owners. All rights reserved.

SCRIBBLENAUTS and all related characters and elements are trademarks of and © Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. WB GAMES LOGO, WB SHIELD: ™ & © Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (s09)

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4/11/2009 9:50:42 a.m.

Uncharted 2 Among Thieves Nathan Drake returns in the sequel to Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune and if you ever wondered what a near-perfect gaming experience was like, wonder no more...

Summary

Uncharted 2 Among Thieves is almost flawless in presentation, taking Nate Drake and his adventuring way beyond expectation. Sony and Naughty Dog have delivered a game that could very well be a serious contender for Game of the Year and have produced a game that far exceeds any expectations.

ARCHIVE

Due to the expansive amount of data used to create the fluid visual effects for Uncharted 2: Among Thieves (the game takes up a massive 25 Giga Bytes of space on a blu-ray disk), it has been stated in interviews that an Xbox 360 version of the game could “never” be created for the Xbox 360 console.

details Review / Uncharted 2: Among Thieves Genre / Action/Adventure Publisher / SCE Developer / Naughty Dog Platform / PS3 Released / October 16, 2009 Website / www.us.playstation.com/PS3/Games/ UNCHARTED_2_Among_Thieves Players / Single and Multiplayer available Rating / R 16 Price / $119.99 Writer / Julie Gray There is tons action to break up the familiar climbing sections - sprinting over crumbling bridges, being chased by missile-firing helicopters or running as a truck crashes towards you.

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It’s not often a reviewer gets to talk about a game that’s almost too good to be true. So when a moment like this arrives, one must truly savour it. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves is definitely an experience you don’t want to miss. And if you’re thinking about buying a PS3 anytime soon (Xmas is just around the corner folks), you’ll be thankful you did if only to play Uncharted 2.

Why is this game so incredibly cool? Well, for starters, the storyline is probably one of the best out there. Who wouldn’t want to play the part of Nathan Drake? Jet-setting to some of the most exotic locations and travelling across dangerous terrain to seek out lost treasure is exciting stuff. And if that isn’t enough to kick in the adrenaline, how about being thrown into dangerous situations that only the smartest and hardiest adventurer could endure? And that’s just scratching the surface.

The cinematics of Uncharted are literally ‘off the chart’ (pun intended). They’re so beautifully integrated into the game, you can hardly tell when the cut-scene ends and the game begins.

It’s this seamless game development that the award-winning team at Naughty Dog are well-known for.

Load times in the game are practically non-existent which helps to keep the action and general pace of the game in-synch with the exciting storyline. And this is very important as momentum can mean all the difference when it comes to action sequences (of which, there are loads!)

As Nathan Drake you can expect much of the same exhilarating action as the previous game. You’ll be running and gunning

here and there (as per usual), leaping from all sorts of ledges and surfaces often with falling debris coming at you, and your life will almost certainly be under threat 98 per cent of the time.

You’ll also be required to think your way out of precarious situations including having to sneak around just like a ninja, but it’s really all in a day’s work for Nathan Drake. And if your heart rate doesn’t increase at least a few times during all of this, you might want to check you’ve still got a pulse!

The action in Uncharted 2 is arguably the most addictive aspect. This is largely due to the variable mixture of challenges you’ll find yourself facing as Nate. This includes sequences similar to ‘Prince of Persia’ style gameplay where you’re having to climb everything from rooftops to gates, to mountain cliffs.

The sneaking around aspect is very cool, but mix this in with the challenge of being caught in places you shouldn’t be (Nathan Drake is a thief, afterall) and you’ve got the combination for some serious fun. Although the hand-to-hand combat is minimal, it’s just enough to keep you on your toes. There’s really no other way to describe the action in Uncharted 2 as anything other than intense.

Visually, Uncharted 2: Among Thieves has to be one of the best games released this year. The depth of the beautifully presented animation is flawless; faces with so much detail, you can count Nathan Drake’s wrinkles, or metal surfaces that shine as the light reflects off it. It’s detail like this that brings the gaming experience full-circle and makes you feel 100% satisfied that you’re getting everything you expected.

And if all that content wasn’t enough to win you over, Uncharted 2: Among Thieves has been expanded to introduce multiplayer action as well for up to 10 players. You’ll be able to battle it out online with your buddies in a series of competitive game modes including deathmatch and also work side-by-side in coop matches.

The dialogue between characters is also exceptionally well done with voice talent to match. Thanks to a great story writing team, Nate’s companions are just as important to the storyline as he is, with characteristics that seem fluid, and at times, a little too realistic. It’s the smaller aspects of the game that truly draw you into what’s going on, without even having to think about it. And that’s what sets this game apart from many others that attempt to do the same but just can’t quite pull it off. It’s the same deal with the cinematics - you’ll be astounded by how much detail and clarity there is from an aesthetic point of view, but it just seems like there’s so much more going on. On a cinematic level, Uncharted 2 : Among Thieves seems only steps away from being good enough to be a movie. And I wouldn’t at all be surprised if that’s exactly where the game ends up.

A sequel game should be one step beyond its predecessor and that’s exactly what Uncharted 2 is; more action, more targets to shoot at and most importantly, more of the same thrilling, exciting experiences and challenges that we were introduced to in Drake’s Fortune. Could Uncharted 2 be the title to deliver PS3 goodness to the masses? Absolutely.

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4/11/2009 9:51:48 a.m.

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4/11/2009 9:52:04 a.m.

Ratchet & Clank A Crack In Time

Ratchet and Clank return in A Crack in Time with Clank finding himself in dire straits at the hands of the evil Dr. Nefarious!

SUMMARY

Ratchet and Clank Future: A Crack in Time is easily one of the favourites of the franchise. With heavily expanded gameplay, new weapons and animation that is still beautifully presented, you should be sure to check this title out for the Xmas stocking this year!

DID YOU KNOW?

A competition was held by Insomniac Games for A Crack in Time where fans were invited to come up with ideas for new weapon designs. Five finalists were chosen and the winner announced at Comic-Con 2009.

The winning weapon was ‘The Spiral of Death’.

DETAILS Genre / Action/Adventure Publisher / Sony Computer Entertainment Developer / Insomniac Games Platform / PlayStation 3 Released / Out now Website / http://www.us.playstation.com Players / 1 Rating / TBA Price / $119.99 Writer / Julie Gray

A Crack In Time effortlessly delivers another cracking platformer for fans of the genre and the series

Ratchet and Clank Future: A Crack in Time picks up from the last game with Clank being held captive by Dr. Nefarious. The game begins with you controlling Clank as you jump, glide, run and dodge your way through a variety of challenges including moving objects of all descriptions and attacking evil robots (amongst other things).

The basic, familiar mechanics of the game haven’t changed too much as you’re still required to collect ammo by bashing at everything in sight and upgrading your weapons. You’ll also need to stay frosty and do your best to avoid multiple attacks coming at you all at once which is keeping things pretty faithful to the Ratchet and Clank style of gameplay.

Whilst Clank battles it out with Dr. Nefarious, let’s not forget about Ratchet who is dutifully doing his best to be reunited with his buddy and rescue him. Unfortunately for Ratchet, his makeshift partnership with Captain Qwark is going to lead him into even more trouble. As Ratchet and Qwark work their way through an alien jungle (with various different ‘side-missions’ and puzzles to solve as they go), the storyline is split into two distinct parts. The cut-scenes do a great job of filling in the gaps as you progress the storyline.

Without giving too much away, Ratchet and Clank Future: A Crack in Time is very much a ‘bigger’ game than the previous, with adventures in space that lead to more side missions to complete, expanding the game even further and allowing for alot more room to explore as opposed to travelling from one planet straight to the next.

The use of time travel and time manipulation is also a huge expansion in the gameplay. This part of the game is also a very important feature of the storyline which really focuses the spotlight on Clank and helps to lift Clank’s profile as a main character

(which we think is long overdue!)

And what would a Ratchet and Clank game be without new weapons? The system for upgrading your weapons is the same as previous games and you can do this at regular intervals throughout. The big improvement with weapons though is that you can now modify them. You can even change the look of your weapons and how they function.

With visually stunning graphics, vibrant colour that ‘pops’ out at you and fluid, smooth animation, A Crack in Time is keeping up with the extremely polished presentation of the previous Ratchet and Clank games, which is nice to see. The voice acting (which might work wonders for the younger members of the household) however, can sometimes get a little irritating as is the case with Dr. Nefarious. That aside, the character development is fantastic and is some of the best we’ve seen.

Ratchet and Clank Future: A Crack in Time really is a creation of animated bliss. There’s so much more content to explore and new ways in which to do this which inserts a timely ‘breath of fresh air’ into the game, placing Ratchet and Clank right back up there as one of the titles to definitely check out this year.

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4/11/2009 9:53:09 a.m.

Brutal Legend With founder Tim Schafer behind the wheel, this heavy metal world translated to videogame has been turning (or should it be banging?) heads since its official announcement in 2007.

Someone asked if Brutal Legend would be fun if “you weren’t a metal-head?” The answer is a resounding “Yes!” and that’s one of the cool things about Brutal Legend, you don’t necessarily have to like Heavy Metal music to get enjoyment out of the game (but it doesn’t hurt).

With famous maestro’s of the metal music scene such as Ozzy Osborne from Black Sabbath and the lead singer of Judas Priest Rob Halford making an appearance, one can only gasp in awe at the fantastic scope of the game (not to mention where the slightly twisted storyline might take you).

And fantasy is very much the reality for our lead character, Eddie Riggs, a burned out veteran of the Heavy Metal music scene who gets just a little more than he signed up for during a gig one night.

Eddie (who is voiced by the totally wild and multi-talented actor Jack Black) awakens to find himself locked in some sort of twisted alternate reality (could it actually be hell?), where all things dark, evil and metal come to life - the perfect place for the metal-loving Eddie.

The storyline is basic in the sense that you play as Eddie who finds himself alive in this strange world suddenly realises that his destiny is heading towards defeating the evil that exists there. As the hero, it’s your ‘calling’ to fight, even though you don’t quite know why. As you progress through the storyline, bits and pieces begin to fit and you uncover more about Eddie and his history.

Brutal Legend is anything but your ordinary adventure/action type game. Much in the same vein as ‘Overlord’ which mixed action with RTS elements, Eddie not only gets to battle it out solo

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with a myriad of weapons (including his guitar ‘Clementine’), but finds himself hopelessly out-numbered and that’s where Brutal Legend gets really challenging. To defeat the evil hordes, you’ll meet other characters along the way who will do battle alongside you. During combat you’ll also be able to execute special combat moves to ‘double-team’ your opponents. Just like any fighting game, combination moves need to be made in quick succession.

And just like any good RTS, you’ll be expected to have an army and to lead your troops into battle against the evil hordes.

Creating your army is generally easy to do, but not so much when you’re under pressure to replace defeated fans during the heat of battle. There are several different types of ‘units’ to choose from all with specific abilities such as ranged attack and fire attack, and you’ll need to work out exactly which combination will defeat the opponents you’ll face.

The integration of music puzzles in the game pulls the focus off all the action but only briefly. And the one constant throughout Brutal Legend is the seamless inclusion of great metal music. Not only will you get to listen to heavy metal music all the way through and you can even pick and choose which tracks you want to play when you’re cruising in the car.

Hacking n’ slashing your way through a twisted heavy metal arena of death just about sums up the brilliance of Brutal Legend.

Not to mention the great voice acting talent included. Action fans will rejoice with this refreshing new look at the genre and Heavy Metal fans will be transported into a gaming world they could only imagine in their worst nightmares. Sounds pretty perfect to me.

SUMMARY

Brutal Legend brings Hack n’ Slash goodness to the new age with its unique blend of music, action and adventure. It’s a game that offers action fans a taste of something new, wrapped up in heavy metal music, imagery and vision.

DID YOU KNOW?

Musically, Brutal Legend is a Heavy Metal fan’s dream featuring more than 100 songs from various Heavy Metal bands. Brutal Legend also features Voice acting from some of Heavy Metal’s greatest musicians; Ozzy Osborne (Black Sabbath), Lita Ford, Lemmy Kilmister (Motorhead) and Rob Halford (Judas Priest).

DETAILS Genre / Action/Adventure Publisher / Electronic Arts Developer / Double Fine Productions Platform / PS3, Xbox 360, PC Released / Out now Website / http://www.brutallegend.com Players / Single player and multiplayer Rating / R18 Price / $119.00 Writer / Julie Gray

Strap on your axe, studs and leather, it’s time for some hack n’ slash fun, heavy-metal style! And we do mean, heavy...

4/11/2009 9:53:23 a.m.

Scribblenauts 5th Cell continues to push the Nintendo DS in new and innovative directions with Scribblenauts, a puzzle game of truly encyclopaedic scope.

SUMMARY

Harnessing the raw power of language itself is no easy feat, but Scribblenauts makes a damn fine attempt. It doesn’t work just like it should every time, but considering the magnitude of what the game tries for it’s a near miracle that it works at all.

DID YOU KNOW?

Scribblenauts gave rise to an online mini-controversy when using the denigrating slur ‘sambo’ appeared to summon a watermelon. Considering the racially charged nature of both word and image this naturally raised a few eyebrows, but apparently it was meant as the Spanish term for fig leaf gourd.

DETAILS Genre / Puzzle / Action Publisher / Warner Bros Interactive Developer / 5TH Cell Platform / Nintedo DS Released / Out Now Website / games.kidswb.com/scribblenauts Players / 1-6 Rating / TBA Price / $79.99 Writer / Adrian Hatwell

It’s not every day that a meagre handheld game steals the show at E3, the biggest event on the gaming industry calendar. In fact, until 5th Cell strolled up nonchalantly to E3 ’09 it had never happened, but that’s just the kind of impact Scribblenauts has. With a premise too simple to resist and ambition too staggering to comprehend the game simply demands attention from gamers and non-gamers alike.

Players are tasked with helping a little guy, Maxwell, overcome a litany of environmental puzzles by summoning objects into the world to assist him. These objects can be just about anything the player can think of and are called into existence by writing the object’s name on the DS’s touch screen. The developers have scoured dictionaries, encyclopaedias, reference manuals, and all manner of wordy tomes to ensure most conceivable objects made it into the game.

There are a few caveats to the gameplay, players can’t use most proper nouns, copyrighted words or naughty stuff, but beyond that there is a truly staggering amount of objects included in the game. Animals, vehicles, weapons, tools, monsters, buildings, food, all have various species with their unique properties to be used to solve puzzles.

As a not particularly imaginative for instance, when Maxwell hits a rise he can’t jump up by himself you could summon some stairs for him to walk up. Or an escalator. Or a jetpack.

Or Pegasus, the winged horse of Greek myth. The puzzles on

offer never really get that flashy; it’s the game’s irresistibly bold ‘objectnaut’ engine that keeps players hooked.

Unfortunately when these objects break down, and they do quite frequently, the game begins to lose its biggest draw.

Often objects that have been summoned for rather straightforward tasks won’t operate at all in the intended or logical way, such as a net bouncing right off the butterfly it was supposed to catch.

Also, while all the objects posses their own hierarchical set of physical properties (which on pure volume is no small achievement) a great deal of the time they simply wont act like they exist within the game world. For instance rather than crashing to the ground instantly, a huge spacecraft is equally likely to sort of twist about in the wind as though weightless.

Considering the sheer amount of objects that exist in the game its difficult to say with what overall frequency these hiccups occur, but they did seem to come up time and again in he course of simply trying to get through the game as was intended. As impressively close to achieving its goal as the game may have come it made the instances in which it didn’t live up to its promise all the more frustrating.

In the end the game feels like a very good start to an asset that following titles might hopefully build upon. Lacking the fundamentals to make it a good game in the traditional sense, Scribblenauts plays more like a very good experiment.

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4/11/2009 9:53:44 a.m.

Colin McRae Dirt 2 Fast cars, tight turns and spine curling Cliffside drops. Everything you need in a decent Rally game; but Dirt 2 has so much more on offer.

I’m gripping the steering wheel of a classic 1995 Subaru WRX STi, its bright blue and yellow paint job stands in stark contrast to the grimy mud splattered on its sides. On all sides cars of all types jostle, bounce and occasionally careen off into a wall through the gloomy industrialised Battersea Power Plant in London. Yes things have changed in the world of Rally racing indeed.

It’s not necessarily a bad thing mind you. Riding high on the success of Touring Car racer, Grid, Codemasters have lovingly crafted it’s off road counterpart with obvious love and a nod to the tragically deceased Colin McRae who name graced the long gone Coin McRae series and now Dirt.

Dirt 2 offers a not so impressive line-up of 35 cars (considering they’re divided between Rally cars, Buggies and Trucks), but that’s probably our only real gripe with this pseudo simulator. We were especially impressed with the astounding graphics of your racing locations which range from the likes of China, Croatia, Utah and the depths of Africa. Stadium type events filled with

screaming crowds are also part of the overall package.

A massive career spans a ton of different game types. You’ll find your traditional Rally buried in there complete with direction assisting Co-Driver. Alongside are the popular Rallycross, Last Man Standing (last player in the lap gets eliminated and a good half dozen others! This includes Raid which throws you into a buggy or truck for high flying, bouncy and ultimately fun as carnage which come close to being akin to a Destruction Derby game.

The single player game will keep even the most ardent racer occupied for a long time with some 6 different difficulty levels and Call of Duty 4 like internal achievements to win which in turn will gain you extra padding such as new liveries. Multiplayer will keep the joy going with up to eight gamers joining in at one time.

The realism might not quite be there with Dirt 2. Strict sim fans will roll their eyes in disgust, but Codemasters have managed to get it right in making a dam fun game.

SUMMARY

We miss weather effects and could do with a few more cars. But we find very little to complain about with Dirt2 which is both utterly gorgeous, handles beautifully and most importantly is a blast to play.

DID YOU KNOW?

Multi World Rally Championship driver Colin McRae tragically died in September of 2007 when the helicopter he was flying crashed near his family home in Scotland. He is remembered as one of the greatest Rally drivers of all time.

DETAILS Genre / Racing Publisher / Codemasters Developer / Codemasters Platform / Multiplatform Released / Out now Website / http://www.dirt2game.com/ Players / 1-8 Rating / G Price / $129.99 Writer / Nigel Clark

SingStar Motown The soothing, mellow sounds of R&B groups such as Diana Ross and the Supremes, The Commodores and the Temptations are sure to have you in touch with your inner ‘blues’ in no time!

SUMMARY

SingStar Motown features some of the biggest R&B acts ever to come out of the Motown label. This of course is great news if you can actually carry a note without breaking a sweat. Mind you, with a generous dose of alcohol, anyone can sound like Diana Ross or Lionel Richie, right?

We’ve had quite a few SingStar compilations to contend with over the years, but nothing that has really ventured down the R&B track extensively. SingStar Motown takes care of this nicely, featuring tracks by some of the best loved artists of the genre including Stevie Wonder, Lionel Richie and Diana Ross.

The selection of songs is decent with a slight deviation from the mold including funkster Rick James doing his ‘Superfreak’ thang’ and Smokey Robinson keeping us on the straight-andnarrow with ‘Being with You’. Most of the artists featured all seem to be legends in their own right with acts like the Jackson

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5 really standing out and super-crooner, Lionel Richie doing his thing both solo and with The Commodores.

The game mechanics haven’t changed in any way so expect more of the same interface controls on the PS3 as you would for the previous SingStar release. We’re happy to see this compilation make it into the SingStar collection as there are quite a few popular songs from the Motown label well worth grabbing the mic for (even if it’s a bit of a strain).

The major upside to owning the PS3 version however is that you’ll get an extra five songs over the PS2 equivalent. Would that be enough to push you to upgrade your hardware? Well, only your own musical tastes could possibly determine that. If you’re somewhat fanatical about smooth and soulful R&B though, SingStar Motown would be well worth checking out, perhaps as a rental at your local dvd store to start with.

Motown music was considered a cornerstone of the Rock/R&B music genres and it’s great to see a compilation dedicated to it. However, a couple new features wouldn’t go amiss for the next one

DID YOU KNOW?

SingStar Motown was first released in the UK on September 18, 2009 and is only the third game in the SingStar series released for both PS2 and PS3 formats.

DETAILS Genre / Music Publisher / Sony Computer Entertainment Developer / Sony Computer Entertainment Platform / PlayStation 3 Released / Out now Website / www.singstargame.com/ Players / 8 Rating / M Price / $59.99 Writer / Julie Gray

4/11/2009 9:53:58 a.m.

Halo 3 ODST It hurts to breathe, you can’t see, and hot plasma is burning in your left leg, making you dizzy.

Around the next corner is a Covenant patrol – four Grunts and an armoured Brute soldier, looking for survivors. You’re an ODST, and there’s no big, green hero coming to save you this time.

SUMMARY

It’s Halo, Jim, but not as we know it. ODST will easily satisfy any fan of the series, once they get used to the different play style. For those who haven’t played Halo, it still offers a solid, engaging experience that is worth checking out.

DID YOU KNOW?

Bungie are big fans of the now-defunct TV series, Firefly. Three of your ODST squad members are voiced by actors from the show, all playing characters very similar to their Firefly roles.

DETAILS Genre / First-Person Shooter Publisher / Microsoft Game Studios Developer / Bungie Platform / Xbox 360 Released / Out now Website / www.batmanarkhamasylum.com/ Players / 1-4 Rating / R16 Writer / Andy Astruc

Not different enough to be an entirely new game, but too different to simply be an expansion pack, Halo 3: ODST’s value is kind of tough to figure

Halo 3: ODST started as an expansion to Halo 3, something for developer Bungie to fill the time before the upcoming Halo: Reach. Along the way it has ballooned into a fully formed title of its own, and has come out all the better for it. The game is set between the events of Halo 2 and 3, following the Covenant attack on the Earth mega-city, New Mombasa. As a nameless, faceless, rookie ODST (Orbital Drop Shock Trooper), you are briefly introduced to your unit of likeable soldiers, before being shot out of the bottom of a spaceship. Chaos ensues, and the rookie wakes up six hours later, alone in a dark city under alien control. The game has you wandering the streets in an attempt to understand what happened and where your squad is. As you find clues to the past, flashback sections will let you play through the events experienced by the other shock troopers.

At first glance it will look suspiciously like any other Halo game. There is the same first-person perspective, roughly the same arsenal, and the same enemies after your blood. ODST sets a very different mood to the original trilogy, however. You immediately feel like the last man on Earth, alone in an occupied city. The game has a film noir quality to it, with neon signs and dark streets, coupled with a predictably beautiful soundtrack filled with melancholy horns and strings.

The biggest change comes with the ODST himself. The Master Chief was a bullet-absorbing super soldier, who could wade into mobs of enemies and crush some skulls, but Troop-

ers are only puny humans wearing armour - and they bleed.

You do have regenerating stamina in the game, but you can only take a handful of hits before you’re in real danger. If you try to play the game like Halo 3 you will die fast and often. A more considerate approach is necessary, thinking through your tactics and taking enemies out strategically instead of mindless killing.

To help you do this there are a few tricks. ODSTs are equipped with some additional weaponry, including sticky grenades and a pistol that will bring back fond memories of the first Halo. Most importantly there is the VISR system, providing the player with a compass and a way to scan the visible area – yellow for normal objects, red for threats. There is also a three-dimensional map to help navigate the open-world of New Mombasa.

Outside the main campaign (which is quite short at around six hours) there is a cooperative multiplayer mode called Firefight. Firefight is bloody good fun, with you and your squad up against wave after wave of Covenant forces. The game also includes a second disc which contains all the Halo 3 multiplayer maps as well as the ability to customise your own.

ODST isn’t a groundbreaking game, but it does take the beloved franchise in an interesting direction, perhaps making it a little more considered than its parents. Bungie have managed to maintain the big, explosive parts of Halo that fans love, while adding new perspectives and new experiences.

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4/11/2009 9:54:24 a.m.

Beaterator Music maestro Timbaland introduces us to the world of loops, beats and putting everything together in Rockstar’s music maker, Beaterator.

Depending on your type of musical taste, you may not have heard of Timbaland. As a music producer Timbaland (Timothy Zachaery Mosley) is pretty well-known on the dance scene but as a stand-alone artist, he’s definitely the master of beats. His list of accomplishments reads like a ‘Who’s who’ of popular music having worked with artists such as Justin Timberlake, Aaliyah, Jay-Z, Missy Elliot, Fall Out Boy and many others.

The tutorial for Beaterator is highly recommended as a good place to start. Once you’ve familiarised yourself with the ‘how’, you can use one of two different modes to do it; Live Play or Studio. With Live Play it’s easier to ‘dive straight in’ and start mixing tunes right away. But the learning curve for creating everything yourself may be a tad high for people who really aren’t good with alot of information and menus. Beaterator has an incredible amount of depth and options to create the music but the interface can be a little challenging if you’re intending to by-pass the tutorial.

Live Play allows you to use pre-recorded templates to create music. You can change each ‘loop’ using the R and L buttons to create even more diverse sounds. There is a variety of genre’s to choose from including Rock, Pop and House. Studio is where the true creation process begins. You can create and edit every sound in the database (of which there are dozens).

You can edit tempo, length of a beat or loop, and even add your own sounds. Everything you create can be recorded and altered accordingly. The Song Crafter allows you to add in your own sounds to create your own loops - the possibilities are endless.

Beaterator is a fantastic piece of software that crosses the line between ‘game’ and utility bringing the world of digital music production to the PSP. For its size, the Beaterator software packs in a truckload of content and deserves serious consideration from all music fans. For the wee price of $49.99, you’re getting alot more than your money’s worth.

SUMMARY

IL2 has been adapted to console beautifully, and is a rich and action packed simulator that gives a great realistic experience.

DID YOU KNOW?

Among the pilots who gained fame flying the Il-2 was Senior Lieutenant Anna Yegorova, who flew 260 missions. She was decorated three times, the last “posthumously”, as she was presumed dead after being shot down. In fact, she managed to survive imprisonment in a German concentration camp.

DETAILS Genre / Simulator Publisher / 1C Publishing Developer / Gaijin Entertainment Platform / PS3. Xbox 360, PSP, DS Released / Out now Website / www.il2game.com Players / 1 Rating / TBA Price / $109.99 Writer / Ken Oathe

MySims Agents MySims, the Sims-lite series desperately trying to find a foothold, finally manages to balance the scales with MySims Agents, a charming little adventure game that should delight young gamers without being too smug for the older set either.

MySims was on offshoot of The Sims series proper intended to capture a decent slice of that wide-eyed youngster Nintendo Wii audience. The first title filtered the Sims experience through Animal Crossing and came out with a product that began fun but quickly segued into repetitive and dull. After several attempts at matching the franchise up with a few other game types EA have arranged a nice coupling with the adventure genre.

Agents puts players in the shoes of a fledgling sleuth, recruited by a freelance special agency (with startlingly lax criteria for employment) to help uncover the nefarious actions of Morcubus, captain of the evil MorcuCorp.

The game starts off on a very manageable scale, asking the player to traipse about a city street questioning citizens and forming their verdict on a rather innocuous case. As one’s sleuthing solves more and more mysteries the game world begins to open up, expanding to a level that seems well beyond the humble little title’s initial scope.

From making base at headquarters to earning better gizmos, recruiting other agents with their own special talents and assign-

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ing them their own cases, the game soon has the player immersed in typical MySims levels of customisation. For once, however, the customisation serves a purpose, propelling us further down the winding road of mystery and staving off the boredom that typically hits when exhausting the digital nesting instinct.

The brainteasers are never anything too serious, but the game’s charm and cheek keeps the rigmarole of interrogating and crossinterrogating entertaining. Certain bits of evidence require specialised gadgets to make sense of, such as a footprint tracker, computer hacking, mechanical repairs, and molecular analysis.

Most of these take the form of simple mini-games, not particularly engaging but sparse enough not to annoy.

Along with its simple gameplay and sweet character comes a gorgeous sense of design; despite limited paths of movement, invisible walls, and relatively limited environments Agents always looks lovely and never feels small.

This is the first time a MySims title has really clicked in its concept, everything works just at it should, it will be interesting to see what direction the franchise heads in next.

SUMMARY

MySims Agents offers young detectives a series of cases that will take them all over a vibrant world that is theirs to customise as they desire - a tight, clever, thoroughly entertaining junior adventure game.

DID YOU KNOW?

As well as a baffling announcement that they will be turning The Sims into a live-action film, EA have also revealed plans to bring MySims to the small screen as an animated television series.

DETAILS Genre / Action/Puzzle Publisher / Electronic Arts Developer / Electronic Arts Platform / Wii, DS Released / Out now Website / http://www.ea.co.nzPlayers / 1 Rating / PG Price / $69.00 Writer / Adrian Hatwell

4/11/2009 9:54:41 a.m.

Aion If you’ve ever wondered what it was like to play as a kick-ass warrior/healer/magician that can fly and slaughter your enemies at the same time, then look no further. Aion has arrived.

SUMMARY

Aion is beyond a doubt, one of the best MMOs to be released over the last few years. With NCSoft managing to balance classes perfectly and expand the gameplay enough to keep veteran fans of the genre coming back, it’s fairly safe to say they’ve got a serious winner on their hands.

DID YOU KNOW?

Aion was originally released in South Korea in November of 2008. The game had only been in development for just over a year when beta testing began in late 2007.

DETAILS Genre / MMORPG/Fantasy Publisher / NCSoft Developer / NCSoft Platform / PC Released / Out now Website / http://na.aiononline.com/ Players / Thousands Rating / M Price / $109.99 Writer / Julie Gray

Preach about gameplay over graphics all you like, but graphics are clearly an important factor for many players - after all, the chances are you’ll spend weeks staring at an MMOG, so it might as well look pretty

If you’re into MMOs and you’ve never heard of Aion, then you’ve been missing out! Aion has practically taken the MMO world by storm, releasing in NZ on the 18th of September and is quickly becoming the MMO to play.

The dynamics of Aion are not that different to any other MMO based in a fantasy world however, the talented crew over at NCSoft have developed a game that delivers a ‘breath of fresh air’ to the genre. And when I say this, I mean to say it with one sentence: “Look Ma, I can fly!” Yep, in Aion you get to fly and it really does make a difference to gameplay. No need for mounts, just jump off the nearest cliff!

Once you’ve decided on a character race (Asmodian or Elyos), you’ll have four classes each with a subclass to choose from.

The main classes are Warrior (Gladiator, Templar), Healer (Cleric, Chanter), Magician (Spiritmaster, Sorceror) and Scout (Assassin, Ranger). After level 10, you will be required to decide which subclass you want to play and you’ll get your ‘wings’ with limited flight time until level 25.

So after the initial novelty of flight wears off (and it hasn’t yet), what’s there to like about Aion? Well, if you’re the type of gamer that hates ‘grinding’ out all that xp and then having to pay for any deaths that may result, forget it. Aion is what the ‘old school’ MMO gamers might refer to as ‘for the truly hardcore’. There are no corners to be cut in Aion. You do the hard yards and you pay for your mistakes. And that’s how a good, solid, MMO should be.

That said, every time you level, kill a boss mob and survive or simply travel through threatening terrain and exist to tell the tale, you feel as though you’ve accomplished something. And that’s what will set Aion apart in the MMO field. With that in mind, Aion can be played by anyone at any level of experience. The user interface is extremely user-friendly and easy to navigate.

As far as aesthetics go, Aion is extremely picturesque. The world of Atreia is colourful and vivid with curious looking wildlife that all looks very unique. And this brand of uniqueness carries over into almost every other facet of the game. Creating charac-

ters in Aion is very cool. Although alot of the character models look similar, there are customisable options available in-game to really set your character apart from everyone else. You can change your body size, the tint of your hair and even go so far as to have cosmetic alterations via an NPC! Aion seems extremely polished and thought-out. The trading system is great and again, very easy to learn and use. The questing system is also user friendly with a power wiki available online that explains everything in the game from A to Z. Oceanic players will be happy to see that an oceanic server has been setup but unfortunately, there’s only one. While testing out the Nezekhan server, the lag seemed a little high for my taste (600 frames per second), especially for a server setup for oceanic players.

Gameplay past level 25 can become as challenging or as mundane as you want it to be. If grinding away by killing mobs (AI) is your thing, you can continue to quest with groups to level (dungeon runs are the most popular method for doing this). But if the thrill of killing other players is what drives you, you can opt to become a ‘Player versus Player’ champion and rank up by killing other players in the Abyss or by simply raiding with a legion (guild/clan). Hunting parties are often put together randomly in general region chat channels and there is always a constant buzz of active players looking for others to group with.

Aion seems to have almost every base covered as far as general game play for an MMO is concerned. It’s a game that has been developed with both hardcore and new players in mind, offering an extensive range of objectives for every level, whether that be end game players or casual gamers. The only real battle that the team at NCSoft will have going forward is balancing out the huge amount of popularity the game has managed to acquire (with several million players subscribed so far) and the unpopular ‘Gold Spammers’ that seem to have infected the communication channels in the game. Once these two areas are sorted, the only thing MMO gamers worldwide will need to contend with is fighting off real life and getting around on legs instead of wings.

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4/11/2009 9:55:00 a.m.

Dead Space Extraction EA pick a genuinely strange vessel for the spin-off to their breakout Sci-fi survival horror title Dead Space; an on-rails shooter on the Wii, of all things. However, Visceral Games have put enough effort into subverting expectations to create a compelling twist on the genre.

Dead Space was one of last year’s unequivocal hits, an original IP that came out of nowhere, scared the snot out of us, and did it in style. None of these accolades seemed likely to hold true for its spin-off. After all, how could restricting a game to an onrails experience possibly help with creativity, crafting thrills, or creating atmosphere, especially on the Wii’s limited hardware?

It’s an uphill battle that Visceral Games fight valiantly, to be sure. At every turn the developers have tried to leverage in some form of innovation, some trick, some bit of flash that will make the game more than its genre suggests. And a lot of the time it works. Slight freedom of view, occasionally choosing which path to take, stopping to pour over audio logs; enough of these small but carefully implemented elements coalesce to create something more accomplished than first glance would imply.

The story takes place before the events of the first game (during the Dead Space: Downfall animated movie, for those really keeping track) and the job of keeping that hellish industrial

world intact under the Wii’s lesser powers has been done with surprising success. Aside from indulging the temptation to jam in unnecessary motion mini-games from time to time, the Wii is just sophisticated enough - incorporating mutilation gunplay, alt fire, kinesis abilities, and a neat melee attack - to overcome the demeaning ‘light gun game’ label.

So too does the original game’s knack for storytelling survive the translation, with Extraction being just a desperate, horrific, and soul-crushingly hopeless as its predecessor.

In a nifty narrative trick the game continually jumps us from one character’s shoes to another’s to afford an overview of the entire grizzly situation and explain conflicting motivations sympathetically. And there is no need to worry about the series being sanitised for the Wii; Extraction has buckets of bloody, severed bits and pieces, and even a little nudity.

It’s still an on-rails game, short and basic, but for all the limitations Extraction runs up against it make a pretty solid case for originality and cleverness in even the stalest of genres.

SUMMARY

An on-rails sequel might not sound like the kind of thing to do justice to the fantastic original, but Dead Space: Extraction delivers on more levels that one might expect. Don’t let the wrapper put you off, Dead Space fans will want in on this.

DID YOU KNOW?

Director D. J. Caruso is expected to be bringing Dead Space to the big screen, possibly as a bridge between the first game and it’s sequel-proper. Caruso is a noted thriller director responsible for Taking Lives, Disturbia, Eagle Eye and supposedly the upcoming Y: The Last Man film.

DETAILS Genre / Action Shooter Publisher / EA Developer / EA Games Platform / Wii Released / Out now Website / www.ea.co.nz Players / 1 Rating / R16 Price / $69.99 Writer / Adrian Hatwell

Risen Storms wrack the sea, volcanic tremors rock the island and you’re a lonely castaway who must find his way in a land divided by rivalries and terrorized by monsters.

Ambitious, perhaps. Flawed, absolutely. Risen, a game developed by a team who were responsible for the Gothic RPG’s shows it’s PC roots by having a menu structure which encompasses maps and equipment which is just a plain pain in the arse to use. The graphics are positively last gen and there are bugs galore afflicting this obviously un-polished game, everything from un-finishable quests to second long freezes EVERY time you kill an enemy or search it’s corpse for goodies.

That said I still, somehow, found myself enjoying my time in the world of Risen. Perhaps it’s my positive weakness for first person RPGs. Because this is what Risen is, akin in many ways to Oblivion, or perhaps more like the similarly flawed and long forgotten Two Worlds.

Set on a Mediterranean island on which you are cast up after a massive storm, you start with nothing but the rags on your back. As time passes and I guarantee many deaths later you’ll find yourself joining one of two factions (both a mixture of good

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and bad). At the core of the game however is a long dormant threat which in the wake of the recently banished Gods is set to rise again, and destroy the newly freed Human race completely.

Free roaming elements are checked by a teeth nashingly hard initial dozen or so hours where every beastie you come across is a deadly threat to life and limb. Slowly however as you crawl up levels, get better equipment and polish your melee or spell casting skills you’ll be able to explore more and pick up the many side quests – some of which are even enjoyable, which are on offer. It’s a big game with 60 or so hours to be clocked up before completion. The problem is only the more hardcore RPG player will have the patience to see through the frustration and get to the good parts.

Please note this review was based on the Xbox 360 version.

PC performance based on 3rd party sources indicates a much more polished game.

SUMMARY

Not for the faint hearted. Risen is a game which will evoke either love or hate and for the majority who give up in frustration after it’s harsh start I think I know their choice. Persistence will reward however.

DID YOU KNOW?

Risen was refused classification in Australia due to sexual activity and drug use. Yes you can take ‘shrooms in this game, but the results are only positive we promise!

DETAILS Genre / RPG Publisher / Deep Silver Developer / Piranha Bytes Platform / Xbox 360, PC Released / Out now Website / http://risen.deepsilver.com Players / G Rating / Teen Price / $119.99 Writer / Nigel Clark

4/11/2009 9:55:23 a.m.

released this month

Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising

MotorStorm Arctic Edge

Smackdown vs. Raw 2010

Codemasters / Ps3, Xbox 360, PC

Sony Computer Entertainment / PSP

THQ / PS3, Xbox 360, Wii, PC, DS, PSP

Dragon Rising is the thinking man’s strategic shooter with a realistic damage model which makes the whole experience very high tension as you can be taken out in the blink of an eye. Every decision you make in the game has a repercussion which can sometimes be positive or fatal.

Online the game takes on a life of its own and will appeal to a group of close friends within a team environment. To be fair, the game is also good in single player, but the highest reward will be taken in the company of friends.

Bigbig Studios has succeeded in being able to take a PS3 franchise and to bring it kicking and screaming to the portable realm unscathed. Despite it’s uneven difficulty, the single-player mode will last you days with plenty of content and races to conquer, and the infrastructure mode will keep players coming back for more long after winter’s gone. With outstanding gameplay, captivating visuals, and complete utter madness; MotorStorm: Arctic Edge is a must buy for any racing fan out there with a PSP.

THQ must live, breathe, and sleep wrestling; this game represents the single greatest one-year improvement of any sports title in recent history. Their labour of love should be appreciated by all wrestling fans, both casual and hardcore. This game is fun; the commitment to community and the fans is second to none, and our hats are off to them.

WWE Smackdown vs. Raw 2010 is probably the best Smackdown title ever, and deserves the recognition as the most enjoyable wrestling game we’ve played in years.

Cities XL

Ghostbusters

Wii Fit Plus

Namco Bandai/ PC

Atari / PC

Nintedo / Wii

Cities XL is the latest in city-building games, allowing gamers to develop cities on realistic 3D maps using an incredible collection of unique structures. Would-be Mayors must create the right combinations of social services, leisure activities, special events and job opportunities within their cities in order to feed, employ and entertain their citizens.

The game’s online features lets gamers create interconnected cities on virtual and persistent planets. By combining a fantastic single-player game with the multiplayer aspects of an MMO, Cities XL will shape the future of the genre.

Although certain stages and the Ghostbusters HQ are packed with little things to catch the eye, some stages are more than a little rough around the edges. That said, the emphasis is on the ghosts, which come together in a fantastic light extravaganza when you’re struggling to trap them. The same certainly can’t be said about the sound.

Beyond Ray Parker Jr’s iconic theme tune, the game makes heavy use of other classics from the movie soundtrack.

More impressive is the constant chatter throughout and the carefully delivered dialogue during the cut-scenes.

For those who already own Wii Fit and a Balance Board, this is practically a no-brainer. But before you get too excited, this isn’t a new-fangled fully-featured sequel. Wii Fit Plus simply takes what was great about the original Wii Fit, adds a few new bells and whistles, and delivers the consummate version of the workout software for your Nintendo Wii. There are several new exercise routines to choose from, as well as the option to tailor your workouts exactly to your liking. Wii Fit Plus certainly isn’t a full-featured sequel, but at the low price, it’s worth a pickup.

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4/11/2009 9:55:52 a.m.

UNCHARTED 2 AMONG THIEVES (PLAYSTATION 3) Halo 3: ODST is a standalone expansion for the firstperson shooter video game Halo 3. Players assume the roles of elite human United Nations Space Command soldiers known as Orbital Drop Shock Troopers (ODSTs) during the events of Halo 2 and Halo 3. Microsoft has kindly provided us with 2 copies to give away. So get your answers in to us today!

What do the letters ODST stand for?

A) ORANGE DRINK SPILLAGE TRAY B) ONLINE DIGITAL SHEEP TRIMMER C) ORBITAL DROP SHOCK TROOPER

Blood Bowl Focus Home Interactive / 360, PC, PSP, DS

This PSP instalment feels like a shrunken down version of the PC edition, just without the crisp graphics. It keeps all of the game modes like Campaign. However there’s no online; multiplayer is strictly hot seat or ad-hoc only. The graphics are still 3D, but feel as if they are just a lower polygon version of their PC counterpart. It’s still not a bad looking game. If you’re after a handheld version then the PSP version is the way to go, but none of them are as good as the PC version, which feels like it was the focus from the start.

BORDERLANDS (XBOX 360) NFS Shift offers the true drivers experience via simulation physics, unique visual effects and the creative leadership of a real world race driver. We have 3 PS3 copies to giveaway - to enter the draw all you have to do is answer the following question…

What was the title of last year’s NFS release?

A) NEED FOR SPEED UNDERTAKER B) NEED FOR SPEED UNDERPANTS C) NEED FOR SPEED UNDERCOVER

WATCHMEN (DVD) Aion is a visually stunning MMORPG where your character wields devastating powers and sweeping wings to explore a celestial world. We have 3 copies up for grabs so get your answers in to us now and get in the draw.

Who is the publisher of Aion?

A) SEGA B) ACME C) NCSOFT

WET Bethesda Softworks / PS3, Xbox 360

The only slightly unique thing about WET is its overtly OTT style, taking the de rigueur scratched, grainy film treatment utilised by Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino in their Grindhouse movies and plonking it on top of an otherwise workmanlike run and gun shoot ‘em up. Those seeking straightforward, uncomplicated shooting thrills may be able to happily overlook many of the game’s issues and enjoy a solid, fun-filled blast for a good few hours or so.

But anyone looking for something with a bit more substance would do better to search elsewhere.

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How to Enter Write the correct answer, your name and contact details in an e-mail and send it in. All correct entries immediately go into the draw. This month’s winners will be drawn December 10th, 2009. No entries will be accepted after that date; please refrain from flooding our e-mail or you’ll be excluded from this and future draws.

Send e-mail entries to: competitions@tenthplanet.co.nz

4/11/2009 9:56:19 a.m.

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Mad Men: Season 2

The International Starring / Clive Owen, Naomi Watts, Armin Mueller-Stahl, Ulrich Thomsen Director / Tom Tykwer Rating / R16 Running Time / 118 minutes Studio / Sony Pictures Release date / New to retail Reviewer / Adrian Hatwell

German director Tom Tykwar brings his stylish and assured approach to the Hollywood thriller in The International, a taught mystery drowning in big business corruption and moral ambiguity.

The film tracks the desperate struggle of Interpol Agent Louis Salinger (Clive Owen) as he tries to bring one of the world’s most powerful banks to justice for their many crimes. IBBC have positioned themselves as the preferred money laundering and illegal weapon procurement agents for illegitimate despots and terrorist organizations the globe over.

In their untouchable grab for wealth and power the bank have resorted to protection measures that have put them on Salinger’s radar, though proving

Appaloosa Starring / Ed Harris, Viggo Mortensen, Renée Zellweger, Jeremy Irons, Tom Bower Director / Ed Harris Rating / M Running Time / 115 minutes Studio / New Line Cinema Release date / New to retail Reviewer / Adrian Hatwell

They might not be as prevalent or popular as they once were, but a well-made, economic Western is still a thing of beauty. In Appaloosa acting veteran Ed Harris takes up writing and directing duties as well as re-teaming with Viggo Mortensen to tell a tale of principled men in a messy world of moral murk.

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guilt seems to be an unwinnable game.

As the bodies of witnesses and would-be informants begin to pile up, mysteriously killed by unseen forces, Agent Salinger comes to the realisation that his quest might necessitate abandoning the structures of law and order if he is ever to effectively target IBBC. This path of desperation leads the unhinged lawman down an even murkier track, one that might promise cathartic, violent revenge but no true justice for the crimes committed by the sinister institution.

The film is shot in a manner far more beautiful than this type of material is generally treated to, Tykwar’s eye for architectural dynamics make the dumb action scenes a pleasure to watch despite their perfunctory nature.

Owen does well as a figure of understated torment even as he is given some rather hammy lines to choke down, and an underused Naomi Watts ably displays that bankability Hollywood loves her for.

Distinguishing itself from the standard ‘righteous loner vs. Evil Corporation’ formulation, The International isn’t afraid to confront the viewer with utter hopelessness, leading to a conclusion that will no doubt infuriate conventional thriller fans in its frustrating veracity.

Virgil Cole (Harris) and Everett Hitch (Mortensen) are lawmen of a sort, roving gunmen that will kill a town’s baddies stone dead for the right price. The beleaguered town of Appaloosa has both the requisite baddies and price and so begins the stoic gunfighters’ pursuit of evil rancher Randall Bragg (Jeremy Irons).

Bragg’s pretty handy with a rifle, he took out the former sheriff and two of his men just before Cole and Hitch blew into town, but the duo of hired killers are in a league all their own. The gig only becomes complicated when the fetching Allison French (Renée Zellweger) steps off the coach, instantly capturing the heart of a usually unflappable Cole, and complicating his partnership with Hitch.

There’s really only one way this story ends and the film doesn’t mess around trying to trick the viewer

Starring / Jon Hamm, Vincent Kartheiser, Christina Hendricks, January Jones, Elisabeth Moss Creator / Matthew Weiner Rating / M Running Time / Season 2 Studio / Sony Pictures Release date / New to retail Reviewer / Adrian Hatwell

Two seasons in and it is still difficult to know what to do with Mad Men. On the one hand it’s irresistibly stylish, impeccably produced, and cleverly scripted; on the other it’s self-indulgent, smug, and often completely aimless.

There’s no denying its technical proficiency but the only time the show ever really gets under the viewers skin is when it annoys.

In the wake of the first season’s limp conclusion life continues in its usual odious manner at the advertising firm of Sterling Cooper. Creative Director Don Draper is still a dapper, stoic chauvinist, his workmates intolerably entitled pricks, the women harassed and oppressed but still smiling prettily, and the people of colour swept conveniently to the corners. Yes, it’s still the early 60’s in all it’s obvious deficiencies, which we as evolved future people are invited to look back and laugh contemptuously at.

The meandering narrative slowly (so, so slowly) begins to ramp up in tension as the season crawls on, but the events are related in such dethatched, staccato fashion that it’s difficult to commit to a 40-some-minute episode for such little payoff. When the characters are unlikable, the plot moving at glacial speeds, and the tone so troublingly ambivalent it becomes problematic to even appreciate the solid formal elements that the show displays so very proudly.

I believe I’m bowing out of the Mad Men game with this season’s conclusion, there’s plenty to like about the show and Godspeed those still slogging it out, but there’s just too much that isn’t working. I know things were bad in the 60’s but are they really so much better today that all we have left to do is kick back and condemn? Surly there’s plenty of real work left for such an accomplished production to do. Still, pretty title credits though.

into thinking otherwise. Instead the narrative plods rhythmically through its beats, in between giving the accomplished cast screeds of time to completely inhabit their characters. The silent communication between Cole and Hitch is assured, intimate, and a little bit touching. Irons is clearly having a ball being unashamedly devilish (as usual), the only casting misstep is Zellweger who despite her talent never seems to reside in the same world as the other characters.

Then again, Allie French isn’t really supposed to fit into the macho shooters’ world, she’s not the true and virtuous myth that pious lawmen usually get paired with, and that’s where the film draws its wonderful drama from. The gunfights are good, but Appaloosa’s packing a bit more.

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Red Cliff Starring / Chen Chang, Yong Hou, Jun Hu, Takeshi Kaneshiro, Tony Leung Director / John Woo Rating / R Running Time / 146 minutes Studio / Magnolia Films Release date / In Cinemas Reviewer / Adrian Hatwell

Dormant action maverick John Woo returns to his naïve China, recovering from a string of half-hearted Hollywood misfires, with the folkloric Red Cliff. A fantastical histrionic epic, Red Cliff relates the military struggles in the dying days of the Han Empire, chronicling the events that would give rise to the Three Empire period of Chinese history.

In its original form the film clocked in at over four hours long and was cut into two separate releases, but for European audiences Red Cliff has been trimmed down to a sleek 148-minute single release. It’s difficult to say exactly how this has changed the production without the original two-part to compare, certain scenes bare obvious marks of truncation but overall the production survives in respectable condition.

Disgrace Starring / John Malkovich, Paula Arundell, Scott Cooper, Eriq Ebouaney Director / Steve Jacobs Rating / M Running Time / 120 minutes Studio / Independent Release date / In Cinemas Reviewer / Adrian Hatwell

Adapted from J.M. Coetzee’s Booker prize-winning novel, Disgrace is a difficult look at a changing South Africa in the wake of Apartheid’s defeat. The film’s gripping characters walk us into treacherous areas of ethical ambiguity, asking us to suffer along in their brutalities and torment in order to arrive at a distressing, authentic reality.

David Lurie (played exquisitely by John Malkovich) is a fine symbol of white privilege in the recently unified land, not an overt racist nor a truly bad person by any other sin, he is simply wealthy, educated, arrogant, and detached. His unravelling begins when he instigates another of what we assume to have been numerous affairs, this time with a young Indian student, Melanie, from the Romantic Poetry class he teaches at the University of Cape Town.

The affair underscores unspoken lines of power as the deeply unhappy Melanie succumbs to Lurie’s lecherous advances. The teacher proceeds in a cheeky, roguish way seeing the tryst as nothing more than the fulfilment of desire, but in the young woman’s post-coital reaction we see something more sinister; not rape per se, but certainly

The film opens 208 CE during the Eastern Han Dynasty with the devilishly brilliant Prime Minister Cao Cao convincing a spineless emperor to wipe out the rebel armies controlled by the southern warlords Sun Quan and Liu Bei. Outmanned by a huge degree Liu Bei’s army is soon in retreat, so charmingly calm advisor Zhuge Liang is dispatched on a diplomatic mission to foster an alliance with the slightly larger army under Sun Quan.

The slick film blends a fascination military tactics into director Woo’s signature showy, theatrical martial action, striking a fine balance of high-octane battles and quiet character interaction. Eschewing historical realism for the mythic elements that have come to represent that exciting period of Chinese history, Red Cliff weighs its masterfully choreographed battles with elegant, poetic imagery.

Certainly a triumphant return for John Woo, Red Cliff is clearly a pet project in which he has a lot invested and it shows through the film’s tight pacing, absorbing detail, and thundering grandeur; a colossal production of quality and craftsmanship that Hollywood could only dream of.

not the mutual fulfilment of shared desire either.

When the illicit relationship lands Laurie in hot disciplinary water he retreats to the rural homestead of his lesbian daughter, Lucy, recently single and sharing her land with her African farm manager Petrus. It is out in this dangerous, solitary landscape that the analogy of sex, power, and violence is reversed in brutal fashion with Laurie’s daughter becoming the victim of a horrendous crime that the white intellectual will struggle to come to terms with.

The film’s tone slowly but assuredly escalates in its blunt impact, coalescing in scenes of raw and troubling reality.

Disgrace is a hard film to reconcile, all of its characters are relatable and real in their shortcomings, but the disproportionate punishments they are handed by fate are less poetic than an unfortunate and unflinching window into a new South Africa.

The Tudors: Season 2 Starring / Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Henry Cavill, Natalie Dormer, Maria Doyle Kennedy Creator / Michael Hirst Rating / M Running Time / Season 2 Studio / Sony Pictures Release date / New to retail Reviewer / Adrian Hatwell

Lavish costume drama series The Tudors continues its second season in much the same fashion as the first, in love with the detailed trappings of the time but not so much the Historical reality. Rather than sticking strictly to the history book The Tudors takes ample narrative liberties to keep the show sexy, dramatic, and hip - as if history wasn’t at least two of those things to begin with.

Having ditched his last wife, Katherine of Arragon, in favour of the lusty temptress Anne Boleyn, randy King Henry VIII finds himself in hot water with the Catholic Church. His personal indiscretions give way to political wheeling and dealing as the King is declared the Head of the Church of England, a blow to the Catholic’s who refused to grant him a divorce from Katherine and a key instigation in the reformist movement.

The Tudors’ strongest players have always lived among the supporting cast and, despite the lamentable exit of Sam Neil as Cardinal Wolsey, this still holds true for season two. Jeremy Northam steals the initial episodes as doomed Sir Thomas More, torn impossibly between his loyalty for both Henry and the Catholic Church.

The magnificent Peter O’Toole guests as a morally repugnant Bishop of Rome, and James Frain makes for a mesmerizingly Machiavellian Thomas Cromwell, architect of reform.

Unfortunately the show’s leads don’t manage to hold pace with the other characters despite languishing in the spotlight for far longer. Pretty boy Jonathan Rhys Meyers has the physicality for his difficult role but has yet to get under the skin of the deeply complex Henry. So too does Natalie Dormer’s Anne Boleyn look splendid but the audience never accrues the necessary sympathy to care about her unfortunate end.

It looks stunning and is backed by some wonderful talent, but for all its assets The Tudors still tends to slackly meander rather than dash through it’s genuinely exciting historical plot.

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Notorious Starring / Jamal Woolard, Derek Luke, Anthony Mackie, Angela Bassett Director / George Tillman Jr Rating / R16 Running Time / 91 minutes Studio / 20th Century Fox Release date / New to retail Reviewer / Adrian Hatwell

Robot Chicken Star Wars Episode 2 Starring / Carrie Fisher, Amy Smart, Billy Dee Williams, Seth MacFarlane, Seth Green Creator / Seth Green Rating / PG Running Time / 48 minutes Studio / Madman Release date / New to retail Reviewer / Adrian Hatwell

Despite convincing myself of the project’s loathsome blasphemy before viewing, Robot Chicken’s Star Wars special turned out to be an irresistibly funny medley of gags tailored to the rampant Star Wars fan inherent in all sensible people. That said, going back to that self same well a second time couldn’t possibly be anything but an act of daft desperation, right?

I’ll have to eat my preconceptions once again, but to a lesser degree; the geeks behind Robot Chicken still manage to find novel material satirising the sixepisode epic, though the freshness is inevitably tapering. As always, come in expecting shonky animation, stay out if you’re not a Star Wars fan, and just hope the niche humour suits.

The nature of the gags, having characters act

Food, Inc. Starring / Michael Pollan, Eric Schlosser Director / Robert Kenner Rating / R16 Running Time / 94 minutes Studio / Magnolia Release date / New to retail Reviewer / Adrian Hatwell

This is the latest in a growing body of work essaying the insidious process behind the global food industry and while Food, Inc might not be one of the genre greats, the information contained within is something every feeding member of society should be aware of.

Based largely around the investigative novels Fast Food Nation and The Omnivore’s Dilemma, by Eric Schlosser and Michael Pollan respectively, the film delivers a

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completely differently or extrapolating the roles of minor players, leads to a hit and miss playlist of set pieces. Palpatine once again steals the show when reimaged as a disappointed father or employer having to put up with the continuous bumbling of the inept Sith Lord. Yoda’s speech gets a thorough bollocking by a stressed out clone trooper, and the Universe’s overlooked cadre of bounty hunters are given some amusing personalities of their own, all to great effect.

Not quite so effective is the awkward dinner between the traitorous Lando, Vader, and his Rebel captives, which veers a little close to Family Guy-esque stupidity to remain cute. Still, anything that both starts and ends with the massacre of an entire village of annoying little Ewoks automatically earns a fair bit of leeway.

As with the first Star Wars special, Robot Chicken: Star Wars Episode II clocks in at a meagre 38 minutes, so it would have been nice if the two were included together on the one disc. Even so, there’s an astounding amount of playful cleverness squeezed into the slight running time all culled from a subject any sane person would have considered well dried up by now, which is a fine achievement in itself.

detailed and unflinching look at food production with a welcomely anti-big business bent.

From the cruel genetic engineering of poultry to the exploitation of undocumented workers, from cripplingly unfair corporate business practices to the fatal impact on consumers, the documentary probes every nasty nook of industrialised food production weaving a compelling net of sin and avarice. Uncritical eaters of fast food, meat, processed goods, and inorganic produce would do well to start their education with Food, Inc, and prepare to be unsettled.

Those with a more rigorous investment in their diet will find less of value in the film despite agreeing with its general sentiment. As is the nature of populist polemics like this, or An Inconvenient Truth before it, the conclusions the film eventually draws resist anything too radical so as not to alienate a moderate audience.

While this might make for an accessible watch it does hinder the overall impact of the argument, in which going vegetarian, boycotting exploitative mega-chains, and taking action beyond ‘voting with your dollar’ are a little too fringe to really be considered.

However, the net effect of Food, Inc is overwhelmingly positive, quibbles over details aside, and the wider an audience it can reach then all the better. The truth behind what we eat has been obfuscated behind corporate treachery and wilful apathy for far too long, and the film is a nice primer for an ongoing education in conscious consumption.

Since the rise of Gangster Rap in popular culture the imposing image of rapper Biggie Smalls has loomed large, from the boastful, deviant character crafted in his rhymes to his unfortunate and unsolved murder at age 24. His story is well known to most of a certain age but it doesn’t transform easily into a satisfying feature film.

The production’s biggest hurdle comes in the fact that, despite humble beginnings and genuine talent, Christopher ‘Biggie’ Wallace wasn’t a particularly likable fellow. The film doesn’t take the route of brutal reality, in fact it’s rather sugar-coated, but even under such soft light the story can’t help but scratch a fair amount of autobiographical nastiness.

As a rotund schoolboy Wallace decides he wants to run with the big boys and begins selling drugs on the street corner, eventually rising through the illicit ranks and becoming quite a player. While there’s nothing repugnant about the fledgling rapper using crime as a springboard to success, we see him doing so in such a callous way (remorselessly selling crack to a pregnant woman at one point) that there’s little he can do later in the game to atone for such behaviour.

Endemic of the culture in which he had become royalty, Biggie also had problems respecting women.

He was unfaithful on an Olympic level, fathering two children to different women while having his way with a menagerie of floozies in between. He neglects his children, abuses his partners and we are asked to simply forgive him because, y’know, it’s a hustle.

Unfortunate choice of hero aside, Notorious is a solid biopic; it hits all the history points asked for, reproduces the glitzy excess and dingy underground faithfully, and one couldn’t hope for a more clonelike imitation of the man himself than Jamal Woolard’s dead ringer performance.

Starring / Kevin Connolly, Adrian Grenier, Kevin Dillon, Jerry Ferrara, Jeremy Piven Creator / Doug Ellin Rating / R16 Running Time / Season 5 Studio / Warner Bros Release date / New to retail Reviewer / Adrian Hatwell

I never could understand the hype surrounding Entourage and season five really cements the feeling that it’s all just an egocentric waste of time. Following his slow rise to Hollywood heavy-hitter the golden boy from Queens, Vincent Chase, continues to lead his band of unlikable hangers-on through a series of beenthere, done-that show biz fantasies.

After a big budget gamble leaves Vince’s career in tatters the season kicks off with the promise of some real character development as the fallen star faces ruin and the prospect of battling his way back up the ladder.

As usual, however, the show squanders any potential dramatic energy by returning all characters to their irritating status quo within a few episodes.

If this really is the faithful look at Hollywood life that it is often proffered to be then that seems like an awfully

Welcome to the Dollhouse Starring / Heather Matarazzo, Eric Mabius, Ken Leung, Brendan Sexton III Creator / Todd Solondz Rating / M Running Time / 87 minutes Studio / Beyond Home Entertainment Release date / New to retail Reviewer / Adrian Hatwell

Director Todd Solondz came to indie film prominence with Welcome to the Dollhouse, but it was a film that almost didn’t exist. After enduring unending studio interference with his first attempted feature five years previous to 1995’s Dollhouse Solondz swore off filmmaking altogether. He was only coaxed back into the craft when a friend offered to fund the project and ensured he could do everything his way; the result is an unquestionable triumph.

Probing the unhappy underbelly of Middleclass America, Welcome to the Dollhouse recounts, in unflinching detail, the nightmare that growing up unpopular can be by following perennial victim Dawn “Weiner Dog” Weiner, a gawky, toothy, awkward young outcast played to the bone by a brilliant Heather Matarazzo.

We see poor Dawn lust confusedly after an older hunk who isn’t just uninterested but almost physically unable to even register the unformed female as a presence.

Not so with troubled youth Brandon who translates his uncertain affection for Dawn into simple hostility, tormenting the girl at every turn and even arranging an appointment at which he threatens to ‘rape her’. We’re

stagnant town, everybody just keeps running into the same boring problems time and again. Vince runs out of money, Drama is small-time, Eric’s whiney and submissive, Turtle’s a waste of carbon matter that can never find someone to rub up against, and Ari is so stupidly successful no matter how much of a racist, sexist, homophobic dick he is that it almost seems like he wrote these episodes himself. After five seasons I no longer care how awesome it is to be rich, white, famous guys.

As ever, the strongest element of the show is the good-natured guest appearances. For this season Tony Bennett, the ladies of The View, Jeffrey Tambor, Frank Darabont, Jason Patric, Gus Van Sant, and Martin Scorsese all make cameo appearances far more interesting than any of the core characters.

Hypocritically, for a show that so savagely mocked actor Seth Rogen’s unlikely pairings with beautiful actresses, this season sees fat, horrible Turtle hook up with Jamie-Lynn Sigler (AKA Meadow Soprano) in one of the most unbelievable screen pairing imaginable.

Whatever the show seemed to have in its cocky first steps it has most assuredly lost this far down the repetitious track.

not sure he even knows what that means and Dawn quite happily attends the date where nothing of the like happens; a dicey scene that could have only worked when handled as smartly and sharply as it is here.

Unlike so many Hollywood films that claim to examine the unpleasantness of formative school days, Dollhouse is unrelenting in its emotional honesty sparing no instance of cruelty, abuse, exclusion, and neglect both suffered and inflicted by the unfortunate protagonist. The film’s biggest success is that even while wallowing in this difficult material it can still be damn near hilarious at times; the sign of truly great socially conscious satire.

Welcome to the Dollhouse is a true independent American classic and it’s fantastic to finally have the DVD back in production.

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Entourage: Season 5

Green Lantern: First Flight Starring / Christopher Meloni, Victor Garber, Michael Madsen, John Laroquette (Voices) Director / Lauren Montgomery Rating / M Running Time / 77 minutes Studio / Warner Bros Release date / New to retail Reviewer / Adrian Hatwell

Of DC’s big comic book heroes Green Lantern is probably the one I’m least familiar with, so this slick animated origin yarn is ideally suited to my curious yet ignorant self. Fans of the character will probably dig the respectful treatment but are unlikely to be wowed by anything new.

Hotshot test pilot Hal Jordan is rudely yanked off mission one fateful flight when a dying alien crashlands in his vicinity. The mortally wounded stranger is a member of the Green lantern Corps, an elite interstellar police force tasked with keeping things hunky dory across the cosmos. With his dying breaths Abin Sur explains that his amazing weapon, the Green Lantern power ring, has chosen Hal to become his successor in the Corps.

The rest of the Lantern troopers, along with their diminutive demigod bosses The Guardians, distrust the human race and are unsure of Hal’s worthiness, but hot tempered veteran Sinestro sees potential in the ‘earth boy’ and takes him under his heavy-handed wing. Of course with a name like ‘Sinestro’ you don’t have to be Batman to deduce that there’s something rotten brewing in the halls of the space precinct.

Intergalactic heroes have always been my least favourite variety and First Flight touches on a few reasons why. For one thing the characters all deal in such immense yet totally vague levels of power.

The Green Lanterns basically have the ability to conjure anything they can imagine, though mostly their creativity is limited to oversized tools or generic energy bursts, which will sometimes blow a hole clear through someone’s chest and at other times just knock them about a bit.

Inconsistencies aside, the Sci-Fi action romp is good fun, it might lack the star voices of previous DC features but the acting is top notch and the production design, when not insisting on ugly 3D, looks suitably dynamic.

First Flight is great primer for the Lantern mythos.

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Revanche Starring / Johannes Krisch, Irina Potapenko, Andreas Lust, Johannes Thanheiser Director / Götz Spielmann Rating / R18 Running Time / 117 minutes Studio / Independent Release date / In Cinemas Reviewer / Julie Gray

Revanche is a bit of a mixed-up movie. It blends elements of drama and romance with a few thrills along the way. So it’s kinda hard to really pin down.

The movie focuses on a prostitute and her boyfriend.

The boyfriend, Alex, is desperately trying to figure out a way to get him and his girlfriend out of the city and away from the violent and degrading lifestyle she is caught up in as a working girl from the Ukraine in Austria. Alex’s plan is to rob a bank and make a fast getaway out of the country but his plans are thrown asunder when tragedy hits and he finds himself now

Shinjuku Incident Starring / Jackie Chan, Naoto Takenaka, Daniel Wu, Masaya Katô, Jinglei Xu Director / Tung-Shing Yee Rating / R16 Running Time / 120 minutes Studio / Independent Release date / In Cinemas Reviewer / Julie Gray

Jackie Chan - you either love him or hate him.

Regardless of whether Jackie’s penchant for mixing comedy with action and martial arts is your thing, there’s no denying that he definitely has presence on screen. It’s a big leap for any actor to work outside their

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torn between running for his life or revenge.

Revanche seemed to move along at an awkward pace, with sporadic intervals of intense action dumbed down by some poor acting (mostly by Alex’s girlfriend) and what seemed like unnecessary dialogue between some of the characters. The other two main characters in the movie are a police officer and his wife who are brought into the lives of Alex and his girlfriend by mere coincidence. Although the dramatic sense of something awful happening is always there and the director has done a great job of building this atmosphere into the movie, you don’t really get enough time to feel attached to the characters and therefore, the intensity is somewhat lost on some really well-acted scenes.

The nudity and violence has given Revanche an R18 rating which is definitely well suited given the subject matter but it’s nothing too over the top. Probably a good idea not to watch with the young ones around or people sensitive to this sort of content.

comfort zone and act in a serious role when comedy is their forte, but Jackie does pretty solid work in this.

Shinjuku Incident features Jackie Chan as ‘Steelhead’, an illegal immigrant from China who has come to Japan to find work and marry his sweetheart. After his girlfriend moves to the city to pursue a better life, Steelhead begins to worry after not hearing from her in months and eventually, follows her. The city is one big, bad place and unfriendly to foreigners. Steelhead soon finds that his girlfriend has become ‘Japanese’ now and has not only given up her immigrant Chinese identity but has married a prominent Yakuza boss.

Things go from bad to worse when Steelhead shacks up with his family member, Jie who teaches him how

I Know You Know starring / Robert Carlyle, Arron Fuller, David Bradley, Claire Cage, Daniel Flynn Director / Justin Kerrigan Rating / M Running Time / 81 minutes Studio / Independent Release date / In Cinemas Reviewer / Julie Gray

I Know You Know is a cleverly written story about a man and his son who seem to be leading very secretive lives, flying around the world in private jets and driving around in fancy, expensive cars. The character of Charlie played by the excellent actor Robert Carlyle, seems to be a pretty straightforward kind of guy that just happens to have a very irregular job. Charlie it seems is a spy pretending to be a ‘travel agent’.

The reality of what’s really going on doesn’t hit you until well into the last half of the movie. Talk about an unsuspecting twist. Robert Carlyle’s acting simply cannot be faulted. Newcomer Aaron Fuller who plays Charlie’s son, Jamie, is also great in his pivotal, if not somewhat small part alongside Carlyle.

I Know You Know is a very small, independent movie that you’d more than likely miss on the DVD shelf but one that you should really make an effort to see. Robert Carlyle’s acting is essentially what makes this movie so watchable and his effortless, dramatic portrayal of Charlie is a powerful performance.

I Know You Know may fool you at first, but it’s a nice way to be lead astray - with a twist in the story that will definitely be well worth the watch. Filmed in the ‘not so sunny’ habitat of Wales, the dreary landscape seems to compliment the theme of the movie beautifully and helps to set the atmospheric mood of this intense little gem of a drama just perfectly.

the immigrant Chinese live in Shinjuku. A life of crime suddenly becomes Steelhead’s only path forward and it seems there’s very little reprieve for anyone involved. Mob fights and vicious brawling (minus the martial arts) ensue between power-hungry gang factions and Steelhead finds himself right in the middle of it all.

It’s also interesting to note that Jackie Chan is credited as Executive Producer on this movie, which may or may not be a good thing. Shinjuku Incident is definitely a shift forward in my eyes for Mr Chan and it might be a while yet before we see serious roles becoming Chan’s bread and butter. But overall, it wasn’t too bad, if you can stomach watching Jackie being ‘serious’ for once.

ALSO OUT King Lear One of Shakespeare’s more broadly interpreted works is rendered by one of our time’s most masterful Shakespearian actors, Sir Ian McKellen. A winding and wonderfully weird cautionary tale of life past one’s prime, King Lear as directed

by Trevor Nunn and filmed for television

by PBS is superlative.

NEW GERMAN CINEMA BOXSET Inspired by the pioneers of European art cinema and determined to confront their nation’s difficult past, the filmmakers that came to comprise the New German Cinema were agents of provocation, poetry, and passion. This box set, containing seminal works Yella, Four Minutes, and Sophie Scholl is indispensable and great value.

THE WRESTLER The Vintner’s Luck Starring / Jérémie Renier, Gaspard Ulliel, Vera Farmiga, Keisha Castle-Hughes Director / Niki Caro Rating / M Running Time / 120 minutes Studio / Acajou Films Release date / In Cinemas (Nov 12th) Reviewer / Adrian Hatwell

Local author Elizabeth Knox’s angelic winemaking opus comes to the screen care of director Niki Caro (Whale Rider), its lavish, nuanced narrative broadly pruned though dressed up splendidly in elaborate costuming, finely acted, and ultimately entertaining for the duration.

Set in 19th Century France, The Vintner’s Luck chronicles the life of winemaking peasant Sobran and his unlikely rise to Vintner supreme. Born into a grape picking family, the earnest young worker is relentlessly driven by two goals - to marry fetching young peasant girl Celeste and to concoct the perfect wine. Both passions become dramatically more likely when, one drunken night, Sobran strikes up an unlikely friendship with an angel.

Badjelly the Witch Starring / N/A Director / N/A Rating / PG Running Time / 51 minutes Studio / BBC Release date / New to retail Reviewer / Adrian Hatwell

A book I remember fondly from childhood, as scary as it was intriguing at the time, Spike Milligan’s Badjelly the Witch is about as classic as modern children’s titles come. The BBC-produced video version of the story has never been readily available until now (and still isn’t outside of Australasia, I don’t think) so fans both young and old should be very keen indeed to get their hands on this DVD. Badjelly the Witch is the tale of youngsters Tim and Rose who go on a quest through a forbidding dark forest to rescue their missing cow, Lucy. On their curious trail they come across al kinds of enchanted creatures, including the generous goblin Binkle-bonk, the ferociously squeaky tin lion, the unfortunate banana cursed into the form of Dinglemouse, Jim the giant Eagle, and Dulboot the multieyed giant. And worst of all, of course, being Badjelly, the baddest witch in the world.

The film follows Sobran as the years tick by, we see him marry and have children, go off to fight a war, return to grow his own grapes, lose children, become a favoured worker at the manor, rise through the impenetrable winemaking ranks, and experience deep personal betrayal, all the while meeting with his beautiful, impossible angelic friend once a year.

Perhaps the biggest disappointment, as a fan of the novel, comes in the tragic underuse of the angel, Xas. His relationship with Sobran, the very linchpin of the story, plays out as an afterthought to both of the winemaker’s female interests in the film.

As such some of the most interesting, metaphysical elements of the novel have been necessarily cut, resulting in the relationship’s climax lacking any sort of impact at all, first in a weirdly abstract bit of lovemaking and finally in a completely off-screen removal of celestial wings.

Knox’s wonderful story isn’t an easy adaptation and Caro has made some tough but logical cuts.

Existing fans are likely to feel let down by the omissions, but as a discrete work the film holds as a textured, consistent romantic tale.

Inspired by the pioneers of European art cinema and determined to confront their nation’s difficult past, the filmmakers that came to comprise the New German Cinema were agents of provocation, poetry, and passion. This box set, containing seminal works Yella, Four Minutes, and Sophie Scholl is indispensable and great value.

ERASERHEAD David Lynch’s feature debut is finally available in New Zealand on DVD for a reasonable price in all its surreal glory.

The screeching nightmare world of Eraserhead is not an easy place to live, the life of Henry Spencer is nothing to be envied, but the film is just too fascinating not to be endured and if you haven’t yet then you really should.

THE GROCER’S SON Another sweet example of the French predilection to warm, personal filmmaking, the Grocer’s Son tells the story of an estranged son returning to his small home village to begrudgingly take over his ailing father’s business.

Gorgeous scenery and a wonderful score accompany the unassuming, feel-good narrative.

MY YEAR WITHOUT SEX The original book was entirely hand-written and drawn by Milligan himself and in an effort to replicate that sort of authorship the video production feature live-action footage of Spike reading the book and interacting with the characters. He draws the world to life, offers helpful advise to the wayward travellers, and even intervenes in the role of god when Badjelly gets too out of hand (which is a nice touch considering the BBC removed all mention of god from their radio version, not wanting the deity associated with witchcraft, goblins and the like).

The tale is infused with Milligan’s dark sense of humour which makes it a favourite for parents and perhaps a little traumatic for the youngest audience; fret not, however, as things end happily for everyone that deserves it. It’s no substitute for the book itself, but this DVD will make a wonderful supplement to any family collection.

The set doesn’t actually claim that the four episodes here represent the best of what the show had to offer, but with some 190 episodes to choose from you wouldn’t think it would be hard to assemble four that really knocked it out of the park. Even so, the DVD set makes for a nice primer on the bygone phenomenon; hopefully those that enjoy the taste will have further DVD sets to look forward to in the future.

An odious Australian ‘dramedy’ that is neither dramatic nor funny, My Year Without Sex paints a wholly depressing picture of suburban Aussie without really meaning to. Everyday trials and tribulations are ceaselessly annoying and the cloying updraft simply fails to buoy audience spirits at all.

SHOWGIRLS Possibly boasting the feature film record for boobs per second, Paul Verhoeven’s trashy classic gets a welcome, if not particularly deserved DVD re-release.

Showgirls is fun, trashy, over-acted, wonderfully base, and totally deserving of its ’95 Razzies for Worst Picture and Worst Director (which Verhoeven actually turned up to accept).

THE READER Opening in a post-WWII Germany, The Reader relates the affair of teenager Michael Berg and mysterious older woman Hanna, a tryst that ends as suddenly and bafflingly as it began.

Eight years later the couple meet again under very different conditions in this gripping examination of justice and intergenerational responsibility.

NOW SHOWING

NOW SHOWING

Tools of Destruction I

‘ve always liked weird weapons. Right from when I was a little kid making crazy contraptions out of LEGO to pouring over history books of World War II relics, they’ve always interested me. I’m sure I wasn’t the only kid that wanted to have a super realistic version of my favourite “tool of destruction” to take to school.

So fast forward thirty years and imagine how stoked I was when the chance to work with Insomniac Games (the brains behind the Ratchet & Clank Series) and Weta Workshops on a weapon design competition for Kiwi gamers and designers came up (Ed – see news section in this issue).

This exciting opportunity inspired a bit of a trip down (distant) memory lane and got me thinking about the cool games I’ve played over the years and how much the virtual weapons we get to wield on our gaming consoles have advanced so much.

My own video game experience started waaaaay back when the first Space Invaders machines arrived in New Zealand. Now as far as weapons go, the single laser canon you controlled (and that fired about once every three seconds) is not going to make too many favourite gaming weapons lists but it was a start. Galaga appeared shortly thereafter and all of a sudden you could join two ships together and the rate of fire had picked up too. Then along came Defender came with a ‘Smart Bomb’ and things were really starting to look up!

For me though it was the team from ID, with their classic first person shooter Doom, which really got things going.

I mean the shotgun was handy but how good was the

BFG 9000? And the ID team didn’t stop there with the weapons from Quake making it on to dozens of top video game weapons list.

But just when you thought that you’d seen it all Insomniac put an entirely new spin on weapon design by ratcheting up (pun intended) the laughs and creativity level. With classic weapons like the ‘Sheepinator’ (that turns targeted enemies into sheep) and the ‘Groovitron Glove’ (that fires disco balls that make each of your enemies dance) Insomniac took weapon design to an entirely different and more family friendly place.

And even though there seems to be something deeply satisfying about unloading a clip into a cyber zombie or two I reckon it would be even more satisfying to have your own weapon design selected by Brian Allgeier and a one-off creation made by the Oscar winning special effects wizards at Weta so it could sit on your mantle piece.

So start designing your own ultimate weapon. You never know, but your LEGO creations from years gone by could be brought to life by some of the most highly regarded creative people on the planet.

I

Paul Gunn - PR guy for PlayStation in New Zealand and an ‘Old Skool’ gamer.

ts AAA blockbuster season coming right up and Gamefreaks will be in the thick of it. Assassin’s Creed 2 features as the cover for the next edition and it promises to take everything that made the original good, and fix the stuff that made it naff leaving us with a must have title. Set during Renaissance era Italy, yet another descendant of our present day hero by-passes crumbling desert cities and crossbows and finds himself engrossed in the meticulously crafty architecture of the time and dodging heavy shot from old style pistols.

Speaking of must have titles, the one predicted to outsell them all is due shortly too. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is all set to continue the near future battles against far right Russian Nationalists. Considering the previous game still rides high on most played on-line games lists and is also crafted by original Call of Duty developers Infinity Ward, we’re not going to disagree with the prediction – highest selling game of 2009!

The one which has me excited the most on a personal level however is Dragon Age. Created by one of my favorite developers – Bioware, this epic fantasy RPG is said to be in many ways a spiritual successor to the long missed Baldur’s Gate games. When it comes to crafting a polished and engrossing store Bioware (Mass Effect) knows few equals.

There’s plenty more too; we’re keen to get our paws on the new PS3 exclusive Ratchet& Clank: A Crack in Time; Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising provides a counter point to COD by being downright realistic and appropriately hard. Meanwhile fighting fans finally get to taste the new Tekken 6, which for the first time has moved from its Playstation roots to become a multiplatform title.

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“‰”, “PlayStation”, “ ”, “ ” and “ ” are trademarks or registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. “ ” is a registered trademark of Sony Corporation. LittleBigPlanet ©2009 Sony Computer Entertainment Europe. Published by Sony Computer Entertainment Europe. Developed by SCEE Studio Cambridge. LittleBigPlanet is a trademark or a registered trademark of Sony Computer Entertainment Europe. All rights reserved. *Broadband internet service required. Users are responsible for broadband access fees. Charges apply for some content. PlayStation®Network and PlayStation®Store subject to terms of use and not available in all countries and languages. Users under 18 require parental consent. SCE2068\TBWA

YOUR ADVENTURES. YOUR IDEAS. YOUR COMMUNITY.

YOUR WHOLE WORLD IN YOUR HANDS

Sackboy has gone portable with 30 new levels in 7 totally fresh environments. Create and customise your own personal levels on the go, whenever inspiration strikes. You can download* the creations of other players or upload and share your own levels with the world.

Start playing with everything, everywhere, with LittleBigPlanet on the PSP™.

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4/11/2009 9:59:50 a.m.

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