Monday, 15 August 2011
Henry Dowling
Rainbow Studios is back behind the handlebars of the MX vs ATV series, looking to build on the success of last years rough but endearing MX vs ATV: Reflex. That game had its flaws, but more than made up for it by giving us a wealth of race options, an intuitive control system and a fantastic track deformation mechanic which made each race different from the last. MX vs ATV: Alive takes what Reflex delivered and refines the overall experience - better handling, smoother graphics and sleeker presentation. But at the same time, this latest franchise entry has taken a gigantic step backwards, dishing up what is effectively a ‘work in progress’ instead of a full game ...
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Wednesday, 10 August 2011
Castro Ntsebeza
Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication. It is with this idea in mind that Shadow Planet Productions (Fuelcell Games & Gagne International) crafted their action adventure slash shooter, Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet. The game takes place on a planet that has been infested by a dark, evil and hostile force. This parasitic entity rained down on the unsuspecting planet and rapidly consumed all life. Manning his/her trusty spaceship, the player must purify the infestation and liberate the planet. It is a simple premise and an even simpler introduction, and yet it successfully establishes the setting, the story and the motivation of the protagonist ...
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Monday, 08 August 2011
Henry Dowling
As far as adjectives go, being called "satisfying" isn't generally considered a wildly enthusiastic compliment. I doubt it's a word that game developers choose as a benchmark for their projects, preferring to hear the likes of "awe-inspiring" or "sublime" associated with what they have created. Yet in the case of Obsidian's action RPG Dungeon Siege 3, "satisfying" is the word which most accurately describes the experience, and it's meant in the most positive manner possible. Just about every element, from the story to the combat, is handled in a straightforward but pleasantly entertaining way. All of these bits and pieces together result in a Western RPG which doesn't try very hard, but should leave you feeling... well, satisfied ...
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Tuesday, 02 August 2011
Henry Dowling
It must say something about the nature of man that we seem so interested in playing God. Something in our bones yearns to create, manipulate and destroy. Whether it’s building sandcastles on the beach or maintaining an earthworm colony for a school project, there’s something inherently empowering and entertaining about building a world and watching it evolve. This human trait is the the reason for the existence of the god-game genre - a once popular genre which hasn’t been getting much attention of late - and as such it forms the premise for From Dust, the Xbox LIVE Arcade title from the mind of Another World creator Eric Chahi ...
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Friday, 22 July 2011
Henry Dowling
In a world that includes the likes of the Elder Scrolls series, and more modern cousins like Fallout 3, a role-playing game can’t really get away with being average if it wants to pull in the crowds. The original Two Worlds was just that - average, and as such it failed to ignite the passion of most role-playing connoisseurs. Still, there were a couple of innovative ideas which showed potential, so no one is going to blame developer Reality Pump for giving it another go with Two Worlds II. This time around the Polish team have delivered a more solid fantasy role-playing experience, although once again it is in dire need of a serious polish ...
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Wednesday, 06 July 2011
Henry Dowling
Microsoft has been slapping the “Better with Kinect” tag line across all Kinect-enabled titles with reckless abandon since day one. But, if we’re brutally honest, how many of these games have been genuinely enhanced by the use of motion control beyond what is possible with a standard controller? We’ve flailed our arms wildly to (unsuccessfully) drive a car; we’ve flapped around like enthusiastic seagulls to play virtual beach volleyball - fun for the moment, but hardly the ‘Minority Report’ moments we all wished for. The underlying perception that many gamers are left with after a Kinect session is that we are dealing with a gimmick, not an essential addition to the gaming experience. Now, with Kinect’s first birthday a few months away, we may just have our first ‘killer app’ for Microsoft’s beloved peripheral: Tetsuya Mizuguchi’s Child of Eden, a game which, more than almost any other, truly deserves to be called “Better with Kinect” ...
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Monday, 27 June 2011
Henry Dowling
If you’ve accidentally stumbled into a gym recently there is a very good chance that you would have spotted a group of sweaty people, mostly of the fairer sex, bumping and grinding along happily in what they call a Zumba class. Never heard of it? Neither had I. But the word on the street is that Zumba is all the rage in alternative fitness these days; a blend of Latin dancing and aerobic exercise that gets the body moving in all kinds of undignified ways. It’s been taking the fitness world by storm, spawning countless workout DVDs, a line of clothing, and a string of Zumba training facilities dotting the globe. Now, to take this Latin-infused dance party to the next phase of world domination, we have Zumba Fitness for Xbox 360 Kinect, a workout game that is bound to have gamers red faced in no time.. ...
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Monday, 20 June 2011
Stephan Landman
After 14 long years of waiting, Duke Nukem Forever has finally arrived. It's the sequel to the classic Duke Nukem 3D, first released way back in 1996. At the time I was 14 and Duke Nukem Forever has been on my most anticipated games list since it was first announced in 1997. After developer 3D Realms closed down, DNF was handed over to Gearbox Software, who, instead of building a new game from scratch, took the riskier approach of building on what was already there, even hiring former 3D Realms developers to aid in their task. What this means is that Duke Nukem Forever is the game we've been hearing about and saw in screenshots, trailers and demos, over the years, at least, in some form ...
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Monday, 20 June 2011
Henry Dowling
Over the years the Xbox 360 controller has been through a number of facelifts. Besides changes to the standard issue controllers, moving from white to black, there have also been quite a few Limited or Special Editions doing the rounds - Halo has a few; Fable III has one; there’s a red one for Resident Evil - and most of these were only cosmetically different from the base model. It’s a pity then that there has always been something inherently troublesome about that base model: an imprecise d-pad. Now, to prove that Microsoft really does listen to its audience, albeit five years on, here we have the solution - the new Xbox 360 Special Edition Controller with transforming d-pad ...
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Monday, 13 June 2011
Henry Dowling
The underbelly of 1940’s Los Angeles is sicker than it seems. Crime and corruption run rampant while sleazy drug pushers and filthy rich Hollywood executives take advantage of the poor and misguided on every turn. In the wake of World War II the American dream is being stretched thin as the man on the street tries to make his way in the world by whatever means necessary. These are dirty streets, and the city needs good men to clean up the mess, but good men are few and far between. And so it’s left to our hero, Detective Cole Phelps - a straight-laced decorated war veteran making a name for himself in the city - to carry the weight. This is the backdrop, the naked canvas that Team Bondi and Rockstar Games have used to as a playground to create what must be a milestone achievement in game design: L.A. Noire ...
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