A lot of hyperbole gets written about videogames. I’m no stranger to this, I’ll admit, even I succumb to the odd hyperbolic statement, every now and then. But Journey’s reception has been nothing short of nauseating. Again, as I stated in my original review, Journey is a good game, it’s just not that spectacular. And, if I’m honest, it’s actually a little boring, which is saying something for a game which only last two hours (at the max).

I think part of the reason Journey has been so popular with the fanboys (and girls), is because it’s one of those games that many will argue, validates their favourite pastime. And Christ, don’t gamers love to feel that their past-time is legitimate and validated.

Yes, I’m referring to the videogames as art debate. Gamers leap upon any artistic title that comes along (like this), squealing that this is it, “fuck you Roger Ebert, videogames are art – so there!” And for the record, no of course Journey isn’t art, don’t be so stupid! Videogames are not art. No videogame to date, can be classified as art, although there are some games, which certainly have merit, and I include Journey in this category, but it sits alongside far more ambitious and rewarding titles, games like; Dear Esther; Flower & even Bastion.

So. There you go. You’re wrong and I’m right. Fact! Journey isn’t art and at best, it’s only a mediocre videogame. I’ve played Journey eight times now and rather predictably, it hasn’t got any better. But thinking about it and playing it through again, all tell me one thing. The populace is wrong. Journey is nothing more than an average platformer – albeit one which doesn’t require any real skill. I will however concede, once again, that it does indeed, have excellent art direction, but that’s it.

Anyway, the rambling stops here, below are some topics relating to Journey, in which I further explain my eloquent argument for Journey’s classification as mediocre. Enjoy!

Narrative

If Journey’s narrative does have any potency, then it is through its sparsity and its considered manipulation of the player. A friend recently explained to me why he felt Journey resonated (with him). He said it was because of the silence in the cut scenes, the expressionless characters (sock puppets), and of course, the beautiful but uninhabitable environments. Therefore the emotional experiences, that so many gamers speak of, comes from their personal projection or ‘connection’ to their avatar. This is a valid point, and one I can appreciate, but it was not my experience.

Journey offers an interpretive narrative, one which can be projected upon, but put simply; Journey is about a pilgrimage, a pilgrimage to find a place to live, and to leave behind the sock puppet’s barren world. A game which does precisely this and in actual fact, is extremely comparative, is Bastion. It is a game which clearly understands how to successfully craft an ‘end of the world’ narrative, but in a far more ambitious and creative way, through its use of voice-over.

Thus far Bastion’s storytelling has been unparalleled and it makes wonderful use of both implicit and explicit narrative hues. Now I’m not suggesting that I wanted a VO in Journey, but in short, I wanted my bones to be a little fleshier. I would have appreciated a little more narrative exposition, ideally concerning the lost civilisation.

Controls & Interactivity

Thatgamecompany have a thing for refined controls, controls which mirror their stripped down ethos. For a great example of this, look no further than the far more intriguing, Flower; a game where you guide various petals caught in the wind, by tilting your SIXAXIS controller and holding down any button. Journey however, is far more complicated, or rather it isn’t, by reducing the players controls or ability to interact with their world, thatgamecompany have made a rather boring platform game. But clearly the three fingered amongst you have persevered.

For a medium which is championed, largely because of its ability to offer interactivity, there isn’t much in the way of interaction in Journey. You can make your sock puppet shout (and a funny symbol appears) and you can guide your little dude around, but that’s about it. Wow!

In making Journey, thatgamecompany have created a title which barely requires any input, or skill, and thus negates the mediums most important element; interaction. Sadly, all you need to do, is turn up and waggle your analogue stick, which actually isn’t a reference to your stubby little penis. And it is little, your mother told me.

Multiplayer

And finally we come to Multiplayer, the elephant in the room. Didn’t discuss this in my review at all and for one MASSIVE reason. This isn’t a multiplayer game. “WRONG!” I hear you cry, but just hear me out. Ask yourself this, what quantifies Journey as a multiplayer game? If you think walking side-by-side with another sock puppet, with almost no means of actual interaction, then yes, you might say Journey is a multiplayer game, but it’s a rubbish one. When it comes to multiplayer, I want a little more interaction between me and the other players, other than just shouting at one another. I prefer to do that with real friends, and face to face, whilst brandishing a plunger, a tube of vagisil and some gauze.

“Oh, but then there was this one time when this one dude led me away from danger“. Whoop-de- fucking-do! The ability for one player to lead any other player around, does not make for an interesting interactive experience and it barely qualifies as multiplayer. Some people have said, it’s the multiplayer that defines the ‘experience’ and those people are correct – it’s mind crushingly fucking boring! And yes, I’ve had yeast infections that have provided me with more amusement.

When I came across (and not in the facial sense) another player and the twirp started shouting at me, my first thought was to run away, but my second thought was; if these symbols were subtitled, I’d bet they’d read like the dialogue spoken by the vultures from The Jungle Book:

Buzzie: “Hey Flaps, So what we going to do?”

Flaps: “I don’t know, what’cha wanna do?“

The real problem with Journey’s multiplayer is that it’s happenstance, and that’s not a good thing, this is compounded further by the pointlessness of finding another player, unless of course you’re looking for a guide. Which is absolutely pointless in Journey, because exploration is far from rewarding, despite what the ass clowns of the world claim; “Look some sand, and over here some more sand, and look over there, there’s even more sand!”

If you want a truly ‘revolutionary’ multiplayer experience, go play Demon’s Souls or better yet, force yourself into an industrial meat grinder and have your Mum and Dad film your final moments, so they can post them on youtube. I could do with a laugh.

Journey: Part Deux 

Some gamers will argue Journey is about exploration, but that’s a shallow and pointless exercise, rewarded with only ancient symbols. Then some will say it’s an exploration of the soul, and therefore somebody’s been exceeding their daily dosage of Ritalin.

I look forward to playing Journey: Part Deux. I’m sure, like any good sequel, it’ll boast bigger explosions, huge plot contrivances and an ending that doesn’t fail to disappoint – just like the first game.

To conclude, I’ll leave you with these heart-breaking comments from somebody who is clearly ‘touched’. From anonymous (on Journey’s multi-player): “When I finished the game and I saw the list of some of my companions, it sent shivers down my spine and gave me goose bumps“.

And this is what I have to say to that person, “What, haven’t you ever seen a list before?”

Journey is overrated.

Accept that bitter truth and move on.

After the mediocrity of the over-hyped Journey (and after putting my todger away, which is required to be-in-hand throughout play) I decided to be brave and tackle thatothergame from, thatgamecompany, Flower, in a retrospective review.

Thatgamecompany proudly declared that Flower was an attempt to challenge the traditional conventions of video-games. In particular, they were eager to explore “emotional chords uncommon in video-games.” And with other statements like “hopefully by the end of the journey, you change a little as well“, I was prepared for a full-on ‘experience’ of grandiose pretensions. Pretensions which could only be matched, by those who’ve been cajoled into thinking, that Journey is anything more than a glorified platformer.

But this isn’t a Journey review [that can be found here]. This is a review of Flower and in a surprising twist, I found myself swept up by the proverbial winds, (which isn’t a reference to my flatulence). Flower does something few games do and that’s to offer a genuinely unique ‘experience’, a niche category, and with few contemporaries. Now, don’t get confused, at no point did I start foaming at the mouth and I can assure you that my schlong remained safely in my trousers throughout, but there really is something special about Flower.

The game features no story or narrative (of any real significance). However, I’m certain there’ll be those who argue some sort of allegorical reading, but that’s just wishy-washy nonsense. Essentially, you play the memory of a flower and its origins, from the field, to a plant-pot upon a shelf on which it sits. There are six flowers in total and therefore six levels for you to master, and the credit sequence is playable too (and even unlocks a trophy).

The gameplay like the narrative, is stripped-down and bare-to-its-bones, a mechanic comprised of two control elements. The player uses, SONY’s (more-often-than-not) frustrating SIXAXIS controls, to tilt and guide the flower petal. The second control element, requires the player to hold down any button, thus causing the wind to blow and therefore propel your petal. Combing these simple mechanics, you must guide your petal around the various pastel coloured vistas, touching flowers and causing them to bloom, whilst navigating electrical pylons, turning on wind turbines and breathing new life into dead and decaying areas. And that’s about it!

As with Journey, Flower isn’t a particularly long game, it can easily be completed within an hour or so. The city level however, where you have to navigate multiple electrical pylons, is particularly frustrating, although this is largely due to those pesky SIXAXIS controls. However, for the most part, I was actually surprised by how responsive the SIXAXIS controls were. With that said, I think the game would undoubtedly be better, if there was an option to guide your petals with the analogue stick instead, but the almost successful implementation of the SIXAXIS controls, is commendable. And, it certainly adds to the game’s unique vibe.

The game’s soundtrack is reflective of the games ambience, so it’s all plinking guitar strings. If you think along the lines of Jose Gonzalez’ Heartbeats, you won’t be far off. And that’s a good thing, the music isn’t too intrusive into the players ‘experience’, it doesn’t dominate, instead it perfectly reflects the tranquillity and beauty of the images on-screen, as you’re literally left, ‘blowing in the wind’. However, I would question the sincerity of anybody who claims to have had, a significant ‘emotional response’ to the game. That is just hyperbole, which it has to be said, thatgamecompany are quite good at encouraging. Those who do have an ‘emotional response’, probably just have an unusually high susceptibility to pollen.

Flower is proof that, thatgamecompany are more than competent when it comes to creative videogames, which offer something a little out of the ordinary. While the SIXAXIS controls may not be perfect, the sumptuous vistas and chilled-out rhythm of the soundtrack combined, make Flower an oddly rewarding game. [8]

So far this year we’ve seen Resident Evil: Revelations on the 3DS and coming in November is the next official chapter in the Resident Evil cannon, Resident Evil 6. But just last Friday, Capcom released their newest entry, Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City, but is this appetiser worth playing or are you better-off waiting for Resident Evil 6?

Capcom obviously felt that 2012 was the perfect year to prostitute one of their biggest franchises, Resident Evil. We’re going to see three new Resident Evil games released this year; Revelations was released in February, to mediocre reviews and next-up, it’s Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City. And boy did Capcom go to town with this cynical cash-in as Leon is all but wearing crotchless panties, ready and willing to be ‘entered’ by you, the avid Resident Evil fanboy (you know who you are). ORC (Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City) isn’t a terrible game, but fans of the series should be insulted by this pathetic offering, from Capcom and Slant Six Games.

As far as premises go, ORC’s really isn’t that bad. You’re part of Umbrella’s Security Services, and your team is the Wolfpack, you know, like the team of pricks out of The Hangover, but with less charm (if that’s possible). Anyway, the Wolfpack has been sent into Raccoon City to destroy any evidence that might incriminate Umbrella. As you may have guessed, the game is set somewhere between Resident Evil 2 and Resident Evil 3. Sounds fun, right? “WRONG!”

The characters are a mixture of familiar faces all thrown into the mix for cameos – both goodies and baddies. However, the characters you spend the most time with are the new additions to the series, the Wolfpack and this team is comprised of; generic Russian (Spectre), generic hoody (Vector), hot generic Asian woman (Four Eyes), generic woman who isn’t hot but likes pain (Bertha), generic woman with weird visor thing (Lupo), and finally, our token generic heavy (Beltway). Basically, character isn’t Slant Six Games’ strong point.

The six, totally interchangeable characters, that populate OCR’s avatars have about as much personality as Bradley Cooper, i.e. less than zero. There is no significant difference in play-style, similar to Mario Kart 7, as it doesn’t actually matter which generic character you pick, because they all have the same attributes – despite what the game and other reviews might tell you.

What should excite all Resident Evil fans is the opportunity to return to familiar stomping grounds and double-tap some zombie candy-asses. However, not even that proves as fun or fulfilling as it should. The headshot exists to facilitate the one shot kill and in zombie lore, destroying the brain is supposed kill the zombie. So why oh why, did I hit multiple zombies in the head, only for them to continue their advance? I’m all for the undead being an unstoppable, shuffling force, but adhere to the fricking rules! A headshot should always equal the enemy being permanently compromised, whether zombie or human. Headshot = Gameover. Period.

Sadly the shooting ‘fun’ didn’t stop there, the minute the B.O.W.s (Bio Organic Weapons) are introduced you’ll spend your time unloading everything you’ve got, to try and kill the creatures, which are seemingly impervious to bullets. And here’s the real problem, the majority of the weapons lack any significant punch. When you have to unload eight shots from a shotgun to kill a Licker, in close proximity, well, that’s just poor and frustrating game design.

One thing that really annoyed me was the lack of variety amongst the undead, i.e. where was the Hare Krishna zombie popularised by Dawn of the Dead? In fact, as far as I could tell there were only four different types of zombie; one female, one regular sized man, one fatty and one cop. Pathetic! And given that both Resident Evil 2 and 3′s locations successfully captured the essence of a city deserted and ravaged (on the PS1), you’d think it would only be natural for Slant Six Games to try to replicate that beauty and attention to detail, which were the original settings, but in glorious HD. But again, sadly not, in fact the graphics in general really aren’t very polished and neither are the cut scenes.

OCR does offer multiplayer for up to four players, I however did not partake in such frolics, largely because I hate multiplayer at the best of times, but I am willing to accept that if you must play OCR, then it’s probably going to be slightly elevated by the presence of friends – just not your friends. Also, something of an aside now, but when did Resident Evil just give up on horror completely? OCR is far more contented with being an action orientated, squad based shooter than a horror game. There’s not one attempt, through the entire seven hour campaign to scare you. Not one.

Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City, sort of looks and sounds like a Resident Evil game, but it isn’t one. It lacks any of the polish or attention to detail, which the series is famous for. By sourcing this game out to Slant Six Games (who make the SOCOM games), Capcom have delivered one of the most disappointing Resident Evil games in the series. [4]

The Los Angeles team behind Flow and Flower return with Journey, which concludes their three-game deal with SONY. Already, Journey has received a significant amount of praise, from critics and gamers alike, but is it really the ‘wonderful experience’, that (seemingly) everybody believes it to be?

So, let’s get this out of the way, I thought Journey was perfectly enjoyable, but I didn’t love it. I’ve played it through twice now and I still don’t, and yet, everybody keeps telling me I should. What’s wrong with me, am I broken? I’m certainly not saying this to be contrary. I enjoyed the adventure across deserts on my journey to the looming mountain, but I just didn’t have the transcending experience, which everybody else claims to have had. I certainly didn’t whip-my-cock-out, and start masturbating furiously, which seems to be the preferred method of play.

So why didn’t I love it? Like any critic, I am also a fan. But when it came to Journey, I broke my golden rule, which (are you ready for this), is to not read any reviews or comments, before playing a game for myself. In this age of social media, it’s extremely difficult to alienate oneself from the reception of certain games. Journey is one of those titles, a game where I knew far too much and had read, far too much about it, before I had even played it. So, did this lead to exceptionally high expectations? Possibly, but I don’t believe that’s the crux of the problem.

The problem is, that Journey just isn’t all that. Gameplay wise, everything functions perfectly well, but I couldn’t shake the idea that I was playing a platform game on rails. By that I mean, that the adventure was prescribed and linear, with little room or point (to be precise) for deviation. Linearity itself is not a problem, I enjoy linear games and I enjoyed this one, but all you’re doing is travelling from point A to point B – that’s it! What’s so special about that? I’ve seen that a thousand times before.

So perhaps it’s Journey’s art direction, which makes it a ‘defining moment of this generation’? Here I have to agree with the majority and happily so. The art direction (in-game) is faultless and there are some wonderfully executed sequences; such as the moment you surf along the sand, through a tower block and the screen turns orange as the sun begins to set. That was truly beautiful, breath-taking even and I make no bones about it. Have no misconceptions, Journey is a beautiful game to play, but so what, there have been many beautiful games and there will be many, many more.

Then there’s the soundtrack, and after Jessica Curry’s wondrous score on Dan Pinchbeck and Robert Briscoe’s, Dear Esther, Journey would have some way to go, to rival that ‘experience’. It doesn’t. It manages a few highs, but for the most part it’s a soundtrack of ambient noises, a soundtrack which I was blissfully unaware of for the majority of my time, in Journey’s world.

However, I wholeheartedly recommend that you pay your £10 and play Journey, for yourself. Supporting artistic ventures like this, are always worthwhile and whilst I don’t think that the parts add up to a momentous game clearly a lot of people do, but please, can we keep the hyperbolic nonsense to a minimum?

Journey is a good game, it might even be great, but it really isn’t anything spectacular or revolutionary. In short, Journey is a lot like Laura Marling. I’m told I should love it, I might even want to, but deep down inside, I know it’s nothing that special. [7]

In total, I spent eight hours, seven minutes and 33 seconds, playing SEGA’s newest ‘game’, Mario & Sonic At The London 2012 Olympic Games. If the actual Olympic Games are even remotely similar to this incredibly saccharine ‘game’, then London’s suicide rate is set to soar.

If you have never played one of the Mario & Sonic Olympic games, then you should count yourself lucky. Sadly, I’ve had the misfortune of playing all of them. The concept is now instantly familiar, where a host of Mario & Sonic’s characters, all come together to battle it out at any given Olympic event. If this face/off had happened during the early-to-mid-1990s, I would have been chomping at the bit, to see Mario and Sonic tearing each other’s throats out. But that was a very long time ago. Anyway, in this, the newest entry in the Olympic series, Mario and Sonic have in excess of 50 Olympic ‘sports’ to compete in. Now, be warned, I use the term ‘sports’ extremely loosely, I don’t think I have ever seen an Olympic event, where people compete in a water drinking contest. Sadly, I’m not joking, that really is one of these ‘games’. I say ‘games’ but really all Mario & Sonic At The London 2012 Olympic Games is, is a selection of mini-games, which in itself isn’t a problem, but when their selection is so poorly judged, well, that is a problem. I mean, a water drinking contest? Why!?

I suppose, in its favour, (and for those who enjoy such masochistic pleasures) Mario & Sonic 2012, does feature a wide selection of mini-games. However, if you find yourself enjoying them, then I suggest you reconsider your position amongst the living, and promptly. These ‘games’, range from penalty kicks, volleyball, tennis, fencing, swimming, running, wrestling, judo, weight lifting and of course, water consumption in water bottle drinking. Honestly SEGA, what were you thinking? Anyway, the list of events goes on. It’s exhaustive but the execution is mostly flawed and inconsistent at best. I don’t enjoy yelling at my 3DS at the best of times and if I really wanted to ridicule myself, I can think of far less embarrassing ways than blowing my 3DS. Just to clarify, that doesn’t mean I’ve been fellating my 3DS, quite simply the sailing events require you to blow on the system’s microphone. You will look like a twat, if you play this whilst on your morning commute to work, it’s assured. And then there’s that awful gyroscope, which rears its ugly, uneven and always frightfully frustrating head, in team archery events. I am yet to play a game, which intuitively makes use of this hideous function, please developers, just abandon it.

There are one or two games that I found mildly amusing, such as the BMX events or the swimming competitions, but regardless of your chosen event, it makes very little difference. The controls are all variations of stylus swipes and timed button presses, which is about as much fun as cancer of the colon. Each event has three difficulty levels and you’re awarded a Gold, Silver & Bronze award, depending upon your ability to time your swipes and button presses correctly. Now doesn’t that sound like fun, right? What’s more there used to be a time in videogames, where picking your character had some sort of effect, upon how you played a game, e.g. Bowser may big and slow, but he’s also powerful and can breathe fucking fire! It seems that in Mario & Sonic 2012, whoever you choose to play as has little correlation to your overall performance.

Mario & Sonic 2012 does have one surprise up its sleeve, rest assured it isn’t a good one; it has a story mode! Like the majority of this ‘game’, the point of a ‘story mode’ eludes me. All it does, is tie together a string of events and poorly so, with a plot which involves Doctor Robotnik and Bowser, fiendishly plotting to ruin the Olympic Games by engulfing London in a pink smog. The sequences will have you punching yourself in the face. You’ll exhaust yourself and have to ask the chap next to you, to take over the punching duties, whilst the plot thickens. This joyous experience pushed me to the brink, if I ever hear Sonic say “Yo!”, just one more time, I might have to… Bad things will happen.

Mario & Sonic At The London 2012 Olympic Games is a vacuous, repetitive and rather garish ‘adventure’. It says quite a lot about what Nintendo and SEGA think of their younger audience – that they’re stupid, gullible and easy to exploit. This is generic, monetary-driven, game design and Mario (if not Sonic) deserve better. Eight hours, seven minutes and 33 seconds. Lost forever, like tears in rain. [3]

Trails in the Sky is a genre of game I myself am very familiar with. Japanese RPGs (JRPGs), despite losing their popularity over the past few years, are still very unique and important in the gaming world.

To start with, you should keep in mind that Trails in the Sky is actually several years old. Despite being released over here in 2011, the game was actually first brought out in Japan in the year 2004 as a PC title. It was then ported to the PSP and the developer did a very good job doing so as many PC to console ports can feel very rough and unpolished. Trails in the Sky, however, plays without a hitch.

The game has now been translated (very well I’d say) and made available to the very dedicated following of JRPG fans throughout the globe.

Your main character is an upbeat ditzy girl named Estelle Bright and this in itself is a rather non-conventional element for not only a JRPG but for video games in general. Female lead characters are still the minority so it not only brings a more refreshing perspective but it helps appeal to female players.

At the beginning of the game, Estelle joins an organisation known as the Bracers. This guild is sort of a cross between mercenaries, community support officers and politicians though fighting monsters tends to be the inevitable outcome no matter how mundane your task is. You receive quests from the guild, some being side quests to earn extra cash and others being more important, story-progressing missions. This structure, particularly the smaller side quests, does make Trails in the Sky ideal as a portable game. Don’t get me wrong, it is still very deep but side missions allow to continue playing even when you have limited time.

Of course, the JRPG fans out there will want to know how the battle systems plays. The system is turn based and it gives you as much time as you need to decide your next move. You can execute a standard attack (obviously), use an Art (effectively magic spells learned though upgrade items called Quartz’) or a Craft (special skills for individual characters gained from their equipment). More interestingly, this system has adopted a movement system that means your characters and enemies can shift positions around the field (represented by a grid) and this brings in a new element of strategy. It is similar to Final Fantasy Tactics though less ‘rigid’ with its grid. If you are new to these games you may find it a tad complicated (though the tutorials explain things very well).

As I already mentioned, characters learn new Arts through equipping Quartz to their ‘Orbment’. These will grant numerous effects as well as allowing to cast certain spells (which vary depending on the Quartz element). Orbments have a limited number of slots for Quartz which must be unlocked. Certain slots for individual characters only allow for specific elements (Estelle being an exception here). Crafts on the other hand are learned through your equipment. These systems give you full control of how you wish your characters to develop though, again, this could be complex to an individual not familiar with these games.

I would rather avoid the topic of the story as I don’t feel it would be right to spoil it for you but I will say this; If you have never played a JRPG before then you will need to be patient during the tutorial stages as the game doesn’t really feed you much. With these games you sometimes need patience and I assure you it will be rewarded. JRPGs have a habit of leading you into thinking ‘oh yeah, I get this, I know exactly what will happen’ and then suddenly you are left disoriented as your pre-conceptions are shattered.

One complaint I’m already imagining is ‘why is there so much text? I don’t like reading’! Well, you will have to get used to it, because the scriptwriters for Trails in the Sky were sure to make pretty much every bit of interaction in the game feel fleshed out. This isn’t a game where you feel you are only hearing the highlights of a conversation. Every boring, seemingly irrelevant detail is present and I personally feel that is does really benefit character development. Instead of ‘Non Player Characters’ (NPCs) simply delivering one piece of information over and over, your characters will respond and the dialogue could actually end in you learning something very important. Consequently, you shouldn’t rapidly press Square to skip text boxes (I know you people!).

I wouldn’t say the game looks that aged. You still see plenty of JRPGs even today adopting more stylised, anime-esque visuals and because of this Trails in the Sky won’t strike you as ‘old’ in any way. I merely got the impression that the graphics were ‘as they were meant to be’. Trails in the Sky’s world is rendered in full 3D (with rotating 2D sprites for non-static objects). I personally feel it gives the game a very unique look. At first you would think the game was merely ‘pseudo 3D’ but then you will find that the L & R buttons moved the camera around my character giving me a whole new way of exploring the world. You can see behind buildings, trees and various obstacles which help you find your objective. Most JRPG with a a fixed camera would have every building and object orientated in one direction so the player can see them easily whereas the moving camera in Trails of the Sky allowed the developer to design the game world in a more realistic way. I praise such details.

The music may not be the greatest of all JRPGs but it is still very pleasant and shouldn’t irritate you easily.

Overall, Trails in the Sky is a game I would definitely recommend to JRPG fans out there. It feels very polished and the story will keep you occupied for quite a while. For people new to this style of fantasy role playing games, it isn’t the first game I’d recommend but it would by no means be the last. 8/10

The demonic Italian-American gangster, Jackie Estacado, returns in The Darkness II. Set two years after the events of the first game, we find Estacado as Mafia crime boss, but when he’s attacked by a powerful new enemy, Jackie must call upon the demonic force, which has lied dormant inside of him for the past two years. The returning ‘Darkness’ is as hungry as ever, but should you be?

If you’ve not played The Darkness, fear not, The Darkness II, provides the ignorant – like moi – with a ‘previously on’, so you will soon be very familiar with Jackie’s plight. However, it’s a rather clichéd, revenge-fest driven tale, with a ton of teenage angst, although Estacado, is presumably in his mid-twenties? Between levels, the character sits in an armchair and complains a lot, whilst explaining the game’s narrative. Now, some may well argue that Estacado, being a little moody, is perfectly understandable, considering he witnessed his girlfriend’s murder – powerless to help. However, she only got ‘offed’, due to his actions and what tremendously violent actions they are, which in itself is somewhat expected; for one this is a first person shooter and two it’s based upon a comic book. The problem with this ‘relationship’, is that while Jenny appears to be your typical, ‘girl next door ‘, she dated – remember she’s dead – a psychopath, who just so happens to have a demon inside of him. The story is poppycock at best and the extent of its nonsense renders the central relationship completely unbelievable, despite the odd moment of poignancy.

Curiously, I found the sequences between the levels, where Jackie slips into one of his monotonous monologues, to be rather ugly looking. Fortunately, this is not something which is replicated in the game’s cut scenes or during game-play. In fact, Digital Extremes, have done a fine job of utilising the cell shade effect, the graphics are pristine and – perhaps unsurprisingly – have far more in common with XIII, than the predecessor’s visual aesthetic.

The combat involves your typical gunplay, but with an unusual twist – you have two demonic arms at your disposal. These can be used to grab a variety of objects, including enemies and all of which, can be thrown. These demonic arms can also be used to slash and break electricity boxes or wooden obstacles, which block your path. However, the demon arms only work in the dark, veer too close to the light and the arms will disappear, screeching. This in itself presents an interesting combat situation, with your enemies utilising light-weaponry – thus exploiting your weakness – in an attempt to stop you from prevailing. Arguably though, the combination of demonic arms and guns is vaguely derivative of Bioshock’s plasmids and just like the plasmids, they can be upgraded. You pay for these upgrades through ‘essence’, which is earned through the creative way, in which you dispatch your enemies. For example, forcefully inserting an extractor fan into an enemy’s head, will earn you more ‘essence’, than simply shooting them with your trusty hand-cannon. The guns themselves are filled with all the usual suspects, I found myself favouring the Desert Eagle, Shotgun and the Machine Gun. The weapons in general are of the Modern Warfare ilk and rather predictably, so too is the game’s campaign length, which is the now standard, nine hours.

The game also makes use of some graphic and grotesque death sequences, which are triggered by your ‘demonic executions’. The first few times, these are disturbing/amusing – depending upon the gamer – but just as with Namco’s recent remake of Splatterhouse, these triggered events, soon become tedious and boring.

The game’s biggest weakness, in terms of its gameplay, is its boss fights. The first boss fight involves you dodging a swinging crane and ball, while you throw propane tanks at the driver’s carriage, in between dodging, wave after wave of enemy attacks. Whilst their execution doesn’t match the lowly efforts seen in the recent Deus Ex, they just undermine the game’s gameplay, which is – generally speaking – without problem. I thought developers had accepted, that boss fights in a first person shooter, are rarely a good idea, but apparently Digital Extremes thought they knew better – well, clearly they didn’t!

Jackie Estacado’s adventure is often leering in its depiction of women and in general it’s both vulgar and crass. But that won’t put-off the vast majority of its intended audience. While the combat is enjoyable, the last few levels do drag and the final level was a bridge too far for this critic. However, if you enjoy FPS campaigns, then The Darkness II has more to offer than either of Activision or DICE’s recent efforts. The game’s conclusion suggests a third game is inevitable, but I for one think it’s time for Estacado to embrace the darkness and let death envelop him. [7]

First Impressions:

As a seasoned MMO player, general game-player and consumer for many years – as well as a student of media – I am always sceptical of how much hype surrounds a game before its launch. I’m always very eager to see the language used to describe the game beforehand. Both Bioware and EA used comparisons to WoW and previous MMO’s, not saying how it will be better, but what they have learnt and where they could take a new angle – which immediately impressed me; as so many new platforms always seem the need to improve upon existing games, take an established blue print and tweak it, rather than try something new and different or even trying to become a WoW beater. Let me tell you, The Old Republic is an incredible game, a little buggy and the programming could use an update and a tweak, but it is an absolute marvel nonetheless.

Being slightly psychopathic and wanting to fulfil my utmost fantasies, I naturally choose to be a Sith Inquisitor, because let’s be honest, how many people in real life have you wanted to force lightning in a club on a typical Friday night…Comically enough I also choose to be an Emo with a gargantuan comb over, which reminded me of my years as a youth, modelling myself next to one of my favourite rock icons!

Resemblances aside and after about 1 hour of customization I began my adventure! It’s safe to say that at the time of writing this review, my character is now a Darth and level 50 (cap); cue evil laughs and tremendous displays or egotism. I choose to write this review at 50 so I had an overall feel of the game and that I had explored a lot of the content so I could write a fair and objective review. One of the first quests in the game as a Sith is delving into a late Sith Lords temple which you can find with incredible ease due to The Old Republics Questing and Map systems, whereby your target locations and special characters are highlighted for you, either in the style of a flashing icon or a radiating radar screen. Now some may argue that this ‘noobifies’ the game, but for me it is a welcome relief simply because The Old Republic is huge and running backwards and forwards like a headless chicken will be less than appealing to a lot of players, not to mention a massive frustration. The story is also very fluid, if you know where you need to be the story falls into place, rather than being compartmentalised by you – as a very distressed player, spamming in general where to go and getting some half-witted cocky answer from an internet troll.

The Storyline quests are supported by a number of off-shoot quests that are usually generated around the Storyline locations which you can tackle a number of different ways. Questing itself is broken up into 3 categories, you can either play the entire game Solo, or for some missions you can enter into a party and combat the Heroic missions on offer, perhaps if you fancy you can even do a Flashpoint which sets you and a party through a linear dungeon, complete with tasks, plenty of XP, loot and some very charming scenarios. It’s a very pleasant experience and also quite challenging, the mobs aren’t traditionally easy mode and you will be tested in terms of strategy and tactics to take down some of the harder, strong or elite opponents. However, you can tackle these obstacles throughout the game with the help of Companions that you pick up on certain planets and the main story line. Companions add a fun and exciting dimension throughout the game as, not only do they help you tackle enemies, but they can also craft from available schematics or do certain gathering missions for you to earn Credits, Materials or Companion Gifts, which allow you to make your own modifications, Lightsaber gems or armour. As an increased dimension of fun, Companions have affection ratings, which decreases how long it takes for a Companion to do a mission, but also increases their success chances and adds available dialogue options within the game, which when high enough – without giving anything away – will change how the companion feels about you and may spur on a certain chain of events.

If questing gets too mundane for you (but why should it?) entering into PvP also rewards a handsome amount of experience as well as badges and commendations that allow you to purchase items from a local PvP vendor. It’s very simple – just click on the icon on your map to query and when you finish the battle you get transported back to the location where you originally queued, it’s a very sleek idea that can distract you from the busy storyline as well as aid your progress in levelling up.

When you finally reach that all important level 50 a whole new world of options opens up. Aside from getting every Star Wars fans dream – in regards to the Inquisitor and Warrior – with the title of Darth there is also the option to repeat every Flashpoint in the game on harder settings, cleverly named ‘Hard-mode’. This content offers premium level 50 items in preparation for the ultimate goal of Operations. Operations are 8 and 16 main ‘raids’ which test a teams co-ordination, skill and ability to work together to defeat a number of bosses and challenges. To keep content fresh there are also 3 difficult settings, Normal, Hard and Nightmare, so players will find no lack of content as they prepare to conquer the enormous labyrinths.

Gameplay wise and disappointingly was the Light and Dark affiliation system. Three things; one is that your choice is clearly shown to you in the dialogue before you choose your speech option, which is an annoyance because half the fun of being good or evil – especially in Knights of the old Republic – was finding out the rewards or consequences of your actions after the scenario had played through, rather than being spoon-fed. It doesn’t quite capture the imagination as other Bioware titles do. The second is that your affiliation doesn’t really seem to matter. Your appearance does change and it does allow you to use certain items and weapons, but that’s it, no one treats you differently and you don’t get an extra cool perk each time you climb a tier in Dark or Light, which would have been a very nice touch. Lastly your companions can’t be swayed or act differently depending on your affiliation, whether this is true for the other classes, it certainly isn’t true for the inquisitor. For example, you can’t make a light side companion dark and vice versa and you can’t change their behaviour or attitude even if they’ve witnessed your actions first hand. This is frustrating as my favourite companion is a Jedi called Ashara and I was very much looking forward to turning her a bit evil – much like a strict dominatrix as I imagine it’s very Sith-like.

It’s also unfortunate that the game is riddled with bugs. From loot, to certain boss encounters, to particular small things like resurrection spawn points or interstellar transport. A mass annoyance to me also (and 375 pages worth of people through threads) is the almighty incarnation of the devil himself – Error 9000; whereby the game will randomly kick you, for what Bioware describes as “A very generic error” and have yet to fix the problem. As an end-game raider, randomly disconnecting in a boss fight is extremely frustrating. Unless fixed soon, Bioware will see dwindling numbers and frightened newcomers.

Sound:

‘Wrrrvvvroooam…..tsssh, tshhhhh, swwaaahvrom’ and in an instant fan’s will know what I’m replicating; a Lightsaber, one of the very sole components that made Star Wars. However it’s even nicer to have that power in my hands, to see it singe through the flesh of my enemies as it ebbs with warmth against my heart.

One of the greatest accolades Bioware has accomplished is its astonishing array and sheer scale of voice-acting. It’s said by various sources that this undertaking is the biggest scale project on any MMO to date, and it shows, well-bloody-done Bioware! It’s heartening to hear all the different tones, pitches and accents of the Empire and Republic characters; hearing a thick-tongued Glaswegian Imperial Trooper not only depicts a picture of the variety of voice acting, but also the humour and personality behind each character, you truly feel that every NPC is an individual, which only made me feel more immersed in a fluid, social world and that – while questing aside from my companion – I would never be alone.

Lucas Arts also gave Bioware the rights to the Star Wars music, meaning that upon superb voice acting, you have the legendary Star Wars orchestra as backing music. But wait there’s more. Within certain moments in the game, such as the scripted class quest scenes are when you use the special ability; Heroic Moment – Channel the force, the music changes in dramatic pseudo-movie style, meaning that whenever you use an ability or confront an enemy, the whole scenario is made all the more grander by the booming of a massive bass drum, or the ringing of violins and trumpets, it is nothing less than a marvel.

Couple all this with the familiar sounds of blasters, hyper-drive engages and the crackle of colliding Lightsabers, which all culminates in the authenticity of the Star Wars universe and welcomes players with open arms.

Graphics

Understandably some are slightly concerned about the Old Republic graphics and it’s slight cartoon style lack of detail in places, such as some types of armour and choice of headgear and robes, but people must understand; this is an MMO, meaning that the more graphically and computer specified diverse the game is, the more people will be able to play it. Take Final Fantasy online and the upcoming Planet Side 2 for example; you need a medium ranged PC to be able to play it, thus immediately shunning those who have low spec PC’s or laptops.

I for one have no problem with the Old Republic graphics, whilst they are slightly cartoony and do indeed lack the detail that most gamers expect, they are better than average, and I would even carry on to say that are of a good quality. The shading and precision in animation applied to character and monsters are enough for me to overlook the blocky blades of grass or awkwardly askew explosions.

For example…when I look into Ashara’s eyes and I see that they are glistening pools of deep blue, cradling two sets of black long lashes and the shine and pout of her lips…sorry, basically facial animation and detail are constructed very well, emotions that are shown throughout the game and the facial contortions of your characters successfully portray what they are thinking or improves dialogue by adding an additional layer during conversations.

Aside from facial animation, planets and cities on a scale are huge. The backgrounds and backdrops really make you feel as if you’re a tiny ant in a colossal labyrinth of concrete, woods or scorched earths. Implanted into the background will be a variety of different animals, buildings, battles and flying spacecraft which again heighten the sense of scale which can be rather intimidating – in a good way of course. You also get a chance to explore this whenever you take a Taxi service to another destination; you seem to fly above an endless amount of scenery and buildings, which is a lovely distraction considering that Taxi journeys can be quite long.

Final Thoughts:

I’d like to begin this section of Final Thoughts by dismissing a lot of rubbish that I’ve heard from other reviews and even gamers within The Old Republic. Below are the 2 main complaints and my response:

‘Old Republic isn’t better than WoW’

Well of course not, WoW is an 8 year established MMO, it has had enough time to tweak and adhere to their customers, time to grow and learn from past experiences and mistakes in order to create better content in future patches, to assume a game will be perfect off the bat is ignorant to say the least. Old Republic is very polished considering it is a month old.

‘This game isn’t innovative…it has typical Flag defend or capture the flag type matches, similar Flashpoint and Operations layouts and even the mobs act similar to that of other MMO’s’

This is not necessarily a bad thing, the phrase: ‘If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’ springs to mind. Capture the flag style PvP will forever be a staple in MMO-RPG’s as well as staggered Boss fights in Operations/Dungeons because it is a method that has successfully worked the best and cannot be changed. Being too innovative might ruin the game itself if it tries to be too pompous and completely obliterate a genre that has worked since the RPG was born. Mobs acting similar: re-spawning, threat generation and fixed position? Well of course, again it’s ignorant to think otherwise. When I’m logging out in a safe zone in a city, I don’t want to be attack by a group of mobs, die and then to resurrect miles away and as for the mobs re-spawning argument, ‘/facepalm’.

In general I defend SWOTR because people expect it to be better than World of Warcraft, when in truth it is a different game. Of course it has similar aspects – that’s because it’s an RPG! World of Warcraft is a fantastic game, but it’s nothing innovative, it just came at the right time at the kick-start to internet gaming, before hand – Everquest and Darkage of Camelot were the bearers of the torch, World of Warcraft just had a wider audience. People judge The Old Republic too critically when it is only just a fledgling, I will be interested in doing another review a year down the line, because I guarantee it will be a completely different game.

Gameplay: 8/10

I have massively enjoyed my experiences as a Sith Inquisitor, my ascension from slave to Darth and my dealings with a staggering array of characters along the way. The companion’s idea is something that stops the game from being stagnant and their affection and dialogue options fuel the game future. The main story arc itself is one that is reminiscent of Knights of the Old Republic – but improved upon and updated, it is sheer excitement all the way. The only downside is the aforementioned affiliation to Dark or Light Side and when questions on the distances you have to travel are sometimes too grand – if they improved the speed of the Taxi services, this would make it a lot smoother. Top this with a plethora of bugs and – quite frankly – a lack of programming lets this game down a huge amount.

Sound: 9.0/10

Aside from some rather dodgy voice acting, there is nothing to be said about sound within The Old Republic. The music is great, the sound effects – for example Lightsaber clashes – are great and for the most part, the dialogue is engaging. Brilliant.

Graphics: 9/10

It’s the Star Wars universe what can I say? The architecture and look of characters perfectly synchronizes with the Star Wars universe and the art direction very cleverly replicates universe millennia before the famed Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker saga. The character animation and design is spot on, although the universe is let down by lack of graphics and thought in some places along your journey, but nonetheless a fantastic and engrossing feast for your eyes.

Overall: 8/10

Fix the bugs and listen to your players Bioware! This could be the title that all MMO’s aspire to, if only Bioware could set the bench-mark by fixing their own game first, rather than focusing on future content.

Whether you’re a video-game developer, academic, a lowly critic or just a plain old enthusiast, gamers love to debate the legitimacy of video-games, in relation to art. In Dan Pinchbeck and Robert Briscoe’s “Dear Esther”, those looking to argue the artistic merits of their favourite past time, now have a game which has the potential to propel their argument further, more than any other game before it and here’s why…

“Dear Esther” is something else, but is it a video-game? Yes. But is it a First Person Shooter? No. Its tale unfolds from the first person perspective, but this is no mere FPS. Its perspective works for and against it, because navigating the Hebridean island is governed exactly as you’d imagine, but gone are many of the familiar tropes and ‘controls’ associated with the perspective, which is so preoccupied with space marines and soldiers. There’s no action button, no jump, no cross-hairs and there are certainly no guns. None. Zippo. Nothing! You’re not concerned with conserving ammo because you have nothing to fire with and, come to think of it, nothing to fire at, apart from derelict buildings. The compulsion to ‘play’ “Dear Esther” is derived from the game’s central mystery, through the narrator’s monologues and your exploration of the island.

The abandoning of so many FPS tropes make the game so much more powerful because it isn’t reliant upon gimmicks, (such as plasmids), it doesn’t need them, not when Briscoe has crafted such a sumptuous and captivating wasteland. “Dear Esther” defies both expectation and convention. It is a game which invites you to explore, to discover and it places an emphasis upon the gamer, to look upon the island. Your only tools are your legs which carry you around, a torch which switches on automatically and a zoom button, which encourages you to investigate the debris which litters the mysterious island, searching for clues.

“Dear Esther” is comprised of four levels, although they are not really ‘levels’, they are distinct areas of the island, they are interwoven chapters. Chapters’ feels and sounds like a more accurate term for “Dear Esther’s” ’levels’, which include; ‘The Lighthouse’, ‘The Buoy’, ‘The Caves’ and finally, “The Beacon”. Once the game has been completed, you are free to select and play whichever chapter you want, however the game is at its most rewarding when played as a whole, as intended.

The sound design in “Dear Esther” perfectly complements the amazing visuals which Briscoe has accomplished, through his expert manipulation of Valve’s source engine. Jessica Curry’s non-diegetic soundtrack is as haunting as the barren landscape. The diegetic sounds are all windy-gales, sea breezes, footsteps, the occasional heartbeat and even whispers. On several occasions you’ll suspect you can hear the whispers of children, a radio crackling or even an aeroplane overhead. But Curry’s crowning achievement is providing a soundtrack which is as powerful as Briscoe’s visuals. “Dear Esther’s” greatest strength is the island itself and the player’s belief in that island and central to this crowning achievement are both the audio and visual expertise, demonstrated masterfully by Curry and Briscoe.

As you explore the island, death lingers in the air, there is nothing alive here. The buildings are derelict, windows smashed and uninhabitable. Boats and ships of various sizes lie strewn across the island’s beaches, their cargo spilled. Yet despite the barren landscape there is an undeniable beauty, in particular ‘The Cave’ chapter, with its watery reflections, stalagmites, and even evidence of water erosion. The final chapter also highlights Briscoe’s achievements with an enchanting moonlit ascent to ‘The Beacon’ and whilst his hard work may have been buried in the awkward, ‘Mirror’s Edge’, it is his work which is the backbone of “Dear Esther’s” success. If you have any doubts as to Robert Briscoe’s contribution to this remake of Dan Pinchbeck’s mod, then just revisit the original game, which is still available to download – the difference is astounding.

“Dear Esther” is a linear game in a time when most magazines, journals and academics tell us that linearity is holding the industry back. But “Dear Esther” proves the prowess of an authored text, it excels because of its linearity, not in spite of it. The player may well be traversing from A-B but that caveat is beautifully hidden, but not behind corridors, this is a linear experience in a very ’open’ world.

“Dear Esther” is one of the most enjoyable authored texts in the history of videogames. “Dear Esther” is more than just a videogame, it is an ‘experience’ and one with few rivals. As with any good book or film, “Dear Esther” will linger long after it has been completed, but not because of the questions it answers, its power lies in its interpretation and experience, which will vary from gamer to gamer. Thanks to the efforts of Briscoe, Curry and Pinchbeck the argument for videogames as art, has just become, much more convincing. [10]

Developer: DEVSISTERS

Platform: iOS

Price: £1.49

Note: OvenBreak Free is available for no charge but with fewer playable levels

Escape the fiery furnace of an oven as you take the role of a gingerbread man who has to hurdle and duck obstacles in a bid to gain freedom and avoid being eaten! Pick up jelly beans as you run to gain points while gummy bears are worth more.

In another delightful twist you also have to pick up letters to make the word ‘FREEDOM’, these letters give you lives, but you can only hold a maximum of two lives at a time, FREEDOM letters (as a complete word) then also bring bonus points to your overall score.

The controls are easy, just two buttons in fact; the left hand button is to jump and the right hand button is for slide, this then allows you to leap and duck obstacles as you run. Some jumps need you to stay in the air for longer to avoid tripping up. In this instance you can use your candy cane to hook onto objects and slide to safety. To hook onto an object all you have to do is jump into the air and press the slide button – simple enough!

You then have to guide your gingerbread man through various levels, jumping, sliding and collecting points as you flee your way to freedom; and a big high score! At first I thought the game would be too simple to be fun but in actual fact I find it very addictive. OvenBreak is darn challenging in fact!

The game is played at quite a fast pace and the speeds increase as you get further towards the finish. It takes quick thinking and even quicker fingers to complete each level and you will soon find that there is a way to master each jump to gain maximum points. Another great addition to the game is the way that the jelly beans try to trick you into jumping into danger. As you begin to follow the line of jelly beans, picking up points as you do so, you will soon come to find that some of the jelly beans will purposely try and have you jump into a hole – you certainly need your wits about you.

My only gripe is that there are not more levels as I have nearly exhausted the limited levels that the game currently has. I can take solace in the fact that DEVSISTERS have a ‘Coming Soon’ column at the end of the game so I can only assume that my OvenBreak itch will soon be scratched once again. Another point I would make is that £1.49 does seem a little steep for limited levels when there are other games of similar entertainment that only cost 69p – but again, a few more levels will bring value for money.

Verdict: 8/10 – The game is great, if not a little limited, and will provide hours of frustration and entertainment as the fast paced game play provides challenge and fun. A great little iPhone app!

Developer: Cabbit Games

Platform: iOS

Price: 69p

Help Granny plant and grow a range of different flowers in her garden. This simple game involves taking care of flowers by planting them and then watering them, providing them with sunlight and sprinkling them with vitamins until they are healthy, fully grown, blossoming specimens.

Granny offers help and advice throughout and warns you when you begin to over-feed your plant.  Granny even provides you with little flower facts such as ‘Did you know almost all tulips come from Holland’?

This is one of the simplest games I have ever played on the iPhone and that is just the problem; it is so simple it is boring. In fact, I am still decidedly confused about the game for one of two reasons. Either the game’s ‘How to Play’ function is not good enough and I do not know how to play the game properly or (and I am inclined to believe this one) I am playing the game properly and it is just unbelievably dull.

After almost two hours of game play I am yet to see a flower. The game is so restrictive that Granny will not let you over-feed the plant or expose it to sunlight too much. The result is a game where you stare blankly at an empty plant pot, pressing one of three pre-designated buttons only to be told that you are not allowed to press that button yet.

The game might be loosely based on a retro game of the same name that was played on computers in schools during the 1980s and 1990s to teach children how to use computers. However, I say loosely because the 1980s version was an adventure based game where as this game simply offers the chance to help Granny grow flowers – the actual game play has little similarity.

The game boasts good graphics and I agree with this to a point, the graphics are very clear but nothing really moves, there is nothing to hold your attention and over two hours of (accumulated) game play has produced no results.

The game has a piano sound track that becomes as monotonous as the game and I am unsure if the ‘Save Game’ function works – this could very well be the reason that my game has produced no flowers.

All in all this is a poor game, with little to do and nothing to keep you playing. At one point I was told that I had gained a ‘Level Up’ but I am not sure what I did to attain this. The game does not provide any challenge or sense of satisfaction and even Granny becomes annoying as she chips in with inane facts that most would already know.

The worst part is the price – this game does not represent value for money as I do not think that for 69p it provides any form of entertainment. My advice – don’t waste your money.

Verdict: 1/10 – This is one of the poorest games I have played on the iPhone – download at your own peril.

Title: Orbit
Format: PSP
Release Date: 07/12/2011
Publisher: Laughing Jackal
Developer: In-house

How would like to pay for free internet flash games? No I didn’t think so and for this reason, Orbit is unlikely to thrill you. Orbit fits the paradigm of ‘Playstation Minis’ very well, level playthroughs are very short and the gameplay only require the use of two buttons.

Starting at the moon, your mission is to explore the solar system and collect money for upgrades, on each level you character utilises a different method of flight, you fly through an obstacle course filled with dangers, money and collectables. Your characters starts on a ramp, you boost off by hitting the X button, a meter with a moving arrow affects how big a boost you gain. From there you must press the X button to give yourself up-thrust to navigate around obstacles and run into rewards. As you can only boost up, you must judge and time your movements correctly as it can be quite easy to miss items if you overshoot. The level ends if you crash into the surface or run out of fuel used every time you boost) as the levels themselves have no ‘end’, you simply loop the planetary body over and over. When you cover 1 lap of a level, you unlock the rest. Sounds simple? It is.

I have played similar games and I find Orbit to be just a little dull. Apart from travelling to different locations, the only real sense of progression is in the games upgrade system, which you must use if you wish to complete a full circle of a level (you can barely go anywhere when you start). Upgrades are split into a few categories and include bigger engines, rocket boosters, better launchers and better fuel tanks amongst others. This system is completely linear, you pay the money, the upgrade is added and the price for the next item in that particular category is increased. The only sense of customisation is the way in which you can pick the specific upgrade you want, nothing more. You will be playing through the same level over and over again and encountering the same things, over and over again. If I had a pillow on my chair, I’d swear I would drift in the middle of level.

The graphics and animation is to the same standard as browser games and quite frankly I have seen better in that area. The games physics aren’t bad for a space game I admit, one nice touch being the way in which you can only crash into asteroids but also bounce of them and give yourself a little boost should you hit them at the right angle, small blessing like this however cannot save Orbit.

There are a few conversations between characters in the game with feeble attempts at humour. Now I ‘m guy who enjoys stories, one of the main reasons I play a lot of the games I play is for a good tale but with a game like Orbit I can’t help but wonder why they even bother.

In conclusion, save your money, buy a pack of cards and play solitaire, its far more gripping. 4/10.

Zoe Mode – or perhaps that’s SEGA? – were quick to identify the potential financial rewards, in re-releasing the cult favourite PSP title, Crush, but they also plainly recognised the benefit of the extra depth, that Nintendo’s 3DS offers. Crush, with its ‘Crushing’ manoeuvre, which sees Danny, (our avatar), flick between two to three-dimensional plains, appears to be a natural choice for a 3D make-over, but is it?

CRUSH3D is comprised of four zones from Danny’s troubled subconscious. These include; City, Seaside, Funfair and Nursery. Through each zone Danny must collect a certain number of his ‘marbles’, before the exit is opened and he can traverse to the next level. Whilst this will be familiar territory to some, CRUSH3D is not an exact copy of its PSP predecessor. For one, this is a far more child friendly title, with much of Crush’s, psychedelic and mature themes being removed from the game, only to be replaced with schmaltzy scenery and insipid ‘comedy’ – for example, Danny and the ‘Doc’ often appear to be doing very bad impressions of the characters from, Back to the Future. But fortunately, (by-and-large), these sequences of minimal narrative exposition, are fairly succinct. And anyway, Tetris didn’t exactly have a compelling narrative and that did ok.

The crush mechanic works by pressing the L button and this turns a three-dimensional plain, into a 2D one and vice-versa. ‘Crushing’ offers new ways forward, when there doesn’t appear to be one, but it isn’t as straightforward as that, no, that would be too easy. Your successful navigation also depends upon your position, or rather the right perspective. As the game progresses the levels don’t so much get harder, there are just more obstacles thrown at you; cockroaches, slugs, blockwalkers and even a ‘Thought of Dimension’, which prevents you from ‘Uncrushing’ whilst it’s exposed.

CRUSH3D isn’t a massive game, but it is one which offers replay value, although the extent of that pleasure will depend upon your fondness for collecting (all the) trophies and memories. The game features a carefully considered help system. Sometimes help systems do little more than undermine the ‘challenge’, but here you’re instructed as to what your next move should be and if that’s really too little info and you’re genuinely flummoxed, then for the cost of one of Danny’s ‘marbles’, you can have a far more detailed account, of how to navigate the level successfully.

The game also makes use of Nintendo’s StreetPass function, in which you can place a ‘gift’ within a level for somebody to discover. This costs one mere 3DS coin and for it you get ten ‘gifts’. However, I was unable to use the function because I didn’t find anybody else with the game, which is a common StreetPass problem, if you ask me.

CRUSH3D is enjoyable enough, although it’s really not that original now, but Zoe Mode’s game is far more suited to Nintendo’s 3DS than SONY’s PSP. However, if you have played the original title, despite the 3D make-over, I doubt it will hold your attention beyond the campaign. Disappointingly, that also goes for new players too, once completed CRUSH3D quickly becomes a tedious affair, one, which only the real puzzle enthusiasts, will want to revisit. [6]

 

Game: Monsters and Bones
Developer: RatSquare
Platform: iOS
Price: 69p

Follow the rules of the food chain in this great little game where you take the role of an alien looking to feed the highest common denominator in the chain. Board your spaceship and navigate a series of tricky obstacles as you fly cows to aliens and aliens to dinosaurs for them to munch down before they starve to death.

Controls are simple; you have one button to accelerate and one button to beam creatures into your spaceship with. Navigate the levels by tilting your device and accelerate to go up and let gravity do the work if you want to go down. The creatures will have a speech bubble telling you what they want to eat and you have to get the right creature to the right mouth before they become too hungry and starve. Obstacles range from spikes and flower-like guns to tentacles and alien-based plants that jump out of the wall if you get to close.

The result of all this is a brilliant little game; very challenging and a lot of fun. It can be very tricky to navigate the levels successfully and you often have to be tactical with your movements in order to complete each level before one of the monsters dies of starvation. But, if you go too quickly you may get caught by one of the level’s traps and have to start again! Each level takes about two minutes so it is brilliant to play in short bursts or in longer sessions.

I do have a few minor gripes. At first I found it difficult to remain airborne while beaming a creature onto my ship. The way to do this is to hover above it before quickly letting your finger off of the accelerator and onto the beam button in one smooth motion. It takes some getting used to and better sensitivity with the controls would improve game-play. I did also get a little frustrated with the loading time each time you have to start the level again – but then I guess that serves me right for dying too often and one answer to this predicament would be to be better at the game!

But these are really tiny problems in an otherwise flawless game. There are some ‘coming soon’ levels that I am very much looking forward to and I hope that trend will continue too (please, RatSquare!). Whilst this game will probably never be as popular as Doodle Jump or Angry Birds on your iOS device; Monsters and Bones is hugely fun and well worth trying!

Verdict: 9/10 – Great value for money for great entertainment! A challenging problem solving game that can become highly addictive if you are not careful!

It says something when the most comprehensive, in-depth imagining of JK Rowling’s magical world is actually in a video game involving brick-building stylised simulacra of her cast of characters.

But when you think about it, we’ve come to expect nothing less from TT Games, who have consistently delivered a level of quality in their LEGO releases which puts many of the characters featured on a pedestal often lacking from more ‘serious’ adaptations of licensed franchises.

The whimsical nature of the cut-scenes, as usual devoid of dialogue, is evident here as expected, and as always it’s much more fun if you’re playing with a friend, especially with the improved camera management system, which really helps when splitting the screen is necessary to complete a task.

There’s little here which is any different from the dozens of other LEGO games in terms of the basic platforming and puzzle-solving, but then would you really want it to be? Choose your character, and then take your time exploring the entire landscape of each specific world, destroying and building as you go, and making sure you collect as many goodies (usually LEGO studs) as possible en route.

Following on from the first LEGO Potter, here we explore the events of the last three books in the saga (or the final four films, if you will) following the resurrection of Voldemort, including the search for the seven hidden Horcruxes which the Dark Lord’s soul is made of.

One of the major differences in this adventure is the ability to cast a spell without aiming for a specific target, which is very useful, and some new magical skills at your disposal, including Aguamenti (extinguish small fires and make plants grow) and Legilimens (ready characters’ minds to see what you need to do next).

Other new features including flying over London on broomsticks, walking up walls with suction-cup shoes, and duelling with adversaries using a mix of defensive tactics and the right sort of attacks.

Will it make much sense to anyone who hasn’t seen all the movies or read the books? Perhaps not, but you shouldn’t feel you’re really missing out on too much as there’s still plenty to be enjoyed here in the basic gameplay.

As perhaps a final hurrah for the Harry Potter multi-media experience, this game is a perfect way to enjoy one last visit to the world of the boy wizard, and acts as a fitting farewell to the series.