Title. Bioshock Infinite Developer. Irrational Games    Platform(s). 360, PS3, PC  UK Release date: Out Now RATED: 18

Bioshock took the gaming world by storm back in 2007, then Bioshock 2 continued to develop the world of Rapture, taking it in a new but familiar direction. Now we return to the iconic lighthouse where it all began; will we go down? Not this time…this time it’s different – this time we’re coming up from the depths of the ocean, to a new world.

In true Bioshock fashion we play a completely new character - Booker Dewitt, of which we know very little - all we know is he is on a boat rowing toward the iconic lighthouse and has been sent to find a girl named Elizabeth, he looks through a box with a picture of her and a weapon. As we approach the lighthouse a note on the door reads; ‘Dewitt – Bring us the girl and wipe away the debt THIS IS YOUR LAST CHANCE’. Booker is clearly a character with a jaded past and the narrative goes about unlocking and shedding light on what turns out to be a very interesting back-story. Once we reach the lighthouse we follow a series of clues eventually leading us up to the top and to a sort of elevator that takes us up into the clouds, where we emerge at the awe inspiring floating city of Columbia. 

Columbia contrary to Rapture - is full of normal people! You overhear day to day conversations, go into bars and see people interacting ‘normally’ quite simply in the early stages of the game you’ll want to explore the city in its immaculate state, because let’s face it – deep down you know it’s not going to stay that way. The city itself feels alive, ever shifting due to its floating nature, awash with striking architecture and incredible attention to detail; fruits on the trees and tiny humming birds weaving through the luscious scenery.

Despite Columbia being built with notions of ‘Exceptionalism’ it is not without its issues, for starters; It’s the 1900s so racism, slavery and oppression toward anyone not white is very apparent. However this is done in such away that it does not feel embellished or treated without due care. It is used effectively to give Columbia a political, ethical and industrial standpoint. Columbia is far from perfect but the surface is immaculate and it feels like what Rapture would be like before it’s fall. It is idealistic and veterans to the Bioshock franchise will note the visual architecture is similar to that of when you see the corridors of Rapture through the eyes of a Little Sister before it’s fall. I would be inclined to mention the link between heaven and hell, rapture being the latter.

Which brings me neatly on to the inhabitants of Columbia. Naturally, no Bioshock game would be complete without a fanatical ‘bad guy’. This role is filled by one Father Comstock, who claims to be able to see the future and proclaims himself the prophet… needless to say he is a bit weird. As it transpires his relationship to Elizabeth is not one that benefits you in the slightest, and thus he will try to stop you.

As the game progresses, you of course find Elizabeth, who as it turns out - has the ability to tear holes between space and time… meaning the game takes a very big change in direction upon meeting her: no spoilers. It is an unrelenting narrative that never stops being exciting, engaging and altogether surprising and I defy anyone to guess its direction. Furthermore I defy anyone to be disappointed. Infinite takes a brave trajectory that is thrilling yet difficult to follow at times, fear not however as the game is wrapped up so well and so unpredictable in it’s content that you will be truly amazed. Bioshock fans will of course expect a twist, but this is a twist that will turn your brain inside out…

The story is without doubt engaging enough to keep you playing, but the creative and highly varied gameplay will ensure you want to explore and relish every moment. Bioshock Infinite is not a cheap thrill, it is a fine wine that needs to be enjoyed unrushed and appreciated. 

Let’s start with combat; from the off it is clear that it is different to previous Bioshock games, this may bother some players but as I go through this review you’ll begin to understand change is not always a bad thing.

The franchise always had an RPGish element of levelling yourself up but also brought in many elements of survival horror, conserving ammo, rifling through draws for an extra few bullets. I would have to say that Infinite is more Arcadey in it’s style, it is less about resource management and more about player skill. To start with, Ammo is not an issue and compared to previous Bioshock games, you will feel like a rich person, with money always available, but more on why later.

The primary change is our protagonist - despite being human, Booker feels a lot more powerful than the previous characters, this is largely due to the addition of a rechargeable shield, which makes him very durable due to rate the thing recharges. Clearly for balance issues they have taken away the ability to store med packs, but this does little to stop the Master Chief style shoot, hide behind cover, recharge and never die.

I would like to say this was the only ‘over powered’ feature, but with the addition of the new Gear options, in which Booker can equip up to 4 items in each slot, these are filled with a wide range of gear found throughout Columbia, certain pieces in true RPG fashion turn you into a killing machine. For example the gear combo I used meant I had 50% crit damage + a fully upgraded sniper rifle… meant I could one shot most things. There is also an item that increases your shield recharge rate by 50%... making the game a walk in the park.

So what else does infinite have? Plasmids now known as Vigors are of course a staple part of Bioshock, and along with the familiar lightning, fire and hypnotising abilities, Infinite introduces a few new abilities, namely the Crows that peck people to death and the bucking bronco which sends your foes helpless into the air (see below). Adam and Eve also do not exist, instead we rely on Salt (not that kind of salt) to fuel our new found powers. In addition unlike the reasonably well explained Plasmids and their link to Adam, Vigors lack the backstory and Salt is completely unexplained. This bothered me slightly as they felt a bit like a bolt on.

All of these new features would not have such a big aspect on combat if it weren’t for the ease of unlocking them, for example; gone are the ‘power to the people stations’, both weapon and Vigor upgrades are purchased through vending machines and like I said money is everywhere so I felt I earned very little. However I did search for gear, and rarely turned up to a fight unprepared.

New features don’t stop there; the Sky Hook is the new melee weapon and is used in two great ways. Firstly to glide around the Skylines which are railways of the sky and are how many people get from one place to another and secondly to beat people to death with… if that wasn’t enough you can combine the two, ride a skyline then jump down and beat someone to death…

So with all this ‘Over Powered’ spouting I have done, how does combat work? Well despite my feelings of steamrolling my way through the game, combat was always enjoyable, creative and never felt repetitive. There are plenty of choices of weapons to suit different styles, all feel unique, well animated and have a real weight to them; every shot feels like it’s doing damage and explosions have great impact.

Enemies have health bars like previous Bioshock games, but that’s about where the similarities end. Most of your foes come under the generic enforcer type, shooting wildly and rather predictable in their movements. However dispatching of these foes is great fun and does add to the feeling of being a bad ass. The fun really starts when you begin to encounter the more elite enemies such as the; Handy Man – a man in a mech suit that – you guessed it – has massive hands, deals mass amounts of damage and can only be killed easily by shooting his weak spot. You will also encounter enemies wielding vigors; both the Fire Men and the Crow Men are formidable foes that require quick change in tactics (I’ll let you work it out). Finally, the Centurions, which are big robots that take a beating and, like the Handy Man, they have a weak spot. I would have to say Infinite lacks the variety of enemy seen in previous games, they also lack the complex movements of the Splicers and the terror inducing Big Daddies.
However despite this, combat really is fantastic. I just felt on normal mode it was a bit easy, not un-enjoyable, just easy.

Elizabeth, not only plays a huge role in the story, she is a big part of the overall gameplay, supplying you with ammo, health and unlocking doors (the main way to find gear and upgrades). She is a huge part of what makes the game easier than previous Bioshocks. Not only is she useful, she does it with style! She leans against walls as you explore, and occasionally you will see her hunting for gear. She hides behind walls during combat and for the most part reacts appropriately during combat i.e. not standing in front of enemies.

Presentation is incredible, however you can see the age of the consoles starting to show as textures don’t seem as crisp as they should (this is not an issue on the PC version). Sound is flawless with every draw opening, person screaming, gun firing… perfect and adds to the immersiveness of Columbia. If that wasn’t enough Bioshock Infinite has one of the most well thought out soundtracks, with current tunes played in a 1900’s style! Simply amazing. 

So, important to note there is no multiplayer! But with such a substantial single player experience 15+ hours it really does not matter. In fact, I am incredibly happy to see that Irrational Games have not felt pressured to include one. There are a wealth of Collectables to further develop the story and some great achievements unlocked through using different weapons and taking different combat approaches in each play though.

Puritans to the franchise may not be happy with some of the changes, but if you ignore the nostalgic feeling for Rapture you’ll find Columbia to be a place with a lot of character. Feeling overpowered was fixed by playing the unlockable 1999 mode (named because of all the hard games made in that year). In this mode you will have to seek out the best gear because without it you will die – a lot of which brought back that amazing survival element to the game.

Sum-up
Bioshock Infinite is without a doubt a near perfect FPS, with intuitive enjoyable shooting, great set pieces, immaculate presentation (PC) not to mention the glorious back drop of Columbia. If all that wasn’t enough Bioshock Infinite has a narrative that rivals anything Hollywood has to offer with an ending that will leave your jaw on the floor, simply incredible.

10/10

Title. Tomb Raider    Developer. Crystal Dynamics    Platform(s). 360, PC, PS3   UK Release date: Out Now   RATED: 18

For a franchise and a character that arguably defined a generation, we have seen very little of Tomb Raider post movie… so as we approach the end of this generation could we see a huge revival?

So - Lara is back, but not as we know her, she’s a younger more ‘girl next door’ than an unrealistic Barbie with guns… Gone are the misogynistic stylings and unrealistic curves, in its place comes a multi dimensional character who has a lot more to her than we’d expect. This is Lara’s origin story and subsequently a prequel, is it a re-start in the right direction?

If you’ve ever wondered how Lara became such a bad ass? Well this game explains it, the story’s fundamental direction is the creation of the action heroin.

The game opens with young archaeologist Lara Croft voiced by Camilla Luddington, going on an adventure to find the lost tomb of Yamatai, along with a group consisting of her senior Archaeologist Whitman, Roth a survival expert, Anna a film maker and a number of other rather underdeveloped characters. They set out on a voyage to Dragons Triangle east of Japan. However, the boat, The Endurance gets hit by a violent storm and Lara and crew find themselves stranded on an island… quickly captured by a native, cut off from her crew and very scared! It doesn’t take long for Lara to show us that she is far from the heroin we know. From the outset, Lara has been made to act more human, showing fear and a vulnerability not often seen in games. You cannot help but feel a certain level of empathy for her, I wanted to look after her and subsequently felt every bit of her strife.

This opening section of the game is rather self indulgent, in that it’s all very grand, full of QTE’s and very linear. However once that’s all over we emerge from our near death experience to a world strewn with shipwrecks, plane crashes and beautiful scenery. Lara looks over the wreckages that lay before her with an air of ‘what next?’ and indeed I felt like, what next? It was that exact point I realised I was invested in this game and needed to know ‘what next!’.

As the narrative progresses you will begin to realise that you are being drip fed a beautiful story, but in terms of direction you are never sure. I did not find this to be an issue, as it is an adult game and subsequently the fact the narrative unravels should not bother it’s players, my advise would be stick with it as it takes around four hours to actually have any clue who is even the ‘bad guy’.

Throughout the game Lara goes through a lot! (understatement) And reacts much as any of us would: badly… with a lot of talking to yourself; ‘what am I doing’ and ‘Oh god’ etc… you can tell that she is truly horrified by her experiences. The pinnacle moment of this comes when Lara realises she must kill to eat, we see her mourn the death of her first kill… a helpless deer. Ironic considering the mass slaughter about the take place throughout this adventure. She gathers herself quickly which is good because the island seems to be full of things trying to kill her. She relives this grief when she kills her first human, a truly memorable moment which elicits a real sense of ‘things matter to this character’… oh wait, no they don’t as she kills countless foe without batting an eyelid. This is a game about surviving, and in the process growing into a kick ass, gun-toting, tomb-finding, bonafide legend.

As the story unravels there are plenty of opportunities to find out more through journals, footage from Lara’s camera and numerous short dialogue sections between Lara and her crew. There really is a wealth of story to just lose yourself in and if for whatever reason you don’t engage, well it won’t matter because the game-play is mind blowing.

Many of the game’s narrative points are linked to gameplay (introducing all the things that make Lara Lara) thankfully this is achieved in such a way that you barely notice. For example, how do we explain how an archaeologist becomes such a great survivor? Well she has training of course, from the survival expert Roth (his voice narrates you through the beginnings of the game) the introduction to the controls is very unobtrusive and the ‘tutorial’ if you can call it that, is part of the story. He will explain how to use new pieces of equipment, such as the bow, rope and pick axe and explains their key features either in person or in an Obi Wan Kinobi style voice in your head. The gameplay carries the game in the early hours, it is good enough that you don’t mind that you don’t know what is happening, in fact it makes you want to find out.

This is where I usually say ‘combat is good…’ and feel that I have to really sell it as it makes up 90% of most games. Well in Tomb Raider’s case it is not nearly as important, combat is not infrequent but not so unrelenting you think your playing a third person shooter. However regardless of it not being the focus, it has far from been neglected. Combat feels engaging, fast paced and enjoyable. To maintain the feeling of vulnerability, Lara is indeed not hard to kill, so picking your battles wisely, using cover, stealth attacks and having places to retreat to is important. Key mechanics such as tapping B to scramble for cover, and evading melee attacks are key to surviving. Lara is by no means impervious to being shot, blown up and stabbed. So it’s important you take the opportunity to learn your arsenal, upgrade weapons and gain skills. So, to explain myself… there are four weapons in Tomb Raider; bow, pistol, shotgun and rifle. Yes it’s not many but you are on a island… you upgrade guns via ‘salvage’ found through out the game, as you progress your weapons will gain multiple functions. The bow for example can be used to fire a rope, which can be used to climb across or pull objects. As well as upgrading your weapons you also upgrade Lara in a sort of watered down RPG element, you gain XP for kills, puzzle-solving etc… after a certain amount of XP is gained you will gain skill points which can be used to upgrade Lara (adds to the idea of her becoming more capable) the options are Survival, Hunter and Brutality. Within each of these options are skills that will make you better at climbing for example, or a gun specialisation. The Brutality skills certainly warrant Tomb Raider’s 18 rating, with some truly graphic scenes.

Your interaction with enemies however is completely eclipsed by the sophistication with which Lara interacts with her surroundings. I have never come across a game that so seamlessly creates a world with believable physics. Running, jumping and traversing the vast island is truly nail biting and never boring. On more than one occasion you will say ‘is that gap too far?’, which it often will be. Important to note, the environment will kill you far more than any enemy, it also offers some very graphic death sequences. Because of this it is important you learn how to move through the world, knowing which surfaces are climbable etc… What can you vault? What can’t you hold onto?… these are all things you must think about. You are far from the hyper-agile Lara Croft of old, you will at times literally stumble and fall through entire areas.

There are many more subtle ways Lara interacts with her surroundings, some may not seem as worthy of mention but nerds amongst us will note, this game goes to next level. The attention to detail as Lara moves through the scenery; touching walls as she walks, tripping and falling on different surfaces, wading slowly through water, shielding her eyes from bright late and flame, covering her mouth to fumes… Many of these things will be over looked but I implore you to care, because someone somewhere has made the effort to make these things part of the game and I for one think its brilliant.

My only gripe (and it is a minor one) came when I was exploring the game fully, I realised there tends to only be one way to get through most areas… meaning the game is very scripted and deceptively linear. However you won’t notice until your second playthrough and by then you’ll be besotted with the whole game. Presentation has clearly been spared no expense, with striking crisp visuals and incredibly realistic sounds (especially from Lara) you feel every bump and scrape and subsequently it is very easy to immerse yourself in the game. Crystal Dynamics have used QTE’s and strictly linear sections the way they should be. That is to say they have only resorted to them when it would literally be impossible not to, for example in the larger set pieces; escaping from a burning building or crawling through a collapsing cave. The scripted sections allow the developers to capture some great moments of claustrophobia and truly nail biting terror.

Despite the people trying to kill her etc… Lara just can’t get enough of those collectables: relics, documents, GPS locators and challenges are in every area. You find these through using your ‘survival instincts’: simply hold down LB to inspect the environment and things of interest will glow orange. Collectables are often seen as a way to bulk out a game, but in Tomb Raider’s case they offer the perfect opportunity to go back and explore the stunning places you perhaps rushed through before. These are easy to get through via the quick travel feature at most camps.

Along with wealth of collectables there are also optional tombs, which basically involve a puzzle that requires you to reach a platform… I enjoyed their ingenuity but found them slightly easy and were definitely too short. These parts of the game remind us that Lara is an Archaeologist first, action heroin second and thus loves to drop some historical knowledge whenever there’s a chance.

Up until now I have sung the praises of this game, and unfortunately won’t be able to continue, as the multiplayer is woeful. The solid combat system used in the main game does not translate well to a multiplayer battle, and the game modes are unimaginative and frankly a bit dull. This has happened before with Deadspace 2, it does not need a multiplayer, the core game is good enough, just give me more of that.

So a brief list of problems: there are too many enemies for such a small island to sustain. Yes, it is a bit like Uncharted but this is not a bad thing (if you are going to copy, copy from the best). Finally, Yes - Lara overcomes challenges particularly well, but if it were super realistic she would probably shoot herself in the head from the stress… which would not make a good game.

The pros: Tomb Raider is a game that makes you feel. It is an adult game that does not insult its audience with mindless gore, rather an adult narrative with a ‘real’ character. Crystal Dynamics have clearly understood that the original players of the Tomb Raider franchise are all grown up and thus have given them a grown up game. It will no doubt be received greatly by fans and newcomers alike.

Sum-up
Tomb Raider’s similarities to other games are obvious, it is a lot of good ideas packed into one neat action packed package, I can safely say the icon is back. It is an emotional rollercoaster, brilliantly executed and truly nail biting. An exhilarating, completely unexpected game that restores your faith in the medium to tell stories and invoke emotion.

9/10
 

  Title. Metal Gear Rising    Developer. Platinum games   Platform(s). 360, PS3    UK Release date: Out Now    RATED: 18

Before we get into the dissection of Metal Gear Rising (MGR) I want to say two things; firstly don’t be fooled by the title - this is not a traditional sneak around - hide in boxes Metal Gear and it reminds us of that: ‘It’s a box, how is that gonna help?’. This is a hack and slash fast paced experience based in the legendary gaming universe of MGS. Secondly I will use as many cutting adjectives as possible… deal with it.

If anyone was uncertain of the Japanese’s foothold on gaming, Metal Gear reminds us just how strong their IP’s are. From the opening credits we are saturated with Eastern styling, the authentic anime aesthetic that has often been replicated so badly by the west, we see it here in its purest form, this is Metal Gear Rising and it is no doubt oozing style. So – the question remains, is this style over substance? An over-indulged game worried more about flashy design that core mechanics..? We’ll see.

I won’t attempt to divulge any of the Metal Gear universe, all I will say is that it is in the near future, there are cyborgs (humans with mechanical body parts) and Artificial Intelligence (robots). We play as Raiden, a sort of ninja/samurai cyborg with a cool hair cut, boyish looks and a deep manly voice… He is ‘good’, doesn’t like war and goes around cutting ‘bad’ people - who do like war - to pieces. The story takes a rather predictable arch, where by Raiden not only has to battle terror, but battle the terror within (I put that better than the real tagline). Great cinematic cut scenes string together a relatively engaging story for the genre, I realise that MGS fans will not be surprised by this.

There are many references to current issues such as ‘the war on terror’ and ‘9/11’, they refer to them as historical events. I would have to say the political aspects of the game seemed to be in stark contrast to the ability to cut someone into hundreds of pieces and often defy logical sense but hey – that’s the least of my worries. I was more troubled by a child named George who sounds like Ja Ja Binks… his presence was detrimental – in that it was annoying – secondly he added nothing to the game, I defy anyone to name any character other than the bosses or Raiden, every one of them was forgettable. Oh wait, there was the ‘Dok’. I only remember that because it was spelt wrong.

My gripe as the game progressed was: how come Raiden does all this cool stuff in the cut scenes, including picking up robots the size of buildings and running up vertical walls, and yet when I play he just jumps around waving a sword! This feeling was amplified when I factored in the amount of Quick Time Events (QTE’s) that book-ended each cutscene… I’ve said it before, it is just lazy games design. However the quality of these sections is undeniable, I just felt robbed of some gameplay, it was like everytime I got to a cool bit the game said ‘oh wait, my turn now’ then handed me back the controls to continue doing the leg work.

So you may be getting a sense that I did not enjoy MGR, well this is where this review may have a twist, because purely from a game-play standpoint, MGR is definitely onto something, it starts with a very brief easy-to-understand tutorial. The core of the game is essentially cutting people to pieces. MGR stands up well alongside it’s hack’n’slash contemporaries, with responsive combat – albeit primarily delivered with two buttons. Raiden has a great range of combinations unlocked through the game, to start with it will feel like button bashing but as you progress you will begin to broaden your skill set and become a lot more effective in combat. Unlike many other games of the same genre which rely on dodging, MGR focuses more on blocking, achieved through striking whilst directing towards an oncoming attack, just as you are about to get hit, you will block and then strike back to devastating effect. MGR really shows its niche with the addition of blade mode, which allows us to slow down time and control our blade to great precision to slice and dice our enemies. This precision cutting allows us to gain access to our foes’ energy rich spinal cords which replenish Raiden’s health and energy, furthermore if you cut off their left hand you gain bonuses (something about info in their left hand…), after each battle you will be awarded a ‘grade’. If you’ve performed lots of spine pulling and don’t get hit you will be awarded an S rank… If scores bother you this offers some re-playability however repeating the same battle over and over does nothing for me.

As fun as combat is, as the game reached the latter stages I felt as if I was just along for the ride, the entire play experience was combat, which often felt too fast paced to feel as if I was really doing anything. To sum the game up early, it felt like I just bashed buttons to the next cut scene. MGR’s saving grace is the boss battles, which add some great variety and another excuse to show off some quirky and very original design, these battles are challenging but never impossible. The mechanics are different in each battle but very easy to learn, and like the rest of the game relied too much on QTE’s to cover the grander aspects of the fight.

So where’s the content? Because right now, it’s not looking good. So, as would be expected we can upgrade Raiden, this is done through spending the BP (points gained through killing enemies, taking spines and left hands). The fact that he is a cyborg makes the lore easy to explain, ‘he upgrades his body’ more health, more damage, new combos, costumes and the most exciting of all; new weapons obtained after each boss battle. Because of this you always feel powerful, even up against the bosses you never feel outmatched. Until the rather worrying rise in difficulty that is the end boss, which I warn you now - is ridiculous.

So we reach that point in the review where I can sing MGR’s praises because the presentation of this game is inspiring. So let’s start with the visuals. The graphics are stunning with a much needed very high frame rate; the game never glitched, stalled or popped; it was seamless, fast and enjoyable. As mentioned briefly the style of the game is fantastic, every character is designed beautifully and bosses and enemies all look unique and completely avoid the pit fall of ‘wave after wave of the same enemy attacking’. The environments are all destructible which gives you a real feeling of power to the already impressive physics of the blade. The visuals are supported by possibly the coolest soundtrack I have heard in years, fast paced original mixes that push the pace and add to the immersiveness of the combat. In short, it’s very, very cool! I try to avoid that word… but really it is cool. The look, design, sound and music come together to create a very cool package. Ron Burgendy comes to mind: ‘Hey everyone, come see how good I look’.

Longevity is not exactly MGR’s strong point, the game is very short, you can complete a play through in around four hours minus cutscenes and QTE’s. I hate to think how short it is. The VR missions attempt to pack out the rather wafer thin offering, but I felt they offered very little compared to the campaign.

Sum-up
So let’s cut to the chase, the game is short, repetitive and has a very stop-start game-play. However, it is very well stylised, has immaculate presentation, incredible sword- play and a killer soundtrack. In short it is an enjoyable, but shallow experience. A cheap thrill, but not so cheap. However if you have £40 lying around you will no doubt enjoy the brief time you spend in MGR. However my advice, if you don’t care about the MG universe, then buy Bayonnetta… it’s like this turned up to 11.

7/10
 

Title: Skulls of the Shogun      Developer: 17 Bit      Platform(s): XBLA 1200ms

Turn-based strategy games have always seemed far too un-engaging with exception to the FF (Final Fantasy) series I have always avoided them, that is until I heard about a small XBLA title making a big splash. Skulls of the Shogun is not like many other turn based games, here’s why:

Skulls tells the story of a Japanese samurai general named Akamoto (who has a very serious mustache). As the introduction goes on, it transpires he was very close to becoming a ‘Shogun’ (head samurai) until one fateful battle, where he receives a post victory stab in the back, and dies…

We pick up the story naturally, in a place named limbo where samurai must queue for the afterlife, only problem for Akamoto is that can take five hundred years. Not content with this we decide to round up other impatient samurai in order to storm the gates and claim our rightful place in the afterlife. The story takes a turn when we find out that many samurai view Akamoto to be an imposter! The plot thickens further as we look to discover who has stolen our identity... all pretty standard stuff certainly not enough to engage us for 8hours and Akamoto does not fulfill the role of a memorable protagonist, so what about gameplay?  

So as mentioned in the intro Skulls is a turn based strategy game, to anyone who is clueless to the genre (I don’t blame you) I will explain it. In short turn based games play out more like a board game, with you starting out with your units one side of a map and the enemies the other, you then must set about (usually) wiping out the enemy forces, this is achieved through attacking them. Unlike many other turn-based games your characters are not locked to one spot i.e. traditional FF games, Skulls of the Shogun allows you to move freely around the battlefield with the restriction of that characters movement range.

Along side Akamoto you have a number of different units at your disposal through the game, from standard melee soldiers, calvary with huge movement to archers who utilize their ranged attacks to cause havoc, there is a lot to think about when planning your attack. Monks are another unit available, though these are gained through haunting shrines. Top tip use them a lot! as they have some very useful unique abilities. Haunting rice paddies is also offer a great strategic advantage, as rice can be exchanged for more units.

Each round you will have 5 turns to move, attack, haunt or eat the enemy skulls to power up your forces… that’s right eating skulls! if one unit eats three skulls they become a demon and gain double orders. Choose your moves carefully as you will quickly find the five orders never feel like enough.

With this set up you will move through each stage of the afterlife, battling the same foe (different colored variations), to start with it felt very clunky and unfulfilling. However as the game gathers steam you begin to enjoy its simplicity and relaxed play style. Its turn based, so you never feel in a rush, however the enemy AI often seemed very stupid, every level they strategically had the upper hand and yet often seemed to almost let me win… on that note if Akamoto dies (not likely if he is in demon mode as seen below)  it’s game over but he rarely will, unless you’re dumb enough to stand him by a ledge.

Visually the game is charming the cartoon graphics burst with color and contrary to many people’s views I could always find my forces easily on the battlefield. Sound is something not important to this game, as there is no voice acting other than the occasional ‘Jabba the Hut’ noise from Akamoto. All dialogue is in text and however ‘current’ and funny it wanted to be, it did very little to add to the experience and I often wanted to skip (the option to skip is a bonus). As for the music it is repetitive but unobtrusive and the sound effects are nothing worthy of praise.

So, the question I must answer what do I do when I have finished? Well, post the aprox 8hours it takes to burn through the story, you can always go back and try and achieve the Golden Skull challenges, available through performing certain feats in each level, many of which are tricky and I applaud your ability if you get them all.

Sum-up
The game has a manageable learning curb, which introduces the finer points of the game in easy to manage chunks. It is simple and enjoyable but often very unfulfilling, the latter levels offer a glimpse of how good the game could be, with more interesting win clauses and tactics required, its just a shame that the first 60% of the game was nothing in comparison.

6/10

                 Developer. 2K            Platform(s). Xbox, PS3 & PC           UK Release date: Out Now (Borderlands 2 required)

To explain the story after reading the title of this DLC almost seems insulting however I will do it for those people with short memories. If you played the original campaign you’ll remember that Sir Hammerlock is a suave Englishman who would often send you on a lot of quests to kill creatures… well this add on will have you spend a lot of time with him, because we are going on ‘a fun filled weekend of hunting and friendship’. The offer sounds too good to be true, killing monsters with one of Pandora’s best characters… turns out it is.

Along the way you will meet Professor Nakayama a mad scientist who is a little bit obsessed with the now departed Handsome Jack and he wants nothing more than to be your arch enemy and to exact revenge. Problem is – he sucks. Nevertheless, his plot is evil… so we must stop him. With the exception of the end boss battle (which is epic) and the end sequence (which is hilarious) I was rather under whelmed by the story as it takes a couple of hours at best to complete. So what else is there?

Big Game Hunt will see you visit the new continent of Aegrus a rich marsh-filled mountainous place full of caves and not seen before art style. The new Fan Boat will aid you on your travels as much of it will be over shallow water. This vehicle bares similar resemblance to the Sand Sciff seen in previous DLC (this is not a bad thing).

2K have clearly listened to the communities about their continued use of re-skinned foes, thus we have a very original roster of new enemies. The primary human variant, the Savages, have in their ranks the most dangerous foe of all, (excluding bosses) the Witch Doctors, which not only wield powerful elemental damage but have the power to level up their allies, so kill them quick or risk being overwhelmed. 

As to be expected, Aegrus is also home to some weird and wonderful beasts which Hammerlock will often be asking you to kill. I feel 2K could have gone further with the hunting aspect and done away with an antagonist, as they did with the previous expansion where fighting was the focus. Hunting should be the focus of this, not chasing a slightly underwritten character.

For the hardcore among you there are more Raid bosses and an extra one that will have you spending an awful lot of Eridium (at last something to spend it on). This Raid boss will drop Hammerlock themed loot, not to be missed by Borderlands pros.

Sum up
Although shorter than expected, Big Game Hunt offers a welcome change of scenery and explores some stranger creature design. Taking on foes not previously seen was a real joy. Although lacking the depth and humour of previous expansions it is a great addition to the world of Pandora and yet again offers something new.
 

6/10

                     Developer. 2K         Platform(s). Xbox, PS3 & PC        UK Release date: Out Now (Borderlands 2 required)

Campaign of Carnage is a beautifully simple concept: Mister Torgue is the founder and owner of the Torgue gun company, you know – that one where all the weapons are explosive…. As expected, Torgue is an archetypal, moronic, foul-mouthed, hyper violent, jock/pro wrestler who is hilariously written and thus you will quickly grow to love him - if not - his commentary may get annoying. Anyway, he has discovered a new region on Pandora and has named it… drum roll…. The Badass Crater of Baddassitude. In this new gloriously named place Torgue has discovered a new vault, so naturally decides to build a battle arena on it and set up a tournament, the winner of which will lay claim to the vault’s contents by spilling the blood blah blah blah, if you win you get the loot (no spoilers). Except this picture of Piston, the number one Badass!

The backdrop to Campaign of Carnage matches with the story really well, with Torgue branding everywhere it feels like Nascar meets Borderlands, the stadium, colourful race way and excessive branding are like nothing we have seen before. MOTORBIKES, MUSCLE CARS AND GUNS! The American dream… we also see varied terrain such as The Forge - a lava filled junk yard providing some welcome variety. With the exception of enemies on motorbikes I felt the roster of foes was far too familiar. As with Pirates Booty some re-skinning has certainly occurred but there were no surprises. Unlike Pirate’s Booty there are no new vehicles however there is a vehicle based boss fight to make up for it.

As we expect, there are a wealth of side missions, including arena battles (yay) which are repeatable (big yay) and a great way to earn lots of the new Torgue currency that can be used to buy legendary items. It would seem the side mission quality has been stepped up for this expansion with more interesting reasons behind them. For example, Mister Torgue sends you on a quest to kill game reviewers… can’t think why I found that funny. For the hardcore among you there is yet more raid bosses to tackle.

If all that wasn’t enough we also see the return of some original campaign characters, notably Moxxi and Tiny Tina who add further humour and carnage to the already insane story. This campaign does mention that you killed Handsome Jack, reinforcing what I said in the previous DLC review, that expansions are narratively post-end game. I will refer to this as AJ (after Jack).

Sum-up
This expansion is all about the culture of combat, and the entire add on revolves around fighting, racing and explosions. To say the story is predictable and lacking any depth would be missing the point. It’s called Campaign of Carnage, it’s carnage! It doesn’t need to make sense, what matters is it’s really fresh and enjoyable and more importantly adds something to the game that was not previously available. Arena battles, new currency, more quests and some more hilarious Borderlands characters.
A must!
 

8/10

                        Developer. 2K          Platform(s). Xbox, PS3 & PC      UK Release date: Out Now (Borderlands 2 required)

The first instalment of DLC, as you may guess from the name, has a very ‘piratey’ theme. You begin your adventure in a town called Oasis with the grand inhabitants of one, a man named Shade who is ‘YOUR NEW BFF’ (Best Friend Forever), he is fantastically written and truly bonkers. Shade serves as the main side quest provider, sending you on all kinds of bizarre errands - no spoilers!

The core story is a stereotypical treasure hunt, in which you must gather clues (usually items prised from the dead) to find the lost treasure of legendary pirate Captain Blade. Along the way you will find yourself in a rather risky allegiance to Captain Scarlett, a charismatic pirate who makes no attempt to convince you that she won’t betray you in the near future.

You will notice the lack of Handsome Jack, this notably (spoilers) might have something to do with him being dead and thus not participating in subsequent add ons. Narratively speaking, this is likely post-end game. Although it could stand alone from the main campaign as no mention of your previous acts are ever brought up.

Pirate’s Booty offers a rich backdrop to its narrative with great planes of desert, colourful caves and huge settlements infested with new enemies. I admit that many of them are re-skins, bandits made to look like pirates… There were however a few additions such as the Anchorman who utilises his anchors to pull you into melee range to deal massive damage. Combat is still fast and frantic and very addictive.

The desert is full of worms!!!! And so a new vehicle is unlocked as a way of navigating the new expanse: the Sand Sciff, a sort of hovering ship allows you to move from a) to b) without it turning into the film Dune.

‘What about LOOT?’, I hear you cry. Well, as expected there are more weapons, however you’d be hard pressed to notice major changes, that is, if it wasn’t for a new rarity of item ‘magenta’ that in some cases rivals the legendary items. The true loot pay off comes at the end of the game where fans will have a nerdgasm (no guarantee).

Sum up
Pirate’s Booty is great for casual and hardcore players, adding not only a wealth of side missions that prolong the solo experience. There are loads of new areas to explore, new challenges, an engaging but clichéd story and of course the Borderlands must - tear inducing raid bosses that will give hardcore players something to aim for. It’s not quite as engaging as the core game but without Handsome Jack, who expected it to be? However, steam punk pirates - what’s not to like…?

7/10
 

After some time away sorting out real world stuff… I return to the hub life to continue to review my game of 2012 and possibly the most pleasant surprise in recent gaming history… I speak of course of Borderlands 2 first reviewed back in October, I am now a season pass holder (2400ms points) and have been receiving all the subsequent DLC, so I am in a pretty good position to tell you what you’ve been missing – or not. This review will include all 3 current installments of DLC. As you will have read in the original review I was extremely happy with the original game and thus expectations are high that the DLC with give me the same original quality of play with some new flavour to keep me interested. So without further ado, let’s get back to shoot’n & loot’n. 

Title. HALO 4     Developer. 343 Industries     Platform(s). 360     UK Release date: Out Now     RATED: 16

In a world full of sequels it is hardly worth drawing attention to the fact that this is the 7th FPS in the series, however this is a sequel with a difference… This is HALO without Bungie… and with the recent changing hands of the Star Wars franchise, I am left wondering; has the world gone crazy! or is the hand over of an IP just the thing needed to capture the old magic? For many of us the arrival of HALO 4 is met with trepidation, our beloved franchise that kick started the XBOX era is in new hands, will it be handled with care? Will we get the game loyal HALO fans deserve?

The message that greets us upon first loading the game is as follows. ‘thank you for your trust, community, engagement and interest’ 343 Industries is aware that we have trusted them with our baby.

The game opens with a beautiful cinematic in which Dr Halsey is talking to an unidentifiable man, the key line being ‘do not underestimate him’, which suggests 343 saying ‘do not underestimate us’, I could be reading into it too much but then my view is reinforced once we come back to the Chief as he slots Cortana back into his helmet the line she says ‘seems like old times’ is a reassuring nod, this is still HALO! The Chief then says ‘ready to get back to work’ and at that point I said HELL YEAH!

The narrative as always will not be spoilt by me, but to give you an important bit of backstory; HALO 4 marks a great shift in the franchises narrative direction. It marks the rise of the humans; ceasing to always be ‘on the run’ they are now on the attack and the UNSC is a force to be reckoned with. Humanity is the greatest threat in the galaxy. This shift in power of course needs to be addressed after-all Chief waking from cryo and being able to retire would not make a great game. 

So after a 4 years 7 months and 10days holiday courtesy of being lost in space after the events of HALO 3, the Chief is back! Cortana awakens us from stasis due to the Dawn being under attack, sure enough the Covenant show up, then it’s business as usual, until you end up on a new Forerunner world… then we set about finding out, why we’ve ended up there? what the Covenant are up too? and as always how we’re going to get out of this mess…?

As a reaction to humanities rise to power we see the arrival of a new evil. The Prometheans (No spoilers as to who/what they are) lead by the Didact an awesome powerful protagonist/antagonist who looks like he’s just stepped out of the classic manga Guyver.

All this grandiose narrative is out performed by a rather busty AI, that’s right Cortana is without a doubt the star of the show, her deteriorating mind makes for some fantastic plot twists, ‘AI’s have a lifespan of 7years’ then they go CRAZY!

The story offers previously unprecedented scale you are impacting an entire world, each mission flows seamlessly into each-other, the backdrop to the story is one that pushes this generations visual expectations overwhelming views and life like textures make it very easy to fall into the story.

HALO has always played out in blockbuster fashion and HALO 4 really does feel like playing a film action buttoned sequences keep you focused and in the moment, while full cinematic sequences allow for key plot points to be presented in memorable fashion. I did feel that the story got off to a rather slow start, in fact I felt the game only really made an impact in the third level ‘enemy of my enemy’ no spoilers as to why but you won’t be disappointed.

The game comes to a more than satisfactory conclusion – scratch that – It is awesome. It will certainly leave you wanting more and more and more. My only gripe came right at the end action buttons are a cheep way to finish a boss and didn’t seem right after everything I’d been through.

Its been 11 years since the release of HALO Combat Evolved, since then I would not say that the game has ‘evolved’ much at all, this much awaited addition to the series brings HALO to where I feel it should be. My first word on combat is that it is not easy, especially on the harder difficulty levels, I would definitely say 343 have set the balance right between really freakin hard and impossible. What I am saying is – you will die.

Overall I felt the scale of combat did not match the scale of the narrative and rarely did I feel part of any ‘epic battles’, the game favours skirmishes above ‘battles’. Furthermore I felt the latter stages of the game seem very repetitive with similar set peaces and enemies I felt I was playing the same content on a loop.

On the upside combat is as always very polished and responsive, guns look and feel amazing, shooting enemies is very satisfying due to great impact reactions. The AI is terrifying at times and will adapt to your play style on the higher difficulty levels. Making for some very (omg I am dumb moments)

As with all the HALO games there is enough variation in combat to keep you interested, the usual flying, driving and sneakyish missions are all there. New vehicles such as the Mantis, which looks like it should have always been in the universe keep the game feeling fresh ‘a lot changes in 4 years’.

Important to note the game feels like a HALO game, 343 are not trying to reinvent the wheel and given little time you’ll be popping grunts in the head with the pistol like it was 2001. Weapons are important to me and thankfully as Cortana says ‘a lot changes in 4 years…’ evidently A LOT! changes in 4 years. The addition of the Prometheans brings a whole new arsenal and both the Human and Covenant guns have been overhauled. All three sets have a similar range of weapons, all with unique looks and reloads. Some note worthy additions are the Sticky Detonator which shoots remote explosive darts and the SAW which is everything you could ever want from a machine gun.

HALO 4 builds further on the use of suit mods available in both the campaign and VS such as Decoy – which sees a projected version of yourself charge to where you point, perfect for distracting a group of foes. FF vision – the ability to see enemies through walls and fog etc… and of course my favourite Jet packs, there is a wide range to choose from and everyone will have their favourites.

If you are still laughing through the campaign on legendary it may be worth looking at the ‘Skulls option’ offering the chance to make the game even harder enabling handicaps such as black eye ‘shields don’t recharge unless you melee enemies’… some of these options are not for the casual gamer…

Visually the game is incredible - as in ‘I didn’t know games could look this good’ lighting is used like no game I have ever seen before. At times blinding you, it feels like ‘real’ light that reacts to the surroundings, reflecting, interacting and wrapping the game with beauty. Textures are incredibly detailed, this may just be the best looking game ever on consoles… not to be out done the sound team have clearly upped their game, meatier gun noises, amazing voice acting and superb music. It’s HALO turned up to 11!

The new foe brings new Forerunner technology that isn’t similar to either Covenant or Human, meaning the game has a much more unique feel, although after spending what feels like forever in Forerunner structures you can end up feeling a strong desire for a change of scenery. However the environment serves it’s purpose as a backdrop to the rather epic narrative, it is atmospheric incredibly detailed and just feels grittier both in content and art style/texture. It simply feels more adult. I did miss the wildlife found in HALO Reach, it is elements like that which make a gaming world feel ‘real’ most of HALO 4 feels like a set piece I refer to the notion of ‘playing a film’. 

It would be silly to release a HALO game without taking advantage of the vast online player-base. The HALO franchise has always been synonymous with XBL and it is important for 343 to maintain this.

Thankfully playing online is amazing it strikes the right balance between innovation and familiarity. There is a whole host of options options and more options. From different game types: ranging from traditional Team Slayer to Flood which allows each team to take it in turns to be the gruesome foe found in previous HALO games. In short online play is polished, balanced, enjoyable and lacks the frustration of so many other FPS’. There are also some great new maps to master.

If playing against people is not your thing then you can always go through the campaign with a friend via off or online co-op. The lack of Firefight has caused some concern but I smell future DLC will remedy this need. Spartan Ops has been brought in to replace this mode, it offers players a chance to take part in missions separate from the main plot, at the moment these are a free feature to XBL gold members so be sure to check them out, as in the future they are likely to require additional cost.

To bring this to a close HALO 4 is a game made with a care and consideration for the value of the property. It will leave you ‘wanting’ in a good way: Cut scenes that will leave you wondering if it live action (please o please let their be a HALO film) and a promised sequel for next the generation console, 343 have outdone themselves. I feel it is important to end on this, it may be 343’s first release but they have the best people working for them and one hell of a budget, So I ignore people that say ‘OMG they have like, never made a game before…’ this has no signs of a first attempt it is the evolution of the franchise.

Sum-up
The chief is back and kicking more ass than ever this the game that marks the continuation of a franchise that peaked 8 years ago with HALO 2. This is the HALO game we all deserve by a company that have love and respect for the IP, they don’t have the ‘its HALO they’ll buy it anyway’ attitude, and so it is a clear contender for shooter of the decade! BUY IT!

9/10

Title. Pool Nation    Developer. CherryPop Games    Platform(s). XBLA     UK Release date: Out Now

First off, I will admit coming into this review I questioned what anyone could get out of playing a videogame that is – let’s face it – very easy to go and play the real thing. However that may seem rather dismissive so let’s see what Pool Nation has to offer.

Pool Nation is a sports game based around (you guessed it) pool, not the swimming kind of ‘pool’, I’m thinking pub game, 8ball, spots and stripes, red and yellow (if you’re English) you get the picture. The game offers 9 game types from single player modes such as Endurance in which you ‘pot against the clock’ and compete for high scores, to Versus Mode which allows you to play against other people via XBL. The game has the usual unlockables including ball sets, decals and cues. These are gained through achieving feats throughout the 9 game types. The main single player mode 8 or 9 Ball Tours, require you to play against a varied cast of characters with back-stories that have no impact on anything, which felt rather pointless, anyway I digress. You can also unlock more of the above by completing ‘Bonus Rounds’ which have different rules to the main tours; in each game you will be able to obtain 3 stars 1 for winning the other 2 for meeting those feats, more stars = more rewards…

So with a game based around a single aspect of gameplay in this case the physics engine, it will certainly make up a bulk of the /10, so does it work? I am thrilled to announce it does, the game is very responsive and quick to get into. Just line the cue up with the left thumb stick, you’ll see a line of trajectory, pull the right thumb stick back, push it forward and bingo you’re playing! Thankfully the game has a lot more to it than that, the controls are very in depth meaning those wishing to invest the time, can become extremely good at it. The Tutorial is solid and teachers you the ins and outs of how to become a master one-step at a time. Furthermore the game rewards your efforts by giving you a healthy amount of bonus points for achieving trick shots, you can also view them in super slow motion, who knew there could be so much creativity on pool table? All this technical stuff is great but for me it was the ability to jump straight in and play ‘learn by doing’ as I often say, that will make the game enjoyable for casual players like myself. The game was so fault free in fact; that my only gripe was with the repetitive music, once that was off I was free to enjoy myself. Pro tip! You know how you get better at Pool after a few beers? Well – that doesn’t work in Pool Nation.

Sum-up
So I’ll put my balls on the line here and say this is a really good pool game! It’s responsive, easy to get into and very pretty with it’s near photo realistic graphics. Sure it doesn’t do a lot, but what it does do - it does extremely well. If you like pool but you’re not old enough to go to the pub then this is the game for you! For only 800ms £6.80 it’s a bargain.

7/10

Title. Serious Sam 3 BFE    Developer. Croteam   Platform(s). XBLA   UK Release date: Out Now   RATED: MATURE

In a world saturated with FPS’ taking themselves so ‘seriously’, it is hard to remember where the genre originated. The Wolfensteins, Dooms and Duke Nukems! Games that were more concerned with making you feel like a bad ass, than how good the AI was. The return of Serious Sam brings with it nostalgia and a reminder of the routes of the genre, but can the game stand up in today's ‘oh so competitive market?’

Serious Sam 3 BFE is a prequel to previous games and sees our hero before he travels back in time. In fact, the whole game is about Sam trying to get to the ‘time-clock’, which might just have something to do with time travel (who knows), whilst battling against wave after wave of rather insane aliens. I am going to avoid spoilers but I guess that’s the curse of prequels: we know he will end up travelling through time at some point…

The game sticks to its retro feel by driving the story forward with foul mouthed, slightly crude and rude slapstick, it’s all harmless fun and rarely did I come across anything that I would deem offensive, maybe Sam is getting soft in his old age… oh wait, it’s a prequel! I will rephrase: maybe Sam was nicer in the past.

Shooting makes up most of the game, scratch that - pretty much ALL of the game is about shooting aliens in the face! The arsenal at Sam’s disposal ticked all the boxes, from rocket launchers to machine guns. Ammo is everywhere so it’s just a matter of strafing and shooting and working out which weapon is the most effective for the particular alien that’s all up in your face.

The only step away from retro sees SS3BFE include aiming down the barrel (very modern) and sprinting. Anyway back to the aliens! There is a diverse array in which to dismember… although I could not help wondering why they all looked so unrelated… they all came from the same place no? Apart from that minor discrepancy, I was delighted to see some classic boss battles! And in the end, they were all that I looked forward to as the game progressed.

So let’s get down to the ‘serious’ stuff: for 1200ms the game offers A LOT! The campaign is robust for a £40 game let alone 1200ms… However I suppose the key question is how much of that robust campaign is exciting. Well, at no point during this game did I get frustrated, however there were certainly times when I wanted to walk away, it never captured me like a great game should. I felt like I was on a conveyor belt, shoot run, shoot run etc… there was little variety in terms of terrain or combat style. However it is important to say that everything I found to be laborious about the game is clearly deliberate, that is to say it is trying to capture the old school; one against many! Man against Aliens hoorah! So does that make it a bad game? Or am I just being picky? I will admit I was put off by the lack of utilities that have become a staple in modern FPS’ such as NAV points, there were times when I just couldn’t find where I needed to go!? And in a game where every level looks very similar it’s a recipe for disaster.

The core mechanics are more than satisfactory, controls are simple and responsive, combat is enjoyable if a little repetitive and I like Sam as a character. I just cannot help but feel that by trying to capture the retro market they are ignoring all the great things that have brought the genre to the forefront of the industry.

If the single player experience proves too retro for it’s own good then perhaps invite some friends in for some co-op action, or maybe the new Serious Sam 3: Jewel of the Nile campaign expansion is for you? It offers multiplayer versus modes like Deathmatch, Capture the Flag, Last Team Standing and My Burden. This is all available now on XBLA at a further 1200ms, and certainly does a great job to extend the SS experience.

Sum-up
A solid attempt to capture some much needed retro action, if you’re a fan of when FPS’ could be summed up by ‘killing wave after wave of unskilled foes’, then this is the game for you. If you are expecting anything more then prepare to be unfulfilled.

6/10
 

Dishonored: This red-hot title and BEST IN SHOW is due to be released on the 12/10/12. My first feelings stepping into the game were a comfortable, like we've been here before… with a hint of Bioshock meets Thief. FPS+ with melee, shooting and magic brought together into a whirlwind of action. My personal favourite feature; slow down time and cut down five enemies before they see you... why not? Dishonored is a massively advertised game here at the convention, with huge banners hanging down from the exterior of Earls Court and after my 15min play-through the demo, it’s clear that this game is worthy of the hype. It just felt so good! Looked so good! And is definitely for people that are looking for more elaborate combat than run ‘n’ gun. Booth info gathered: the game is a sandbox style meaning players are free to explore the vast levels, reported issues are with the amount of DLC being released not everyone feels happy about paying £40 for half a game. 

Tomb Raider: due for release 05/03/13- is still a way off, which made the opportunity to play all the more important. Our thoughts were – it’s Uncharted 3 with different packaging, we could not help but feel the discussion at Square Enix went pretty much like this: “what shall we do for the new Tomb Raider game”, “well that Uncharted game looks good”, “but we’ll make her vulnerable and eat animals”, ‘OOO, let’s do that!” ‘Uncharted with a girl, and throw in some Metal Gear snake eater, but we should eat dear instead…’. On the plus side, Xbox will finally have a decent action adventure. Core game was familiar, but we liked it and the presentation was amazing.

Halo 4: due out 06/11/12- a Halo cake with extra icing, with multiplayer matches only at the show, I will wait for the campaign before I give my 2cents. But what we saw was beautiful, clean and very fast paced. It may not be Bungie anymore but it was definitely Halo.

Cod Black Ops: 13/11/12 - more of the same, people loved it and as always, their PR team was out in force, really adding some pizzazz to the arena floor. Enough has been said about this game.

I can’t help but feel like I am just saying new games are like old games, but they are. New games seem to just be old games, is that not what always happens towards the end of a generation? No new ideas? Or are there?

Fable: The journey on Kinect: release immanent 12/10/12: Has Molyneux’s departure from Lionhead affected their sudden move away from the traditions of the series? ‘No’, according to the development team. So who would have known the next logical step would be an 'on rails' Kinect game in which you wave your arms around casting spells at familiar Fable foes? The demo bugged out due to 'calibration' issues; I was recommended to go home, download the demo and see what happens. I fear a Kinect game based on accuracy may not be the best for notoriously inaccurate technology. The game did not work, it is rated a 12 (even though its target audience is surely younger) and seemed rather dull. If you want to play the same demo I did, then download it, I strongly recommend doing so before you part with your £. 

Notes
Talking to a coder, I raised my concerns about Kinect and mentioned the pricing. It was very nice to talk to someone who a) new what they were talking about and b) listened to me. Also mentioned Molyneux which was eye opening (I shall not repeat anything, needless to say they were nice comments). My concerns over the pricing were - I feel - just, there is no way people will pay £30+ for this game, he seemed unsurprised by this point (he may have just been being nice). I also mentioned that the game did not work, to which he could only blame the surroundings, the noise and lights before running out of possibilities.

Metal Gear Rising Revengeance - 22/02/13 I went into this game with expectations. From the makers of Bayonnetta comes this seemingly new hash on the franchise, a third person hack and slash game that sees us rocking around the futuristic streets as the bionic ninja, Raiden. The game is playable but with odd camera angles and rather unimaginative play style. With a lot hindering on the CUT mode of the sword, which entertained me for all of 5 min, pressing L2 (PS3) to slow time and cut your foe to ribbons, sounds fun but like I said ‘for all of 5 minutes’. The game is likely to sell on association with the Metal Gear Solid series. It’s not terrible, it’s just not Metal Gear and lacks the insanity of Bayonnetta.

Notes
Their PR team however was terrible, slumping round like a bunch of skiving teens, doing little to help, advise or keep order to their booth. Ffs just bring in the developers; leave the useless people in the job centre.

Forza Horizon 26/10/12: a new arcade style and lighter installment to the franchise, from the little I played it was certainly the Forza engine, robust and responsive but the game felt cleaner and all together less serious. It could be just what Forza fans are missing, something to cleanse the pallet and take some awesome cars with great physics to the streets.

Final thoughts: Amazing place, games and atmosphere; a true must for any gamers wishing to see a different side to their hobby. I was happy to be a part of Expo 2012 and can’t wait to see what 2013 has to offer.
 

We arrive at the 2012 Eurogamer Expo in Earls Court London greeted by a hefty queue. It’s clear with the demise of GAMEfest that the Eurogamer Expo is now the undisputed key-date in the UK gamers calendar. The following two days would be a bustling sold out geekfest. With developers jostling for attention, we would see a lot over the two days from the good, the bad, and the damn right ugly (and that was just the people) so without further scene-setting, let’s get down to it.

The big attraction…

Wii U – poised for release in two months this would be a great chance to get our paws on it, as we were waiting in line (press passes don’t let you skip lines) I could not help but feel that there were more people in the queue waiting to see if it sucks, than expecting great things. Could this be Nintendo’s last roll of the dice? In about one hour (turned out to be 2) I would know…

The console -Looks very uninspiring, in fact I would go as far as to say it looks rather poor. With the skillful advertising shots hiding the bulk of the console behind the new controller. Full specs found at http://www.nintendo.com/wiiu/features/tech-specs/

Speaking of the controller that seems to be a major selling point… I think it looks like the u-draw (i.e. crap), so how does it feel? Light, comfortable, fully wireless and a reported 6-8 hours battery. The resolution is better than most TV’s, however like a bad laptop you need to be looking straight at it, so forget about a friend trying to watch you play. The controller serves as an additional screen to aid in playing games, i.e. inventory and maps could easily be accessed via the remote screen, it is fully touch sensitive. The ‘tech demo’ demonstrated this through the ‘Panorama view’; which involves moving the remote around in order to POV in a video on the screen. I appreciate this may sound odd, but basically it allows you to look at parts of a scene that appear off the main shot. 

So let’s talk branding. Nintendo is still and probably always will be referred to as a kids’ console, with games aimed at younger and more casual players. Which begs the question, will the addition of more adult release titles (albeit games already on other consoles i.e. Mass Effect 3 and COD Black Ops 2) change peoples’ views? Are they a) more likely to alienate their existing customers, or b) gain lots of new ones? I LOVE METAPHORS: In trying to gather more sheep you may lose the whole flock.

So the testing, chances are we would only have time to play one title so we decided to play the big release: ZombiU – is the big exclusive release title: at first glance, graphics are a huge leap from the Wii (expected) but is it better than its counterparts. The title is rated 18, which is a new side of Nintendo. So how does it utilize the tech? The game requires you to use the WiiU remote for more advanced controls. i.e. aiming a crossbow.. The touch pad also serves as inventory, however you can be attacked i.e. real time. 

As the demo progressed it felt unresponsive, clunky and the fact that you are unable to fight in water... because you need to protect your inventory was irritating beyond belief. Other less irritating features such as: if you die you come back as a different person, then trace your steps to where you last died... you see yourself as a zombie (you can kill your last character to get your loot back) was innovative and thus demands praise. Other than that it seems a rather typical zombie game but seemingly based in the UK. In short, it’s gory, fast paced and atmospheric. Its a solid looking title but will it be enough to push sales? No hints as to the story as of yet so the demo doesn’t make a lot of sense. There were two crashes in 10 minutes, which I put down to the fact it was a demo, but it’s out in just 2 months! According to staff on the booth, both the game and controllers are not finished. 
 

Title. Borderlands 2   Developer. Gearbox software    Platform(s). 360, PS3   UK Release date: Out Now  RATED: 18

The first Borderlands was released back in 2009 and quickly became – let’s face it - a cult classic, with many people enjoying long hours, shooting ‘n’ looting. However the game lacked any real story and was full of lumps and bumps, but it was partly these imperfections that made it so memorable; the story, however was anything but. So what is in store for us this time round? One thing is certain, we return to the bizarre technicolour world of Pandora with expectations, and they can be dangerous things.

The game opens up with an adrenalin pumping sequence - which introduces our ensemble of quirky playable characters. Four new vault hunters have arrived in Pandora on a quest to find an even more magical, mystical, valuable, super mega vault…

So the story, like before is rather basic, avoiding spoilers I will attempt to shed some light on it. So in the previous game our vault hunters were in search of great riches and loot from the legendary vault. When they got there however all they found was a rather pissed off creature, all a waste of time you say? Well it turns out not, over the past 5 years since the destruction of the vault, has come the arrival of a super valuable substance named Eridium. The abundance of this substance on Pandora has got the attention of Hyperion Corp who wish gather and mine as much as possible (no spoilers as to why). Rumour is they are also looking for another vault and it’s this rumour that has attracted (you guessed it) vault hunters i.e. us. So all that stands between us and unbridled riches and eternal fame is Handsome Jack, the rich charismatic leader of Hyperion - oh yeah, him and a few thousand giant robots, guards and countless bandits and all manner of weird alien beasts, including my favourite the Bullymong (it’s the name that does it for me). So what have we got in order to take on these insurmountable odds? Four classes - each with very unique play-styles:

Axton the Commando/Soldier: Special power - The Scorpio Turret 2.0: a turret that automatically targets enemies, making him an excellent support character. 

Zer0 the Assassin: Special power – deception: creates a holographic decoy and allows you to vanish for a few seconds. This combined with devastating melee combat in the form of a sword, makes this class very appealing.

Salvador the Gunzerker: Special power – Gunzerking: pulls out another gun for maximum carnage. He fills the position of resident buff lunatic, he is the new Tank – soaking up damage and causing mayhem.

Maya the Siren: Special power - Phaselock: Lockdown an enemy by ‘phasing’ them into another dimension, which seems rather bonkers!

The character classes cover all the basic staples for an RPG and will please all play-styles, in conjunction with the new and greatly improved skill trees you can really make a character that suits you and quickly find your groove. 

Levelling up to the cap of 50 takes a long time, XP is gained in familiar fashion – through killing enemies and completing quests, for which there are A LOT! Upon finishing the game you will have the option to start again through the True Vault Hunter Mode, which will increase the level of all enemies but in return better loot dropping and a realistic chance to defeat some epic world bosses. Badass Ranks are a new feature and work through achieving different tasks in the game, allowing you to spend points increasing your core stats across all of your characters such as plus 0.5% health, there are a lot of ranks to get through. 

What makes Borderlands 2 so recognisable beyond the familiar cell shaded visuals is the humour and feel. Of course we see the return of the insane Claptraps whose one-liners never cease to bring a chuckle. We also see the return of all the playable characters from the previous game, this time as NPC’s we get to see how they have been surviving post-vault disappointment. Avoiding spoilers I felt their inclusion brought some much needed clarity to the previous game and actually achieved something that is very hard, it’s made me want to go back and re-play the story. Other worthy mentions are the all together bonkers cast of characters, my pick of the bunch: Ellie – a massively over weight engineer who’s want for destruction will see you go on many a quest. Oh, and did I mention she ‘likes cuddling murder’. Tiny Tina (Mordecai’s little sister) – the insane tank girl inspired teen who loves ‘torture and teddies’ and Sir Hammerlock – a sort of British adventurer/hunter who seems to hate all creatures in Pandora, and subsequently will give you a lot of credits to kill them.Certainly at first glance THIS is Borderlands. Players of the first game will feel right at home visually, but this just feels better, grander and all together a fuller experience. 

The scale of the game has been greatly increased, it is now 40% (approx) bigger than the original, the result of this is that amazing feeling of being slightly overwhelmed. Subsequently getting from a) to b) can be a pain, although greatly helped by Quick Travel and vehicles including some new ones (no flying vehicles still!). You will certainly find yourself walking a very long way at times, which can feel slightly mundane when compared with the excitement of combat (you are warned). 

The new quest system is a dream for all ‘completionists’ because it will list all undiscovered quests, meaning if you do so choose you can easily do everything. Quests seem to have been overhauled with far more variety and reason behind them. The boss battles are just like before: fantastic, challenging and usually slightly humorous. The story acts as a great scaffolding to hold the game up, but some of the best bits are found in the less significant side quests.

Combat is a joy, which is important as it makes up a huge bulk of the game. Weapons are responsive and gone are the days of sniper rifles missing all the time. When you die, and you will – more than the previous one – you will return to the nearest New-U point with a credit charge that from what I can gather is a percentage of your wealth, and boom you are back in the game. Or you may be lucky enough to get a Second Wind, through killing an enemy whilst downed the addition of melee attacks during this predicament is a great new feature.

The increased AI and far more enemy variety, mean that fights tend to require a little more brain-power and far less running and gunning (excluding the mental Gunzerker). Some enemies may test your patience but I really enjoyed the challenge.

Loot is something that this game is built around, and for many people it will be the addictive quality that keeps you playing, loot is randomly dropped, found in chests and rewarded for quests. So let’s start with guns: there are millions of variations! However I feel I must say there are not as many variations aesthetically as you may have been lead to believe. That is not to say there is not a lot! Gun’s looks are linked to their manufactures; quite simply guns from each manufacture will look similar (see pic) and may share a particular feature. Stats vary depending on level, but the best stats to look for are added elemental effects: Fire, Electric, Corrosive, Explosion and the all new Slag which has the effect ‘slagged enemies take more damage’.

More loot… so if the endless quest for the perfect gun wasn’t enough to keep you going then perhaps new skins will, unlocked in a variety of ways, quests, drops and badass mode you’ll be able to customize your character look at last. Another drop to look out for is currency, credits are still worth something in Pandora but so too is the substance Eridium that can now be used to upgrade carrying and ammo capacity etc…

Multiplayer is where Borderlands 2 goes from rather average to a whole heap of fun! With up to 3 friends either online or off, you can seamlessly jump in and out of peoples’ games. With a group of good friends, of similar level and a mutual understanding over the distribution of loot, Borderlands 2 is a great way to spend an evening.

So what’s wrong with Borderlands 2? Well there certainly are some nagging issues, texture popping is still a regular occurrence and my sound cut out on more than one occasion. Playing split screen is great but trying to navigate the menu is nightmare! How hard would it have been to scale the menu system? And the addition of a horde mode – easily achieved through repeatable arena quests would have been a very welcome feature. But these are forgettable issues, with the bulk of the game being hugely engaging, funny and whole lot of fun. Topped off with great presentation both in its striking visuals, fantastic script and use of music (Claptraps dubstep is amazing), the game is a feast for the senses from start to finish.

Handsome Jack - star of the show. 

Sum-up
This is Borderlands x2: not just a sequel - twice the game. More variety, story, online madness and still a whole lot more to come (DLC). The true game changer was our charismatic foe Handsome Jack who brings to Borderlands 2 the missing ingredient of its predecessor: a reason to fight and care. This is a grown up Borderlands (not in terms of maturity), this game makes the franchise a seriously desirable purchase for both FPS and RPG fans, don’t miss out, there’s a lot of fun to be had in Pandora.

8/10

‘Get ready to joy puke your face off’

The first Borderlands was released back in October 2009 nearly 3 years ago! (doesn’t feel that long ago right?) And while it was a unique, quirky and enjoyable genre defining dark humored FPS/RPG it also reeked of ‘first attempt’. With poor story, texture popping, combat issues (especially with sniping). The franchise certainly deserved another innings, the problems with Borderlands can be easily rectified - which is the purpose for this article ‘why should you be excited for Borderlands 2?’ besides the dub-step filled trailers! So we return to Pandora! The setting for the previous game to yep you guessed it!

So let’s introduce the new cast of gun toting maniacs: Just like the it’s predecessor we have 4 classes, from left to right we have:

Axton the Commando/soldier
Special power - The Scorpio Turret 2.0: a turret that automatically targets enemies making him an excellent support character.

Salvador the Gunzerker
Special power – Gunzerking: pulls out another gun for maximum carnage. He fills the position of resident buff hard ‘pers*n’ my assumption is that he is the new Tank – soaking up damage and causing mayhem.

Maya the siren
Special power - Phaselock: Lockdown an enemy by ‘phasing’ them into another dimension, which seems rather bonkers! But what do we expect… this can be used as Crowd Control and also as a healing ability via the skill tree.

Zero the Assassin
Special power – Deception: creates a holographic decoy and allows you to vanish for a few seconds. This combined with devastating melee combat in the form of a sword, makes this class very appealing.

These classes are fully adaptable via all new Skill Trees which are more detailed and a whole lot more interesting, allowing you to make a character that plays exactly the way you want.

Some of the more astute of you would have realized that the picture of the character above doesn’t look like anyone from the main cast, well that’s because Borderlands 2 introduces all new character skins.

That’s right there will be more modification than a mere color change, this time Gearbox has included a sort of vending machine similar to those seen in the last game however this one is for different character clothing/looks, it is also reported that clothing will drop as loot. That extra bit of customization goes a long way to further personalizing your playthrough not to mention giving players more loot to collect. Furthermore if you have a saved game from the original borderlands you will be able to get these awesome extras:

The so-called epic campaign and environment is a reported 50-60% larger than the last game – which if you remember how big it was - I’m sure you’ll agree - is pretty huge for a console game.

‘Borderlands 2 follows the story of four new Vault Hunters as they fight to free Pandora from the clutches of Handsome Jack, the brilliant, charismatic, and utterly despicable CEO of the Hyperion Corporation.

Players will fight across the whole of Pandora to stop Jack from awakening an ancient alien evil known only as "the Warrior." Their quest will bring them into contact with some familiar faces from the old game – most notably, the original four Vault Hunters: Roland, Lilith, Brick and Mordecai. They, along with some brand new characters, will help players defeat Jack, destroy the Warrior, and save Pandora.’

As well as the new protagonist Handsome Jack and the original heroes from the last game we will see a whole host of new colorful, memorable and all together grotesque NPC’s here’s what Gearbox developers had to say about these new additions. 

Jason Reiss:

Yeah, and in the first Borderlands you kind of got used to your characters and really loved the people that you ran in to, but we wanted to introduce some new NPCs for the player to interact with and to learn their back story.
I really think that in Borderland 2 we’ve brought in an array of character from different backgrounds and disciplines that are very interesting. I think players are really going to enjoy it when they run into some of the truly random guys we’ve brought into the world of Pandora.

Paul Hellquist:

We’ve also improved the way NPCs interact, talk and animate, and we’ve really brought the game forward a big way in that department. Our towns and such are much more populated, with more people walking around, doing things and talking to you.

When Borderlands first launched there was always this thing about the game having bazillions of guns well in this sequels case ’87 bazillion guns just got bazilliondier’ but rather than a whole heap of guns looking the same Gearbox has made an effort to vary their looks and give the gun manufactures each a unique look and feel.

‘Could you even begin to estimate how many guns possibilities there are in Borderlands 2?

Paul Hellquist:

I haven’t looked at the numbers, but it’s very similar to the original Borderlands, except this time the qualitative difference - the difference in feeling - is dramatically different. We have focus testers who come in and find that a whole class of manufacturer’s guns are completely useless and the worst things ever, but then another guy sitting next to him will say, ‘You’re insane, these guns are the best things ever!’So we’re really excited about how much of a different feel people are getting from the gear in Borderlands 2, and that is going to make a huge difference in how people choose the guns that they use.’

Furthermore loot can now be traded, meaning no more drop it on the floor and hoping that the other person doesn’t screw you over and run off with all the loot LOLing all the way, you can trade safely and make sure everyone gets the perfect arsenal for their class. Other extras include all new vehicles one of which seemingly can carry upto 4 people and from the look of the trailers a possibility of a flying one! (which would certainly make getting around a lot quicker!)

All the modes available previously 4 player Co-op and split screen are still available with the addition of matching up quests so you can go back and help your buddy and share in quests you have already completed. All in all Borderlands 2 looks like it has done what we all hoped and built upon what was good about it’s predecessor and fixed what sucked. There are more quests which supposedly flow better than -‘finish go hand it in’ which we are all used to, more varied loot and improved graphics -everything about it just seems better! Here’s to hoping that the story is more robust and those niggling combat issues are ironed out - if so (I think they will be) – we are onto a winner!

Borderlands 2 is due out on September 21st. There is also a special edition
 

Original interview:    http://www.nowgamer.com/features/1235867/borderlands_2_characters_guns_plot_interview.html

Synopsis:                http://www.borderlands2.com/us/#info

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