Triforce Games

Batman: Arkham Aslyum Review

2009-08-30T16:31:00.013+01:00

Is this the best licensed game, and the batman game fans have been waiting for? Lets flip a coin and find out.

The Joker has been captured, and Batman is en route to Arkham Asylum (Where all the bad guys go when captured) to put Joker in the pound. Batman senses something is wrong though: Joker let him capture him without a fight, unusual of him; Batman was right. Joker has set a trap, which batman has sprang ‘gloriously’, in the Joker's own words. Joker has been planning to get Batman in the Asylum with his greatest enemies. Thus begins an epic game of Cat and Mouse as Batman chases down Joker whilst trying to get rid of fellow inmates, goons, and help save the Asylum staff.

Bat fans will relish the chance to go toe-to-toe with some of Batman's greatest enemies, including Harley Quinn, Killer Croc, Poison Ivy and the Scarecrow. Combat is nice and easy, with only a few buttons to attack, dodge, block and counter, and at the end of every fight when your about to take the last goon out, it goes into a sweet slow-motion close-up to see their face getting pounded. You can also takedown any enemies that are lying on the ground dazed with a quick punch to the head.

Its not all about hand to hand combat though, stealth plays a major function in the game. From time to time you get into rooms which have Gargoyle statues hanging from the walls in which batman can grapple up to, to get a better view of the room. This is when the detective mode really comes in handy, as it allows you to see where every goon is, who is carrying a gun, and if there are any breakable walls and such to use to your advantage. This is truly where the game shines, when your tasked to take out goons that have guns (remember, batman is a normal human, if he takes about 5 bullets – he’s dead.) silently. You can glide kick them from Gargoyles and take them out with a finisher, and quickly get back onto the gargoyles before his comrades notice. There are plenty of ways to take people out silently though; drop behind them and break there neck, hang them upside down from gargoyles – or you can opt for a louder approach – blow up walls with exploding gel and crush goons (you’ll have to get out of there sharpish, as the goons will come running to the noise). My personal favourite is silently taking a goon out, then spraying exploding gel at his body, so that when his buddies come to check out what happened to him, the gel explodes and takes them all out!

Although all the goons are essentially the same, you get goons with no weapons, or goons with pipes, stun batons, knifes, and guns. And Different tactics are needed to take each of them out, and eventually titan-enhanced goons that basically turn into the hulk!

The boss fights although, are surprisingly in a game glowing with so much attention, rather poor. The only boss fights I would say are worthy of mention are the Killer Croc and Scarecrow ‘fights’. I wont spoil them to much, but that Killer Croc encounter where your walking on boards of wood floating in the sewers, trying to make as least amount of noise as possible, knowing that Croc could be right below you is intense and frightening. The Scarecrow encounters steal the show, and even talking about them would ruin it, but I will say this: the 3rd encounter is fantastic and shines out.

The real star of the show though is Arkham Asylum itself, which is beautifully created and incredibly life-like. The Asylum has many references to Batman rivals from Harvey Dent aka ‘Two Face’ to Tweedledum and Tweedlee and Clayface. The Riddle has even place many riddles for you to figure out and Riddler trophies which open up new challenge’s for the challenge room mode and character trophies. There are also Character interview tapes which allow you to hear the main enemies being interviewed which are basically brilliant.

There’s also a set of challenge’s for you to do after you have finished the game, which task you to take down as many enemies silently and as quickly as possible or fight as many goons as possible until you run out of health. Each challenge features a online leaderboard so you can compete with friends and try to become number 1.

Batman: Arkham Asylum is the game that every Batman fan would want. It shows that developer Rocksteady has took care with the license and not went too over the top, or made a usual licensed game crap-out. Hats off to Rocksteady, for creating one of the best games of 2009, and this generation!

Gameplay: 5

Graphics: 5

Presentation: 5

Sound: 5

Replay value: 4

Fallout 3

2009-08-11T20:03:00.007+01:00

Hi guys Luke here with the Fallout 3 review. At the moment the Mother Ship Zeta review won't work so i will post as soon a possible.

Fallout 3

Basically the game is set in the post-apocalyptic world following The Great War (Not to be confused with World War I) between the US and China, a ground and nuclear war that happened on October 23, 2077 and lasted less than two hours but still causing a lot damage and destruction. Before The Great War we fought for fuel and such, during which the U.N disbanded, a plague made the U.S.A paranoid, and Canada was annexed. When China invaded Alaska, America (as usual) declared war and began to “erase the communist” thus ending in the end of the world as we know it.
The story is about a boy/girl who was born in the vault that has been shut for 200 years. But your father leaves with out any explanation and you go after him.

Review

The first time I played this I found myself doing laborious tasks and generally repeating myself and then I left the vault. As you leave the vault your eyes readjust (you have been underground all your life) this, this was a small but significant part to why this is one of the best RPG's ever made.
Wondering about the wasteland I have found nearly everything and it has taken me about 70hours to get there, but I’m still finding more and more. There are many tiny details that make this game so great, one example is the bombs hit the U.S.A at 10:47 and every single clock in Fallout 3 reads that time. One of the things that drew hype about the game was the new type of fighting; this is called V.A.T.S (Vault-Tec Assisted Targeting System). This allows you to get away from the thick of battle and take time to think about your next move. Basically this allows you to specifically target areas of the enemies’ body and take them down without too much effort. This not only allows you to slow down combat but really allows you to see how visually marvellous this game really is.
Another thing that makes this game so amazing is the karma element. The actions you make including conversation and combat choices, affects your status in the game world; a person who makes good decisions is received more positively by in game characters and a player that makes bad decisions has the opposite. If you are very good, Talon Company will attack you (Mercenaries), and if you are very bad the regular NPC's will ambush you randomly, this really gives this game more of a push to greatness.
Together and many, many other things make this one of my personal favourites.

Gameplay: 5

Graphics: 5

Presentation: 4

Sound: 4

Replay value: 5

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DLC

Operation: Anchorage

In this add-on, the Brotherhood Outcasts are trying to acquire military tools, and the only way to enter the vault containing these relics is by completing a military V.R simulation. But, none of them have a Pip-boy, so you go inside the simulation. In the simulation the player fights in one of the greatest battles of the Fallout universe: the liberation of Anchorage, Alaska from the Chinese troops. Inside you’re stripped of any equipment and weapons and forced to utilize the things supplied throughout the simulation. The Chinese Army are everywhere, and you first have to secure the mountain and then fight their way into the Chinese base. You have to use a lot of basic combat skills, along with several new weapons that are only available in the add-on. Including teams under the player's command as well as unique armour, weapons, and other gadgets. Also in the Simulation, the player is introduced with a new system, which instead of healing with Stimpaks, you will have Health Dispensers that will fill your health completely. You will also have Ammo Dispensers in most of the places. When people die, you won't be able to search them or take their weapons and this makes the whole simulation harder.

Gameplay: 4

Graphics: 5

Presentation: 4

Sound: 4

Replay value: 3

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The Pitt

In this add-on, you journey to the raider town called The Pitt, located in the remains of Pittsburgh. The Pitt involves a traditional quest line with several moral choices. The main quest is you taking on the role of a slave in order to investigate rumors that the Raider boss of The Pitt has discovered a cure for a disease. When The Pitt starts you will hear a new radio distress signal from a slave from the Pitt named Wernher, he needs help in getting a cure for the disease developed by The Pitt's boss, Ashur. In order to successfully reach him you have to give up your gear for a while. You are then able to use a new weapon the Auto Axe, you get to The Pitt by a train and has its own map away from the Capital Wasteland.

Gameplay: 4

Graphics: 5

Presentation: 4

Sound: 4

Replay value: 3

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Broken Steel

Broken Steel alters the ending of the original Fallout 3 to allow continued play after the end of the main quest line. The game to lets you continue your game save after the end of the main quest and it raises the level cap to 30, also it is the same length as the other previous expansions.
Due to spoilers I won’t go into too much detail about this expansion.

Gameplay: 3

Graphics: 5

Presentation: 3

Sound: 4

Replay value: 5

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Point Lookout

Point Lookout is Fallout's version of Point Lookout State Park. This is by far the best expansion with 4-5 hours of gameplay and is about a sixth of the size of the Capital Wasteland.
Companions cannot follow you to Point Lookout, but you are able to travel back to the Capital Wasteland with the Duchess Gambit (The boat you go in on) anytime after finishing the Local Flavor mission, which means you can spend as much time as you like exploring, and still head back home when need be. It takes a month to travel to Point Lookout in game time.

Gameplay: 5

Graphics: 5

Presentation: 4

Sound: 4

Replay value: 4

And plus! On top of all these expansions that add to an already massive game, you can go online and search for mods if you're a PC gamer. These mods can add anything from quests to gear and new textures or effects. You can pretty much get what ever you want added into the game, or if you want to create anything for in game use in Fallout 3 yourself, you can get the software from the Fallout 3 official site.

An Apology and Teh Gaming News Issue 8

2009-08-05T19:40:00.027+01:00

Yo guys! First up I need to apologize for the lack of posts last month. This is mainly my fault for not rallying the troops together who had gotten out of the routine thanks to E3. And two, Luke should be doing this but I am a nice person and covering for him as he is working on a BIG review on Fallout 3 and its many DLC so look forward to that! Now to the news...

Halo Legends

Recently, at Comic Con a Halo themed anime was announced which will be composed of 7 episodes (some canon others not) telling stories ranging from before Halo: CE all the way up to the end of Halo 3. You will be able to find them on Xbox Live from Fall 2009 and then be able to buy it for your DVD/Blu Ray player or download it early 2010. Master Chief WILL be in some episodes as shown in the trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BhhmpbVDmZo

360 Dashboard Update

On August 11th, 360 owners will be getting a Dashboard update that will add the Avatar marketplace so you can spend ya hard earned cash on Gears of War themed T Shirts. This feature can either be good (if everything is priced right) or if its over priced then I for one will not be using it! Also we can expect Games on Demand (Where you can download 360 and Original Xbox games straight to your Hard Drive) a few tweaks will be made to how you view your achievements and invite friends to parties. Still no word when we can expect Facebook and Twitter on our TV's mind. This maybe a good time to point out both me, Dave and Mark have Twitter. So follow Mark at: spartansilva ,Dave at: PlatinumSpectre and me at: TriforceF.

Fallout 3 DLC

Looks like Bethesda has gone and released some MORE DLC for everyone favourite post apocalyptic RPG. Its called Mothership Zeta and involves aliens, sci fi weaponry and some samurai armor! Luke will be reviewing this in his in depth review on Fallout 3 so keep ya eyes peeled.

Marvel Vs Capcom 2

The praised 2D beat em up from the Dreamcast era has made its way to Xbox Live Arcade for all of you to enjoy. If Mark can stop talking about it long enough he may put his ideas into word and post them onto the blog!

Wii Sports Resort

Nintendo's tech demo has got a sequel which is a little less tech demo and more game however, only a little. It’s packaged with the Wii Motion Plus and probably will find itself in many Wii owners houses pretty quickly by the end of the year. I will be doing a little bit about it myself seeing as I brought it (along with another Wii Motion Plus!) so yet another thing to look out for!

Braid

The well known platformer from Xbox Live and the PC is making its way onto PSN. When it will be available for us to buy is a question yet answered...

That’s all for last/early this months report. See ya again next time on Teh Gaming News!

picture from: geek.com

Gaming Diary: Resident Evil: Code Veronica

2009-07-22T19:37:00.006+01:00

Hey guys, Mark here and I've gotta say over the summer I've been playing on my Dreamcast a lot. Also recently I bought Resident Evil Code Veronica for it, have been playing it and it is amazing.

It follows on from Resident Evil 2 and Claire Redfield is still looking for her brother Chris, and she gets captured by Umbrella. She is transferred to a prison on Rockfort Island and a strange guy called Rodrigo frees her but is too wounded to leave the room, Claire then finds that the T-Virus has been released onto the island and there are zombies and B.O.Ws (Bio Organic Weapons) She meets Steve (another prisoner) and together they have to get off the island. That's a basic rundown of the story and it is like the other resident evil games I suppose. The game also features 2 discs, 1 for the first half of the game and another for the second half. I have just started the second disc and I'm enjoying the game so far.

The game has pretty good graphics (for a Dreamcast game that is) and I've heard it has a nifty first person view when you get the sniper rifle in the game. It plays like the early resident evil games but I like it because it uses fixed camera angles at some points but on others the camera actually follows you, which is a nice change. Ammo is limited in the game and so are saves, so you have to use what you get and only save when you think you've made significant progress. I discovered this the hard way when I got to the end of disc one boss and realised I'd used up most of my grenade launcher ammo and explosive rounds on another fight with him. The puzzles in the game are also very clever and will really have you thinking. You really have to examine everything and go with every idea you get.

Overall this is probably one of my favourite games in the RE series because it has a fairly unique vibe to it all even though it is similar to the other RE games. I also enjoy the story and it has a great cast of characters. Also people who have played Resident Evil 5 and know about Chris and Wesker's hatred for each other may want to play this as it has some pretty good moments with them. Alfred and Alexia Ashford are both...interesting characters as well.

Images from Lejeuvideo.com and gamershell.com

Fifa 09 (X-Box 360)

2009-07-21T14:44:00.009+01:00

Well I thought I would do a sport game as no one has really done one, and no this isn't josh or mark or anyone else this is callumthesalmon. I recently got an X-box 360 with gears of war 2, Farcry 2, Fifa 09 and Call Of Duty: World at War.

So as I said earlier I thought I would do a sports game. To put it bluntly if you don't like football don't buy this game. But if you stumble upon a cheap copy then get it! I don't like football, I think it is so pointless but the amount of times that you will cheer or boo or get angry at this game is just immense really. There are several different gameplay modes like the mangers mode or tournament mode and you can play online as well (which I tried but i got thrashed).

The graphics are amazing, when I first played this my mum walked in and said 'why are you watching football when you don't like it'. It took me a while to explain it was a video game but that's another story. Each player has been designed to look just like their real life counter part and they do, they look pretty realistic. EA also do a lot to get this game the way they do because every week they watch every single football match and update each player depending on how well they played which I can say would take a very long time. (But it's alright if you like watching football i suppose.)

Next up is the music, this ranges from chart music to just general annoying game music, you all know what I am talking about. So yeah I was a bit surprised to hear Duffy on there so, I think that's it for music.

For those hardcore fans of football and actually know who the players are then there is a special mode for you, where you can make your dream team of football players which is a real nice touch to this game.

My last point about this game which I found very amusing it was the fact that when you score a goal in the game, you have the opportunity to perform a celebration by pushing different buttons on the controller. So yeah you can do anything from sliding on the knees to the robot.

So that about wraps this up for Fifa 09

Gameplay:3

Graphics:5

Presentation:3 (The menus get very confusing at times)

Sound:4

Replay value:5 (You can never get bored seen as you can play as any team that ever existed in professional football.)

Beautiful Katamari

2009-07-09T16:23:00.004+01:00

Beautiful Katamari is such game that cannot be summed up in a review just because of its unpredictability. You play as a lil green guy called The Prince and its your job to replace all the planets that got sucked up by a giant black hole. Not to forget this hole in space was made by your Dad in a game of tennis... Think that's random then you'll be blown away later on. The game has you rolling a ball called a Katamari which sticks to almost anything that's smaller than the ball itself. You are spawned in a section of the map and you roll your ball around until its bigger to get other parts of the map and it means you can also pick up bigger items as the Katamari gets bigger. When I first played this I was laughing so much after picking up flying cows, THE BIGGEST SUMO WRESTLERS EVER! and other goofy things. Its really just a fun game to play to while the time away. The game is structured though with time limits and goals to collect certain items (e.g. one has you trying to collect only wheels).

Don't let the controls however put you off. They're very... Different (Much like the game) but work brilliantly. You guide the ball with the right analog stick and decide the speed with the left, then double tap both to change direction quickly. They take getting used to but before long you'll be collecting up items like a pro.

The game itself is rather short. I managed to finish all the levels in one sitting (WARNING: This game DOES NOT have auto save. So try not to make my mistake and turn the game off after finishing it without saving!) but then I realized I had only scratched the surface. In each level there are some of The Princes cousins hidden in the level for you to find and unlock so you can play as them. Like the rest of the game they are all very abstract and quirky but in a good way. They make you laugh (Well the tall lanky pink one with a dolphin tail did with me!). Not to forget the online play and co-op play(Which to be honest I have not tried either but if its worth it I shall do a separate review on the multiplayer expects). This game has got DLC but what it seems it is a bit over priced but any hard core Katamari fan probably won't mind shelling out some extra cash.

The cute and colorful graphics add a toy like look to it. As if the world around you are toys. Its all good and captures the fun happy go lucky mood of the game perfectly (And makes a nice change from the likes of Gears of War).

Gameplay: 5

Graphics: 4 - Although they suit the game they can be too basic at times and a little more detail wouldn't do it any harm.

Presentation: 5 - Everything is integrated into the game very organically, although it can forget to tell you important information.

Sound: 5 - The catchy J- Pop tracks will stick in your head and keep you humming them way after you've put the game back in its box

Replay Value: 4 - You can replay all the levels to beat your high scores, get all the accessories for The Prince and find all his cousins... Although you'll probably need a walkthrough to find them all.

Teh E3 News: Microsoft

2009-07-01T19:41:00.008+01:00

Hey guys, it's Mark bailing out Luke who was supposed to do Microsoft's E3 conference but didn't and so I'm here... Let's get started then...

First thing Microsoft revealed was the Beatles Rock Band, which to me seems almost like a retaliation to Guitar Hero Metallica but I guess any Beatles fan will enjoy this extra game for their Rock Band collection.

Microsoft then showed the new controller to go with Tony Hawk Ride, a new game that doesn't require a conventional controller but uses a Skateboard itself that you stand on and can be used to steer and pull off tricks.

Infinity Ward showed off Modern Warfare 2, they showed a snow covered level and it appeared to be very appealing. It looks better than the original modern warfare. It had some vehicles in it, dazzling graphics and awesome gameplay. It is scheduled for release sometime in November so keep your eyes out for that!

Also hitting in November is Left 4 Dead 2, the sequel to the zombiefest that was L4D. It appears to be set around the same time as it's predecessor. It features new characters, new campaigns, new weapons, Melee weapons (Chainsaw please!), new special infected and special ammunition. It appears to have different things to do from the original, for example there will be areas where you'll have to alert the horde then advance somewhere else to stop them again.

Square Enix showed a brief battle trailer to their highly anticipated game... Final Fantasy XIII, this stops the rumors of it being PS3 only. It looks like its going to be awesome so I'd order that soon if you are a fan of the series. (Editor: This news was announced last E3!)

Several 360 exclusive games were also showed off, the first was Crackdown 2, which had a trailer, it seems to look like the original and so lets look forward to that (Editor: Apparently it will have zombies! Or mutants... Something along those line anyway). Anyone out there like Splinter Cell as well? Splinter Cell Conviction was shown off, it features Sam Fisher and he's on a revenge fest after his daughter was murdered. Also revealed was Metal Gear Rising, I've already mentioned this though (go back to my Konami post if you want to know more about this).

Bungie though, revealed quite a bit this E3 as well, showing Halo 3: ODST (also known as Recon) where you play as an ODST (that's Orbital Drop Shock Trooper- I read the books too much) and its set during Halo 2 on New Mombassa, when the humans and covenant were still at war. It features Firefight mode, where you play as an ODST in a mode that is very similar to Gears Of War 2's Horde mode with the covenant. It's scheduled for release in September. If you pre-order it now you'll unlock... Sgt. Johnson =D

Bungie also showed us Halo 3 Reach in a teaser trailer. It showed a planet, explosions and some voices. Its unclear what it's about or what it'll be like but hopefully it will be revealed soon (Editor: It will be based on Reach and probably cover the invasion by the Covenant. This is also a prequel to Halo Combat Evolved as it takes place just before The Chief goes off onto the Pillar of Autumn. Oh and it WILL be an FPS)

Another game showed was Alan Wake... This game has been delayed so many times but now it is apparently coming to the 360 in Spring (Yay?) It appears to have some creepy gameplay and so hopefully it will be worth the wait.

Project Natal has also been revealed, its a new way of gaming using gestures and spoken commands with the help of an add-on. A price has not been revealed yet and this aims to expand the 360's audience. This features many things, like Face recognition and looks pretty awesome.

And that's a wrap for Microsoft this year, the batch of games is looking very promising and Microsoft will struggle to outdo themselves at next years E3... But they will :D

Pictures from dosomething.org and wikipedia.org

Gaming Diary - Nethack

2009-06-21T16:50:00.010+01:00

Hey guys, Mark here and I'm here today to talk about Nethack... For all of you who don't know Nethack is one of the earliest RPG's ever. It was played back in the day where PCs were more primitive but that doesn't hinder it at all.

The picture above, for those who may not understand is of me getting killed by a ghome lord in level 5 of the dungeons of doom. It uses symbols and colours to create everything, for example a browny green + is a door while a white + may be a spell book. The controls are quite complicated, with pretty much every button on the keyboard doing something and capitals as well, Eg 'w' is to wield another weapon while 'W' is to wear something.

This game is also good because of the variety, it generates a new dungeon every time you play and anything can happen, last night I got some +3 boots which gave me a good Armour class, owned some monsters then I found a potion, drank it, went blind and died. You basically have to go through the Dungeons and find the pathway to the next one, avoiding or killing the monsters, getting items along the way, and avoiding traps and hazards.

Overall I am very happy that I returned to playing this game, as it is very fun and very addictive (once you learn the controls that is!) I am very happy that I dug it up from my files and now I shall go play it some more =D

Screenshots by me! =D

Teh E3 News: Ubisoft

2009-06-15T19:46:00.010+01:00

Well here we are, yes it's the E3 coverage for Ubisoft written by none other than me Callum the salmon. Well Ubisoft certainly have a great line up for some concepts most of which will have many of you excited.

Well here is the list of games presented by Ubisoft; Assassins Creed 2, No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle, Rabbids Go Home, R.U.S.E, Splinter Cell Conviction, Red Steel 2 and Academy of Champions.

Well Assassin's Creed 2 certainly has got many people wondering what could be in store for them, it is following a highly successful game and will be really hard to get it quite as popular as the first but i have heard how many people are looking forward to this so keep an eye out.

No more heroes 2: Desperate Struggle, again a follow up to a great game although one thing that was a bit off with the first one was the lack of free roaming when your not doing missions so it is possible that they may have fixed this, again a highly awaited game.

Rabbids go home, yet again another rayman spin off is on the way, it is rumoured to be the last in the series of the rabbids, i have yet to play any of these but i think i might invest in one, when I have the money.

There is also R.U.S.E which is a new strategy game and another pretty good follow up of Red Steel with Red Steel 2 which again you slash people with swords as you do in the first one, then you run around a little so yeah just a classic killing game.

Then lastly Academy of Champions which is being released on the Wii and again is another Sports/Fitness game which there has been too many of these for the Wii and my mum has decided to buy the newly released ones recently and to be frank they aren't that good so fingers crossed this will be better.

This line up of games is definitely quite pleasing, most people will be looking forward to these new games and sequels.

Pictures from: http://www.cheatcc.com/images/news/e3logo.jpg
http://dlb-network.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/ubisoft.gif

Teh E3 News: Sony

2009-06-14T12:46:00.012+01:00

Hey guys, Dave here covering Sony’s show at E3 2009. Note that this is all in order of what happened at the conference. (Some stuff shall be missed out – general figure stuff like PSN and PSP figures).

First thing Sony showed was some footage of the Uncharted 2: Among Thieves Closed Multiplayer Beta. The lucky few that got an invitation to be part of the closed beta (I myself was!) were told that it would be available for download that night. The footage shown was gorgeous showing of some destruction able environments, quick time events, dynamic cover and general shooting the crap out of people.

Following afterwards was footage from upcoming PS3 exclusive MAG (Massive Action Game) which is a multiplayer only title which features a massive 255 player limit. That means that it’s possible to play a game with 254 other people!

Next up Kaz Hirai came on stage to unveil the PSP GO! (which was leaked onto the Internet early anyway... But still, Sony joked about it, Jack Tretton cracked a joke about leaks in there type of business earlier on in the show). As the image shows the PSP GO! Features no second analogue stick. PSP GO! Is 50% Smaller than the first PSP and 40% Lighter, which is a large improvement! It comes a 16GB memory and a slot for expansion cards. PSP GO! Also features no UMD drive, thus games are downloadable only (there are rumours Sony are going to put the UMD drive back in, and that Sony are trying to create a way for people to download PSP game’s they have already bought for free). Also unveiled along with the PSP GO! Was a new PC media manager for the PSP, and a new XMB function called “Sense Me”, which creates playlists based on your desired mood (this is actually available on some Walkman phones).

Gran Turismo PSP and Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker were both unveiled next for the PSP. GTPSP will feature over 800 cars and 35 tracks with six different variations. Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker is set 10 years after the events in Metal Gear Solid 3 and from the trailer shown, there were multiple Snakes. Both are due for release in 2010. Jack Tretton then came back on stage for a quick round-up of PSP titles forecoming. These featured Resident Evil PSP, Little Big Planet, Monster Hunter: Freedom, Hannah Montana (Hooray!!) Harry Potter and Motorstorm: Arctic Edge.

A new PS3 game created by Rockstar, called “Agent” was announced. Barely any information was announced about it though. All that is known is that it is an espionage thriller set in the 1970’s, and a PS3 exclusive.

Assassins Creed 2 footage was then shown which looks stunning. The Developers pointed out that Leonardo Da Vinci would create your weapons and items in the game, (such as the famous Da Vinci Glider). New AI will feature making it harder to hide, as will 30 new weapons and dual take downs.

FFXIII was then announced to be coming out Spring 2010, then, which I’m sure many people wet themselves at hearing: Final Fantasy XIV was releasing in 2010, is an online RPG, and PS3 exclusive. Then came the biggie: Sony showed off their own Motion Controller, which looks a lot like a wand with a glowing ball on the top of it which was tracked by the PSEye (PS3’s version of Eye toy). They then showed a live tech demo of some guy playing Tennis, baseball, golf, and using a whip and desert eagle, which was fired using a button on the controller, mentioning that doing so without a button would feel very unnatural (perhaps taking a pot-shot at Microsoft’s motion controller here!). They stated that this was only a prototype (and a very good prototype at that) and they are hoping for a spring 2010 release.

Modnation Racers and Play.Create.Share were then shown. Modnation Racers is basically PS3’s version of Mario kart, but people can create their own tracks and riders and then share them with the world. Play.Create.Share is what Sony called this new genre.

Team Ico then showed a trailer for the final part of the Ico trilogy: “The Last Guardian”. The trailer had amazing attention to detail, textures and lighting. A quick teaser trailer for Gran Turismo 5 was then shown, which showed off some vehicle damage (a first for Gran Turismo).

The last thing shown by Sony was a God of War 3 demo. The God of War 3 demo was described as being better looking than anything ever, on any platform. It featured a huge lava man destroying scenery and making a new path for, still as pissed off as ever, Kratos to run through.

So, that’s pretty much all that Sony showed at this years E3. Sony certainly have a lot to live up to, after showing all this. I for one hope they come through. Next Years E3 will certainly have a hard time beating this years!

Teh E3 News: Konami

2009-06-12T20:02:00.007+01:00

Hey guys Mark here and I'm gonna be looking at what Konami had to offer at this years E3.

This is the image 360 fans were left to look at when Hideo Kojima revealed Metal Gear Solid: Rising at Microsoft's conference. Finally a Metal Gear game for 360! This is what Kojima's teasers were counting down (along with something else I'll talk about later). This appears to be Raiden, The main protagonist of Metal Gear Solid 2 and a side character in MGS4 and I personally looking forward to playing as him after seeing him as a super cool ninja in MGS4 =D. It looks like he has a Cyborg Exoskeleton (thanks wikipedia) and an eyepatch. This suggests it will be set after MGS4 because he lost both his arms saving Snake in that... Then he still saved Snake without his arms (by wielding the blade in his teeth). There's another piece of artwork showing Raiden on the back of Crying Wolf (a member of the "Beauty and the Beast Corps") from MGS4... Apparently though this game isn't going to be worked on until next years E3, but ya never know with Kojima...

Another game shown was the other game Kojima's site, Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker. This is a PSP game set ten years after MGS3 and four years after MGS:Portable Ops. It appears to have Big Boss in it and there are multiple Snakes in the trailer, so Co-op perhaps?

Konami's third and quite possibly my most favourite of the three is definitely Castlevania: Lords of Shadow. I love the Castlevania series, and I love Metal Gear Solid. So whats it gonna be when Hideo Kojima says he's gonna try to make it? Kickass (hopefully =P). It is said to be nothing like the other games in the series, so sorry if you wanted to hunt down Dracula with the vampire killer. You play as Gabriel, a member of a group known only as the brotherhood of light and your wife is murdered by these monsters and her soul is trapped for eternity and she guides Gabriel. Also in the trailer was a strange mask which is quite mysterious indeed.

So that's it from Konami really this year at E3. I'd say they have certainly built up hype for these games and hopefully they're gonna rock (especially Castlevania!) Konami are definitely gonna have their hands full making these games though and I'm hoping they can deliver what they've promised and shown us this year at E3!

Image from cache.gawker.com and IGN.com

Teh E3 News: Intro and Nintendo

2009-06-05T17:07:00.012+01:00

Yo guys! For the rest of this week and the next us guys at Triforce Games will be reporting on news from E3. We will be covering Nintendo, Sony, Microsoft, Ubisoft and Konami. All the other companies will be summarized in this issues 'Teh Gaming News'. Now onto today's topic... Nintendo!

Now First off Nintendo have done well this E3. Very well in fact!

First off is TWO new Mario games! Super Mario Galaxy 2 and New Super Mario Bros Wii have both been announced. New Super Mario Bros Wii is apparently coming out later this year with drop in/out multiplayer/co-op (I say this because much like Lego Star Wars you can both help and hinder each other). Super Mario Galaxy 2 on the other hand will be much like the last but with Yoshi's! They seem to have powers much like as in Super Mario World and also new power ups for Mario can be expected. Such as a giant drill that can help you... Well, drill through stuff! Bee Mario seems to have returned from the last Galaxy game. SMG2 is going to be harder and will use even more innovative ideas.

Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers has finally shown up after no news from it for ages. It was play-able at E3 for the first time and seems to be a more serious take of a FF game for the Wii. Oh and it has Chocobos. =D

Metroid: Other M was announced as well. A Third Person ish shooter made by Team Ninja (The guys behind Ninja Gaiden). After watching the trailer I think I can safely say that this could rival the brilliant FPS games made by Retro Studios and I can't wait to see how this will turn out.

The long awaited sequel for Camalot's RPG Golden Sun has came to light (See what I did there?) on the DS. I haven't played the original Golden Sun games for the GBA but as far as I know they are good and this will (hopefully) be a good place to start for new people to the series. The graphics seemed very FF3 DSish and with bosses that take up two screens what more do want in a hand held RPG?

On the subject of the DS more Mario and Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story was shown. Some more of the story-line was revealed as well. It seems that Mushroom Kingdom's residents have caught a virus called blorbs (which makes them swell up like balloons), while Bowser has eaten a 'lucky mushroom' that somehow turned him into a hero vacuum and sucked Mario and co into his stomach. You control Bowser on the top screen and the Mario Bros at the bottom where each others actions make an impact on each screen. With the usual humor found in Mario RPG's coupled with the great battling mechanic I am sure this game will be worth a look when it comes out.

Carrying with DS games its onto The Legend of Zelda Spirit Tracks. Not much more has been shown other than a new trailer with Link riding around on his train being chased by a big Gohma/Crab thing in a tunnel. Boss battles on the train perhaps? Some more of the controlable 'Darknut' like guy has been shown and how it will be used in battle and puzzles. If its as good as Phantom Hourglass then its a get as soon as its out!

Now, onto the big news of the week in my books. Being a big Zelda fan when the new Zelda Wii was released I was a happy person to say the least. Not much has been said other than it will use Wii Motion Plus. Some artwork was shown as well hinting that maybe Links without a sword? Or does the mysterious figure standing in front of Link got something to do with it. Knowing Nintendo we won't see anything till next years E3. So until then let the big wait begin!

Hideo Kojima

2009-06-01T21:59:00.010+01:00

Hey guys, Luke here. I'm not up so late this time but I'm still waiting and hopefully for the last time. I'm guessing it will be as it is E3 this week so they would announce it on the site first. Earlier today the rain stopped and it became sunny around about the time that Metal Gear Solid: Rising was shown for the Xbox 360. Could the sun be the Rising sun? Coincidence or will they announce MGS for the PSP? Or will it be something completely new? Furthermore in the background was an 8 or a B but so far no one knows. Ok so it is the day after but the news was Metal Gear Solid: Rising and The PSP exclusive Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker. The teaser site was for E3 which began this week, and we will have full coverage of that on the weekend (5th - 7th).

That's all guys.
Play nice.

Ghost Squad

2009-05-29T14:05:00.017+01:00

Hello, Callum here with a review of Ghost Squad. Now if you don't know what this game is and have never seen or played it before then i suggest you go and play it. It is a fabulous game.

It throws you straight into the game pretty much straight away, just click start and your shooting some random guys. There are three main levels to this game but after a while they all get repetitive, because they are the only three levels.

There is also the ability to level up your character, you can unlock new costumes and weapons so it gives you the chance to play looking like a panda. As you level up as well you also get to play each level differently for example you may be asked to deactivate a bomb, but when you level up you can leave that to your team and go down some stairs to take out some bad guys.

There is also a boss at the end of each level. Each boss requires you to use a different skill, like locking on, sniping and just heavily firing at them.

This is a very good game and pretty inexpensive as well and it isn't suprising as much of a good game as this is it is so repetitive and is just gets so boring after a while so yes it's worth getting it but it's just too boring in my opinion, if you're a fan of shooting games get this but maybe Call of Duty is more your thing.

Final verdict: C

Second Opinion

Yo Guys Josh here for a Second Opinion! Basically Ghost Squad for the Wii is the Arcade version BUT you have to unlock the other costumes and guns. It plays just like the Arcade version, it feels like the arcade version so if you like that then you'll love this! I am a big Ghost Squad fan and have put in so much money into the game Sega should really give me this for free.

Now when using the Wii controller its okay but it feels so much better with the Wii Zapper. It feels JUST like the arcade version. This game may only have three levels but in each level there are many different paths for you to take and although it may get repetitive after a while, there should still be enough to keep any trigger happy Wii owner enough to do. Not only that your scores our posted online so you can try and beat your friends others from around the world!

Picture from: http://jorpress.files.wordpress.com/2008/08/ghost_squad.jpg

Casual Hardcore Games?

2009-05-27T21:22:00.011+01:00

Yo guys! I live in a household where I am the only true gamer. My Dad plays a few RTS and FPS games and that's about it. How much I try and educate my sister to play decent stuff, its hard (especially when my Aunt buys her games like Imagine: Pets!), but I do try and come half way with her and there's few games I can do that with. Some of these games are actually not bad. Mario Kart Wii for instance. It's not as good as say, Double Dash or MK DS but its still passable as a mad capped Nintendo racer. I think us as gamers need to be more open to the casual market. I am not saying buy Imagine: Dentist because we all know that's going to be bad but something like Peggle deserves you to at least look at it. Okay it has cartoon little characters and it actually uses bright colours but its still a good game!

What brought me on to do this is the arrogant people at my school who believe only Gears of War is the only good game in existence and don't realize how good some games can be e.g. Banjo Kazooie Nuts and Bolts. I lent that game to Luke not so long ago and after that I haven't seen it since. Its been passed around all my friends as they all make stupid vehicles to pwn Grunty with. Sometimes people need to be a bit more open minded. So try a casual game today! You may actually enjoy yourself.

picture from: http://www.blogcdn.com/www.tuaw.com/media/2009/01/peggle-1.jpg

Hideo Kojima

2009-05-27T01:03:00.010+01:00

Hey guys it is Luke here. Ok so it's about half 2AM on May 27th and i have just stayed up for the teaser timer on the Konami website to run out.I am going to keep this short as I'm incredibly tired but ,very excited about this so i thought I'd keep you guys posted. So this being the second time i have stay up for this, but did it disappoint me like last week. The answer being although disappointing at first, as i had to wait about half hour for the site to load once the timer had finished for updates and what not. I felt this sort made the whole thing anti-climatic. Then i nearly cried as the timer restarted so i watched for a bit and saw some new letters so i looked out for them to see if i could spell anything (hell i waited a long time may as well make it worth while). At that point i was scared half to death by something popping out at me I'm not going to spoil it for you, head on over to:
http://www.konami.jp/kojima_pro/next/index.html to see what it is. But it has basically announced a new metal gear solid game. So all in all it was well worth the sleep deprivation, but i still have to wait another 116 hours til the next one. Great. This is a very tired but happy Luke saying good night or good morning however you take it.

*SPOILER ALERT*

Hello, this is Jacob here. If you haven't looked at the page already but are going to then do not read this until after you've seen it or if you'd just like to know what it is without going on then i will tell you.
In the background there are several letters and numbers that appear which you could work out for yourself or go on a site like IGN/Gamespot where they would probably have the news posted. A man is also seen to appear on screen several times, most of you will probably be thinking that it's Solid Snake, but it's not Solid Snake. Any Metal Gear Solid fan that has played all if not most of the Metal Gear Solid games could tell that it is actually Naked Snake (Big Boss) who is the main protagonist of Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater. You can tell by his signature eye patch, and by this I am guessing that there is a new Metal Gear Solid on the way that will be mainly based on Naked Snake like Snake Eater. This is not 100% but this is just an opinion based on the hints given.

Teh gaming news Episode 7

2009-05-25T22:47:00.011+01:00

Yo Guys! Its Josh and today I am announcing that we have a new team member! Marshy aka Luke will be covering Teh Gaming News from here on in. So without further ado. Over to Luke!

PS3 and Xbox 360 get new bundled consoles.

PlayStation 3 is to get a bundle console, which will be bundled with latest Sony's groundbreaking game Infamous .It is going to be a 80GB and will cost you £279.99 and will be released on the 29th of may. The Xbox 360 console has only been confirmed so far in Australia it will come packaged with both gears of war 1+2 and a red cardboard box. No one knows if it will be released in the EU or US yet so we will keep you posted.

New modern warfare two trailer

Modern warfare 2 (or call of duty 6) has a new trailer which is the first of the three to last more than 30 seconds or show a decent amount of gameplay. Furthermore the official site was launched complete with trailer.Also Infinity Ward also announced that over 13 million people have played on Call of Duty 4's multiplayer since release two years ago. But that is Xbox 360 figures alone. Also i have heard that there will be eleven story missions which is better than the last installment of the call of duty series. But it has been revealed that there will be 11 extra missions for co-op rumour or truth we'll have to wait and see. Games out 10 of November and don't forget to to check out the site and the the trailer here http://modernwarfare2.infinityward.com/

Square Enix is set to announce three new titles

This week Square Enix is set to announce three new titles , two of which are set to be multi-platform. There is no Square Enix press release so it will be pre-E3, but can these announcements be as good as Square's announcements last year when they revealed that FFXIII would be coming to the Xbox 360. There is only one way to find out and when we do we will post it up.

Hideo Kojima's next game teaser spoiled already

Hideo Kojima if you hadn't been following has a new game announced but no-one knows what. The site that has been set up seen here http://www.konami.jp/kojima_pro/next/index.html it has a basic timer and thunder in the background while what appears to be the letter S,E,Q, but in a Japanese magazine on the back cover the is a black box with a ? mark in it. One reader showed it to a webcam and it revealed what we believe to be one of the cardboard boxes in the popular game Metal Gear Solid with a ! mark above this box also on a different magazine there was another box which had a orange can with Metal Gear Solid bad guy Ocelot’s face stamped on the side. If the ad was not to be released yet is another story. If not heads will fly.

Games to become real in 15-20 years.

According to many sources that in nearly 10-15 years game will have achieved graphic realism. This report comes hours after another source say it will be nearly 20 years before we will able to smell games. So far many companies say there will be no stop to how real games could become even to overtake real life , not sure how it will but it apparently will. Epic engineer Tim Sweeney said "So we’ll certainly see that happen in our lifetimes; it’s just a result of Moore’s Law. Probably 10-15 years for that stuff, which isn’t far at all. Which is scary ". It is very scary as less than 10 years ago we thought square arms were as far a it would go .

And that is teh gaming news from Triforce Games newbie Luke.

Thanks Luke! Now before we go off to play more Halo I just thought I should mention to you guys that we have a new rating system coming in soon! Basically we will be giving 5 sections (Gameplay, Graphics and Presentation, Sound and Replay Value). Then an over-all score will be given. This score will not be determined by the other three scores seeing as a game can have brilliant graphics but be rubbish. This new scoring system should help add detail in what we think of the game. This system will come in place in June. If you prefer the old way please leave a comment!

That's all from us this month! See you guys in June!

Gaming Diary: Elder Scrolls: Oblivion

2009-05-23T16:49:00.009+01:00

Yo guys! In this months Gaming Diary I'm talking about my adventures in Elder Scrolls: Oblivion.

My character is an Orc called Ghazghkull (which I totally didn't steal after flicking through the Warhammer 40k rule book). I made him your average Orc and I decided to act like one too. One of the first things I did was kill off a whole village and killed many guards. When I say 'killed' it was more like I ran away until they got killed by something and I finished them off (E.g. I was running away from one in a cave when he fell down into a spike pit.). If that wasn't happening I was usually being chased by angered horses that I hurt by accident.

After realizing I had caught 3 disease's, still only level 1 and having a bounty of 5000+. I thought it was about time to do some quests. So I joined The Dark Brotherhood. Which I really enjoyed. The fact there seemed to be many ways to kill one person was pretty cool. Although the one where you had to drop the mounted head onto the elf's head was hard. A lil tip: Go through the basement! I wish they had told me that back in The 'Hoods lair.

Which leads me neatly to what I love about this game the most. How you never know what's going to happen! This elf had a body guard of sorts who weld a big ass war hammer. I was under strict instructions by my employer to keep him alive or I wasn't going to get extra stuff. So after escaping without hurting him and protecting him from the guards (while he was chasing me of course) I thought I won't be seeing him again. How wrong I was. Later on, I was going to a little pub in Burma (I think) to sell some stolen goods. I walked into the pub when suddenly a big man stood up with a big hammer and ran at me and started to beat me up! I was like 'What have I done to deserve this!' Then I realized who it was! It was my old body guard 'friend'.

Stuff like this is what makes Oblivion a great game. The fact that you never know what's going to happen and its set in such an world it seems anything is possible. Now I know the PC version is much better so please excuse me that I'm playing the 360 version but my PC isn't up to much so this is the only way.

I will review the game... In a few years time when I feel I have got everything out of it!

picture from: http://digitalbattle.com/wp-content/uploads/2006/09/oblivion.jpg

Left 4 Dead Survival Mode

2009-05-18T20:33:00.006+01:00

Hey guys, Mark here and today I shall be reviewing Left 4 Dead's new DLC. The best thing is that valve love us so much that we get it free. Now before you ask about the picture, I couldn't find any of the DLC but I'll look while I do the review just in case there are more =D

Basically the DLC is a new mode called survival where you must hold out for as long as you can with limited supplies against a never ending horde. This also contains all the special infected so expect a lot of teamwork protecting and being saved from the clutches of Hunters, Smokers and the general infected. The DLC has about 16 maps (can't say I've counted though) and most are sections from the campaign. There is also a "Last Stand" map where the players are in a lighthouse.

This mode is very addictive as you will often find yourself trying to beat your previous score, and it is really good to play with friends as well and tactics play a key role, for example you need to place fuel tanks where the zombies will be, and organize ammo runs when its hopefully safe. It can also be funny when the Tank spawns with his zombie buddies and beats the living hell outta your buddies.

Overall for free DLC the survival pack is a definite must have for any left 4 dead owner because it is different to the versus, and campaigns once you've done them, and is something different to play. It is great with the AI and with friends. Although I must say at time the AI can be very annoying. For example I had killed a lot of the zombies, then I slipped and fell off the roof (I needed a buddy to pull me up) and along comes Bill, who looks at me, helps me up then drops me and leaves me to get killed by the horde when he could have saved me. Damn it Bill!

Second Opinion

Yo guys its Josh! Not so long ago I went over to Marks and we played the Left 4 Dead survival DLC with are friend Bill via Xbox Live. Although your fellow survivors AI isn't up to much if you're playing with friends it can be a laugh watching the zombies mugging your AI companions. The best way to describe the DLC is to refer to the well known flash game Boxheads. Basically its you against a horde of never-ending zombies wanting your brains. Its important however to prepare booby traps for the zombies so you can set them on fire and what not. Although this will only give you a few extra seconds. The key to success is to find a place to camp that's near supplies but make sure the zombies can only get to from one area and be prepared. Unlike Mark and Bill when they camped in a room and the 50 odd zombies fell on them from the air duct! Stuff like that makes Valve games brilliant!

Picture From Sarcasticgamer.com

Killzone 2 Singleplayer Review

2009-05-10T18:00:00.023+01:00

Killzone 2’s story is nothing spectacular. Lets get that right out in the open. After the Helghast attacked a human colony, the ISA [Read: USA] ( The Humans) strike back with an all out attack force on the Helghast home world, the appropriately named Helghan. Execution of the script however is fantastic all round, with some brilliant cutscene’s and scripted events that really make you go ‘wow’. The voice-work is also rather good, but hilariously bad at times. Every Helghast soldier appears to have a cockney accent, as though they’ve been pulled right out of Oliver Twist.

The games AI is excellent. Helghast troops try there hardest to flank you at all times. The amount of times I’ve been shot in the back by some cheeky helghast that sneaked around my back end is uncountable. I wish the same could be said for your Allie’s AI though. At times it can be just as good as the mentioned Helghast, but at times they just seem to refuse to co-operate and just sit and wait till you clear out the enemies. (Then have the face to say ‘yeah we kicked their ass!’)

Killzone 2’s level design is pretty top-notch. Although strictly linear, (think Gears 2 or Call of Duty) There are big open environments for you to kick some ass in. Each level has a distinctive feel to it. The ISA High-Command ship feels clean and futuristic, whereas the Seluja Village is full of sand and feels very old and run down. The Helghan capital itself is very bleak and dark. (Common in a FPS, I know I know...)

Graphically, this game most likely has the best graphics ever seen. (Perhaps Crysis does on max-graphics). With some very life like environments and fantastic lighting. Letting the graphics side down though is some surprisingly low textures in areas, and some very dodgy looking shadows, which I mainly noticed in the first level when I was going through for a second try. Overall though the graphics are the best I personally have ever seen. This is the game you show to a friend who has never seen a video game before.

There are quite a few weapons in the game to play around with. The ISA have the superior weapons, as they have the better technology (which shows in the guns.)the poor Helghast have a crappy excuse for an Iron-sight in there machine guns, whereas the ISA have high-tech green scopes to shoot with. You can pick up some nasty (in a good way) weapons, though. Such as the Bolt-Gun which sends helghast flying when they are hit, and the Electricty Gun, which, as you would expect, electrocutes them. One disappointment though is the Flame Thrower. It feels very weak and acts like a weird looking super-soaker. It feels more like water than fire.

Motion controls (Remember, the PS3 does have tacked-on motion controllers in the Sixaxis!) also feature in the game. They are so infrequent to be a nuisance and barely feature in the game at all. They appear when (only in singleplayer) when you plant a bomb or pick up a sniper rifle (this appears in multiplayer though), if you move your controller around your aim goes all wiggly.

Vehicle sections also pop up every so often in the game also. These are so infrequent as well that they offer something fresh, new and exciting – unlike the usual dreaded vehicle sections in games (I'm looking at you Gears 2). Driving a tank, or a mech-suit in one of the later level’s actually proves to be really fun!

Boss battles barely feature in Killzone 2 as well. You can get some mid-level ‘bosses’, but these are generally big guys in suits with tanks on their back which might as well have a big “SHOOT HERE” sign attached to them. The only ‘real’ boss fight takes place at the end of the game. It’s a bit of a let-down, but I wont spoil it here for people that have not got that far yet.

Closing Comments:
Taking into account the singleplayer and Multiplayer this game is a definite must buy if your a PS3 owner. I would also consider it something that could tease you into buying a PS3. (it did with me!) The graphics, gameplay, multiplayer are all fantastic and worth your money.

Rating: A*

Note: to all you off-line PS3 gamers, there’s also a handy multiplayer mode for offline people. It plays exactly the same as online, but against bots. These bots handle pretty well and will no doubt provide hours of fun.

Pics taken from: http://www.eurogamer.net/gallery.php?game_id=4690&article_id=79292#anchor

Teh Gaming News Episode 6

2009-04-29T17:19:00.005+01:00

Hey guys!

First I would like to introduce you to the new editor of the site, Jacob. He shall be editing stuff and keeping the site in tip top condition. He has also got some wallpapers up for the ones who haven't noticed yet and there pretty awesome too! So get 'em on ya desktop and feel proud your a fan of Triforce Games! Now to what this article is all about.... Gaming News!

New Dead Rising 2 video!

Capcom can't help but put chainsaws in all there games involving zombies. Resident 4 got Dr. Salvador (or the guy with a bag on his head welding a chainsaw!). Dead Rising got a mad clown called Adam who chased you with dual chainsaws and balloons. Resident Evil 5 had Dr. Salvador's African cousin chasing you down and Dead Rising 2 has... A motor bike with chainsaws on. A stick with two chainsaws of either side. Capcom pulled out all the stops to add more chainsaw carnage! The game itself shows us the new hero of the story (Chuck Greene)... Killing zombies. The graphics seem better than the original too (but what is shown might not use the in game engine although it looks like it probably does) and with the rock music in the background it makes a good watch for those zombie slaying fans.

Lost Planet 2 Demo

Lost Planet 2 was announced not so long ago and a public demo is heading our way shortly! For those who didn't know the game is being produced by the same guy as Resident Evil 5 so fingers crossed this games gonna be a winner too.

Fable 2 DLC

Fable 2: See Into the future is the new downloadable content coming to Fable 2... Soon. You'll find out more out Theresa, be able to command enemies, change your dogs breed and explore new areas of Albion. There will be 12 more achievements too that can bump ya gamer score up by 250! It will apparently give us an in sight on what Fable 3 will be like... Fingers crossed it will involve more puzzle elements.

DSi

The DSi has finally hit and made a impact on the market. For all you who are behind it has a camera, ability to play music and download games through the DS Ware. Oh and surf the net. Not only that but the menu screen has had a new lick of paint and basically is a better looking console. If you still yet to own a DS of some sort nows ya chance!

Resident Evil: Darkside Chronicles

With Dead Space Extinction, House of the Dead Overkill and now this for the Wii, I am sure your Zapper will finally get some use. The new Resident Evil game is an exclusive for the Wii and is based on Leon S Kennedy and Claire Redfield as they try and escape Raccoon City (In other words Resident Evil 2). The graphics look great and seems to be one better from Umbrella Chronicles (which me and Mark had a great time playing!).

Gaming Diary = Success!

I myself have really enjoyed doing this over the half term and I am sure I shall carry on the feature when I want to write about games I haven't quite finished enough to review. So keep an eye out for them in the future!

Shameless Plug

Yep, besides from playing video games and managing Triforce Games blog me and Callum our on C21 Web Radio from 7 till 8 every two weeks. You can find us at www.c21webradio.com. So please drop on by and give us a listen! Oh by the way its a rock show so you know when your listening to us when... Well loads of rock and the likes playing. X D

That's all from Teh Gaming News for now!

Signing off,

The Triforce Fighter

Bully - Scholarship Edition

2009-04-26T13:22:00.009+01:00

Ta Da.... Yes it is me, Callum and the other week I actually bothered to go outside and buy Bully. I had this game for the Playstation 2, I thought I was great and when this game came out it was on my to get list for a while. So I gathered what money I had went to my local game store and got the game. For those of you familiar with the game you will know the storyline. Basically boy's mother gets married, boy's mother goes on honey moon and dumps boy in a terrible school, boy takes over school. Yeah it's that simple. You basically go running around doing missions to try and win the trust of the different factions of the school. The Nerds, The Jocks, he Greasers, the Preps and the Bullies. Each of the missions give you respect for each of the factions either a negative response or a positive, which leads to you taking over the school. There are also fun mini-games like the lessons you have to go to, they give you clothes or abilities. If you are really bad and you hit too many people and get caught every time you do something bad you get... A detention. Which normally consists of you cutting grass with a ride on a lawn mower. Yes a ride on a lawn mower. If you think that's cool, you can get a moped, bikes and even a go-kart.

Now the graphics i love, the controls for the Wii i love and i just love this game. It is a great buy if you haven't bought it yet it is well worth it. 11 quid or something like that on play.com. So anyway back to the game not play.com, the artwork of this game looks like it has been done by a 12 year old but i love it really, let me give you an example... You know when you're 12, you can't draw hands and you kinda draw them like shovels... That's what they look like, it's amazing really. The controls are pretty interactive as well by swinging the nunchuck and Wii remote like fists to beat up people, what more could you wish for.

Now in my opinion i would give it an A* but it is extremely short. I finished it in a week and i still haven't finished Mario Kart so yeah. With that in account i would give this game a well earned,

A

Second Opinion

As soon as my good friend Callum had finished Bully I borrowed it of him. It has been a game I wanted to play for sometime and thanks to Rebel FM (a brilliant gaming podcast from some of the ex 1Up team) for doing 5 or 6 podcasts about it in there Gaming Club specials I decided to find it. The graphics is of GTA 3, if you've played you will no what I mean. Gritty cel-shaded graphics. Now take some of the gritty-ness out and that's Bully. To put it in a nutshell, it's GTA in a school but with a storyline that is more than 'kill people and take the city over'. Well it feels more than just that because you can actually sympathise with the character! James (or Jimmy to his friends) IS human. Not a psychopath. Something I love about this game. If you're younger than 18 and thirsty for sand box action pick this up. Its on PS2, 360, Wii and PC so you should be able to get it. If you are over 18 you may find this a nice change to the normal GTA affair. In other words a great game!

Picture from: http://www.8bithero.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/bully_scholar.jpg

Introductory Post and Some Wallpapers

2009-04-25T22:30:00.007+01:00

Hello. I'm Jacob and i'm the new editor and graphics designer for Triforce Games. I'm pretty much in charge of making the blog look good.
I may be posting some wallpapers from time to time. I mainly make them in 1680 x 1050 resolution, because most of the time I have found it can be shrunk down to pretty much any other resolution without losing the quality or making it stretched. I'm new to making wallpapers so i'm starting off with some basic ones:

Click image for full size view.

Enjoy!

Resident Evil 5 Review

2009-04-17T18:49:00.008+01:00

Hey guys, sorry for the late review (I've had a lot of stuff to do recently). But anyone who knows me would know that I love the Resident Evil series, and so I naturally got Resident evil 5. I also got the DLC and will be reviewing that as well.

In RE5 you play as Chris Redfield (Resident evil 1, Code veronica) and his new partner Sheva. That's right, there are two playable characters which makes the gaming experience much more enjoyable. They are sent to Africa. You soon find yourself fighting for your life though against infected Majini (the townspeople) The game plays very similar to Resident Evil 4 and the controls work very well on the 360 controller. I've heard some people complaining about the "Stop and Shoot" mechanic but frankly I love it, its what makes the game Resident evil, it's like Metroid without the morph ball (Weird analogy I know).

The game has a killer story though. It starts off very simple, find Irving, a mysterious guy who seems to run from you every time you see him (with the help of a mysterious masked character) However you soon find out much more about Chris' past (not gonna drop any spoilers) and an old foe of his returns (Resident Evil fans may know who he is) The gameplay works well, playing on your own is also fun as the AI is quite helpful but a human player is also fun. You do have to manage her ammo and guns as well though and you'll have to share your resources

The game itself is about the same length as RE4 and is split into 6 chapters. The game drops you in boss fights most of the time though, some original like U-8 (a giant spider like creation) to the... wait a minute, I swore I saw a giant boss monster in another resident evil game, and a giant fish monster...

Another good thing is that when your beat the game for the first time you unlock the 'Mercenaries' mode, which RE4 fans will be associated with I'm sure. Basically for those who don't know, you have a time limit to kill as many enemies as possible on a level, while collecting extra time, keeping combos going and trying to avoid or kill the boss monster in the level. It is very fun and now you can also play with Online Co-op with a friend and by beating levels you can unlock more and extra characters (10 total).

There is also Verses mode DLC out now for 400 Microsoft points (about £4.50) and the strange thing is that the mode download is only a couple of Megabytes big... almost as in the mode was already on the disc and you needed to unlock it...very strange eh? The mode itself is very enjoyable and it can be very fun fighting other people around the world and can really build up an adrenaline rush.

Anyway I could go on for ages about this game but I'm gonna stop now, It has a good story, mechanics, graphics and is very good, the only real downside is that some ideas seem just like RE4 and anyone who plays both games would probably agree with me.

Rating: A*

Pictures from cache.gawker.com

Gaming Diary: Mega Man 9

2009-04-10T00:56:00.006+01:00

Hi Guys,

Right now I am sitting in my room with a Mega Man 9 guide trying to helplessly defeat the game. (It's Mark and Josh by the way) Josh downloaded it from the XBLA and I must say it is a pretty hardcore game. If you haven't noticed as this is a joint article I have made what I have got to say in bold and Mark in normal. To be honest I'll likely do more typing seeing as Mark is better than me!

Right now we just defeated Galaxy Man. When I say we, I mean Mark. I tried but epic-ally failed. I am quite good at platformers but this is a whole new level of hard....ness. I knew what to expect because I had got myself Mega Man 2 on the Wii Shop thing.

I have to say though this game is harder than any retro game I've played in a very long time, I must say as well it is very much like the early Mega Man games. The story is rather simple. Basically Dr. Wily has once again begged forgiveness, but then Dr.Lights' robots go mad and start creating havoc. Dr.Wily quickly comes out to say that he isn't involved in this plan saying that he has turned a new leaf. Megaman then goes out to clear Dr.Lights' name and defeat Dr.Wily once and for all (Well until Capcom feel a bit retro and make Mega Man 10).

This game is can be fast paced or slow, it all really depends on what your playing style is in games like this. The gameplay is simple, there are eight "Robot Masters" and you pick which one to attempt to battle, you then play through a side scrolling level shooting the evil robots. Or something that looks like a giant meatball. Well on Jewel Man's level anyway. I really think Capcom were quite creative with their enemy designs as well, I mean earlier on I found myself fighting a blue elephant that blew a giant pink ball at me... It was scary.

In this game you can also shop in between levels with the "Screws" you have collected (your sister is the shopkeeper by the way, you think she'd be a bit more generous in a situation where evil robots are attacking). What gets me is that you can only use you items once... Only once and they cost the Earth too. This game has NES 8-bit style graphics but was never actually released on the NES and its available for all three major consoles. And for all you guys saying gaming is getting easier then I think this game officially proves that not all of them are!

That's all we have to say about Mega Man 9 for now! Stayed tuned for are next update on what us guys are playing in Gaming Diary!

Signing out, Josh and Mark!

pictures from: http://saitonetwork.files.wordpress.com

Gaming Diary : I finally caved in (World of Warcraft)

2009-04-06T22:33:00.008+01:00

Our fellow banner maker Jacob has forever nagged at me to try World of Warcraft and every time I just couldn't see the point of playing it. Why play that when I could play Final Fantasy? I mean they both have big ass swords, stupid names, monsters and some evil bad guy hell bent on taking the world over. Only difference I can tell instead of NPC's repeating there lines over and over you get n00bs asking for gear and whatnot.

I was actually surprised when I started playing. No one hassling level 80's for stuff! The only other MMO I played before in depth was Runescape and I can tell you there was a lot of that. Anyway, my character is a human warrior called Luneth or something like that. It was a name from Final Fantasy 3 which I had fused with another name from Final Fantasy 3. I did first jump to my Warhammer 40k rule book to find a name, but they were to 'spacey' for my liking.

So I was doing a few quests. Kill 10 wolfs that sort of thing. When I was tasked with visiting a inn. Sounds easy right? And it was really but during the 2 minute walk from the gates of the Abbey to Goldshire (I think that's the place) I realized how you never know what might happen in this game. I had been reading the pop ups saying how Goldshire is under attack and Level 80's were needed but you know it didn't register till I actually got there.

I knew something was up when I noticed so many skeletons surrounding the place. I asked the guard where the inn was. He happily told me to just keep following the road. I looked in front of me and there were big monster things everywhere! I couldn't work who was Alliance or Horde all I knew is that it was scary. I think I stood in the middle of this all perplexed for about two minutes until I realized I should really find cover. I ran into the first house I found and lo and behold it was the inn! I got some pumpkins and felt rather chuffed. I thought to myself 'This WoW thing isn't that hard!'

It went down hill from there on. After that I died so many times I lost count, got chased out of a mine repeatedly by tunneling monster things, got lost in a wood full of thugs and BIG bears then finally to cap it all off when I was looking for cover in the forest I found a hut. I went inside thinking 'yeah, I'll eat a pumpkin and be on my way' when I turn around I am trapped inside by 3 thugs and something which looked remarkably like a Gretching from Warhammer 40K. I was like ' What the -' and died....... Again. It got to a point where I gave up finding my dead body because every time I spawned, I died!

I might give it a go again tomorrow..... Wish me luck!

Gaming Diary: Intro

2009-04-05T18:27:00.007+01:00

Hello guys, I am off from school for the next two weeks, so I thought I shall make a feature which includes me, talking about what games I have been playing over the time I'm off and what I think about them. I am likely to rant here and there but you know! There won't be a said structure for this feature and I'll just do it when I feel the need.

So keep an eye out over the coming two weeks!

Killzone 2 Multiplayer Review

2009-04-04T22:09:00.015+01:00

Killzone 2 has practically everything. Good gameplay, Excellent graphics, (i personally cannot comment on the story itself – as I have not finished the single player, or played Killzone 1) and just overall fun. But what about the included Online Multiplayer?
Well, it rocks to. I’ve gotten to the highest online rank available (General – 3 stars), so I’ve played a fair few amount of online matches.

Rather than just having one class and unlockable weapons, A total of 6 classes have been introduced. The Rifleman, with the machine gun. The Medic with the ability to heal comrades and bring them back to life. The engineer whom can build turrets and fix ammo and weapon placements around the many maps. The solider, who uses a rocket launcher/grenade launcher, and also has the most health and ability to sprint (Which is a bit unfair in my opinion.). The Tactician, who can set up spawn points and call in air support. The Saboteur, whom can disguise as an enemy team member and place C4. And finally, the Scout (my personal favourite) who is the only class that can use the sniper rifle, and can cloak to become invisible (the more you move, the more visible you become), and pinpoint enemies on the radar. (This is sounding a bit like Team Fortress 2!)

The thing that's really cool about the class system is the ability to combine classes. You unlock the second ablitiy of each class by fulfilling certain objectives (e.g. 10 kills with sniper rifle in 8 matches to unlock the ability to pinpoint enemies on radar) and then mix and match them with other classes. Want a medic that can plant C4 and call in air support? Then you can!

Now the maps, a staple of any good online multiplayer game. These can kill the game, or make it something special. Luckily, the maps in Killzone 2 are good overall, apart from a few dodgy ones. The maps themselves are pretty large. Now im sure you’ll be asking yourself – how can i spot people halfway across a huge map? Well Guerrilla thought of this, and its easy to see people (although not TOO easy), as Helghast players have red eye’s on their helmets, and ISA members have blue glowing patches on their head, and elbows.

The multiplayer modes are just like Call of Duty, with Bodycount (team deathmatch), Capture the Flag and Headquarter style matches. One thing that is really interesting is the on-the-fly matches. You can be in a match playing Headquarters, then suddenly the objective will change to assassination, in which you have to kill a particular member of the enemy team. These on-the-fly matches keep things new and fresh.

Closing comments:
Overall, the Killzone 2 multiplayer is a very entertaining game, which is well worth your money if you own a PS3 and a decent internet connection. One thing that really should have been (and hopefully will be) implemented is a lobby system. You and your buddies can't all join the same match at once. One person will have to join a game, then the other friends will have to join after he has. Meaning that you will most likely end up on different teams. Hopefully Guerrilla will patch this though.

Rating: A*
(Note: A review of Killzone 2’s Singleplayer shall be up soon, when I complete it!)

Pictures taken from: http://uk.media.ps3.ign.com/media/748/748475/imgs_3.html

Teh Gaming News Episode Issue 5

2009-04-02T20:07:00.004+01:00

Hey Guys! I am so sorry this wasn't up sooner but I was kinda busy doing a project which I can't mention here on this blog (I'll just say its got something to do with the radio = P and its great fun!). Anyway your not here to read about my daily happenings but for the lowdown on Gaming News of this month and to start with there is.....

Gaming BAFTAS!

Yep such thing does exist and its pretty big aswell and here are the results!

GRID - Best sports game
Sid Meier's Civilzation Revolution - Best stratagy game
Fable 2 - Best adventure game
Little Big Planet - Artistic achievement award
Boom Blox - Best casual game
Call of Duty 4 - Best story and character awards
Spore - Technical achievement award
Professor Layton and the Curious Village - Best Handheld game
Left 4 Dead - Best mutiplayer game
Dead Space -Best use of music and best original score awards
Super Mario Galaxy - Best game award

In my eyes I think Super Smash Bros Brawl should of got best orginal score and best game award. I am very surprised that the most hyped game of the year was not even mentioned! Oh Well Brawl you shall always be remembered in our hearts as the Wii's best hardcore game for yonks.

Mythic Map Pack

We finally have a date and its the 6th of April! So save those pennies if you only got the normal edition of Halo Wars (Such as myself) then this is your chance to make big maps on Sandbox FINALLY!

Banjo Kazooie Nuts and Bolts DLC

Yep its coming out 400 MP on the 9th and will have new achievements, new jiggies and new mutiplayer opitions! So for someone like me who have nearly got all the jiggies it will be brilliant! You can look forward to a review of it along with the game soon! If you can't wait that long for your Banjo fix Banjo - Tooie is coming on the 4th.... I think X D

Someone on the team has a PS3

Dave have a PS3 so finally you can look forward to some PS3 related stuff!

Thats all for now head on over same time next month (but a lil earliar) for Teh Gaming News!

My Sims

2009-03-29T20:52:00.005+01:00

Yes thats right this weeks reveiw is My Sims. For starters the story, from what I can gather it's rather simple. You are a "special person" who can use essences (which are anything you can find around town, be it fruit or fish) to build furnature and houses. Your task is to rebuild the town from one or two houses to a successful village.
There are unlockable area's that you can get access to when you gain stars (which are basically your town rank of population) In these areas you can move new residents in, to get more stars.
The story and game play are quite simple but effective. The controls are ok but I wish they used the Wii's capabilities a bit more. Moving the analogue stick isn't very "interactive" like the Wii should be. The graphics are ok they are very Sim-ish. By that I mean it is typical of the Sims style of graphics although the actual Sims look different (Ed: Unlike Sims 2 the graphical design isn't different to chibi anime style. Big head, big eyes that kinda thing)
One problem I had with it was that it lagged like nothing I have ever seen before. I mean there is lagging but then there is what this was doing! It only tended to be the loading screen which was weird though . If you had a similar problem to this then please comment on this blog. I am interested to know more about it.

overall this game is pretty good although it does get quite repetitive and it is hard to know what to do at times so i give this game a respectable
C

Second Opinion

I have had My Sims kicking about my room for sometime now and after the day I got nearly to the end I sorta gave up. The game it self isn't bad. It can be so much fun customizing you and your village. Thats the best part of it really. making wacky chairs, giving you awesome hair styles. Dressing the local goth in a frilly dress with pink hair X D. Thats what I enjoyed. My Sims to me was like Lego. According to the box there's a story line but really its down to you. Which is in my eyes I think is pretty cool. The lag is a problem though I have to admit. Sometimes it got beyond forgivable and ruins the clean sharp graphics the game others. There is a sequel for this game called MySims Kingdom which I have yet to test out so I don't know if they fix the problems or not. All in all I have to agree with Callum on this one I give it a C.

Signing out, The Triforce Fighter.

pictures take from: accordingtoheather.wordpress.com

Mass Effect and a small rant

2009-03-23T22:49:00.002Z

I know, I know this game has been out for a little while now, but as the saying goes better late then never! I picked this game up not so long ago and then I was ill for 3 weeks but thanks to this it helped while away the hours.

Mass Effect is a RPG/Third Person Shooter (TPS) which sounds like a weird mix of game genres but trust me it works wonders. Made by the same guys who brought Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic I knew I was in good hands story wise and game play. While playing KTOR I felt like I was playing a 3D TBS that you could strafe side to side in or run for your life instead of pressing a button. Mass Effect however the fights are just as open ended but as the battle system is more open as well you can go firing when it suits you (although your gun sometimes overheats so you have to wait for it to cool before you can carry on kicking robot butt). Its not ground breaking stuff. Just imagine a slower and more tactical Gears of War. But thats not to say you will not spend time running around shopping, getting lost and talking to repetitive NPC's 'cos you can do all that!

The NPC's to be honest are as repetitive as you want them to be seeing as you can decide what you say. There's usually a good, evil and natural option for most things although there are some which fall into neither blocks. It really good to see that what you say makes a mark with the people around you. It makes the game so much more immersive, which is one its highlights. Just how stuck into the game you can be! Once you start you can't stop. Well that was the case for me anyway.

The story line is basically there's evil robots (the geth) who are like your stereotypical all looking the same bad guys who are trying to kill everything and its up to you to stop them and the traitor who is helping them. Humans as the race are looked down on so you gotta make the aliens respect you and its a good progression seeing how the more universe changing deeds you do as your job as a intergalactic policeman (Also known as a Spectre) the more people treat you better. If you wizz threw the main story you could probably do it in a couple of days but there's so many side quests worth doing you'd be missing out a large chunk of the game.

Now before I finish I just want to mention the infamous sex scene. Basically its the most over rated sex scene in the history of videogame sex scenes. If you watched James Bond then its of that level. It really puzzles me how sex is in most films that aren't pixer and they do not get scolded at all but as soon as a game does it, suddenly the media decides that all gamers will play the game for is to see a 30 second clip of a naked alien chick (or who ever you decide to 'buddy up with') They totally forget that you can complete the game without even seeing it!

Sorry to rant = P but it really annoys me when the media acts like that.

Closing Comments

Mass Effect is what I would call the best original RPG made outside of Japan and you would be stupid not to at least try it. It can seem daunting at first (with the whole of the Milky Way to explore) but if you can navigate around Liberty City then this place will be a easy as pie. Even non RPG fans should try it out because I think they will be pleasantly surprised. The only negative I can think of is that sometimes its time for the textures to come into place which can make it look at little tacky until they appear. It should be only expected though because the graphics are stunning!

Rating A*

http://firsthour.net/screenshots/mass-effect/mass-effect-cover-thumb.jpg

Castlevania: Dawn Of Sorrow and Castlevania: Portrait Of Ruin Reviews

2009-03-14T16:02:00.011Z

Hey guys! Spartan 120 here. I love castlevania games too much I think and I own both and so I wondered which is better on the DS.

I'll start with Dawn Of Sorrow, this was released before portrait of ruin and it is the sequel to Aria Of Sorrow, you play as Soma, the reincarnation of Dracula (but your good) and an evil cult are trying to release your inner demon to restore balance in the world. This is different from most Castlevania games because you don't play as a Belmont and you won't have the Vampire Killer whip.

The game has the classic 2-D gameplay and you must collect Magic seals (Which are used by drawing on the touch screen) and when you beat a boss you must draw it to seal it away. These seals start as simple shapes buy get harder and harder to draw. Many of the monsters in this game are also from Aria Of Sorrow like Balore if any of you guys know who he is XD

The game has a good way of telling the story, most cutscenes are triggered when certain bosses are beaten or if you enter rooms. The castle itself is very big and you will find yourself getting lost or not knowing where to go if your not careful and you may have to consult a walkthrough like I had to a few times.

After you beat the game you unlock Julius mode, a harder version of the game where you play as three characters, but you cannot use items and this makes it a lot harder the final boss is also different because the mode sticks with the bad ending where Soma turns evil.

Moving on to Portrait of ruin, this game is like dawn of sorrow in gameplay terms. In this game you play as Jonathon Belmont who is on a mission to investigate Castlevania, Dracula's castle which appears once every 100 years (or something like that). Jonathon is also partnered with Charlotte, a wizard who is helping Jonathon. You can keep switching between the two and you can give them both different powers.

This game has a big castle too. You'll find portals scattered around and each takes you to another world. These vary from a scary carnival to a desert palace. The one thing I didn't like was when you get near the end of the game you have to basically do a repeat of all the previous levels, but these are a lot harder and have harder bosses.

When you beat the game you unlock two more modes, which let you go through the game with the old Belmont from the SNES castlevania games and where you can play as the two vampire sisters, this mode uses the touch screen for attacks and is very well thought out.

Overall I think that both the games are very good and fun to play. However Portrait of ruin is better because I think it has more gameplay. However Dawn Of Sorrow is still good and I did have problems with Portrait Of Ruin's Quests because they are very difficult and not very well though out

Portrait Of Ruin- B

Dawn Of Sorrow- B

(I put them as the same because it's really what you prefer out of the two)

pictures from GameFaqs.com and nintendods.com and staticgamesradar.com

GTA IV: The Lost and Damned DLC Review

2009-03-03T17:24:00.015Z

Say goodbye to Niko Bellic, that loveable rogue from Serbia that we know and love, and say hello to the new guy: Johnny Klebitz. This new DLC follow’s Johnny Klebitz, a hard-as-nails biker in the gang “The Lost”. Johnny is the vice-president of The Lost, and as the president of the biker returns from rehab, Billy Grey, Johnny’s ex-girlfriend is the least of his worries. Billy decides to go on an all out war with the rival gang, “The Angels of Death” – whom are currently having a ‘ceasefire’. Ill not delve into the story any longer, as not to ruin it for anyone whom has not yet purchased it.

The DLC, priced at 1600 Microsoft Points, and a hefty 1.7gb download is not short of content. Along with the 23 individual new mission’s included in the game (which, if you paid attention to the story of GTA, link in very well with it). There are 25 new gang wars, in which you and your fellow gang members take out rival gang members – much like the gang wars of GTA: San Andreas. These gang wars help you to boost your fellow gang member’s overall toughness, and how good a chance they stand in a fight. On top of that, there’s also new Road Rash style race’s, in which you can knock each other off your bike with a baseball bat! Also, the little extra’s from GTA IV carry over – like being able to take out your buddies to get drunk, or watch a comedy show. This DLC also includes something that I believe should have been in GTA IV in the first place, mid-level check points!

In addition to the new single player features listed above, there are also new multiplayer modes. These multiplayer modes are a great addition to an already great multiplayer game. New multiplayer modes include “Own the City” (In which you and a rival team capture territories, which when captured, friendly NPC’s appear in to protect the area from the rival team appear – a gun van can be found to upgrade the NPC’s weaponry), “Chopper vs Chopper” (a 1 vs 1 where one player drives a bike, and must try to survive the longest by going through checkpoints, and the other player fly’s a NOOSE helicopter, and must try and kill the biker as quickly as possible), and “Lone Wolf Biker”. (A version of ‘tag’ in which if you kill the Lone Wolf Biker, you become the LWB, and must try to survive the longest, whilst other players try to kill you and become the LWB.) My personal favourite is Lone Wolf Biker, as nothing beats being chased by a person in a car and nipping down into the subway to get away from them!

Closing Comments

If you own GTA IV, and enjoyed it, this DLC is a must have add-on that you should definitely buy. It contains at least 8 hours of gameplay, for the quickest gamer, and if like me, someone who likes to take it steady, at least 20 hours of gameplay! The story adds an interesting new layer to Liberty City (and by taking mostly place in Alderney, the last island, my least explored – and I’m sure other people’s least explored island as well, it feels like a completely different experience), and great new multiplayer mode’s that should not be missed out on. Highly recommended!

All pictures taken from: http://www.listal.com/game/the-lost-and-damned-xbox-360/pictures

A Challenger Approaches!

2009-03-01T19:10:00.002Z

Yo dudes! Dave here making my introductory post! Im mainly a Xbox 360 gamer, but i also play my Wii from time to time. Ill be writing reviews on Xbox 360 games and perhaps some Wii games.

Hope you enjoy the reviews!

Teh Gaming News Issue 4

2009-02-28T23:10:00.003Z

Hey readers,

Its time for Teh Gaming News which is fashionably not done quite on time as per usual! Where kicking of with first......

Dead Space Wii

Well Dead Space Extinction to be exact. This is a on rails shooter (much like Resident Evil Umbrella Chronicles) which is a prequel to the 360 game and its coming to the Wii. With this and many more games such as House of the Dead: Overkill and Mad World will people still call the Wii for Mums and little kids?

Halo Wars and more

Yeah, Halo Wars is officially in stores now although I do not own it yet because I maybe sorta owe my Mum and Dad money, then I need to fix the DS Lite...... But as soon as thats all done you can expect a review of the game! Other notable games which has came out this month....

Street Fighter 4 which I would like to get but seeing as I am not the best at Street Fighter 2 I may just wait until someone else gets and just borrow it of them.

DLC GET!

Brand new DLC is now up for Grand Theft Auto 4 which goes under the name of 'The Lost and The Damned' which will be reviewed soon. So sit tight GTA fans!

New Dudes

We here at Triforce Games are always looking for new people to write with us and we have done just that. Enter Platinum aka Dave. He will be reviews this that and the other like the rest us.

Thats about everything for this month! See you again next month for Teh Gaming News!

Wii Speak

2009-02-22T17:04:00.002Z

Hey I was ment to get this up last week sorry it's a little late.

The long awaited Animal Crossing: Lets Go To The City, came with a nifty little addition to the Wii's collection of peripherals (add ons); In my opinion of course the worst one of all. Wii Speak. My experience with it is terrible. It echo's, it squeaks it makes noises it really shouldn't.

Yes it does the job and it does what nintendo wanted it to do but for me it could be better. I seem to get the feeling they were making it just to fill a gap in the market and did it as cheap as they could.

Now don't get me wrong it is a great peice of kit to have for your wii and so far i have only used it a couple of times for animal crossing and nothing else really. So if you have not yet bought Animal Crossing don't get Wii Speak Animal Crossing Bundle. AC is good on it's own and has an in game keyboard so who needs to talk. Plus you could always just ring the person your playing with anyway. Thats it for my rant if you have any other opinions on Wii Speak just leave us a comment.

Callum out.

F.E.A.R 2: Project Origin Preview

2009-02-13T20:34:00.009Z

Hey guys Mark here, I'm previewing the F.E.A.R 2 demo which came out a couple of weeks ago.

F.E.A.R 1 was a scary game, I never got it myself but I played the demo and thought it was awesome. F.E.A.R 2 has carried those scares over. Almas back and she's even scarier in this demo, you star in the remains of a crashed helicopter and you see Alma. The demo takes you through a school, a subway, a freaky street, a cinema and it finishes with a level on a mech. It's quite long and fun to play. There are a lot of weapons to find and your character has the ability to slow time. This is very hand if you ever get trapped in the middle of a firefight. The game is still quite graphic and gory, the shotgun will shoot enemies limbs off.

The game has had a huge graphic update and the new look makes it even scarier. Your often walking down a corridor and something will happen to make you jump. These vary from simple things like doors flying open, to ghosts attacking. There are moments in the game where you'll be confused and wonder "What just happened?!". I remember once I heard freaky music and nothing happened so I laughed and said down the mic to my party "Ha I just dodged something scary =D" Then I got raped by ghost things and it was scary XD

Overall I would say its full of fun and scares. I would recommend it to anyone who likes scary games and shooters, or fans of the original F.E.A.R (Which stands for First Encounter Assault Recon before I forget to throw that in) =D

picture from gameupdates.com

Halo Wars Hands On Preview

2009-02-08T21:20:00.004Z

I'm no stranger to the RTS (Real Time Strategy) genre and if anything I am more familiar to that then FPS (First Person Shooter) games such as Halo. So to me I couldn't wait to get started with Halo Wars.

First thing I did after downloading the demo (which by the way for all you who haven't yet, takes some time) was go campaign. Two levels controlling the UNSC fighting the Covenant. It is based 20 years before Halo Combat Evolved and you can tell. In the campaign unlike in the FPS which you see a few marines and ODST's every now and then here there's loads (as you can expect).

There are also plenty of Spartans at your control which is pretty neat, which all act like Master Chief. They can take enemy vehicles and use friendly ones to there full potential. Most units all have a special move which can be activated with the Y button (X is used to command your units to move and attack). For instance Warthogs drive at full speed into enemies knocking them flying much like what you do on Halo, but if try to ram a turret or building the unit will lose health (which should be noted because many a time I sent my Warthogs charging at building only to have them explode in my face a few minutes later). Marines can chuck grenades which can be later upgraded with flash bang technology.

The story line as far as I can tell is the usual Halo affair. Covenant find Forerunner relic and try to use it to defeat the flood (which have been confirmed to be in the game).

Anyway back to the campaign. Your first mission involves re-taking your base from the Covenant. You start of with only a Warthog under you control with a hero unit inside (Not much is known about hero units, as there mainly seen in campaign), but slowly you rally the surviving soldiers and take the base back. This can be seen as a non guided tutorial to controlling units because it goes through vaguely how to play (Don't worry there is a detailed tutorial at the ready if you need it)

The next mission involves remaking the base and taking out the Covenant. Base making is standard RTS stuff, although you only have a certain amount of squares. So if you run out of squares you need to find another spot to make a base. Its all simple stuff. Like Halo its pick up and play and just good fun.

The game it self is made just for the 360 so for those thinking 'Oh noes! I can't play a RTS without a mouse and keyboard!' need not worry because it plays fine. Like I said before you could pick up the controller and make a wild stab at the controls and likely get 70% of it right. The only problem I find is when you just want to select one type of unit say your ground ones and you quite often end up selecting your air units and vehicles as well.

After I had completed the two levels I then headed over to skirmish mode. On the demo, you can only play one level but you can look at the levels you could play with the full game (including a map called Blood Gulch!). You can also choose to play as the UNSC or The Covenant. Also it looks like there are different team leaders who get special advantages and units. For instance the UNSC leader you could play as on the demo could make Elephants, while the The Covenant leader could have a Prophet unit as well as special Elites with twin energy swords.

So there seems to be many ways to play. With co-op and online confirmed it looks like Halo Wars could be one of the best RTS games for the 360!

picture from http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_kn9dkhzhnaE/SLL8Uo_FeRI/AAAAAAAABIs/i3slAJXNeYw/s400/DGN_Halo_Wars_Box_Art.jpg

Animal Crossing Lets Go To The City / City Folk

2009-01-31T09:35:00.004Z

Animal Crossing has at last come to Wii. This long awaited game has been on every Animal Crossing lovers christmas list, and to be honest it is a good game but it is just like wild world only with a city but there are a few new features to the Wii version.

1. Improved graphics thanks to the Wii's higher capability.
2. A city. This place has all your much loved shops like Shampoodle and Crazy Redds.
3. They have brought back the different levels like in Animal Crossing for Game Cube.
4. Nooks shop, instead of having to have someone vist your shop to get the higher upgrade all you have to do is spend spend spend.
5. The wii's interactive wii remote allows you to shake the wii remote to use tools and to get out of those ever anoying pit falls.
6. You can chose out of four different houses which is a nice little bonus.

There is also a lot in the game that is like the previous games. We have Nooks shop the local money hungry racoon, the museum, able sisters, and villagers. (well it wouldn't be Animal Crossing without them) We also have the rolling world like in wide world when the screen rolls as if your village is the world. We have all the fruit to sell to money grabbing Nook.
Animal Crossing also brings with us wii speak..... it's a microphone.
The Wii version also has an updated wi-fi mode where you can use wii speak to talk to the person your playing with. ( I don't know why you can't just ring them up but wii speak is free.)
But overall this is a good game a few new features a few old ones add them all togeth it makes a great game but for me it is too like Animal Crossing wide world. i give this game overall an....

A for the great gameplay that never gets boring. (unless you never come off it)

pictures from: http://www.animalcrossingwii.nl/blog/uploaded_images/boxart-744010.jpg

Second Opinion

I got Animal Crossing City Folk for Christmas knowing that it was the same game as Wild World and the Game Cube version because I needed a reason to go on my Wii again and to me I thought it was okay. Only okay that is because really unless you are an Animal Crossing fanboy or need a reason to play the Wii then there isn't much real point buying it if you already have it on DS or Game Cube. The things it does add such as the city, extra shops, more items, new villagers and events are pretty cool but really when push comes to shove it is a port of the DS version with cleaner graphics and a few extras. If you really want to get the most out this game see it as AC WW 1.5. Its the same game with added extras.

Second Opinion Rating: C

Teh Gaming News Issue 3

2009-01-30T21:11:00.007Z

Hey Readers!

Sorry about a lack of an update during the Christmas months. I hope you won't bite my head to much it was Christmas! X D Anyway I also owe you guys an apology. I wanted to get this article up on Wednesday but I have been ill a lot the past two weeks. Anyway enough of my excuses and lets get on with the news!

1Up has changed hands

1Up and all its associated sites (gamevideos.com,mycheats.com and gametab.com) are now owned by UGO Entertainment and the company has fired many good 1Up staff . It was a sad day on the 6th of January with most of the 1Up podcasts discontinued (including The 1Up Show), but even though there not working a 1Up now there still doing there thing! For instance the guys who brought you 1Up FM can be found at www.eat-sleep-game.com and then the three guys behind The 1Up Show can be found now www.area51.tv which can be watched on Youtube at the moment.

Resident Evil 5 Demo, now complete with token white zombies!

I downloaded the RE5 demo as soon as I got home from school and spent all night playing online co-op with my friends over and over on the same two levels. Now for those with just a PS3 and have to wait a little while longer for the demo I can safely say (on the 360) it is brilliant if you like RE4. To be honest, the best way to see RE5 is RE4.5 which to be honest is not a bad thing! Resident Evil 4 was great fun and I have completed it at least three times and spent who knows how many hours on 'The Mercenaries' mini game. Now RE5 is so good for a demo the mistakes I noticed were really small, but the biggest of the small problems were the fact that the game's gone 'politically correctness' mad! For instance the game got moaned at because apparently killing Africans is racist, but killing Americans in Raccoon City isn't. So to stop being 'racist' Capcom have put token white zombies everywhere in the demo. To me that took me out of the mood of being in a shanty town full of zombies. Other than that the demo was awesome. The graphics are beautiful and nothing beats hiding in house with a friend when you know outside there is a mad man with bag on his head carrying a chainsaw.

Final Fantasy XIII - New Trailer!

Square Enix put out a new trailer for FF XIII and includes something which for me is brilliant.... gameplay! Now, I love CGI as much as the other guy but gameplay talks to me more. So in this paragraph I will not be talking about the story because I trust Square Enix to do a good job with that. The gameplay interests me more. From the small part of the trailer which was gameplay I could tell it is a step up from FF XII. As in its RT and you queue up commands. It also looks slightly Kingdom Hearts like with all the jumping up in the air thing. If they can combine KH and FF together battle wise then this game could be amazing! Oh, and heres a link if your interested: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GC1-_hnxwa4&annotation_id=annotation_942682&feature=iv

Thats all for now from me,

Signing out Josh aka The Triforce Fighter

Dead Space

2009-01-18T19:51:00.004Z

Hey guys, Mark here, been a bit late this week but I've been busy, so here's my review on Dead Space for the 360 (and its also on the PS3).

Dead space takes place in the future, you play as engineer Isaac Clarke and you are sent to the Ishimura, a mining ship with your team to investigate a sudden stop of transmissions. You are separated from your team and discover monsters called Necromorphs are on the ship and they are mutated crew members. There are 12 long chapters and a variety of weapons, the weapons are mainly makeshift weapons like a mineral cutter, a blowtorch turned into a flamethrower.

The game focuses on dismemberment to kill the Necromorphs. You can have to strategically shoot off your foe's limbs you save ammo and kill them. Your ememies won't die straigt away though, for example shoot a Necromorph's leg off, it will crawl after you.

This game has beautiful graphics, I know that might sound strange for a horror game but the real beauty is in the Zero Gravity areas or in space, you can jump around, fight and solve puzzles in the Zero G areas. This is really fun because you can just bounce off the walls and it's really enjoyable. The Vacuums are cool aswell, your in an area of Space, you have a air timer on Isaac's back that says how much oxygen you have left.

The game has a brilliant story, however you have to really get into the game before it starts to unveil but it's really good, much better than I originally thought and nothing like I've ever seen. The game looks and plays very similar to a lot of other horror games- Resident evil 4, bioshock, Far cry and it really works =D

It really fits the role of horror game aswell and will keep you jumping throught it's action packed storyline aswell.

Overall I think this is really good and has brilliant gameplay, story and ideas. It's inresting and has thought of everything. Theres even a Zero G basketball court in chapter 10 :D. I really haven't seen anything else like it. At some times it seems you have too much ammo and too many health kits then theres like a boss or you get attacked by loads of Necromorphs and suddenly you have very low ammo and not many health kits =S.

My Rating: A*

Screenshots from 360hq.com

gamepro.com

shacknews.com

Fable 2 DLC Review

2009-01-16T19:49:00.004Z

When I first heard about Fable 2 downloadable content I can defiantly say I was happy. After completing the game twice and finishing all the quests I was upset how quick it took me to complete the game but thanks to this DLC it has given me a reason to boot the game up again, but unfortunately this is also short. It took me about 2 hours (if that) to blast through the three new quests and further 40 minutes to collect all the books that tell the story of Knothole (these books are like the sliver keys of the island but don't really unlock anything other than lore and a achievement). I have yet to achieve the last achievement which includes unlocking everything in the mystery gift shop. Which leads me neatly onto one of my favorite things about the DLC.

The shops on the island. You see Knothole Island is very much isolated from the rest of Albion so there is a lot of Knothole only goodies waiting for you. For instance there's a big shop selling rare augments and something which can take augments out of your weapons, a cosmetics shop which sells unique dyes and potions which make you fat,thin,scar-less and make your skin as soft as a babies backside. Not only that there's the mystery gift shop. By far the best shop in the game. Basically you bring mundane items which can be swapped for clothes and weapons but as the name implies you don't know what you will get. I suppose this could be counted as a side quest (and one which is likely be more rewarding then the main three).

Closing Comments

The best way to look at this DLC is a load of new items with some missions and a island to explore round thrown in. If you've been looking for an excuse to venture back into the world of Albion and have money spare then go ahead and buy it, otherwise get the free patch so you can visit your friends who are in the world of Knothole so you can at least experience some of the weather changing magic.

pictures from ign.com

Gruntilda = The hardest boss on any platformer game

2009-01-11T17:32:00.004Z

For Christmas I got a copy of Banjo Kazooie Nuts and Bolts and I have just recently finished it (Well I have beaten Grunty... Just haven't got round to getting all those Jiggies) and the final boss is hard as nails. You have to make vehicle that can literally DO everything, but enough about that. This review is about Banjo Kazooie for the N64 which thanks to Rare has found it's self on XBLA (Xbox Live Arcade).

I missed Banjo Kazooie on there first outing back on the Nintendo 64 because when I had a choice I picked the Playstation over the N64 (How naive I was when I was six), but when I booted up this for the first time it reminded me of so many other platformer's of its era. It was very much like a best of all platformers thrown together. For instance controls of Super Mario 64, alot of collectables and a hub world which are very similar to Spyro, character design which is very similar to Croc and add the charm and charisma that Rare injects into all its games and you have a winner. To me thats what BK is in a nutshell, an all round platformer that everyone will enjoy.

Now for the few out there who are wondering 'Okay then.... Who IS Banjo Kazooie and what's the point of the game?'

Question 1: Banjo is the honey bear and Kazooie is a bird. There are NOT the same person as many people I seem to talk to think.

Question 2: The plot as with all platformers isn't deep or serious but unlike most, Rare does try its best to add humor whenever possible. Basically Gruntilda (Or Grunty for short) has kidnapped Banjo's sister Tootie, and has placed her in a big machine which will take her beauty and give it to herself. It is up to Banjo and Kazooie (and with a little help from Mumbo Jumbo and Bottles the mole) to rescue Tootie and defeat Grunty. All simple stuff. To do this you must collect Jiggies (jigsaw pieces) to use to unlock levels and musical notes to unlock doors. In other words, its the biggest collect em up game in existance (only beaten by Spyro:Year of the Dragon which makes you collect so many little gems its unbelievable!)

Now you may be sitting there and thinking ' This sounds like a game aimed for my 8 year old sister' then you not far wrong but I doubt she could complete the game fully without tearing out all her hair and throwing the controller at the TV. Banjo Kazooie, much like most Rare games look cute and cuddly but the deeper you go the harder it gets.

This leads back nicely to the beginning of this post..... Gruntilda. Today I have spent I don't know how long trying to defeat her. Just when you think its all over she some how survives and as I always seem to have my guard down at these times she just pwns me into the next millennium.... Very much like the Nuts and Bolts version, but with that you could blame it all on your vehicle and go back to the drawing board, but with THIS you know its all your fault and that you suck and now you have to start the boss fight all over again.

Forget Bowser, Grunty is the hardest end of game boss on a platformer!

Rating: A

Closing Comments

All I can say is that if you were younger than ten in the 1990's this game will be like walking down memory lane EVEN if you haven't played it on the N64. If your any older than that and enjoyed Super Mario 64 or any other good platformer (bar Mirriors Edge.... Thats a different kind of platformer) then you should pick this game up and realize what you're missing!

picture from www.pressthebuttons.typepad.com

2008-12-23T13:57:00.005Z

Yes it is that time again for another Pokemon post!! This time it is Pokemon Battle Revolution in the spotlight. Now this game is great fun and so addicting. The graphics are great and the control's work well with the Wii. There are also a few added extras to the game. You are given the ability to transfer your Pokemon from Diamond and Pearl over to Battle Revolution which is a nice bonus if you have all the ubers. There is also a little nifty mode where you connect two DS's with Pokemon Diamond and Pearl and you can connect to the Wii and battle over the TV with your prized Pokemon in 3D.

When you start off the game you get given a battle pass which has 6 Pokemon on it so you have a choice of either the blue pass or the red pass. Then you have the chance to make your own battle pass with your copied Pokemon from the DS. Then you start playing. You go through different area's of Poketopia trying to beat the area leader but each different area has it's own rules some you have a lucky dip of Pokemon some you get to choose random Pokemon this is a nice extra which makes the game less boring.

The Wi-Fi is good but really hard because all of the people on Wi-Fi use legendarys and lots of them so if you are going to go Wi-Fi then I recommend you get a good team of strong Pokemon on your DS then transfer them.

I have also heard that if you finish the game you can get a pikachu that knows Surf and Volt tackle and some other moves and you can get this via mystery gift I don't know if this is true it is just a rumor as far as I am concerned, but this pikachu would make a good member of your party on the DS. (Ed: Yes this rumor is true once you have finished all of the Colosseum)

Now don't get me wrong it is a good game but it gets repetitive and it is all exactly the same as Pokemon Stadium 1 and 2. There is nothing really new about this game and the Pokemon company could have done so much better!

I give this game a C because it has good gameplay but gets boring very quickly.

Signing out, Callum

pictures from www.wiisworld.com

MORTAL KOMBAT! (Armageddon =D)

2008-12-21T16:46:00.003Z

Hey! Spartan 120 here. I'm reviewing Mortal Kombat armageddon because I got it as an early christmas present =D

This new mortal kombat game features the hugest roster ever. Every character from every mortal kombat game has got into this and each with his or her own moves and awesomeness!

You can even play as some of the bosses from the games. The game plays well, the D pad on the Wii remote does attacks and the nunchuk moves. To do special moves you hold B and wave the Wii remote in a direction or shape. When you've won the Words "Finish Him/Her" appear and you can wave the wii remote in a direction or shape to "Kreate a fatality" this involves ripping heads off, arms off and finishing your defeated opponent however I do kindof miss each character having their own special finishers. There are also deathtraps on the stages which mean you automatically win the round if you knock your opponent into them, they vary from acid pools, giant rollers and spike pits.

There is also a "Kreate a fighter" mode, which lets you make your own character and fight with them. There is also "Konquest" mode which is the closest thing to a story mode in the game which is the closest thing to a storymode in any mortal kombat game. You play as Taven, one of the king's sons who must compete in a mortal kombat tournament, this is good but it gets very linear and basic after a while and it is quite difficult.

In addition there is also "Motor Kombat" a fun racing minigame where you pick a cartoony version of some of the characters and race around tracks. Hitting obsticles and dying will count as a "Fatality" and you will respawn. Each character can pick up powerups on the tracks, however each character only has 1 weapon available so don't expect any surprises.

Overall the game is very enjoyable and is not like your average beat em up game. I'd recommend it to any Mortal Kombat fan or fighting game fan who wants a different game. The large roster will keep you playing and there is a lot of customisation involved.

Rating: A

Boxart Image from Megamers.com

Screenshot from IGN.com

Geometry Wars Evolved 2

2008-12-21T16:33:00.003Z

I can't say I am a big side scrolling shooter fan. I don't really enjoy Space Invaders, or Galaga or many other famous side scrolling shooter games for that matter. This game however..... was a completely different story altogether. I found myself spending ages trying to beat my friends high scores on Geometry Wars Evolved 2 (GWE2 for short). You see, while playing your score at that point in time is shown on the left, then on your right it shows you your friends high-score. Its a brilliant motivator.

The game comes in six different modes: Deadline where you have unlimited lives but a timer, Pacifism where you can not shoot and can only kill the enemies by flying through gateways which explode (which take out the enemy ships in the progress), King where you can only fire in special circles which disappear after a few seconds, Waves where you have one live and endless waves of enemies flying at you, Evolved which is like the opposite of the deadline where you have three lives and unlimited time and finally sequence which involves defeating a certain amount of enemies then moving on to the next challenge. My favorite would have to be Evolved just because you can rack up such a high score if you don't lose any lives!

The controls for the game are simple yet innovative. You shoot by tilting the right analogue stick which I have never seen before in a arcade shooter before. You then move with the left analogue stick and fire your bombs with the right trigger (Bombs basically destroy everything on the screen and are useful to get out of tight spots).

Now on to the graphics. They are simple neon shapes which explode into neon pixels which look amazing. You can keep your fire works 'cos GWE2 is one better.

All in all Geometry Wars Evolved 2 is a brilliant arcade shooter which will appeal to hardcore arcade fans as well as the more casual ones and a must buy if your 360 is connected online!

Grade: B

Portal:Still Alive

2008-12-06T11:30:00.005Z

Now, before I start this review I just would like to point out that I missed Portal on the first time round thats why I brought this. If you aren't a Portal loving fanboy (Or you have yet to jump into the world of Portal) I can say straight away this is not for you. This is because Portal: Still Alive is just the original Portal with 15 extra non story line related levels which are pretty cool, but if you have already own Portal I wouldn't recommend it. Well now thats out of the way lets move on!

Portal is a first person physics based puzzle game which is tied together with quirky characters and an interesting story line. You are Chell. Its never explained why you are a test subject, all you know is to do the puzzles and finally escape..... All on you own. Well thats not 100% true. You see GLaDOS will help you out now and then (she is an A.I. who is your guide in the world of the Aperture Science Enrichment Center). Along your way to freedom you meet other unique characters such as a lovable cube with a heart on it and turrets with the voices of little children which murderously kill you at any possibility. As you can tell the world of Portal pretty mucked up and this is a good thing. The game is busting with charisma and get ready for it to charm you into playing it again.... again and again. You could probably do this is less than a week! Yes, the game is very short. Which is its biggest downfall. Once I got to the end of the game I was upset it was already over. The extra challenges do help to make the game longer but it lacks the charm the story mode holds. It never seems quite right without GLaDOS commenting about this that and the other.

The game itself has amazing physics. You can spend ages just throwing yourself threw portals and then when your bored of that grab something else and throw them in portals! It must of took Valve ages to get physics how they are and I really give them a pat on the back for it.

Closing Comments

Portal:Still Alive is in my eyes one of the best way to spend 1,200 Microsoft Points and even though its a bit short you can't call yourself a real gamer until you have finished it. With the best physics engine I've seen and fun (if not that challenging) puzzles, finished of with simple yet effective graphics it all makes a good little package.

Rating: B

Signing out, Josh

picture from:

Gamerbyte.com

Teh Gaming News Episode 2

2008-11-27T18:41:00.007Z

Its that time again folks! Its gaming news, and a rather late one at that. This is because of

Fable 2, Geometry Wars 2 Evolved (Expect to see a lil review for that soon). On the news side of things however its been a bit quiet. Well, compared to last month anyway. Anyway enough banter and lets going with this months news!

Zombies!

Yes thats right. The gaming industry is flooding with them thanks to Left 4 Dead and Call of Duty: World at War's zombie Nazi mode (Which involves you and three other people trapped in a house while an endless waves of zombies attack you. Its also co-op!) Zombies were pretty big last month too with World of Warcraft's zombie day and Grand Theft Auto's zombie multiplayer. It seems like the worlds infected!

Halo 3: Recon is no more

Well to some extent. Halo 3: Recon has got a name change. It is now called....... Halo 3 ODST! The new acronym stands for Orbital Drop Shock Trooper.

Nintendo to Wii-make Gamecube games. Now with extra waggle!

Nintendo once again is trying to sell us something which we have already. Pikmin 1 and 2, Metroid Prime 1 and 2 and Donkey Kong Jungle Beat all will be 'Wii-made' for the Wii with enhanced graphics. Hopefully, these will be more than just straight forward ports and add something new to the mix. So far it has been confirmed that DK Jungle Beat will be controlled by holding the Wii controller horizontally like you hold it when you are playing Super Paper Mario. This shows how they are going for a more retro style. While Metroid Prime on the other hand will be remade with the controls of Metroid Prime 3. How Pikmin is going to be controlled however is a mystery.

Fable 2 Downloadable Content!

And no we do not mean the new skin/background for your dashboard! On the 12th of December we will see the release of a brand new island to explore in the world of Albion. The packs called Knothole Island pack and will cost 800 points. In Fable 1 a place called Knothole Glade was featured and now we get to see what happened to it. If you download it on the day it comes out expect to get a few free gifts. These include Knights Boots, Assassins Gloves, a weight loss potion and a sliver book. You may however be able to buy these on the island anyway seeing as the pack will include new items to buy.

Banners! And wallpapers soon aswell (hopefully)

My good friend Jacob7869 (also known as Jacob) has made us at Triforce Games a couple of banners to help make our blog look so much better. Hopefully some wallpapers will make there way on here soon aswell. So fingers crossed!

Thats all for this months issue! See you all next month!

pokemon:giritina and the sky warrior

2008-11-23T19:23:00.006Z

Well it's almost here the next Pokemon movie to be released Pokemon: Giritina And The Sky Warrior.
The movie was officially anounced in a teaser clip at the end of Pokemon: The Rise Of Darkrai. Now it's unlucky for us but for those who live in Japan were able to get a level 50 Shaymin and a level 100 Regigigas. Obtaining theese two pokemon means you can get all 3 Regi's and you can acess Shaymin's sky form but this is only able in pokemon platinum.
The film features Giritina, Shaymin and Dialga. This film is a follow up of Pokemon: The Rise Of Darkrai and there is another film following the story of the last two films. In an interveiw with the director revealed that Ash and an Electric Pokemon will be the key characters in the next film.

Signing out, Callum

pictures from : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pok%C3%A9mon:_Giratina_and_the_Sky_Warrior#

Gears Of War 2

2008-11-17T20:11:00.004Z

Hey guys! Sorry about not being on in a while and not doing a review last month, I'll make sure to double my efforts this month though :)

Anyway, it's that time of year again, the locust have returned and they're angry, yes I'm talking about Gears of war 2!

Taking place a few months after Gears 1. Winters coming and the war with the Locust is still going. Marcus Fenix must once again lead delta squad through hell and back to end this war.

The game plays just like Gears 1, the two are very alike, Gears 2 uses the Unreal engine though and you will tell. The weapons are bigger and more badass and it has a decent story line.

The story is fun to play through, at times it is unique, with different enemies at different times and different weapons. However it can get kinda dull if you keep dying, or just keep failing your objective, as the checkpoints come at the most annoying points. The story is further explained in Gears 2 and it sheds some light on the situation.

The game also features 5 vs 5 team matches online and there are many modes from the previous game. People can jump right in and got for a 5 V 5 team match or you can try the new game types. Meatflag is a new game in which you must capture the flag and bring it to a required weapon spawn. However the flag is an angry Stranded with a shotgun who doesn't take too kindly to people grabbing him and forcing him away, so you must down him and carry him there. There is also a Wingman mode, which is 2 vs 2 vs 2 vs 2 vs 2 with partners being the same character. The online is a great reason to buy this game though.

Another awesome mode is Horde mode, which pits 1-5 people against 50 waves of the Locust horde on the multiplayer maps. It is great for friends or to just play on your own as it is very addictive and fun. Some maps are easier than others though and seeing as you only get one life and the Horde get stronger every 10 waves you'll have your hands full whether your with orwithout friends.

Overall Gears 2 is a awesome game and is better than than Gears one in almost every way and is a very decent game. It has come back with more and it truely is "Bigger, Better and more Badass" Sometimes though I think it can get frustrating on harder difficulties and sometimes repetitive though.

Rating: A

Pictures from Videogamesblogger.com

an apology and Fable 2 review

2008-11-11T19:13:00.007Z

Hey guys! Sorry for the lack of an update till now. I caught a virus you see. It hit me hard. I couldn't leave my bedroom for weeks. Yes, I brought Fable 2. I did ask some of my fellow writers but none of them have posted anything so I thought I should leave the world of Albion, to write about it..

So settle down and I will tell you a tale of the most hyped up game of the year......

It all starts out with the iconic opening video with the a birds feces landing on our young hero's head and thats about as good as his day gets. The time spent as a child is the games tutorial and a rather good one at that and doesn't take to long to sit through once you've done it once(which is good because you will likely have multiple saves), then after you are taken away from your home to Castle Fairfax and meet the main villain Lucien your sister is shot and so are you, but luckily you survive and a magical gypsy finds you. The game fast forwards into the future when you are a grown man and ready to make a name of yourself in the world of Albion.

Form here on in its up to you what you want to become. Do you want to be a goody two shoes and help everyone to live a happier life? Or do you only care about yourself and do anything to get to Lucien and get revenge? If none of those catch your fancy maybe you want to be a business tycoon and become King/Queen of Albion. Its all up to you. There just a few things which you may choose to become. Not only that you get yourself a dog as well which is yours to treat as you please. Hate dogs? Well when yours gets hurt don't heal it and let it limp around Albion after you. It will catch up with you eventually but for the time being your life will be dog free, although he comes in handy when finding treasure and fighting.

Speaking about fighting, the controls for attacking your enemies are so pick up and play. With X to use your melee weapon, Y to use you long ranged and B for magic even your sister might be able to kill a bandit or two. The controls do have a lot of depth though and are needed to be taken into account when you progress with the game. Thats not to say the game is hard. In fact it's to easy. This leads to my biggest gripe about the game. The length of the main story. As soon as the action heats up the story is over and your left feeling sad that its over already. Now thats not say there isn't anything to do once the games finished but you don't have the same sense of direction or motivation to get revenge.

Another problem with the game is the amount of glitches to be found. Our fellow author of the site Mark couldn't play Fable 2 for ages because it froze at the starting screen. Thats the worse case scenario. I have had many smaller glitches like my dog turns green, my looks change and stuff like that. These usually fixed with a quick reset of the 360. My advise is not to download the Fable 2 update as that seems to cause it. I haven't and have not had any serious problems yet.......

As I haven't got the update I have not witnessed the online play at all but me and Callum spent a whole night playing the offline co-op and its okay. The game plays exactly the same as if it was one player which has its both highs and lows. The highs are the fact the gameplay isn't changed, nor do the endless options and also any money or experience you gain can be taken back to your save. but what does change is the frame rate (which during our session sometimes dropped below par and the game seemed to be running in slow motion) and the camera. The reason the co-op isn't split screen is beyond me. Instead both characters must stay on the same screen and the camera is very much like on Lego Star Wars. Now its okay on LSW but on Fable 2 where its all meant to be about choices, having to follow each other about can be a little annoying.

Closing Comments

Fable 2 is brilliant game. The graphics are stunning and the AI are realistic and I would reckon mend it anyone who likes fantasy/action/adventure games. But on the other hand if you wanted it for the online co-op you will be more than disappointed because it feels so much of an after thought.

If you can see over the glitches and block your ears from all the hype this game will be amazing. Just play it slowly and enjoy it while it lasts!

Rating: A

signing out, The Triforce Fighter

Second Opinion

Well I've always liked Fable 1 and thought it was one of the best RPGs on the xbox, you can do whatever you want, you have complete freedom. So I naturally had to get Fable II when I heard it was coming out. I thought it was good at the start, it reminded me of the first fable quite a lot though. You have a sister and gotta get gold to get a special box to grant a wish.

In ways it is much better than the original, the world is bigger, theres more to collect and do. But in some ways i prefer the original because in that the story can't be completed in about 4-5 hours.

I do think this is a decent game worth getting though but if got do NOT accept the update at the start as it can mess up your game or worse your 360 (it had given me the red ring before) Hopefully Lionhead will release a patch to fix this

In other news (might as well put it here) I've ordered Gears Of War 2 and I'll put a review of it up as soon as I've played it =D

pictures from:

consolenauts.com

Star wars the complete saga

2008-10-28T12:25:00.000Z

This is the third Lego star wars game to be released but the big difference is you can play through all 6 episodes in one game and play as all 160 characters.

The controls for this game are fairly simple but there is one fault with them, the lack of interactivity. People will buy this game because of the thought that the use of the wii remote as a lightsaber would increase the enjoyment of the game. It didn’t. A simple wave of the remote was enough to send your character whizzing around the level so it was a rather pathetic use of the wii’s motion sensors.

The game overall has good graphics for the Wii although the 360 and PS3 one has like got even better graphics (I can't really say seeing as I haven't played them!)

The bonus additions you get on the game are great. In my opinion the disguise is the best one because even the vehicles get a mask. You even get nice little bonus levels. Lego city is the best bonus level in the game but I have never completed it even after spending one whole hour on the game.

The collectables in the game are annoying yet brilliant at the same time. During the course of the game you collect golden bricks, which give you nice little rewards. In the levels you can find mini kits, these collectables are found hidden in nooks and crannies through out the level and you often get them by completing a puzzle of some sort. These mini kits are used to help obtain golden bricks to help you unlock collectables.

Overall this game is good with good features and keeps you playing for hours even when you have finished the story mode. The game does have a lack of interactivity with the Wii version and is disappointing. The music can get annoying as there is no speaking it is all just noise it can start to get on your nerves. The game has good graphics as the wii goes the story mode sticks closely to the films and is a good family game as I have sat down for many hours playing with my family. This game good has good gameplay through out. This is a good game to get you used to the controls of the wii as it uses most of the buttons on the wii remote and the nunchuck.

Rating:B

Second Opinion:

Lego Star Wars : The Complete Saga can be seen as a brilliant buy or a waste of money depending if you have the first two, because really all what Travellers Tales (the creators of the Lego Star Wars series) is stick to games togather and added a few extra characters. Okay it is nice to see little Lego Star Wars characters running around in HD but its not worth buying it if you own the other two. If you havent got a Lego Star Wars game (seriously where have you been for the past few years?) then buy this because its filled with chrisma and charm which will keep you smiling till the end.

Rating: C

Pictures from
wii-games.nnm.ru
ecoustics-cnet.com.com

Teh Gaming News

2008-10-26T23:29:00.013Z

Yep thats right folks Teh Nintendo News has had a make over!
Since the last episode I decided to change it to Teh Gaming News and make in monthly!
To get the ball rolling we will start of by introducing our new Author here at Triforce Games.

Callumthesalmon aka Callum is are new author here and is are resident Pokemon Guru. He will be reporting on Pokemon related news and an odd review here and there.

In game related news TGS (Tokyo Games Show) has given us a wealth of new information to report from Nintendo such as.....

The new DSi! Which does NOT have two touch screens, but it does have two cameras (but its very likely that your mobile phone one will be much better) and also will sport a bigger screen. It will also include a hole to plug in an SD Card and will have a bulit in web browser.

DS Ware was annonced aswell which will be much like Wii Ware but how we access DS Ware hasnt been mentioned yet and if we can use it with older DS versions hasnt been made clear either.

A new lot of Wii games called 'Play On Wii' are being made. These are remakes of Gamecube classics. Seems like just another way for Nintendo to make us buy something we already have.

New Wii games sighted! Punch Out!!, Another Code and Sin and Punishment 2 have all been confirmed to be in the making! Looks like we may have some good Wii games coming are way yet!

On the DS front we have new Mario and Luigi which I can safely say sticks with the same style and hopefully the same laugh out loud moments.

On the Xbox 360 side of things not as much was annonced because unlike Nintendo they had relatively successful E3 but one thing that they did annonce which has put a smile on all those Halo fanboys and that is...........

Halo 3 Recon! Which will be a standalone game and an off shoot of the Halo series. You will NOT be playing as the Chief this time round but instead as a ODSTI (That stands for Orbital Drop Shock Trooper.......Basically someone who gets sent straight to the action but isn't an ordinary marine... Very much like a Spartan.) It will give a whole new perspective of the action on Earth just before the start of Halo 3. It will be a stand alone game and hasn't been confirmed if it will be downloadable from Xbox Live. My opinion is that if they are bothering to make discs put the game on why stick it online as well.

Over at camp Sony however not much was annonced at all, apart from a new exclusive PS3 game called Quantum Theory which star's a character which looks much like Marcus Fenix from Gears of War.

And that raps up this addition of Teh Gaming News. Release dates will be posted in a separate article and now over to Callum to tell us about the latest Pokemon game hitting our shores in late November!

This is the new Pokemon game called Pokemon Ranger Shadows of Almia. This story starts with you entering the ranger school as a student ranger. When you graduate you are officially know as a Pokemon ranger and as of then you start your work as a Pokemon ranger.
This new game features all new partner Pokemon such as Chimchar, Cranidos, Croagunk, Gible, Hipopotas, Kricketot, Machop, Mime Jr, Misdreavus, Munchla, Pachirisu, Piplup, Sheildon, Sneasel, Snover, Starly and finally Turtwig. So there is quite a lot to choose from so you’re not stuck for choice.

This game features the evil team Dim Sun (and yeah it sounds like a type of Chinese food) trying to put the whole world to sleep with the aid of a Pokemon and I’m not going to tell you so you have to buy it yourself.

The European release date is November the 21st and the USA release date is the 10th of November so it is out just in time for Christmas. This looks like a promising game so saving!

pictures from

ign.com

gamepro.com

4colorrebellion.con

pokefarm.com

The World Ends With You

2008-10-26T18:20:00.000Z

Hey guys! Spartan here. haven't done a review all week and so I decided to do The World Ends With You. Also called It's A Wonderful World in Japan this RPG was made by Square Enix and is for the Nintendo DS. I borrowed it off Josh when he told me it was an awesome game and I see why he said that

You play as Neku, a boy who wakes up in the middle of a district in Tokyo with no idea how he got there or who he is. He gets a text message saying he is in a game and has to do a mission every day or else he will be erased by people called "The Reapers" He then gets attacked by monsters called "noise" and forms a bond with Shiki, a girl who is also in the game and...well it kinda gets hard to explain after that. It has a great story though and has loads of twists that will entertain you for ages.

The game uses the touch screen for almost everything from moving around to fighting. The combat uses the bottom screen to control Neku and the top screen and the directional pad controls your partner. You can equip and unequip Pins that you collect, these give Neku powers to help him fight the Noise.

The game is in Days, each day being like a mission. You wake up, do a mission then the next day begins. You can wander around the distict but some routes are blocked off on certain days by walls that stop players from leaving. The area is pretty big, and remembering where to go can be hard, but usually you know when your going the right way because your partner will say something, or you'll see something helpful.

There are hidden unlockables in each level so the game is quite replayable. There is also another day where the games minigame "Tin Pin" is used loads. So it is quite replayable.

Closing Comments

Overall this is my favourite RPG on the DS. It combines great gameplay and a great storyline and is very original. It is very simple and anyone can play it. It is addictive and super awesome. Hoping a sequel or some game similar to a sequel comes out in the future. Awesome!

Rating A*

Second Opinion!

I gotta say when I heard that Mark was going to review TWEWY I thought the world has quite literally gone mad and that he liked was even weirder. But what can I say. It just goes to show how good this game is. Square Enix really did pull out all the stops for this under the radar RPG hit. With deep heart moving story line and something different other than the usual TBS (Turned Based Strategy) its brilliant. It even encourages to stop playing so that your character levels up. Which is good for people who struggle to put all that time RPGs need.

The man behind Kingdom Hearts has out done himself again.

A must buy: A*

Box Art From IGN.com

Screenshot from Dashroms.com

Sonic The Hedgehog for the 360

2008-10-20T17:32:00.000+01:00

Now I am no Sonic hater. Infact I grew up playing Sonic in the playground back when I was in Primary School. The idea of running really fast was great and the games were just as good as the idea..... Well the Sega Mega Drive ones anyway. My first console I owned (which was a Playstation) didn't have any Sonic games so I missed out all his 3D games till Sonic Heroes. Now I look back and I am happy that happened. Sure, I wish I got an N64 instead of a Playstation but thats not the point. The point is I wasnt going to be dissapointed by the dodgy camara and bad controls of 3D Sonic games and Sonic the Hedgehog Next Gen for the 360 doesn't change a thing. Infact its very much like Sonic Adventure.

1. The first level is on a beach and at a point a big killer whale chases you.

2. A hub world which is so damn confusing which will have you running in circles

3. A Snowboarding level very much like the one in SA

4. A creature who has many different forms getting stronger and stronger. Very much like Chaos.

5. Adds to the ever growing rooster of un used Sonic Characters. For Instance I doubt we will be Sliver again.

And to make matters worse it also adds something which is so bad it would make Iblis (The new Chaos like creature but this time fire instead of water) go crying to his mummy. Thats right, the dreaded loading screen. Now if there was one way Sega could ruin Sonic is this. A fast paced action platformer is now broken up into 5 minute sections with reallly long loading times. It got to a point where I would read a book while waiting for it to load. Thats not right! Especally a Sonic game.

The storyline (as with most 3D Sonic games these days) is stupidlly deep and confusing. You think Final Fantasy is bad? You haven't seen nothing yet. It all involves Eggman wanting to take over the world using a firey god called Iblis. Then theres a Sliver hedgehog (Called Sliver believe it or not) who is from the furture and with Blaze the Cat (Yes the emo cat from Sonic Rush who is from a parreall Diamention..... Well not according to Sonic Next Gen anyway) wanting to go back in time and stop the Iblis Trigger. Now if ya confused already I can safely tell you it gets worse.

The graphics are pretty good and can easily fool you into thinking this game could be worth your money. Well its not. I know it deffently fooled me.

I am so happy I just borrowed it from Mark.

Now you guys out there may think I have been a little to harsh on the blue 'hog. Well once you've fallen to your death a thousend times when its not your fault and is because of shody controls and a bad camara you'll know what I mean.

So take my warning. If you are a Sonic fanboy rent the game out. Otherwise dont even look in this games general direction. Its good graphics may hypnotise you into buying it.

Rating: D

Second Opinion

I'm one of those people who really liked Sonic growing up, I remember going to my uncles loads to play on Sonic on his mega-drive. I was pleased when Sonic made his jump to 3-D and really enjoyed Sonic Adventure it had a unique storyline, fun levels and awesome bosses. I never got Sonic adventure 2 so i don't know what that was like. But basically i was on Sonic's Side in the Mario vs Sonic debate (Sonic won by the way =D) I've liked the 3-D sonic games for Xbox though.

I thought Sonic next gen was good at first, Sonic running around, being awesome as normal. The Storyline itself is kinda bogus and full of plotholes though. I also thought parts were stolen from Sonic adventure 1. But otherwise controls were okay for a 360 game. I did notice the game had loads of loading screens and got annoying fast. It also added Silver, who i thought was kinda annoying and it took me ages to work out who he was, what he was doing, and why Sega would let me down like this :(

I also noticed a few annoying glitches, like when i was fighting a boss and i flipped through the floor and got stuck in some black world where the boss could still hurt me >:(

Overall i think Sega have had better 3-D games (Sonic heroes). I'd say if you wanted a 3D sonic game, wait for Sonic Unleashed, that looks good (Don't blame me if its bad though!)

Second Opinion Rating: B

pictures from gamershell.com and sega-universe.de

Legend Of Zelda- Phantom Hourglass

2008-10-08T17:19:00.000+01:00

Hey guys!

I haven't done a review for a while because i haven't got any majorly exciting new games to review but i borrowed this off Josh and decided to review it.

Now I'll say there arn't many decent RPG games out on DS (I'm probably wrong) but I generally like the legend of zelda series and found twilight princess for the wii quite fun so i had high expectations for the DS legend of zelda game.

Lets try to work out whats going on first...

If you've played Wind Waker you'll fit right in with the story and jump right into whats going on... However if you've never played wind waker (like me) you might get quite confused on whats going on just like I did.

I managed to gather most of it then so... Link gets washed up on a beach and has a fairy and meets an old man. You basically have to go into a dungeon, sneak past some phantom knight things and get a map/"Clue" then go, find the island on the map, do the dungeon, then return to the first dungeon and sneak past the phantoms...AGAIN- this might not seem bad but when you have to do it about 8 times and theres about 13 floors...you catch my drift...

The game has good controls and uses the touch screen well and puts it into the gameplay, it has an addictive feel to it as theres always something to do. It has quite a few good puzzles and can leave you confused at times, having to consult a walkthrough to work out how to advance.

The game has good graphics, it looks just like Wind waker (as it should) and explains the story in cutscenes, however the text comes and goes so slowly you'll probably end up skipping them in boredom. It has quite a few funny moments (i find LOZ humor very funny in the games)

Overall this game features some very unique moments and is good, it also features online/ multiplayer play which is good sometimes but can also be kinda boring. It's a really good game for the DS. However if your looking for a LOZ game specifically I'd recommend Twilight Princess for the Wii

My Rating A

Second Opinion

To me Phantom Hourglass is the best adventure/RPG game you can get on the DS. The game follows the generic route of Legend of Zelda games which for fans is good but for people who don't like Zelda this isn't going to change your mind. With brilliant controls, some brain aching puzzles and a brilliant multiplayer mode (Which Mark only doesn't like because I constantly beat him on it) you can't go far wrong!

Second Opinion Rating

Screenshot from Gamejunkie.com

Box art from Zeldadungeon.net

Halo 3

2008-10-07T16:15:00.001+01:00

Right, I am about to review Halo 3 but before that lets just re cap on how Halo 2 left off....

The Master Chief is hurtling to Earth, while Cortana is left with Grave Mind in that big Covenant ship. Now Master Chief needs to rescue Cortana, stop the Halo's (yet again) and save the galaxy.

Halo 3 is just like Halo CE and Halo 2. It controls the same. Same bad guys and even same places!

But dont let that put you off. Halo 3 is a great FPS, mainly because everyone can play. Campaign is up to 4 players. 16 player matches online and you can go online with three of ya mates sitting next to you. If you have friends and more than one controller then you will have a whale of a time no questions asked. Even if you suck at FPS games you will still enjoy goofing off with your friends. Meleeing them in the back to take there ammo. That sorta thing.

Now for the few people out there without more than one 360 controller you may be saying to yourself 'Well why should I waste my money on something which only sounds worthwhile in multiplayer?' Well the campaign mode is okay in 1 player. It's hardly something special. Hold down the R trigger button and away you go. Tap L trigger to lob a random grenade and your sorted (That applies for Normal mode. I can't say I have been mad enough to try Legendary from start to finish). Then there's online multiplayer which can be just as much of a blast as normal multiplayer (as long as you have some Halo loving fans with Xbox Live) you can do campaign or pit yourself against harden veterans.

Closing Comments

Halo with friends is brilliant and in my books the best multiplayer FPS money can buy. On the other hand if you live in the middle of no where without Xbox Live then I would recommend something like Bioshock for 360 and Metroid Prime 3 Corruption for the Wii.

Rating: B

Second Opinion

I've personally loved the halo series so expect a pretty good review from me =D

Halo 3 is a good FPS on the 360, it shows clearly what the 360 is capable of. The storyline is pretty good, a few plotholes here and there but it's not as bad as some games *Coughs* Sonic Next Gen.

There are a arsenal of new weapons for you to blow up enemies, friends and yourselves with as well as some old ones. It has a good campaign for 1-4 players. Legendary mode is fun if you have friends or if you want to do it on your own.

Online is great as it uses a ranking system that makes you want to play more to gain levels and experience.

This game will make you want to play again and again and so you can get better and better and the fun is doubled if you get your friends to play with!

Rating: A

pictures from ign.com

Teh Nintendo News

2008-09-23T18:01:00.001+01:00

Hi Guys,

I thought I should do a Nintendo News letter every 2 weeks. So here it is!

TEH NINTENDO NEWS Issue 1

Dr.Kawashima's Brain Training has stayed in the UKs Top Ten Charts for a year and a half breaking former charts record held by Tomb Raider (which lasted for 79 weeks).
A Limited edition Pokemon DS Lite has come out in America! (as seen at the top ^^^^)

Release Dates.... In England!

Wii

Samba De Amigo 26/09

Brothers in Arms: Double Time 26/09

de Blob: 26/09

Wario Land: The Shake Dimension 26/09

Sim City Creator 26/09

Hell's Kitchen 26/09

FIFA '09 03/10

Lego Batman 10/10

Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo Dungeon 24/10

More Game Party 31/10

Sonic Chronicles: Dark Brotherhood 26/09

Drawn t0 Life: Spongebob Edition 26/09

Lock's Quest 26/09

Zubo 03/10

FIFA '09 03/09

Lego Batman 10/10

Jewel Quest: Cradle of Rome 10/10

So which ones of these should I get?

Well for the Wii side I would recommend Samba De Amigo if your a rhythm game fan, for all you platformer fans out there buy Wario Land and de Blob is meant to be quite good too.

And on the DS side just get Sonic Chronicles (a Sonic RPG by Bioware (The people who made Stars Wars: Knights of the Old Republic)).

Well thats it for this issue!

Signing off,

The Triforce Fighter

Pokemon DS Lite: http://www.nintendoreport.com/wp-content/uploads/2006/09/poke02s_01.jpg

A 360

2008-09-21T22:50:00.001+01:00

Anyone who knows me know that I used to be anti anything other than Nintendo. Well today I just ordered myself an Xbox 360 (20 gb) along with Halo 3! So once I have got the game (and completed it) I will post up a review for it! To me this is a big leap seeing as I have always preferred 360s over PS3's (Mind you I still prefer the Wii = P ) so I thought it makes sense to make the 360 my secondary console!

Anyway if Halo 3 is as easy as 1 and 2 (in normal mode that is. I don't do anything crazy like Legendary mode X D) the review will be up in no time.

Till then I shall leave you this picture of Halo 3 to look at X D

Signing out,

The Triforce Fighter aka Josh

picture from: http://www.futurelooks.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2007/10/halo3_rules.jpg

Condemned Criminal Origins

2008-09-21T13:03:00.000+01:00

Okay, so a few weeks ago I was looking around in a random game shop and I found Condemned, it was cheap so I decided to get it. I went back to my house and started playing it and heres what i think of it.

The game is a first person shoo- actually it doesn't deserve to be called a first person shooter seeing as there are hardly any guns in the game, you'l be lucky if you can find one decent gun with ammo in it in a level!

The storyline is very basic, you play as Ethan Thomas, a detective investigating another murder by one of the cities seriel killers "The Match Maker" with two other cops, you then realise the killer may still be in the building so you split up. You get a gun with one clip in it and fight the first enemy, then you trip over and get it stolen almost straight away >:( Anyway though the killer uses your gun to kill the other two officers and pushes you out of a 4 story apartment block window. Of course everyone thinks you've murdered the officers so you must try to prove your innocence, how? you may ask, by grabbing stuff from your environment and beating up drug dealers, freaks and crazy randomers.

You'l spend prettymuch 98% of the time with a melee weapon from the environment, from a 2x4 plank of wood to a fire axe. The enemies AI is okay even though the game claims to have brilliant AI. I mean if you hit one they run away, hide, then come out again. They just do it over and over. So the game gets very boring fast.

The levels are all very dark and some are harder than others. you'l find loads of health kits in the first few levels. Then they all seem to vanish. I haven't even finished the game as i'm stuck in one level.

Closing Comments

Overall i like the style of the game and think it's okay for a kick off game (with the 360) but there are more better games for the 360 than condemned. The game tries to be scary by giving you flashbacks of the murders and stuff but it gets dull quite fast and loses the scariness. the bosses are a mixture, some are easy and some are hard. but very soon you'l probably be through the game as there are only 10 levels (I made it to level 7 then just gave up as it is very difficult even on easy mode)

Condemned 2 is currently out and I've heard it features more guns and more scares, heres hoping my review on that is better if i ever get it.

My Rating: C - I'd say there are a lot of better games on the 360 but it's okay

Screenshot from Reviewcnet.com

Super Smash Bros Brawl

2008-09-20T22:37:00.000+01:00

Many people at work and in the school playground often argue who would win in a fight between Sonic and Mario. Well the answer to that question among many others will be answered in Super Smash Bros. Brawl the 3rd game in the Super Smash Bros. Series.

Now if your not a die hard Nintendo fan you may be wondering what is Super Smash Bros. and is the hype surrounding it as good as it makes out? Well first Super Smash Bros. is a series of 3D fighter games where you play as different Nintendo stars (including a few guest appearances from Solid Snake from Metal Gear Solid and Sonic the Hedgehog) as they battle it out to see who is the best. With each version of the game more characters are added and by Brawl there are 23 characters to start with and another 15 to unlock! With the likes of Super Mario, Link, Samus, Pikachu,Fox Mcloud and many more recognizable names.

So is it a 3D fighter game only hard core gamers will like? The simple answer is no because the controllers are so simple. You can pick up and play it for the first time and after a couple of battles you will have got a grips with most of the moves. That does not mean there is not any depth to the game because there is. Its just hidden.

Brawl also introduces a new adventure mode written by the creator of Final Fantasy X and Kingdom Hearts which are both games well known for there deep story line. Okay Brawls story line isnt really deep but its deep enough and with beautiful CGI cut scenes strung together with platforming/Fighting/puzzle sections (which are all multiplayer) its all good if not slightly repetitive.

But lets not forget the many collectables you can find in the many game modes. There are trophies of characters from Nintendo's backlog of games. Stickers which you can use to level up your characters in the story mode and music which you can use to customize what songs are played on the many different levels on Brawl. Not only that but the game introduces something like the achievement system from the 360 to the game where by doing certain things you unlock stuff such as levels and stickers.

Now to answer question two. Yes this game is brilliant and worth all the hype it got and is still getting!

Second opinion

A great game that anybody new can play or people that have played the other two games in the series can enjoy. Features a lot of modes and unlockables and a storymode that will keep you entertained for hours. The game can also draw you into other ninendo games, like Star fox for me :P. A must have for the Wii.

Closing Comments

Brawl is brilliant pick up and play 3D fighter with good strong online elements (providing you have a good broadband connection) The graphics are beautiful and really push the Wii and with so many controllers to choose from ( you can even use the Gamecube controller!) its a must buy for anyone who is interested in Nintendo even just slightly.

A*

pictures are from:
http://redcardgroup.com/granite/wp-content/uploads/2008/01/various25_080130a-l.jpg

http://www.nwiizone.com/wp-content/uploads/games/oct/Super-Smash-Bros-Brawl-New-Pork-City-Wii-05.jpg

http://thegamergene.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/10/ssbb_box_art.jpg

Gears of pwnage!

2008-09-20T21:22:00.000+01:00

Hey readers!

For my first review i decided to do a 360 game almost all gamers have seen or heard of... Gears of war i also chose this game as it is hardcore and the sequel will be out soon (November)

This game has all the elements of a shooter, a range of weapons, a decent storyline, Beautiful envornments, good controls and online multiplayer =D

The game is set on the planet of Sera in either the present or future where humans live peacefully, until emergence day when a group of monsters, calling themselves the Locust attack from their underground tunnels, most humans are killed and very few survive, the surviving humans must fight these monsters that can attack almost anywhere at any time.

"You Play As Marcus Fenix and it's your job to kill, kill and kill some more!"

You play as one of the few COG soldier left, Marcus Fenix and you must get him through five acts alive- each with breathtaking environments, killing Locust in them all and a few bosses along the way.

The game has a "Control system" aswell that lets you command you men, however there are only 3 commands "Attack, Defend and Group up" so you don't get to retreat or anything XD

The game has a lot of violence and because of that has an 18 rating, but it's the only game you'l find where the gun has a chainsaw mounted on it, the sniper rifle can blow your head clean off or where you can rip people to shreads with one clean shotgun blast.

The online is awesome and has four modes, Warzone (two teams of 4 vs 4 duking it out), Execution (same as warzone but you can only kill by a close range execution, with a few exceptions *coughs* grenades) Assassination (each team has a leader and you must take them down and Annex (Gears' take on king of the hill) .There are also quite a lot of maps and several downloadable ones you can get for free from the marketplace.

The game features 3 difficulties, Casual, Hardcore and Insane. An Insane runthrough can be annoying and very time consuming but it's worth it when you can say "i beat gears on insane!"

The bosses are quite easy and once you've hurt them it becomes easy to take them down (exception of the final boss)

Closing Comments

Overall I'd say this is a must have for the 360 (if your over 18 that is) and is one of my favourite shooters ever. It utilises cover and has decent AI. Heres hoping Gears 2 is better in every way!

My Rating A*

Spartan 120 signing out!

Pictures

Raam-http://www.xboxfocus.com/features/17-gears-war-2-wishlist/index.html

Screenshot 1-http://www.progamingrevolution.com/page/Gears+of+War+-+Screenshot?t=anon

Screenshot 2- http://uk.gamespot.com/pages/forums/show_msgs.php?topic_id=25578786&page=1

Mark Joins the brawl!

2008-09-20T21:14:00.000+01:00

Hey guys!
I'm Mark (Aka Spartan 120)
I'mma help write reviews- more of them are gonna be towards the xbox 360 side of games and i'll probably comment on some nintendo games aswell =P

Roller Coaster Tycoon 3

2008-09-20T16:18:00.000+01:00

Roller Coaster Tycoon is a series of games where you make and create your own theme park and run it from many different angles. You mange it financially, where rides and shops are placed and even down to how much ice you get in the drinks.

Roller Coaster Tycoon 3 is the third game in the series and also takes a big leap from the later games graphically. The older games (1 and 2) both have isometric graphics but now Roller Coaster Tycoon goes 3D. Which is a bad thing. This is because many people (myself included) liked the graphics style of older games even if they looked a little dated. The older games had more character and felt more realistic then the new 3D cartoon look.

But going 3D does have some advantages. Such as placing rides is so much easier and selecting visitors and your employees from out of the crowds.

The most important thing however, like in any video game is the game play and if you like the previous games you will not be disappointed. That's because it has hardly changed! Sure you can do everything in more detail like decide if the burgers comes with cheese and how much chocolate sauce is put on the ice cream. Apart from that the game play is basically identical.

That does not mean some things have not changed though. For instance sometimes a celebrity will visit your park and to make them happy you got to do certain things such as put them on a ride which has a 7 in excitement.

Or sometimes they can not stand the sight of rubbish meaning that you have to send you cleaners on a cleaning rampage like you do before your Grandma and Granddad come over.

They have also added a few new modes in too. Such as the sand box mode where you have unlimited amount of money to do what you want with. You might want to make a dream theme park or maybe you might make all the rides faulty to see how many guests you can injure! Its up to you with no goals you can let you imagination run riot! You can also make your own guests using a simple character creator. It isn't anything like the Sims but its a nice touch.

Closing Comments

Roller Coaster Tycoon 3 is a nice addition to series although the graphics are not up to much and the gameplay is exactly the same but if you like manager based games or the Roller Coaster Tycoon series you cant go far wrong!

Rating: B

box art from http://content.answers.com/main/content/wp/en/thumb/9/9e/256px-RollerCoaster_Tycoon_3.jpg

First Post!

2008-09-20T16:11:00.000+01:00

Hello!

This is my first post and I thought I should introduce myself. I'm The Triforce Fighter and this is my blog where I review games and talk about gaming news. There will be a simple rating system for games which is:

A* = Brilliant a must buy!

A = Very Good!

B = Good

C = An average game. Buy this if your a die hard fan!

D = Poor