Thursday 3 May 2012

Closed for business

Hey guys,

 I know its been a long time but I just wanted to officially state that this project of ours is totally defunct at this point in time. It was good fun while it lasted and thanks for all your support along the way!

Cheers!

Josh and the rest of the team at Triforce Games

Sunday 30 August 2009

Batman: Arkham Aslyum Review


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

Tuesday 11 August 2009

Fallout 3

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.

Wednesday 5 August 2009

An Apology and Teh Gaming News Issue 8

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

Wednesday 22 July 2009

Gaming Diary: Resident Evil: Code Veronica


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

Tuesday 21 July 2009

Fifa 09 (X-Box 360)

































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.)

Thursday 9 July 2009

Beautiful Katamari

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.

Wednesday 1 July 2009

Teh E3 News: Microsoft

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

Sunday 21 June 2009

Gaming Diary - Nethack

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

Monday 15 June 2009

Teh E3 News: Ubisoft

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