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

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.

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

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

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.)

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.

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

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

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

Teh E3 News: Sony

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

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

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

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

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?

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

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

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

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

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

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