Ghost Pirates of Vooju Island review

by Jordan Miller, September 26, 2010

The adventure genre hasn’t been the most focused genre over the past decade. While the recent revitalization of the Monkey Island series injected life into the field, it’s hard to come across any modern adventure game, let alone a good one. With that in mind, German developers Autumn Moon Entertainment has delivered Ghost Pirates of Vooju Island; a lengthy adventure through a pirate world filled with mystery and treachery starring three playable pirate protagonists that is on the lackluster end of the balance beam.

There’s no shame in the obvious spirit of Monkey Island being represented with Ghost Pirates. Nearly every aspect of the game mimics its bigger brother from story to characters to even the gameplay. The game is played in 2D with only the mouse used to direct characters and interact with a world packed full of items and characters. Any seasoned adventurer will feel right at home using the control scheme. Right click is used to access inventory and combine items and left-click for everything else.

View the Original article

Darksiders PC review

by Mike Splechta, September 27, 2010

PC Gamers need not be jealous of the console action-adventure genre anymore, for War has arrived and is bringing forth the Apocalypse with him. Darksiders, the Zelda-like game about the end of the world, finally makes the long awaited jump to the PC. Keeping everything from the console game intact, it must be a sure winner right? Read on my friends.

Darksiders takes place after the Apocalypse happens, but slightly earlier than planned. Angels and demons are at war, the world is in ruin, and humanity is all but wiped out. This chain of events gets blamed on War, one of the Horsemen of the Apocalypse, who just happens to be confused about the whole ordeal as everyone else. He is tasked with finding out who brought on this early calamity, and punished by being under constant scrutiny by the expertly voiced Watcher (Mark Hamill) to make sure War doesn’t stray from his path.

View the Original article

Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep review

by Mike Splechta, September 24, 2010

Clamoring for Kingdom Hearts 3? Well you’ll have to hold onto your britches for just a little longer as Square Enix teases its fans with Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep for the PSP, a prequel that follows the latest trend and keeps the series appearing on the handhelds. You can rest easy however, as the latest small screen entry is much better than its predecessors.

The story takes place 10 years before the events of the original Kingdom Hearts. Focusing on three playable protagonists—Terra, Ventus and Aqua—Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep presents a storyline for each one of them. Terra and Aqua are both candidates to become Keyblade Masters, yet only Aqua succeeds due to Terra’s prevalent darkness in his heart. Creatures called the Unversed appear and Terra decides to run off due to the circumstances to find Master Xehanort. In return, Ventus chases after him and Aqua is sent to protect Ventus—thus we are provided a story through each character’s perspective, giving insight on their emotions and motivations.

Like in previous iterations, you will guide the three characters through various Disney worlds, many that make an appearance for the first time like Dwarf Woodlands from Snow White, Neverland from Peter Pan, and Mysterious Tower from Fantasia. Other non-Disney worlds make their debut such as Radiant Gardens and Land of Departure.

Upon first glance, Birth By Sleep looks like the first two games, scaled down to a small screen. While it’s true that you’re essentially playing a portable PS2 game, numerous gameplay changes have been made to ensure that the experience is fresh.

View the Original article

Heroes of Newerth review

by Jordan Miller, September 21, 2010

Duplicating the gameplay of the popular Warcraft 3 mod, Defence of the Ancients, Heroes of Newerth takes a fantastic formula and furthers it. Developed by the creators of Savage, S2 Games have included all the bells and whistles of a full retail release to make this budget-priced online-only game stand out against what’s currently on the market. Designed for the competitive gaming scene, Heroes of Newerth caters to the hardcore PC gamers with classic gameplay modeled exactly around DotA featuring many new heroes with a few new tricks up its sleeves.

Similar to DotA, players control a single hero unit as each team pushes towards the enemy base across a symmetrical map separated by three lanes. Games are typically 5v5 player affairs where heroes group up and pick out a lane to push through heading towards the enemy. Each enemy base has one main structure at its core, which is the main goal for the enemy to destroy and achieve victory, but that is obviously no easy task. Each base is heavily defended by progressively tougher defence towers as well as continual waves of weak NPC’s known as ‘Creeps’ that will blindly attack towards the enemy base until stopped.

It’s up to player heroes to hit the lanes, wipe out the creeps and slowly work towards the enemy base. The only problem is the enemy heroes will be pushing in the same direction and this is where our conflict of the main game begins. Every hero in Heroes of Newerth has four separate spells and unique abilities. These abilities can range from stunning damage spells to general de-buffs, massive damage spells or damage over time abilities. The range and use of these spells in team fights creates incredibly diverse battles where the scales can be instantly swapped amidst all the chaos.

View the Original article

UFC Undisputed 2010 (PSP) review

by Robert Workman, September 22, 2010

UFC Undisputed 2010 left a knockout effect on the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 when it came out earlier this summer, despite the fact it’s not selling as well as last year’s edition. It still improved in enough places to be considered a worthwhile brawler, however. If you own a PSP, it’s your turn to dominate in the ring with your own version of Undisputed, although it doesn’t quite have the same jaw-knocking impact as before.

View the Original article

Stephen Fry explains 3DTV

TECHNOLOGYMonday September 20 2010 STEPHEN Fry has appeared in a new video explaining the basics of 3D television to promote Sky's new 3D channel.

Self-confessed technophile, Fry claims that he invented 3D TV in the online tutorial which in fact proves quite helpful for those less savvy with modern technology.

Avoiding overly complicated explanations or mind-boggling techie terms, the relatively simple and straightforward guide communicates the essential information everyone needs to know about 3D TV.

The humourous video is actually quite a useful primer in 3D - specifically the difference between Active and Passive 3D technology (where the main difference the consumer would otherwise notice is the price of the glasses is a lot more with the Active version.)

Sky's dedicated 3D channel launches on October 1, although you'll need to own a Sky

View the Original article

Devil (film) review

by Ben PerLee, September 20, 2010

It hasn’t been a good year for M. Night Shyamalan. And reasonably so, as his adaptation of Avatar: The Last Airbender is widely considered one of the worst films of the year. Coupled this with his relatively weak The Happening and his poor Lady in the Water, audience and critical expectations from the man is anything but good.

Shyamalan did not direct or write Devil. Sure, the man came up with the idea for the story, and is the executive producer, but his touch on the film is much less than we would expect. Director John Erick Dowdle is thus able to make a film that is clearly a bit freer from the confines of Shyamalan’s inherent expectations. It’s a little gorier than most Shyamalan films, so it’s obvious that the film is in the hands of a more literal director. Unfortunately, while it’s not horrifically bad, it is still a mediocre film.

As the first film in what is now called The Night Chronicles, Devil is based upon the folkloric belief that the Devil will take the form of a human, bring together people deserving of going to hell, torments them for a spell, before finally killing them. These torments are always preceded by a suicide, which is the very first thing we see in the film after the disconcerting upside down presentation of Philadelphia, an effect that is creepy at once yet means nothing to the plot of the film.

View the Original article

DoDonpachi Resurrection (iPhone/iPod Touch) review

shooters that have emerged from Japan. I’ve gone to great lengths to import them for my consoles of choice, like the Nintendo Wii and Xbox 360. There’s just something about facing overwhelming odds amidst a hail of bullets to prevail over a boss that’s five to ten times your size. And wouldn’t you know it, this is the kind of territory that the Japanese development team at Cave consistently covers.

The team released a solid port of its hit arcade game Espgaluda II for the iPhone (later models) and iPad earlier this year, and despite its $9 cost, it was worth every penny, watching these solo angels fly out in a stream of bullets and show these jerks who’s boss. DoDonpachi Resurrection, the company’s latest release for iPad and iPhone (again, later models) follows suit. In it, you’re flying a well-armed ship against an armada of enemies that hold nothing back when it comes to trying to obliterate you.

View the Original article

Elemental: War of Magic Review

by Brian Rowe, September 17, 2010

Elemental: War of Magic is an ambitious 4x strategy game from Brad Wardell, the man behind the supposed “Gamer’s Bill of Rights.” Ironically, Elemental clearly violates Stardock’s own rules regarding the release of finished games and adequate performance on machines that meet minimum requirements. Now that is how you build trust.

The world of Elemental is a wasteland of ruined civilizations and fallen kingdoms. In this realm of medieval fantasy, you don the role of a magic-wielding channeler, charged with building your kingdom from the ground up into a dominating power. There are four ways to win, and whether you play through the story-based campaign or set the parameters for your own world in the generically named mode, New Game, winning will require military might, a mastery of all magic, the endurance for questing, or the diplomacy to enact treaties with all opponents. More than anything though, victory also requires massive amounts of trial and error.

The scope of Elemental is at least on par with that of the Civilization series, but far less welcoming. The breezy tutorial is garbage and fails to address the most basic functions outside of movement. The manual provides a wealth of information, but it is similarly useless due to the lack of visual context, convoluted in-game menus, and poorly explained chains of events. After guiding my characters to a town, I spent at least fifteen minutes figuring out how to get them back out; user-functionality at its finest.

Research is crucial to advancing your kingdom’s status, with well over 150 unlockable structures and technologies, including lumbermills, military training, and pubs for the tourists. You can mix-and-match your studies among civilized structures, magic, questing, tools for war, and numerous sub-choices. Research requires nothing more than time, with each advancement taking longer to complete. In what can only be a glaring oversight or a horrid choice of design, there is no way to tell what abilities or structures each line of research yields. Worse is that research only provides a ‘chance’ of producing results. Imagine, a carefully orchestrated plan and 50

View the Original article

Sonic Adventure review

by Robert Workman, September 17, 2010

Sonic the Hedgehog set such a high standard with his Sega Genesis adventures that gamers were highly anticipating his debut on the Dreamcast, almost on the same level that Nintendo fans wanted their 3-D Mario fix on the Nintendo 64. After a little bit of a wait, they finally received it in the form Sonic Adventure, and while it wasn’t without its flaws (why was Big the Cat included?), it was a decent entry in the series, and a moderately entertaining next-gen debut for Sonic. Now, 11 years later, the Adventure lives on, this time as a downloadable title for Xbox Live and the PlayStation Network. Does it still hold together after all these years?

View the Original article

Gunblade NY and LA Machineguns Review

by Brian Rowe, September 18, 2010

The old arcade scene was rife with rivalries, and the one between Sega and Namco was among the most heated. While fans argued endlessly about the pro and cons of Virtua Fighter and Tekken, another battle, but no less intense, raged on the sidelines. Lightgun shooters were the ever-popular mainstays, and for a short time, Sega’s Gunblade NY and LA Machineguns were the ostentatious playboys. Both games have been collected in one package for the Wii, but more than a decade later, all of the novelty has faded away.

I recently wrote about my favorite rail shooters, and Gunblade was not even close to being a contender. I never considered Gunblade a good game to begin with. It was an arcade machine designed to siphon quarters at all costs, which I suppose actually made it an excellent game, for Sega. Gunblade was a novelty that existed when polygons were still fresh and able to draw a crowd, no matter how hideous they were. Failing that, the large machinegun controllers gave the cabinet an extra kick of attractive manliness.

View the Original article

Plain Sight review

by Kim Vidard, September 18, 2010

Some games shine by their clever mechanics, others because of their unique aesthetics, and, by rare chance, a title comes along that strikes a great balance between both. Plain Sight borrows its main mechanics from one of the greatest games of this generation, Mario Galaxy, and its graphics have a strong Art Deco and steampunk flavor that gives it a great sense of identity and conveys subtle humor.

But can a game stand on its own when it borrows from everyone else? Obviously, the question is larger than Plain Sight, but in this case, I would say that yes, absolutely, it can. Plain Sight manages to take the gravity mechanic Mario Galaxy first explored and combine it with competitive fighting. It’s a very clever idea. Imagine the space-bending fun of jumping from planet to planet in Mario Galaxy applied to a deathmatch game opposing cute and funny steampunk robot wielding huge blades who jump around in order to destroy the clicking daylight out of each other.

View the Original article

Halo: Reach review

by Dakota Grabowski, September 11, 2010

Everyone loves Halo, right? It may be the most popular science-fiction first-person shooter of the past decade, but that doesn’t mean everyone is on the bandwagon to call each and every release in the Microsoft-published franchise the next coming. Many detractors have labeled the series as running itself into a rut with the same ole’, same ole’. Cynics picked apart Halo Wars - the only non-developed Bungie title - with great ease and many straddled the fence for Halo 3: ODST. It’s only natural that doubts have crept into the minds of gamers with the release of Halo: Reach when the star of the franchise, Master Chief, is nowhere to be seen.

While Bungie didn’t exactly go back to the drawing board

View the Original article

R-Type (iPod/iPhone) review

by Robert Workman, September 16, 2010

Irem’s side-scrolling shoot-em-up R-Type has been released in so many forms, we’ve lost count. There was the Turbo Grafx 16 edition, the Sega Master System iteration, the arcade game (produced by Nintendo), the Game Boy version, its inclusion in the R-Types compilation for PlayStation, and revamped as part of R-Type Dimensions for Xbox Live Arcade. Its latest release now comes courtesy of Electronic Arts, this time for the iPhone and iPod Touch. And, to some, it’s a game that still holds some worth

View the Original article

Worms Reloaded Review

by Mike Splechta, August 26, 2010

Oh Worms, how you made me waste so many hours of my childhood, obliterating pink squirmies. You taught me that no matter how cute the opponent is, I must show no mercy, and aim a rocket launcher straight into its face. I missed that competitive, hot seat gameplay, and turning my friends into tiny tombstones. But out of nowhere comes a new Worms game, with the same great gameplay, same style, HD graphics, and online multiplayer. Shenanigans you say? No, this is Worms Reloaded.

Starting the game will task you with naming your army, as well as customizing their look and their voices. Their battle cries are all high pitched, but can vary from sounding like aliens, robots, sports announcers, rednecks, news anchors and more.

View the Original article

Castle Crashers (PSN) review

by Robert Workman, September 15, 2010

Two years ago (this very month, in fact), The Behemoth paid tribute to all of the beat-em-up arcade classics of yesteryear with its own take on the genre, the memorable Castle Crashers. Xbox Live users have enjoyed the game immensely since that time, despite online issues and occasional stumbles with its high difficulty. But what about PlayStation Network subscribers? Would they ever get a taste of the Castle’s goodness?  Well, the good news is yes, it finally arrived on the PlayStation Network.

View the Original article

Space Trek review

by David Sanchez, September 12, 2010

Space Trek on WiiWare is a funny game. It’s not because of the in-game dialogue and quips of main character Captain Jay; they aren’t funny and straddle the line of downright horrible. But the game itself is funny because it’s so terrible that it warrants a chuckle at the developers’ expense. Simply put, Space Trek is a game that promises a grand shooting adventure and fails on every conceivable level. A few gamers may have been tracking the title’s release, hoping it harks back to Star Fox 64. Don’t be fooled, though. This is no Star Fox 64 clone.

You play as Captain Jay, a blue-haired space pilot sent to a distant planet in order to rescue a group of survivors. Who these survivors are is never made clear, but if the game’s trailer is correct, then they’re apparently Captain Jay’s

View the Original article

Resident Evil: Afterlife 3D review

by Ben PerLee, September 12, 2010

Let me be honest: I enjoyed watching Resident Evil: Afterlife.

But let’s be real: Resident Evil: Afterlife is an atrocious movie.

But who would have expected more? I mean, all of the past Resident Evil films, helmed by Paul W.S.Anderson and lead by his supermodel wife, Mila Jovavich, have never been synonymous with the word “quality” or “outstanding. Instead, they barely referred back to Capcom’s beloved series to keep fans in the loop and haven’t approached any semblance of compelling storytelling. But that’s ok for a film like this. What else do they need? With gnarly zombies, a continuation of the post-apocalyptic dystopia, sexy Jovavich and now 3D effects, what more could fans of crappy films want?

Taking place right after the end of the last film, Resident Evil: Apocalypse, Alice (Jovavich) and her clones infiltrate the Umbrella Corporation’s underground complex under the streets of Tokyo. After a bunch of over the top, unnatural fight sequences (she’s got the T virus, dontcha know), Alice finds herself gearing off to Alaska to find Claire (Ali Larter), one of the few characters appearing from the games. Clair has a robot bug on her chest, has lost all of her memory, and so what do they do? Off to LA they go!

View the Original article

Victoria II review

by Mike Splechta, September 10, 2010

Paradox Interactive, the studio behind grand strategy games such as Hearts of Iron and Europa Universalis, has released yet another strategy game that centers on micromanaging a country, rather than a single kingdom. Victoria II placers players in the shoes (or throne) of a monarch, and sets them free to make political decisions for an entire century.

For players uninitiated with grand strategy games, rather than building separate units and tasking them with different jobs or sending them out to battle, or erecting buildings, everything withing Victoria II instead is accomplished through political persuasion.

Starting out, players are assigned to select any country located on a world map set during 1836. Each location has different bonuses and penalties, so the choice of the player is critical for playing to their advantage. Want to start out with an advancement on armies? That’s easily obtainable. What about going for the more peaceful route and focus on becoming agriculturally gifted? That’s available too.

View the Original article

Furry Legends review

This is the recurring catchphrase you see throughout the five stages in Furry Legends, and it is a constant nod at the game’s quirky design and humorous nature. Whether the character spouting the aforementioned line is a mushroom or not is irrelevant to the fact that Furry Legends is indeed one great game.

Furry Legends is a tale about the peace-loving inhabitants of Furland, the Furballs. One day, a race known as the Squaries invade Furland and imprison its inhabitants. This is where the game begins, and it is up to you to help the Furballs take down the Squaries. Admittedly, this is no legendary epic. It is, however, a funny little story that is progressed as you read signs and interact with characters, and it manages to make you care about the characters, even if only to see what crazy things they’ll say next.

View the Original article

Ys Seven Review

by Steven Hopper, August 27, 2010

The Ys series is one of the longest running series in gaming, but hasn’t received a lot of mainstream love, with much of its storied history coasting under the radar while big-name RPG franchises such as Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest steal all of the thunder. However, regardless of how widespread (or not) the game’s reception has been, the series is still very much alive and kicking, with the latest entry, Ys SEVEN, now available for the PSP.

Ys SEVEN is an old-school action-RPG that features some familiar trappings from the salad days of the Japanese RPG genre, including a light story, huge bosses, and relatively simplistic gameplay that doesn’t stir the pot much. The game has a few downfalls that won’t let it sit well with fans of more modern JRPG fare, including cheap boss fights and a healthy amount of backtracking, but overall, it is a solid entry to the Ys franchise.

View the Original article

Babel Rising review

by James Pikover, August 28, 2010

For their heresy, the old testament states that the ancient builders of the tower of Babel were miraculously given different languages, and lost the single tongue they once spoke in unison to destroy their deity, and soon left, unable to communicate. But were you or I that almighty, perhaps we would do things differently. Perhaps we would let loose our wrath on the foolish mortals, and remove them from existence entirely.

It may be the way of video games today, which call for blood at every turn, but in this case it may not be too far from the truth. The gods of other religions regularly killed not only those who opposed or blasphemed them, but even at times their most faithful followers. So, why not?

Babel Rising is exactly this tale. The tower of Babel is being built, and players act as the all-seeing, all-powerful force they seek to destroy. Of course, you aren’t all-powerful or all-seeing, and there are many hundreds and thousands of individuals searching to destroy you. Instead, players are given seven powers to eliminate the heretics, who attack in unrelenting hordes of stone-carrying artisans. These powers vary based on the game mode played, but include such famous plagues as fiery hail, lightning, massive wind, waves, and destroying a level of the tower.

View the Original article

The Last Exorcism review

by Ben PerLee, August 30, 2010

Upon finishing The Last Exorcist, a good friend of mine asked me how it was. My response? “All build up and tension to a creepy literal end.” I’ve had some time to think about that statement, and I stand by it. The Last Exorcist is a creepy film that doesn’t rely upon gruesome gore (there’s a little of that) to unsettle its audience. Rather, what is creepy is the ambiguity of possession, the faltering understanding of demonic power in contemporary society, the is-she-possessed-or-is-she-not-possessed conflict.

Well, it’s creepy until that literal end. Then whatever spark the film had is dampened.

That’s getting ahead of ourselves. The Last Exorcist is a faux-documentary,

View the Original article

NHL 2K11 review

by Steven Hopper, August 30, 2010

2KSports has long been the one competitive beacon standing against EA Sports’ offerings in several different sports, including hockey. The balance shifts between the two publisher’s hockey franchises almost every year, with EA’s NHL franchise handily taking last year’s crown for the top hockey game. This prompted 2KSports to go back to the drawing board and rework their franchise, taking a year off from HD consoles and instead focusing on releasing their latest game as a single console experience, putting NHL 2K11 exclusively on the Wii.

Being built as a Wii-exclusive experience, NHL 2K11 doesn’t scrimp when it comes to taking advantage of what the Wii has to offer. The game supports a wide variety of control options, including Wii MotionPlus and the Classic Controller, and as well as other Wii features, like Wii Speak and support for Miis. Unfortunately, the game doesn’t hit the mark nearly as well as it should, as there are substantial issues with the core gameplay. While it’s definitely admirable that the crew at 2KSports took a year off from other consoles to focus on the Wii version, the developer didn’t quite score a hat trick with this year’s entry.

View the Original article

Dead Rising 2: Case Zero review

by Raychul, August 31, 2010

Remember having to escort survivors of the zombie apocalypse who were among the most helpless and stupid AI seen in video games? Remember the combination of annoying controls and odd camera angles that, at times, made Dead Rising more of a chore than an entertaining experience. Well, Dead Rising 2: Case Zero brings all of that back in this prequel to a sequel downloadable game.

The story of Dead Rising 2: Case Zero follows Chuck Greene whose main concern is taking care of his daughter, Katey, who has unfortunately been bitten by one of the walking dead. The only cure is a shot of Zombrex that she must get every 12 hours to help delay the infection from taking hold of her little body. As his luck would have it, while in an abandoned gas station looking for supplies, some jerk steals Greene’s truck along with his supply of Zombrex for little Katey. As for the rest of the story, it’s up to the player to write the final chapter to Greene’s death-defying story where he must search for Zombrex before the 8pm deadline and also, on top of all the mayhem, escape the town before the authorities come and find out that little Katey has been infected.

In case you missed it, here’s the trailer to the Zombrex Dead Rising Sun, a live-action zombie series directed by Keiji Inafune, the producer on Dead Rising and Dead Rising 2.

The best Dead Rising 2: Case Zero has to offer comes courtesy of compelling weapon combinations such as a baseball bat with complimentary nails hammered into the side. In addition to the exotic weapons, collecting magazines allows players to boost the weapons or health of Greene, so long as the magazine is equipped; which would be awesome for mixing and matching within the inventory if there weren’t only four slots available. As a complete pain in the ass, the inventory is useless when we take into consideration that the equipped weapon counts as an item, as does the back-up weapon, so the players are only left with two slots for magazines that would be better utilized for the weapons in case either the primary or secondary breaks.  With such a small inventory, Capcom should’ve explored the options of having the magazines showing up in the collections page rather than taking up space in the small inventory provided.

At its core, Dead Rising 2: Case Zero is nothing but a short fetch quest title with zombies scattered throughout the environment. This would be ecstasy for a zombie fanatic such as myself, but when they are an easy obstacle to overcome

View the Original article

Ivy the Kiwi? review

by David Sanchez, September 1, 2010

With so many big names such as Metroid: Other M, Sonic the Hedgehog 4, and Halo taking up a huge chunk of the gaming spotlight, it’s easy to overlook the more obscure releases out there. Ivy the Kiwi? is a title that many gamers out there may overlook, and it’s a shame, too, because this engaging platformer by the legendary Yuji Naka, programmer behind the original Sonic the Hedgehog, is addictive, creative, heartwarming, and a crazy amount of fun.

Following the exploits of the titular Ivy, Ivy the Kiwi? is a story about a newborn kiwi who has fallen from her nest and separated from her mother. Distressed, the hatchling sets out to find her beloved mama. With the eggshell still stuck to her body, young Ivy takes off running, prepared to take on the worst to get home.

What stands out about Ivy the Kiwi? initially is its accessibility. The moment you pick up the game and start playing, you should begin to get the hang of it and should get hooked almost immediately. The design of the game is simple: Help Ivy get through 50 stages by drawing vines onscreen to keep her from falling down pitfalls, hitting spikes, or getting hit by raindrops. This is an on-rails game, and Ivy runs on her own, so you have to stay alert and draw those vines. You can draw three vines on the screen at once. After you draw a fourth vine, the first disappears. You can draw these vines in any direction you want, and you can use them as a slingshot to catapult Ivy onto higher ground, through cracked blocks, and into enemies. It’s a simple mechanic, but it’s very useful and entertaining.

View the Original article

Mafia II review

by Steven Hopper, September 1, 2010

The original Mafia was a fine example from the fledging days of the sandbox genre. Releasing on the PC in 2002 (just a short year after Grand Theft Auto III literally invented the genre as we know it today), Mafia was a pleasant surprise that took a fine concept and crafted a period accurate world of organized crime for players to sink their teeth into. However, a lot has changed in the eight years since Mafia first launched, and now we finally have a sequel on our hands to see if the franchise can still compete.

A sequel that hits roughly eight years after its predecessor first made waves on the PC, Mafia II updates the setting by a couple of decades, and adds in some new gameplay elements to make it feel largely improved from its predecessor. The game is a solid experience from start to finish, thanks to a great story and some solid missions littered throughout the campaign. However, it also has its fair share of troublesome issues that prevent running with the big dogs of the sandbox action genre. Still, if you can come into this experience without expecting the second coming of Niko Bellic, then you’re likely to have a good time with it.

The game puts you in control of Vito Scaletta, the son of Sicilian immigrants, as he works his way out of his poor upbringing into the world of organized crime via the Falcone crime family. You’ll deal with the politics of being in a mafia family, experience the loss of loved ones, and make a lot of friends and even more enemies.

View the Original article

Machete review

A lot of hype has gone into Machete for one surreal element: This is based upon a fake trailer for a double-feature designed to evoke traditional grindhouse flicks. It doesn’t get more meta than that, and thankfully for co-directors Robert Rodriguez and Ethan Maniquis, it is a largely successful film that only seems to falter in actually recreating the grindhouse feel 100 percent.
Oddly, Machete isn’t exactly the easiest film to follow, which is surprising considering its supposed low brow leanings. Danny Trejo stars as the namesake Machete, a Mexican Federale, who after a nasty betrayal from his compadres, ends up three years later in Texas as a day laborer in a rather grand tale involving Jessica Alba as Sartana, a latina ICE agent bent on upholding the law, and Michelle Rodriguez as Luz, the underground leader of the

View the Original article

Twin Blades: The Reaping Vanguard review

by James Pikover, September 8, 2010

Twin Blades: The Reaping Vanguard, tells the insta-tale of Angelika, a giant-eyed scythe- and gun-wielding nun who must save her village from a zombie invasion. How’s that for an impressive log line? As ridiculous as the story sounds, there’s really no need to take it to heart, because Twin Blades is not a narrative-based game. In fact, it’s as simple a hack-and-slash as you can get.

The anime-stylized game follows an off-kilter church, of which Angelika is a nun, that protects its village from hordes of zombies which attack it nonstop. The surrounding area isn’t safe. The people aren’t safe. Only Angelika is there to save them and kill hundreds and thousands of zombies, sometimes one by one with her scythe, and other times in larger numbers with six different weapons, from a meager pistol to a holy gun that literally shoots spiritual power.

Gameplay is simple: Players must go through nine different levels, most more than once, and kill all the zombies therein. Three levels include boss fights. As players progress, the zombies become more powerful and more numerous, but they never really get smarter. At a certain point, the scythe takes too long to kill them and only the Holy Beam will kill a large group quickly. Movement is controlled through a virtual d-pad, and there are only two attacks, with the scythe and the equipped gun. Angelika holds all of her guns, and sliding the gun indicator on the top left will switch weapons.

View the Original article

R.U.S.E. review

by Robert Workman, September 8, 2010

The art of deception can be pretty slick if it’s played to the right extent. An espionage-based movie, for instance, will keep our attention if it has a hero who’s a master of con games, or an extraordinary twist midway through that changes everything you’ve come to realize in the film. Ubisoft has adapted the art of deception into its latest game, the real-time strategy title R.U.S.E. And while it has some interesting concepts behind it, the general flow of the game and lack of interest in characters keep us from being just as intrigued as we would any given chapter in the Bourne trilogy.

View the Original article

NHL 11 review

by Robert Workman, September 8, 2010

NHL 10 bedazzled us last year with its unmatched realism and genuinely fun gameplay, proving that EA Sports had finally accomplished the unthinkable, topping 2K Sports in a field that it had once dominated. Now, with NHL 2K11 out of the way on the Wii (and lacking), the company is set for full dominance with its latest hockey romp, NHL 11. Does it shoot and score? You bet it does, although some mild imperfections keep it from being the stuff of legend.

View the Original article

Valkyria Chronicles II review

by Robert Workman, September 9, 2010

One of the things that perplexes us around the office is why Valkyria Chronicles II has been released for a different platform than the original release. When Sega released the first game, it was for the PlayStation 3, and despite its lack of best-seller status, it gained enough of a cult following to be considered a modest hit. The sequel, of all places, is on the PlayStation Portable, which might frustrate those who were expecting next-gen goodness. However, if you own the platform and don’t mind changing your strategies mildly to format the portable console’s set-up, you’ll find it’s just as rewarding as the original. And, surprisingly, in some ways, it’s even better.

View the Original article

Metroid: Other M review

by David Sanchez, September 9, 2010

Variety seems to be the model that the Metroid series sticks very closely to. From her side-scrolling NES days to her first-person adventures on more recent consoles, Samus Aran has always been at the forefront of variety. An evolving series, Metroid seemingly takes a different route with every few entries, and the latest game in the series, Metroid: Other M, is no exception. Combining a deep story with engaging first- and third-person gameplay, Team Ninja has crafted a unique experience on the Wii that doesn’t quite reach perfection, but certainly leaves a lasting impression.

Samus sets out to investigate a distress signal referred to as

View the Original article

iPhone 4: Apple sells 1.7 million handsets in just three days

IT LOSES reception if you grip it with your left hand, but sales of Apple's iPhone 4 are creeping towards the 2 million mark just 72 hours after its launch.
Apple has sold more than 1.7 million of its new iPhone 4 handsets in just three days.

The upgraded model, which features Apple's high resolution Retina display and a new video calling system called FaceTime, has been a hit for the tech giant.

But for left-handers, the placement of the handset's antenna - which is located on the lower left corner of the phone - has proved problematic.

An Apple spokesperson said: "Gripping any mobile phone will result in some attenuation of its antenna performance, with certain places being worse than others depending on the placement of the antennas.

View the Original article

Casio EX-H15 instantly airbrushes photos

The Casio EX-H15 in pink

Wednesday July 21,2010

By Express.co.uk reporterPICKING and choosing which pictures are acceptable and which need deleting or - heaven forbid - photoshopping is tedious to say the least.

So it's about time someone brought out an instant-airbrush camera to keep the moaning about spots and blemishes to a minimum.

Thankfully Casio have done just that in the form of the Casio EX-H15 - which comes complete with ten different make-up modes, toning and smoothing skin and defining eyes and eyelashes.

It boasts 14.1MP as well as a massive 10x optical Zoom, a wide angle lens and a pretty impressive 1000 pictures per charge.
 
The new Exilim Engine also makes it faster to switch from modes, ensures no shutter lag and is better for low light situations.

The Casio EX-H15 also features Premium Auto Mode, which is great for point-and-shoot moments and a has a three-inch 460,000-pixel LCD screen.

Available in black, silver and pink from QVC, www.qvcuk.com.

Amazon.co.uk Widgets


View the Original article

Consumers 'spend half their waking hours using technology'

Have your say(0)

CONSUMERS are spending almost half their waking hours watching TV and using their mobiles and other communications gadgets, a study said today.

The research by regulator Ofcom - the first to track exactly how long consumers spend using various media - found the average person spends 45 per cent of their time awake absorbing media or communicating via gadgets.

They are sending four times as many texts a day than in 2004 and spending almost a quarter of their time on the internet on social networking sites.

People are also using several types of media at the same time, with the average person cramming eight hours and 48 minutes of media into just over seven hours during the average day.

Younger people are even more adept at multi-tasking, cramming nearly five hours of media usage into just under two hours a day.

Jonathan Leggett of mobile phone comparison website, Top10.com said: "Mobile phones aren

View the Original article

Fifa 11 game review: Cech this out

Have your say(0)

ONE of the highlights of the gaming calendar is GamesCom, the expo of all things interactive, which took place in Cologne last week.

It's essentially a European version of LA's E3, just with worse celebs and colder weather.

It is also a key date for publishers and developers, both of whom use the German bash as an opportunity to show off their forthcoming wares.

There have been plenty of announcements emanating from the Rhine in the past few days, including news that FIFA 11 (that's the good one these days) will be the first in the series that lets you play as keeper.

There's talk of hacks getting their claws on the game very soon, so I should have more to report in a few weeks but 11 vs 11 on a football game will offer some interesting gameplay.

The impressive Petr Cech, Chelsea's foam-wigged Czech stopper, has been paid to front the initiative. And with a cheque that size, I have no fears of him dropping it? Elsewhere, Microsoft finally gave a date for Kinect in the UK, building up to what could be the biggest anti-climax since Inception.

View the Original article