Heavy Rain Review

Developer: Quantic Dream
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment
Platform:  PlayStation 3
Genre:  Interactive Drama
Players: 1
Release Date: 24^th February 2010 (EU)

David Cage, the head of Quantic Dream, had said on multiple occasions that Heavy Rain would be a completely new experience, more in the shape of an interactive drama than an actual video game. Judging from the sounds of things it sounded like it could have been a revolution that would take storytelling to a new level in video games and offer a whole new level of emotional connection. I can safely say that despite being a little sceptical, David Cage was right.

Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Review

Developer: Capcom
Publisher: Capcom
Platform:  NDS
Genre:  Adventure
Players: 1
Release Date: 31^st March 2006 (EU)

Note: I have never played the original version on the Game Boy versions and the entire review is based upon my experience with the DS version

Now, Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney is a very interesting game and wasn’t what I expected at all. The only thing I knew before playing was that you played as a lawyer and that the word “Objection” plays a very important role. Both of the previous statements are true but the game goes so much further than that. Capcom have created a truly great game here with great writing and an addictive nature that stopped me from putting my DS down.

Like I just said, I thought the game only focused on being a Lawyer, or more precisely a defence attorney, but there are two main gameplay elements: the courtroom scenes and the investigations. As you would expect the courtroom scenes have you defending your client by raising points and preventing evidence whereas investigating consists of exploring and finding evidence/information. Both parts work well with one another and are very enjoyable.

Assassin’s Creed II Review

Developer: Ubisoft Montreal
Publisher: Ubisoft
Platform:  X360 (Version Played), PS3, PC (Coming soon)
Genre:  Action-Adventure
Players: 1
Release Date: Consoles (EU) – 19^th November 2009
PC (EU) – 5^th March 2010

Many people were let down by the first Assassin’s Creed. It was by no means a bad game (Well, I didn’t think it was) but it suffered from some poor design choices, repetition and various other problems. All the hype the first game was getting didn’t help much either. This time around, however, Ubisoft have listened to the complaints and done everything gamers wanted plus a lot more.

It starts off with a bang, throws you straight into the game without answering any questions. All you know is that the shit has hit the fan and it’s time to get out of the facility. Before leaving, Desmond has a quick stop in the Animus however. Already, at the start of the game you can feel at lot more involvement with Desmond. Now he can do more than walk and has managed to get some skills from his time spent with Altair in the original game. This leads to an exciting opening which keeps players in the dark story wise and opens a path to a fantastic story later on. Don’t worry I won’t spoil anything or mention where it goes from here.

The Desmond parts of the game have been cut down significantly for Assassin’s Creed II. Unlike the first game where you gained control of Desmond after every memory block, this time you only leave a few times for key events. Every Desmond section in this though is much better than all of the Desmond sequences combined from the first game. You are able to do much more due to having some handy skills and they play a more important role now.

Assassin’s Creed Review

Developer: Ubisoft Montreal
Publisher: Ubisoft
Platform:  X360 (Version Played), PS3, PC
Genre:  Action-Adventure
Players: 1
Release Date: 14^th of November 2007 (EU, Consoles)
10^th of April 2008 (EU, PC)

I remember all of the trailers and information before Assassin’s Creed was released. Inspired by the historical events of the Holy Land, you played as an assassin called Altair and could use crowds and rooftops to your advantage and aid your stealth assassination. It was set up to be revolutionary and a truly amazing game. Was it? No, it wasn’t. That, however, doesn’t mean it was a bad game.

The first thing players will notice when they play the game is the sci-fi element. Ubisoft never discussed this much and never gave us any details to what it was about. Basically, each person has a genetic code which stores not only traits, but also memories from their ancestors. A machine known as the Animus has been designed to view these memories. The Animus is used to display the memories of Desmond Miles, a descendant of the assassin Altair. For the majority you play through Altair’s story in the Holy Land but at the end of each DNA sequence you get a brief moment with Desmond.

iSamJackson Review

Developer: Heatwave Interactive
Platform:  iPod Touch (Version Played), iPhone
Genre:  Soundboard
Players: 1
Release Date: 29/12/09
Price: £1.79

Of all the people a soundboard could be made for there is one who stands heads and shoulders above them all. That person is Samuel L. Jackson; the most badass mother fucker on the planet. iSamJackson is the Samuel L Jackson soundboard. It comes in two versions clean and explicit; yes, I obviously went for explicit. Some people may be weary of paying £1.79 for a soundboard but this is worth every penny.

Now the main function of iSamJackson is to be a soundboard. At the press of a button you can make Samuel L. Jackson unleash God like sounds consisting of one-liners, insults and witty remarks. Of course, with over 150 different lines, fans of Sam himself (Which should consist of everyone on the planet) will be amused for quite a while. All of the lines are original recordings so unfortunately I’m not able to get any of my favourite lines but hearing things like “That’s what she said” more than makes up for it.

The Saboteur Review

Developer: Pandemic Studios (RIP)
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Platform:  PlayStation 3 (Version Played), Xbox 360, PC
Genre:  Action-Adventure, Third Person Shooter
Players: 1
Release Date: 4^th of December 2009 (EU)

There was once a time where every second game released was a World War II FPS. They were everywhere. Few of them were good and even fewer of them tried to do anything remotely different which led to people getting sick of them. Now there are less of them being made and they seem to be getting slightly more acceptable (Call of Duty: World at War being the most recent example). Unlike the World War II games of old that were all very similar, The Saboteur does it differently and uses the setting to enhance the experience as a whole.

You play as Sean Devlin, an Irish mechanic/race driver, who goes to Germany to take part in a race. Due to some unfortunate events with Kurt Dierker, Sean is forced to flee Germany and go to Paris with some companions. This leaves him trapped in Nazi occupied France fuelling for revenge. While doing what he does best (Drinking) Sean is confronted by Luc  Gaudin, a French author who is now a part of the Resistance against the Nazis. He wants Sean to help him and to join the Resistance. Sean accepts and thus, The Saboteur is born.

Resistance: Fall of Man Review

Developer: Insomniac Games
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment
Platform:  PS3
Genre:  First Person Shooter
Players: 1 – 40
Release Date: 23^rd of March 2007 (EU)

Console launch games tend to be nothing special. They normally suffer from being rushed to meet the consoles release date and the lack of experience with it can also lead to poor games. Not all launch games are bad though (Halo anyone? Yes I mentioned Halo in a PS3 exclusive review). Resistance: Fall of Man is one of the lucky games that didn’t end up terrible and is better than most launch games.

Resistance takes place during World War II, or at least the time where WWII should have happened. You see, Resistance tells the tale slightly different than what actually happened. An unusual species known as the Chimera, who appear to have originated from Russia, are the villains in the game. They are equipped with plenty of high tech weaponry and many abilities that humans are without (Such as recharging health). The Chimera slowly take over Europe and when Fall of Man starts, they are approaching Britain which is all that is left.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Review

Developer: Infinity Ward
Publisher: Activision
Platform:  PS3 (Version Played), X360, PC
Genre:  First Person Shooter
Players:  1 – 18
Release Date:  10^th of November 2009

The amount of hype created for Modern Warfare was almost unbelievable. Everyone seemed to go crazy for it, which we can see from the rather hectic and successful launch. Of course, there was a perfectly good reason for people going crazy over it which is that Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare was fantastic. It had a whole range of excellent set pieces which created a well paced game along with a top notch multiplayer mode which seemed to blow the world away and keep people playing for ages. The sequel is now here and it was definitely worth the wait.

Like Call of Duty 4, Modern Warfare 2’s single player is very cinematic and has plenty of set pieces. This time everything is a lot more over the top though; with more ridiculous set pieces and fantastic fire fights. This does detract from the realism but it’s not exactly that realistic to begin with (Recharging health?) so it just makes it more cinematic than it previously was. As usual there are a handful of movie references thrown in which also adds to the cinematic feel.

Jak and Daxter: The Lost Frontier Review

Developer: High Impact Games
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment
Platform:  PSP (Version Played), PS2
Genre:  Platformer
Players: 1
Release Date: 18^th November 2009

Anyone who has played the previous Jak and Daxter games will have fallen in love with them due to the witty dialogue, loveable characters, solid presentation and the overall charm. However, Naughty Dog seemed to have abandoned the series in favour of Uncharted. Now Uncharted may be fantastic but that doesn’t mean I don’t want any more of my favourite gaming duo. Fortunately for us, High Impact Games (Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters, Secret Agent Clank) have brought us the sequel we’ve all been waiting for to the PSP.

Fans of Naughty Dog and even Insomniac Games (The two tend to go hand in hand) will probably be aware of what happened the last time a great series went to a new developer: it was ruined. The Crash Bandicoot games on the PlayStation were great but when Naughty Dog left to series to Universal, the series slowly got worse and worse. Spyro the Dragon led the same fate. This time events went a lot smoother and we got a game that fits nicely in with the rest of the series.

Halo Legends: The Package Review

The third addition to Halo Legends is The Package and was split into two parts. They showed the first part last week and the full thing was shown yesterday. The Package shows Master Chief with a squad of other Spartans who are tasked with getting aboard a Covenant ship to retrieve a highly important package. This one has quite a lot of references to the Halo novels and characters from it are in the anime. Casio Entertainment are behind this one.

The first part starts with the briefing of the mission and then goes onto the initial attack. Each Spartan is in a Booster Frame which is a small flying vehicle which packs quite a bit of firepower. This attack focuses on aerial fights for the most part and has many scenes with evasive manoeuvres being performed which always look cool. There is one incident which requires Kelly, a female Spartan, to board another Booster Frame’s turret which leads on to some cool gunfights. When the first part ends three Spartans, including Master Chief, are in a bubble shield surrounded by covenant troops.