Realplay Puzzlesphere

With the Nintendo Wii and Playstation 3 firmly boasting motion-sensitive technology, the ancient Playstation 2 can now firmly head towards retirement. But rather than accept this fate, some game studios insist on trying to put their games to par with those on the next-gen consoles. Enter the latest attempt to woo people back to the PS2 – In2Games’ Realplay Puzzlesphere.

Words fail me as I come to describe my sheer disappointment and frustration with this game. The game concept is deliciously simple – navigate a sphere on a track around a level filled with plenty of curves, pits, gaps, and generally ‘fall to your doom’ areas. While on paper it seems like a fun idea, it translates very poorly in-game. Rather than using your standard analog controller to play this game, Puzzlesphere comes bundled with a silver ball, which acts as your controller. About the size of a grapefruit, the controller tries to look cool, but in fact looks like it was fished out of a sceptic tank. You use the ball to control your on-screen sphere, and tilting it corresponds to the speed and direction in which your sphere goes. At first this may sound easy to master, but operating the handheld ball requires the motor skills of Bicentennial Man and the patience of a monk. The slightest movement can send your sphere careening off the track and into the abyss below, and there is very little to stop you from throwing your sphere full force against the wall in frustration. You do get a chance to pickup a few powerups on the way, but most of the time you’ll be too busy trying to steer straight. When you do somehow get to the end of a level, you just repeat the entire process in a different location.

Because the control mechanics are so dodgy, this game is probably only going to see about 5 minutes of play time, before gamers give up and use the sphere as a mock cricket ball. All insults aside though, the game really could have brought something interesting to the PS2, but it’s the controller that is truly the game’s downfall. I found that even when I held the ball perfectly still, the on-screen sphere started drifting towards the edge of the track, and before I could react and guide it back, it had already toppled over and I had to start again.

Visually the game is pathetic as well, with grainy, shaky backgrounds of cloned textures and terrible shading. The reflections in your on-screen sphere appear murky and distorted, and there is very little happening on-screen to keep you playing. An out-of-sync soundtrack completes the macabre ensemble, so in the end all you have is a shiny ball for your dog to play with, and a disc to use as a mug coaster.

I fail to see why such a horrible game would be even developed, and with other games in the series being sold as well, it’s safe to say that they are all going to suffer the same crippling controller problems and graphical nightmares. Puzzlesphere may have seemed like a good concept, but ultimately it fails to impress on any level, with bad graphics, a messed up controller, and no replay value. Unless you want to test your sanity, keep away from this series at all costs.

New battery coming to the PSP

Sony announced through the Playstation Blog that a new battery is coming to the PSP this holiday season. This battery will have 2200mAh of juice and will be compatible with both the new slim PSP and Old PSP.  However, it will be a little thicker than the current slim PSP battery, so a replacement cover will be included. 

The battery is expected to almost double the operation life of the Slim PSP and add around 30% increase in the Old PSP’s operation life.

Release Watch: Pursuit Force, EJ

Another sweet release for pure action fans. Feel free to drive like a mad man, jump from car to car and shoot to kill. All for the noble cause of achieving justice as a member of the elite Capital City Police.

Release Watch: Warhammer 40k, Squad Command

If you are looking for a strategy-based action game as an appetizer for the holiday season, Warhammer 40k: Squad Command is there to soothe your needs. Featuring both a single player story-line mode and a multiplier online team-up mode, Squad Command doesn’t to deliver an interesting portable strategy experience.    

 

Unreal Tournament 3

Little has changed since the Stone-Ages where the early man would bash his neighbor’s skull for looking at his woman or to show his superiority in the territory. In this modern era of digital massacre, the mode of aggression is different but the intent remains unchanged – for ultimate bragging rights! Unreal Tournament 3 (UT3) is that arena of showcase that pushes die-hard fragging to its best and brings skills and maneuver to the altar. Armed with powerful weapons, massive vehicles, intense multiplayer action and an immersive campaign mode, UT3 is all about the survival of the fittest albeit a new tool of supremacy that separates the males from the females. This protégé of compelling looks and mind-blowing gameplay lives up to the standard created by its ancestors and can be considered the “Hummer H2” of FPS shooters. UT3 is the epitome of graphical excellence that can only be matched by its savage and cannibalistic instinct fuelled by flesh & blood, metal & rubble, pain & suffering.

The first time you fire up the game and enter an online multiplayer match, you’ll be greeted by Ritalin induced players gorging themselves off a delicious meal of gore and stamina, double jumping and doing everything humanly possible to your lethargic surprise. If you’re a first timer to the ‘Unreal’ world, you better be ready to get your derriere kicked before you hone your skills, as veterans from the past UT titles won’t have any problem settling right into the game and not waste a moment at “welcoming” you home. While Epic has focused their attention on a more story driven single-player campaign, it still comes as no doubt that its multi-player offering is where all the fun is at. In single-player, you play as the survivor of a mass genocide along with your other buddies forming a rebellion to fight off the invading forces that destroyed your home. While the campaign itself provides some depth and value into this aggressive shooter, it still needs to be pointed out that it isn’t something you’ll write home about. A.I are definitely more smarter in this latest iteration of the Unreal franchise but sometimes, they’d just make you want to put a bullet or two in their heads. One of the new additions in terms of gameplay mechanics in UT3 is the ability to fake death during combat and there’s nothing more embarrassing than getting stumped by a fallen carcass that you thought you had taken care of. This game cleverly builds upon the foundation set by its ancestors and our only gripe at the moment is UT3’s online matchmaking capabilities. You are forced to select any one game type in the drop-down menu and join a server, whereas kill indication is still not present in the final version of the game. These problems are likely to be fixed through future patches but it’s still frustrating never-the-less to lack on online resources out of the box.

Many of the classic UT weapons are back with better polish and more destructive power. The flaks from the Flak-Cannon ricochet better and deliver that satisfying panache when you throw a handful of flaks at your enemy’s face in close quarters while rocket are more deadly and behave like…rockets. Nothing beats UT3 in terms of guns and weaponry, since this is what the game is all about. New additions like the Stringers have replaced the old-school miniguns and enemies can be tacked to walls this time around with the stinger. Each weapon in the game has a primary and secondary fire mode and there’s always one for every occasion. Low on health and want to escape from chasing opponents? Use the Bio-Rifle to spew out land mines that look like green glop. No, this is not the type of thing you would use on Halloween night to prank you friends. This green slime will incinerate you on touch.

Apart from the classic Deathmatch & CTF modes offered in the game as main dish, Epic returned the cry of its fans and added more interesting game types like Vehicle-CTF and Warfare. Vehicle-CTF is a new edition to the UT3 territory that combines vehicle warfare and flag-capturing elements into one armada. Vast expansive outdoors and intense action are the ruling forces in this game type. Warfare on the other hand is a fusion of Onslaught and Assault with maps potentially as big as three Onslaught maps. While basic game rules are equal to those of Onslaught, Warfare adds unlinked nodes which can always be captured and gives as much as 45 minutes of intense, action filled adventure that changes courses a lot!

Mass Effect

This is one of the games many gamers have been waiting for. Unlike other highly anticipated games this season, I was one hundred percent sure this one won’t fail or disappoint. BioWARE is too good of a developer to develop a game that isn’t great and original. After impressing the whole gameing industry with the highly innovative “Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic” on the Xbox, BioWARE are upping the scale yet again with Mass Effect. BioWARE’s new baby has some amazing graphical beauty to show off, one of the most fascinating and exhilarating stories in the history of games, fantastic voice acting and the ability to make your own decisions Those features and many others make this game a front runner for the best game of the year award.

I deal with all game story plots in two ways; I either completely disregard them or absolutely embrace them. Granted that a games story line has to be very interesting and original to grab my attention. Only a few games have me remembering and discussing their story line, and the list includes FFX, Knights of the old republic and Bioshock. And Mass Effect’s story line easily pushes the game into that list. The games storyline is so good and highly thought of that it will keep you playing and attached to the story and its characters. You will get to meet new people and creatures, discover new races and with your control wipe them off or actually help them out. At times the story’s incredible twists will make you wonder what more to expect. How can the game get any more interesting? But the game will keep coming back at you with intense action and more important decisions for you to make.

The story plot in Mass Effect is just so well built. It brings politics between future creatures and humans and how they deal with it. The story is built to sound so real and so serious that it makes you live the situation and makes us gamers playing the game want to defend our race as a whole. When the story was discussing how a group of ancient artificial intelligence is supposed to kill everyone when they are finally lose. I actually felt bad, I was worried! That’s until I woke up and realized how much the game and its story dragged me deep into it. You will have new characters joining your party to form a maximum of six. You might, depending on what decisions you make, actually lose some members. I will use just one example, so that I do not ruin the story for you guys. On one of the missions in the middle of the game the team is supposed to plant a nuke on a planet to destroy a laboratory and leave right away. But backup arrives for the enemy and I am stuck with a tough choice to make. One member of the team is protecting the bomb, while the other is fighting off the enemy. And I can only save one! Which one is it going to be? Depending on what choice you make, you will get to watch the consequences unfold in front of your eyes, resulting in many emotions and a feeling of guilt. And that is just one crucial decision out of hundreds you will have to take during this game! You will be going by in game in different ways depending on what you choose. You can either gather the information you need from one planet by blasting your way through or by negotiating and helping the people there to get what you want. On easier levels using power every time might be an easy choice. But on harder difficulties when the bullet and shield are weak, you will need to make wise decisions to save the team members’ lives, including your own.

The game will play different based on what character class you choose. You can start the game quickly by choosing the custom made character John Shepard, or create an entirely new character. You will first have to choose your gender as a male or a female. This will have some effect on how certain character will react towards you during the game. You will then have to choose your pre service history. That include Spacer (Lived in space), Colonist and earth born (grew up on earth). You will then get to pick your psychological profile. Are you a sole survivor of an attack on your ship during a mission? Or a war hero that destroyed and killed a great number of enemies before? Or maybe you are that ruthless soldier that will get the job done under any circumstances? Up to you and the choice here will have an effect on how the other characters in the game perceive you. The next choice you will make will change the way the whole game is played. Choosing your military specialization is very important and will make the gaming experience different when played in each class. You can either be the soldier that is more combat oriented, a tech specialist engineer, a biotic specialist, a combination of combat and technology in a infiltrator, a sentinel that combines biotic and tech abilities and a vanguard that combines biotic and weapons power. Once you pick your class you will get to choose a bonus talent to go along your basic talents. You will then get to adjust the basic looks of your character or go along with the same appearance of the original hero.

Fighting your way through in a role playing game have never been this much fun. You will have a wide range of weapons and upgrades to use on your enemies. Depending on the level of difficulty you are playing on the power and efficiency of the weapon used will be determined. You will have access to all four kinds of weapons from the get go. But you will be receiving upgrades for them all game long. On harder levels you will have a bit of a hard time if you use the wrong weapon on your enemies. If you don’t set the right combinations of weapon and upgrade you will have a hard time going through most of the game. Taking cover is very important in this game too, taking a page out of fantastic shooting games, you will be able to use walls and other objects to take cover from enemy’s fire.

You will get to use a vehicle called Mako to discover worlds much faster during the game. The vehicle is very powerful and has the ability to climb mountains and even jump! Knowing how to control Mako is very important in the game. You will need to know how to use the weapons on board to get rid of enemies in the way and in the same time drive in the right direction. Controlling Mako is a bit of a pain in the ass as a start, but you will get used to it over time. You will be using the vehicle many times during the game, so you better get used to it!

FIFA 2008 DS

Many sport gamers look at the graphical side of their games before anything else. That’s why sport games on the DS never really kicked off with many of them. That doesn’t mean EA sports stopped trying to satisfy that market though. Year after year games for the DS and PSP have improved dramatically, and this year’s lineup of games is nothing short of a perfect demonstration of that continues progress. Due to the limits set by handled systems though, the games still don’t reach the level of its older brother’s on next generation consoles.

Last year FIFA on the DS came up with some great improvements, but lacked one very important quality, an online mode. EA sports listened and delivered in 08 with some very smart online options. Other than the normal playing alternatives such as ranked or quick games, offered are some very fascinating online options that include scenarios downloads and rosters updates. The game play was tweaked in FIFA 08 also offering some very fluid players movement and animations.

You shouldn’t be expecting deep gameplay options here though, something FIFA on consoles is accumulated to. I feel the gameplay is perfectly tailored for handheld gamers. First of all it’s simple, so anyone could grab the system and have a good quick game. In the same time though, there are certain moves you can learn to enhance your experience even further.  Also noticeably improved is the way the AI reacts during games. You will notice how the AI changes his own playing style depending on the situation in the game, something I truly didn’t expect from the DS version of FIFA 08. One of the few problems I faced in the gameplay department was the passing system. While it’s nearly perfect in a slow paced match, once you are on the run problems start to pop up. The response rate from the time you press the button until it actually happens on the screen is rather slow. You can however avoid the problem by adjusting and making passes a bit earlier, but it’s still an annoying glitch in a rather perfect handheld gaming experience. 

The game manages to also use the touch screen on the DS with remarkable style. Before the game you will be able to edit your tactic using the screen to move and adjust the player’s positions. For me that’s a lot more fun than simply clicking a button to move them. During the game you will be able to use the touch screen to adjust your playing style. You can either direct your players to go all out on attack or go back on defense depending on the situation. Penalty shootouts are actually enjoyable here thanks to that little touch screen. Once a penalty is awarded the screen shows a goal post with gloves in the middle. Based on how you move those gloves the goalkeeper will move, a very interesting mini game once you get used to it. You will also be able to use the screen as radar during the game to pass and run in the right direction every time.

The variety of the online services provided really surprised me in this version of FIFA 08 on the DS. After I read about the online options on hand in other EA sport games, I expected simple online options bundled with the offline game just to make the game sound cool. That’s an understatement however. Unlike some console sport games now days, you will actually be able to download roster updates on the spot using the DS’s Wi-Fi connection. The scenarios in the game are also very interesting. You will be able to build the scenario based on a historic real life match to relive the moment. You can set the time and score and save the scenario you create. After you play and beat it, you will be able to upload it for your friends to download online or simply send them the scenario code for them to create the match on their own. Playing online has so far been lag free for me while playing on the European servers. I also managed to find opponents to play in quick play mode every time I tried, something that can’t be said about many games now days.

The game does not sport the fine-looking graphics console gamers are used to. At times the graphics really do get ugly. What makes up for the dropping graphics though is how well animated the players are. You will be surprised how well goalkeepers look jumping to make a last second save or players falling due to hard tackles. The animations of the players overall is comparable to the console version of the game and that’s a great achievement on its own. The players don’t look good at all thanks to the limited graphical power of the system. So don’t expect to see Ronaldo running the show for Man UTD, just a bunch of polygons with black hair.

Included in the game is in-menu music, the sound of crowds cheering you on and actually a solid commentary system, all of that on your lovely DS! FIFA 08 made a believer out of me with some very solid sound effects in the game. The commentary system is what surprised me the most however; it’s absolutely first-class and doesn’t get old fast. You will rarely hear repetitive phrases in consecutive games. Which I feel is a triumph compared to the commentary in console sport games.

FIFA 08 might not be as good as the console FIFA 08 releases. You can’t blame the developers thought because they tried really hard, and it shows. With a very solid gameplay system and a very entertaining online mode, this game is what every true sport gamer with a DS should get hold of. Other than some little problems in the gameplay and graphics here and there, the handheld version of FIFA 08 truly showed its console counterpart that it’s no pushover, when it comes to FIFA 08 at least.

FIFA 2008

For years now the FIFA series have been taking the back seat to the Pro evolution series. Even though for most years FIFA featured superior graphics, the game play exceptionality is what the game was missing. For the second straight year now, EA improved on a winning formula that might have just pushed them over the competition. With a working online mode and barely any noticeable lag during the game, this just might be the best football out there this year.

The first thing that will get you excited about FIFA 08 is the kick off mode, which allows you to control your favorite player in an open field against just one goal keeper. Believe it or not, I can tell some of the improvements in the game from here. Run with the ball and the camera will zoom a bit closer to you adding an effect of speed that I only experienced before in the Need for Speed series. Move a bit to the right and shot, you will see the player getting his right foot ready, stretching it and hitting the ball. I love this kind of details; it almost makes me want to move my foot with the player at times.

The most talked about new feature in this year’s FIFA is the “Be a Pro” mode.  The “Be a Pro” mode will allow you to pick one player on the team you choose to play with. Although player lock has been in sport games for ages now, there is something more going to it. Each move you make during the game will be judged and rated for you. When the game starts a red and green bar will be displayed in the bottom middle of the screen. That bar will change depending on your performance in the game, a completed pass for example will add points to the green side, in contrast a bad pass will add to the red side. The game would be boring if you will have to wait for your AI team mates to pass, so based on what button you press you will get the ball if the circumstances are right.

Other then the “Be a Pro” mode you will have the option to play in the tournament mode, manager mode and the challenge mode. The challenge mode as many of you old FIFA players might remember is very appealing. Mainly in this mode you will be put in situations during games with certain objectives that you will need to achieve. The overall objective most of the time would be to win, but sometimes you will need to score a certain amount of goals to finish off a challenge. The challenge mode has ten tiers to complete and completing it will unlock teams, kits and balls for use in other game modes.

The addition of the Skill moves this year is a new attempt by EA to fix the lack of control issues that have been linked with the FIFA series for ages now. Using the right thumb stick you will be able to perform some trick moves that will result in cutting through the opposition’s defense a lot easier. At the first glance you will see no use what so ever in those moves. They will look like some of those tricks that superstars use in games to show off their skills. But mastering those moves will give you an advantage never seen before in any sport game. You will have the complete control over the player once you know what buttons to push in the right time. As great as those skills make the control system, I would have loved more control over my player using the normal controls. If you don’t use the skill moves you will be getting owned on both ends of the field by a computer that moves better and faster than you on every chance it seems.

Halo 3 Heroic Map Pack on Dec 11

The internationally award-winning “Halo 3” multiplayer experience is about to get even better. After launching to incredible acclaim and fanaticism, “Halo 3” players will be able to enjoy three all new multiplayer maps on 11th December as part of the Heroic Map Pack, the first in a series of downloadable content from Bungie Studios to come via Xbox LIVE.

Available for 800 Microsoft Points exclusively on Xbox LIVE Marketplace, each map presents a totally different play style. Standoff’s symmetrical valley, with its entrenched bases and fields of boulders is ideal for mid-sized objective and Slayer game types, while Rat’s Nest’s vast, labyrinthine passages bring something new to the “Halo” multiplayer experience: an indoor vehicle paradise, strongly influenced by the Campaign mode, ideal for big team battles. Finally, Foundry is the ultimate Forge map – players can edit every single object in this voluminous industrial warehouse, place stairways, walls, bridges and tunnels to create an entirely new play space and build almost any kind of map they can think of.

All three maps will become available for free download via Xbox LIVE Marketplace in Spring 2008, just prior to the next wave of all new “Halo 3” multiplayer maps.

As if the legions of "Halo 3" players needed more reasons to stay logged on and fragging, the Forge also allows players to edit and customise all three maps, keeping “Halo 3’s” multiplayer experience fresh, exciting and evolving. In addition, ongoing updates to “Halo 3’s” matchmaking playlists ensure that ranked and social gameplay remains dynamic and competitive.

Tom Clancy Rainbow Six Vegas 2 announced

Press release:
Today Ubisoft, one of the world’s largest video game publishers, announced that it is developing Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six® Vegas 2 for next-generation consoles and PC. Developed at Ubisoft Montreal by the same team that created the award-winning Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Vegas, the highly anticipated sequel is scheduled for a March 2008 release. Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Vegas 2 is the sixth iteration in the wildly successful Rainbow Six franchise which celebrates its 10th anniversary in 2008 with more than 16 million units sold worldwide to date.

“Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Vegas took the gaming world by storm in 2006 thanks to its technological advances and gameplay innovations,” said Yves Guillemot, president and chief executive officer at Ubisoft. “We are convinced that Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Vegas 2 will remain a pioneer in the highly competitive first person shooter genre, bringing more of what Rainbow Six fans love to the table.”

Rainbow Six Vegas 2 Screenshot

The highly anticipated sequel to the winner of numerous awards, including IGN’s 2006 Best First Person Shooter and Best Online Game, Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Vegas 2 will push the franchise to new heights by adding new gameplay features and even more stunning visuals. Players will encounter an intense solo campaign that uses new tactical possibilities in various locations around Sin City. As expected with one of the pioneer franchises for online multiplayer Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Vegas 2 will also break new ground in both co-op and adversarial modes, while providing unprecedented interaction between the solo and multiplayer modes.

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