EZ Guides

The Games of the Decade

Copyright © 2010 ICE Games Ltd

ISBN  978-1-907649-44-8

Contents

Rise Of The Machines

From Pong to Today

A Gaming Retrospective

2000 - 2009

10 Years of Playstation 2

A decade of delights

The Games of the Decade

Our picks from the genres

Playstation 3 / Xbox 360

The best of...

The Rise and Rise of the Nintendo Wii

Nintendo's sensor-tive side

Nintendo Wii

The best of...

PSP vs. DS

The gloves are off!

Nintendo DS

The best of...

PSP

The best of...

Virtual Reality

Is this the future of gaming?

Gamerholics Anonymous

50 reasons why you might be addicted to gaming

Rise Of The Machines

From Pong to Today

In the late 70's, everyone marvelled at a revolutionary new computer game that allowed a square ball to bounce between two rectangular blocks, in the style of table tennis. Simply called Pong, it had the equivalent impact of a new Zelda game released today.

Pong was the first computer game that took the world by storm. Some thought it nothing more than a fad that would be forgotten the following year - after all, computers were the size of fridges weren't they? Who would want one of those in their house? Well, the gaming arena is now a $10 billion a year industry full of every kind of game you could wish for: games for little girls, games for 30-something men, gambling games, memory games for old people, violent games, funny games, memory games for old people, games about games. The list goes on. Every year the market gets bigger with more consoles, more powerful PCs and broader interactive possibilities via the internet.

In the 70's, the closest thing we had to the consoles of today was a pinball machine in the local arcade. These were coin operated and based on a mechanical system rather than anything electronic. Slowly, games like Pong (created by Atari in 1972) replaced old-fashioned pinball machines, but it would be another five years before such games would be available to play at home. Then, Atari sold nearly twenty thousand copies of Pong and it was the most popular game of its type. That is until Taito created Space Invaders in 1978 and sparked other companies to enter the fray. The same year Atari hit back with Asteroids and as the 70's became the 80's, colour games like Pac-Man became the next big thing, replacing the already stagnant black and white outer space Defender format.

Almost thirty years after its debut, Pac-Man remains one of the all-time favourites amongst gamers. It's still regularly played as a flash-game online, downloaded on mobile phones and the old arcade machines are prized collector's items (although The Guiness World Records maintain that Space Invaders is the highest ranking arcade game). Pac-Man was one of the main selling points for Atari when they released the first commercially viable gaming console in 1977: The Atari 2600.

Such was Atari's confidence of the 2600, that the rights to E.T. The Movie were snapped up and a game was rushed out to cash in on the film's success. But E.T. Ended up flopping so badly that hundreds of thousands of unsold units were buried in a landfill in New Mexico and it's widely considered one of the main reasons for the video game crash of 1983.

Two years later, Nintendo put gaming back in the green with the American release of the Nintendo Entertainment System, or NES for short. A wealth of games were available and these helped push Nintendo to the front of the console war, up until the Sega Mega Drive (aka the Genesis) arrived in 1990 and temporarily stole their thunder, thanks in part to a certain blue hedgehog in '91. But for five solid years, games like Donkey Kong, The Legend of Zelda, Wild Gunman, Mega Man and, perhaps most iconically, Super Mario Bros were the must-haves of the 80's.

It's worth noting that, apart from the light-gun controlled Wild Gunman, which dated rather quickly, all of these NES games remain strong selling names in the gaming world today. Donkey Kong Jet Race, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess and Super Mario Galaxy being just a few of their most recent outings, showing that if a game is strong enough, its name will stay in the public consciousness for decades or more. Of course, this will be in part thanks to the nostalgic gamers who have followed the titles since their origin, but as the newer editions remain strong, they will naturally attract younger gamers that won't be largely familiar with their history.

The first home computers such as the 8-bit Sinclair ZX Spectrum, Amstrad CPC and the Commodore 64 were more like the PCs we know today, although they were clunky, had no Windows-style user-interface and apart from playing games the only other thing you could do on them was type (or write code to create your own games). While consoles like The Atari 2600 used cartridges, home computers ran games on floppy disks or separate cassette players. These were prone to glitches and god help you if you scratched or snapped the cassette tape itself. Sometimes, getting a tape game to load successfully felt like a triumph on par with, say, completing Oblivion nowadays. It often felt like it took as long as that too.

Consoles were relegated to 'fun', arcade-style games, while home computers attempted a slightly more cerebral approach, with things like flight simulation games. Alone in the Dark challenged the player to use their brain and help a character solve a mystery - something that hadn't really been done before, but today 'survival horror' is considered a standard genre (Resident Evil, Silent Hill and an updated AITD).

Advances in technology were being made each year, and it wasn't long before the first popular racing game, Pole Position, pioneered a rear-viewpoint driving style that was the benchmark for racing games, right up to the present (although these days you have a choice of several different viewpoints).

Since home computers lacked the focused graphics power of a console, interactive fiction games became more popular due to their reliability on text-based action (Snipes, Elite and Mystery House being prime examples). With time, typing controls gave way to point and click 3-D adventures like Maniac Mansion and Spasim which would inspire later exploratory classics like Doom. Real-time strategy games began in 1992 with the release of Dune II, in which the game was viewed from above, with a map running parallel. In games like this and Command & Conquer, you could explore in any direction and control your armies to conquer foes.

CD-ROM games were the laser-disc of their time. They didn't really catch on, but still managed to produce the odd success, such as Myst and Monkey Island. Meanwhile, in 1992 arcade beat 'em ups like Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat made public arcades temporarily cool again before being ported to indoor consoles. After that, the arcades largely died out, except for a resurgence in Japan in the late nineties/early noughties that incorporated the latest dancing and Guitar Hero style simulations, as well as old coin-op favourites.

In 1989 the Nintendo Game Boy made it possible to play games anywhere you liked and its trademark game Tetris was a massive hit. Other companies tried to follow with things like the Atari Lynx and the Sega Game Gear but these handhelds were chunkier and more expensive, with colour graphics proving a drain on battery life in the days before rechargeable hand-helds. The Game Boy was black and white until the Game Boy Colour arrived in 1998, followed up by the Game Boy Advance in 2001.

With the release of 16-bit consoles like the Mega Drive, Nintendo stepped up to the plate and replaced the NES with the SNES(Super Nintendo Entertainment System) in 1991. This is where the ball really got rolling, and competition was high. Atari released the 64-bit Jaguar system in the fall of 1993, but this proved too expensive, especially when people knew that the household names, Nintendo and Sega would soon follow. Within a year Sega released the Saturn, while Sony also made a sudden but hugely successful debut on the console scene with the Playstation. This and its brother the Playstation 2 would go on to be the best-selling consoles of the last decade.

The N64 by Nintendo followed in 1996 and held some impressive 64-bit gaming titles: Goldeneye, Super Mario 64 and The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. However, it was held back somewhat by Nintendo's decision to stick with the cartridge format, instead of moving to CD-based games. The Sega Dreamcast (the first 128-bit console) and Nintendo's next effort, the Gamecube stumbled from a lack of cross-over games, and they were aimed at a younger audience rather than the diehard gamer, who could find epics like Final Fantasy VII on the Playstation. Both still retain cult-like followings, however.

Seeing the runaway success that Sony had with the Playstation, Microsoft got in on the action with the X-Box in 2001 (2002 in Europe), using strong PC technology to create more powerful games. It's follow-up, the X-Box 360, was released in 2005 and capable of connecting to the internet for hi-def online gaming and playing DVDs. It would match up against the formidable Playstation 3 from Sony. It seemed as though Nintendo were being handed their hat and coat before they then released a unique gaming console that allowed players to control the action by spacial movement of their controllers. Though less powerful than the PS3 or 360, the interactive possibilities of the Wii saw sales rocket from its release in late 2006 through to 2007.

The Wii had the advantage of taking the same games from other platforms and converting the controls into their own style, so you could aim your gun for Call of Duty 3, shake it to get rid of groping zombies on Resident Evil 4 and flick it to score a goal in Super Mario Charged Football. The potential not just for teenage boys, but for the whole family was simply huge. Fans of classic games were also drawn in by the Virtual Console, which allowed owners to download classic games from old console (Nintendo or otherwise) to their machine. The Nintendo DS also offered a wide range of hand-held brainteasers that have single-handedly cornered the market. Even games that once required the power of a weighty console can now easily fit in your pocket, Mario 64 being a prime example.

As 2008 draws to a close, the gaming industry is still expanding. New technology and new consoles appear every year, more powerful and less expensive than their replacements. Yet, for all the online multi-player games, and the improved graphics processors giving us more lifelike environments, it's telling that sometimes the simplest games remain the most popular.

Fan-sites are dedicated to the games that started it all: Donkey Kong, Mario, Dizzy The Egg, Tetris, Pac-Man...The list goes on. They swamp the wanted lists on download sites, are used as avatars in chat-rooms and adorn retro T-shirts. Go anywhere in the world and chances are most of the people you talk to will recognise Pac-Man. ALL of them will know Mario. So why in a modern gaming world where anything is possible do we still play the classics? Games with bad sound, basic design and repetitive levels?

Maybe because a good game defies the platform its released on. It's either addictive or it's not. Or maybe it's simply a case of the original being the best. In twenty years will the youth of today be wearing Resident Evil 4 T-shirts and downloading old Sims games to marvel at the archaic graphics? Only time will tell which of the current generation hi-def games will have a nostalgic pull for the children of the noughties the way we regard Pac-Man. But there's a good chance the names Mario, Zelda and Sonic will still be among them.

A Gaming Retrospective

2000 - 2010

A lot has happened in the space of a single decade of gaming.

The Y2K bug fizzled into nothing as the PS2 raised itself like a mighty behemoth above the cowering Dreamcast, roaring life into the DVD age and bringing an air of maturity to the Playstation generation. The PC market floundered and Microsoft struggled to become a force in home console gaming, while Nintendo reversed its fortunes to once again rule the roost.

Out of everything that has happened over the last decade, of all the business changes, development breakthroughs and, most importantly of them all, the games, what has been the most important year for gaming since the turn of the century?

2008 was certainly a great year for gaming, even if did end on a bittersweet note, with many a ruined Christmas thanks to the ruination wrought by Moneygeddon. With so many 2009 releases dropping like flies at the moment, we might not have another year like 2008 for a while, but at least we have it to thank for the massive growth of downloadable content and games, the continued rise of casual gaming's importance and the 360's New Xbox Experience, the first time a console has received a massive software and firmware retrofit.

It was also a fantastic year for sequels, with so many high profile follow-ups storming the charts; Devil May Cry 4 brought Dante to the next-gen and Ninja Gaiden II redefined the meaning of 'difficult'. Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots ended the Solid Snake era, while Gears of War 2 took the fight against the Locust to a new level, Fable II gave gamers more moral choices than ever before and Saints Row 2 provided a much cheerier alternative to the grim, broken American dream of Grand Theft Auto IV.

If any year from the past decade has promised so much but delivered far less, it has to be 2003. Following the rampant, unrelenting success of the GameBoy Advance, Nintendo continued its march into handheld saturation with the SP, a clamshell-style reinvention of the GBA. Despite its much maligned front-lit lighting system and the lack of a normal headphone jack, its design and success would end up paving the way for the DS, which would finally seal the fate of the GBA and the GameBoy name. Does anyone even remember the GameBoy Micro?

The Xbox was frought with problems from day one, from an overpriced launch, an oversized, unpopular controller and eventually some fire-hazard power cords, but Microsoft never gave up on its (almost literally) bulletproof black and green box. Xbox Live finally made its first strides in 2003, courting controversy over Return to Castle Wolfenstein: Tides of War having its downloadable content allegedly on the disc, rather than downloadable. The service was also very slow in adopting subscribers to its broadband-only, monthly charge system. It didn't help that 2003 was a lean year for Xbox exclusives, with Panzer Dragoon Orta, Project Gotham Racing 2 and Amped 2 being the only real must-haves.

The GameCube had its last true hurrah in 2003, as the future for the mini multiplayer purple cube was sadly grim once 2004 set in. 2003 was its finest year, with two notable big name titles attracting people: The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, the controversial-but-brilliant cel-shaded adventure for Link, and multiplayer mainstay Mario Kart: Double Dash. The little 'cube flourished, but its perception as a kid's console, lack of online features and dwindling numbers of games sealed its fate through the following year.

2001 is a definite front runner for the best 'noughty' year in gaming, simply because so much happened that shaped the whole industry for years to come. This was the year that Sega was finally squeezed out of the hardware market, announcing that the gaming hardcore's darling console, the Dreamcast, would be its swansong, although even to this day the internet is still abuzz with homebrew projects and unlicensed titles.

This was also the year that the GameCube and Xbox made their debuts in North America, but their releases would ultimately mean very little to Sony. PS2 sales started out strong, and continued to get stronger throughout 2001 thanks to a few key titles - perhaps you've heard of them. Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec during the summer, Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty later on in the year, and of course Grand Theft Auto 3. Although 2002's Vice City and 2004's San Andreas would go on to overshadow the game in terms of sales, the impact of GTA3 on gaming can never be understated. Any and every single free-roaming third-person shooter we play today be it Red Faction: Guerrilla, Saint's Row 2 or Crackdown, simply wouldn't be the same if Rockstar North hadn't pioneered its own unique mix of sandbox game-play, big budget storytelling and a great sense of humour.

2004 is a year infamous for being the true birth of PR overhype, thanks to the inescapable ilovebees.com alternative reality game (or ARG). This complicated, interactive storyline, although only tangentially linked to the Halo series, was a new and unique way of capturing people's imagination, alongside the usual marketing technique of drip-feeding videos, screenshots and information to drooling, desperate gamers itching for frags over the growing Xbox Live service. The Xbox had a golden year in 2004, despite increasing rumours Microsoft was already readying a replacement console.

Portable gaming received a shot in the arm during 2004, although the benefits of this boost weren't to be felt in Europe until 2005. Both the Nintendo DS and Sony PSP were revealed during 2004, promising to reinvigorate the handheld markets with differing approaches. The PSP, with its large widescreen, would be a multimedia powerhouse featuring video and audio playback via UMD and memory stick, alongside games playing on a system only slightly less powerful than a PS2. The DS would be the first indication of the direction Nintendo was to take with the Wii, offering a more 'hands on' approach with its touch-screen portable, giving it a more personal, approachable angle that has made the console such a hit with female and casual gamers. With the DS Lite's sleeker look and the launch of the Brain Age (aka Dr Kawashima's Brain Training) games, the DS found an even older audience willing to open up to gaming.

It was also the year that Half-Life 2 hit PCs, following a year-long delay due to German hacker Axel Gembe cracking Valve Software's internal network and leaking the source code for the... Source engine. At the time of its release, Half-Life 2 marked the debut of Steam, Valve's proprietary game client that would eventually become the huge game store, community and game launching hub it now is, but it was far from plain sailing at first, following system bottlenecks, server downtime and the forced downloads of sizeable updates.

No year in the past decade has quite matched 2005 for sheer anticipation, though. This was the year that all of the current generation of home consoles were finally revealed to the public for the first time - although the Wii would still be the Revolution until 2006's E3, the Wii-mote was revealed for the first time at the Tokyo Game Show.

Microsoft kicked off the craziness by getting former hobbit Elijah Wood to unveil the Xbox 360 at a special MTV event before E3 '05, following months and months of speculation about a new Xbox. No one was quite expecting that Microsoft would stagger the world by revealing the console would be out before the end of the year, however. Only history will show whether it was a brave but stupid or a shrewd and successful strategy to release before the Playstation 3, but the dash to retail and lack of development time is likely to be remembered as the key cause behind the Red Ring of Death.

Sony retaliated a few days later at their pre-E3 conference, unveiling the suspiciously slim PS3 and the hilarious boomerang SixAxis, before showing the world the most controversial PS3 demonstration videos of all time. Claiming to be real in-game footage, videos for Killzone 2, Motorstorm and a Formula 1 game raised the ire of many gamers as the footage turned out to be pre-rendered, even if Killzone 2 eventually ended up getting pretty close.

Things got even better in 2006, with Microsoft desperate to eek out a lead over the PS3, which itself would eventually see a release in Japan and North America that November. The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion got the ball rolling for Microsoft, with a little help from Tom Clancy's GRAW, and the 360 spent the year building up as much strength as it could amid hardware shortages and rumours of hardware problems persisting into the new year. The PS2's dominance was clearly coming to an end during 2006, but Sony's stalwart had a strong run that carried on through to the PS3's first few months of life Europe.

Lara Croft finally returned to our lives in 2006, with Crystal Dynamics breathing life back into the Tomb Raider franchise with Legend, while a new legend was born in Marcus Fenix when Gears of War launched in November. The true stars of the year were Nintendo's Wii launch titles, such as the fantastic Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, which sold with one in every four launch consoles, and Wii Sports, the most successful video game of all time. It helps that it was bundled with every console, mind.

Yet none of these can claim to be the best year in gaming this decade. They were good years, certainly, but most were no prize winners. Without a doubt, 2007 was the best year in gaming this decade. There were no major console announcements, E3 was a limp and floppy excuse for trade show, but 2007 was a fantastic year to be involved in the games industry, and a truly brilliant year to be a gamer.

The Playstation 3 launched in Europe to the sort of resounding chorus usually reserved for internet forums: 'meh'. The PS3 launch was far from a disaster, but it wasn't helped by the ludicrously high launch price and scenes of midnight openings attended by mere handfuls of gamers, rather than a street-spanning throng desperate to get their hands on the latest tech.

Just two months earlier, World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade broke all first-day records to become the fastest selling video game of all time, shifting 2.4 million copies in just one day. Wrath of the Lich King went on to break its record with 2.8 the following year, but at the time its impact was unprecedented, especially for an MMO expansion pack.

2007 also went down in history as the Summer of the Red Ring, with unprecedented numbers of 360s succumbing to the painful-sounding hardware failure, losing Microsoft a rumoured $1 billion in repair bills and thousands upon thousands of fans. Yet it was also the year that the 360 fought back stronger than ever, thanks to a hardware reshuffle and one small, insignificant little game most people had never heard of. Halo 3.

In all seriousness, it was the biggest video game launch of all time, possibly the biggest 'event' launch of the year. It was an audacious, expensive, star-studded event which made the other entertainment industries look on nervously, truly fearful of the financial clout that video games were capable of generating. Microsoft created the biggest console game release of all time with Halo 3 on September 25th 2007, even though it didn't sell as fast as The Burning Crusade and the series is regarded as good, rather than great.

The Wii continued to steamroller its way into people's hearts, flying off the shelves all year long as Nintendo continually failed to match supply with demand. They made up for their shortages by Christmas, with the superb Super Mario Galaxy winning over everyone who played it, and introducing casual gamers to Mario and Sonic, teaming up for the first time at the Olympic Games.

Steam finally came into its own with the release of The Orange Box, the mega collection of Half-Life 2 and its episodes, Portal and Team Fortress 2, while Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare took the Activision series further than ever before, becoming one the biggest multiplayer games of all time. 2007 was also the year the Guitar Hero series finally hit the big time, while Rock Band (from the original developers of GH) made its US debut.

There were so many great games released during 2007, most people are only now finally getting around to finishing them: Crackdown, God of War 2, Bioshock, World in Conflict, Project Gotham Racing 4, Assassin's Creed, The Witcher, Uncharted: Drake's Fortune, Forza Motorsport 2, The Darkness, Metroid Prime 3, Stranglehold...the list of great games goes on and on.

So, what do you think has been the best year in gaming since 2000? Was 2007 a golden year for you too, or was maybe 2003 a glorious era for your gaming?

10 Years of Playstation 2

A Decade Of Delights

The past 10 years have brought up many things; changes in fashion, the decline of print and physical music media, and that confusing feeling you get whenever you see Pixie Lott on television - is she hot, or just one of those girls from school who was a complete bitch? One particularly important thing that it did bring us was the Playstation 2.

Released in October of 2000, the PS2 saw Sony's new-found dominance of the console scene step up a gear, and provided some of the most memorable moments in gaming. Here, our team looks back on several key games from the PS2 era, including some of their personal highlight moments for us all to remember. In alphabetical order:

Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King

I'm not usually one to enjoy a Square Enix RPG. In fact, turn based fighting as a whole tends to be a major no no for me, but with Dragon Quest I can make an exception. A major exception at that, as I have a special place in my gaming heart for Journey of the Cursed King, as it's delivered in a charming way, with appealing weapons and powers and a unique bunch of foes to kill.

After 30 hours of gripping story and awesome game play, and just when you think you're at the final boss, the game informs you that actually you're only 1/3 of the way through. Naturally that's a great thing as this is the type of game you never want to see end. In addition to the god knows how many hours, you also have the added bonus of the dragon trials and the arena. Add to this an alternate ending and this is a game that, actually, doesn't want itself to end either. The best RPG on the Playstation 2, and one that stands the trying test of time.

Fahrenheit

Fahrenheit has earned a place in this list purely due to its brave and intuitive game play. Until recently, the style adopted in this title was barely touched upon and this title almost single handedly created the gaming genre, Paranormal Thriller. What I remember most about Fahrenheit was the feeling I got when making crucial decisions that helped shape the entire end outcome of the storyline. This led to each individual experience being unique and personal. With Lucas Kane, I remember being horrified when hearing of a series of brutal murders - each carrying the familiar trait of normal people killing complete strangers in public places.

The switching from one character to another is another feature that sticks in the memory, as does the extensive use of all the available controls on the PS2 controller. I also remember getting slightly annoyed at points when my sequences didn't seem to be registering (of course we had to wait for the 'Ready' prompt!) but these being counteracted by the intense fight scenes. The genre defining content was a landmark in the PS2's illustrious life.

Final Fantasy X

The 00's were not the best for the Final Fantasy series. In all we saw four releases, none a bigger letdown than the simply awful FFXII. However one shining light saved the franchise during this time and that came in the form of Final Fantasy X. The main memory I get when remembering X was the fresh and bright environment of Zanarkand. Wakka is the first character that automatically springs to mind with his lessons on Blitzball, triggering the feeling of utter incompetence as he strives to teach you the ways at first. I loved Blitzball and I remember being more satisfied after winning a match than I had done when fulfilling the title's other objectives.

Yuna also has a place in the mind, triggering the remembrance of getting all alpha-male and feeling the need to protect her at all times. Whilst nothing new came in terms of gameplay, it was a relief to see the series get back to an extensive and enjoyable plot line. Although this was interrupted on numerous occasions by being dragged into fights whilst exploring the huge map (was it me or did this happen more than usual in X?). Final Fantasy is easily the best in the series this millennium...so far!

The Getaway

Time for a controversial choice now, as Sony's GTA-wannabe certainly divided opinions amongst PS2 gamers. Looking back, I'd like to think that a general compromise could be reached, along the lines of acceptance that the game's fully realised map of London was flat-out awesome, but the clunky game-play, dodgy stealth sections and lousy "cock-er-ney geezers" script let it down. While the idea that leaning up against a wall for a few moments was enough to cure gunshot wounds is thoroughly ridiculous in reality, it can't be denied that several other games have taken up the regenerating health path since then. The Getaway's legacy will ultimately be a case of what might have been, rather than what was - especially given that Part 3 is unlikely to ever see the light of day. The clear highlight of this one has to be driving down roads you know, backwards. Or at the very least, getting through those one of ****ing ****y ****hole stealth sections.

God of War

Not to be confused with Gears of War (because quite frankly, save for two words in the title, they're nothing alike), God of War was the next generation of hack and slash adventuring, and the game many will claim was responsible for the influx of QTE sections in games (it was doing it long before Resi 4 chipped in). Kratos' adventure was balls-to-the-wall action sequences, mixed with precarious platform running and jumping, and the occasional puzzle to keep your mind active. An equally epic sequel followed, and in just a couple of weeks, the third game will give undecided gamers a further reason to lay down 250 8-legged aquatic creatures for a PS3. Highlights are many, but who can forget seemingly defeating the final boss, only to be thrown into another fight against multiple clones of yourself - followed by yet another boss fight afterwards?!?!

Gran Turismo 3

GT3 was (and forever will be) the very first PS2 game that I bought, purchased on its release date along with the console itself, and boy did I ever invest some hours into that baby (admittedly, the only choice I had was that, FIFA 2001 and my PS1 back catalogue at the time). The detail on the vehicles was staggering at the time, the sheer level of competitions, cars and upgrades breathtaking, and the ability to win and drive Formula 1-style cars made this truly one for the ages as far as driving sims go. When you consider how much longer it's taken for Poliphony to make GT5 in comparison to the sublime 3, it does leave one wondering just how awesome it could possibly be. That being said, the engine was beginning to feel tired by the time GT4 rolled up to the start line (after a couple of over-priced spin-offs), so perhaps GT's time has now passed. My highlight for this one? Pulling into the pits during an endurance race and waking up 20 minutes later.

Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas

When Grand Theft Auto almost single handedly created the term 'Sandbox' for gaming, the third main title created all sorts of bench marks. Vice City followed and then San Andreas came along and created an entirely new set of standards, some of which fans believe have still not been matched. One thing that I will always remember about San Andreas is the feel you get when being reacquainted with your family and home city. The mood created was terrific and the orange shaded skyline reminded you of those lazy summer evenings, only this time you had a gun and a thirst for revenge on the brain. Another memory that will live forever is the feeling of getting my very first tattoo in the game.

There was no reason for it, I only did it purely because I could. Gang Wars was another stand out element and the 'big and clever' feeling you got when you first own your own turf was awesome. The multiplayer mode added for rampages was yet another cool feature and I'll always remember that feeling of dread when your opponent finds that rocket launcher before you do. Never before has legging it as fast as possible entered my mind so quickly. This is why San Andreas is still seen as The Don of the Grand Theft Auto series amongst its fan base.

ICO

Unless you are hardcore, there's a big chance that you've never played this gem before. If this is so, then you're missing out big time and should be ashamed of yourself. This action / adventure / platformer stands above any other with its sheer beauty and charm. As Ico, you must find a way out of the puzzled castle with the princess in your hand. It's true that partner characters generally suck and know how to ruin a game, but with this princess you really will care about her. It's a short game, but the clever puzzles, and extremely likeable character will send tears streaming down your face when the credits roll. Not something you should be admitting on the internet, but some games are worth the confession. ICO is one of them.

Manhunt

In the PS2 era, following the success of GTA 3, having the Rockstar Games stamp on your front cover was often a guarantee of success, regardless of quality - State of Emergency, we're looking at you specifically. But that badge also usually came arm in arm with something else, controversy. Few games courted this more than Manhunt, though the worst would come long after the game's release, rather than before it. Ultimately, this mixture of shadowy stealth and all out shooting action was a decent enough affair with a few overly gory moments. Its use of dark locations, creepy masked enemies and (initially) restrictive weapons, make for a great atmosphere, one that spilled out of the game, leaving players incredibly wary of anyone sneaking up behind them for weeks afterwards. The highlight moment has to be either the tense showdown with super freak Pigsy, or finally getting revenge on Brian Cox's sinister director by chasing him down with a chainsaw.

Max Payne

Having never really been a PC gamer, I was relieved when Max Payne came to the Playstation 2. Reviews and screenshots of the PC version were enough to make me want it and my decision was justified on first play through. It's dark, noir-style setting created an atmosphere that was unparalleled at the time of release and, when coupled with the black-hearted plot line, a game of pure quality was born. That was until the ridiculously frustrating Blood Trail sections kicked in and we got a first hand glimpse of life through the eyes of Max Payne. Not only was it difficult to see just what the hell was going on, the feeling of annoyance when falling to a grizzly fate was something that will live long in the memory of this title.

One stand out element, aside from the general, all empowering feel you got from controlling Max, was Bullet Time. With just the press of the L1 stick you were sent spiralling into a John Woo style slow motion scene where you were able to shoot your opponents accurately one by one. Sheer genius. We still look back on Max Payne with a great deal of fondness and we can only look forward to the third instalment.

Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence

Raiden fan or not, there's no denying that Metal Gear Solid 2 was great, but it's the third instalment of the Solid saga that proved to be more memorable. Taking the role of Big Boss in a 1960's Soviet jungle proved to be a genius idea from series creator Hideo Kojima. Not only was it awesome to stand in the shoes of the big man, but the story and the setting proved to be the most fascinating yet. Using the jungle as your camouflage delivered tense game play making every sneak through the trees an exciting one.

The special edition, Subsistence, was the one to get. Not only did it contain a whole host of features, including multiplayer, it also gave you the option to switch to 3D camera. This option alone aided Metal Gear Solid 3 to be one of the best games on the Playstation 2. The one-on-one sniper battle against The End tested your patience and your stealth skill. Sneaking up behind him and ending the battle with a well placed bullet defines satisfaction and defines Metal Gear Solid, if you're awesome enough to pull it off. Even after all these years "I'm still in a dream, Snake Eater!"

Okami

In Clover Studios short life span, they managed to develop a few outstanding games. None more so than Okami. On the surface it may seem like a Zelda rip off. The fact that you control a wolf could be seen as Twilights Princess's annoying bits. Not so. Even if it is a Zelda clone, Zelda is a great game to copy and lead developer Hideki Kamiya (Viewtiful Joe, Bayonetta) is the man to do it well.

Okami brings together great missions, awesome visuals and the type of game play that forces you to play on into the early hours. The Celestial Brush was more than enough to bring originality into the familiarity, as you had to paint your way through obstacles and enemies. The game was excellently brought over to the Wii, but it's the PS2 that started it, and although a DS sequel is in the works, if ever a game deserved a true console follow-up, it's Okami.

Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time

It was a great day when Ubisoft announced they were bringing back the prince in full 3D glory. It was an ever better day when we realised that it was an awesome game. Ok, so the combat was as repetitive as a CD with dirt on it, but if you go into a platformer expecting top-notch action then you're bound to be disappointed. Much like Tomb Raider, Sands of Time keeps combat to a bare minimum and focuses on ridiculously hard platform puzzling. Just how we like out platformers. If you did make a silly mistake, however, which is normal, you could rewind time with the power of the sands and try again. As fun as the two PS2 sequels where, they never came close to the greatness of this one. Let's hope The Forgotten Sands stands hand in hand with this when it's released in the Summer.

Pro Evolution Soccer series

While FIFA has always been the runaway winner in the sales charts, during the PS2 era, Pro Evolution Soccer was the must-have football game on a yearly basis. The early groundwork had been laid in the PS1 era with Konami's ISS Pro series, but the move into 128-bit territory, along with the change in name (distinguishing it from the lagging ISS brand) saw a six year period of unbreakable dominance on the pitch. Over the years, small subtle changes affected the way the game played, to the point that those who argued it was just more of the same were shocked by just how much things had changed when going back to the first title. For many, the peak of the series was Pro Evolution Soccer 4 - ironically the year before PES finally got its hands on the some juicy Premier League team licenses that it had been craving for so longer. Ultimately though, no matter which version you were playing, the game came into its own on booze-fuelled multiplayer nights with the lads. A personal highlight? Being near blind drunk and still able to defeat my two much more sober opponents.

Project Zero (Fatal Frame)

Back in the day survival horror was all about guns and knives and deranged monsters. Along came Project Zero (Fatal Frame in the US) to change all that. Rather than put you in the shoes of military trained special forces soldier against slow moving zombies, Project Zero shoves you in an abandoned haunted mansion as a vulnerable young girl. Your only defence against the many ghosts wanting to make you one of them: A camera.

Of course, it can be said that the action of the camera is the same as a gun: point and shoot, albeit a lot less on the 'hardcore' side. The idea is to inflict a fatal frame upon a ghost, which happens when they're up close and on the attack. The difference with Project Zero, and other survival horror titles, is that when you do release the shutter, the ghouls face is up close and personal with yours in first-person viewpoint. Not nice when the said face is the spiritual remains of a rotting Japanese man. Add to this a creepy location and lack of camera film and things become a whole lot more scarier.

Project Zero Spawned two excellent sequels, plus a fourth part which will never see the light of day in Europe or America (Keep your eyes peeled for the import review). Even to this day, the series stands shoulder to shoulder with Silent Hill as the scariest franchise to ever grace video game consoles.

Resident Evil 4

Very early screenshots of Resident Evil 4 looked promising, albeit a little stale: Leon walking alone in the gloomy Umbrella facility, being chased down by a hooked shadow. It really looked as if Resident Evil had turned to Silent Hill and Project Zero for inspiration. This is not something that concerned me, as I'm a big fan of both, but Shinji Mikami had other ideas. He knew the current formula was running out of steam and canned this completely (Resi 1.5 all over again).

Back to the drawing board and many months later, Resident Evil was reinvented. Zombies: Scrapped. Static Camera: Scrapped. Umbrella: Scrapped. Survival Horror: Altered. New Setting: Check. New Story: Check. Action: Double check. The only downside to this awesome reinvention was the tacky story, which introduced ridiculous characters and OTT settings, but the game play was enough to justify the means.

Sure, Resident Evil 4 debuted on the Gamecube but the PS2 version came packed with enough extra content to make it just as relevant on the console. This included the Ada story, which pinpoints sections of the game from her point of view, in addition to several new weapons. I had no issues with buying the game a second time and playing it several times over.

Shadow of the Colossus

The spiritual successor to Ico may not have taken the sales charts by storm, but this enchanting game deserves every piece of credit given to it. Fumito Ueda and his Team Ico colleagues managed to create a game that was so atmospheric and so beautiful that it can almost be considered an 'experience' and not a game at all.

The 16 colossi on your hit list each offered a unique and breathtaking challenge, from under water battles to fights in the sky, no two bouts were the same. Ico was a bit of a tear jerker and Colossus bettered that. Even if you have a heart of stone, you'll be getting the tissues out by the end of this one, before starting over and doing it all again. Bring on The Last Guardian!

Silent Hill 2: Director's Cut

If this article was celebrating the life of the Playstation 1 then I'd be singing the praises of the original Silent Hill, which is easily one of the freakiest games ever made. If you had told me back then that the next gen sequel would better that, I wouldn't have believed you. I would have been silly, because if ever a game is so freaky as well as so psychologically and emotionally draining it is Silent Hill 2.

Director's Cut (Platinum) extended the game play by including the Maria scenario, in which players could learn a lot more about her before her meeting with James in the main campaign. The short scenario could be completed in an hour or two, but it didn't stop it from being an eerie and revealing add on. Play it with the lights out and volume high and you'll forget you're even playing a game. To this day I class Silent Hill 2 as one of my all time favourites, even if the ending did make me want to slash my wrists.

The Simpsons: Hit and Run

The PS2-era saw Simpsons games following Patty and Selma's advice by leeching off the popularity of other games. We saw clones of Crazy Taxi and Tony Hawk set in Springfield (and the less said about the latter, the better), but it was the attempt at doing GTA Simpson-style that proved to be the most successful, featuring in or around the PS2 Top 10 for around 3 years, and it was actually quite good to boot. Admittedly, you didn't get a full, free-roaming Springfield, rather a series of split up areas that you could walk around at will (with day and night versions) looking for missions and side quests. You never actually killed anyone either - even hitting someone with your car just made them bounce down the road. Still, despite that it possessed plenty of fun moments, and a great script, even if the dodgy 3D Simpsons characters in the cut-scenes looked a little weird. What better highlight than running around Springfield as Evil Homer, devil costume and all?

SingStar

Let's face it, none of us really want to be accountants, shop workers, builders, plumbers or journalists - we all want to be rock stars. Ultimately though, we know that ship is never going to sail, so there are two options. The first is to go on the X-Factor and make a complete fool out of yourself ("oh please, Simon, please, please, Simon, you have to, it's my dream"), and the second - for those of us with a shred of sanity and dignity - is to play SingStar. From pop classics to stadium rock anthems, via 80s cheese of course, SingStar allowed you warble the hits and giving you that ever awesome highlight of pretending, if only for a few short minutes, that you were Simon Le Bon or Kylie. No prizes for guessing which one I was - I've still got the gold hotpants to prove it.

Of course Lara Croft made the list:

Tomb Raider: Anniversary

Film remakes tend to suck, as they usually fail to capture the mood of the original. Not something that often happens with video games however. Fact: Resident Evil remake on Gamecube is much better than the original. Fact 2: Tomb Raider Anniversary on Playstation 2 is much better than the original. Why? They both manage to recreate the original while improving every aspect of it. Tomb Raider Anniversary brings triangular breasted Lara to the smooth graphics of modern day. Also, every area may be very familiar, but the puzzles have been improved to create the ultimate action platformer. Sure, the infamous meeting with T-Rex may not be as breathtaking as it was back in '96, but that's only because it was expected. It's still awesome to match the skills of Lara up against the king lizard and the challenging platforming puzzles. Fact 3: Lara Croft > Everyone else.

WWE Smackdown: Here Comes The Pain

While there have been five Smackdown games released since this, the fifth in the series, long-term fans will still challenge anyone who dares claim that there was a better SD game than this particular one (although Smackdown vs Raw 2006 certainly runs it close). It boasted perhaps the best cross-over roster to date - this is the only game where you'll see Cena, Edge, Batista, Orton, Rock, Austin, HHH, Angle, Undertaker (twice), HBK, Nash, Jericho, Lesnar, Goldberg and some other Canadian guy all line-up together (Hulk Hogan and the Ultimate Warrior were removed due to contract disputes), a never-ending, brand-split season with fully integrated title belts and surprise trades, a new control system, and the debut of the Elimination Chamber match. Highlights? How about surviving the Chamber on the hardest difficulty setting, starting at number 1, or being able to have damn near the most star-studded Royal Rumble you could possibly image.

I'm sure you'll agree, this is one heck of a list. If you haven't already ticked these off your 'played' list, then you owe it to yourself and your ageing PS2 console to do so.

The Games of the Decade

Our picks from the genres

How things can change in a decade. 10 years ago, GTA was a top down game, a Red Ring of Doom was a result of a dodgy curry, and you'd do a whole lot of jiggling and waving about before you had a Wii.  It certainly can't be denied that the gaming industry has come on strong this past decade, as the “Playstation Generation” evolved and demanded more from its interactive entertainment.  Now, as we arrive at 2010, the time has come to take a look back at the last 10 years of gaming, and determine what title stands out amongst the many we've seen.

Of course, it would be foolish to just grab one title from out of the air, so together our team sat down and discussed several of the most popular gaming genres, selecting stand-out games from amongst them, before finally making that all important decision as to what was the Game of the Decade.

Action / Adventure

Choosing our favourite action game of the decade was no easy task. After all it's the genre that covers so many games, top quality games at that. So what actions and adventures has the last decade taken us on? Well, when it comes to adventure we can always rely on Lara Croft to deliver, well sort of. Lara began the year with Tomb Raider Chronicles (2000), a game that was severely lacking in originality. By the time Angel of Darkness (2003) was released it seemed Lara really had died a poor unfortunate death. Of course a change of developer and some fresh ideas was all she needed. Tomb Raider re-discovered its form with Legend (2006) and the stand out best Tomb Raider of the decade Anniversary (2007), a excellent remake of Lara's original adventure. We're hoping for bigger and better things for Lara's next decade, but we don't expect her to age much, and rightly so.

The decade also the saw the 3D return of the 1989 Amiga classic the Prince of Persia, with his adventures with time manipulation. Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (2003) was a fine mix of platform, action and adventure and even though it spawned two sequels, the first one was by far the best in the series and one of the best action / adventure games of the decade. We look forward to the next chapter in the Sands series in 2010 with Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands, we certainly haven't forgotten about them.

There's no point in talking about action / adventure if we're not going to talk Zelda. Not too many people were happy to hear that Link will be taking his adventure to the high seas, until they played it of course. The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker (2003) turned out to be an outstanding adventure. The best high seas adventure of the decade on any console. Link returned again at the very end of the Gamecube's life (and the beginning of the Wii) for another mesmerising adventure in Twilight Princess (2006), but I don't think anyone can deny the sheer quality of Wind Waker, whether you're a Zelda fan or not.

While it's worth mentioning that Assassin's Creed 2 (2009), God of War (2005), Gears of War (2006) and BioShock (2007) were all also excellent action / adventure titles, one game stands out as being the best of the decade. 

Shadow of the Colossus (2006)

The spiritual successor to the equally as excellent Ico (2002) may not have taken the sales charts by storm, but this enchanting game deserves every piece of credit given to it. Fumito Ueda and his Team Ico colleagues managed to create a game that was so atmospheric and so beautiful that it can almost be considered an 'experience' and not a game at all. The objective is simple: There are 16 colossi inhabiting the world, slay them all and your girlfriend will be brought back to life. Each giant was different and taking them on caused tension that no other game managed to deliver. Ico was a bit of a tear jerker and Colossus bettered that. Even if you have a heart of stone, you'll be getting the tissues out at the end of this one. The best action / adventure game of the decade, or perhaps the best game ever made! If you haven't played it yet, find it, play it and see why it's the worthy winner.

Platform

What a decade it has been for the platform genre. We've lost count of how many times the bar has been raised in terms of quality and you only have to look at what we were treated to in the year 2000 and compare it to what we have in 2009 for this to become apparent. One of the most recognisable characters to come from the genre has to be Crash Bandicoot. In all we have seen him in seven titles during the last decade, including his current gen leap with the release of Crash Of The Titans (2007). Whilst on the subject of lovable critters we can't help but mention Spyro who has kept up with the times, most recently with Dawn Of The Dragon. Ratchet And Clank also deserve a mention with no fewer than nine adventures featuring the two being released this decade.

2005 saw the introduction of a new platformer with Psychonauts, a game that went on to win various awards, including the Best Original game Award at the 2006 E3 convention. Kameo (2005) was also a hit and followed later in the year. Whenever the subject of platform games is raised, one name is the first to come out of many a mouth. That's correct, Mario, the gaming icon kicked off his decade of console releases with Super Mario Sunshine (2002) for the Gamecube, and later made a triumphant return to 2D with New Super Mario Bros (2006-09) on DS and Wii. Bettering this title however was our Platform Game Of The Decade.

Super Mario Galaxy (2007)

After a five year absence from our consoles, Mario came back with an intergalactic bang in Super Mario Galaxy, the little Italian's first venture on the Wii. It incorporated all the classical aspects we have come to expect from the legendary series but with a graphical and controlling upgrade. Set in outer space and with a familiar focus on star collecting, Galaxy utilised the Wii Remote and Nunchuck controls excellently providing a new, innovative and even more enjoyable Mario experience than any other we have experienced in recent times. Super Mario Galaxy stands head and shoulders above this decade's competition in the Platform genre in almost every department.

Sandbox

When the year 2000 rolled around, the sandbox, or open world, genre was largely unheard of, but nowadays you can't move for the damn things.  Of course, there's one clearly dominant franchise amongst the many games, which was Rockstar's Grand Theft Auto.  It was GTA 3 (2001) that truly got the ball rolling, followed later on by Vice City (2002) and San Andreas (2004).  Several other pretenders to the throne emerged - the likes of Saints Row (2006), Mercenaries (2005), Just Cause (2006) and True Crime: Streets of LA/New York (2003/05) all spring to mind (not all of them good, mind you).  

Superheroes like Spider-Man (2004-08) and Superman (2006) finally had the freedom to move around big cities instead of playing disjointed levels, and even the Holy Land and Renaissance Italy could be explored, courtesy of the Assassin's Creed games.  Closer to home, Sony's GTA rival, The Getaway had us roaming the streets of London. Sadly, the attempts to move the Driver series into open-world play were often met with derision.

Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (2004)

The biggest selling video game of all time, San Andreas took what GTA 3 and Vice City did, and stuck a great big magnifying glass over the top. 4 may have been the better looking title, but it lacked exciting things to do when the story was over (aside from the two DLC pieces, but those were technically separate games).  When a save file clocks in with over 70 hours of play, and the 100% mark is nowhere near being reached, you've got an epic on your hands. Our recent “5 Years Later” review showed that while many other games in the genre have come and gone, San Andreas remains on top.

Racing

A staple of gaming for many, many years, the racing game genre is one that has many cast members but only a select group of stars.  The serious racers would find their joy in the likes of Forza (2005-09), Gran Turismo (2000-09) or Race Driver (2000-09, various evolutions), Rally fans would get their kicks with the Colin McRae (2000-09) series, despite his untimely passing, while those who didn't know a carburettor from a crank-shaft could still have an awesome night of fun playing Mario Kart (2001, 03, 05 and 08).  

Meanwhile, the long-running Test Drive series evolved into an open world, online racer with Test Drive: Unlimited (2006).  Those who spent more time smashing up their cars than driving them sensibly had an outlet with the Burnout (2001-08) franchise, which was snapped up by EA to sit alongside the briefly very popular, but always annual Need for Speed games. 

Forza 3 (2009)

Is the best racing game of the decade really one that's only been out a few months?  Perhaps if Sony had pulled their fingers out and finished Gran Turismo 5 at some point in the last five years then maybe it might not have been.  As things stand, Forza 3 is pretty much the ultimate mixture of racing titles, featuring a wide selection of cars and tracks, races long and short, the return of point-to-point races from the first game in the franchise, both detailed and quick upgrading options depending on your motoring knowledge, fun customisation and online sharing modes, and even the ability to rewind time and correct mistakes, rather than having to restart the whole race (though they can thank Codemasters for that option).  

First-Person Shooter

The beginning of the decade and the beginning of the original Xbox saw the first-person shooter genre get off with a bang with Halo: Combat Evolved (2001). Master Chief captured the minds of gamers worldwide spawning two sequels, further spin-offs and a massive online following. Halo was known as the best FPS and even Killzone (2004) tried and failed to beat its quality and popularity.

It probably wasn't until Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (2007) that the new FPS popularity contest was taken away from the chief. There's no need to go into detail on how much Modern Warfare 2 (2009) captured the sales charts by storms, becoming the must own game of all time! Of course, that doesn't make it the best first-person shooter ever. No Sir, that goes to Valve's masterpiece...

Half Life 2 (2004)

Forget Master Chief and modern warfare, it's all about Gordon Freeman and his battle against Black Mesa. Half Life 2 slowly draws you in by idly taking you through City 17 with very little action. Before you know it your shooting out against foes, hitting creatures with crowbars, and taking on War of the World style tripods. Whether it's stalking the night streets of Ravenholm or cruisin' Highway 17, this game is a master class of FPS from beginning to end. Modern Warfare could learn a thing or two about Half Life 2's structure and pacing and Halo can learn plenty from it's variety. The best FPS ever made hands down. The game even had two episodes to continue on the story. Both of which were equally as great as the main game. Now, can we have Half Life 2: Episode 3 please Valve?

Sports

A category that caused much debate, and one that it can be very difficult to determine an overall winner from, especially given how one person's favourite sport is another's idea of torture.  Across Europe, the Pro Evolution Soccer vs FIFA debate raged on, with both sides claiming superiority (though EA's effort remained No 1 in sales).  

In the States, where they don't care much for the beautiful game, it was all about NFL, NBA and MLB, with EA and 2K Sports leading the way.  If you liked to get extreme, the likes of Tony Hawk and chums took you on boards and bikes.  Meanwhile, Tiger Woods liked playing a round.  Of Golf. 

Wii Sports (2006)

A controversial choice?  Maybe so, but there's good reason for it. Bundled with every Wii console, Wii Sports attracted not only people who might otherwise have ignored sports games, it attracted people who perhaps wouldn't even have taken a second glance at consoles full stop. Some “hardcore” gamers may resent that situation, but that's just tough luck. Multiplayer nights on Pro Evo may be a laugh for the lads, but getting 4 friends or family members together, wildly swinging their arms in Tennis, Boxing, Golf or Baseball, or flinging their arm at the TV in Bowling (while the owner of the Television watches on and winces) is hard to be beaten. In fact, it jolly well can't be.

Fighting

In the fighting genre we've had series returns and continuity but there was a lack of 'new' titles which resulted in 10 years worth of familiar faces. The most recent of these came in Tekken 6 (2009) which was released earlier this year, following on from Tag Tournament, 4, 5 and Dark Resurrection (2000-06). Another household name to feature was Street Fighter which made appearances with its Vs series but most notably in Street Fighter 4 (2009) which was also released earlier this year. Wrestling games earned themselves high status with WWE Smackdown (2000-03), which evolved into WWE Smackdown vs Raw (2004-09), though the Day of Reckoning (2004/05) titles were also great. Less memorable grapplefests included TNA Impact (2008) and (shudder) WCW Backstage Assault (2000).  

Virtua Fighter has also featured heavily this decade with an incredible eight titles being released, most recently Virtua Fighter 5 (2007). The Dead Or Alive series started the 00's on Playstation 2 and then jiggled its way to becoming an Xbox exclusive from 2001 onwards. Soulcalibur (2003-08) also demands an inclusion, despite the obvious tactic of using guest stars (Link, Yoda, etc) to garner extra interest. Characters are an important part of any fighting game and they do not come more varied that in our Fighting Game Of The Decade Winner.

Super Smash Bros. Brawl (2008)

Although Street Fighter IV stands out, it's Nintendo's fighter that did it for us. Coming six years after Melee, Super Smash Bros. Brawl offers everything you could wish for in terms of the Fighting genre. As well as featuring some of the most recognisable characters from the world of gaming it also introduced online multiplaying to the series. SSBB retained the characters that made the series a great one and even added some new faces. For the first time we were able to battle it out with the likes of Snake from Metal Gear Solid, Mario and Sonic meaning we could finally put an end to the question of who would win in a fight between the fast footed one and his red hatted rival.

Role Playing Game (RPG)

The RPG genre really breaks down into two sub-categories. On one hand you have the Japanese turn-based genre when a group or groups of combatants take turns in delivering an attack specified to suit the frailties of the enemy that is being faced. On the other there's the Western real time strategy category, which involves the evolution of a character into a highly trained, well equipped individual who competes (sometimes) with the help of an assisting clan, in a world based on time that parallels that of the one we actually live in.

Now, we have had some fine examples of both this decade and one that falls into the latter category (and was for many 2008's Game Of The Year) is Fallout 3. One for the former is Final Fantasy X which was released in 2002, one year after IX but is the superior title within the series over the past 10 years. So far the FF series has reached Part XII, with XIII due out next year in the west.

Dragon Quest made three appearances during the 00's, starting with the seventh game of the franchise (then known as Dragon Warrior) at the turn of the century in 2000 .  It took up its Dragon Quest name in 2004 with Journey Of The Cursed King for the Playstation 2, which is the most recent European instalment. Star Wars made an appearance in the RPG arena with Knights Of The Old Republic 1 and 2 as did our famous plumbing duo, Mario And Luigi in Superstar Saga, Partners In Time and Bowser's Inside Story for the DS, plus Paper Mario on Gamecube. Dragon Age: Origins stormed onto the scene in 2009, released just last month, but unfortunately we can only have one RPG Game Of The Decade and here it is.

The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion

Some might say that Morrowind (2002) was bigger and better, but we think Oblivion (2005) edges it. The moment you step out of the long windy dark prison and caves and into the daylight of Cyrodiil the (Oblivion) world is your oyster. Take on the main quest and free the world from the dark Prince Mehrunes Dagon's clutches, or ride your horse into the middle of nowhere and delve into the side quests. You can also join several guilds to become the best thief or the ultimate assassin. Oblivion draws you in and consumes your time, girlfriends and jobs mean nothing when this is in the console. Pure gaming bliss.

Music

This was the decade when music games came to the mainstream, regardless of whether Nickelback liked it or not. The likes of Dance Dance Revolution (aka Dancing Stage) and other music-based titles creeped out from the Japanese arcades and into our living rooms (via crumpled dance mats and other plastic peripherals). Games like Frequency (2001) and Amplitude (2003) from Harmonix didn't quite make the impact expected, but Sony struck a blow with the arrival of SingStar (2004-09), which has evolved over the years into perhaps their most popular home-grown franchise, featuring an online store that dwarves any other like it in the genre - especially Microsoft's pretender to the throne, Lips (2008).

Harmonix bounced back from their early disappointments with Guitar Hero (2005/6) and later (after GH publishers RedOctane were acquired by Activision) Rock Band (2007/8). The popularity of these plastic instrument games saw several bands, including The Beatles, Metallica and Aerosmith having games specifically dedicated to their tunes. Admittedly, as the decade comes to a close, this genre is quite clearly being stretched to its fullest, and with many more spin-off games planned, the bubble could well burst before long.

Rock Band 2 (2008)

Harmonix got the ball rolling for Guitar Hero, but when they parted company from RedOctane, they knew they had to step things up. Bringing together elements of several previous instrument-based games, they gave us Rock Band - where players could unite on Guitar, Bass, Vocals and Drums for an amazing multiplayer experience.  The original Rock Band game bore many hallmarks of Guitar Hero, but the solo instrument careers were bland in comparison to the far more elaborate multiplayer tour mode.  When the sequel emerged shortly afterwards, it allowed even solo artists to experience the full World Tour experience, as well as online career play, full backwards compatibility with downloaded tracks, and even the opportunity to import most of the track-listing from the previous game. Okay, perhaps it didn't have as universal track-listing as, say, SingStar, but the varied game-play meant that everyone involved could constantly enjoy a new experience.

Casual/Puzzle/Social

If there was an award for the genre that has experienced the largest amount of growth then the Casual, Puzzle and Social genres would be right up there with a shout. With the release of the DS, iPhone and iPod Touch, plus the boom of social gaming through networking sites like Facebook, an inevitable avalanche of fun, casual games ensued. Tetris, perhaps the ultimate puzzle game, saw rebirths on both the DS and iPhone/iPod Touch, cementing its gaming legacy into this latest generation. This decade introduced Warioware which was born onto the Gameboy Advance and Gamecube but really came to life with Warioware: Touched! (2005) when the DS was released.

The DS's release opened a barn sized door for games aimed at the casual gamer and no finer example can be pointed to than Dr. Kawashima's Brain Training (2006) series. Portal (2007) pushed the boundaries of the first person puzzler and the App Store has provided some of the most addictive titles in the genre. Bejewelled 2 (2005) was one of the many products which made its name through the internet but most notoriously via Facebook where it has grown into a puzzle phenomenon. The same can be said about Peggle (2007) which was originally released for Windows but has since made appearances on the 360, DS and iPhone/iPod Touch.

Professor Layton and The Curious Village (2008)

The winner in this genre goes is a title that has revolutionised the way we envisage the brain busting arena. Professor Layton And The Curious Village expertly blends puzzle solving with an investigative story line and the result is truly amazing. Christmas 2008 was dominated by one game that was sought after by pretty much anyone who owned a DS and experienced nationwide sell-outs. The series has reached popularity bettering that of most within the genre over the last decade and its success is still growing.

Horror

Games have had their pixels set on scaring us since the dawn of gaming, and the last decade has seen some of the scariest games of all time emerge from the ground. Many would consider Resident Evil to be the ultimate horror gaming fest, and why not, Resident Evil REmake (2002) on the Gamecube perfected everything the '96 original set out to achieve. It was dark, tense, scary and the best Resi? Another Gamecube exclusive which was probably not played by as many people as it should have been was Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem (2002). This game tapped into our fears by showing false error messages (amongst others things) to genuinely mess with the mind.

The Project Zero (2001) series also offered us some spooktacular frights, most notably with Project Zero 2: Crimson Butterfly (2003), which put vulnerable Japanese twin girls in the middle of a deserted and haunted town, with only a camera to survive. Too bad part 4, Mask of the Lunar Eclipse on Wii will never see the light of day in Europe. Most recently EA has revitalised survival horror with their awesome space horror fest Dead Space (2008), reminding us why we love scaring ourselves senseless. Valve took the zombie approach with Left 4 Dead (2008), scaring us in different ways. Konami have the winner though, and it came back in 2001...

Silent Hill 2 (2001)

If ever a game was so psychologically and emotionally draining it was Silent Hill 2. Wandering the deserted and foggy streets of Silent Hill looking for a dead wife was never going to be a jolly trip. Trip is certainly the right word to use though, but don't expect whistling and dancing around lamp posts with umbrellas. Silent Hill 2 takes you on a dark journey as James Sunderland fights the horrors of his guilt. This was the game that introduced Pyramid Head, who has since become a horror icon. Play it with the lights out and volume high and you'll forget you're even playing a game. They certainly don't make horror game like this any more.

Strategy/Simulation

There's a broad range of ground to be covered here, again making this quite a difficult category to pick a winner from. Naturally you can't cover this ground without mentioning The Sims (2000), which across the years gave us a high tech means of playing house, and allowed us to get two girls to kiss without having to buy them drinks first. It, and its many sequels and expansion packs, also allowed many of us to spend hours at a computer/console screen while doing very little.  Popular throughout the 90s, Sim City (2000-07) made a few comebacks too, with more advanced cities to build and then smash down with a monster attack.

We bid the Microsoft Flight Simulator (2000-06) a fond farewell too, though it was never really the same after 9/11.  Meanwhile, staple names like Command and Conquer (2000-09) continued to produce sequels, while Championship Manager (2000-09) continued to produce divorce proceedings.  Of course, it was one particular Championship Manager-related break up that led to our winning game.

Football Manager 2007 (2006)

After the release of Championship Manager 2003/04, developers Sports Interactive split with publishers Eidos. The publishers kept the rights to the CM name, but perhaps more wisely, Sports Interactive kept the game engine and database, which they took to Sega. The result was Football Manager 2005.  Inclusive of the original, there were six FM releases this decade, with Football Manager 2007 (released in 2006, naturally) the peak of the series as far as we're concerned. With a packed database, hundreds of leagues and teams to choose from, the introduction of feeder clubs, and an incredibly user-friendly console version to go alongside the PC release, FM 2007 is the ultimate release in the series so far, and provides the right mix of strategy and simulation to dominate this category.

Stealth

There are not too many games that can be considered stealth these days, but when they do come along, they come along in style. Usually only two names can be mentioned though, who's better, Solid Snake or Sam Fisher? Well, Snake may be older, but they've both produced outstanding quality titles over the years. The most notable Sam Fisher adventure was Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory (2005), which refined the first two games to deliver the ultimate Splinter Cell game, and one of the highlights of the stealth genre.

Rockstar added to their controversy tally by releasing snuff stealth game Manhunt (2004). Behind the gore and the headlines was actually a quality stealth game, albeit one that did venture towards all out shooter towards the end. Thief: Deadly Shadows (2004) took the genre to the Victorian era, giving you a sword and bow and arrow as your tools. Anyone who's played the game will remember the Cradle. As great as they are though, Snake wins the crown and his finest adventure takes the tactical espionage action to the jungle.

Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater (2005)

Taking the role of Big Boss in a 1960's Soviet jungle proved to be a genius idea from series creator Hideo Kojima. Not only was it awesome to stand in the shoes of the big man, but the story and the setting proved to be the most fascinating yet. Using the jungle as your camouflage delivered tense game play making every sneak through the trees an exciting one. Even the boss battle against The End is one of the best ever seen in a game. It's an emotional rollercoaster of an epic and one that'll have you singing for years afterwards: “

I'm still in a dream, Snake Eater!” It's easily the best Metal Gear game and we have no hesitations in calling it the best of the genre.

Online Multiplayer

Online multiplaying has reached new heights in recent years, particularly since the current gen console's capability upgrade to incorporate the feature. Playing online has been commonplace on PC's across the world for a while now and its appeal and potential has been exposed to an entire generation, particularly through Xbox LIVE and the Playstation Network. The Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare series was for many gamers, a first glimpse into the land of online console gaming and one that turned heads in terms of the experience being offered. The Gears Of War and Halo series also played a similar role in the online shooter revolution. FIFA enjoyed success in the rise of online console gaming too with it's capabilities being improved every year.

The Delta Force series made an impact on the online gaming market, particularly on the PC as did the Half Life spawn, Counter-Strike. Speaking of Half Life, Team Fortress 2 must be mentioned when speaking about the genre, which came packaged as part of the Orange Box released in 2007. Left 4 Dead bought new experiences to online gaming including the challenging co op campaign which see gamers taking part in a team of four to achieve goals and objectives. Realistically there is only one winner for our Online Multiplayer Game Of The Decade though.

World Of Warcraft (2004)

Where to start with World Of Warcraft? For those associated with the title, it is more than just a game. It is a life style, a life changing one in some cases. It has caused divorces and united soul mates in its vast online world and it's life spans throughout this decade. It has sparked many a debate over tactics, allegiances and even saw the Corrupted Blood incident of 2005, causing widespread panic and anger. Its creation has pioneered the online social gaming scene and allows interactions to occur between players, the likes of which we had never previously seen. Its global recognition and impact within the gaming world more than warrant the title of which it has been awarded. One of our editors even refuses to even go near it knowing the game will drag him in and consume all of his life. A game like that is a worthy winner for sure.

14 Categories down, but there can be only one winner of Game of the Decade. While many of the games we've covered state a good case, the one that we've chosen truly has it all - full-on action amongst a mixture of styles, a large scale layout, hours of side-quests, massive sales and a nice dash of controversy too.

That's correct, our Game of the Decade is Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. Released half way through the decade, San Andreas was (and remains) for many the ultimate GTA experience. Packed with elements of the previous games, alongside several other new and expansive features (base-jumping, jet packs and gambling, to name just a few).

For a full look back at what we consider to be the finest game of the decade, here's our “6 Years Later” review of the game, which shows off just how the appeal of the title has lasted.

Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas

6 Years Later

2004 - These were the days before Xbox 360, Playstation 3 and Nintendo Wii, before motion sensor controls, mass online gaming, high definition and achievement scores. The current consoles were very much in their prime. Although everyone was anticipating the next generation and the treats they'll have to offer, there was still plenty of life left in the current generation.

This was certainly a prestigious year for video games. The build up to a year full of so many high profile titles was enough to make any gamer weak in the thumbs. Many would consider it to be the year of sequels, with the primary focus on triple-A games like Halo 2, Metal Gear Solid 3 and Half Life 2 to name just three of the several I could mention. Many people were also anticipating the début outings for Blizzard's MMORPG World of Warcraft and Sony's "Halo beater" Killzone, but there was really only one game every gamer had their eyes on and that wasn't due until shortly before Christmas - Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.

Rockstar's third instalment in the 3D Grand Theft Auto saga promised to be bigger, better and badder than the previous titles. If the huge success and critical acclaim for Vice City was anything to go by, then San Andreas was destined to be the best game ever. Thankfully, it didn't disappoint, San Andreas sold through the roof and became most critics and fans game of the year. Sure enough the Eighties enthusiasts would claim Vice City was better, but if size and game play were the deciding factors, then San Andrea delivered, and delivered in style.

Having already delved into the New York Mafia and '80s crime ridden Miami, San Andreas headed to the west coast and to Los Angeles gang culture. As CJ you got to experience the highs and lows of black gangsta life, from the bond between friends and family to the gun slinging massacre of rival gang members. The rags to riches story gave you an entire State as your playground, consisting of three major cities, plenty of countryside, the desert and mountain regions. You began life a poor gangster in the LA slums and worked your way up to a Vegas kingpin, owning casinos and flying private jets, while never really forgetting where you came from and your loyal bond of brothers.

You shot your way through San Andreas, you stole the jet pack from area 51, you found the highest possible point and jumped off it, leaving it to the very last second to deploy the parachute, some of you even claim to have met up with Big Foot. But that was then and this is now, as always a great game gets left to fond memory - The sun set in San Andreas, the desert dust settled, Big Foot remains a mystery and the disc was put back in the box for good.

6 years later...

2010 - It's amazing how much gaming has changed in six years. With the new generation came many developments that changed the perspective of video games and opened it up to a whole new market. Casual gaming and online play are the new trends for this generation. Nintendo have done away with the traditional control pad and become a little more sensor-tive, opening up a new market in the process. Sony and Microsoft have gone in the same direction, focusing on high definition and online play. Allowing people to take the challenge worldwide and rack up a score in the process. Most gamers these days won't even play a game if it doesn't contain huge multiplayer sections or plenty of achievements to unlock.

RockStar played their part and released Grand Theft Auto IV, emphasising the 'four' to say this is a brand new instalment, whereas Vice City and San Andreas were merely extensions of Grand Theft Auto 3. IV offered the high definition and 360 achievement score/PS3 trophies (eventually), but it also showed more maturity than its predecessors. We were taken back to an improved looking Liberty City, where the action is more gritty and aiming a little more to the realistic side, but in doing so most of the 'fun' had been taken away. Which brings me back to San Andreas. What have the years done to this game? Having experienced the new generation's Grand Theft Auto, is it possible to return to San Andreas and have the same enjoyable experience it delivered five years ago?

I've unplugged the 360, put the PS3 in the cupboard, given the Wii to the nephews and told my friends I won't be online for a while. It's time to dust off the PS2 and go back to San Andreas. As CJ, you arrive back in town after several years away. At first, its not so easy for him to fit back into LA life, having deserted the hood several years back for a new life in Liberty City. This review gives this plot line more feeling as this is effectively what I'm doing. Loading up the game and seeing the familiar faces again made me feel like I was 'CJ the deserter'. It also made me feel I had something to prove having been away in Liberty City (GTA IV) and neglecting the hood all these years. I feel like I'm not really wanted here, but I want to be here, therefore I must convince the game I'm worthy.

Ok, so I've been through this game before. I've had these conversations, I've done these missions, I've been the kingpin of Vegas and I've even hunted the mighty Big Foot in anticipation that I might actually find him, but this feels different. Perhaps San Andreas is more of an experience than it is a game. When an entire State is your virtual oyster, you're free to do as you please.

Starting the game as a small time gang member, knowing big things await is a fairly exciting concept, especially if you know what lays ahead. I know there's tough missions to complete and interesting characters to meet, but there are also the great missions and the secret places to find. But is there that same excitement in doing it all again? I know for sure that this time around I won't be combing the wastelands for the giant monkey.

So the missions start off small and easy, never really allowing you to move too far away from the hood. You're free to do it if you wish, but the hood is where the action is. There's little point in exploring the land until the game takes you there. You are eased in with the basic tasks, such as driving a car, using a gun and getting a hair cut and before you know it you are taking part in drive-by shootings and train robberies. All this is merely the beginning of your high body count missions to become the best. Later on you're taking out FBI agents, jumping out of planes and breaking into Area 51.

The missions are fairly samey throughout the series, it's not the jobs that give the game it's character, it's the playground in which you do it and the people you play with. San Andreas is several Liberty Cities with miles of road in between them. Driving the San Andreas equivalent of Land's End to John O' Groats takes a very long time, depending on traffic. Granted no one has ever timed it, or in fact ever pulled it off, because there are so many distractions along the way.

Some complained that it took too long to drive to missions, especially the cross Country journeys, but these people weren't taking full advantage of the situation. There's nothing like cruising the countryside with Country music tunes blasting away on the radio or creeping through the slums with hip-hop blaring out. More often than not, you'd stumble upon a place to explore and possibly a high altitude area to climb up and then jump off.

If you love the ocean blue, you can climb aboard a boat and sail the high seas. If the air is your thing, then there are a variety of planes to steal and take to the skies. Each one comes equipped with a parachute if you can't be bothered to fly any more. Alternatively you can steal a jet fighter and dogfight with military jets. The interesting thing about San Andreas is there are no boundaries. If you want to you can sail, fly or swim as far out as you desire, but travel out for an hour and it'll take you an hour to get back.

In fact, with three completely different islands, this is the only GTA that made unlocking a new island even more exciting. I found with previous games and the latest instalment, that each island was fairly similar to the one before it. Something that wasn't the case in San Andreas as every island offered something new and something much bigger. Los Santos offered the slums and the L.A city life-style. San Fierro gave you Mount Chiliad, the countryside and the hilly streets of San Francisco and Las Venturas gave you the desert, an abandoned airport, Area 69 and casinos. What more could you ask for from island advancement? Not even Liberty City could deliver those sort of thrills when crossing a bridge into the next area.

If you're not one for leaving the comforts of the concrete jungle, then there is plenty to do around town. Join a gym and become a muscular mean machine or let yourself go and become an American burger munching stereotype. You can even give yourself a full make-over, go clubbing, then rob some houses or go to the arcade and play games. If this is not gangster enough for you, take your gang and fight for the LA territories to show your gang is the best.

This was the first Grand Theft Auto game that made you think about your health and fitness. If you fail to visit the gym on occasions or you become glued to your car, your strength and fitness will not be up to scratch to take on the missions and the rival gangsters. On the other hand, become a gym addict and spend time running and swimming and you'll be a super fit, muscular unstoppable machine - the ladies will love you too (and they might just invite you in for coffee, though that's a whole other story).

There's just so much to do outside of the main missions, you couldn't possible get bored. Five years on, I'm glad I went back to San Andreas. I can instantly forgive the ropey graphics and outdated character models. I can forgive the long journeys and the over-the-top additions. I can even forgive the dodgy frame-rate and the pop-up. It's exciting to visit San Andreas and see where the road takes you. The story may be very over-the-top, but it takes you along for the ride and there's a true sense of accomplishment when you complete the final mission and become the kingpin.

San Andreas stands the test of time and is still as great today as it was back in 2004. It's clear that on occasions the game doesn't take itself seriously, but this is typical RockStar humour and we wouldn't want it to be any other way. Besides, who plays Grand Theft Auto for a realistic experience? Grand Theft Auto IV is a great game and although you can't really class it as 'realistic', it certainly tries harder to move in that direction. With San Andreas they weren't afraid to take a risk, in doing so they made a game that was extremely absorbing in many aspects and one of the true great games of our time - and no, Big Foot was never found because he's doesn't exist.

Playstation 3 / Xbox 360

The best of...

These are extensive insights into the best Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 games, since the launch of both consoles, that you really should play.., if you haven't already.

3D Dot Game Heroes (PS3)

Pixel-block slasher

1986 - The NES was the popular home console, online gaming and high-definition didn't exist, graphics were ugly and the games were rock hard - 3 lives, unforgiving enemies and puzzles: good luck - but they still contained enough fun to bring us back time and time again for further punishment! To this day some older gamers will look back at the 8-bit era with fond memories. Some would go as far as saying "they don't make them like they used to," but why would they? With the rapid advancement of computer technology, we'd expect our games to become much better and they have (to an extent, at least in the sense that the ET fiasco was never repeated). Who still wants to play retro nowadays anyway? Then 3D Dot Game Heroes comes along, nostalgia kicks in and we are zoomed back to the 1980s, ah the 80s. Time to dust off the NES, find the right cables and hope it turns on. Only not. There's no need to blow dust off this cartridge, this bad boy is on the Playstation 3.

If you're too young to remember 8-bit gaming, then 3D Dot Game Heroes is a history lesson for you. Then again, if you've played any Legend of Zelda game then almost everything about it will be very familiar. It's hard not to compare this with Zelda in terms of game play, structure, story and even music and while 3D Dot Game Heroes sells itself on its homage to the 8-Bit era, it's clear from the get-go that Nintendo's '86 classic is the main inspiration behind the game, no matter how many subtle references to other NES generation titles the game contains, which may or may not go right over most people's heads.

However, when Zelda turned 3D with Ocarina of Time in '98 the series became way too easy for our liking - too forgiving and much more about enjoyment over challenge (Majora's Mask being the exception). 3D Dot Game Heroes may have brought top-down 8-bit gaming into 3D and into the current generation, but in terms of difficulty, you will die, you will die A LOT. In short, this game hates you. Much like the original Legend of Zelda back in 1986, one wrong step and you'd be greeted with the "Game Over" screen, and it became a very familiar screen indeed. Being a glutton for gaming punishment, it's also a title that's hard to eject and put in the "must complete one day" pile, as a challenge is what us gamers thrive upon, even if it does result in utter frustration.

Cue the adventure: The plain 2D Kingdom of Dotnia was in dire need of a makeover according to the king. His desire to entice tourism to the old fashioned town forces him to use magic to make Dotnia 3D! As you'd expect, nothing goes to plan and it turns out Fuelle, a powerful Dark Bishop, has stolen an equally (if not more) powerful orb and engulfed Dotnia in terror. 3D Dotnia is now full of giant killer bunnies and other such angry types, not the sort to promote tourism. As the unexpected hero, you must set out to gain the power of the six sages and the six orbs from the six puzzle and monster infested dungeons (typical men, obsessed with six - Ed) to save the Kingdom. The only thing missing from this plot is a Princess in distress, you even have a fairy companion who sticks her head out to give helpful tips at time! There's no denying it's the same plot that has graced every Zelda game since '86 to the present day with Spirit Tracks.

It's all forgiveable though, Zelda is a classic no matter how repetitive they've been over the last 20 or so years, and it's not as if 3D Dot Game Heroes tries to pretend it's something else. It aims to do the same thing in a new (but old) style with its blocky pixel look, and anyone who took up the challenge and thrived on it with the original 2D Zelda's are sure to bear at least half a grin when controlling the little block of squares around challenging dungeons and, dare I say it, beautiful environment. That's right, it's a pleasure exploring the square block world of Dotnia, even if the visuals aren't as detailed as the current gen allows. Who thought squares could be so attractive (not the women in my year - Ed)? Looks aside, it's the game play that matters, and 3D Dot Game Heroes contains more than enough fun to keep the thumbs entertained for many hours.

So Dotnia is your Oyster and while you may been imaging GTA in a block world, the freedom is as much as Nintendo would give you in Hyrule. Spread out across the land are several dungeons, but before you can take on the arduous challenge you'll need to get there first. Standing in your way are a host of foes and maze-like areas to get through. To help you through the enemy filled terrains is your trusty sword, which can extend to girl blushing lengths when your health hearts are full to the max. Disposing of enemies will result in them smashing into several tiny little blocks, which looks great and also gives you health or cash, which can be used in shops to buy items and upgrades.

Naturally, as is the norm with any game of this type, you'll stumble across many distractions along the way. These conquests give you the welcome break from the testing dungeons and can also lead to unlocking new swords, shields, heart shards or other helpful items, whether it be through side quests or little villages that contain shops or mini games. As far as the mini games go, these are some of the best I've seen. There are three in total - Blockout is a Pong style game in which you need to fire a ball at bricks to break them, and keep the ball going. There's also Dash Circuit, which is a time trial racer where you really don't want to be hitting walls, and then there's Block Defence, a decent tower defence game. Each one will keep you coming back for more, for fun, and to unlock the main prize on offer.

When you do finally make it to the dungeon, this is where the true challenge begins. The dungeons are only happy when you are dead, and they'll be often smiling at you, unless of course you are truly hardcore. The dungeons come in different themes, unsurprisingly they are forest, fire, water and wind. The aim is to take on each room in turn (find keys, solve puzzles, avoid enemies and traps) to hunt down the main weapon / tool of the dungeon, which are the usual favourites - bombs, boomerang, bow and arrow, which will help you get further in the temple to find the boss key, which gives you access to the big fight, that'll reward you with an orb and a extra life heart(!) if you win.

The first two dungeons are simple enough, but before long they become much bigger and much more challenging. There'll be times when you're left scratching your head at what the hell you're supposed to be doing, and other times when you stumble across the solution by pure luck. When you do meet your untimely death you'll be transported back to the beginning of the temple, albeit with most completed puzzles still complete and found items still in your possession. This does causes aggravation however, especially when you still have to repeat many dangerous rooms again and again just to get to where you died before and hope you can make it further this time.

What's worse than being hindered by a little death is having to go through the whole thing again because of bad game mechanics, most notably the damn bow and arrow, particularly in the "trigger happy" fire dungeon. While the dungeons do provide breakable pots, which leave you gifts, unlike Zelda they never give you what you need. If you're in a particular spot that requires the bow and arrow, arrows would be nice. Not in this game. If you do run out of arrows, due to awful aim, you'll more than likely have to leave the dungeon and make your way to the nearest village shop to buy more. What's worse is that you then have to go back to dungeon, get to the same spot that the arrow is needed, and pray you aim better. Now, using the wings you can warp back to previously visited places on the map, but for some reason you can't warp to dungeons, which means making your way through the treacherous path again just to get back to the dungeon door. Some would see this as a fun challenge, others will see it as simply annoying.

Once you've conquered the dungeons puzzles there's still a little matter of the big boss to take care of. These foes don't offer much originality, but they do offer a tense challenge in some cases. There's the boss that can only be hit from behind, the boss that zooms around too fast for your liking, and a boss with tentacles, to name just a few. Luckily when (note the when, not if) these guys kill you, you can zoom straight back to the fight without having to venture into the temple. It is frustratingly unfair at times, but all is forgiven when you beat the big boss and make it back out into the opening. It's at these points that you tell yourself that you do love the game. At the same time you fear what the next dungeon has in store for you, or you thrive on it perhaps.

What makes 3D Dot Game Heroes different from other games is its unique character design option, in which you can assemble the blocks to make your very own pixel protagonist. You'd be forgiven if you made a character wearing a silly green hat and tunic, as you wouldn't be the first. It's a nice little option to have if you're patient enough to build up blocks to a good looking state. It's purely optional though, and if you do decide to use the ready made character you do have plenty of choice. You can be a generic hero in blue, a female, or even an assassin, a dragon or Santa Claus. Or you can switch character every time you load up a game.

In some instances 3D Dot Game Heroes has the same unique charm as LittleBigPlanet. While both games don't do anything too original, they take existing (or old) genres and add their own unique twist to them. 3D Dot Game Heroes doesn't quite pay enough tributes to be classed as a homage to the era, instead it can easily be classed as an updated replica of Zelda. While you will enjoy the 20 or so hours the game has to offer, you can't help but pine for the next true Zelda game, as Zelda does it far better. That said, in this day and age of generic shooters and rehashed genres, this is the type of game that hardcore gamers are crying out for. Get it, love it, get frustrated.

Alan Wake (Xbox 360)

It began with a dream

We have seen many titles come and go in the annuls of gaming time. Some appear, get our hopes up and then dash them by never actually seeing the light of day (Duke Nukem Forever springs to mind!). Then there are the ones that are spoken about for many years and finally succeed in gracing our virtual lives with their long awaited presence. Thankfully for us all, Alan Wake falls (brightly) into the latter category. After first being realised a full five years ago, Remedy's psychological action thriller is finally available for addition to our library of top name titles. And it's fair to say that this title is more than worthy of an inclusion in even the most illustrious of collections.

Alan Wake is a heavily plot reliable action-adventure title that begins with us getting a first hand look into the troubled mind of the world famous writer. After struggling for inspiration on a new book and in conjunction, a return from a two year absence on the writing scene, Wake and his wife Alice decide to put their feet up for a few days. What better place to go than a picturesque little town called Bright Falls? On arrival, the primary aim is to keep a low profile so the couple can just relax without being hounded by the best-selling author's fans. What Wake didn't know however is that the trip had been arranged with the ulterior motive of getting the star back into writing - news he did not take so well. After an almighty bust up with Alice, Wake storms out of the holiday cabin, only to hear the screams of his threatened wife moments later. After a mad dash to get to her aid Wake can only wonder 'what if?' as he realises his wife has been kidnapped.

The game's intro is played out as a recurring nightmare of Alan and acts as a training mission. Not only do we get a glimpse of what to expect throughout the entire game, we also get introduced to the game's main enemies, the Taken. The scene is highly dramatic, is the same one used in the man trailer for the title and sets the tone for the rest of the game. The Taken are shadowy figures that can creep up on you from any direction. Their weakness is light which is handy as you just so happen to have a torch as one of your main 'weapons'. The other weapon can be anything from a firearm to flashbangs.

This leads to a unique, two-stage combat system that requires you to down their dark defences with the torch and then finish them with some good, old fashioned firepower. Other tools will be placed amongst your arsenal to help make your quest to find your wife that bit easier too. Flares are a good example as their bright light emission will send enemies in the vicinity scattering for their dark safe haven and at the same time give you some much needed breathing space. The combat system is slightly assisted with your torch light semi locking-on when close to an enemy. However it can lead to difficulties, particularly during close range encounters as they become hard to gain full control over.

The method used to dispose of your enemies, coupled with your dark, creepy setting help to create a mood that is so intense, it will leave you wanting to keep those lights on at bed time. This is certainly not for your sufferers of nyctophobia out there (you've got to love thesauruses!). Every movement is magnified because of this and if your nerves can handle wild birds knocking over a trash can whilst attempting to navigate your way through a pitch black forest, then you're a far more stable person than most!

Other times during which the combat system can come under some scrutiny are when trying to fend off groups of enemies and when your ammo level reaches zero. Unfortunately there is no primary attack if you run out of firearms. The only thing you have to help you is your torch but this only blinds Taken momentarily - not much good if you are stranded in the middle of nowhere. Reloading is different as it is actually in your control as to how quickly the process happens. Rather than waiting those few painstaking seconds for the computer to do it manually, you can tap the relevant button to get the job done faster. In order to find safety you'll need to activate 'safe havens' which appear throughout the otherwise lonesome environment. To do this you will be faced with a small event which requires you to have your most accurate button bashing thumbs on. Even the smallest slip-up can cost you valuable time in the dark - a place you really don't want to be. Successful completion results in a beam of light shining from the now active station and this will recharge your life and in some cases signify a checkpoint.

As this is an action adventure game, there are your customary side missions. In Alan Wake these include collecting coffee flasks and manuscript pages for a book that you have written but only remember coming up with the title for. It is this manuscript that Alice's kidnapper wants in exchange for her safe return. The fact that Wake doesn't remember writing it does create a few problems however! This will become clearer when you play through for yourself.

Alan Wake is set out in Twin Peaks style episodes which end on a cliff-hanger and began with a recap of the one which preceded it. This helps provide the psychological action thriller feeling that Remedy were going for - a feeling that would have been felt even before you loaded up your disc if you bought the special edition. The chunky book-like case holds two discs and the Alan Wake Files publication, which is in keeping with the entire mood of the game and feels as if we almost have a serialisation of a real novel on our hands.

Alan Wake has been entirely worth the wait. Remedy gave themselves a cool nine months (5 years morelike ~ Ed.) just to perfect the title and it's clear they have used their time wisely. Very few games deliver such technical splendour AND intense plot. Its narrative is so 'movie-like' that you still get that 'no, don't go in that dark, creepy house' feeling. The only difference is that you have full control over it and yet feel compelled to go into even the darkest of corners in the hope that a manuscript page may be lurking, for example. Combat is not the title's strongest point but with the indication that this is not the last we will see of Alan Wake, it'll give Remedy something to work on. Otherwise this is a near faultless title that actually delivers what it promises and intends which is fear-driven, plot heavy action from beginning to end.

Aliens Vs. Predator

...and introducing Man

Video game clashes between these two titans have been going on since long before the two (rather disappointing) AvP movies. Who can forget the classic Jaguar title, or the RTS-themed game from the previous console generation? Now it's time to bring the “whoever wins, we lose” war to the HD playground.

Developed by Rebellion, who were behind the aforementioned Jaguar game in 1994, AvP is split across single and multiplayer action. The single player campaign mode itself allows you to play as both Alien, Predator and Human (in the form of space marines).  The individual campaigns themselves are relatively short, requiring roughly four hours each to crack them all, though when you put that together, it represents a fair stretch of play time. Factor in restarts due to deaths, and four different difficulty settings to try out, and there's definitely a lot to get done.

There's a decent level of flexibility in how you play the campaigns too. You don't have to finish the story for one species in order to unlock the rest, the choice is there from the get-go to start up with all three of them. Upon completing a level, you're then given the option to carry on with your current character choice, or switch to one of the other two candidates for a quick bash.

Playing as the marine will offer the highest level of familiarity to your average gamer, with standard first person shooter rules adhered to. Big guns, claustrophobic corridors, and plenty of Xenomorphs to shoot. Eventually you'll be surrounded by these quick, vicious monsters, but the early moments leading up to their arrival are suitably tense, and will have you moving with caution, nervously awaiting what's around the next corner.

As you progress further, that initial fear tends to be diluted, as you enter each room expecting to deal with two, three or maybe even more enemies to deal with. The darkened locations often make it harder to see what's coming, and you'll regularly be attacked from behind, unless you make good use of your flares - of which you have an infinite supply, but you can only use them one at a time.

Getting swamped can be an immense pain at times, and will likely lead to you having to replay certain segments on several occasions. Especially when you get caught by a Facehugger that you didn't see. Taking a flamethrower to the alien eggs should reduce the chance of this happening regularly, mind.

Perhaps the biggest disappointment of the marine campaign is the general lack of Predator action that goes on. For that fix, you've got to look to the other two campaigns. In these modes, it's much less about the shooting, and far more based around quick movement and melee fighting. While enemy aliens can spit acid at you in the campaigns, when you actually take control of one, you're mainly restricted to light and heavy swipes.

This means getting in close to your enemies in order to attack, which can be tricky when there are multiple targets, most of whom are carrying guns. To combat this, you have to factor in your element of surprise. Your Xenomorph character can climb walls and run along the ceilings or through vents, in order to get the drop on an opponent. If you're stealthy enough, you can even sneak up on them behind for particularly gruesome kill scenes. Moments when the camera pans back into the mouth of your character as they bite off the head of their prey are especially gory. Better yet, you can even harvest unarmed civilians with a simple button press.

A little further into the story, you'll start to have dealing with Predator foes as well as humans, which is where things start to get a little bit tougher, but as long as you remember to keep on the move, survival shouldn't be too much of an issue, especially as your Alien is able to regenerate health automatically, unlike the other two characters who rely on health packs.

Playing as the Predator is almost like having the other two single player modes mixed into one. Melee combat is your main weapon, but enemies can also be fired upon from range, though you do need to generate energy for this. In addition, you're able to make giant leaps up to tree branches and higher planes, so as to stalk your potential foes. Thermal vision allows you to see human foes in the distance, while you'll pick up alien vision later in the campaign.

While you are able to make use of your Predator's cloaking function, it doesn't feel as effective as it could be, as you still do seem to get spotted when it's in use, and immediately after striking you're left vulnerable anyway, bringing up an ongoing problem of being surrounded by multiple foes but more often than not restricted to close quarters combat. In being forced to get over to and fight one enemy, others will be able to get free shots in from behind.  A nice, if not Daily Mail-friendly, touch is the ability to claim skulls from your victims. Press the on-screen button when prompted, and you'll grab your victim by the throat, before proceeding to tear their head and spinal column right off their shoulders.

It does seem as though you can't have a single player campaign without collectibles these days, and AvP is no exception. Marines are on the hunt for audio diaries, Xenomorphs must smash jars of royal jelly, and Predators can grab trophy belts dotted around the levels. It's only really the audio diaries that add anything to the back-story of the game, though they do get some extra mileage from Lance Henriksen's voice acting as lead “evil human” Karl Bishop Weyland. It is somewhat frustrating that trying to listen to these outside of the pause menu will often lead to them being interrupted by radio chatter.

Alongside the single player campaigns, there are numerous online multiplayer modes to keep players interesting - a staple function from the previous PC AvP releases. Survival Mode (which can also be played offline) sees you trying to stay alive for as long as possible while waves of enemies come at you. Comparisons have been fairly made with the likes of Gears of War 2's Horde mode. Meanwhile, there are also games that allow you to take on the role of Predator and Alien, chomping down on human controlled prey rather than just AI.

What lets AvP down is generally a series of smaller issues that chip away at its overall grade. With reloading, for example, the animation must complete before you have clips in your gun again. Therefore, when you find yourself surrounded by aliens, you'll usually have to knock them away from you with a melee attack, but then have to wait for your weapon to reload before you shoot. Usually, the alien will be back up and on you again before this completes, or you'll have another one attacking instead, which you'll also have to bat away. In doing so, you'll have to start the whole reload process all over again. During one particularly heated boss battle, you'll find yourself cursing the developer with every breath.

The dark environments, mixed with the game's score help to create a tense atmosphere, though the game certainly won't be winning any awards for its graphics, which are acceptable but have certain been bettered by several other titles on the market. To be perfectly honest, that does tend to sum up the game itself as a whole. Aliens vs Predator is a decent shooter, the sort of game that you'd happily give up a few hours to work through - but it was never going to beat off the likes of Bioshock 2, not that it ever intended to.

Assassin's Creed 2

We believe in one blade...

If at first you don't succeed, try, try again is the perfect phrase to use for Ubisoft's 2007 assassin adventure. After much public and professional criticism of the highly anticipated Assassin's Creed, Ubisoft could have so easily have hung up the cloak, placed the dagger in a box and worked on something war-based with Tom Clancy stuck on the front of the name. Of course, Altair's adventure was still very good, but the cool assassin was playing in an empty shell. That said, empty shells are there to be filled and sequels are a good place to do it. Even the haters could recognise the huge potential that Ubisoft's new franchise has. Assassin's Creed 2 was inevitable, we wanted it and now it's here.

Assassin's Creed 2 continues where we left off. In the modern day and in the shoes of Desmond Miles. It's not long before Desmond is once again stepping foot into the Animus and recollecting killer memories of long ago. Altair is a distant memory now, Ezio Auditore di Firenze is the newest addition to the assassin chain. Italy is the location and the renaissance is the setting.

Altair may have been a "cool" character in some people's eyes, but he suffered from a severe lack of characterisation. This could be mainly due to the 'mysterious' factor that make these characters cool in the first place. Ubisoft has taken a different approach with Ezio and given him a whole heap of characterisation. Beginning with his birth, then onto his ordinary life as a banker's son who loves the ladies and ultimately to his first venture into the Creed and the role of an assassin. Due to this the game begins fairly slowly, but this is forgiven as you learn plenty about the new character, the city in which he dwells and how he becomes entangled in the assassin's creed. When the action does commence, however, the game flows perfectly and the story is as compelling as any I've seen in video games this decade.

Of course, it's not only Ezio who plays a leading role in Assassin's Creed 2. The co-stars of the show are the cities themselves. Whether you're exploring the mean streets of Florence or the canals of Venice, each city is filled with plenty of life and character. The inhabitants go about their daily lives in convincing manner. Musicians replace the beggars and mentally challenged people from the first game, doing everything they can to halt your progress (though you can now toss money to get them off your back), merchants shout about their products in hope you'll stop off and purchase something, cleaners sweep the street, groups of courtesans pass comment as you briskly walk on by. The Cities are alive and it's certainly as interesting to be walking on ground level as it is to be running along the rooftops.

Ubisoft has taken on board criticism of the first game to deliver a more diverse and satisfying experience. There is less emphasis on assassination and more emphasis on diversity and story. Whereas the original Assassin's Creed delivered repetition and asked you to pickpocket and eavesdrop your way to your nine targets, part two abolishes the repetition and leaves such things as optional side quests. What part two does have is narrative, structure and a whole host of different objectives. Don't worry, assassinations still play a major role in the game, but they're not necessarily the primary focus.

The game play is fairly similar to that of Grand Theft Auto, where you're free to roam the City and divulge in optional side quests, then head to the marker when you're ready to progress the story. This is where Assassin's Creed 2 differs from its predecessor, as rather than taking out the big bad in stealth mode, you'll be carrying out such objectives as escorting people to a destination, or embarking upon a rescue mission to name just two. For this reason it's a far more exciting and much more interesting experience, one that keeps you playing to find out what the adventure has in store for you next.

Although side quests are optional, you'll find yourself spending plenty of time focusing on them, as they're larger in number and far more interesting to play. Whether it's hunting down feathers or glyphs or participating in races or helping a Woman get revenge on her cheating husband, as well as doing what you do best: Assassinations, there's always something to occupy your time. It's true that they can become slightly repetitive, but given the fact that they are optional this isn't really an issue. What has returned and is still as vital as ever are the viewpoints. There's still plenty of them and they must be found if you want to pinpoint objectives and merchants onto your map. Let's face it, it's fun to climb up towers and it sure is fun to jump off them into the haystacks below.

When you jump out of the hay a whole new section of the city is open to you. Whether the City will welcome you or not depends entirely on you. Certain missions as well as too much innocent civilian slaying will up your notoriety status, which subsequently means the local soldiers will chase you down, your face will be on wanted posters spread around town and the resident street preachers will be spreading the word, giving you a bad reputation. In times like this the streets aren't a safe place to walk in, but that's something you can fix: Bribe the preachers, assassinate the guards and rip down those posters. Doing so will reduce your notoriety level and make shopping trips far easier, and safer.

If you do love the high notoriety status, then there are numerous ways to avoid detection. You can hire courtesans to walk along with you, hire thugs to do your dirty work, throw money to cause distractions, there are numerous other groups to hide in too. Each of these can get you through the streets with no conflict as well as the perfect tool to sneak closer to your assassination target. Alternatively, you can stick to the rooftops or run through the town with sword drawn and take on every last guard looking for a fight. There's much more choice for Ezio than there was for Altair and it's up to you how you want to play the game. As you progress, you'll even unlock Capes that will make guards more likely to turn a blind eye to some of your actions.

Merchants and money now play a crucial role in your quest. Completing objectives will you reward you with some extra cash to add to your kitty, but you can also pickpocket and loot your victims for some small change. This can be used at merchants to buy health, armour, weapons etc, which is a nice inclusion, but you'll never really find yourself running out of money. If on the off chance you do, then it's easy to get back again. At a certain point in the game you can invest money into your Uncle's Villa and town, by building banks, hiring doctors and so on, each one raising the Villa's income and giving you more money to dispose of. It's great to have that choice, but it doesn't take long to acquire everything and have a large steady income. Perhaps this is something that Ubisoft will expand on in Assassin's Creed 3.

With Renaissance Italy as your setting, the era when art and culture inspired the planet, you can expect a little Dan Brown to be thrown into the works. What could increase this factor more, than to include Leonardo da Vinci himself into the story. He is the man who can decipher the Codex pages scattered around the game, to upgrade your health and weapons to become more like the mighty Altair. Not only do you have the secret blade (plus the simply awesome dual hidden blade), but there are also a choice of hammers, daggers, poison knives amongst others to add choice to your disposal methods (you can even launch surprise assassinations from within haystacks, or off rooftops or ledges). It's a fine selection and means combat is less repetitive this time around and you'll make an effort to stick around and fight rather than take to the roof tops each time trouble occurs.

Da Vinci is also the man who builds your new flying machine, which adds some aerial spice to your combat options. It's may be a bit odd to include da Vinci in the game, but the man himself has conspired mystery of late, so it's only fitting that he plays a role in Assassin's Creed's similar themes. To add to this, more mystery can be revealed by solving the puzzles behind the numerous Glyphs hiding around the game. Uncovering them will reveal extra story info which wouldn't be out of place in a Dan Brown novel.

The welcome surprise in Assassin's Creed 2 is the inclusion of genuine platform sections. The type that you'd find in Prince of Persia that mean one false move and it's back to the beginning. You know the type, sections that are often enough to test your patience and your controller grip. You spend ten minutes getting to the top of a very large tower only to fall back down again. There are six in total and you are rewarded very well for your efforts. As a huge fan of platform games, I welcome these sections. Even though they do test my patience at times.

Assassin's Creed 2 is epic. In comparison to part 1, Assassin's Creed 2 is a giant leap forward. With it there are signs of a growing franchise that can expand in each episode and be an open world rival to Grand Theft Auto. The down side to this is the lack of replay value, unless you want to experience the story again and try different methods of game play. The story is so compelling and the game play so diverse that this title is worthy of your time twice.

Although there are no multiplayer options, the single player will last you around 20 - 40 hours depending on how deep you want to go with side missions. Whether you liked the first one or were so deterred by its many flaws, Assassin's Creed 2 fixes these and in doing so Ubisoft has produced the game of the year. At one point in the game, there's even a humorous crack at a big Nintendo title, which coincided with the release of Assassin's Creed 2. Mario isn't its closest rival though. Modern Warfare 2 may be dominating the sales charts and the headlines, but Assassin's Creed 2 does more than enough to warrant the same 'good' publicity. Quite simply, it's an accomplished title that deserves to be played by all.

Batman: Arkham Asylum

Holy epic adventure, Batman!

Around a year ago, when The Dark Knight hit cinemas, there was many a musing regarding the lack of a video game tie-in for the blockbuster. Some were disappointed at not being able to recreate the action of the movie in their own home, while others were relieved at the lack of yet another by-the-numbers movie license.  Instead, we all “made do” with Lego Batman.

A year has since passed, and now the Caped Crusader is finally ready to be unleashed in his very own true adventure on HD consoles. No limitations created by a movie plot, no plastic bricks, and no Robin. This is Batman's game.

Actually, if you look at it closely enough, this is just as much The Joker's game as it is Batman's.  The story revolves around our hero returning the demented one to the island-based asylum, following his latest escape. A sense of unease is in the air, The Joker seems to have given himself up without too much of a fight, and seems more defiant than ever in his attitude towards being caught.

It soon emerges that this is all part of Joker's plan, and along with a host of cronies and familiar villains from the Batman universe, he takes control of the whole asylum - where's a well-known cliché when you need one?  No matter where you are, be it in treatment rooms, mansions or medical facilities, indoors or outdoors, the cackling clown is ready to both taunt and haunt via monitors or speakers.  Having played the character for several years in multiple animated versions of Batman, Mark Hamill's voice work as The Joker is suitably creepy.

Also returning from the animated series is Kevin Conroy as the voice of Batman, who gives a stoic performance in the title role, without having to resort to voice boxes to sound tough *cough*Christian Bale*cough*.  Having both actors on board gives an added air of legitimacy to proceedings, something which can also be seen simply in the way Batman acts during the game.  In many licensed, third-person action titles, developers seem to think players will simply be content to play as the title character, without giving much thought to making it an authentic experience.  

In this instance, it genuinely feels like you are Batman, not just some guy in a Batman suit.  There's something so cool about grappling between gargoyle statues, patiently stalking enemies throughout a room, watching them get more and more worried as their comrades are knocked out around them.  Knocking out is the key term here, as there's no forced usage of guns for Batman, he either punches and kicks his way to victory with fairly straightforward combos (Biff! Pow!), or executes stealthy /  gadget based take-downs.  The attention to detail is amazing, even down to the way Batman runs: his sprinting style and the way the cape floats behind him is like something out of the movies.

Although the game's story is somewhat linear, with regular vocal reminders sending you in the right direction if you head off the beaten track, there is a fair amount of scope for exploration, thanks mainly to the Ridder Challenges.  While you don't get to fight the alter ego of Edward Nygma at any point, his presence is felt via a series of collection, research and scan based challenges that he sets you along the way.  Certain items and objects involved in these won't be accessible at first, requiring you to retrace your steps when you've earned enough experience points to purchase upgrades to your BatSuit and weapons.  Experience is earned through defeating enemies and completing Riddler Challenges.

A useful feature (albeit something of a crutch too) is Detective Mode.  When activated, this feature will highlight items of interest around the place, such as items you can grapple to or vent covers you can break off.  It also allows you to see through walls to locate nearby enemies, and can distinguish whether these guys are unarmed or packing heat (enemies with guns glow red, those without glow blue).  It's important to know what kind of enemies you're dealing with, as the gun-toting bad guys will make short work of the Bat.

Scanning certain pieces of evidence while in Detective Mode will help locate vapour trails, which can then be followed to reach your next objective.  The only issue, as such, with this mode is that once you've switched Detective Mode on, it seems almost pointless turning it back off again, as it's regularly needed.  Perhaps it's relied on a little bit too much.  The only real reason for switching it off would be so you can see other people and items as they're meant to be seen, and not in a heat vision/negative style.

There have already been many comparisons made between this game and 2007's Bioshock, comparisons that are somewhat justified.  The dark, claustrophobic areas certainly conjure up memories of roaming around Rapture, but at the same time, there is quite that same feeling of dread as you wander round each corner, wondering where the next enemy is coming from, and if you just saw one out of the corner of your eye.  In fact, many of Batman's victims in this game are flat-out dumb and are apparently unable to hear a tall, muscular guy in a rubber costume landing behind them.  Guess the villain's union need to campaign for better hearing aids.  Strike, strike, strike!

As mentioned earlier, you'll come across a number of guest villains, usually in the form of boss fights, with the likes of Bane, Killer Croc and Poison Ivy amongst your opponents.  Unlike the “everyone's the same size” mentality of Lego Batman, these characters are presented with an air of accuracy, Croc being an especially massive beast.  Sometimes, though, you feel like these characters are merely being introduced as a spot of fan service, rather than playing a vital role in the story.  No build-up, just here they are, fight them, and then never speak of them again.

The main story and the side-challenges provide many hours of game-play, but that's not all.  In addition, you'll unlock Challenge Rooms by completing the Riddler tasks, which can add plenty more play time to the action.  The PS3 version, in particular, has exclusive Challenge Rooms that allow you to play as The Joker (which are allegedly not coming to the 360, not even as DLC).

In Arkham Asylum, Rocksteady Studios have created a game that truly captures the look and feel of the licensed product, for which they should be commended.  Players can choose to just race through the story as quickly as they want, or take the time to explore every nook and cranny for secrets and knowledge, and either way they'll be entertained by what's on offer.  Okay, there are flawed sections, and over-reliance on special features at times, but the overall engaging nature of the title make this one that will be treasured for quite some time, and not just until the next hero game comes along.

Battlefield: Bad Company 2

More-den Warfare

When it comes to the FPS genre, the war department is a crowded one indeed. With Modern Warfare 2 ruling the roost, Operation Flashpoint providing the hardcore alternative, and the likes of Medal of Honor and Treyarch's Call of Duty title still to come later this year, it takes a big and brave name to step into the line of fire. Enter the Battlefield series.

Originally making its name as an online WW2 shooter, Battlefield stepped into the present day with Battlefield 2: Modern Combat in 2005, before returning to that era in a big way with the original Bad Company game in 2008. The latter mixed the popular online modes with a full squad-based campaign mode, and the same is true of EA and DICE's sequel.

The campaign begins with a prologue set in 1944, as you undertake Operation Aurora. The ramifications of this mission then form part of the main, modern day storyline that you enter into afterwards. Once again, the four trouble-makers brought together are sent back to work, with the Sarge having to postpone his retirement that little bit longer.

Comparisons with Modern Warfare are inevitable, especially through the various desert and snow-covered landscapes, although the Bad Company do like to take a few nice jabs at their competition, with various insults thrown at the sort of folks who use guns with heartbeat sensors and drive snowmobiles. One thing that stands this game apart from the rivals though is its damage model, with the ability to smash down doors, blow out walls, or even collapse a whole building with your explosives or a well-placed shot into a gas tank.

For the most part, the campaign itself is incredibly linear, with the majority of missions following the A-C via a big shoot-out at B format. Only one mission provides an exception to this rule, offering something of a free-roaming element when it provides you with three locations to investigate in the order of your choosing. However, this is a sadly underutilised feature. There is mild encouragement to investigate every corner of every building in order to find Satellite Uplinks stations to blow up, and unlockable weapons to add to your collection, but for the most part it's pretty formulaic.

It's not an overly long campaign either, though chances are your play-through will be increased by several irritating deaths from the set-piece battles. Getting picked off through a wall by a rapid fire weapon while yours slowly reloads can lead to an increasingly frustrating series of restarts. Meanwhile, the game's final mission, set on-board an aircraft (a reference to MW's Mile High Club, perhaps) is surprisingly short and even relatively simple on the hardest difficulty setting - odd, when you consider that it's the only Hard difficulty mission that carries its own achievement/trophy.

It wouldn't be Battlefield without vehicles of course, and you'll find yourself able to drive the likes of tanks, quad bikes and jeeps, as well as mounting the gun turrets in helicopters on multiple occasions. While you don't actually fly in the campaign (well, you do fall for a bit, but that's another story), the likes of choppers do crop up in the game's online modes.

For many, it will be the online portions of Battlefield that hold the most appeal, and although there have been server issues (which the game is currently apologising for almost as soon as you boot up), there's plenty on offer here to extend the life of the title. Rush, Squad Rush, Conquest and Squad Deathmatch are the key modes, but with EA's recently announced plan to bring out several pieces of premium DLC for the game, there's no doubt that these modes will be extended and added to over time. For now though, if you can get a stable game going then there's a lot of fun to be had, though the issue of random disconnects is always a fear (and naturally, an annoyance).

Going back to DLC briefly, the game promises two exclusive maps for first-hand buyers of the game, providing a VIP code in the box to allow for this. Well, either I've acquired a broadband connection that's faster than the speed of light, or that particular code is purely an unlock for content on the disc, as the maps were “downloaded” in seconds. I'd be more inclined to think the latter option, as there was certainly no confirmation prompt or item added to my download queue. Perhaps this is a non-issue, but it's frustrating to see something labelled as DLC when it seems pretty likely that no downloading has taken place.

The visuals on the game are decent, with some rather cool touches, such as in the Snowblind level, where you're forced to move quickly between buildings before your goggles freeze up. Okay, you've got a lot of corner-cutting with the use of smoky environments and enemies that have been generated from a clone factory (or wear balaclavas to hide their ugly faces), but that's somewhat forgiveable. Meanwhile, the sounds of war are as crisp as ever, with great effects like losing your hearing temporarily following close-by explosions.

Certainly fans of Modern Warfare 2 aching for more big guns, bigger explosions and cool vehicles will be able to have a blast with Bad Company 2. Perhaps the more cynical gamer worn out on the first person war shooter will deem it as merely more of the same, but it's still a good way to spend a few hours - even more if they get the online running smoothly across the board!

Bayonetta

Bubble, bubble, toil and trouble

E3 2009 was the first chance the world was given to get to grips with the concept of a very sexy, spectacled, modern witch who wields four guns (two in her hands and two on the heels of her shoes), packaged up into a 3D action game. One look-a-like contest, TV ad campaign and actual release later, and the creator of the Devil May Cry series Hideki Kamiya, now of Platinum Games, has given us his new interpretation of the grey and angelic shades between good versus evil.

Set mainly in the fictional European city of Vigrid, in an indistinguishable decade, Bayonetta is on the search for answers after waking up from a five hundred year slumber some years previously. Constantly pursued by envoys of light, a young man name Luka, and a witch named Jeanne, Bayonetta fights to obtain any details that will give her the chance to regain memories of her past.

And Bayonetta herself believes that she should have been a pole dancer. In fact the character of Bayonetta is the most noticeable aspect of the entire game. If this is what Hideki believes a modern witch should look and act like, then Joss Whedon obviously should have spent some time in Japan before Buffy the Vampire Slayer was pulled off the air. Yes, that's right ladies and gentlemen not only does Bayonetta move with a grace far beyond what you'll find in a pole dancing club, but her tightly cut outfit is in fact comprised from her own hair and helps her summon demons from hell to do her sexy bidding.

The game has enough difficulty settings to account for all play competencies, from the opportunity to press just one button to pull off combos, to going the whole hog as you crazily doge enemy attacks whilst unleashing devastating combo attacks by pressing any number of buttons. Whilst battling the angelic hordes, Bayonetta also has access to Torture Combos, which range from the grim to the pornographic, and during boss battles there are finishing moves where all of Bayonetta's clothes conveniently melt away back to large mass of hair that promptly becomes a demon to dispatch the then trembling boss.

Despite the emphasis on Bayonetta's four guns in promotional material, the game uses a system where you can set two of Bayonetta's weapons to something other than her handguns. The four weapons available for this range from a magenta coloured whip dubbed Kulshedra to a pair of ice skates named Odette, all of these weapons are collectible during the course of normal game play. Bayonetta also has the ability to temporarily use weapons that are dropped by dispatched enemies.

Each battle results in you being rewarded a rating, and at the end of each chapter you're awarded an overall rating calculated from the in-battle awards you gained. Combos and keeping away from damage are the way to get your ratings up. Game play is so linear that you cannot even back track, so if you miss picking up an item you'll have to replay most of the chapter in order to obtain it.

An intriguing aspect of the game play revolves around the creation of support items. Throughout the chapters, there are breakable items in the environment that will either give up halos (the game's currency) or alchemy items, from which you can make various types of lollipops and other useful support items. It is nice to see how a consideration on the activities associated with witches has resulted in a feature that is so useful; you'll rarely need to buy anything from the in game store.

Other than fighting for Bayonetta's survival, the game is highly cinematic and a huge chunk of time may be spent viewing cut-scene after cut-scene. While all of the gratuitous shots of Bayonetta are not boring in of themselves, and the dialogue that the characters deliver is to die for, the flow of the game often feels interrupted by the cut-scenes. Often it feels that you've only just gotten into the rhythm of kicking various bodily fluids out of the angelic enemies that populate the game when another cut-scene pops in to jam up the flow of the game. All of the cut-scenes may be skipped, but the game play still feels staggered even on the first play through, so skipping scenes is not exactly an option. And even though there is a tonne of cut-scenes the game seems incredibly short.

With highly effective game play, and beautiful graphics, this game about a modern witch easily pleases. Even without automatic combos on the harder play modes, the game offers a combo system that is a great deal easier to navigate then many other games of a similar nature and gives you plenty of opportunities to practice Bayonetta's more exotic moves. Bayonetta is a delicious game to behold on either the PS3 or the Xbox 360, and is definitely one of this year's essential console purchases.

The Beatles: Rock Band

We love it. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

By now, anyone interested in The Beatles: Rock Band will probably know the story of the game's development like the back of their hand. If not, read our preview, as it'll give you more of a detailed insight into the process. No doubt that the reason you've come to this review is that you want an answer to that one important question: Where did I leave my keys? Sorry - is the game any good?   Of course, there's the nice and easy cliché that if you love The Beatles and love Rock Band, then you're surely going to love this, and to an extent that is true, but there has to be a reason why. Similarly, if you don't fall into one or both or those camps, is there a possibility that this particular title could sway you? Probably not, though if you don't like the Beatles then quite frankly you have bigger problems to worry about other than not liking a game - the lack of a soul for one.

One thing is for sure, if you have at least played a Rock Band game in the past, you'll have a very good idea of what to expect here. Using your instrument-shaped peripherals, you play notes in time with the chart that runs down the screen, or sing in pitch (though not necessarily in-tune) with the song lyrics that run from side to side. The more accurate your playing/singing, the higher your score and final star rating will be. Naturally, if you're utterly awful, you'll likely be forced to start all over again. There are four different levels of difficulty - Easy, Normal, Hard and Expert - which means that newcomers to the series and those whose fingers aren't quite as nimble as those of the more skilled players can still slot in without too much worry.

What many veterans of the series will notice is that it's not the most difficult of games, even on the higher difficulty settings. As you progress through Story Mode the songs get younger (from early to late 1960s), not necessarily harder. Some later songs will be marked with a difficulty level of 1, maybe 2 out of 10 for guitar, with the bass and drums often ranked higher. That being said, if you're one of those people whose fingers get in a muddle the instant an orange note appears, it'll still take a fair bit of practice before you can master the higher settings. Still, it's as good a place to start as any.   Perhaps the most challenging side to the game is on the vocals. To make the absolute most of this mode, you'll often need two, maybe three singers, each with their own microphone, to recreate The Beatles' unique multi-part harmonies and earn the best score. It doesn't matter which singer covers which part of the harmony, as long as all parts are taken care of. That's not to say that a soloist can't have fun on their own, mind you. If SingStar has proved anything, gamers love a bit of a warble, especially with a few drinks in them.

The track-list covers 45 Beatles' songs, all of which are likely to be known to fanatics, while the more casual fans might bemoan some of the more high profile omissions. The especially cynical will point to premium downloads as the sole reasoning behind a lack of Hey Jude (outrage ~ Shocked Ed) or Strawberry Fields Forever, for example. In many cases, the involvement of nonstandard instruments seems a more likely cause - you only have to experience the intro to the first piece of DLC, All You Need Is Love, to realise this. In it's Marseillaise opening, you play out trumpet notes with the guitar. Some of these lesser-known tracks do have the potential to surprise you. No doubt many will reluctantly start up a track they claim not to recognise, only to exclaim "oh it's that song" by the time the chorus or middle 8 kick in.

As part of the guidelines involved with getting the license to the songs, some sacrifices have been made to standard Rock Band functions - no crowd booing on song failure, instruments don't drop out entirely, drum fills are gone. In addition to this, sustained guitar notes can no longer be bent by the player. Sure, you can still wiggle your whammy bar for additional points, but it'll make no difference to the sound you hear, lessening the experience somewhat. That being said, the screaming crowds on the early chapters are a great touch, making up for the fact that they no longer sing along.

The story is split across 9 chapters, following the band through their career. The first four are based around the band's "live" years, from the Cavern Club in Liverpool, through to the Budoken in Tokyo. The next three chapters are all set in Abbey Road, reflecting the period when the band gave up touring and retreated to the studio. Backdrops for these songs mix studio performance with fab, dream-scape animations, though sadly you might be too busy concentrating on the notes to truly appreciate these. The last chapter recreates the band's legendary final performance on the roof of Abbey Road, with an appropriate post-credits encore available to bring things to a close.

It's sometimes utterly amazing to think that all the songs you're playing are at least 40 years old, although their age can be reflected somewhat in their generally shorter length. To complete the Guitar career, with every song beaten first time takes somewhere in the region of 4-5 hours. This might not seem like much for a £40 (higher if you need instruments too) game, but take into account the replay value: four solo careers to complete, the multiplayer career (on or offline), and Chapter Challenges too, where you all the songs from a completed story chapter back-to-back (like mini versions of the Endless Setlist). Add in the wide variety of extra photos and videos you unlock, and the play time soon tallies up. Of course, to get the full benefit of this, you will have had to spend out a bit to have all the instruments.

Another grievance relates to the integration of DLC. With so much planned for the game - three albums have been announced for the remainder of 2009 - it would have been nice for downloaded tracks to be playable in career. Sadly, these are merely restricted to the Quickplay modes, although you can now make a set-list of up to 6 songs in Quickplay, which has not previously been possible in Rock Band games.

The Beatles: Rock Band is clearly a labour of love, which deserves to achieve its aim of introducing the band to a whole new audience. Even existing fans have the potential to get something new from it, as performing on a single instrument gives you a greater appreciation as to the individual sounds each member of the band would create within the polished final product. Some might argue that it'll create more new fans of Rock Band than it does The Beatles themselves in the long term, but is that necessarily a bad thing? Perhaps we'll even get a few new Beatles tribute bands as a result of this.

After all, with the demise of Oasis, we need a new high-profile one anyway!

Bioshock 2

Waiting for the Rapture

2010 (or 2007 II as it will come to be known in the gaming industry) was already off to a flyer with the arrival of Mass Effect 2. Now 2K Marin have asked us if we would kindly put Sheppard's adventure down and take a trip back to Rapture. Naturally, we obeyed.

Set 10 years after the fall of the fictional underwater Utopia known as Rapture, Bioshock 2 puts you in the role of a Big Daddy - the diving bell clad brutes who lumbered around the first game, causing players no end of problems (well, until they levelled up with research and upgraded their weapons, anyway). The closing parts of the original game gave you a taster of what it would be like to step into their clunking shoes, but this time it's for real.  

As a Delta Big Daddy, seemingly forced to commit suicide a decade before, you're revived to find rapture in ruins, and the plasmid-addicted freaks known as Splicers lurking around every corner. Everywhere you go, you hear the voice and see the image of Sofia Lamb, the woman who brought about your apparent demise.  Lamb has seemingly taken charge of this deserted land, and appears capable of controlling the freaks that reside within.

Much like the first game, each section of Bioshock 2 sees you exploring set areas of Rapture, with a series of goals leading towards an overall objective, usually to escape from the current area. When you're not being taunted by Lamb, your goals are generally being set via radio messages from allies and enemies. Initially you're assisted by Brigid Tenenbaum, who players of the original will remember as the “mother” to the Little Sisters, the freaky yellow-eyed little girls that Big Daddies are sworn to protect.

Your original Little Sister was Eleanor Lamb (yep, Lamb), and ultimately your desire to be her protector remains strong, even though much time has passed and, judging by the visions she places in your head, she is much older now. There are still several other Little Sisters throughout Rapture though, who will extract the much-demanded ADAM substance from Splicer corpses.

The first game simply had you killing the Big Daddies and then choosing to either Harvest or Save the little sister to gain ADAM, which can be spent on gaining extra plasmids (biotic weaponry) and tonics (skill upgrades), and upgrading your Health and EVE capacity (EVE being the fuel your plasmid attacks). This time around, after killing a Little Sister's protector, you can either Harvest them immediately, or use them to gather additional ADAM from Splicer corpses. During these periods (known as a Gather), Lamb will send several Splicers to your location, all of which should be killed.  After two Gathers, the Little Sister can then either be Saved or Harvested. The latter option rewards you with more ADAM, but the former will eventually yield extra rewards.

While the Gather sections can be pretty frantic, with enemies coming from all sides, they're nothing compared to the arrival of the Big Sisters. This is where things start to get real freaky. Unlike their male counterparts, the Big Sisters are fast and agile, throw fire on a pretty rapid basis, and also happen to carry a great big bloody spike, just in case you get too close. While your first meeting and confrontation with one is kept somewhat short, when you actually do engage in a fight to the death with one, it's likely that she will eat your lunch - on several occasions.

It's at this point that you're left thankful for the Vita Chamber system, the convenient plot point that allows you to re-spawn with any damage you've done to enemies still in place. Those after a larger challenge can deactivate the chambers and rely on re-loading save files (the game employs a save-anywhere policy). Effective combat involve a mixture of your plasmids (early examples allow you to shoot electricity and fire from your hand) and weaponry. Aside from the likes of Rivet Guns, Machine Guns and Shotguns, you'll be armed with a Drill for close quarters combat. The drill does require fuel to remain active, though there's plenty of it around.  

Also dotted around Rapture are the likes of Security Bots, Cameras and Turrets. If spotted by them, you'll come under fire, but by using a handy-dandy hacking tool, they can be brought under your control. The hacking mini-game has been dumbed down from the previous title, where you played an often-times frustrating game of Pipe Mania. This time, a needle moves back and forth along a gauge, and you must stop it in the green or blue sections for a successful hack. Hitting the blue sections usually entitles you to an extra bonus. Ammo and Item Vending Machines, as well as health terminals, can also be hacked to reduce the costs of the goods inside. You can even hack unreachable items from distance with your new hacking tool, though ammo is required for this.

Something helped make Bioshock one of, if not the game of 2007, was its eerie atmosphere. Much like Condemned before it, every step was taken with caution, wondering where the next enemy was going to come from. This remains in place for 2, with the sound of distant voices putting you into preparatory mood, as you walk on past damaged and decrepit exhibits, or graffiti-daubed walls, awaiting the next big battle. While your average splicer won't give you too much bother, there are several more toting guns these days, not to mention the new Brute splicers, who are bigger, tougher and healthier than their standard counterparts. If you see one of them in the distance, you know it's game time.

The updated camera system allows you to improve your abilities against Splicers, once you take hold of it. While previously your research involved getting candid snapshots of your enemies, this time around you're in possession of a video camera. By equipping this and pressing the fire button when an enemy is near, it will “record” your killing of them, and level up your abilities based upon how you mixed up your actions during the fight.

As your travels progress, you'll once again collect Audio Diaries, which help to give a little more insight into characters such as Sofia Lamb, learning more about her relationship with Eleanor and Rapture's founder Andrew Ryan. You certainly get the feeling that she would have wrapped a 9-iron around his head given the chance.  Ultimately, these will help you piece together the overall plot puzzle, and as such, much time will be spent checking every door, to see if there's an additional path that leads to a diary.  

In general, the single player story could be construed as “more of the same”, though there are evident tweaks in places, some of which have eased the pressure on the place, while others have increased it tenfold. However, given that the first game did leave us aching for more, that's not too much of a bad thing. Furthermore, with the promise of multiple endings for the game, there's no doubt that this time around, players will yearn to get going again and see how they can do things differently.

Something that was absent from the original game, albeit not necessarily missed, was a multiplayer mode. The reason given at the time was that it would have compromised the story being told in the single player game. Multiplayer in Bioshock 2 is actually set 10 years before the single player mode, and offers a look at the plasmid-inspired riots that led to the demise of the utopia. Generally you'll play as Splicers, though there are occasions where you get to be a Big Daddy - much like becoming the Tank in the Left 4 Dead series. There are free for all and team-based modes on offer, including Death Matches and a form of Capture the Flag, where you compete to grab Little Sisters. It's pretty good fun, but it won't be replacing Modern Warfare or Halo in the usage charts any time soon.

It's only natural that sequels will be scrutinized under a more powerful microscope than the original game, but it's pleasing to say that Bioshock 2, much like Mass Effect 2 before it, has come through with flying neon colours comparable to those seen on the signs in Rapture. As far as follow-ups go, it seems we're two for two this year.  Bring on God of War 3 in March!

Borderlands

Point, shoot, level up

'A bazillion weapons'. That was Gearbox's big claim for Borderlands, that it contained so many random combinations of weapon parts, damage settings and modifiers that no two players would encounter the same weapons. In a world of 'two guns at a time' first-person shooters and grind-fest MMOs, an almost infinite number of weapons makes a surprising change, but as a key feature for the game? It sells Borderlands very, very short.

A slick blend of first-person shooter and RPG, or Role Playing Shooter as Gearbox like to say, Borderlands deposits players onto the arid wasteland world of Pandora in search of a mythical Vault. There's very little story to the experience: you're guided along by visions of a woman who wants to help you find it, but the game itself is driven by quests, exploration and the need for XP.

Each of the four character classes has their own strengths and weaknesses: the soldier is an all-rounder that can deploy a turret, the siren can become invisible, the hunter can use his pet bird as an extra weapon and Brick can punch things and make them explode. They're all variants on standard RPG classes - knight, mage, hunter and warrior - but thanks to the guns the differences aren't as pronounced as classes in traditional RPGs.

Although similar to epic failure Hellgate: London, Borderlands is surprisingly familiar to old school RPG Diablo: the action is repetitive but satisfying, the quests refreshingly uncomplicated and it doesn't take itself too seriously. Visually, the lovely pseudo-cel shaded visuals keep things surprisingly colourful and bright, the gore lever is cranked up to 11 and enemies range from mundane mutant beasts to burning psychotic midgets.

The weapons themselves come in thick and fast, dropped at random from anyone or anything, each with their own unique stats and features. Although the basic structure of guns remain the same - you get pistols, sniper rifles, shotguns etc - the differences that create 'bazillions' mainly become statistical fluctuations like damage per second, elemental damage and accuracy.

However, these differences can still lead to some incredibly unique battle scenarios. We had a particularly memorable encounter with a pair of 'Badass' skags (Borderlands' equivalent of Elites), fighting them off with a devastatingly inaccurate scoped shotgun that fired three acidic shells simultaneously, which would only hit their targets at point blank range. You can end up with anything: a deadly accurate submachine gun, revolvers that fire shock rounds or sniper rifles that reload almost instantaneously. The possibilities are literally endless.

The constant collection of new and dissimilar weapons leads to a constant re-evaluation of your combat strategy: do you sacrifice damage or accuracy for something new? Do you hold on to a higher level weapon until you can use it, or use the cash from selling it to help yourself now? The loot system is as constant and unyielding as the endlessly respawning enemies: it's an obsessive's nirvana, leading to as much time navigating the inventory screen as the game's hub world and dungeons.

The trouble is, if it didn't have you constant re-jigging your loadouts, dashing back to the start of dungeons to sell unwanted loot at vending machine 'shops' and constantly slaughtering crazies and alien creatures, you'd be forced to face up to some of the harsh truths about the world of Pandora.

Despite its bold, refreshing visuals, Borderlands features dull, repetitive environment designs that never look or feel much different from one another. The dungeons are small but at least look subtly different from one another, unlike the hub worlds, which leave little scope for exploration and are filled with flat, one-dimensional quest-giving characters. By the time you finish up the first playthrough in your mid-level thirties, going back again for the harder second playthrough might feel a little too samey.

The AI is uniformly dire, with humans and projectile-firing creatures mostly staying put as they fire, psychos and melee enemies simply make a beeline for you, claws raised. They make up for it though either by sheer strength or numbers, keeping you on your toes as you duke it out and not complicating matters by flanking you, flushing you out of cover or anything you might find in a thoroughbred shooter.

As disappointing and repetitive as it might seem in single-player, Borderlands more than makes up for it with co-op play. Playing with three friends is exactly how the game was meant to be played: it's a chaotic, desperate and ramped-up version of playing on your lonesome, with the difficulty increasing the more players you play with. Normal encounters with groups of enemies become frenzied skirmishes, complete with desperate dashes to grab loot in the aftermath or rescue attempts for downed comrades.

Loot is, in fact, one of the only issues with the co-op play, as there's no item binding or rolling for dropped items, so it can become a straight rush for anything gun-shaped with a coloured name-tag - rare weapons are much more frequent when playing online. You can't show off your guns' stats without dropping the item into the game world and risking someone pilfering it, which has proved to be something of a nuisance when you're playing with strangers.

The trouble is that Borderlands has such a solid, smooth gameplay style that you can't avoid becoming addicted to it. Sure, it becomes quite a grind on your own and it's ultimately shallow, but there's no game out there that offers such a pure, addictive RPG system in a shooter, especially not one with an incredible co-op experience. A bit of repetitive strain injury never hurt Diablo's success, and it only serves to hurt thousands upon thousands of bad guys in Borderlands, which is a very good thing indeed.

Call Of Duty 4: Modern Warfare

This is the modern way

War, what is it good for? Absolutely nothing... (say it again - Ed) but enough of my political views, plenty of people buy consoles for the express purpose of fighting battles, be they in the boxing ring, the trenches, or the football pitch. War is big business and the same can be said for the virtual incarnations. The Call Of Duty series, borne out of the design talents of the original Medal Of Honour team is one of the biggest franchises in modern gaming, with every incarnation seeming to take the player further towards military gaming perfection.

This time in COD4 the emphasis is very much on modern warfare, SWAT teams assembled to infiltrate enemy strongholds to gather intelligence, recover WMDs or make assassination attempts on bent dictators. This represents quite a move away from the traditions of the genre, fighting in World War II trenches against the Nazis. Now your distinction between enemies and allies is hazy - the very president of a country you helped install has become your assassination target.

Modern warfare isn't for the feint hearted, most of your operations take place at night, sometimes in treacherous conditions at sea and COD4 makes no bones about its challenging nature. If you don't have the patience or skill to take part in these extremely tough missions, you'll be floundering at the first hurdle. Of course, if you've been preparing for this moment all your life, you'll be rewarded.

Everything about the combat mechanics in Call Of Duty 4 is not only super-realistic but immensely enjoyable too. The 'aim assistance' mode means waving your gun near an enemy will allow you to lock-on to their position. Popping in and out of sniper mode in this way can allow you to dispatch multiple targets quickly and efficiently. You can turn these settings off, but frankly they go a long way to establishing a more realistic simulation, it's arguably harder to aim a gun at an enemy 6 feet away using a control pad than it is in real life, this compensates for that fact.

Don't expect to find too many enemies parading around in broad daylight though, one shot from your machine gun and you'll see them all scramble for cover, preferring to peek out from behind cover to fire at you, leaving an incredibly small target to aim at. Tactical battles are the order of the day here, finding a good position from which to mount your assault is as important as which weapon to choose. Hiding behind vehicles or bushes may keep you hidden from plain sight, but the bullets won't have any trouble tearing straight through your cover.

Luckily in most missions you have some comrades to stay close to, use their abilities wisely and watch their movements and positions for some tips early on. Ultimately though, you have to further most of the missions yourself or face an incredibly long stalemate behind enemy lines.

As beautifully as the game plays, it would be flawed unless the rest of the experience matched up to those high standards. Graphically the game has nothing to worry about on that count. Creating an inspired looking backdrop is relatively straightforward these days, but integrating it into gameplay is a whole different ball game. In COD4 every detail is spot on. If you fire a flash bang to disorientate enemies you can expect to be pretty disoriented yourself, the only advantage you have is that you know it's coming. Just don't have your night vision goggles on during the blast!

There are plenty of missions here to keep you going, including a bonus mission when you complete the regular story mode. There is also good reason for replaying the game over and over with increasing difficulty levels, the game plays so differently on veteran mode and you have to completely rethink your tactics on each mission, which is as good as having new missions to play.

Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 2

This is the modern way

So, it's been a week. A week since people queued up inside and outside of supermarkets and game shops, waiting for the "best game ever". Across that week, we've had gushing reviews, media debates and even crying teenagers trying to make a name for themselves over the internet. So, with all that in mind, is Modern Warfare 2 actually any good?  

The short answer, and one that most of you probably could answer for yourself is "yes, it is". But does it honestly live up to the level of hype that has been created in the two years since Infinity Ward last stepped onto the battlefield? It all really depends on how you use it.

For the Single Player, there are two main modes of entertainment, the first being the Campaign, which picks up five years after the events of the original game, and focuses on a fictional war fought mainly between the US and Russia (with a spot of British involvement too). The war itself comes about as a result of an apparently botched attempt by the US to infiltrate a Russian terrorist group. More on this, and the controversial mission it spawns later.

The nature of the story means that the action shifts to US soil for the most part, with several action-packed levels taking place in suburbs, diners and even a particularly famous building in Washington DC too. Ultimately though, despite its twists, turns and shocks, the story isn't particularly all that important, and serves as a very shallow means of introducing the player to 18 fairly straightforward set-pieces. If you're looking for a flowing, intelligent narrative in-between shooting the you-know-what out of a bunch of enemy troops, you've come to the wrong place.

Of course, of those aforementioned set-pieces, there's 1 that sticks out like a particular sore thumb, and has helped propel Modern Warfare 2 in the minds and daily conversation of non-gamers everywhere, especially those who like to complain about stuff they've never experienced (and don't get me started on them, I still miss listening to ol' Russ on the wireless on Saturday nights).

The mission in question, No Russian, sees gamers play the role of an American troop sent to infiltrate a Russian terrorist organisation. Rather than just breeze over this with a cut-scene, developers Infinity Ward decided to create a level where you and your "allies" storm through an airport mowing down innocent civilians, before facing a showdown with riot squads on the runway.

Players are given the option to skip the mission, or simply watch on as the bloodshed occurs, though trying to do so during the "escape" portion of the mission is quite simply not an option.

While the media furore surrounding this has certainly been overblown (how many people actually think that the game's full title is Violent Video Game Modern Warfare 2?), there's no doubting that the mission itself is quite shocking, even if you do find yourself joining in with the slaughter. The fact that it can be skipped by a player without affecting their ability to earn achievements/trophies in the console versions does lead this (occasionally cynical) writer to conclude that its inclusion was merely a means of stirring up controversy. While the mission's ending gives a reason for the main conflict, it's something that could easily have been explained away in a cut-scene.

No doubt the underlying controversy created by this mission, alongside the hype generated from the original Modern Warfare and last year's Treyarch-developed Call of Duty: World at War will be responsible for attracting a number of newcomers to the series, and that's another area where Modern Warfare 2 suffers. It is, for all intents and purposes, a tad on the easy side. Oh you'll die, many times on certain levels, but never anywhere near to the extent that you might have done on a previous instalment. Even the Veteran difficulty setting, a challenge that has reduced several (including yours truly) to angry, swearing shadows of their usual self, can be polished off without too many troubles. The decision to do away with constant AI respawns and grenade tosses may seem welcome at first, but you almost come to miss them. Getting repeatedly shot in the back is a poor substitute (although still frustrating when it happens ten times in a row).

That being said, it's certainly an enjoyable campaign, with moments like the snowmobile chase and defending a fast food restaurant with guided missiles being particular highlights. Unfortunately it's the reduced difficulty and increased hand-holding in missions - count the number of times you have to "follow" someone - that let it down somewhat. Anyone expecting tasks that could rival "No Fighting In The War Room" or "Mile High Club" are out of luck.

When you're done with the campaign, and to be honest it won't take all that long, it's not the end of the single player fun, thanks to the new Special Ops mode. These short, bite-sized missions put you into set locations with specific tasks. Get through these, and you'll earn a rating of between 1 and 3 stars, depending on the completion conditions outlined at first. As you progress through the 23 challenges, they become more and more taxing (as is understandable), and before long you'll really need to explore the idea of playing them co-operatively in order to improve your chances of emerging with all three stars.

But let's face it, a good number (dare I even say the majority) of people picking up Modern Warfare 2 most likely aren't even entertaining the idea of going through the single player modes of the game. They're in it for the multiplayer, which has been a big factor in the ongoing success of the Call of Duty series, dating back to its first bow on PC many years ago (which can also be experienced on console for the first time, if you picked up the Hardened or Prestige versions of MW2).

It's a testament to just how good the multiplayer modes that Infinity Ward offer to players that they retain such a level of popularity on consoles despite the fact that there are no achievements or trophies offered to players for success in them. Instead, multiplayer has its own in-built experience system that rewards players for continued play and success. New and upgraded weapons can be unlocked as you progress, and getting successive kills without dying also gives you access to extra bonuses, like the ability to use the kick-ass Predator guided missiles.

There are some restrictions that will upset the more regular players on certain formats, mind you. The lack of dedicated servers on PC currently disables the ability to use mods or user-created maps in the game, while Xbox 360 players cannot take part in Party Chats while playing online (though oddly enough, they can still have a private chat with a single user on a different game/team/mode). In addition, there's the added annoyance of having your sexuality questioned by people who are too young to even be playing the game, but I guess that's something you just learn to deal with (and counter with a quick retort about how their mother feels about you).

So, a week has passed, the hype has died down while the controversy rages on, and the campaign has been completed - twice most likely. Is Modern Warfare 2 the best game ever? Definitely not. It's probably not even the best game this year, and certainly not worthy of the price-hike that Activision gave it. Despite this, however, it's still pretty damn good, and certainly something any gamer (or at least FPS fan) should be sinking their teeth into at some point. Whether it'll still be on playlists when Modern Warfare 3 shows up (and it's going to) remains to be seen.

Call Of Duty: World At War

War is hell(uva good fun)

When a game makes a big impact on the industry, the pressure increases for a follow up to match the success. When you have two different developers working on the same franchise you can expect some differences between instalments. Infinity Ward developed the brilliant Call of Duty 2, only for Treyarch to follow it up with the above average Call of Duty 3. The saga was famous for its World War 2 setting, until Infinity Ward changed the rules for Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, opting for the modern era as the subtitle implies.

Modern Warfare was hugely successful and a brilliant game, leaving the fans screaming for a sequel, but publishers Activision had already set in motion the fifth instalment, with Treyarch developing and returning the franchise to the familiar WW2 setting. It's safe to say this game was already written off in its early stages, with little faith that Treyarch could top that which Infinity Ward had created. Some fans awaited World at War in hope it could match its predecessor, but I awaited it because I'm a fan of the series and like to venture into WW2 with rifle ready, hoping for a WW2 game that can match the excitement of Call of Duty 2.

The story suggests this could be the last we see in this era as we play out the final stages of the war. The game takes the view point of the Russian and American army (no British this time, sadly). The Russians are winning the battle of Stalingrad and planning the march into Berlin to put an end to Hitler's Nazi regime. Meanwhile, the Americans are struggling in the Pacific fighting against the unpredictable Japanese. World War 2 was certainly a relevant point in our history and has defined the way we are living today. While modern war is seen in the media, WW2 was on our door step and is as important and relevant today as it was back then. Although we all know how the story ends, it's exciting to play out, with gritty real life footage between missions depicting war at its worse. The story leads all the way to the events in Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the battle is won.

If you are familiar with the previous Call of Duty games, then you'll be instantly familiar with World at War. Almost everything about it feels familiar, from the guns to the game mechanics. It plays out like Call of Duty 3 with the Modern Warfare engine, only this time the enemy and environments are different. It's this difference that makes World at War an exciting game to play. The Japanese are ruthless soldiers, brainwashed by their society to take every man out, including themselves if they have to. Their battle methods were certainly second to none and World at War depicts this perfectly, with a challenge that includes more than just gun stand-offs. The Japanese are very in your face and can appear out of nowhere, trying to stab you in the eye with a bayonet.

This sort of brutality keeps you on edge, as the enemy can also camouflage themselves against the dense jungle and surprise attack any time. They can be hiding in the trees, even disguised as bushes as you walk slowly by, oblivious to the approaching stab in the back. Fighting on the tropical Pacific Islands against the most callous enemy brings new dimensions to the WW2 shooter and a worthy final opponent, if this is to be the last. The Russian sections are exciting in their own way too. What's more fulfilling than invading Berlin and disposing of Nazis in their own back yard? World at War feels and plays more like a sequel to Call of Duty 3, but an improved sequel at that.

Treyarch have borrowed elements of Modern Warfare, noticeably the ability to call air strikes, but they have managed to maintain a consistent mood with both of their games, which is both a good and bad thing. Call of Duty 3 introduced a hands on, face-to-face battle system, which involved quick time button events to shake off up close and personal Nazis. These brief moments of tension have been bettered this time with bayonet face-offs. If your reactions aren't quick enough, you'll see the 'Game Over' screen frequently, but pull it off and you'll see some gory war detail up close.

The bad point is the lack of mission variety and dull objectives, which usually revolve around destroying 3 tanks or 4 anti aircraft guns. The gun fights are solid, but other than the main objective to win the war, there's no real originality throughout. Of course, there's an on-the-rails mission, which sees you destroying Japanese Naval ships, rescuing endangered soldiers and avoiding being hit by kamikaze (suicidal) Japanese planes. This section is well done, but fails to hit the peak on the excitement radar. This wouldn't be Call of Duty without one of those random tank missions, either. I wouldn't mind this, but it offers nothing new to previous tank missions, and feels like filler material and a lame attempt at variety.

The weapons are the usual competent mix, with the trusty rifles and AKs. Bayonets are a nice inclusion (it makes me wonder why they haven't been a part of the series since the beginning), but the star new addition is the mighty flamethrower, an essential ingredient to taking out trenches and bayonet-wielding Asians. Grenades are a pain, and they like to remind you of this every 5 seconds. You're often too drawn in to a gun battle that you fail to see the grenade warning alarm, causing an untimely and incredibly frustrating death - all is fair in love and war I guess. I'm a sharp-shooting son of a gun, but I still can't avoid those damn grenades all the time. Still with a flamethrower equipped and getting to follow orders from Kiefer Sutherland, surely there's nothing better!

Modern Warfare was mainly remembered because of its excellent multiplayer, which still has thousands of people going online today to outgun friends and strangers. World at War's multiplayer is equally as good, taking Modern Warfare's mechanics and putting them in a WW2 environment. The more you play, the better you get, and the more experience points you can earn. Points literally mean prizes, as you can Rank up and unlock new weapons and perks. The campaign can be played split screen or online co-op, so you and a buddy can be band of brothers in a virtual sense and team up to take down the Japanese onslaught, which adds plenty of excitement to the already exciting campaign.

After the campaign is complete, we are treated to a horror fest mini game called Nazi Zombies, where you are placed in a house and the objective is to stay alive for as long as possible. Killing zombies earn you points, which you can use for new weapons or to unlock new sections of the house. Nazi Zombies is a strange, but extremely welcome and fun addition. It can also be played 4 played co-op and definitely gives Left 4 Dead some competition.

I don't think the argument of World at War versus Modern Warfare really has much to do with the setting. The argument is quality and the difference between the two is tension, level design and mission objectives, which Modern Warfare wins on all 3 accounts. World at War doesn't try to be anything else other than a solid Call of Duty game and that makes it a good game. Now that the series has taken us to Berlin and Hiroshima the message seems clear: The war is over. Long live Modern Warfare?

Colin McRae: DIRT

A fond farewell

In an example of purely unfortunate timing, the European PS3 release of Colin McRae: Dirt (which came three months after the Xbox 360 release) would occur just one day before the rally legend was tragically killed in a helicopter accident. Colin worked closely with the team at Codemasters throughout the years of success he and the game enjoyed, and Dirt proves to be a fitting tribute for both existing fans and a new generation.

The biggest difference in DIRT is the variety of race modes, with standard time trial point to point races making up only a fifth of the overall game, unlike the near 100% of earlier titles. Now there's plenty of race types with several opponents on track, as well as hill climb and crossover modes too. The crossover mode is particularly spectacular, and is a perfect recreation of the races that take place often at motorsport shows and events, with two cars going head-to-head and indeed side-byside on a narrow winding circuit.

Most of your time will be spent in standard rally events though, through the wet and dreary streets of Wales, the harsh desert environments of Dakar and the winding mountain roads of Italy, all faithfully recreated with stunning visual detail. It's hard sometimes to take your eyes off the glorious scenery, so much so that even if you merely graze an advertising hoarding, you may find your car collecting it on the underside, rendering steering nigh on impossible until you free yourself from it. It's the little touches like this that make DIRT such a pleasure to play.

Career mode takes the form of a rather large pyramid, starting out with the lowest level events on the bottom which, with a few wins under your belt, will allow you to move up to the next tier. Each tier has a good mix of events and more importantly, vehicles. Like Motorstorm, there are a variety of off-road vehicles, from standard rally cars to big rigs and buggies. Where the vehicle list really comes into its own is with the various power classes, meaning you'll need to drive a Suzuki Swift around as well as your Evo IX or Impreza.

By far the best inclusions are the vintage rally cars, the original Subaru Impreza, Toyota Corolla and even the Lancia Delta Integrale. Most cars can be purchased with your race winnings, which increase as you try higher difficulty settings, but the occasional special car can only be unlocked through career performance. Luckily, and despite the frequent vehicle restrictions on races, you'll usually have the money to buy the required car thanks to the game's solid credit accumulation.

So what's it like to drive? Well the steering can be a little wild at times, and while it has been better in previous games of the series, it's pretty good. The cars drift well around the corners but allow you a good level of control, you'll want to tap the throttle a little coming out of the corner to avoid oversteer though. The only real disappointment is that the cars seem to turn on an apex at the middle of the car rather than the front or back, which makes drifting easy but look a little strange.

Overall though, the driving experience is sound, novices will get round most of the tracks without any trouble if they're happy to use the brakes and still secure the win. For the pros, the higher difficulty settings require near faultless stages, something which is possible due to the responsive controls. Hook up a steering wheel accessory and things begin to feel even more enjoyable, the smallest touches of left and right on the analogue stick can see you swerve violently otherwise.

There's a disappointing online mode where you don't see any other cars racing against you, despite promising up to 100 opponents. However, the single player career is both long and fulfilling and well worth parting with your hard earned cash for. There's not a better rally game on PS3 and I doubt there will be for some time.

Condemned 2

Sega and Monolith bring the horror once more

The Condemned games may brandish the Sega logo, but they're both about as far from blue hedgehogs and egg-men as you can get. The first game , which began as a "forensic cop tracks drug-addicted criminal" tale, soon descending into a psychological horror, filled with creepy monsters, dead birds and mask-wearing villains. It also turned out to be quite good.

So here we have Condemned 2, which follows on from the original (although potentially discarding its rather odd ending). Once again, you take on the role of Ethan Thomas, but Ethan is not in a good way. Suspended from his job with the agency, Thomas has hit the bottle in a bad way, and now spends his evenings getting hammered and causing trouble. However, a chance meeting with a bum, and an apparent glimpse of a familiar face sends him spiralling into a new, and equally creepy adventure.

Despite being played from a first-person perspective, to label Condemned 2 as part of the FPS genre might not be all that accurate, as gun-play is not all that regular an occurrence. For the most part, certainly for the whole of the initial seconds of the game, you'll be forced to use your fists and whatever weapons that you can lay your hands on.

Early tutorials show how your left and right paws are assigned to different buttons, allowing you to swing some fairly neat 1-2 combos. You can also initialise quick time events with specific button presses too, which will allow you to fire off a series of uninterrupted blows that will help take down the freakish fighters that you face. At certain points, environmental kills are implemented, allowing you to take a downed opponent and use a nearby object to finish them off, like ramming their head through a TV screen.

Eventually, you do get your hands on some fire-arms, which work a little differently to those in standard first person games, a little bit more realistically, if you will. Most guns have limited amounts of ammo, which means that you need to make every shot count. When you've managed to take down an enemy toting a piece, you can't just walk over their corpse and miraculously have their ammo jump into your gun. Oh no, if you want the ammo that your enemy had, you've got to take their gun, and that means leaving the weapon that you have behind.

This applies to melee weapons as well, you can only carry one at a time, and these will break after repeated use. Whenever you come across a new weapon on the ground, a small box will appear in the corner, showing you how the discarded weapon compares with the one that you're carrying, so you'll know whether or not it's worth swapping over.

In later stages, you'll acquire a taser (which was highly useful in the original game). This will stay with you regardless of any other weapon you have, and is especially useful for stunning an enemy, leaving them open to be attacked by your main piece of hardware. You'll also, as you become more integrated with your law enforcement buddies, get to start using forensic tools again, which provide a neat, and intelligent backdrop to the action.

One of the more intriguing aspects of the first game was the optional collection objectives, where you grabbed dead birds (eww) and shards of metal. These return for the sequel, but slightly tweaked. This time, you're shutting down sonic devices, reacting to the people around you, and tuning in TV sets to reveal secret messages. While these might sound a little dull in print, the actual process proves to be quite enjoyable, and sheds additional light on the story.

It's by no means an easy game, and you'll likely find in the early going that you die quite a bit, especially when slimy (literally) enemies often emerge from the wall and attack you in packs. Once you get the hang of the blocking system, though, and learn how to position yourself safely in the spaces around the levels, you will start to make some progress. With 11 missions to play, it'll certainly keep you going for a while.

In addition, there are multiplayer and "Fight Club" mini-games to attempt too, which add a small and mildly interesting spot of replay value to the proceedings, though it's unlikely to generate that big a community, given the general focus on melee combat.

Dark, scary and a game best played with the lights off and the sound turned up, Condemned 2 is a great alternative to the range of cookie-cutter FPS games that the consoles offer up. Not perfect, admittedly, but certainly a game you'll enjoy playing through to completion, especially if you liked the original.

Dead Space

Even the skies aren't safe

Just when I thought the Survival Horror genre was nearing a death, along comes Dead Space. Resident Evil begrudgingly abandoned the genre for pure Action; Silent Hill has been failing to deliver in recent years, and who knows if we'll ever see Project Zero 4: The Mask of the Lunar Eclipse ever hit European shores. So when a new horror title is launched that focuses on survival rather than non-stop action, you can expect heads to turn. Survival Horror has been done very badly before, so here's hoping Dead Space can deliver the chills and breathe life into the dying genre.

Anyone who has seen the film Alien knows that space is a terrifying setting. Running outside to safety is not an option and the phrase "in space no one can hear you scream" brings a whole new chilling meaning to space exploration. We've been to mansions, zombie infested cities and a strange abandoned foggy town, but survival in the isolation of Space adds new heights to the meaning of the word fear. You take the role of Isaac Clarke, a space engineer who's sent to the mining ship Ishimura to repair their communications. Upon arrival, it's fair to say the ship has worse problems than communications as the crew have been transformed into Necromorphs (monsters, in other words). Arriving with a crash landing has put the only means of escape in ruins; the only plan is the mission at hand and the new objective: Survive.

This third-person horror fest controls very much like the Gears of War and the remodelled Resident Evil, with an up close over-the-shoulder camera. With many third-person shooting games opting for this perspective, it seems static CCTV style camera angles are a thing of the past, but this is not a bad thing as the view makes you feel more like the character rather than a spectator, as you creep around the dark eerie corridors.

The noticeable factor is the lack of an on screen display showing health and ammo. The health gauge is attached to the spine of Isaac's RIG suit, while your remaining ammo is displayed on the gun itself. Making these features in-game leaves more screen room for the sickening horror and grimy atmosphere. To ease frustration, the suit has a built in direction finder, similar to the recent Prince of Persia, for light weights who are afraid to get lost in the maze like corridors or a helpful tool to get you out of danger and on track with little hassle.

Isaac isn't a soldier, the only weapons available are what you can find, largely a selection of mining tools such as a Buzz Saw or plasma related weaponry. Just like Resident Evil, each gun comes equipped with laser sight to assist with aiming, but in true Survival Horror style, ammo is very limited, so using it sparingly is strongly advised. It's very tempting to dispose of every Necromorph you encounter, but running like a girl and preserving ammo is allowed in these games, so don't be afraid to do it. Having only 2 bullets left with 6 oncoming angry Necromorphs is the norm in Dead Space, if you don't learn to shoot only when truly required. The weapons are a competent bunch, which can be upgraded and strengthened at one of the many work benches you'll find. There's a gun for every occasion and you'll eventually learn which is best for each situation.

The Necromorphs are a tough opponent - you'll likely see the gory animated scenes of your own death many times throughout the game - but each mistake is a lesson to be learned, while save points and check points are too frequent to cause too much aggravation. Unlike most shooters the killer blow is their limbs, rather than the head. Taking out the legs will make them angry and they won't hesitate to decapitate you with their clawed arms. Having the limbs as a weak spot creates a whole new challenge as 4 moving limbs are harder to take out than 1 head. There is a CQC option, but it involves constantly trouncing them with your gun, which takes a lot of effort to kill them and really isn't the convenient combat option. Amongst your other attributes is the ability to freeze enemies using Stasis and Telekinesis to launch objects at the monsters, some puzzles also require these skills and they can certainly get you out of tight spots.

The enemy AI has been programmed to do three things and that is simply: Kill, dismember and kill some more. The Necromorphs start off menacingly enough with a human form, but as the game advances so do the monsters. They get faster, creepier and slyer; they come at you in numbers, flank you and hide in the vents waiting to give you a nasty surprise. You'll walk the corridors on edge, upon entering a room you'll take in the sounds and atmosphere before venturing further in. On many unlucky occasions, the door will lock behind you and a variety of Necromorphs will appear from nowhere. Fighting a large group is extremely tense, but victory gives you a true feeling of survival. Unfortunately some doors can be unresponsive, similar to the amazing Metroid Prime, and when trying to flee, doors can sometimes fail to open, resulting in a severe beating from behind.

The Ishimura is a crumbling wreck; many obstacles come between you and your objectives. For instance, in the early stages a giant monster has taken residence aboard the ship, sucking away all the oxygen. Naturally it's your task to deal with beast, in one of the few exciting boss fights you'll encounter. To add to the challenge, some areas of the ship have zero gravity, jumping from floor to wall to ceiling is very well done and a real challenge working your way through the puzzle. Other areas have no oxygen, and although your suit is equipped with an oxygen tank, the time is limited, which can cause panic when it's running low. The game has enough variety to keep it exciting and the tension can be very nail biting.

Throughout The Ishimura you'll discover weapon schematics, which will unlock further arsenal for your survival needs. In order to purchase these weapons (plus ammo and health) or upgrade your RIG suit, you need to pick up credits and visit a Store. Naturally the store is rather pricy and credits are scarce, but the challenge of saving is rewarding. Inventory slots are limited, so weapons and items can be stored at a shop and picked up later at a different store.

Sound, lighting and atmosphere are the essential ingredients to creating a truly terrifying game. Dead Space uses these ingredients brilliantly, so much so that you'll only use the run function when fleeing a losing battle. The eerie sound effects and almost complete darkness will have you creeping slowly down the corridors, afraid to turn the corner. The musical score reminds me of classic horror movies; the dramatic music will cause you to skip a heartbeat, and it comes without warning when a monster rises from the ground like Nosferatu rising from his coffin. Mix these ingredients with tough game play and a uniquely terrifying enemy and you have a top class horror game.

Dead Space isn't original in its concept, it has many borrowed elements from other games of its type, noticeably Resident Evil and the equally brilliant Doom 3, but it takes these elements and almost perfects them. Sure, the level design and locations are a tad repetitive and the missions follow suit after a while, but this can be forgiven as the game is so engrossing and atmospheric. As far as Survival Horror goes, this is best I've played in years and can be classed as a benchmark for contemporary horror titles. It seems EA has beaten Capcom at their own game. Dead Space > Resident Evil 5.

Dragon Age: Origins

Watch out for sequel Dragon Age: Lemons

Before we start fawning over Dragon Age: Origins (and there will be much, much fawning) let's look at some of the problems that hitherto haven't really been mentioned by other reviewers. First off the cut scenes suffer from dropped frames while the player often finishes a discussion with a third party only for the scene to randomly decide to repeat itself (and if you're really unlucky - particularly on the PS3 rather than the 360 - it'll do this with the other bloke rendered invisible). There are no multi-player options (online or otherwise) and the only real extra is a trailer. Okay, now that's over with let's get down to some serious fawning!

Every new RPG claims to have the largest world to explore or the most potions to mix and though Origins automatically falls into that category (double the scope of Mass Effect!), it succeeds where other RPGs like Sacred 2 or Rise of the Argonauts fail by having great characters and an engaging story...or 6. Yes, it's called Origins for a reason and that reason is you have six starting points from which to build your character up anyway you see fit - you can be a real jackass to people or show them courtesy and earn their respect. Or you can do both - that's the beauty of the game. It never forces you down a set path of good or evil, rendering your character deeply, well...human. But be warned, if you're too trigger-happy (sword-happy?) your team may turn on you.

Once you've chosen your sex and altered his/her numerous facial features (sadly you can't alter body type or clothes) there's the question of class; Warrior (good on the front line, strong fighter), Mage (skilled at creating/deflecting spells) and Rogue (sneaky, good with traps and stealthy assassination). You can also choose to be a human, an Elf or a Dwarf and whether they be commoners or of noble blood (sniff). Dirty commoners will begin the game under some form of oppressive rule (the elves are practically slaves in this universe) whereas a noble will probably be a prince/princess who willingly or unwillingly is sent by the king to join fighters of darkness, the Grey Wardens, led by Duncan, your guide. Should you choose to be a female Dalish Elf, for example, you begin the game about to be deflowered Braveheart-style by soldiers and upon fighting back you impress Duncan enough that he recruits you into his army. If this makes you think of the standard myth of the 'chosen one' then you won't be surprised to see the party system is a lot like that of another Bioware title, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic from 2003 - namely that you have control over the three other people in your group.

There's no visual indication of good/bad choices when one is engaged in polite conversation (sniff), so it's entirely up to the player how they respond to orders or questions put to them. There are generally four choices of reply and these range from "Nice to see you're okay" to "I'm really going to kill you now!" These exchanges are so well thought out by designers Bioware that sometimes a rude proclamation will actually endear you to an enemy ("I like your honesty, my dear!") while pandering might cause a spooked servant to abandon you in a castle under siege rather than stay and fight. There is no right/wrong answer, but you do sense the choices you make aren't quite as much your own as the game leads you to believe. Nevertheless, overall the frequent character confrontations feel suitably threatening or genial depending on the circumstances. Humour is also present and accounted for, which helps immeasurably in softening the stodgy Dungeons & Dragons-style setup. ("You're some kind of...witch...thief person," stammers a cowardly soldier upon meeting a Mage in the forest).

Players view the action from a third-person perspective and the right stick rotates the camera, though it's a testament to the designers that said camera is usually pointed where you want it so you rarely have to take the reigns. When enemies appear their feet are encircled by a red hula-hoop while you and your friends are yellow, so it's very easy to separate friend from foe. Each time you slay a Darkspawn creature (think Orcs from LOTR) you pick the remains over for gold, potions or weapons that are hopefully better than your current sword/bow/shield. Likewise there's various strength armour for your feet, torso, hands and coconut (that means head, you imbecile). All it takes is one button-push to compare an item so you can almost instantly decide to add it to your inventory or discard it. Meanwhile up to six attacks, spells, traps or healing potions can be assigned to the action buttons, making combat very straight-forward, if a little clunky in execution. It's best to set these inventory weapons up whilst things are quiet but should you need to, just pause the game during a fight to safely apply new melees.

Pretty soon you'll level up, at which point you're awarded points that are exchanged for strength, health, cunning etc. Since you build your character from scratch, the skills you choose shape how they fight and where their strengths lie. So a warrior will earn more powerful attacks while a Mage will become more sneaky, setting traps and killing enemies before they know what hit them. Another nice touch: After each battle the blood spatters on your face and clothes get more pronounced until you look like Ash at the end of Evil Dead II. In terms of finding your way, you simply need to follow the white arrow on your compass, or, if you're currently undertaking several quests at once, there are several arrows to follow. To get a clearer idea of your priorities press Select to bring up a more detailed overview of your location (uncharted territory registers as a black smudge until you've explored it properly).

At the core of Dragon Age: Origins is a really cool story (nay: six) and despite the glitches you'll find yourself unable to put down your controller for hours on end since it's like being inside a really great book - one where you can be several different characters. The script and voice-work are also impressive (take a bow Tim Curry and Kate 'Voyager' Mulgrew) so even if you're not that great at tactics and spells, the sheer fun of it is enough to hook you in whether you're a boy or girl. A bit more spit and polish might have been nice but story should always come first and Dragon Age: Origins has story up the ying-yang.

Fallout 3

VATS, Vaults and Post-Apocalyptic Awesomeness

Nearly 3 years ago, Bethesda Softworks (with a spot of publishing help from 2K Games) brought The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion to PC and Xbox 360. This epic adventure wowed gamers, and was amongst the early must-have titles for the 360 in its freshman year. A PS3 version followed, allowing an even bigger audience to experience the action.

Now, as we approach the end of 2008, Bethesda are back once again with a third edition in the Fallout series. This time, they're going it alone, handling both development and publishing duties themselves. The original two Fallout games only really held a cult following, but now with the success of Oblivion, the ability to reach new demographics on consoles, and some rather hefty discounting from certain supermarkets, Fallout 3 is set to propel the game firmly into the spotlight.

Upon scouring the basic controls and premise for the game, it would be easy to simply dismiss it as "Oblivion with Guns", but despite sharing several game mechanics with the Elder Scrolls title, there is also plenty to distinguish the titles as well, not least the different time periods that either game is set in.

Fallout is set (for the most part) in a post apocalyptic Washington DC, a world that your character has never seen before. For years, your character has been holed up in an underground civilization known as the Vault, your home being Vault 101 (perhaps a nod to Orwell in that name). Through a series of flashbacks, you get to experience your own birth, early steps (including an hilarious means of determining your skills), 10th birthday party, and even your teenage years, taking personality defining tests.

Throughout these sequences, you witness the closeness between your character and his father (ably voiced by Liam Neeson), as well as getting a look at the man in charge of the Vault, known as the Overseer. You'll also see a budding relationship between you and the Overseer's daughter, Amata. However, this is all ripped away as you reach the age of 19, when seemingly out of nowhere, you discover that your father has escaped from Vault 101.

Despite resistance, and after making some potentially difficult decisions, you'll find yourself in the ravaged outside world, where your real quest begins. Out on the streets, you'll come across all kinds of weird, wonderful and occasionally friendly characters, many of whom are willing to help with your search for your father, albeit mostly if you're prepared to do a few favours for them as well. As your search intensifies, the various people you talk to will begin to shed more light on the truth behind Vault life, and how it might not have been the safe paradise that you were always led to believe.

Of course, this world being post-nuclear presents many dangers, such as irradiated water. Expose yourself to too much radiation, and you may start to undergo a few, shall we say, changes. Well, that's the nice way of saying it, the more accurate thing to say would be that you'll start to mutate. Some mutations may be potentially useful, but at the same time, they can result in a lot worse situations than just getting funny looks off the residents. Perhaps even a full blown battle or two.

Combat is perhaps one of the most intriguing parts of Fallout. It can be treated like a standard first person shooter, but the chances are (especially in the early going) that you'll wind up dead pretty quickly if you do this. Instead, the game uses VATS, which stands for Vault-tec Assisted Targeting System. When activated, this pauses the action, and allows you to methodically pick your attacks. You can select exactly where you want to aim on your enemy (ideal if they have a weak spot), or switch between multiple targets.

VATS mode gives you a limited number of Attack Points to use up. When you've utilized as many as you can/want, and are willing to unleash the attack, you then press the necessary button to do so. Your moves will then be played back in cinematic style. Using VATS gives a far better chance of survival in fights, and also can help out in tight situations, like being able to target and kill an enemy before they're able to eliminate an ally or acquaintances.

Levelling up in Fallout is handled far better than it was in Oblivion, as now you have complete control over your statistical improvements. With each level up, you can assign attribute points wherever you see fit, instead of having to choose between different groups of points to improve. This allows you to mould your character exactly how you want them, which in turn will allow you to connect with them a lot more.

There's also a Karma system, based around your actions and conversations within the game. You can play the nice guy, always willing to help out and say the right thing, or you can be a complete jerk, rude and insulting to folks, obsessed with money, and perhaps even a killer. Your Karma level, whether Good, Bad or Neutral, will affect what sort of people that you can associate and ally yourself with over the course of the game.

The PS3 version suffers from a few frame-rate issues related to when players on your friend list log on to PSN, but it seems likely that this will be patched in short order. The 360 version, however, only has the occasional stutter on rare occasions, an issue which could well be solved come the NXE update on the 19th, allowing games to be fully installed to the hard drive.

Perhaps a little slow to begin with, Fallout 3 soon becomes an adventure more than capable of rivalling its creator's predecessor, with some rather lengthy and enjoyable quests to undertake, the potential for some gruelling and carefully prepared battles, and an intriguing story filled with many twists and turns. The Karma system even provides you with sufficient reason to replay the game, seeing how things might have turned out differently with a change in attitude or other allies by your side. It's definitely worth going through at least once though, that's for certain.

Far Cry 2

No tears for this one

With Africa constantly in the news spotlight, it was only a matter of time before the video game industry took notice and put you in the centre of its political unrest. Like Cabela's African Safari and Resident Evil 5, Far Cry 2 uses the Continent as its setting, but you won't be observing Lions or taking down viral infected bio weapons, instead you are placed in the centre of civil war where human rights rules do not apply. You're goal is simple: track down and kill the man responsible for fuelling the war, an arms dealer known as 'The Jackal'.

Within minutes of being dumped in the worse place on Earth you come down with Malaria. The unfortunate medical condition affects your vision and stamina and haunts you at any time, meaning you need to acquire medicine to keep you on your feet. Obtaining the drugs you require means taking on missions from a group called Underground, a small time organisation who can keep your sickness at bay. Like any hardcore mercenary, a small case of Malaria will not stop you completing your mission. To track 'The Jackal' you have to mingle with the real bad boys of the war, the UFLL and the APR. Being a free agent you can choose your side, each group will send you on violent missions to meet their needs and ultimately your own.

Missions come with an incredible amount of freedom and choice, taking away any threats of being too linear. You can make the objectives easier by taking on optional side missions or even barter for more pay. You can scope an area out from a distance and take off heads with a sniper or drive in all guns blazing. Kill in the blazing sunlight or sneak in at darkness. You can do it all alone or take one of your many 'Buddies' with you. The choice means no two missions have to be the same, taking away the repetitive nature and adding thought into your massacres. With so many mission types available from the main story to assassinations to Buddy missions there's plenty to do in the 50 square kilometres of African wilderness.

During the story you'll meet other one man army types who will want to help you. Help them and you'll earn their trust. Buddies will give you information and missions and will accompany you on your dangerous escapades if you wish. Every aspect of involvement with a buddy gains you History Points, which can result in them becoming more helpful. If you lose a gun fight a Buddy can appear out of nowhere to pull you to safety, which is extremely nice of them, but "were you stalking me buddy?" Of course, you can also lose History Points by going against their mission objectives. It's a nice idea that works most of the time, but they tend to walk into danger and somehow vanish during battle, later to turn up dead, and when they're dead they're gone for good, so don't get too attached to them.

"This is my rifle. This is my gun. This is for fighting..." If only the same could be said for the unreliable pieces of junk in Far Cry 2. You are surrounded by 5 militia men all pumping lead into your sorry ass and your gun decides to jam - "Help me, Buddy". Of course that is the point, picking up the enemies' rusted, decaying weapons will cause you problems. The irony is you need to obtain reliable new weaponry from arms dealers yourself. These guns can also be upgraded to make them better and more reliable in the combat field. New weapons can be unlocked for purchase by completing missions from the dealers.

You can carry 4 weapons at a time from melee to one-handed to rocket launcher, meaning there's a weapon for every occasion, each one as satisfying as the last (if it decides to work). Weapons can be purchased and upgraded with diamonds you receive from completing missions or by finding the 200+ hidden diamond cases spread across the land.

Mothers are always saying, "If you play with matches you're going to get burnt." How right they are, as one spark in the dry African land can set off an inferno in seconds, taking out the enemy, a few cars, several trees and yourself too, if you're not careful. The game sells itself by stating it has the most realistic fire ever seen in a game, and I can't disagree with that. You'll find yourself walking around with a flamethrower, trying to create the biggest blaze possible! Fire can often be the best weapon in the game, as it can take out several men at once, or even buy you time to escape from an oncoming attack. One thing is for sure, you will play with matches and you will get burnt.

Naturally with such a huge area to explore walking isn't always convenient or safe. If you like driving then this game is for you, because there's a lot of it, sometimes too much as mission points can take ages to drive too. There are vehicles at almost every building or safe house, but the vehicle types are very limited. You have the standard banger, the awesome gun mounted off roader and buggies, much like the vehicle in the excellent Half Life 2, and just like Valve's masterpiece the driving is done in First Person View, which adds to the realism.

Driving around Africa looking for trouble resembles cruising Highway 17, but in a much bigger area (minus Gordon Freeman's super coolness). Burning down the jungle's muddy paths at night in the pouring rain is very atmospheric, as it feels at any moment a T-Rex is going to burst through the trees and chase you down. Naturally that doesn't happen, although if it did I wouldn't have been surprised as the original Far Cry took the Sci-Fi route.

It seems every car in this African Country has SatNav installed to avoid you having to put up the map at every junction. Flying is an option, but nowhere near as much as it should have been. It would have been ideal to have a helicopter to cruise the skies in and add a further option for mission strategy.

The story doesn't live up to potential, but with such a stunning playground, great atmosphere and plenty of choices the weak story can be forgiven. The single player campaign could last you anywhere between 20 and 50 hours, depending on how lost you get in what's on offer. Multiplayer is fun too, and the option to create your own map is a welcome addition, although I can't see anyone putting down Call of Duty 4 for it. Far Cry 2 is well worth your time and just missed out on being a game of the year contender.

FIFA 10

The Perfect 10?

October, for many people is seen as merely the middle of the autumn months. Brittle brown leaves falling from the trees, cold morning walks and an increasingly earlier drawn night fall. It's so very picturesque. For us in the real world of gaming however, it sees one of the year's most highly anticipated heavy weight clashes and this time around, it is the biggest ever. FIFA Vs Pro Evo is a contested scrap fought seemingly since the dawn of time, and the geniuses at EA Sports are the ones that have landed the first body blow of this year's brawl with the release of FIFA 10. The improvements made to the previous instalment were outstanding and contributed to creating one of the games of the year. The question was could it possibly be topped? Well it's good news. The answer is a definite hell yeah!

We here are trusted and unbiased writers, but this reviewer has no fear in saying that this is easily the best footy game - ever. Not only have some of the annoying creases from 09 been ironed out but there are even all-new features we never even knew existed that have been introduced to enhance our FIFA experience. The biggest of the bunch has to be 360 degree movement. Gone are the days of rigid 8 direction movement. Now you can zip along the touchline and jink in and around defenders. Be careful though, as the slightest movement can take the ball out of play and into touch. This changes everything. It changes the way the game is played and the way it looks. It's reminiscent of a car that had just had an oil refill. It is smooth and adds fluidity to every aspect of game-play.

Tussling for the ball has never been more realistic either. It is no longer possible to keep the tackle button pressed down so that a defender runs to the attacker and retrieves the ball. Now tackles must be timed otherwise you will give away a free kick. This is not the only way to get the ball however. Body mass is now taken into account, so if you charge at an attacker, you can muscle them off the ball. In turn though, if you are making a mazy run into the attacking third and get clipped by a defender, you will go crashing to the ground like Arsenal's Eduardo on a nippy Champions League evening.

One other new addition to game-play is the ability to create your own set pieces. You no longer have to hit and hope it towards goal. Now each set piece can be planned to suit the weaknesses of the opposition. You can even take quick free kicks now to catch your opponents napping.

In terms of game options, Manager Mode has been revamped and puts you in sole charge of your chosen club. You will now control everything from team selection right down to your backroom staff. It also has a more realistic transfer system meaning that the days of Reading signing Christiano Ronaldo are long gone. Virtual Pro mode allows you to create a player and use him in other areas throughout the game, including Manager Mode. You can upgrade his stats, determine his position and put him in your favourite squad - even give him your own face too!

The Live Season Mode has also been given a face-lift making it more realistic than ever. For the first time you will be given the chance to re-write history. Your chosen team will be given all of the up-to-date stats as they were last time. But now you can play your chosen club's real-life matches on a weekly basis and avenge any embarrassing defeats or re-live fantastic victories (we wonder if the brain behind this may have been that of a Man United fan uh-hum... Burnley!). Every detail has been thought of for this, even down to the amount of bookings a real-life player gets as this is transferred to each game you play.

There are some negatives here though, which is just as well or else we would not have anything to look forward to next year. Heading the ball has become harder than ever before. This applies to defending and attacking. Before you were able to press a button and win header in the middle of the park but now it has to be timed and you will have to jostle for position. The pointless passes are still apparent too. It will have you screaming, 'No not to that one!' in no time whatsoever. We have all been there; you go to play a simple pass and it goes to a player completely out of position and you end up losing possession.

FIFA 10 overall though, is quite simply the daddy of footy games. Konami will have a lot to live up to when they unleash their reply to this later on in the month and it is going to have to be a spectacular effort. The team at EA have listened to their audience and produced this true masterpiece. The only trouble they have now is that they are going have to better this next year. How? We are unsure as of yet but we certainly cannot wait to find out.

Final Fantasy XIII

Final Fantasy In Focus

This millennium hasn't exactly started well for the Final Fantasy franchise. It kicked off with Final Fantasy IX which, in truth, struggled to match the quality seen in VII and VIII. Other forgettable additions included FF XII and the pointless X-2, which failed to deliver what the hardcore has become accustomed to. The saving grace for the series over the past ten years came in Final Fantasy X which oozed quality from every orifice and in turn took the series back to its original and successful roots. Another side plus to come from the period in time is the spreading of the series to hand-held (ignoring the awful Crisis Core effort). This move introduced the series to the casual market and effectively gave the franchise a rebirth by introducing original story lines for the benefit of the newly attracted audience.

This influence has clearly inspired Final Fantasy XIII, well at least the first few hours of play anyway. Each classic element is gradually introduced with tutorials, meaning that this latest instalment is accessible to all. So with this basic element covered, the only question left is, can the series redeem itself in its very first HD venture? Well we are happy to report that the answer is an unequivocal yes and this is proved in part from the very moment you lay your eyes upon the opening cut-scene.

The dramatic and epic start to this title is enough to grip you from the very beginning. XIII revolves around two worlds, Cocoon and Pulse. Cocoon was constructed by a group of fal'Cie and a lush paradise where humanity flourished with thanks to the creations of life forms and machines was born. The blissful setting hovers above the grim surface that is Pulse, an environment created by an orphan of the Cocoon fal'Cie. The War of Transgressions broke between the two fal'Cie, with Cocoon reigning victorious. The trouble came when a degree of paranoia set in amongst the elite of Cocoon and anyone thought to have been in contact with anything from Pulse was immediately placed into quarantine and exiled. The Sanctum are behind a purge on civilians which is enforced by PSICOM, Cocoon's strongest military branch.

It is at this point in the story that we become acquainted with Lightning, who wants to infiltrate Pulse and get to the fal'Cie who turned her sister Serah into a l'Cie (individuals chosen by fal'Cie to fulfil a certain prophecy, known as a Focus). All l'cies have a Focus, although the cursed ones don't know what it is they have to do. The only clues they have are random visions. If they pass, they get to live eternally in the form of a crystal. If they fail they get turned into Cie'th, hideous monsters of the Pulse world - not much of a choice really! Serah also happens to be the fiancée of Snow, leader of NORA - the resistance group set up to combat the purge. From here, our goal to fulfil prophecies and save Cocoon unfolds.

Final Fantasy purists will be forgiven for thinking that the series has strayed from its roots when playing through the opening hours of XIII. Initially the game takes a more action-based style, with you needing to control the selected character involved within the segment of the current storyline. There is a map which emphasises this too and it is displayed in the top right hand corner of the screen. On it you have the direction in which you need to travel, your desired destination and enemy locations. Each element of the RPG genre slowly creeps in however and you are guided through every aspect of it but the tutorials can be skipped for players who are more familiar with the system. Progressing through each level is initially very linear, with a path set out directly for you and very little options in terms of where you can go within your environment. Action elements resurface in places when you may need to approach objects and press a button, displayed in the form of an on-screen prompt.

Fighting remains traditional to an extent, with you performing turn-based actions. However one thing you will notice is that you only fully control one member of your team to begin with. The rest are AI controlled with attacking being a clear favourite option, but they do sometimes weigh in with Potion powers. Combat is set out in segments and each action you pick takes up one of them. As you develop your character you build up more and more segments, meaning you can perform strings of commands once your ATB (Auto Battle) gauge fills up. You do have the option of carrying out one action at a time by selecting Actions, though. The delivering of potions is different to previous adventures, as one Potion heals your entire party. Using the option doesn't detract from your ATB gauge level either, meaning they can be used as an (effectively) free move.

Initiating combat can be done in one of two ways. You see enemies in a third person view, not the traditional masked fashion of previous titles. Each enemy has a radar and viewing angle. If you enter the enemies radar without them knowing you trigger a pre-emptive attack which gives you an initial advantage in battle. If you approach them head on then a standard battle ensues. The enemies have a Chain Gauge which builds up depending on the amount of consecutive hits you make on them. If this builds up before they die, they go into Stagger mode which makes them more susceptible to your attacks. At the end of battle, you awarded a star rating which can reach five if you dispatch of your opponent productively with ease. You can also gain Spoils by fighting which gains you items such as Phoenix Downs and Potions.

The opening chapters to XIII may seem as though the series has lost it's primary focus of being an RPG and purists may even have been put off initially. Keep the faith though fans as it does dive into its traditional format after a while. It is reminiscent of a child learning to walk. Hold their hand while they find their feet and then let them venture into the big wide world. This is proof that the game is aimed at gamers of all experiences. The only problem with this is that it can become a bit repetitive and dare I say, boring until the real action kicks in. You'll be customising your characters, switching their roles and boosting their attributes before you know it however. Being as you mainly control one main character, in this case Lightning, you must protect her at all time. In other games your entire party has to be eliminated before it is game over but in XIII, Lightnings death alone signals the end of your game.

Another tool which exists within the game is Shroud - an aerosol which has different effects depending on which one you use. One such example is a Shroud that, when used in the vicinity of an enemy, makes them unaware of your presence meaning you can leg it before they see you or perform a pre-emptive attack. It could be argued that the most innovative tool used in XIII is Paradigms. To compensate for the lack of having to control all three active members of your party whilst in battle, you can set your own instructions as to what you want the other two members of your team to do. Essentially these are tactics that you can bring into play at any point during battle, relative to your situation. You can have an attack paradigm where all members of your party assault the enemy, and then switch to a defensive paradigm, which will heal your party members. Alternatively you can create your own, which provides a nice balance in every fight.

Characters' personalities come across more this time around too, which gives something new that perhaps the series has been lacking. No better example can be looked to than Sazh, the afro sporting comedian of the group. The fact this dual pistol wielding chap has a tiny Chocobo hidden away in his barnet says it all. It is characters like these that gives this Final Fantasy individual charm and identity, making it appealing to the newb community. For the first time in a long while, characters involved in this chapter of the series actually draw emotions from players. No finer example can be pointed to than with Snow, one of the title's main characters. His ordeal is detailed in full and we get the opportunity to share feelings with the young leader, offering all new angles. Hope, a young boy who loses his mother during the struggle provides an extra side story. His companion, Oerba, is a typical Final Fantasy female who helps him in his quest making it even more intriguing.

Final Fantasy XII is a rebirth for the series in this current gen of gaming. It is clearly has a heavier western influence than we have previously come to expect, but it is this that gives the franchise a new accessibility whilst keeping it traditional for long term fans. Having said that, the opening stages will be repetitive for those familiar with the series, but good things come to those who wait. XIII is a much needed facelift for Final Fantasy and it looks to have manoeuvred a corner at the turn of the decade. We hope that the series ploughs on in this vein.

Forza Motorsport 3 (Xbox 360)

Time to unwind

If realistic car racing games are lacking in your 360's diet, then the arrival of Turn 10 and Microsoft Studio's Forza 3 is a tasty treat to behold. This is the second incarnation of the game on the 360, and it has done a lot to improve and add to what the previous games had to offer. The game comes on two disks, one main game disc and a secondary install disc, which you'll have to give over 1.9GB of memory to if you want the vast number of cars and tracks.

There are several different race modes that you can choose from: Free Play, Season Play and Multiplayer online. Free Play enables you to just jump into a race with one of your own cars or a stock one, and race either against AI players, or use splitscreen and race with another person on the same system with the choice of adding AI players to the furore as well.

Season Play is the game's career mode where season after season you book yourself into events on a calendar. These events will have specific requirements as to what class, make, nationality and drive will make a car eligible for entrance into the event. Whilst competing against AI players, you gain car and driving experience, which unlock more cars and discounts on car upgrades, and you are rewarded with credits to spend on new cars, upgrades or use in the online Storefront or Auction House. How much you are rewarded depends on the difficulty settings and assists you choose, and where you finish in a race.

In Season Play and single player Free Play mode, it is possible to press the BACK button and rewind your actions for a certain length of time, depending on how close to the beginning of the race you are. You can use the rewind feature as many times as you want to during a race, but you can only perform so many in a row. Being able to undo those pesky mistakes where you didn't stop that over taking car or bounced off those tires, is a seriously useful tool even in a game that proclaims to be grounded in reality.

While participating in offline races you have the choice of going into photo mode and taking photos of your car. At the end of each race you can turn your video replay into a movie and upload it online for the whole Forza 3 community to see.

Multiplayer online is an intriguing mix of racetrack types, such as circuit and road racing. Similar to Seasonal play, you gain credits and experience depending on how well you place in the races/heats that you finish in. You have the option to play a game with friends or private invite only, and in these modes you can customise how the game runs, from what damage levels are possible to what track you want to race on.

Unfortunately this level of customisation is not available when participating in public races, and is perhaps the only real thing that lets this game down (other than the music), as there is no discernible reason for the change - previous versions of the game allowed for customisable public rooms. At least you can choose what level of assists you have.

In fact the difficulty settings and assistance levels are one of Forza 3's strongest features. Forza 3 is definitely about customising your cars and your game-play experience into an event that suits your tastes and abilities. An amazing amount of time and credits can be spent on customising your cars' exteriors and interiors, and if you don't understand what all the car upgrades do or appearance features do, just get it done automatically or buy from the Storefront. If you're the creative type then selling designs on the Storefront is the way to go or if you're excellent at tuning cars then you can sell tuning set-ups too.

The driving experience of the cars is as realistic as it can get on a 360 controller, and the game responds well to driving tactics that work in the real world. The developers' steps towards creating a realistic racing simulation can be found in the look and appearance of the cars and how it feels to drive them. Forza Motorsport 3 is a definite investment for 360 owners looking for a racing simulation hit. It's as real as you want it to be.

Gears Of War 2 (Xbox 360)

Cheers or Jeers for Gears?

The original Gears of War was one of those titles that I tend to refer to as a "Marmite Game", in that (borrowing from the old advertising campaign for the spread) it was the sort of title that you would either love or hate, there wasn't really any middle ground. The majority of 360 owners seemingly fell into the love category, with it experiencing sales success and critical acclaim, but there was still a select few that didn't buy into the hype.

Now, two years have passed, and Epic Games are back with the sequel, which allows you to reunite with the Delta Squad and once again start blasting seven shades of the brown stuff out of the Locust forces. The question is, has anything changed that could potentially convert the non-believers or cause previous disciples to question their faith? The answer, ultimately, is not really. For the most part, Gears of War 2 plays a very similar game to its predecessor, a fact that will delight and dismay accordingly. The story follows on from the previous game, with the as-mentioned Locust forces still at large, and many humans suffering the consequences of Delta Squad's actions from the conclusion of the first game. As hopes for mankind start to grow slim, it's up to Marcus Fenix to try and save the day once more (preferably in a less consequence-filled manner than last time).

For those that never experienced the first game (and to you I say, welcome back from underneath the rock), there is a tutorial mode to reintroduce you to the basic controls. This is handled in a quite clever way, as it sees Fenix and long-time ally Dominic Santiago training a young rookie (who has a connection to a character from Gears 1) in the ways of Delta Squad, thus letting newcomers practice the controls without making it look as if the experienced soldiers are complete dummies.

When you start getting into the real action, which begins with a scramble through a Locust-infested hospital, you do get to experience some of the newer features, like using downed enemies as bullet shields, and simply putting them out of their misery. You'll also experience more split points in the action, where Marcus will go off in one direction, and Dom in the action. If playing through the coop campaign with a friend, you'll get to see just how different each path can be.

Beyond the hospital, you will start to notice a few slight changes in objective style, and being able to use giant enemies as a means cover of cover provides a rather novel thrill, but at heart it's still the Gears of War you knew and loved (or didn't, as the case may be). This, of course, means that there's also a wealth of multiplayer modes to explore, including the new co-op Horde mode, where players work together to down constant waves of enemies.

In an attempt to stop noobs "ruining" the online games of experienced Gears players, the game even offers a Training Grounds section, where newcomers can learn the various nuances of the online modes against computer controlled opponents. With an achievement to be unlocked for passing through these training challenges, anyone showing less than the requisite skills online can at least be pointed in a helpful direction before they get kicked out of a game!

And speaking of achievements (ah, my not-so-secret love), Gears 2 does have a far more balanced spread of them this time around, which means that even players who don't venture beyond the campaign can earn points for more than just completing the various chapters and beating bosses. Seemingly take a leaf out of the Orange Box's book too, your progress towards certain achievements is also noted on-screen at times.

Gears 2 boasts strength in both the graphical and audio departments, with several well-designed locations, showing the devastation that they have experienced through the course of the invasion. The gruesome sounds of the Locust forces are back in full force, and meanwhile the dialogue between Delta Squad feels neither forced or intrusive. Some may recognise the voice work of John Di Maggio (Futurama's Bender) as Marcus Fenix, and Dee Baker (Klaus the Fish in American Dad) reprising his role from the first game.

Without wanting to seem repetitive, Gears 2 is ultimately going to be lapped up by fans of the original, and most likely ignored by those who hated it. Even the open-minded ones who'll try it are unlikely to be won over, though any that are could be considered a profit by Epic Games (which is something they'll likely make a lot of with this game). While it's not the Game of the Year, it's certainly amongst the top 10.

God Of War III (PS3)

Kratos' Quest for Vengeance Continues

It's been three years since Kratos led a group of Titans up Mount Olympus at the end of God of War 2. With the Playstation 3 having launched just a few months earlier (only 1 month in Europe), there was much speculation about how the series would look beefed up into high definition on a Blu-ray disc. While anyone prepared to shell out for an import got a brief teaser of how that would be with the God of War Collection (coming in an affordable way to the UK in late April), this is now the real deal - the continuation of the story in a brand new adventure.

The game picks up right where GoW 2 left off, with Kratos continuing his climb. As Zeus and the other Gods watch on, you're thrust into the action by being forced to climb Gaia's tree-textured body. The initial combat tutorials, giving you full health and magic meters, will welcome newcomers and refresh those who've not played the series for a while, before a convenient plot point sees you reduced to lesser levels and once again needing to collect Gorgon Eyes and Pheonix Feathers to boost your stats.

In a change from previous games, you now only have to collect 3 Eyes or Feathers in order to boost your meters, though this seems to be partially because of a third meter to the hub. Upon receiving the Bow of Apollo early in the game, you're introduced to an item meter, which restricts the use of certain additional items that you pick up throughout the story. To boost this meter, you're required to collect Minotaur horns from chests, with once again 3 necessary for an upgrade. There are more than enough to fully level up through the game, so missing one or two won't ruin things for you, and in addition, you can collect Godly Possessions, which can serve as "cheats" for later play-throughs.

Anyone who has experienced the game's demo will know that one of the items you can carry is the head of Helios, which provides light in darkened areas, can blind enemies, and can also be used to reveal hidden chests and doorways. It's essential to your progress and will also ensure that you're able to fully power up Kratos before the end of the game. Much like the previous titles, you're in for some very intense boss fights, and as such need to power yourself up as much and as quickly as possible.

Key story points will see you acquire extra weapons, some of which are all new while others feel like tweaked, renamed versions of those from the previous games. Often time, a specific weapon is required to get through a fight or puzzle, and there are occasions where you're left scratching your head as to what you can do in a location, only to discover that it's something you can't deal with until much later in the game.

Don't be surprised if you're thinking that all this sounds familiar, because for the most part it is. God of War 3 ultimately plays out much like the previous games in the series, including the PSP title. You're looking at somewhere in the region of 10-12 hours worth of solid hack n' slash action, mixed with occasional puzzles, and long, challenging boss fights for your first play-through. At some points, it almost feels like a "Best Of" game, with elements of previous games revisited or remixed for this console generation. That being said, this franchise wasn't scoring top marks for deep game-play, so you can understand the "if it ain't broke" mentality.

Perhaps it's a little dumbed down in places. None of the puzzles you face in the game have anywhere near the tight time limit or frustration factor of the Spike Room from the original, while the big, multi-enemy brawls never feel as challenging as the battle to the Loom Chamber from GoW 2. There are still tough, hair-pulling moments however, such as having to stop Minotaurs from destroying a chain before you all crash to the ground, or battling numerous enemies while spikes emerge from the ground.

Where you really notice a difference is in the visuals. The overall look of the game is far darker, and the blood flows thicker and redder than ever before. Environments are larger and more detailed, something you especially notice on moments when the camera zooms out as you move away from it. A particular example of this comes when you climb a giant chain and have the opportunity to see all kinds of ledges and items in the surrounding area. Okay, there's a slight cop-out when during the climb the action fades to black and comes back in with you far higher up the chain, but with no enemies to combat, it's somewhat understandable as a time-saving device. Ultimately, I'm in little doubt that the looks of this game will put the forthcoming Clash of the Titans movie tie-in to shame.

In keeping with previous titles, you'll spend a lot of time mashing out combos and finishing off your enemies with Quick Time Events. This time around, the QTE prompts are a little more subtle, with giant button icons replaced with much smaller ones, positioned according to the required button's location on the pad (Triangle at the Top, X at the Bottom, Square left and Circle right). Expect a spot of stick waggling too, especially during the "controversial" sex mini-game (coming to a Daily Mail article near you soon). While Kratos and Aphrodite are the involved parties, the view switches to Aphrodite's two scantily clad companions while you follow the on-screen prompts.

It's not a particularly necessary scene, and no doubt Alan Titchmarsh will deem it damaging to children's health, but the fact of the matter is, this game carries a BBFC 18 rating - it's not for kids, and neither have any of the previous games in the series been. The presence of an interactive sex scene probably wouldn't have been enough to earn the rating on its own, but mix it with the copious amounts of gore on offer here (heads are severed, guts spilled and faces smashed in beyond recognition) and you've got something that is for an adult audience only. One of the trophies for the game requires you to cover Kratos in 500 buckets of blood during the course of the game - the fact that you'll likely earn this quite early on should indicate how much crimson you will see.

There are some minor issues that can prove annoying at times, revolving around controls and control prompts. On multiple occasions while holding the R1 button to open a chest, Kratos would either fail to grip hold of the chest lid positioned directly in front of him, or give up half way through the opening process, forcing you to start it over again. Similarly, the R1 prompt for activating the glowing save points would often fail to appear, forcing you to run back and forth until it did. In addition to this, there were often moments where there would be a slight delay in getting back control of Kratos after exiting the pause screen. As you can no doubt tell, these aren't game breaking issue, just small frustrations that will likely be changed with a patch.

Something that can't change, however, is the underlying fact that Kratos is, ultimately, a bit of a self-centred so and so. Of course, if you've been there since the first game then you'd already know that, but anyone making their start with the series here would be forgiven for wondering why they should care about his quest for vengeance when all he ever seems to do is use people and spit them out. Especially when "because he has some kick-ass weapons" doesn't feel like a sufficient excuse.

Regardless of your feelings for the character, there's no doubting that God of War 3 crams shed-loads of action into its life-span, from the James Bond/Frank Miller-esque intro all the way through to the lengthy end credits. There are rare moments of standing around; if you're not fighting, you're either solving a puzzle, running, swinging and climbing to the next location, or even flying through debris-filled tunnels (a new feature for this game). Even when the main story is over, there's still the Challenge of the Titans - themed mini-levels with a specific goal - to undertake, the Combat Arena, and the ultra tough Chaos difficulty level.

While there are times when the game feels like God of War 2.5 rather than something truly indicative of this current console generation, you cannot deny that what you get is an awesome, interactive cinematic experience. With the list of essential PS3 exclusives getting bigger day by day, it's clear that God of War 3 deserves its place on that list. However, if there is to be a fourth game, it'll be intriguing to see how and where they can do things differently.

God Of War Collection (PS3)

Good things come...

Some people like to say that good things come to those who wait. Personally, I think that waiting sucks. That's why I, like many others, opted to import the God of War Collection for PS3. The "will they, won't they" saga of the game's European release seemed to drag on forever, and at one point it seemed as though the only folks who would get to play a PAL release were those prepared to shell out over 100 quid for the limited edition God of War 3 box-set.

Finally, the decision was made to give the game a proper UK release, both on its own and as part of a more affordable trilogy set, but with God of War 3 having already been available to PS3 owners in this territory for over a month now, you have to wonder whether or not it's a little bit too late to the party.

Still, for anyone who was foolish enough to not play the games back during their original life-span on the PS2, this represents an opportunity to make up for lost time at a price that's equally as affordable as picking up the two games second hand (which in itself is not necessarily an option for late adopters of the PS3). In addition to getting the two games in their entirety, there's the added bonus of them being re-mastered in HD and both having their own selection of PS3 trophies to unlock too.

If you're playing the games after having experienced God of War 3, you'll see how Kratos came to be in the position he is at the start of that game, while at the same time you'll also realise how there wasn't really that much in the way of innovation in the third game either. Meanwhile, anyone who has held off waiting for an affordable trilogy set will be able to experience the entire saga in the order intended, before then discovering that 3 didn't really push the series forward very far, except in the same of creating large environments.

Still, there is one thing that is abundantly clear when playing both of the games in the collection, and that is that you never really feel like you're playing last generation games, let alone a game that's 5 years old in the case of the original. While the cynical may argue that this is purely because the Playstation controller itself is still basically the same as it was when they first came out, save for the sponge triggers, it's also quite possible to suggest that these games were ahead of their time when they first arrived.

There's no denying that the first God of War redefined the hack n' slash era, and it also helped begin the resurgence of the Quick Time Event, which in itself became somewhat over-used by developers. The sequel built on the formula, introducing new weapons and further developing the character of Kratos, including several Star Wars-esque revelations regarding his past. Despite the fact that the Spartan warrior often comes off as highly unsympathetic due to his actions, it's a testament to the game-play and story-telling that you still want to see things through to the end.

You'll even want to carry on despite having your patience tested at times. Tricky moments such as the spike box puzzle in the first game and the skeleton-filled elevator in the second have the potential to leave you punching the controller in anger. The task involved is simple, you know what you have to do, but somehow a tight time limit or stupidly resilient enemies stop you from achieving your goal constantly. Still, however, you'll want to try again, confident that you will be successful the next time around. Even when the game starts to patronise you by offering the chance to switch to Easy Mode, it only serves to make you all the more determined to get things done.

With all the various deaths you'll likely experience first time around, plus the level of exploring that you'll do in searching for the life and magic expanding Gorgon Eyes and Phoenix Feathers, you'll easily put in around 10 hours of action on each game for the main storyline, while the added post-game Challenge modes provide further challenges for your combo-launching abilities. Those of you feeling in particular need of a rock hard test all for the sake of a small picture of a cup will no doubt try to earn the trophy for finishing the first game in less than 5 hours.

There is the slight issue that playing it could spoil your enjoyment of God of War 3 somewhat, or on the other side, you might not be as impressed with the re-mastered visuals if you played 3 first. There are still buckets of blood being shed wherever you go, but Kratos isn't quite as shiny, the arenas are smaller, and the giant buttons appearing on-screen during the QTEs are far more intrusive than the modern day ones that appear at the sides of the screen.

However, the one thing that you simply cannot deny is that this collection provides fantastic value for money. 20 notes (or less, shop around people) for two of the greatest games of the previous generation is a bargain not to be sniffed at, well unless you happen to be getting the early trappings of hay-fever, that is.

Grand Theft Auto IV

A new beginning?

It seems hard to believe that almost seven years have passed since Grand Theft Auto 3 stormed ontothe Playstation 2 and took the world by storm. In the years that passed, we have seen four additionalgames (five if you count the GameBoy Advance version), which could be considered a mixture ofsequels, prequels and spin-offs. Now, here we finally are with the next generation of GTA.

Much like the first GTA games released on PC, PS1, PS2, Xbox, GBA and PSP did, Grand TheftAuto IV takes us back to Liberty City. It may be in HD and bigger than it's ever been before, butthis city is still as violent and full of crime as ever. It could even give Mos Eisley a run for itsmoney as far as being the most wretched hive of scum and villainy is concerned.

While the previous generation of games, from 3 to Vice City Stories, were set in the same universe,with many supporting characters popping up in multiple games, GTA IV presses the reset button onthe series, creating a new range of characters for you to get to know. The lead role is filled by oneNiko Bellic, fresh off the boat from Europe, and reuniting with his cousin Roman, who has filled hishead with tales of the American Dream.What then follows is a tale of betrayal, revenge, tragedy and friendship, all wrapped up with a nicesprinkling of guns, cars and explosions, as Niko attempts to carve out a life for himself in LibertyCity, as well as dealing with dark secrets from his past.

From a game-play standpoint, the jump to this generation from the previous one has not been assubstantial as the move from top-down to 3D that came between 2 and 3. However, there have beensome rather cool innovations in play this time around.

Perhaps the biggest change is the integration of the Cell Phone into the title. While you will still drive to mission locations to initiate them for the most part, you will often find that these missions don't become available until you make a call to or receive one from one of your contacts. You might find yourself having a casual drive down the streets, when suddenly your phone will ring and you'll be thrust into a mission immediately.

As you befriend many of your contacts during the game, you'll even have the option to give them a call and head out for a night on the town, whether it be to a bar, a restaurant, or even a comedy club, where the likes of Ricky Gervais will perform stand up sets for your amusement. You can even meet up with girls on the in-game internet and through the story, taking them out for dates to similar locations. Unsurprisingly, they don't like it if you drunkenly fire a gun at a taxi as it speeds away. The first time you get into a car in the game is where you'll likely notice a difference, as the vehicles tend to handle a little differently from before. You'll no doubt have a few smashes and bashes in the early going if you try to drive as you did in previous games. Despite this, it doesn't take too long to get used to the way they handle, and before long you'll be driving like a pro with no worries, weaving through traffic and away from the cops.

Speaking of the cops, the way that they deal with you has now changed. The star-based wanted level is still in place, but now to evade the police, you must escape from a circle of vision, which spreads around the nearest police presence to you, and appears on your map. The aim is to make it out of that circle to lose your wanted level entirely. The higher your wanted level, the bigger the circle. You can still stop into a Pay and Spray, but if you're seen going in there by the cops, your wanted level stays in place.

Alongside the story, there are numerous side-missions as ever, which involve stealing cars to order, races and more. The hidden package collection is replaced this time around with 200 pigeons for you to shoot. Some may shy away from this though, as public shooting of pigeons does tend to attract a spot of attention from the boys in blue.

All in all, you're looking at a minimum of 30 hours play from the game, especially with the story and side-missions (though one particularly tricky X360 achievement asks you to complete the story in less than 30 hours), though some may find that once the story is out of the way, the game starts to lose some of its appeal, especially as many of the side missions aren't quite as compelling as they have been in previous titles. Getting called up by a buddy wanting to go bowling can be slightly annoying when you're in the middle of a pigeon hunt.

Despite this, GTA can still conjure up some great gaming moments, and with the addition of online multiplayer as well, gamers can finally cause near unlimited amounts of chaos in the city alongside complete strangers and friends too!

Grand Theft Auto: Episodes From Liberty City

Double-teaming it in Liberty City

DLC has had its fair share of ups and downs. While downloadable games are still exploding with popularity, add-ons and expansions sometimes still get a bad rap for fleecing gamers out of extra money for content that could have easily been included in the original release. It's pretty crass to be charged £8 or 800 MSP for a mere multiplayer map pack, but Rockstar went the whole hog twice for 2008 megahit Grand Theft Auto IV.

The Lost and Damned kicked things off in early 2009, bringing you back into Liberty City as kosher biker Johnny Klebitz. The Lost has just regained their leader, Billy Grey, but things aren't going so smoothly for Liberty City's premier biker gang. The story runs roughly parallel with most of GTA IV, leading to the odd encounter with or glimpse of Niko along the way.

As a standalone campaign, The Lost and Damned compliments IV's grim, darkly humorous take on the 'Wasted American Dream' theme, with a solid 9 hour campaign of top quality Rockstar storytelling and mission design. Although not as new content heavy as the second episode, Lost and Damned packs the sort of high quality design most free-roaming titles would kill for, even if it brings little true innovation to the table.

The Ballad of Gay Tony is the more adventurous story, and not just because of the provocative title. A little further away from Niko's tale, Gay Tony centres around the exploits of the titular club owner, putting you in control of his suffering business partner, Luis Lopez. Spiralling debt and social suicide on Tony's behalf push the pair to the brink, forcing them to take increasingly desperate measures to keep afloat and continue breathing.

The action takes a swan dive towards the OTT in Gay Tony, returning to the more anarchic and openly daft worlds of the PS2-era GTA titles. There's the son of a crazy Arab billionaire who gold-plates everything and has you steal a subway train, a shotgun that fires explosive rounds and a particularly entertaining sequence where you chuck a blogger out of a helicopter and catch him, only to have him waddle away crying in freshly browned trousers.

Of the two episodes, Gay Tony offers a bit more bang for your buck, as it delivers tons of additional content and side missions, the ability to replay missions and even a wider variety of new achievements. Although different and well constructed, the storyline doesn't have the same depth or impact as Lost and Damned, although on the plus side it also doesn't feature a flaccid digital penis either.

They're both utterly astounding expansions for GTA IV. The Episodes from Liberty City are exactly what DLC should be for games: substantial packages that not only offer plenty of new content, but in some cases outshine full price contemporaries. Bundled together for less than the price of the two as downloads, Episodes from Liberty City is a must have for GTA IV veterans on 360, but what about the PC and PS3 gamers out there clamouring for some Episodic action?

It's heartbreaking to miss out on such quality expansions for one of true classics of this generation, but by this point GTA IV's more than run its course. The RAGE engine is no longer the powerhouse it appeared to be 18 months ago. A year and a half is such a long time in gaming, it's not too hard to get over the whole 'exclusivity' thing with a new decade and new prospects bearing down on the industry with alarming speed.

Heavy Rain (PS3)

How Far Will You Go?

When we, as writers, begin to play a game, an initial sense of how to go about a review usually springs to mind. Start with an introduction, move onto plot and then follow up with a look at controls and visuals is the formula that can be applied to the majority of titles. Then Heavy Rain made its grand appearance and after playing it and placing down the controller, a new thought entered the mind; Just how do you begin to review this game? The obvious start is by acknowledging the fact that Heavy Rain is developed and directed by the same team that bought Fahrenheit to life back in 2005. David Cage once again displays his imagination in this Quantic Dream release which retains elements from his last title, creating an almost entirely new gaming genre known as Interactive Films.

As with Fahrenheit, Heavy Rain is in essence an Interactive Film whereby you enjoy an extensive and engaging plot line, only with a degree of control over the final outcome. Now, this is the time when I should begin to talk about the title's storyline but to do so without dropping any spoilers is near impossible, so a brief overview seems more appropriate. You take control of four different characters, all with one common influence; The Origami Killer, an individual who abducts young boys and drowns then in rain water. The first character we become acquainted with is Ethan Mars, a happily married father of two architect who is enjoying his average, tranquil life in the prologue to the main story. Next we meet Scott Shelby, a retired police officer turned private investigator who is conducting his own research into the victim's disappearances on behalf of the the bereaved parents.

Next we fill the boots of Norman Jayden, an FBI officer drafted in to help police enquiries in the case of the Origami Killer. His investigation techniques are made unique with his ARI (Added Reality Interface) glasses that allow the scanning of crime scenes in order to pick up evidence that could be crucial to investigations. Long periods in his artificial world have led to him developing undesired side effects in his real world setting, which a drug named triptocaine addresses. The last character that we enter the head of is Madison Paige, a lonesome photojournalist who suffers from severe insomnia and is drawn to investigate the case in her own way.

The interactive element of the title kicks in from the very beginning at the loading screen. In your game case, you receive a piece of paper. Instructions then appear on screen which show you how to make the origami figure that features on the title's box art. Prior to this there is a difficulty setting selection but no easy, hard, etc options exist here. Instead you are asked about your gaming experience level and how well associated you are with the Six axis controller. The uniqueness and innovation is clear from the start.

When done folding, we enter the opening level, the prologue to the main story. You control Mars whom you meet in bed. This chapter acts as a tutorial to the innovative controls, which are unlike anything you will have experienced within this generation of gaming. Your first task is to get Ethan out of bed and when he sites on the edge of his mattress, you will realise just how much detail and control you have over your characters. The right analogue stick soon becomes your best friend, as it acts as your main control throughout. You push it up to make Mars stand but the speed at which you do it can be controlled. To control character movement you need to press R2 and then the left analogue stick to indicate direction.

Using the left stick alone will move your character's head, allowing you to notice and interact with items that cross the line of vision. Once out of the bedroom you then need to access your thoughts, which is done by pressing L2. Doing so will make a variety of options swirl around the head of your character, and you press the button that corresponds to the thought you want to hear. This can provide valuable information if you find yourself in a plot cul-de-sac.

Choices such as "get dressed", "take a shower" or "do some work" appear and the option you pick can make all the difference to the eventual outcome of the game. The opening scene is nothing short of impressive. The controls are smooth, slick and you really feel that you are in total control of everything that happens.

You will know which control you need to use as it appears on-screen in a boxed prompt. In terms of the right analogue stick, arrows appear within the boxes that dictate which direction it needs to be pushed. You may also need to hold the stick in the direction displayed or in some cases spin it around in a 360-degree motion. If the box is dotted around the outside, you need to use a great deal of care when pushing it in the correct direction, being gentle and following the action with sensitivity, all the while paying attention to how fast the box colour is filling. If you do not, you stand a chance of failing the action, which can have dire consequences. The stick will also be used to do things such as open doors, dress a wound or even swing a left hook at a bad guy.

Heavy Rain manages to incorporate the rest of the available controls into the story too, creating mechanics that work to absolute perfection. All four shoulder buttons and all four face buttons are used throughout and you will need to perform combinations that can involve five different buttons at some points. Not only does this provide a physical challenge, it also heightens the mood when combos need to be held for a set period of time. The elapsed time for each of these quick time events is indicated by the prompt filling up; You must execute it before it completely fills to be successful. The basic controls you learn in the prologue are expanded upon as you progress through the story to create extremely intense and intimate moments. In later chapters the Six axis capabilities are on show with swinging the controller up, down or side to side being necessary. This might be to slam an object onto a surface or land one final blow in an epic scrap.

Some of the more memorable highlights include a section where you need to drive the wrong way up a highway with the on-screen prompts guiding you through the danger. Fight scenes are done in the same way, with immaculate timing necessary to prevail. More emotive moments come when taking care of a baby whose mother has attempted suicide for example. You can also undress and guide your character through a shower sequence (yes, you do get to see some nudity - pervs) or even engage in a private moment between characters at one point. The mood and atmosphere created in scenes like these is a credit to Quantic Dreams. They have successfully managed to create a title that sucks you in and places you firmly in the positions your characters are in.

Reviewing your characters' thoughts regularly throughout each chapter is essential as it opens up a whole host of options. If you see a situation unfolding in front of you, seeing thoughts allows you to act in a way that you feel appropriate. Whatever thought you decide to pick can completely alter the entire course of the game. Your decision can also lead to another set of options, meaning there are multiple outcomes to the dilemma you are faced with, the most extreme of which could result in the death of your current character. This doesn't mean game over however, as you can still continue but the deceased character will no longer play a part. There are a variety of endings, over a dozen in fact so playing through just the once will unlikely answer all of the questions that fill your head as you progress.

Heavy Rain is not without its faults however, with plot holes and a degree of predictability appearing intermittently throughout. While the control system is one of, if not the best seen on the PS3 to date, it does provide frustrations in the actual seeing of the prompts. At points, viewing and camera angles can be poor and, depending on your setting, it can be hard to see what button it is you need to press (though naturally the fancier your TV, the better your view will be). No better example can be pointed to than when placed in tense situations and the thought options appear to be shaking. This doesn't allow you to make a thoroughly informed decision and as time runs out for you to react, you can end up pressing whichever button falls under your thumb at that time.

Unless you've played Fahrenheit (and in some instances even if), Heavy Rain will be unlike anything you have ever experienced. You need to approach it with a completely open mind and appreciate it for what it is; an Interactive Film. The controls are extremely effective, easy to use and most importantly, they work. What you will also find is that you'll be engaged throughout thanks to just how interactive this title gets, with a whole spectrum of emotions being experienced from start to finish. Heavy Rain provides something new and different for the gaming industry and for Playstation 3 owners, this is a title that must be experienced, simply because you can.

Killzone 2 (PS3)

Who do you think you are kidding Mr. Visari?

Two years after the Helghast assault on Vekta, the ISA are taking their fight to Helghan. Their goal is to capture Scolar Visari, the Helghast leader, and bring the Helghast war machine to a halt. Players assume the role of Sergeant Tomas 'Sev' Sevchenko, a battle-hardened veteran and a member of the special forces unit known as the Legion.

Since Guerilla Games first showed some impressive game footage at E3 2007, this sequel to Killzone on the PS2 left FPS fans drooling. Two years later we finally had a PS3 game to rival Microsoft's Halo franchise.

If the opening scene with Brian Cox monologuing Brando-style isn't enough of a guarantee of high quality, how about the bravura tracking shot through the warzone on Vekta that begins with Sev and his fellow grunts on a transport ship, before floating through dozens of men getting shot to pieces and then, as if that wasn't enough, zooms up into space to follow the initial attack on Helghan. It doesn't get much better than this.

In Campaign Mode (choose Recruit, Trooper, Veteran or Elite difficulty) your tutorial happens in a real battle and has a high learning curve. You learn how to shoot, lean and peek from behind pillars/walls and throw grenades; a notorious weakness for many FPS games, as the accuracy often leaves a lot to be desired. K2 isn't perfect in this regard - grenades thrown great distances sometimes hit an invisible wall and drop like a stone - but hey, the explosions are spectacular.

The detail in each level is exceptional, as is the lighting. Watch your shadow move on the wall as you pass a lamp or shoot a random piece of trash to see it burst into little flecks of dust. This is the true test of a FPS - seeing if your bullets destroy the little things.

Your A.I partner helps you clear out enemies in one area before the rest of the ISA team come in and secure it. Objectives can be called up by pushing the 'select' button or just push 'up' on the D-pad to bring up an orange arrow that points you where to go. It's simple and very effective so you almost never have to stop and decide the best route.

The Helghast have glowing red eyes in their helmets, making them highly visible targets in a very grey, barren landscape. Your gun's aim isn't great - head shots are tough because the cross-hairs are too spindly - but at least the enemy A.I is strong.

The only moments you see Sev in the third-person is as he banters with the other grunts as they're shipped to other battle zones. It's a cliché for this type of game to reference Aliens but Killzone 2 does it better than most by having nicely rounded characters and a naturalistic approach to weapon design (weapons, for instance, are largely contemporary instead of flashy ray-guns).

Campaign Mode proves a pleasing challenge. Highlights include strapping on an 'exoskeleton' (Aliens again) and driving a tank armed with missiles and machine guns that's very easy to manoeuvre in the field. The semi-forgotten PS3 Six Axis controls are even put to use to turn valves.

Skirmish Mode is an offline battle simulation with your choice of between 1 and 15 A.I enemies. You can be either a Helghast or a ISA soldier and choose a number of drop zones. Objectives change at random during each battle and include surviving assassination attempts and taking enemy strongholds.

Warzone Mode offers online matches with five different missions that can be played with small groups (2-8) or large groups (up to 32). Once you've ranked as a Sergeant you can unlock weapons and badges and create your own clan and fight with up to 64players. Killzone 2 cost over $20 million to produce and judging by the finished product it was money well spent. This is arguably the best FPS on the PS3 to date.

Left 4 Dead (Xbox 360)

Zombies, man. They creep me out!

While zombie games aren't new fare (the first Resident Evil is nearly 13 years old), recent technology has made it possible to properly recreate full-on uprisings on our console screens. The recent influx of zombie movies and shows in the past few years - Shaun of the Dead, Dead Set, the Resi movies and even Romero's new (if slightly disappointing) Dead films - have also helped to bring the genre into the mainstream.

Most games, even the recent ones like Dead Rising, have tended to go with the solitary hero role, with one man or woman taking on the un-dead by themselves, occasionally stopping to babysit or chat with an ally. Left 4 Dead finally takes the group survival element, something that is a key part of most films in the genre, and places it into one rather special game. Powered by Valve's Source engine (Half-Life 2), Left 4 Dead puts you in the role of one of four survivors. There's Bill (the grizzled Army Veteran), Francis (the tough guy biker), Louis (the office worker), and Zoey (the good-looking girl who's handy with a weapon). It doesn't make much difference which character you choose, but simply having the choice is nice enough. Across four scenarios, which can be attempted in any order, your chosen survivor and the others will need to make it past the hordes of flesh-eating monsters, and earn a safe rescue.

Each scenario is split into five levels, and covers a general location-based theme. No Mercy sees you battling to reach a hospital, Death Toll gets your team fighting across the wrecked highways, Dead Air is an epic struggle through an airport, and Blood Harvest takes you out into the dangerous woods. After moving between safe rooms for the first four levels, level 5 ends with a mass battle while you await the arrival of rescue. The scenarios are presented in a movie style, showing a poster on the initial loading screen, and ending with a credit roll of cast and stats, which informs you how many zombies "died during the making of this film".

Part of the title's real beauty comes from its unique AI system, which ensures that no two games will ever be exactly the same. While the actual level layout doesn't change, where the zombies come from and when they come changes each time. Even if you die and have to restart a level, there will be changes next time. There are certain set-pieces too, where you have to perform an action that will summon a horde of un-dead creatures to your location.

Alongside the regular legions of zombies, who will run (yes, I'm afraid so), claw and scratch to get to your blood, there are monsters known as "Special Infected", who can cause some serious damage. The grotesque Boomers will attempt to vomit on you, leaving you blinded and vulnerable to attack from the horde, while Smokers will use their lengthy tongues to constrict and drag you away from your allies. Meanwhile, the extremely agile Hunters bound around and pounce on top of you, clawing away your health with ease.

The two most dangerous types of enemy are the Tank and the Witch. The former is a massive brute, capable of lobbing large pieces of debris in your direction, or sending you flying halfway across a level with a single swipe. Meanwhile, the Witch is equally vicious, despite her small stature. When you come across her, your team must switch off their flash-lights and try to sneak past, something that's usually easier said than done. If she's startled, she'll shred you or one of your colleagues up real good. You'll generally only face one of each per level, but sometimes you might get two or three!

Should a player lose all of their health, they'll be left on the ground, incapacitated but still capable of firing at the enemies, until a team-mate can come over and revive them. However, you can only be revived twice before you're permanently dead, unless you use or receive a first aid kit (which are in very short supply). Pain pills will also temporarily raise your health, though weakened characters will show visible traits of their pain, becoming slower and even limping. If an AI-controlled character dies, they're resurrected shortly afterwards and must be released from a nearby closet. If your character dies, however, you'll have to restart the current level. Of course, in an ideal world, you wouldn't have any AI-controlled characters on your team, because Left 4 Dead is a title best enjoyed in multiplayer. Two-player split-screen play is available on a single console, but this simply doesn't compare to getting four players together online, working as a team to complete the campaigns. In these instances, human players that die can be resurrected from a closet, though if all four team members are incapacitated at once, you'll all be sent back to the start of the level.

Having four people playing together, with headsets on, lets you plan tactics for dealing with the setpieces, warn of nearby special enemies, and even make calls for help that you know won't fall on deaf AI ears. You even get a greater sense of worth from helping up a fellow player, as opposed to a set of circuit boards and chips.

If not playing the campaigns online, you can also play 4-on-4 versus battles, where teams take turns playing as Survivors and Zombies. Survivors will aim to reach the end of the level, Zombies will try to kill them before they can. Then, the teams will switch roles and attempt to outdo the opposition's performance. Playing as a zombie is remarkably good fun, with infinite re-spawns making up for the fact that you'll often be killed in a matter of moments.

To keep things suitably creepy, all four scenarios take place in evening/night scenarios, which is where your flash-light will come in handy at times. There are regular ventures indoors where lighting is available but often failing, thus keeping things generally dark and atmospheric. Aside from the initial intro sequence, there are no cut-scenes in the game, which helps to keep you in character as you constantly view the action through a first person perspective.

The music also helps to add to the tense atmosphere, with specific sounds and cues signalling the arrival of special infected (switching on captions gives you a decent heads-up as to their presence). The wailing moan of the witch will be ingrained in your subconscious before long. For the most part, though, your ears will be subjected to ongoing gun fire, and the yells of your allies and victims.

Despite the fact that the scenarios are short - each one can be finished in just over an hour on normal mode - the different difficulty settings (including the incredibly tough Expert mode), the "no two games the same" factor, and the sheer fun of kicking back with friends to kill the living dead make this an absolutely fantastic experience, worthy of a place in any online gamer's collection.

You'll even forgive the inclusion of running zombies!

Left 4 Dead 2 (Xbox 360)

"I've not come this far...to die now."

Valve, in a move that has probably led to some begrudging Half-Life fans, have released a sequel to one of their games a year after the original was launched. So welcome to Left 4 Dead 2, I can't say that you'll be receiving much in the way of good ol' Southern hospitality in Savannah, but there's plenty of companionship: some living, but mostly dead.

Another group has replaced our four champions from the original game; your new playmates are Rochelle, Ellis, Coach and Nick. As with the survivors of the first, the new characters appear to be immune from the End of Days-inducing zombie pandemic that has gripped the United States (if not the whole world). By playing through the offline or online Campaign modes in order, you have the opportunity to see the survivor's story unfold, more so than in the first game.

It's not just new characters and locations that await you in the sequel. For those lucky enough to have an Xbox Live Gold subscription, or are playing on Steam, there are two new online play modes as well: Realism mode and Scavenger mode. Realism mode, sees you play through a campaign with many of the helpful in-game features—such as highlighting where allies and equipment are—turned off. A campaign in Realism mode with the difficulty set to Expert will be as difficult as a campaign play through can get (and the requirements for one of the achievements).

Scavenger mode builds on the fuelling system in the finale of the Dead Centre campaign. Here, two teams take it turns to play as survivors or infected: survivors desperately try to fuel a generator, while the infected do their best to stop them from achieving this goal. The team that fuels up the generator the most wins the round, and the team that wins the most rounds wins overall.

New features in L4D2 include the introduction of a selection of melee weapons that you may equip rather than a pistol, or pistols, as a side arm or you could have a magnum instead. The variety in ammo consuming weapons has increased, so has what you can throw at the infected masses and what's available for you to keep your character alive with.

Essentially the game has become even more challenging than the original. Now when it comes to the start of a campaign, or in a safe room part way through, you need to spend a serious amount of time deciding on just what you will equip your character with. Everything has its advantages and disadvantages. For instance: defibrillator or first aid kit? The former revives dead team-mates and the latter can restore a substantial amount of your or a team-mate's health. How about double pistols or katana? The first has infinite ammo and can be used at long range, but to be effective it requires great accuracy. The second, meanwhile, has to be used at close quarters. It's choices such as this, and the fact that the Director AI does not supply the same equipment in the same places all the time, which makes deciding what to equip a far more important aspect of game-play than in the original.

Playing through the game, it becomes apparent that a great deal of effort has been spent on creating varied locations. With the claustrophobic, burning hotel of Dead Centre; deafening thunderstorms of Hard Rain; eerily dressed clowns of Dark Carnival; panic inducing bombing runs of The Parish, and confusing, bush ridden routes of Swamp Fever: each location brings new fears and new strategies.

The only problems with this game (and the first is 360 specific) is that the frame rate is prone to dropping when there is a lot happening on screen, even with the game installed on the hard drive. While this does not impact on game-play too much, it is annoying when it happens. Secondly, AI controlled characters are, in fact, less helpful than in the first game as they often do not keep up with you, or have a habit of not picking up useful equipment.

Left 4 Dead 2 sees the inclusion of features that worked well in the first game, and improves on the diverse game-play induced by the Director AI. Also it explains far better than in the original how the various campaigns are connected. Fans of Left 4 Dead have been gifted with a sequel that does

brilliantly in expanding on an already innovative franchise.

Lego Batman

Gotham City goes to pieces

A few years ago, the prospect of a Lego game would be treated with general apathy by anyone over the age of 12. That all changed when Lego Star Wars arrived, a game that combined the action of the Star Wars films, the cuteness of Lego, and a whole lot of humour into one great big adventure. Two more LSW titles followed, and just mere months ago, we were treated to Lego Indiana Jones - a shorter, but still highly enjoyable romp. Now it's the turn of the Dark Knight himself to be immortalised in brick work.

Given that there have been eight live action movies of Batman over the years, it may surprise you that these are not the source material for the action on show here. So don't expect any levels where you run around frantically trying to get rid of a bomb, or battle a rubber shark using a conveniently placed repellent spray.

What you do get, however, is a far lengthier adventure than you experienced with Indy and his pals. While there are only three episodes, each consisting of five chapters, you get to experience them from both the Hero and Villain perspective, which provides 30 levels in total, along with additional Arkham Asylum and Wayne Manor bonus levels to unlock too. This should potentially give you around 40+ hours of game-play to enjoy, similar to LSW2 or the Complete Saga.

Although the levels aren't following the film plots, they are backed up by Danny Elfman's soundtrack from the 1989 Tim Burton movie. Much like Indy and Star Wars before, this music helps create a far more authentic atmosphere for the game, especially when backed up by the dark settings of certain levels.

From the opening cut-scenes, where a multitude of villains escape from Arkham Asylum and make their way across the water to Gotham City, the classic humour of the Lego games is already shown in abundance. You'd be hard pushed not to giggle at Robin's clumsiness, or the child-like actions of a restless Clay-Face. As normal, the humour is sustained throughout the story, without at any point spoiling it.

One thing that you will notice is that the hero count in Lego Batman is not overly high, consisting mainly of the likes of Batman, Robin, Batgirl, and Nightwing. This is countered by the inclusion of different costumes for Batman and Robin, each of which grant them new skills to use. There are costume change points located in the levels, which normally means that the costume offered will be needed to solve an upcoming puzzle. In the opening level alone, you get your first use of Batman's bomb dropping suit, and Robin's technology suit, which allows him to access gadget panels in a level. Unlocked suits can be viewed in the Bat Cave hub.

The villain quota is nice and excessive though. While the Hero story episodes revolve around The Riddler, Penguin and Joker, these three are working in cahoots with many other notable villains, including Catwoman, Mr. Freeze, Killer Croc, Scarecrow and more, setting up some rather memorable boss battles as you progress.

Perhaps the most challenging aspect that Travellers Tales will have faced in the creation of this game is that Batman is the kind of guy that doesn't use proper weapons. He's not like an Indiana Jones or Han Solo, firing guns all over the place. Therefore, you'll be faced with a lot of hand-to-hand combat when rolling with the Caped Crusader. Some comic book aficionados may take issue with his apparent "killing" of henchmen and goons.

Batman is, however, equipped with a trusty gadget of his, the Batarang. This introduces a new, albeit somewhat dangerous element of combat to the game. By holding the attack button, you can designate targets for the Batarang to hit, which it will then fly too after the button is released. This and other gadgets can be upgraded as you progress.

There is a greater emphasis on vehicles in this particular title, with a fair number of them to unlock, ranging from cars to submarines to helicopters. This marks a return to vehicle based levels, as seen in the Star Wars games and were pretty much absent from Indy (save for the occasional bike or mine cart ride), which may be a good or bad thing, depending on how you felt about these levels in the past.

Keeping standard with the other games, there are mini-kit canisters and extras to unlock as you work your way through, with Free Play mode letting you revisit levels with your own choice of character, thus allowing you to reach areas that you might be kept from in the story. Collecting studs throughout each level allows you to add to the Super Hero bar, which must be filled on every chapter if you want to earn a 100% finish.

There's no doubt that Lego Batman is an exciting, long and highly playable game, which can be enjoyed both on your own or with friends. Okay, you could argue that it's a bit too soon for another game, with only four months having passed since Lego Indy, but then we knew that this one was on the radar long before we went treasure-hunting over the summer. Perhaps an extended rest for the franchise might be in order, though for now, it's as good as it's ever been.

LittleBigPlanet (PS3)

Sack it to me, baby

In essence, LittleBigPlanet is a game of two halves. On one side you have the riveting platforming story mode and on the other side there's the hugely customisable level creating system. Of course you can't have one without the other, as the story is the tool used for collecting materials and decorations and the design-a-level system is where you put your collection and imagination into play. I should emphasise the word imagination, as LittleBigPlanet asks you - how far can your imagination stretch?

Leaping his way into gaming icon status is Sackboy, or Sackgirl if you wish (Sackboy in drag is more fitting though). The button-eyed, knitted doll acts as a core model for your fashion stylist skills. Just about everything on Sackboy can be customised to fit in with your rag doll desires, from clothing, colour and accessories, all the way to facial features and expressions. You'll spend a lot of time playing with your Sackboy (coughs). My wide grinned Sackboy ran through several levels dressed as a pirate with bunny ears and a skull painted face, if that's not enough to scare the feint hearted then what is? Dressing your Sackboy is merely the start of the customisation on offer, but before you can delve into recreating your favourite film or game franchise with your own imaginative levels, you need to kit up and study.

The short lived story spans across 8 different worlds, each with 3 to 4 separate levels plus bonus mini games. The locations vary from the African Savannah to exotic Gardens and a trip into a Tim Burton style gothic world. Although it's unfair to compare it to traditional Mario games, the simple controls and level execution have a striking resemblance to that of the plumber's adventures. The aim is to get through the levels avoiding life threatening obstacles, while collecting items for your customising pleasure.

Amongst the various and creative obstacles you'll run away from a giant bulldozer, avoid ghosts, swing across angry giant crocodiles, pull or push blocks to use as platforms and, as usual, you'll frequently jump over spike and poisonous gas pits. It starts off fairly easy, but by the time you get to the third world and death frequently becomes you, the realisation hits home that this amazing experience is still actually only a game.

The 3 layered platforms (with a back, middle and front) make manoeuvring around objects occasionally awkward. If you're not on the same layer as the platform you're aiming to jump on you'll fall behind it, sometimes to your death, which naturally is enough to frustrate the most tolerant gamer. Checkpoints are spread nicely enough, but lives are extremely limited, meaning if you do make too many wrong moves you have to restart the whole level. Luckily, all materials and clothing collected don't need to be picked up again.

You'll complete the levels with around 50% of items collected, but you won't mind replaying them to achieve that 100%. Finding keys throughout the levels unlocks bonus mini games, which includes timed challenges, puzzles and fun games like Tie Skipping. Story mode may not be the cream of the Big Planet crop and it won't last anywhere near as long as the level design aspect, but what it does possess is great music and highly imaginative levels, which are incredibly fun to play, albeit a bit difficult at times if you're not accustomed to platform games.

Completing the story is not essential for level creating, as My Moon unlocks after the first short section. My Moon is a blank canvas in which you play God, putting your wild imagination and platforming desires into playable levels. Although this may sound too complex to even begin bothering with, the extensive step-by-step tutorials (brilliantly narrated by Stephen Fry) ease you into each element of bringing your ideas into life, from the very basic to the fiddly and complicated.

The Popit menu system makes creativity as simple as possible. The building tools plus everything you have collected in the story gather together here to aid you in level building. You'll start off with basic elements like making shapes and moving them into place and eventually you'll be creating AI controlled monsters and death traps, using appropriate sounds to go with them.

My first level, which I named LittleBigSilentHill, after the horror series (not playable online anytime soon), used metal framework as the jumping platform, with burning fires, obscure looking monsters and sound effects that could easily have come from the game. Of course setting an atmosphere is one thing, but incorporating it into an actual playable game is something different, something that comes with plenty of experimenting and time. If you do make something worth boasting about, making your levels playable online will tell you if the boasting is worthwhile. You can even play other people's efforts and to extend LittleBigPlanet's playability it's best to take it online.

Before you dive in, it's important to understand that such creative commitment requires a huge amount of patience. Turning a blank canvas into a masterpiece doesn't happen overnight and before you create anything close to playable you'll go through the motions of trial and error experimentation, but given the chance it's a hugely rewarding and utterly compelling experience where the imagination really holds no boundaries.

Mass Effect 2 (Xbox 360)

Sci-Fi gaming at its best

Bioware has finally graced us with the eagerly awaited sequel to Mass Effect. From the beginning the team at Bioware always said that the Mass Effect universe would form part of a trilogy (however they haven't ruled out going beyond three games). What this sequel has accomplished goes far beyond the scope of the first game.

Beginning near the end of Mass Effect, Mass Effect 2 quickly moves to two years later. Before Shepard has the chance to comprehend what is going on he/she is thrust into the service of the shadiest organisation that operated in the first game: Cerberus. Cerberus appearing to be interested, and invested, in saving humanity lays on the shoulders of Shepard and the mission to discover why human colonists are disappearing from far off corners of the Milky Way, and just what the Reapers' end game really is. During Shepard's search towards a solution, he/she recruits a team of some of the best operatives the galaxy has to offer in order to bring forth an answer to humanity's, and every other sentient species in the galaxy's, woes.

Those who have not played the first game will not have the same level of understanding of the back-story of the franchise, and the same commitment to the character of Shepard. In fact, without having played the first game there are many interactions and pieces of story that will be unavailable or the uninitiated will not understand. Yet the chances are that if you are considering purchasing Mass Effect 2 then you have already got the original game somewhere in your collection.

Mass Effect 2 sees a substantial change from the abilities, weapons and equipment settings and options of the first game. Though combat remains almost exactly the same, how abilities (such as Biotics and tech skills) are deployed is similar yet now players are able to quickly unleash waves of abilities from Shepard and teammates in order to bring enemies to their knees. Such abilities recharge a great deal faster than they did previously, and have been simplified so that the only abilities you need to worry about levelling up are combat based ones. Where the first game had you keeping an eye on several different abilities between yourself and your teammates so that you would be able to open up secure containers and hack computers, now players are able to just rely on their own skills of perception to perform those tasks. Also charm and intimidate have been removed from Shepard's abilities list, and are now solely represented by Shepard's Paragon and Renegade scores.

One of the vast improvements over the first game is ME2's new equipment and weapons systems. Whereas the first game had an overly complex way of organising these, that often led to awkward management of your team's and Shepard's kit, the sequel has done away with the previous system. Player's now only directly manage Shepard's armour, deploy stackable upgrades to all of the team's armour and weapons, and no longer have to worry about limited equipment storage. Even planetary exploration has been given an overhaul. Instead of a simple probing of elements, or using a surface vehicle to explore them, the player is given the opportunity to scan planets in search of resources that can then be deployed to create new equipment upgrades and upgrades to your ship. Further weapon and armour upgrades are developed through finding research subjects during missions.

Similar to the launch of Dragon Age Origins last year, download content has been available from ME2's launch. If buying a first hand copy of the game, then you are able to currently pick up the downloads for free. The current downloads includes an extra character, a bounty hunter named Zaheed. Also at later date another playable character will be released as download content along with more missions and assignments. If you're hoping to pick up the game second hand then you won't have free access to the download content available on launch. Also, if you previously created an EA account when having bought a game such as Dragon Age Origins, then it this account you will need to use to redeem the code in new copies of the game, and use to join the Cerberus Network.

As far as linear RPGs go, Mass Effect 2 has an extremely engrossing storyline, characters and setting. Though the amount of Citadel that the player may explore has been reduced it is still sizeable, and two new galactic cities are available for travelling around. From Illium and Omega players not only recruit new team members, but are able to take part in side assignments. Compared to the first game there are less of the optional assignments, numerous ones may be found by investigating anomalies in various star systems, however the main missions are far more engaging than in ME1. While players recruit new members of Shepard's team, an intriguing storyline keeps momentum going as choices from the past and present cause interesting developments within the game. There is also the return of potential romantic interests for Shepard.

With Mass Effect 2, Bioware have raised the bar with games that use story on an epic level, and present it with beautiful visuals. You can only begin to guess what kinds of repercussions your actions in the second game will have on the story of the third. The game has been developed so well, that you will care about what happens to the characters that surround Shepard and the fate of the galaxy as a whole.

Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns Of The Patriots (PS3)

Snake's on a game

So few characters in gaming are as cool and iconic as Solid Snake. Perhaps this is the reason Hideo Kojima has failed to give up on his character several times now. Metal Gear Solid 2 and then 3 were to be his last, but who could blame him for wanting to come back with one final bang? Kojima and Snake both deserve to go out with a fan pleasing farewell, but does the fourth installment of the Solid saga do the job?

Set in 2014, Snake finds himself in the Middle East right in the centre of an Iraqi style war zone. One thing is clear Snake is not the man he used to be. Old Snake (as he is now known) has suffered a strange case of accelerated ageing, brought on by nanomachines, which were created for blah blah blah. Yes you guessed it, yet another over complicated plot which would take a life time to explain, but can be ignored without spoiling your enjoyment of the game. In a nutshell, the action is more intense and the main character weaker and slower. Good luck!

This game takes no time in getting to the action. Almost instantly you are sneaking behind enemies and shooting them in the back. At first it feels like MGS and Call of Duty have spawned a love child, and you're not quite sure which game you are actually playing. The familiar Metal Gear sound effects are blended (rather badly) with action music, as the mayhem and gun fire surrounds you. It does take some time to get into the rhythm. When you do find your Snake feet though, the experience becomes rather satisfying.

If sneaking isn't your cup of tea, you have the option of pulling out your gun and blowing everyone away, Rambo style. I found a blend of both resulted in a more rewarding experience, as the level design allows this option without fault. If circumstances do result in your demise, checkpoints are relatively close together, leaving you the comfort of trial and error.

This being Metal Gear, often the rhythm is disrupted by a cut scene. Unfortunately this being Metal Gear, you know you have enough time to make a roast dinner, eat it, put the kettle on, maybe even visit the ladies room and the cinematic will STILL be running when you return. Hoping for an hour of play, I was met with one of these epic movies just 2 minutes in. While scenes can be skipped, I hate to miss anything, even if I have no idea what the hell they're all philosophising about.

As Snake shoots and sneaks his way through the action, he meets up with some familiar and new faces. One of these debutants is a gun launderer known as Drebin. Just like the merchant in Resident Evil 4, Drebin appears throughout the game to buy and sell weapons, and also has the capability to unlock new weapons acquired from enemies you've killed. This feature seems slightly

unnecessary, as the hundreds of different weapon options make the game easier. It simply doesn't have that Metal Gear feeling the series has made you familiar with.

At the end of 20 or so hours play, when the battle is won, along come the cut scenes that put all others to shame. Even Peter Jackson with Return of the King would have tough competition against the amount of endings MGS4 has (surely not more than The Dark Knight?!? - Ed). Kojima obviously had a case of "can't let go" syndrome, when applying the finishing touches. Each one verges more and more on the ridiculous, and are seemingly attached only to please the fans, but in fact could end up irritating them.

Metal Gear Solid 4 is a fine mix of stealth and action. As close to cinema as video games get with its breath taking set pieces, numerous plot twists and fascinating characters. Mainly aimed at the veteran fan base, newcomers to the series may get lost in its objective, this being to end a saga and say farewell to a much loved hero. Does it do the job? I'd say so.

MotorStorm: Pacific Rift (PS3)

Burning Rubber in Paradise

The original MotorStorm took pride of place amongst the Playstation 3 launch line-up, and is that rare kind of beast, a PS3 exclusive. Now it has been joined by a sequel, which continues the multi-vehicle, multi-terrain action on a new island-based location.

Races in Pacific Rift involve up to 16 drivers in different vehicle classes. There are eight different classes to choose from, these being ATVs, Bikes, Buggys, Rally Cars, Racing Trucks, Big Rigs, Mudpluggers and (new to PR) Monster Trucks. Each class has its own strengths and weaknesses, the bigger vehicles being faster with weaker acceleration and tougher to handle, while some of the smaller vehicles benefit from faster acceleration, at a cost of having slower top speeds and being more vulnerable to being rammed by their opponents.

The other beauty of the different race classes is that they open up different routes for a race. Every track you compete on can be traversed in a number of different ways, with the different routes usually offering benefits to specific classes, and sometimes being detrimental to others. Time spent learning the tracks is time well spent, and will probably come from having to retry races on multiple occasions anyway!

The main single-player mode of the game is the Festival. This is split into four zones, Earth, Air, Fire and Water, which should give you an idea of the terrain style that you'll be competing on in each one. Within these zone are a selection of "tickets", which give you entry to the races, usually with a restricted selection of vehicle classes to choose from.

To complete a ticket, you usually have to finish in one of the top three positions. Doing so earns you reputation points, which in turn will help to increase your driver level. As you advance in level, more tickets will become available for you to attempt. Other tickets can be unlocked via races with additional goals, such as finishing within a specific time limit, or staying within a maximum number of crashes during the race. You'll still have to get a top three finish to receive these bonuses, though.

The bonus tickets tend to be non-standard ones, like Speed Events (where you have to hit a series of checkpoints dotted around a course in time) and Eliminators (which follow the practice of blowing up the car in last place at regular intervals). These provide a nice break from the regular races, though Eliminators can get a little frustrating at times, especially when a CPU-initiated crash leads to you getting knocked out!

Efficient use of boost is a key to victory on any ticket. While you essentially have an infinite supply of boost, using it causes your engine to heat up (as can be seen on a meter to the left). Use too much and your vehicle will blow up, costing you precious time while it re-spawns. The terrain can also affect your boost usage, with watery areas slowing down the heating process, letting you use it for longer (though vehicles such as bikes will struggle with the depth). In contrast, on lava-based areas, you'll find that the boost heats up a lot more quickly.

Controls are similar to the first game, with the default set-up using R2 and L2 for acceleration and brake respectively, X to boost and the Left Stick to steer. Should you find the triggers too uncomfortable for constant use, there are alternate configurations. The option to use the Sixaxis motion controls from the original has been dropped, however, with motion control used only sparingly, to tilt vehicles when they wind up on two wheels. This can only be seen as a good thing though, as the motion steering in the first game was rather horrible. The sticks sometimes feel unresponsive, but overall it's very playable, and if you've got a Dual Shock 3, you can feel the benefit of rumble too!

Sadly for those with Full HD televisions, there's no 1080p mode, though at 720p things still look rather gorgeous. Admittedly, you'll probably be spending more time concentrating on your vehicle, but if you sit back and look at the whole package - the lush backgrounds (with seemingly no pop up in sight), detailed terrains and realistic water effects - it's all rather nice.

The soundtrack is your standard thumping rock/dance compilation (no Nirvana this time), which blend into the background fairly neatly, and mix well with the engine sounds. These are nicely varied too, meaning you'll notice differences between the classes, rather than just be treated to a one-for-all generic noise.

Okay, there are annoyances too, with rubber-band AI still in full force (make a mistake and they'll overtake you, fall behind and they'll slow down to let you catch up), and given the multiple routes, you can't help but suspect that the AI may be just re-spawning itself closer to you every so often. It also get equally frustrating when you re-spawn from a crash, and wind up getting rammed into another obstacle almost immediately. This makes it feel like Metal Gear with cars (move forward slightly, cut-scene, rinse and repeat)! In some ways, it's also reminiscent of the original Burnout.

Despite these irritations, there's a definite addictiveness to the game, and you'll find yourself wanting to have just one more race, over and over. Even when the Festival has run its course, there are single races, time attacks and even 12-player online (and 4-player split screen) multiplayer to keep you busy. Pacific Rift definitely falls into the category of "decent exclusive", which is always good news for any PS3 owner.

Ninja Gaiden Sigma

Or Ninja Gaiden 1.3

Upon loading up Ninja Gaiden Sigma on my Playstation 3, I had a weird sense of Déjà vu. Something seemed decidedly familiar about this game, the locations, the characters, and then it hit me, right across the back of the head with a katana - damn ninjas! Having cleared the initial area of foes it suddenly made sense, Ninja Gaiden Sigma is essentially a remake of the title I played on Xbox over 4 years ago. That's not a bad thing, especially not when you consider it's the first Playstation outing of the game, plus the original was a cult classic upon release, with hardcore gamers paying respect to its fiendish difficulty level in particular.

I remember working for a well known games store at the time, we were instructed via an official memo from head office to warn parents about Ninja Gaiden on Xbox, not because of its PEGI rating or adult content but about its sheer difficulty. It's the first time I can recall something like that happening, but the high review scores from magazines meant the game was likely high on a few Xmas lists and the company was worried about having thousands of copies returned on boxing day because little Billy couldn't get past the first boss!

Don't be too put off by the difficulty though, as it brings back fond memories of games of old, games where you died, and died a lot, then slowly came to terms with strategy and good defensive play. Think Tomb Raider on PS1, the warm glow inside when after 3 hours of painstaking play you finally got to another save crystal. Gaming with this difficulty is met with huge reward, the sense of satisfaction when completing a level is comparatively huge.

The basic ninja action uses a combination of sword attacks, kicks, throws and projectile weapons,. Mastering every aspect of these and when best to use them is key to your success. It's perfectly possible to get through whole levels unscathed with the right choice of moves. The speed and animation of the main character Ryu is a marvel to behold, mix in his combination of agile jumps and climbing ability and you have a death defying selection of moves. This is the sort of game where once you become good enough, you'll be looking to defeat enemies with style, as simply killing them with standing sword strikes ceases to be satisfactory.

There's a good mix of combat and adventure here too, you'll never have to wait too long for the next group of baddies, but there's also plenty of opportunities to test your nimble ninja abilities scaling walls and getting to seemingly inaccessible places, either to advance the story or collect rare items. Let's face it, it's every child's dream to be a ninja and the general feel of controlling Ryu doesn't disappoint.

Sadly the ability to control the previously NPC Rachel is rather less appealing. She's a more powerful character, but so slow compared to the ninjas that you'll have to spend a fair amount of your time blocking before unleashing carefully timed attacks or counters. These new levels don't really add anything to the game but certainly don't detract from it either, plus it helps to break up the repetitive game-play and fill in gaps in the storyline.

When it comes to recommending Ninja Gaiden Sigma, I'm forced to do the same thing I had to all those years back, by asking patronising questions to the prospective buyer. Do you have lots of patience? Do you complete games regularly on the harder difficulty settings? Did you get frustrated by Tomb Raider's limited save capabilities? If you answered yes, yes, no you should definitely go out and purchase this game immediately. If you answered any other way I suggest renting a copy first, and then purchasing if you can get past the first boss fight. Be warned.

Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising

Flash in the Fire

It's so easy for video games to glorify war. There's almost a sense of invincibility as you equip your powerful weaponry and single handedly take on entire platoons and live to smile about it later. It'd be interesting to see a statistic as to how many people enrolled in the army due to their love for first-person war games.

With Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising, Codemasters are aiming to take players as close to war as they'll ever want to get. In doing so you can forget about run and gun game-play. Anyone who's anticipating the release of Modern Warfare 2 may be considering Operation Flashpoint as a warm up session before the big gun arrives, but doing so will only lead to a nasty surprise. Dragon Rising aims towards realism, bringing slow-paced tactical warfare to your trigger happy fingertips. Of course, anyone who's played Operation Flashpoint: Elite on the Xbox or any of the various PC installments will know all about this.

War doesn't  contain forgiving playgrounds, the enemy doesn't care if you're not ready to play. If you take a bullet on the battle field in real life, a med kit and a moment won't bring you back into the action. A case that is true in Dragon Rising, one bullet in this playground and it's potentially game over. It's important to bear this in mind before venturing into Codemasters' war. Fail to do so and you run the risk of becoming cattle in a slaughterhouse.

The war in question is the fictional battle for Skira, an island located off the coast of Japan. The stylish opening movie introduces the history of the island, ultimately leading to the modern day battle. Skira belongs to Russia, but once upon a time it belonged to the Chinese. China is currently in a major industrial and financial crisis, bringing the Country to its knees. When oil is discovered on Skira, the Chinese decide to fight for what once belonged to them and they invade the island. Fearing the war will effect the Motherland, the Russians seek help from America, who are quick to come to the rescue. This is where you come in.

As a US Marine you must play your part and win control of Skira. To do so, you need to lead your four-man team and participate in a series of gruelling missions. Gruelling being the key word. From the outset you'll be thrown into a long trek and a complex battle with barely any tutorial to guide you through the process. It's an intimidating introduction that does little to win you over to the realism, unless you're prepared in advance for the strategic battle you're about to undertake.

Progress is generally slow and the enemy make no effort to come up close and personal and naturally they'll never give you the same chance. In real war the battle is won from a distance and this is the main strategy here if you want to be victorious in Skira. Much of the time the enemy fire will come from behind trees on the horizon. This is where plenty of patience and your team mates come into play.

When you encounter the enemy it's usually a good plan to stick to cover and lay down suppressing fire, while instructing your team mates to flank and destroy (or vise versa). You'll spend a lot of time firing at small (often unseen) figures in the distance, which is a test for your frustration level. If this is not your cup of tea, then as the leader you can conjure up a more suitable strategy to meet your combat needs. For instance, you can call in co-ordinates for bomb support - it's immensely satisfying watching the enemy-filled zone go up in a bang and big cloud of smoke. Alternatively, you can steal vehicles and use them to your attacking advantage - Jeeps with gun turrets, tanks and helicopters can all be put to good use. Or you can use a stealth approach and catch the enemy unaware.

With 220 square kilometres as your battle ground, your tactics are left open. The majority of the time you'll be following yellow markers, zig-zagging you across fields, and eventually leading you to your objective. It's your choice if you want to stick to this path or go your own way into fulfilling objectives. The enemy often have something to say about this, with encounters that force you to think quick and change your original plan.

This is what makes Operation Flashpoint an engaging game to play. The fact that you need to be constantly aware of your surroundings and act quickly when nothing goes to plan. The enemy can also change to meet their own tactical requirements. If you die and reload, don't expect the enemy to do the same thing they did previously. Thankfully, the enemy troops will show up as red dots on your compass. You'll learn to keep a close eye on this, as more often than not it'll save your life. The game does expect perfection. If a bullet strikes you and you're not instantly killed, then you'll bleed out. You have to act quickly to use that health pack. Even then you won't be up to full strength, therefore it's better to avoid those pesky bullets.

The main problems you'll encounter are actually your own team mates. They can be the difference between winning and losing a battle. Sadly their AI isn't always up for the battle and they'll do silly things that jeopardise the mission and their life. They do tend to carry out the orders you give them to the best of their ability, but sometimes their ability just isn't good enough. Problems can arise when they get shot. If the cause of this is not from the enemy, then it's probably because they've stepped in front of your active gun fire. Try and heal them and they'll continue to stand in front of enemy fire as you patch them up. Meanwhile, if you get shot, the nearby medic will often ignore your pain and do nothing to heal you.

They're not the most intelligent bunch, and you'll find plenty of other occasions throughout that will force you to blame them for your annoying death. Checkpoints are nicely spread out, but it's not fun when you manage to execute that perfect strategy on some group of poor foes, only to have to do it again because of an incompetent team mate. It doesn't help that the commands are so limited, with 'take cover' not even an option. Thankfully, these AI idiots can be replaced with your own friends. Co-op mode is where the game really shines, as you and your friends can play and execute the perfect battle strategy.

Although it's an open world game, there's no reason to explore the bland land. There's no side missions or distraction fun. If you do drive off the chosen path all you'll find is plenty of green and the odd Chinaman waiting to put a bullet in your face. The only benefit is to test out the vehicles, as they're not the easiest things to control. They tend to all feel a little tank-like, but they can help you when you need them.

Being a war sim, there are plenty of controls to learn. The many on offer seem more suited to a keyboard and mouse, rather then the limited uses the control pad has. This shows more when it comes to issuing specific commands or even selecting equipment from the scroll down inventory. If you're in dire need of a health pack you need to find it first, which can cause problems on the battlefield.

If you approach Operation Flashpoint with an open and strategic mind, then there's plenty of fun to be had. There's plenty of choice and tension in the war zone and it really does require some quick decision making if you want to emerge victorious. If you like a realist approach and have patience I recommend this. Just don't put too much faith in the AI team mates.

Pain (PS3)

Do you really want to hurt me

There have been some hilarious video games over the years, but Pain easily wins the prize for the funniest. Your sole mission is to cause as much pain to your character and destruction to your surroundings as possible, racking up points by hitting as many objects as possible before your catapulted body loses its momentum.

Pain was available in 2007 purely as a downloadable title from the PS Store. This updated Blu-ray version includes the original game, plus the expansion packs and three new game modes. There are a total of 19 characters but the best one - The Hoff - will cost you £1.19 to download, which seems a bit unfair. The rest of the characters are made up of cheeky chaps like Jarvis McBalsy (the poster boy for Pain), Hung Lo the Ninja and sexy sirens such as Muffy the cheerleader and Ginger the naughty nurse.

All modes of play are locked until you've completed the entire Crash Course. Here you get your first taste of Jarvis put in a catapult that can be pulled back for more powerful launches and rotated from side to side for aiming. Upon release you must steer Jarvis into highlighted targets in Downtown; windows, pedestrians, moving vehicles and explosive crates/tanks. You earn the highest points for the biggest crashes and longest sequences of carnage. Hear him squeal like a little girl!

To keep your momentum going when you land there's your Ooch meter. This gives you four little body flops - one for each letter - that can take you a few feet extra into, say, traffic or a bomb crate that can set you going again to earn extra points. You can return to the catapult or reset the scene at any time.

On each fling you get one Super Ooch (a big flop) by shaking your controller. You can also earn 1,000 points just by holding poses in the air for 3 seconds (there are 8 unique poses for each character). Drifting will steer you slightly in whatever direction you want, whilst Grabbing objects with your hands lets you alter the way you fall. Example: If you grab a pole you can swing around it and fling yourself in a completely different direction. Some TNT crates can be grabbed and flung too.

The more things you destroy in a combo (cars crash and explode, billboards tumble into the street, people are sent through plate-glass windows) the bigger the points. There's even an action replay function that lets you pause, rewind and edit your smashes to then upload to Youtube.

As well as the free-for-all Pandemonium street set, there are dozens of other games in other locations to try. The four themes are: Downtown, Sore Sports, Abusement Park, Movie Studio (hey is that Godzilla?) and the extra Painlabs section, which only offers bite-sized experimental stages created online but the main four themes each have several different game modes inside them such as: 'Spank The Monkey' (hit monkeys when they pop up), Mime Toss (throw mimes into sheets of glass) and Fun With Explosives (hit as many exploding objects as you can in one fling).

These are fun single player games, but there are other games available in Multiplayer mode for two people to play (some can be played with one controller between you but some require two). Mostly these games involve the first player setting a high score and the second player having to beat it or else they'll spell out the word HORSE (or whatever word you want). On top of that there's an Online mode where you can challenge people in the Game Room to numerous ranked or unranked matches, such as Fortress (lobbing bomb crates at each other's castles until they've been destroyed).

The Havok physics engine used for Pain means people and objects realistically roll, flop and shatter but there's room for greater detail in a sequel. The Downtown set, for one, is rather small; If you fling yourself too far you'll end up as a little doll in the distance and have nowhere else to go. The free-roam camera also sometimes gets stuck behind walls and has an unwelcome elasticity about it.

You could argue Pain is a one-trick pony and that there's only so many times you can smash a window or knock people over with Jarvis before it stops being cool. But you can say that about any game really. It's surprising how many hours of fun you can squeeze out of all the various modes and there are tons of trophies to win. One of the most promising games of 2009, Pain positively demands an expanded sequel.

Quantum Of Solace

Two games for the price of one?

  So the latest James Bond film Quantum of Solace is the most successful film of the series, breaking box office records, blah blah blah. EVERY new film somehow seems to break records. Quantum is the first 007 outing to actually continue a story and the film/game begins where Casino Royale left off: Bond's lover Vesper Lynd has been killed and Bond arrives at the house of the man who ordered her death, Mr White.   Immediately a gang of henchman (always with the henchman. Is there a posting on the Jobcentre websites for 'em?) spring to defend their boss, driving Bond into the house for a huge fire-fight. A spy based first-person shooter is nothing revolutionary - in fact the N64's Goldeneye still remains one of the best of the genre - but Quantum does have some interesting additions...And some flaws.  

On the plus side, the gun targeting and ability to crouch behind walls and fire around corners is great fun, as are the gun sound effects and the liquid way henchman fall to their deaths. Not since Half-Life 2 have people died so well. Craig as Bond moves so smoothly you wonder if he's been taking lessons from a snake! Should you need stealth, you can crouch down and fit a silencer to your weapon, or if you can get close enough without being noticed, take down an enemy with a swift blow to the neck or shin.  

Some hand-to-hand combat is involved. This happens in slow-motion and you must target the punch and press a button within a short time-frame. If you're lost, simply bring up your mobile phone screen for a map and task reminder. You're in contact with M and other MI6 operatives through an earpiece and they give you information on the go as M's bodyguard is revealed to be working for the enemy, and flees through Siena rooftops and sewers.  

So far, so smooth. But what lets it down slightly is the fact the designers have concentrated so much in certain areas that they've forgotten other simple pleasures like being able to shoot random objects into pieces. Sure, you can make fire-extinguishers explode and knock down concrete pillars with a well-placed bullet to the detonator placed conveniently beside them, but why do only some cars blow up when shot, or some windows smash? It's a tad uneven.  

Bond chases M's bodyguard to an outdoor Opera house where you must climb scaffolding (changing to a third-person view - this also happens when firing from cover) and pick off snipers. It's not long before you meet Camille, who is on a similar mission of revenge, and she helps you take down helicopters and armed assassins. Here the game does a clever about-turn as Bond flashbacks to the events of Casino Royale, giving you moments involving Vesper (Eva Green provides her voice, as do Daniel Craig and Judi Dench) and other Vienna confrontations with Le Chiffre.  

This will please fans who wanted a Casino Royale game but what at first seems like two games for the price of one is really only half of each. When the Casino section ends and you're back in Quantum, there's a sense of anti-climax as you storm Greene's lair in Bolivia. Since overall mastermind Mr White escapes, the game and the film end up being just a middle piece of a wider whole, so there's no resolution for Bond or us as we play him. It's a shame it all ends so abruptly in the game because it's the best first-person shooter for a while.  

Single players begin as a New Recruit, which you must complete before working your way up to 007 status, whereas multi-player options allow you to take on a series of missions. Offline multiplayer offers up to four-player split-screen action, but online you just have the single screen. There are death match modes (where you hunt each other) as well as against-the-clock objectives mode (be the first to find a briefcase or assassinate a particular person). Both modes can be played in teams. Unfortunately you can't choose movie characters to play, but rather twelve individuals with varying skills.   So multi-player keeps you playing long after you've completed the movie narrative (you could easily complete it in two days on the first try as New Recruit). The Call of Duty engine works beautifully and taking cover in third person view puts you right in the action as you witness Bond nonchalantly firing over a desk or from behind a pillar. Quantum of Solace is as slick, cool and confident as 007 himself and it does the James Bond name proud.

Red Dead Redemption

G-T-Neigh

The announcement of Red Dead Redemption late last year came as somewhat of a surprise to a number of gamers. With six years having passed since the original game, Red Dead Revolver, came out, many presumed it was a forgotten franchise, destined to go down in the annals of history as one of Rockstar's ultimately failed experiments at re-skinning the GTA engine.

Still, ever since Redemption was revealed, the trailers, screenshots, videos and press releases have had potential players watering at the mouth and relishing a trip back to the Wild, Wild West. Of course, all the hype and excitement for GTA 4 couldn't stop some players from being left cold by the return to Liberty City, so there was always the risk that RDR would fail to deliver.

As is customary with the publisher, this sequel abandons the lead of the previous game in favour of a new cast. You're placed in the role of an outlaw called John Marston, hell bent on gaining revenge on former ally Bill Williamson. It soon transpires that Marston and Williamson ran in a gang together, with the latter leaving the former for dead during a job gone wrong. It's to the credit of the storytellers that despite the origins of Marston, he's easily far more sympathetic a character than Niko Bellic, Johnny Klebitz and Luis Lopez combined.

The use of the RAGE engine is clear throughout, especially in the way the characters, display and game structure are all handled. There are some slight (and ultimately rather welcome) tweaks throughout, but ultimately Rockstar veterans will be able to get to grips with their character in a matter of moments. For newcomers, there will still be plenty of button prompts and tutorials to help ease you into the action.

Redemption's map is set upon the US-Mexico border, with the story taking you back and forth across it, and a little further up north, as the story progresses. There are several small towns to visit along the way, connecting by large areas of wilderness, where both animals and bandits roam. To travel between them, you can take a ride on a stage coach taxi, fast travel between locations that you've already, or if you're feeling particularly crazy you can walk. Chances are, though, you'll be more likely to want to ride your very own horse.

When riding, you have to balance the speed and stamina of the horse. Repeatedly tapping the relevant button will cause the horse to accelerate. All the while you do this, the stamina of the horse decreases, although this can be regained when you hold the button to maintain current speed. By continuing to tap the button when the stamina of your ride is depleted, you'll soon find yourself being thrown to the ground. Taking your eye or mind off the stamina gauge can lead you into all kinds of trouble during a vital chase or a race mission.

On several occasions throughout the game, especially at the beginning of missions, you'll be riding alongside an ally to a set location. During these situations, you can hold the acceleration button to maintain the same speed as your pal, while the expositional story plays out through their conversations. It's similar to the convoy riding from the Lost and Damned, but handled in a far more user friendly manner, with no risk of getting away from your comrades.

With this in mind, it does get slightly annoying / repetitive when practically every mission involves getting on a horse and riding with your current contact to the mission location. However, the action you get upon arrival does evolve over time. Initially, you'll be performing farmhand tasks, such as herding cows and breaking in horses, before moving on to daring rescues, mass shoot-outs, fort storming and even protecting locomotives as they speed along the track. Later missions will provide several false finishes, whereby you'll reach what appears to be a logical conclusion, only to be sent out for one more objective.

In the times when you're not embarking on story missions, there's still plenty to do to keep yourself busy. Question Mark icons will appear intermittently on the map signalling the "Stranger" missions, similar to the random pedestrians of GTA IV. These missions will range from a series of simple cut-scenes to multi-part missions that stay with you for long periods.

Meanwhile, you'll also have enemy filled hideouts to storm all over the place, as well as random mini-missions, whereby you might be asked by a civilian to retrieve a stolen horse, have to rescue a kidnapped damsel in distress, or simply get your own horse back from a filthy bandit who tricked you into thinking he just wanted a ride into town. There's usually a small reward for these, although for big bucks you can collect bounties by killing or capturing criminals found on wanted posters.

Added to all of these are the Master Challenges, which are divided into Hunter, Survivalist, Sharpshooter, and Treasure Hunter areas. These rank up as you finish set tasks, with the latter seeing you use clues found in conjunction with the map bundled in the box to locate some pretty nice rewards.

Your actions and success in missions and side missions are reflected in a couple of meters, indicating Honour and Fame. As these increase (or potentially decrease in the case of Honour), the way people treat you will change. Naturally as your honour rises, you'll find that criminals will be far keener to put a bullet in you, but at the same time regular civilians and lawmen will also be more likely to turn a blind eye at you roughing folks up or using your weapons. Of course, if you can use less-violent methods for dealing with crooks, such as hogtieing them instead of shooting them dead, the rewards are generally greater.

If you do choose to be a little bit naughty or perhaps even downright evil, there will be the obvious consequences of the law coming after you. In an exact copy of GTA, there will be a circle of vision that appears on the radar depending on the severity of your wanted level. Your task is to get out and stay out of that circle to take the law off your tail. However, after you've done this, any bounty accrued on your head will remain. This can be cleared by paying off your fine, or by acquiring a pardon letter. Naturally, the higher your bounty becomes, the more likely you are to find people coming after your head, which means you'll need to be quick on the draw.

Thankfully when it comes to shooting, there are some definite improvements within the engine. The use of the weapons wheel allows you far quicker access to all of the pieces within your arsenal, and you're even able to carry more than one type of a weapon style, including multiple rifles and pistols, etc. For accurate firing, there's the dead-eye system, a bullet time effect that allows quick and effective targeting while enemies are stuck in slow motion. As you get further into the game, this becomes more advanced, with the ability to automatically and manually tag multiple targets to shoot unlocking over time.

All told, there's the potential for around 30 + hours of single player action when you take into account all of the missions and other distractions on offer to you. If you want to simply breeze through the story, then even then it should still last you somewhere in the region of 15-20 hours. When all of that is taken care of, there's still the not-so-small matter of the game's multiplayer modes.

The biggest selling point of multiplayer is its free roaming mode for up to 16 players. You'll create a character and can band together with up to 7 others to form a posse. Together, you can complete challenges, level up, attack gang hideouts, or even take on ways of dangerous animals in the hunting grounds. With a whole bunch of you on hand to watch each others' backs and talk in funny cowboy voices over the mic, there is plenty more enjoyment to be had from this game.

Don't worry if you're lacking in online pals though, or just want to be a lone gunslinger, as there are also several Free-For-All modes too, including shoot outs and capture the bag. Further multiplayer DLC has already been promised, in the form of co-op missions, which should squeeze yet more hours out of this already bursting bag.

While the "GTA with horses" tag that has been bestowed upon Red Dead Redemption is certainly justified, it still remains an excellent game in its own right. It may not offer as many hours of play as another recent sandbox epic Just Cause 2, but it has it beaten in several other areas, such as story, quality of voice acting (though there's one dodgy Irish accent) and accessibility. It's fairly violent, but never really in a particular gruesome way - although some may take exception at having to kill and skin animals - and above all else, it's incredibly entertaining.

Red Dead Redemption provides everything that you'd surely want or need from a Wild West adventure, and does it all without being spoiled by a rap theme or a giant mechanical spider!

Red Faction: Guerrilla

Mars Attacks

It's the year 2075; you're fighting a war for freedom and the odds are stacked against you. All is looking bleak until one day, when an allied force known as the EDF comes along to help you and victory is achieved in this long and tiresome war. Fifty years later, the EDF are still in town and have no sign of going away. In fact they show no sign letting you have what you fought so hard for either, freedom. Yes, it's the age old adage; someone comes along to help and then ends up taking control themselves.

It could be worse though, your brother could have just been killed by this force and you could be living on the outskirts of Mars! Well, welcome to the World of Alec Mason. As Mason, you must go on a seemingly impossible mission to overthrow the control of the Earth Defence Force and win back freedom for him and his people. You must do this using his brute strength and background in demolition.

In the game there are six areas that you must liberate of to re-gain total control of Mars. In each one you have mandatory missions that have to be completed, as well certain targets that must be destroyed and other side missions that will help you to gain control of each sector. Destroying buildings and landmarks dissolves the EDF's stranglehold on areas, while completing missions boosts the morale of the people.

The fun comes when you have to demolish targets. They are divided into high and medium priority. Armed with a heavy duty sledgehammer, explosives and an array of damage inducing artillery you must take down buildings and other constructions of importance to the enemy. Taking pride of place amongst your weaponry is the Nano Gun, which can dissolve both matter and enemies in the blink of an eye. You can also attack the enemy with Land Mines, a giant drill and Walkers. These are machines that you ride in whilst firing missiles and swinging your robotic arms at places under EDF control. But boy, it feels good smashing through walls and structural supports with that sledgehammer.

Let's not kid ourselves here though, this game is tough. Even on the casual setting. It can sometimes be seemingly impossible to break down the resistance of the opposition. As a result this is not the type of game where you can necessarily always run in all guns blazing, although this can be very effective and satisfying on some missions! You must calculate the majority of attacks and assess the most effective and safest way to achieve your objective. The A.I will infuriate you in places as well. This is particularly true when doing missions where you have to save hostages - with the way they behave, anyone would think they want to die! Even your fellow Red Faction members waver on the side of dim when you are at your Safe House.

In terms of multiplayer, this is one of the finest examples. It works extremely well both online and with your mates around. There is an array of modes that will keep you entertained for many an evening. Anarchy Mode is a straight fight for survival against your opponents, or you can take the side of the EDF or Red Faction and fight against each other in Team Anarchy. There is even capture the flag and Damage Control, where you must fight to take control of three targets.

Graphics on the game are top of the range, as to be expected. It's in the little details that this becomes apparent, such as the clouds of dust that appear when you take a target down. The areas are so open too, with so much to explore that, as a result, there are lots of places to run when the EDF are hunting you down. Your map will become one of your best friends in the game because of this.

Red Faction: Guerrilla is a top action game that will keep gamers occupied for a long time, even after the main story mode is complete. Its online capabilities help take care of this and have set a bar in terms of multiplayer quality. It is certainly a step forward from its previous generation predecessor, something that not many gaming series can boast. The only thing we can see being a stumbling block is its tendency to be ridiculously hard at some points. We recommend you bear with it though, as the rewards will certainly be worth it in the end. Plus, who doesn't enjoy randomly destroying stuff and doing a bit of Martian bashing? We for one love it!

Resident Evil 5

Does 5 come alive?

There's no doubt in my mind that Resident Evil was crying out for a makeover. By the time REmake and Zero were released, I think every fan will agree that it was time for something new. Although REmake offered gorgeous new graphics and Zero introduced a partner and item switch, the series still suffered from the same old fixed cameras, slow game-play and the ease of killing the un-dead, but just as important the story wasn't progressing. Resident Evil 4 brought this change, disposing of the negative elements and introducing an over-the-shoulder action game with a brand new story. With 4 winning most people's Game of the Year award, the pressure was always going to be on for part 5. Can it live up to the hype, or is the new Resident Evil feeling stale already?

Although the changes were welcomed with open arms, the major flaw of Resi 4 was its terrible, half-hearted story line, showing little recognition of the previous games. Most people wanted to see more of the same action in 5, but with a more old-school Resident Evil story. What better way to do this than to bring back the original leading man? Newcomers have been introduced to Leon, now it's time for them to meet Mr Resident Evil himself, Chris Redfield.

Chris is now a member of an organisation called the BSAA. He is sent to Africa where he teams up with new character and fellow BSAA member, Sheva Alomar. Although their mission is viral related, Chris also has a personal mission to accomplish. The story has improved this time around, with one or two shocks and twists and an ending that might surprise many, but I doubt it'll be to everyone's taste. As one era ends, maybe it is the right time to move things on. Resi 5 is probably the only game you wish had longer loading times, as the very short loading screens tell the relevant back story of the entire series, but sadly there's just no time to read them.

The entire first level of the game plays out like its predecessor, you drive into a strange isolated town, walk a bit, discover the inhabitants are hostile, pop some heads, then enter a larger area where you have to survive a timed horde, consisting of one bigger and tougher dude with a weapon. It's the best formula for introducing what the game is about, and Resident Evil 5 is all about action. The game runs at a very fast pace, throwing at you set-piece after set-piece. Don't expect to waste time solving puzzles, because there are none. It's simply a case of here's a gun, there's the enemy, shoot them all.

The over-the-shoulder camera and laser sight make a welcome return, enabling the precision shooting of body parts. Shooting an enemy in the leg will give you the option of punching him a mile and all floored enemies can now be stamped on, which is great for those that don't know when to stay down. There's no better thrill in the game than aiming at a petrol canister and taking out 6 baddies in one go. The explosions are the best I've seen in a game, and the carnage is high.

Sometimes the camera feels a little too close to your back when you're walking, obscuring your surroundings and potential threats. Also, controlling Chris will take a little getting used to, as at first he can feel stiff and like a tank, but you'll soon find your feet and be thankful they didn't take inspiration from Alone in the Dark.

The major change in 5 is that Sheva, stays with you throughout the entire game and can be controlled on or offline by a friend (you know there'll be fights over who has to be the girl). The co-op play works very well, after all what's better than playing Resident Evil with a buddy? If they're as good as you, then you'll have a blast working your way through the adventure. Don't worry if you have no one to play with, as Sheva's AI is up to scratch and she'll rarely be a hindrance. Okay, she'll occasionally annoy you by stepping in front of your Uzi, walking into an area you're about to fill with grenades or by just generally getting herself killed, but often you'll be happy to have her around, especially when she saves your ass from an axe wielding lunatic.

Making sure Sheva is equipped and loaded becomes second nature after a short while and thankfully one herb heals you both if you are standing together. The choice is yours whether you use her or just have her following like a lost sheep. You'll be tempted to hog all the guns and ammo, playing as if she wasn't there, but the game works best when Sheva is armed as well as you are. Besides, she's always there, so you may as well use her. Admittedly, the survivalist (loner) in me does wish there was an option to turn co-op off completely and go it alone.

If you like breathing then perhaps this game isn't for you, as it throws everything at you with little rest time. As well as the usual area clearing, you'll encounter many boss battles and set-pieces. The first time I saw the 'You are Dead' screen was when encountering a Quick Time Event. What happened to the good old days when cut scenes used to be for viewing pleasure, now they expect us to stay alert throughout?!? Also, I guess it was only a matter of time before we'd see a much hated and dreaded on-the-rails shooter section in Resident Evil. Luckily this doesn't drag on; instead it adds a new challenge as it's the only section where there's no laser sight, thus making aiming harder.

The later sections of the game take inspiration from the likes of Gears of War, where you have the ability to take cover against a wall and shoot off against the heavily armed, and often annoying, enemy. It's at this point where you begin to do the maths and reach this possible equation, Gears of War + Army of Two = Resident Evil 5? One or two of the boss battles are thoughtful and interesting, but you'll soon become too familiar with the Nintendo-style giant blob with glowing orbs on the end of tentacles (hmm, I wonder what the weak spot is)! All this leads up to a long awaited battle against an infamous villain, who looks and acts like he's just stepped out of The Matrix.

You'll run through the game picking up new weapons, cash and treasure as you go. Weapons can be purchased and upgraded, while treasures can be sold, but there's no merchant this time. Instead, the buying and upgrading is done before each chapter segment. This works well as you can stock up, store weapons and ammo and tidy your inventory before the next section of action begins, as opposed to in the middle of it. As well as no Merchant, gone are the save rooms with the relaxing music, gone are the ink ribbons and type writers, auto save is the way to go these days, and to heat the action up more the inventory is in-game, so there's no taking a breather to combine those herbs.

The changes bring a faster flow to the game and makes the new inventory system work better, as you'll plan your equipment appropriately before each section. Some parts of the game tend to drag out and interest begins to fade, as nothing exciting happens and the locations become samey. Other ideas fail to reach potential and become missed opportunities. For example, one part of the game takes you into pitch black caves, where a lantern is required. To fight in here, you have to drop the lantern, leaving the enemy to come out of the dark. Sadly, the section is over far too quickly and nothing memorable happens.

Survival Horror was about isolation and being alone, something Resident Evil has lost its last grip on, leaving it now clutching tight onto Action / Adventure. There are virtually no scary parts, but the game is filled with tension and a battle for survival. You'll complete the game in around 7 - 10 hours, about half the length of 4, but enough for a game of this type. Ultimately, it doesn't outstay its welcome, and thankfully the Mercenaries mini-game can be unlocked for several more hours of play. Additional multiplayer functions are also due via DLC in the very near future.

Resident Evil 5 is far from perfect and I highly doubt it'll be winning many 'Game of the Year' awards, but you'll have a lot of fun playing it. The tweaks certainly work better for a game of this type, but it seems the saga really has stepped away from its roots, with all the recognisable features quickly disappearing. Whether that's a good or bad thing depends on the player, but if I want old school Resi, then I'll plug in the Playstation and insert Resident Evil 2.

Resonance Of Fate

A gun blazing grind-fest

Not many games would dare release themselves around the same time as the undisputed king of the genre. While many people are still ploughing through Final Fantasy XIII's gaming party, Sega / Tri-Ace's Resonance of Fate shows up, bringing with it its own array of beverages. While the newcomers to Japanese role-playing games will keep dancing to Square Enix's glossy rhythm, the hardcore will likely be turning their heads towards the gate crasher with avid curiosity. Resonance of Fate isn't here to please everyone. It's here to deliver the best of what the JRPG has to offer. It's not the coolest kid at the party, nor does it care, and for that reason it ends up being the most interesting. Just expect it to frustrate and entertain you at the same time, like a real friend does.

Set in the distant future, a time without magic and where survival with Uzis is the key, Earth's environment is plagued with poisonous gasses. With the majority of the population falling victim to the severe climate change, the survivors gather around Basel: An environmental purifier buried deep within the Earth. Over the years, Basel became a thriving tower where hierarchy still played a key role in society - the rich reside in the upper sections of the enormous tower, while the poor reside down in the slums. Things were going so well, until the purifier began to break down.

This is where you come in, with control of freelance mercenaries Zephyr, Vashyron and Leanne. This trio take on rough jobs given to them by the rich folk who aren't brave enough to leave the house in case they run into the many bandits and thieves scattered around the tower. These good looking young adults thrive on this sort of deal, even if it does mean messing up their tidy blonde hair. Although the plot isn't exactly as memorable as the premise makes it seem, the trio are very likeable characters, who'll keep your interest throughout. Mainly to know their back stories and why they are the way they are. It's this curiosity that'll keep you grinding through the battles hour after hour (after hour after hour).

What's more interesting is the setting. Resonance of Fate's playground wouldn't be out of place in a Hayao Miyazaki animation. With its Elizabethan style world full of cogs, mechanics, candles and old-fashioned brick work and fashion. It's a world you'd truly love to explore in full 3D glory, but unfortunately it's left to 2D planes and small static towns. It does the job though, and certainly adds character to the world of Basel and the struggle the characters find themselves in.

Exploring the magnificent tower is left to moving a cursor along a path ridden grid, were the surprise attacks occur as they tend to do in RPGs. You're not quite free to explore the tower as you please, as each pathway is blocked off. Only by defeating enemies and collecting hexes will you be able to unlock the path and progress to new outlets and missions. These Energy Hexes come in different shapes, sizes and colours and can fit nicely into certain paths, unlocking them. This is a bit of a puzzle in itself as you rotate the random shapes to fit perfectly into an area, as to not waste one. You can also uncover items as well as unlocking new areas to roam and battle in. Clearing space with the hexes is surprisingly therapeutic, and you'll strive to clear every last area to see if secrets await.

Now, what may seem like your average JRPG, with hexes, takes a turn towards the complicated with its battle system. Running and gunning may seem as simple as it sounds, but there's a lot more to it than point and shoot. After all there are three characters to think about, multiple enemies and the positioning of each and every one of them. Even this plays second fiddle to the weaponry, which is the essential ingredient to levelling up your characters, as it's actually the guns you are levelling up and not the characters themselves.

Each character can handle any of the gun types on offer: pistol, machine gun and thrown weapon (grenade, Molotov cocktail etc). While you can have the trio using pistols, only one can be armed with the machine gun and only one with thrown items. With this in mind, it's always a case of switching each character's weapons in between battles to ensure they're all up to speed with each one as, naturally, the more they use each gun as their primary weapon, the more it'll become stronger and much more worthwhile in battle.

When the battle commences you are free to run around the arena and target whoever you like, but each turn is on a very limited timer. If you don't act quickly, then you'll end up tasting lead pie. As is always the case in these games, each character takes it in turn to have a pop at each other, but that's where the similarities end. Each character not only comes with a standard health bar, but there's also a scratch damage bar attached too. Before you can think about inflicting direct damage to your enemy, first you need to inflict plenty of scratch damage. This is where the machine gun comes in handy. As powerful as the machine gun may sound it actually isn't the strongest weapon on offer, as it is merely the key ingredient to causing scratch damage. You'll most likely go into battle with your machine gunner up first, followed by a few powerful blows of a pistol, and perhaps a grenade for variety's sake.

While you have the option to simply stand near an enemy and charge up for a shot, there are much more worthwhile ways of winning the battle. Hero Actions are the best method, which involves plotting your course, before running the line with gun at the ready. The attack ends when you get to the end of the line, or your set course happens to run into an obstacle or enemy. This is the attacking option that's used most often, but you can also position the trio to inflict maximum damage with the Tri-Attack.

This is a much more complicated battle system, which is hugely rewarding when pulled off. It utilises all three characters at the same time to basically kiss goodbye to any enemy on the receiving end. Once you have characters positioned on either side of the arena, you can activate the Tri-Attack and let each character run down the triangle, pulling off their moves. It's always immensely satisfying to get this rolling and see the battle in full flow, especially when it's use to end the gang leader or a big macho boss.

Before even considering pulling off a Hero Action or a much more powerful Tri-Attack, you'll need to collect the vital resource, known as Bezels. At first you'll have three Bezel spots to fill, which can be collected by defeating enemies or inflicting huge damage. With one collected you'll have the ability to pull off a Hero Action and with correct character positioning, a Tri-Attack. However, if you lose all your Bezels, by taking too much damage, you'll be in Critical Condition. In these unfortunate circumstances you'll be virtually powerless. Only by somehow defeating or highly damaging an enemy, and collecting a Bezel, will you be back to normal mode and off on the attack again. Usually when Critical Condition appears, it may as well mean Game Over, as they are tough to get out of, but by no means impossible.

Dying and restarting is something you'll need to get used to in Resonance of Fate, although at at first you'll sneak through the random battles by trial and error (and luck). Death is more apparent in the very difficult boss battles, which introduce multiple health bars and stubborn Scratch bars. Although you do get a retry option, this will set you back in-game currency, so make sure you have plenty of it.

Although you'll be considering launching your control pad at the television at times, when the battle is won you'll frequently remind yourself how great this game actually is. It's an immensely deep and complex battle system, which takes time to get used to but eventually it'll all fall in place and you'll be a master of Hero Actions and Tri-Attacks, even to the extent of actually enjoying it. In fact, if you want to become victorious in the tough boss battles, you'll most certainly need to learn the system, otherwise you won't get very far. To add to that, you'll also need to level up to stand a chance of victory, and this entails plenty of grinding. It's in this grinding that you'll learn the ways of the Tri-Attack and make your weapons even more deadly.

While Final Fantasy XIII has taken the brave step in appealing to the general gaming public, with its linearity and Leona Lewis soundtrack, Resonance of Fate reveals itself at the same time to give gamers a genuine JRPG. It's less on the linear side, absent on the over-the-top cinematics and high on complexity. It's a given that newcomers will give up within the first 20 minutes, but get beyond that, and perhaps the first few hours, and what you get is a game that's very deep, very engaging and one that's immensely satisfying, if you manage to master it. Naturally, hardcore RPGers will see this instantly and won't hesitate to give this game all the time the game has to offer, and believe me there's plenty of it. Granted a lot of that time will be spent grinding to a suitable level to make impossible boss seem slightly more possible, but it only adds to the fun. Newcomers to the genre owe it to their new found taste to put their skills to the test in the genuine article, and Resonance of Fate is exactly that.

Rock Band 2

Is there such a thing as too many plastic guitar games?

Released late last year for the Xbox 360, and more recently for PS3, PS2 and Wii following the end of the exclusivity period, Rock Band 2 builds on the first fruits of the EA and Harmonix partnership to provide another rocking experience, the largest to date of any music game.  

RB2 provides around 80 tracks off the disc to begin with, with some formats offering a further 20 tracks to download for free via a code on the back of the manual (which are also playable in Rock Band 1). All songs downloaded for Rock Band 1 are fully compatible with the game and, for a small one-off fee, you can even copy the majority of the songs from the RB1 disc to your hard drive (PS3/360 only) for use in the game. Depending on how frequent a downloader you are, you're looking at potentially having over 200 songs available from the get-go, certainly not something to be sniffed at. If you have already invested in Guitar Hero: World Tour, however, you should note that a number of the tracks in that game are also featured here.  

The actual game engine remains pretty much identical to the original. In Guitar and Drum modes, oblong notes pass down the screen, requiring you to strum or bang the corresponding button or pad on your controller. There is the potential to add cymbals to the drum kit for an added challenge, but this is purely optional. If you're singing, you must try to match the pitch line moving across the screen as best possible. Failure to keep the pitch or match the notes will eventually lead to your downfall. Between 1 and 4 players can take part, with the most fun coming from having all instruments covered.  

The biggest change (which is equally no change at all) comes in the game's Tour Mode. In the original game, this mode was restricted to multiplayer only, leaving single players forced to play through a fairly bog-standard career mode. For Rock Band 2, the people with no friends or not enough spare cash to justify the expense of a full band set can finally go through the more enjoyable experience of playing individual tracks, along with multi-track sets put together at random, through their own choice, or based upon a theme. Gaining high scores and star ratings earns you fans, which in turn opens up more venues, gigs and songs.   Eventually, you'll open up the Endless Setlist, a section that challenges you to play every song on the disc, one after the other. To finish the Endless Setlist is likely to take a player (or players) around seven hours, and that's without factoring in any breaks (one achievement for the game challenges you to finish the setlist without pausing or failing). Ultimately, it's one for the nimble fingered and wide-eyed, and extreme kudos should go to anyone who completes it in 4-player mode without wanting to kill his or her band-mates by the end.  

New to the multiplayer mode, and also integrated into the Tour Section too, is Battle of the Bands, a slightly more elaborate version of the Score Duel game. In this, two bands face off across a series of songs, with the band earning the highest overall score declared the winner. Its integration into Tour Mode is somewhat flawed, as you can easily be paired against a band playing on a lower difficulty than you are, thus making it ridiculously easy to win, to the extent that your score on the first song might well trounce their cumulative score for the entire set. At the same time, you'll also be competing for a place on a Leaderboard in Tour Mode, with players of all difficulty settings, giving an obvious advantage to those capable of playing on the higher settings.  

The standard four difficulty settings are available to play, ranging from Easy to Expert - there's none of that overly simplistic Beginner nonsense here, and likewise no Expert Plus, as is set to debut in Guitar Hero: Metallica. The first two difficulty settings should be accessible to most, with the Guitar portion only utilising 3 or 4 buttons for them, the Orange remaining unused until you eventually dare to step up to Hard or higher.  

As with the other games of this ilk, the different modes of play also vary in their difficulty, with the drums being the trickiest instrument to get to grips with, while vocals are generally the most accessible. Be prepared to strain your voice on some of the more booming heavy metal tracks, though, where your task could be described more as roaring than singing. Of course, if you're someone with impeccable rhythm but the chords of a frightened feline, you might find yourself better off with the sticks.  

While we're still awaiting the arrival of the official Rock Band 2 instruments in stores at this time, those made for the original game are still perfectly legitimate means of control. Guitar Hero instruments will also work, though the touch pad of the World Tour guitar sadly does not perform the equivalent actions of the solo buttons on the RB axe, leaving you having to strum them as normal and also unable to earn as big a points reward from the big rock finishes.  

Naturally, if you're not really into Rock or Metal, it's not going to be your cup of tea, and if you've never bought into the plastic instrument craze either, Rock Band 2 won't change your mind. But if you are a devotee, then you'll be worshipping at its altar pretty quickly. Some will argue that it's unfair to make them "re-buy" their songs from the original game for use in this one, but ultimately you're not being forced to do so, and it's nice to have the option full-stop. When was the last time a Guitar Hero game let you take anything across to one of its sequel? The only disappointment is not being able to copy your saved characters or bands over from the first game, which means having to create new ones from scratch.  

While Rock Band 2 seems the better overall package at this time than GHWT, it does appear as though both developers are busily saturating the market with spin-offs and expansions right now, which could prove to be detrimental in the long term. Therefore, like a band that plays on well past its prime, it's best to invest in this hot second album.

Saints Row 2

Is it a Bellic beater?

  Around 6 months on from GTA IV, many gamers have admitted feeling that it was a bit of a letdown. Not this particular gamer, but many nonetheless. The chief complaints seems to be that it had become a little bit too serious and realistic, and that away from the missions, there wasn't that much in the way of fun stuff to do. Even when there was, it would often be spoiled by that damn cellphone as one of your friends decided that they just had to go bowling right then and there.  

What might be seen as Rockstar's loss can equally be seen as THQ and Volition's gain, with the arrival of Saints Row 2. The original game, released in 2006, was seen as a decent game that took a whole lot of inspiration from GTA San Andreas, some might have even called it a blatant rip-off. But it had its charms, a tongue-in-cheek storyline, a near-silent protagonist that you could mould however you saw fit, and a wealth of varied, and often very funny side missions to play in-between the story.  

It also had a cliffhanger ending that surprised and annoyed many players (especially those who hadn't manually saved before the final mission), leaving you wondering whether the character you had invested so much time in was dead or alive. This particular cliffhanger is resolved within the opening cut-scene, with a convenient plot twist allowing you to give your character a whole new look (and perhaps even a whole new gender) in case you can't remember what you used to look like. Slightly disappointingly (for 360 owners), there's no option to import your character from the previous game.  

Upon finalising your new look, in what happens to be a highly detailed creation mode, you can then embark upon a daring jail-break, which can be handled under tutorial condition, or simply by blasting your way out if you consider yourself to be suitable experienced in the ways of the Row. Chances are, if you have played the original through to completion then you will be, as the controls haven't altered all that much, not that they needed to.  

Unlike GTA IV, you don't need to re-learn how to drive cars, as they handle the way you would expect them to do so in this style of game. Therefore, you won't have to worry about starting the engine or unresponsive handling when in a tight situation, you can just get in and drive. A handy GPS set-up on your mini-map will show you where your next objective lies, and you can even set your own routes too.  

You soon learn that a lot has changed during your time "away", with the sinister Ultor Corporation (well, how many video game corporations do you know that aren't sinister?) taking over large areas of Stilwater, and many of your colleagues either missing, dead or facing long stretches in the big house. The time has come for you to take back the streets again, and that's exactly what you're going to do.  

Where Saints Row differed (and still does) from other "sandbox-style" titles is that you can't just go and play story mission after story mission, leaving the side bits for another time. In order to gain access to each part of the story, you needed to earn respect from your comrades, the 3rd Street Saints. This was done by either beating down cops or rival gang members, or indulging in one of the many different activities through the city.  

The activities are your side-missions, which consist of modes against the clock, during which you must perform the mission's task to the required standard. For example, the returning Insurance Fraud mode has you flinging yourself in front of cars in order to try and cause as much damage and chaos as possible (while showing off the cool rag doll physics). It's as morally dubious as ever, but so much fun!  

There are some new activities to try out as well, including Crowd Control, where you protect a celebrity from crazed fans by grabbing and throwing them into all kinds of objects, and Septic Avenger, where you get to cover all kinds of stuff in, well, let's just say that the clue is in the name. You even get to impersonate a Police Officer from time to time in the FUZZ activity, busting criminals on camera.  

Like last time, when you do get round to playing missions, your aim is to take down three rival gangs that also want to be number 1 in the territory. The Ronin, Brotherhood and Sons of Samedi will stand in the way of your progress, and once eventually done with them, you can continue on for your final confrontation with the Ultor Corporation. All in all, there are 42 missions to face, along with 23 activities (which have varying levels within them). Add into this the various items to find and along, and you're looking at a serious number of hours worth of play on offer.  

Saints Row 2 also offers up a whole host of online modes to get involved in, from simple single player death matches to team-based fun as well. In a first for the series, though, and something not even Rockstar have dared to attempt yet, you can now link up with a friend over Xbox Live or PSN and play through the story mode co-operatively. It's a brave, and well-executed mode that adds a well-needed spot of sociability to the genre, much like how Crackdown did back in 2007.  

Those who rallied against the original game due to its similarities to GTA could well be drawn back into the action if they were put off by Niko's adventure, especially as it possesses so much of that entertainment factor that Rockstar seemingly held the monopoly over on the previous console generation. Of course, the copious amounts of violence and bad language mean that this is definitely NOT a game for kids, but chances are that "trendy Mum" and "cool Dad" will buy it for them anyway. For those that are of the legal age for it, Saints Row 2 is definitely worthy of your time.

Soul Calibur IV

Jedi and Warriors meet in combat

Don't be fooled by the number. What we have here is technically the fifth game in the long running fighting franchise. Prior to the first game bearing the Soul Calbur moniker (in arcades and on Dreamcast), there was Soul Blade (aka Soul Edge), where many of the weapon-wielding heroes on show today made their first appearances.

Anyone who remembers the release of Soul Calibur 2 in 2003, will no doubt also recall the rather clever marketing tactic that publishers Namco employed with regards to the character roster. PS2, Xbox and Gamecube versions of the game all featured an exclusive character from outside the franchise, these being Heihachi (Tekken), Spawn (comic book hero) and Link (Legend of Zelda) respectively. Presumably, that was a successful tactic, as it's out in full force with SC4, if you'll pardon the pun.

To tie in with the latest Star Wars title, The Force Unleashed. Soul Calibur IV provides a lightsaber wielding Jedi character for both PS3 and 360. Sony gamers can join the dark side with Darth Vader, while Microsoft players get to leap around and use bad syntax with Yoda. Also hidden (albeit not very deeply) in the game is an additional character known as The Apprentice, the lead character from Force Unleashed.

t was unknown at the time of writing whether these "exclusive" characters would find their way onto both consoles via Live or PSN, which has subsequently proved to be the case, leaving gamers with no reason to shell out for two copies of the game. Of course, the real question here is whether you should even shell out on one copy, let alone two.

When you look at it from a basic standpoint, Soul Calibur IV is far from the most original game in the world. It's pretty much your average, everyday 3D beat-em-up, with the only real difference being that each character carries some a bladed weapon into battle with them.

But that's just at a basic level, of course, the way that the genre has been for years, and will likely continue to be. It's how the fight engine is utilised that is more important now. Soul Calibur IV provides you with three main single player modes, as well as a training option.

Arcade Mode uses the tried and tested fighter format, where you select your character and battle through eight opponents in "Best of 3" bouts. Succeed, and you move onto the next fight, fail and you get the choice to retry or give up.

Alongside this, there is Story Mode. In Story, you face single round battles, often against multiple opponents, with the occasional cut-scene breaking up the action. At only 5 chapters, even a novice fighter pressing random buttons could polish off the story in around 10 minutes on Normal difficulty. However, with Hard mode to try too, and loads of characters (each with their own beginning and ending) to use, that does increase the play time sufficiently.

The Tower of Lost Souls is the most substantial of the single player modes, aimed at the more skilled fighter. Each "mission" in this mode see you ascending floors in the tower by winning fights.

You generally tackle two floors at once, with bouts against multiple opponents on each one. Characters only get one health bar for each mission, which never refills. Many missions do let you select more than one character, however, and each one also includes hidden treasures for powering up your weapon!

After successfully ascending all the floors in the tower (no mean feat in itself), you then unlock the ability to descend into the lower reaches, where things get incredibly tough. You'll really need to know how to pull off the best combos down there.

Multiplayer is also catered for, both online and offline. Standard bouts let you use in-game characters with default weapons, while Special bouts allow you to brawl using upgrades earned in the Tower. Watch out for the people playing as Yoda though, as his small stature makes him quite difficult to hit!

Soul Calibur IV will win no awards for originality, but for looks and lifespan, it's certainly one of the best. With single player modes than can cater separately for the novice and experienced players, plus fairly substantial Character Editing and Creation modes too, this is definitely a high calibre of Calibur.

Super Street Fighter IV

The master class

Since Street Fighter IV was released early last year, numerous fighting games have come along to try and claim the throne as the best in the genre. As great as some of them were, most of us couldn't help but compare them to Capcom's master class. It usually got to the extent that we'd wind up reinserting SFIV and devoting many more hours to that instead. Even in preparation to the hotly anticipated release of Super Street Fighter IV, we'd prepared ourselves by playing the young Son. Now folks, Daddy has arrived, and arrived in style. With it comes new characters, new moves and vastly improved online game play. When it comes to fighters, Capcom are stamping their authority once again.

Super Street Fighter IV introduces 10 brand new characters into the mix, bringing the roster to 35 in total. From the outset, all 35 are unlocked, including the usual suspects - Ryu, Ken, Chun-Li, Blanka, Guile, Dhalsim, Balrog and so on, to add to the SFIV debutants, such as speedy wrestler El Fuerte, fire wielding female fighter Crimson Viper, and martial arts expert Abel, in addition to Gouken and the last boss Seth, who are playable from the start this time. We know these characters very well now, so naturally first instincts are to pick on the new boys (and girls), and there's certainly a unique bunch on offer.

Out of the 10 new additions, two are first timers, whereas the other eight have appeared in Street Fighter before. Nevertheless, each one of them still offers something new to the game and prove worthy additions to the roster. The two debutants, Juri and Hakan are extremely fun to play with. Juri is a quick mover with one or two powerful moves up her sleeve. She can dive kick in mid-air and unleash fireballs, whereas Hakan is the opposite. This bizarre character is a Turkish wrestler who pours oil over himself before kicking ass. He also has a handy grapple move which can be used at close range or from a distance with the aid of a dive. Usually the "big" characters are too slow for some people's liking, but Hakan makes up for it with a speedy stomach dive to take the opponent unaware.

Adon, Cody, Dee Jay, Dudley, Guy, Ibuki, Makoto and T. Hawk make up the numbers for the new additions, and have all appeared in the series before at some stage. T. Hawk may sound like he'll rule the arena with awesome skateboarding moves, but in fact he's a wise old Indian who moves slowly and packs quite a punch. Whereas Ibuki is the exact opposite with her speed and ninja skills, she can cause problems with her agility. Makoto is a young Japanese martial arts expert, who moves and looks a little like a young Ryu. To add a bit of Brit into the line-up there's Dudley. This older gentleman may come across as a bit posh, but when he straps on the blue gloves he can box like no other. Final Fight's Cody and Guy also bring their street brawling skills in the arena. Guy is a bit generic, but Cody comes dressed in a prison uniform and handcuffs, and uses knives and ground dirt to his advantage.

Each character's style and moves will take time to master, but that's the fun of it. There's also a tacked on story for each of them in Arcade Mode to link the fights together, which is always nice. For those who don't take kindly to the new crew, there are new super combos added to the existing characters to give you plenty of reason to take them through the paces once again. With so many old and new faces to put through some street fighting action, there's a character for every occasion and enough to keep you fighting for many more months.

Naturally the fighting is the the same, albeit with one or two added moves. The primary innovation of SFIV is the Focus Attack, which can be performed by holding the Medium Punch and Kick button simultaneously. Unleashing this unblockable attack will floor your opponent, giving you the time to pull off some health bar damaging combos immediately after. It's perfect for starting a chain of destruction, but also great for ending a string of combos going against you.

Pulling off attacks will increase the on-screen EX Power Meter. Filling this up will allow you to pull off Super Combos. These extremely damaging moves are easier to pull off with some characters and a lot harder for others. Not only will they inflict maximum damage, but they also create stylish animations. If you're a Street Fighter master, you can exit the animations early and perform different combos, confusing your poor opponent to a certain 'KO'.

On the other hand, receiving damage will fill up your Ultra Meter. Pulling off an Ultra Combo will swing the battle in your favour, meaning you can then go on a rampage of combos at your opponent. It's like going 2-0 up in football, just to lose 2-3 (in other words: gutting). These improvements make for tense and exciting fights where no victory is certain. Of course these changes are not entirely essential because, if you like, you can simply use the old school combos and still have a decent fight. Pros will no doubt go straight to the new additions, whereas newcomers will start small and eventually work up to the bigger moves. Capcom hasn't discriminated again the newcomer.

If you're new to this, you can go straight to Training Mode for plenty of combo practice (where the opponents don't fight back). As many of the Super Combos are hard to pull off, this is the best place to master them with a lot of time and no pressure. For everyone else, there's the standard Arcade Mode (story mode), where each fighter comes with animated cut-scenes between fights, but none of these succeed in telling an interesting story and are merely there in an attempt to add depth to the much loved (and hated) characters.

The fact that all the fighters are unlocked from the start means you never really need to fight through Arcade mode simply to unlock the next character. If you do decide to though, then you'll see brand new cinematics, as well as bonus mini games, which let you trash a and destroy barrels, Street Fighter 2-style. The new fight request system also means you can be summoned to fights, if you're playing online and have the option enabled. With all this in mind, it's no secret that online play is the main emphasis of Super Street Fighter IV, and perhaps where it shines the most.

The online aspect of SFFIV has been improved immensely over its less Super counterpart. The ranked points system has been greatly enhanced for those who like to experiment with different fighters, while still ranking up. SSFIV introduces two different point systems: Player Points and Battle Points. Player Points are received for winning online matches and subtracted when you lose. In addition to this, you'll receive Battle Points for the character you are fighting with. Therefore if you decide to give Ryu a break and test out Cammy, only to lose the fight, you'll lose Player Points, but Ryu will keep all of his Battle Points. This lets you determine your strongest fighter (if you like to switch) as well as your overall skill, and both are tracked on the online leaderboards. This is far better than SFIV's single point system, which left no incentive for trying out new fists.

In addition to Ranked and Player matched, SSFIV offers new online modes to test your skills. Team Battles allow for big gatherings, including 2v2, 3v3 and 4v4 elimination battles, where players take it in turns to show off their skills and become the best group. Then there's Endless Battle, where up to eight players can queue up and participate in one on one fights. It's a game of winner stays on, and loser rejoins at the back. What makes these modes better is the ability to chat to everyone else during the fight. Whether that's words of encouragement, or "I'm gonna kick yo ass!" Thankfully there's a mute option if someone gets too annoying with their taunts. What makes these online modes even better is the Replay Channel. Here you can view a wide range of matches from the online community, or even upload your own. You can go as far as storing them on your hard drive or inviting some mates to the viewing lobby to watch and discuss the video. Who needs YouTube Now?

There's no doubt this is the best looking Street Fighter game yet too. The characters have been given new life, while still maintaining the general design and feel of the original games. Each move looks stylish and is immensely satisfying to pull off and although the game is far from easy, you'll thrive on the challenge to master the complex moves. The environments vary and each one is brought to life with a lot happening in the background. In the Jungle arena, animals and birds go about their day. Outside the Diner, folk will rock the cars and cheer on the fight (would you try and stop a fight by getting in between Blanka and Hakan? Thought not). In the wrestling ring, you can see the fight played out on a giant screen in the background. The best of the bunch is the eclipses stage, where the moon slowly moves across the sun, into darkness and back again. All this as the beautiful wildlife go about their business and a hungry hippo gets closer and closer - it's enough to make you take your eye off the fight just to admire it.

Calling this game Super Street Fighter IV is fitting. While most special edition versions of games come with a few extras, SSFIV is almost an entirely new game. With plenty of awesome additions and refinements, it has become the best fighting game of this generation, and perhaps ever. The presentation is second to none in the genre, and it makes you wonder if any fighting game can ever top this. All eyes on Marvel vs. Capcom 3, perhaps.

The Saboteur

Devlin Disguise

World War II may be an overused setting in video games, but with the countless stories the war contained, it's a welcome setting in my eyes. While the genre that depicts the war the most is first-person shooters, whenever a different game type enters the setting it comes as a relief. Velvet Assassin may not have been to everyone's taste, but undergoing some stealth espionage against the Nazis was perfectly fine by me. The Saboteur opts for a Nazi-occupied sandbox Parisian setting - a setting that open world games have avoided before - delivering the same game-play as Grand Theft Auto, with a hint of Assassin's Creed . With this in mind, the history involved and the enemy you're up against proves that, while The Saboteur shows its influences, it also tries to do something fresh. While this may be the last game from Pandemic Studios, it's certainly a great farewell piece and shows that they have gone out with a bang. The Saboteur is a blast from beginning to end.

Sean Devlin is an ordinary Irishman. He spends his days working as a mechanic, and in his spare time he loves to race. He's a rather good racer in fact, well known in his circle as the best. On one unfortunate race, Sean finds himself up against the notorious German racer, Dierker. This is one race Sean really doesn't want to lose. As he races hard to get to the front of the pack, Dierker tosses aside the rule book and makes sure Sean doesn't even reach the finish line. What begins as a simple act of revenge, soon has Sean realising he's in above his head. Dierker is a high ranking SS officer and one that has no mercy on human beings. The Nazi invasion of France begins, Sean sees his best friends killed and fights to flee to Nazi-occupied Paris. From here he hides out in a strip club and teams up with the French resistance and British intelligence to take on the Nazis, so as to avenge the death of his friend. While the story does lack depth, there's enough there to keep you playing, and what can be more satisfying than taking on the Nazis in the quaint streets of Paris?

The Irish are known for their tough skin, drinking habits and quirky sense of humour. Of course, the majority of Irish are nothing like this and such descriptions can be put down to that nasty thing we call stereotype. Sean Devlin is that Irish stereotype. He loves the ladies, cracks silly jokes and is hard as nails. No matter how much lead the Nazis pump into Sean, a little breather later he's up and ready for more. This man wants to see off the entire Paris occupied Nazi forces and simple things like bullets and tanks will not deter him. As stereotypical as Sean is, it's actually a nice change to control someone of a different nationality. It would have been far worse if the protagonist was a rough and ready clichéd American, taking on the Nazi forces single-handed and showing the oppressed streets of Paris that "America Rules Yeah"!

Although an Irish mechanic taking on the Germans in Paris may seem a little far-fetched, actually the game is loosely based on true events. William Grover-Williams was a half English half French Grand Prix racing car driver who also worked for the Special Operations Executive. Stationed in Paris, he worked closely with the French Resistance to build a circuit of operatives and formed sabotage cells. That's where the similarities end, Grover-Williams wasn't bullet proof, nor was he capable of taking on the Nazi forces alone. In The Saboteur, Paris is your playground and sabotage is your game. The mission-based game sees you infiltrating Nazi strongholds to take out a target and bring colour back to the dark and oppressed Parisian streets.

This game doesn't ease you in like any other open world game would. From the outset you'll be climbing buildings, sneaking into Nazi zones and blowing up a petrol station. The missions mean business and with this you can expect plenty of frantic action and a whole lot of carnage. Luckily, you do get a certain amount of choice as to how you want to execute the task. Do you want to go in all guns blazing, or sneak in and out without raising an alarm? The game is open with stealth tactics in mind, but these aren't always easy to pull off. You can climb up and over a building and drop down into the Nazi compound or you can stealth kill a Nazi, use his uniform as a disguise and walk through the front door. As nice as this choice is though, you're not allowed to get too close to the enemy as they can sniff out an Irishman in an SS uniform rather quickly, which in places makes this feature rather redundant. More often than not you'll end up resorting to the run and gun option, while taking cover behind crates at any given opportunity, which is disappointing for stealth fans.

This choice does work sometimes though. On one occasion you're asked to take out a book hating Nazi General, who's residing at the Arc de Triomphe. Problem is, he's residing in a tank, with a small army of Nazis surrounding it. Do you lure out a Nazi, steal his uniform and sneak through the quietest part of the Arc and plant an explosive? Run and gun every last one of them down then plant the device? Lob grenades in a "hit and hope" manner? Or drive towards the tank at speed, plant a bomb in the car, then eject and watch both car and tank go up in flames? You decide. The last option is by far the coolest though.

Of course, if you are detected then you'll need to evade the Nazi pursuit, which means getting in a car and burning rubber. Outrunning the Nazis is similar to GTA 4's zoning method. You need to avoid oncoming Nazis and get out of the highlighted area on the radar. The more mayhem you cause, the larger the escape zone and the harder it is to escape. It can often be very time consuming and tough, but it's certainly satisfying when you elude them. Luckily, there are numerous hiding spots scattered around Paris, which Nazis won't enter. Strip Clubs are the best place, and if you happen to download The Midnight Show, they are also very scenic.

Some missions ask you to single handedly destroy entire Nazi strongholds, which means equipping gun and destroying every marked area while avoiding the Nazi bullets. The potential frustration of these missions is relieved by frequent checkpoints, so if you do meet your demise you'll never have to go back and destroy that same tower again. Although the missions do revolve around sabotage, they tend to stray away from that repetitive feeling, purely because the targets vary and the shooting is so much fun. You approach each location pondering the best way to accomplish your mission and there's immense satisfaction of causing a big explosion and taking out Nazis in the process.

The Nazi occupied zones of Paris are all black and white, which give off a feeling of oppression and claustrophobia. By successfully completing the missions colour is restored and with this comes a huge sigh of relief. Each zone is nicely portrayed, and you'll always enter the dark zones with bated breath only to finally exhale when colour is restored. Colour doesn't mean the streets are safe for good, as Nazis still dwell there. Sure, the Paris streets do lack character compared to Liberty City in terms of things to do, but this isn't Liberty City - this is war torn oppressed Nazi-occupied Paris. Most of the life can be found in brothels or resistance bases.

That said, there are extra activities to dwell in if you need a break from sabotaging. There are a host of mini-games lurking around, including the in-game achievements, or Perks as they're called. Completing certain tasks will unlock a new perk, which then gives you a chance to fulfil further tasks for a gold perk. These can be simple things like win a race to unlock a special car. These can also have a negative effect, as killing innocent civilians can then lead to punishments, such as a temporary ban on safe zones.

One mini-game hiding out in a field is the aptly named Bird Blast. In this game you literally need to shoot down birds as they fly from a bush. It's simple, but you'll be compelled to shoot them down to test your aiming skills and rack up a high score. This being Paris there's only one extra activity you'll have your eye on and that's the Eiffel Tower, and I mean climbing the Eiffel Tower. Yes you can, all the way to the very top. It's no easy task, as it's a difficult climb and a hell of a long way up. Doing this really triggered my vertigo, something no other game has managed to do, knowing one mistake and it's a long free fall down. If you do get to the top there's only one way down, and if you manage to survive it you'll get an achievement / trophy for your hard work.

If Paris is at your disposal, you're going to need something to drive around in. This being the 1940s you can forget about power steering and sleek looking vehicles, this all about vintage cars. At first driving feels a little stiff. Then you realise that these are old cars and were a lot harder to drive than today's models. Before long, you'll master the handling and be burning down the streets of Paris and handbrake turning the corners to escape the Nazis. It becomes second nature after a while. The cars are also fairly reliable as escape vehicles as they can take a lot before finally bursting into flames. This is a very good thing as the Nazi's don't hold back when it comes to gun fire. It it rather annoying when the big bulky car manages to be stopped by a weak-looking fence though. Reversing is also not too friendly in the thick of action. Perhaps that just shows my lack of skills in driving under pressure.

It is immensely fun burning through the Countryside in a vintage racing car. Something that you can do in a race if you wish. Let's face it, you are a former racing driver, so it's only fitting that you show off your driving skills in the French Countryside. The races are lengthy affairs and while most of the opposition cars can be easily left behind, there are always one or two who have a car to match your own. Taking one corner rather badly could see the race lost in an instant. They're fast, they're fun and they certainly get the heart racing. Plus what other games lets you race in vintage sports cars? Apart from racing games that is!

There are plenty of cars available, and each one can be picked up on the street and taken to the mechanic. When this is done the car will always be available for free from the garage whenever you need it. A selection of rarer cars can also be unlocked and purchased from the mechanic if you're willing to splash the cash on a car that you, for instance, can't freely store anywhere or might wind up in flames the next time you decide to take on the Nazis.

The Saboteur isn't a very long game. It'll take you around 15 hours to complete the main story, plus a little time to delve into side activities. While it does last, however, it's an extremely fun game and one that is hard to put down. It doesn't pretend to be an accurate portrayal of history nor does it try to be something it's not. It shows its influences on a giant pin badge, but that doesn't prevent it from being a worthy instalment into the sandbox genre. It's important that you approach the game with an open mind. While it's understandable to compare the game with the likes of Grand Theft Auto or Assassin's Creed, this is neither, this is The Saboteur, and it deserves to be judged on its own merits. It's frantic, it's fun and it has a setting that makes it stand out in a genre that is full of cops and gangsters. I can forgive this game for it's minor flaws as it's one of the best surprises on consoles this year. I just hope EA realise the potential and invest in a sequel.

Tom Clancy's H.A.W.X.

Because planes are awesome

Tom Clancy tends to get his name on a lot of video games these days, not bad for a novelist who's probably never even touched a 360 pad by choice. He's done everything from tactical squad warfare in Ghost Recon, stealth espionage in Splinter Cell and strategy in End War. Tom Clancy and Ubisoft have teamed up again this time to bring you arcade style flight combat H.A.W.X. (High Altitude Warfare Experimental). The collaborations usually bring us competent action packed games and with H.A.W.X. The sky's the limit.

Set in the future where war has spread and jets have advanced; it's the task of Major David Crenshaw and his HAWX unit to win the battle in the clouds. The story is presented in usual Clancy style in the form of mid-action videos, pre mission scenarios and post mission messages of congratulations. There's plenty of big up, feel good American chit chat, during which the Englishman in me longs for them to stop waving the American flag and feeling good about Uncle Sam and bring on the dogfights.

The game begins in the familiar territory of the Middle East. Anyone who's played Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2 will be more familiar, as this is an aerial view of the exact same mission. Crossing over games is sure to whet the appetite of Clancy enthusiasts and it's nice to take on a different perspective. To take you away from the clichéd Middle Eastern warzone environments, there are battles raging over the skies of Rio de Janeiro, Tokyo and Chicago amongst several other locations. The war may have crossed the oceans and spread itself around, giving you varied and nice ground views, but the sky always looks the same. The graphical detail is stunning - just don't fly too close to the ground.

The objectives vary from the likes of protecting oil refineries and escorting bombers to taking out opposition tanks and planes. The accessibility is a relief, as I usually suck at these games, often unable to hit anything and spinning around in circles looking for the target like a dog chasing its own tail, before carelessly flying into the ocean. The game eases you in with simple objectives that won't give you too much trouble and by the time you reach Rio, where the tense fighting begins, you'll be flying high and scraping roofs like Iceman or that Scientology guy formally known as Tom Cruise.

For your viewing pleasure, you have the option to play in third, first person or cockpit views. The easier option is third person, but daredevils may opt for the cockpit view for an added challenge and realism. If you're extra hardcore, H.A.W.X. Introduces Assistance OFF mode, which switches the view point to film perspective (as if viewed by a camera). This mode is extremely tricky and takes several missions to get used to, although I imagine the majority of people will instantly dismiss it in favour of the far simpler third person. Given a chance, however, it's an extremely exciting mode. Stalling a plane and watching it fall to the earth sets the heart racing, with the added pressure of regaining control before you're finished with a bang.

Combat and flight difficulty depends entirely on yourself, as piloting options are uniquely customisable. At first you may be put off by the numerous huds obscuring the beautiful scenery, but each one is there simply to help you if you let it. GRAW introduced a unique augmented reality visor system which aided you with direction and pinpoint accuracy. H.A.W.X. Takes ERS (Enhanced Reality System) into the cockpit to make your job easier. For instance, difficult targets such as anti aircraft bunkers require a certain approach angle before missiles can be launched, the ERS can project a path that'll map out that angle for you, thus easing frustration.

Of course, if you don't like the idea of ERS or huds then the whole thing can be switched off and done manually. Choosing this risky option increases difficulty and moves the arcade aspect to a more realistic one (other than the 100 missiles the fighter jets somehow carry). Suddenly those yellow targets that you try and shoot down turn into actual planes!

Destroying enemy vehicles results in Experience Points being awarded. As in the RPG genre, XP leads to levelling up, which unlocks new planes and arsenal. Before each mission you have the choice of planes and missiles, but don't worry about choosing the inappropriate options as there's always a recommended choice. There are around 60 realistic and futuristic fighter jets to choose from, each one with a unique look. Sadly most of the planes handle the same, but you'll enjoy taking them all up for a whirl.

Naturally you're not alone in your battles, as you have a few team-mates backing you up. You can choose their commands, meaning they can either attack the enemy or defend you. In the heat of the action, you'll barely notice them and whichever option you choose, you're still guaranteed to do most of the hard work. Thankfully the poor AI can be replaced by your own friends in a 4 player co-op mode, dogfighting with buddies will literally (sings) "Take [your] breath away."

Tom Clancy's H.A.W.X. Is a great addition to his franchise. It's easy to pick up and very hard to put down. The few flaws it does possess can be forgiven as it excels in other departments. The optional addition of ERS makes the game accessible to all those who usually avoid fighter jet games. It's tense, exciting and lots of fun to play, as you'd expect from a Tom Clancy title.

Tomb Raider: Underworld

Lara's back (must be killing her)

Just over five years ago, the Tomb Raider series reached an important turning point, with the release of Tomb Raider: The Angel of Darkness. The first 128-bit game featuring Lara Croft was a long-awaited one, and had been delayed several times to ensure that it was the best that it could possibly be. You only have to play it for about 10 minutes to understand why Core Design never made another Tomb Raider game after that.

Development duties were handed to Crystal Dynamics, who reinvigorated the series in 2006 with Tomb Raider: Legend, which boasted a new game engine, and dumped many of the fiddly controls that plagued the originals and put many (including yours truly) off them. Tomb Raider Anniversary, a remake of the first game using the new engine, followed in 2007.

Now, Lara Croft and her anatomically impossible physique (an old English teacher noted that Lara, were she real, would have trouble walking due to the size of her breasts) are back yet again for Tomb Raider: Underworld. Following on the story from Legend, Underworld sees Lara (voiced, as ever, by Keeley "Ashes to Ashes" Hawes) continuing to search for her mother and the lost city of Avalon, while also trailing villains Amanda and Natla.

After an opening dash through a burning Croft Manor, Lara's loyalties seemingly come into question. But why? Well, that's what we need to find out, as the first level proper begins with that old chestnut, the "one week earlier" caption. Either the game writers have spent too much time watching re-runs of Alias, or JJ Abrahms himself has actually taken charge of the script.

In what might be seen as fanboy pandering (or weirdo pandering, if you ask me), Lara starts off the game in a wetsuit, though to be fair she does need, it, as she spends a fair amount of time underwater during these early levels (and for once, she's taken an oxygen tank with her!). Whether the suit needs to show as much leg as it actually does is up for debate, and there are many that like a mass debate over Ms. Croft. Some later missions will allow you to choose between outfits, such as whether Lara wears her classic short shorts or long pants. Your choice is more likely to be related to age and/or gender rather than fashion.

As for the game itself, Underworld is pretty much what we've come to expect of Tomb Raider since the Legend relaunch. A whole lot of running down endless, similar corridors, blasting down the enemies that step in your way, and emerging in larger rooms where larger set pieces take place, such as puzzles or boss fights. The bad guys seem to be a little more resilient this time around, which is where Lara's adrenaline ability comes in handy. In all honesty, it's little more than your run of the mill, slow motion bullet time feature, but when used correctly, it can produce some pretty cool moments.

Lara can also sprint now, which is especially useful when having to run or swim out of a tight situation, and should help get some extra distance on important jumps, of which there will be plenty. It's when jumping and leaping in tight spaces, especially between hanging pillars, that some of the lingering issues with the game do come to light. Positioning both Lara and the camera so that you can successfully make a relatively simple jump can be an irritating chore, especially when leaping between high pillars. A dodgy landing from a jump can also see the camera all over the place, and Lara repeatedly walking into a wall (just like old times).

Our intrepid heroine is also able to climb certain walls at times too, though this too can be problematic. Try to jump to a ledge that's not quite within reach, and Lara will instead grip onto the wall and bound off it, which has the potential to land her in some rather bad situations or even an early grave. When actually climbing a wall, it tends to work fairly well, though there are some moments that necessitate leaps of faith that can end badly.

As has become the norm with the new games (and many other non-TR games, for that matter), you'll occasionally face Quick-Time Events, where you must press the correct button as it flashes up on-screen to perform the desired effect. These tend to kick in at the end of boss fights, and while it's frustrating if you make an error, they can be a relief to see at the end of a gruelling battle. However, some will still maintain that such simplistic endings make a mockery of the hard work that you put in beforehand.

Underworld is a good game, no doubt about that, and certainly one worth playing through. If you go looking for all relics and treasures, it can last you many hours, though it's no short shift if you ignore them either. It's perhaps lacking the same kind of impact that Legend had when it first arrived, which suggests that Crystal Dynamics may want to shake things up a little with the next game. The camera issues and unwanted wall-bounding also let things down somewhat, but not to the point that they make it unplayable. No, there's a long, long way to fall until Tomb Raider gets back to Angel of Darkness standards!

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves (PS3)

All hail history's greatest hunter

The Playstation 3 has come under some heavy criticism in the past for its lack of top quality, exclusive action games. With the Xbox's Halo series eclipsing all of the competition and dominating the gaming charts, it was time for Sony's flagship console to step up to the plate. Cue Uncharted: Drakes Fortune. And while it never reached the heights of Microsoft's top seller, it nevertheless proved a major hit and changed many people's perception of the PS3. Its sequel, Among Thieves, has been very much hyped and promises to be as big a hit, if not bigger.

We left our treasure hunting hero, Nathan Drake after he chased the ancient bounty of Sir Frances Drake. This time around Nate finds himself on the trail of yet more ancient artifacts in the form of the Cintamani Stone - a wish-fulfilling treasure found by the legendary Marco Polo. After being convinced to follow its trail, Drake - along with Chloe Frazer and Harry Flynn - make their way to the Tibetan City of Shambhala. So they travel all that way, get the stone and then go home to snuggle up in front an open fire with a cup of cocoa, right? Unfortunately it's never that easy for Nathan and he discovers that he is not the only one that has an interest in the priceless raw sapphire.

So with a great deal of opposition and a fair share of back stabbing our adventure unfolds.

As soon as you start the game, all the memories from the original come flooding right back. Visually, though, this is a step up from its predecessor. The in-play graphics are the biggest leap forward and are easily some of the best we have seen on the PS3 to date. Controlling Drake works very well although it is not always clear exactly what you have to do or where you have to go. This is both a positive and a negative point. While it can be frustrating when you get to a situation in which you find yourself wondering around aimlessly, it adds to the feel of the game. Although it is not always obvious, there is always a solution and it is that knowledge that gets you through the levels.

On the subject of levels, there seems to be a serious lack of them. The main story mode is very short and can be completed in around 7-8 hours which pales in comparison to other action games on the market. Aiming on the game can also be a problem as it is difficult to shoot from long distances. This is usually due to the fact that you are not meant to shoot certain enemies from the position you are in at that particular time. However, you generally expect to be able to shoot any enemies that you can get a clear shot at.

There is even an online mode for the latest addition to the series. It works well and adds life to the game, even after you have completed the main story mode. In this mode you are able to play a variety of battles with specific rules. These include the standard Deathmatch, Plunder - which involves teams capturing flags - and also Machinima, in which you are able to create your own computer animations using game footage and characters.

Among Thieves makes you want to continue playing whenever you get an opportunity. Many a meal will go cold and a sickie be pulled for some who buy this one! This is one of the charms for the title. The fact that you can pick it up and play it for a little while, and then come back to it with such ease is very pleasing.

The views and graphics experienced during play are especially good. One minute you will be watching a cinematic and it will merge seamlessly into the action. You then control Drake from all kinds of angles. When it happens you know it, but you don't actually realize how cool it is until after the scene. The fact that this transition is so smooth is a major credit. A decent example of this is when Drake is chased a truck, and you take over the cinematic scene by running away from it and shooting back.

There is no denying that this is a fantastic game and with such a superb storyline and slick handling, it is surely going to be one of the top sellers of the year. It will take some doing to challenge the likes of Halo but even so, it is a bloody good effort and you can only see the series going from strength to strength. What makes this series great is that you want to keep playing and there is an endless scope for new adventures. We certainly cannot wait for the next.

Wanted: Weapons Of Fate

Death looms for Wesley

Picking up where the 2008 movie left off, Wanted: Weapons of Fate sees unlikely assassin Wesley Gibson targeted by The Immortal. As the bullets start flying, Wesley learns about his family's role in the Fraternity and how they tried to kill him when he was a baby.

There are plenty of nods to the original comic book series and the Timur Bekmambetov film, like the assassin suit that Cross wears and Wesley inherits, the use of a red Dodge Viper and the fact that Wesley still looks like James McAvoy, even though he opted out of voice duties. Happily it all comes together to form an enjoyably violent third-person shooter that will please Wanted followers and virgins alike...While it lasts.

The graphics are very, very good - Chronicles of Riddick: Dark Athena good - but they're also very, very dark, so the gun-toting hoodies you constantly cross paths with are hard to see. Like Quantum of Solace or Eat Lead, Wesley has the ability to take shelter at the push of a button and move from cover to cover with a minimum of exposure. He can also blind fire over walls and tables to create a time window for him to outflank his enemies (this is particularly effective on SWAT members holding combat shields).

The most memorable thing from the movie was of course the curving of bullets, and this is recreated in the game by building up Adrenaline. Enemies are highlighted in red until you find the right angle. They then turn white, meaning you've got a clean shot. Now sit back and watch your bullet zoom across the room and blow apart their heads like watermelons.

As you get more advanced in your abilities, you'll get more Adrenaline points, allowing you to fire several curved bullets in a row (each kill equals one Adrenaline point). Adrenaline can also be used for 'enhanced quick moves', such as slowing down time for a few seconds when you switch cover positions, so you can pick off enemies out in the open without getting hit.

And that's essentially it as far as game-play goes, although you do get the odd knife maniac rush at you to fight against in close combat. These guys are very easy to beat (just tap away on the B button) and it would've been more fun to have more button variations for defending against these attacks. Wesley can knife Fraternity members if he gets close enough but again, it simply takes the touch of a button. There's no grapple.

The game is very straightforward - you shoot, change cover, curve some bullets and move on - but there are some tough challenges we're rarely given in these sorts of games anymore. Example: Using a turret gun to clear an area of swarming henchmen before they in turn shoot you to death. You'll find yourself attempting these stages many times before nailing them (or you can cheat and temporarily opt for the "Pussy" difficulty).

Exploding gas canisters, bullet time and sniper stages all come as standard, but Weapons of Fate does present them better than most shooters of recent memory. There are even different blood splatter types depending what part of the body you shoot at.

Wesley has an amoral, cock-sure attitude and exudes cool from every pore, but there are only 9 acts and you'll easily see out this story in a day. Secret binary codes will unlock outfits and other characters to play as, but that's no comparison to online multi-player modes - which are sorely missing here. Essentially, Wanted: Weapons of Fate is a lot like McAvoy himself: Short, but fun to watch.

Yakuza 3 (PS3)

Folgiveness prease

In Japan, the Yakuza series (Ryû ga Gotoku) is unsurprisingly very popular. Yakuza 4 has just been released over there, with part 5 already announced prior. It's so popular in its native land it was also turned into a film by cult Japanese film maker Takashi Miike (Audition, Ichi the Killer, and the superb Bird People in China). Sadly this popularity has yet to truly cross the oceans to Europe and the US. So much is that apparent that the release of Yakuza 2 was delayed, and even when it did arrive on Playstation 2 it sneaked out silently so not many people knew about it. For a long time it looked as if Yakuza 3 wouldn't even make it out of Japan at all. Thankfully, Sega hasn't taken a leaf out of Nintendo's book and shelved the game in Japanese retail outlets only, they've gone one better and given the rest of the world Yakuza 3, and I for one welcome these gangsters with open arms.

Yakuza 3 doesn't assume you're a hardcore follower of the series and avoids continuing directly where the last one left off, but at the same time it does. Newcomers and skilled Yakuzas can both pick up and play the latest venture into the seedy Japanese gangster life. Naturally, familiarity of the back ground plays a role in understanding the themes and understanding the characters, if you wish it to be. Otherwise you can play and still not get totally lost in the narrative. Thankfully, Yakuza 3 comes with optional (and lengthy) highlight videos of the previous two chapters. This brings recruits up to speed while also refreshing the memories of the devoted. Otherwise, this is a brand new chapter in the life of Yazuka, Kazuma Kiryu. He's older, wiser and much more relaxed in his old age, but his past has a big problem letting him go.

Sick of the city and gangster life, Kazuma takes off with his adopted daughter, Haruka, to the peaceful Ryukyu Islands in Okinawa to run, of all things, an orphanage. Things start off nice enough, but as luck would have it, turns out this orphanage is built on land owned by a local Yakuza clan. To thicken the plot, this Yakuza boss is under immense pressure from the government to sell the land so it can be converted into one part resort and one part US military base. Of course, this leads to assassination attempts, betrayals and mass brawls, in which Kazuma has no choice but to fight the battle to save his orphanage.

The first 5 chapters, which equate to roughly 6-8 hours play time, are something that hasn't been seen in the series before. By that I mean they're less on the muscle and more on the cutesy side. Rather than stalk the streets taking on trouble, you live your peaceful life by the seaside playing happy families. Nine orphaned children in your care and not one older female in sight. With this comes less focus on violent game play and more focus on talking and investigating everyday parent things. Who's bullying this child, who stole that money, and so on. You'll also be taking Haruka into town for some grocery shopping and such, in which trust will be rewarded if you treat the girl to a drink. In between finding rubber balls, and becoming a fashion guru for youngsters, you'll occasionally be beating the living pulp out of low key wannabe gangsters every now and then, which ultimately leads to full time gangster life once again.

It may sound dull, but actually it's rather nice playing a family man, even if Kazuma still likes to walk around like a terminator. It shows the human side to gangster life, and more often than not such heart warming scenes between rough and macho looking Yakuza types do tend to make you feel warm and fuzzy inside. Especially, when mean looking Yakuza boss realises his self adopted mute daughter actually does think the world of him, despite everything pointing to the opposite. What's happening to the world? This is Yakuza. Enough of this lovey dovey nonsense, let's beat stuff up.

The game truly begins on chapter 5 when Kazuma travels back to Tokyo to seek out an assassin. Of course, plenty of twists and turns occur to make straight forward objective far more complicated. So along the way expect to be partaking in random fights as well as plenty of side quests and mini game action. In fact, each of the 12 chapters are structured roughly the same as one another. There's the really long build up, which consists of talking, cut-scenes, more talking, followed up with some searching which ultimately leads to chasing someone through the busy Tokyo streets or, alternatively, running away from the police in those same streets. This will lead to a big battle of some type against a large group of opponents or a much stronger and determined boss encounter, with triple health bar threat. By no means does it ever feel repetitive though. Mainly because there's so much on offer in Tokyo, that you're invited to walk away from the main story for a while for some side quest fun if you so wish.

The side quests could simply be finding the numerous locker keys scattered around town, or encountering one of the many people in need. The sub scenarios will have you talking sense into people, such as giving financial advice to a poor businessman, informing someone they haven't won the big prize in the lottery or even beating a con man to a pulp. Not only this, but there's also plenty of other activities available, such as fishing, golf (take that Tiger), baseball and even karaoke. Sadly the latter is in the form of quick time button sequence, so no mic peripheral required. All this in an environment that is so brilliantly detailed, it almost feels as if you are in Japan yourself. The main streets and shops are a pleasure to walk around. It's in these strolls where you'll stumble across added fun or (perhaps inadvertently) the next story sequence.

Naturally as a Yakuza there's also plenty of fisticuff action in between everything else. In true role -playing game style this action sniffs you out as you innocently explore the streets. Someone's always got a problem with you, whether it's you being on their turf or you bumped into them as you rushed past. The battles takes place in a small arena, with the street life becoming cheerleaders. You're usually outnumbered, but the majority of the time these guys are small fry and easily dealt with using a few punches or kicks. When the battle is won, you'll be rewarded with a prize (cash or item) and given a small amount of XP to increase your strength and learn new combos.

The combat gets a lot deeper than this though, usually when you're putting your fists into action in the main quest. The arenas still exist, but they consist of a lot more and much tougher foes. It's in these fights where you'll be taking advantage of the area, picking up chairs and tables and using them as weapons. Of course, the opponents can also do the same thing, or worse, bring their own weapons into battle. This is something you can also do, wielding katanas, baseball bats, throwing knives and so on. In addition to melee, you also have the the Heat Gauge, which once full gives you the ability to pull off a special move. This can either be one big boot in the face or smashing someone's face against a brick ball, always satisfying. Why stop there? Occasionally you'll be blessed with a super finish move, which begins with a big crushing headbutt while more can be unlocked as the game progresses with some photographic "Revelations."

The combat is generally fast paced and a whole lot of fun. However, the fights also stray away from the compact arenas and put you in full-on buildings full of mayhem, usually before the big boss of the chapter. With plenty of health and a samurai sword, these sections play along easily like a generic hack n' slash. Take away the luxuries and you'll soon be receiving a killer blow, which results in the "easy option" if you meet your demise two times. If not in the standard battles, it'll most certainly happen in the boss fights, who come with triple health bars at times and punishing blows. Still, it's all a part of the challenge, and the challenge certainly is a fun one, all 20+ hours of it.

It's probably worth mentioning the PAL version of Yakuza 3 does differ a little from the original Japanese version, namely the cuts of the hostesses. A shame for all those who are quite fond of gawking at pixellated girls. While the game did thankfully arrive over here, the Japanese voice acting remains, with English subtitles. Of course, this isn't an issue whatsoever, and if you're up for some Yakuza action, then subtitles will most likely not bother you anyway. They certainly do add authenticity to the acting, and they're more welcome than cheesy Western voice overs, which have hindered a lot of Japanese games in the past.

Heavy Rain may be the game in the headlines currently for its story driven game play and movie-like aspects, but Yakuza 3 deserves credit for delivering an equally engaging story driven adventure, albeit as a traditional action-RPG. There are so many great qualities about the game, that any of the flaws can be forgiven. Yakuza deserves to do well because we all want Yakuza 4 over here, and Yakuza 5 too. In essence, the game play is great fun and the story has the power to stick with you long after you have turned the console off. Credit to Sega for giving us this title.