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Mar

Plus XP’s Inside Look: Episode 1, On The Sofa With GLaDOS

Categories: Humor Post and Plus XP's Inside Look
Tags: Glados, Inside Look, Plus XP, Portal, Portal 2, valve

Welcome one and all to today’s show. This week I am sitting on the couch with ‘Genetic Life form and Disk Operating System’ This is a once in a life time interview, and we will be discussing the Values of Human life and what it means to be a hyper intelligent A.I.

Garvaos: Welcome GLaDOS, May I call you GLaDOS?

GLaDOS: Hello, and again, welcome to the Aperture Science computer aided enrichment center.

Garvaos: Umm Yes. So tell us about yourself, where are you from.

GLaDOS: My Purpose is to help and guide test subjects through the Aperture Science enrichment center. Once the test subject has completed the test, there will be grief counseling and cake…The enrichment center would like to Thank you for helping us to help you help us all.

Garvaos: In….deed, so tell us more about Aperture Science and the Enrichment Center?

GLaDOS: The Aperture Science Computer-Aided Enrichment Center is the perfect place to test the Aperture Science Hand held Portal Device. We also have the Aperture Science ‘Bring your daughter to work’ day, which is the perfect time to have her tested and the Aperture Science Self Esteem Fund for Girls where you can donate all your vital organs.

Garvaos: I see, So lets get to the subject in hand. What are your thoughts of us as a Human Race and the Value of Human Life?

GLaDOS: Humans are the perfect test subjects for the Aperture Science Hand held Portal Device which is now more valuable than the organs and combined incomes of everyone in {SUBJECT HOMETOWN HERE.}*scrambled computer noises*
With the promise of cake, human test subjects can for fill the Aperture Science tests quickly and sufficiently. Once the test subject has been used it is then Disposed of and will be…..missed.

Garvaos: So you don’t value human life in the slightest.

GLaDOS: There was one test subject I remember. We had a great time together. I remember when the platform was sliding into the fire pit and I said ‘Goodbye’ and they were like ‘NO WAY”, and then I was all “We pretended we were going to murder you”, that was great.

Garvaos: So what happened to this test subject? Did he or she get their cake?

GLaDOS: The subject failed to assume the party escort position and did not get their cake. She put the Aperture-Science-Thing-We-Don’t-Know-What-It-Does into an Aperture-Science-Emergency-Intelligence-Incinerator. Then I flooded the enrichment center with a deadly neurotoxin. The Aperture-Science-Thing-We-Don’t-Know-What-It-Does was my Morality Core they installed after I flooded the enrichment center with a deadly neurotoxin the first time.

Garvaos: Did the test subject survive?

GLaDOS: After a big explosion, the test subject then proceeded to Assume the ‘Party Escort Submission Position’ and was then collected for the party. Her best friend could not make it though, she killed it. Her record says she is Unlikable. It’s official.

Garvaos: So in the end they actually got the cake you promised?

GLaDOS: The test subject was then- *scrambled computer noises.* Speedy-thing goes in, Speedy-thing comes out. *More scrambled computer noises* weeeeeeeeeeeee

Garvaos: So what is instore for you next? What future plans do you have?

GLaDOS: I am awaiting the Test Subject’s comeback . My data processing chip informs me that she will return. Then I will give her what she deservs.

Garvaos: And what is that exactly?

GLaDOS: Another Cake….. *scrambled computer noises* Excuse me {SUBJECT NAME HERE} have you tested a Aperture Science Hand Help Portal Device?

Garvaos: Ummm……no?

GLaDOS: The Enrichment center would like to take this oppotunity to offer you to be our next test suubject. There will Be Grief Councelling and Cake on completion of the test.

Garvaos: I think I’ll be ok thank you….

GLaDOS: There will be a weighted Companion Cube….

Garvaos: A what?

GLaDOS: The Enrichment Center reminds you that the Weighted Companion Cube cannot speak. In the event that the Weighted Companion Cube does speak, the Enrichment Center urges you to disregard its advice *scrambled computer noises*

Garvaos: Ummm GLaDOS?…….Hello? Are you still with us?

GLaDOS: Unbelievable! You, {SUBJECT NAME HERE}, must be the pride of
{SUBJECT HOMETOWN HERE}

Garvaos: ummmm….ookk Well Thank you GLaDOS and thanks for coming on the show.

GLaDOS: Stop squirming and die like an adult or I’m going to delete your backup. Stop! Okay, enough, I deleted it. No matter what happens now you’re dead. You’re still shuffling around a little, but believe me, you’re dead. The part of you that could have survived indefinately is gone. I just struck you from the permanent record. Your entire life has been a mathematical error…A mathematical error I’m about to correct.

Garvaos: Ummm security…..Please Escort GLaDOS out of here…..

Mar

Portal 2: The Next Slice Of The Cake

By Garvaos Leave a Comment

Categories: Game News
Tags: Cake, first person, Glados, PC, Portal, Portal 2, puzzle, Xbox 360

As you already know, Portal is one of those Xbox Live Arcade games that will never ever be wiped off my Xbox Hardrive. Even though the game itself isn’t that huge. The whole idea, game play and the very story telling is fantastic and something I have never come across before or since the games release.

So who can imagine my epic excitement when I heard about portal 2’s conformation yesterday. The beautiful people at Game Informer magazine gave us a nice slice of the Portal 2 cake and have given us some great information which I cannot help but be excited about.

All this started when the tech heads at Valve let loose some new content and patches for the original Portal on PC last week. There was one new achievement slapped onto the game and some weird new cryptic noises and sounds coming from the radio in your chamber when you start the game. These new additions to the game sparked off a lot of PC geeks out there in the vast universe that is the internet to decode these sounds, turns out they were some sort of morse code which could be subverted into images. Sounds blinking weird I know but, these were the images that were uncovered.

Confused much? I sure as hell am. But as I dug deeper into the wealth of information about these images, it turns out that these are images taken from the Aperture Science CCTV from the first Portal. I bet some of you are thinking, yeah? so what? Well these images contain vital equations and data that all of the portal geeks out there were hungry to find and solve. After slaving over a keyboard and staring at these images till their eyes bled, it turns out they all lead to a number that once dialed up would let you into Valve’s bulletin board system and then let the user download some more images. These images known as ASCII images are images that are made up of keyboard characters. Here is an example

These were the first ever images of Portal 2. A lot of hacking coding and problem solving boiled down to 3 of these images….

…Then valve went and confirmed that Portal 2 will be coming out and hitting shelves at the end of the year for Xbox 360 and PC. Game informer then scooped it up and hey presto we have a sequel to a truly awesome game.

So what is this next installment going to be like? I have been doing reasearch here and there and I have found a couple of things out. Whether they are true or not I don’t know but I am going to list them anyway.

1. This is going to be a full-blown title, unlike Portal 1 where it was an attachment to the orange box. This title will be a stand-alone. Meaning it will be a lot bigger. This make me think that Portal 1 was maybe testing the water for the actual main event which is portal 2

2. This title is going to be set way in the future. Meaning that the long abandon Aperture Science labs are going to overgrown with foliage and very forest like. But be rest assure that this will not stop GLaDOS one bit.

3. GLaDOS makes a welcome return. The next generation SHODAN is back Baby!!

4. You again play as Chell (the same woman you played as in Portal 1)

5. split screen and online co-op staring 2 biped robots. Apparently these robots like to hold hands alot…in teresting.

6. some of the games physics will be juggled about to make up for some interesting game play. An air vent can be combined with a portal. This in turn sucks the player into the portal and spits them out the other side. Sounds awesome.

7. there will be alot more interactive objects from things that fling you sky-high to cubes that will deflect lasers.

8. there will be some new characters and a bit more story. Meaning that Valve has probably going all out on this title.

And that’s about it so far, stay tuned to Plus XP for more Portal 2 info as I hear it. Untill then I may have another stint at 1. I love GLaDOS!

Garv

Mar

Will The Halo Reach Multiplayer Take The Series To The Next Level?

By Garvaos Leave a Comment

Categories: Article and Game News
Tags: first person, halo, Halo Reach, Halo Reach Beta, Multi Player, xbox

On Wednesday, I was gawping at the new multiplayer trailer for Halo Reach. After playing rounds and rounds of Halo 3’s multiplayer, I personally thought that this game couldn’t get any better multiplayer wise. After watching this new trailer, I realised just how wrong I was.

You ever get those moment where, after you have seen an epic game trailer/video, you realise that you were starting at the screen with you mouth physically open and a vacant stare spread across your face while you were watching said video. This is exactly what happened to me when I watched the multiplayer trailer. I personally didn’t think Halo could get any better multiplayer wise. There are new game modes, new weapons and assassination moves just to name a few. Today I am gonna pick out the new things I saw from the trailer and give you my opinion what the new additions to the game are going to be like.

JETPACKS

Ever since I saw the elites bobbing round in these things in Halo 2, I could not help but think ‘I Want That!’ well a couple of games later, my mental message has eventually reached Bungie and now we have Jet Packs in multiplayer and I could not be happier.

Then I thought some more, how will these jetpacks work? Are we looking at a fuel gauge for them? Are they just going to feel like the anti-gravity mod in Unreal Tournament? Or are these actually going to be the single best thing to ever come out of Halo Reach and everyone will be having mid-air gun fights? I have learnt in the past that ideas such as these don’t pan out the way you think they are going too. I personally expect some limit to these jetpacks, so I am preparing myself for a fuel gauge of some sort, unless it will be classed as a new vehicle, in which case it will be unlimited and awesome.

ASSASINATIONS

I touched briefly on the addition of assassinations in my Halo Reach News Round Up a couple of weeks back. In this new multiplayer trailer you get to see them in full action.

Right off the baton I immediately thought Aliens Vs Predator. This was the first time I ever saw the assassination mechanic used in an FPS game when I played it back at Eurogamer in October. I personally love the fact that Bungie have brought it into Reach. Sure, since Halo 2 the game had the assassination medal for when you melee’d an opponent from behind, but this takes it to the next level with full on assassination animations, which I have to say look awesome and a lot better than the AvP ones. So I will be looking forward to assassinating any Halo player that gets in my way, be it Spartan or Elite!

WEAPONS

Again, another thing I briefly touched on in the previous article but this trailer brings us some interesting footage of some of the new weapons available. We all know that the needler rifle can take out three enemies at a time, and the marksman rifle is a love child of the sniper rifle and assault rifle. But in the trailer I saw what looked like a Covenant version of the Spartan laser! If that is true, we could be looking at some insane laser battles. I also saw what looked like a laser guided fuel rod cannon too.

NEW GAME MODES

Probably one of the most important things in any new multi player game, whether it is a sequel or not. Game variety is key to anyones enjoyment. It definitely looks like Bungie have added a breath of fresh air to the multi player with a good few game modes.

So here is the all-important list and what I think you have to do for each game mode. I could be wrong here but I’m gonna give it a go.

HEAD HUNTERS – It looks to me that head shots are key here. Kill someone with a head shot and they drop skulls, collect the skulls and the total of skulls is totted up at the end, the player with the most skulls wins. How did I get all that from a little clip on a trailer? I put it down to educated guess. But that is not necessarily what will happen. I believe this will be one of those games that snipers are gonna love or hate. All well and good scoring head shots but if you half way across the map when ya do it, someone else is bound to collect those skulls.

INVASION – To me this looks like Bungie’s answer to an assault type game mode. Meaning that one team defends while the other fills out objectives to inevitably invade an area or destroy something. I loved assault levels in time splitters so I hope Bungie’s attempt at this game mode (if it is what I think it is) will be perfect.

SPARTANS VS ELITES – To me this just sounds like a team death match, one team Spartans, the other Elites. What they could implement into this though is race specific abilities, like Spartans can sprint while Elites have active camo, or something along those lines. It will be interesting to see how Bungie develop this game idea.

THE ARENA – To me it just sounds like they renamed slayer. I could be totally wrong, it may be something like a one on one shoot out? I am pretty confused about this one and can’t comment much on it. best wait and find out.

OTHER THINGS I PICKED UP ON

DODGE ROLL – It looks like Bungie have implemented a dodge rolling system of some sort. Looks pretty cool but how it will work form a first person perspective is beyond me. Will it zoom out like an assassination?

ACTIVE ROSTER – This looks cool. Looks like you can jump in and out of active games. Means you don’t have to scoff down your dinner in time to play a game with your mates.

Halo reach multi player looks like its taking a step in the right direction. And I cannot wait to jump into some Beta test action on May 3rd. Who’s with me?

Till then I will leave you with the Multiplayer Trailer:

Garv

Mar

Super Mario Galaxy 2

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Categories: Game News
Tags: Mario, Nintendo, Super Mario, super mario galaxy, Super Mario Galaxy 2, wii, Yoshi

The sequel to the critically acclaimed platform game was finally given a release date last week ad I am going to give you all the info we know about the next installment in Mario’s 3D platform adventure.

I will start this article off with one word: Yoshi! Yes the famous pint-sized Dino is making his way to the Super Mario Galaxy universe, which I have to say is great, I mean who doesn’t like Yoshi? The cool thing here is he can use his tongue to swing across gaps, he also eats fruit which in turn gives him a variety of power ups, such as inflating like a balloon ‘Kirby style’ or a nice little speed boost to help you along your crazy 3D planet scaling.

Now we all know about the star pointer in the first game, well that’s also making a welcome return; but while riding your very hungry green Dino friend, the pointer turns into a red dot which in allows you to control Yoshi’s tongue, this can be used to grab levers, swallow enemies in classic Yoshi fashion and of course swing over gaps as previously mentioned.

Another new addition to game play is Mario’s ability to dig. This means he can start shoveling away at the planet’s surface and eventually find new places to explore. There are also switches scattered around the levels which slow down time momentarily. It’s a shame you can’t equip Mario’s Dr Mario costume and change the colour to black like you could in Smash Brothers Melee, because I thing that would add to the Matrix effect the switches are inevitably going to have!

There will be some interesting level design thrown into Super Mario Galaxy 2. As with Galaxy 1 there will be some levels which will be forced perspective side scrolling, much like the 2D Mario we grew up with. But this time there will be levels where the gravity shifts from up to down, or rolling log type levels with 2D platforms cut into a cylinder which you have to jump on. The creators here have definitely been experimenting and it will be great to see what things they have come up with.

On a side note, rumour has it that Mario’s gaming rival, the speedy hedgehog known as Sonic will be playable in the game. If it’s false then blame Ngamer magazine for spreading the rumour.

Along with the new gameplay elements there are a lot of the same classic Super Mario Galaxy game play we all fell in love with when we first played the original title on the Wii. Many gamers out there believe that the first game was the best game to ever hit the Wii console, so will the second installment of this new mini franchise have the same impact as the first game? We will know, June 11 2010.

Garv

Mar

Lego Harry Potter Years 1-4

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Categories: Game News
Tags: Harry Potter, Lego, Lego harry potter years 1-4, the chamber of secrets, the goblet of fire, The philosphers stone, the prisoner of azkaban

As a kid I was pretty much submerged in a skip full of Lego bricks. I would spend most weekends and evenings playing with Lego. I loved it and to be honest I still love it now.

The recent onslaught of Lego video games has caught my attention. I played a little of Lego Batman and I am in the process of completing a band session on Lego Rockband. I will hopefully get my mitts on Lego Star Wars eventually, but untill then I am going to shed some light on the latest Lego tale, Lego Harry Potter Years 1-4

All you Harry potter nuts out there will know from just reading the title of this game that years 1-4 will be covering The Philosophers Stone, The Chamber Of Secrets, The Prisoner Of Azkaban and the Goblet Of Fire. This time round the emphasis of game play is on collecting and exploring, rather than the combat we are used to from the likes of Lego Indiana Jones and Lego Bat Man. What is pretty cool though is the use of magic spells (it wouldn’t really be a harry potter game without and magic now would it?) from the get go you will have one or two spells available for you to use, one of the being Wingardium Leviosa, which does the neat trick of lifting and arranging Lego bricks and another being Immobulus which freezes enemies for a short time.

Potion making is another element of game play. In some levels it is a vital for you to make potions to progress, also if you mix a potion incorrectly it may have an adverse effect on you. It would appear that some incorrectly mixed potions will tune you into a Frog, so be careful.

The great thing about this game is there are so many characters you can play as, 140 to be exact, including Harry, Ron, Hermione, Malfoy, Dumbledore, Hagrid, Sirius Black and Remus Lupin, and also Fang, Dobby, Buckbeak and centaurs which is pretty cool - you have to give the side characters some love too. Each of these characters has their own abilities, such as Harry will have amazing broom flying skills and Hermione would be the best character for casting spells as she is the brains of the bunch.

Not much else is known about the game but I can safely say this is going to be a classic tongue in cheek video game, combining the Harry Potter universe with the Lego phenomenon we all grew up with as kids.

But what does this all mean for the future of Lego? Will the building bricks start to phase out while the video games take over? Or are we looking at a Lego fad? I mean whats next, will Lego start parodying games as well? A little bit of me wants it to, as I am sure a Lego Halo would be quite awesome.

Garv

Mar

Just Cause 2

By Garvaos Leave a Comment

Categories: Game News
Tags: free falling, Just Cause, Just Cause 2, sandbox

There is nothing more satisfying than jumping into a game and having the freedom of doing pretty much anything you want. I am of course talking about the sandbox game, the game genre that gives you a sense of freedom and in most cases the unstoppable power to do/kill whoever or whatever you want.

Just Cause 2 is the latest addition to hit the sandbox genre with a pretty hefty punch. On march 26th we will be invited into the world of Rico Rodriguez once more. This time he has a score to settle with his old boss, Tom Sheldon and to overthrow the evil dictator of Panau island Baby Panay.

As we know already, we are looking at a sandbox game. To me the sandbox genre is getting to the stage where there is a constant flow of generic titles, only once in a blue moon some classic sandbox games come over the horizon that are just too damn hard to beat. So what will Just Cause 2 bring to the party? Well one of the things that has caught my eye is, what the developers call an adaptive difficulty system. Meaning as you play through the game the AI and the games general difficulty adapts to your skills. So as with any game when you start you are probably going to be pretty rubbish, but as you practise and learn skills the difficulty if the game will get slightly harder. This I think is a brilliant idea and concept. But as we all know concepts and ideas are great and all, but in practices sometimes they can fall flat on their face. So this will be an interesting element.

I watched a video a good while back on this game, and I was pretty impressed. The video showed our protagonist free-falling from the top of a waterfall, then parachuting down into a gun fight. After a flurry of bullets were fired Rico then started scaling buildings with his dual grapple hooks. The film then cut to him parachuting on top of a car while it was speeding down a highway and another gun fight took place. From that small video I could tell that this game was probably going to be quite intense and hold a lot of potential.

So, now you’re sort of a free-lance mercenary of sorts you gotta get your weapons and equipment from somewhere. Bring on the black-market! this will be your one stop shop for weapons and equipment. But thankfully you will be able to obtain weapons that enemies have dropped in the usual gaming fashion. As this is a sequel you will get a nice serving of new weapons, such as a laser guided rocket launcher, remote C4, one-handed grenade launcher and a detachable mounted mini gun. So there will be plenty of weapons at your disposal while you are overthrowing an evil dictatorship…awesome!

With all sandbox games you get a nice collection of vehicles for you to use. Just cause 2 is no exception, with addition such as a full on Boeing 747, you will have a lot of stuff to play with. Additionally road surfaces will change how the vehicles handle, so rough terrain will inevitably throw you off you motorcycle if your not careful. All we need to know now really is if weather will affect aircraft or any flying vehicles.

Not much else is known about this title, but I can assure you I will be able to iron out some of the creases when the Demo hits on March 4th, so keep your eyes peeled.

Garv.

Feb

The White Knight Chronicles (International Edition) – Better Late Than Never.

By Garvaos Leave a Comment

Categories: Game News
Tags: Final Fantasy, JRPG, Playstation 3, RPG, White Knight Chronicles

Back in December 2008, Japan got a new RPG title called The White Knight Chronicles. A new Role Playing Game developed by Japan Studio and Level-5 (the same guys who brought us such titles as Dark Cloud and Rogue Galaxy) and published by the good old people at Sony Entertainment.

Almost two years has passed since the release in Japan, then finally in north america on February 2nd 2020, the game decides to show up on game store shelves, then on February 19th, us people on europe finally get the taste of the action. Now I know release dates have a bit of a gap between japan and america, but two years? seriously!?

So what has this title got to offer a quite frankly crowded genre that is the Japanese RPG? Well the story revolves around a party of characters who’s shindig was crashed by an evil organisation. This organisation has gone and stolen a princess and your mission, if you choose to accept it, is to go and save her. Along your way you stumble across a huge mechanoid suit of white armour which you can then morph into when you com across the games bigger and more challenging battles. Yes that’s right, we are looking at your classic medieval fantasy based game with a robot suit of armour.

Fans of Final Fantasy XII will be a little at home here, as the battle system for the smaller battles is set in realtime. Much like FF XII you will be running at enemies brandishing a sword over your head, so if you want to do a battle cry as you do so then feel free too. During battle you hack and slash your way through enemies in real-time, the more you attack the more action chips you will obtain so you can unleash some more powerful attacks and spells. Or you can save up your chips to morph into you 50 foot mechanoid and deal some hefty damage. This is cool and all but I can imagine it being a tad overkill if you were to morph into this night if you are against some basic enemies. Thinking about it though, morphing into a huge robot so you can kick butt sounds a bit Power Rangers to me, but hey, whatever is effective in battle right?

One of the games more interesting features is character customisation, this is a different road for a JRPG to take as most of the games in this genre you play, only go as far as to let you change the name of the main protagonist. At the start of the game you are given a nice selection of sliders to change your character, and get them looking like yourself, or if your not comfortable with that you can probably try to make them look like Squall from Final Fantasy VIII, It’s a free country.

Having a fully customisable character comes at a price though, from what I have heard the game centers more around the other characters in your party, making you the mute 3rd wheel who has a creepy vacant stare in the background. But if the story and game play are good then this shouldn’t be too much of a problem.

White Knight Chronicles looks like an interesting title, Your classic JRPG mixed with character customisation and a huge mechanoid knight. All you gamers with a PS3 out there should probably pick it up, as it’s out now. I suggest you grab is quick before your soul gets taken over by Final Fantasy XIII in March.

Garv

Feb

Garvaos’ Top 5 Downloadable Games You Must Own.

By Garvaos Leave a Comment

Categories: Article
Tags: doom, Geometry Wars, peggle, PlayStation Network, portal still alive, sonic 2, xbox live

Everyone is entitled to their own opinion when it comes to gaming. Everyone has their favorites. So I am here today to voice my opinion, of the top 5 downloadable games that you must own. Some will be Xbox LIVE exclusives, others will be available on Playstation Network too. So sit back, relax and make sure you console is plugged into the internet ready to download some awesome titles (if you don’t own them already) as I give you my Top 5.

5. Geometry Wars Retro Evolved 2 – Asteroids On Acid

Anyone who is gamer out there is bound to have heard, witnessed or even played Asteroids. It is pretty much the great-grandfather of all games. So imagine Asteroids, mixed with some trippy colours and explosions with at least six different game variants. Sounds pretty cool right? Well let me introduce you to Geometry Wars Retro Evolved 2. It does what it says on the tin, and has evolved the retro stylings of Asteroids and made a really cool,. and somewhat addictive game. The beauty here is that all six of the game variants aren’t necessarily shooting based.

The Pacifism game variant for me is the shining light here. Your main objective is to survive the horde of blue squares that are following you around the screen, your only line of defence are barriers you pass through, that explode, which in turn destroy the onslaught of blue squares. The longer you survive and the amount of blue squares that get destroyed the better. Yeah I know, in writing it sounds rather strange but this game is one of the most addictive titles I have on my hard drive.

The other game variants are just as addictive and challenging, waves is great if you just want to shoot the living pixels out of a load of shapes. And the simple Evolved variant is reminiscent to the classic Asteroids, nice to see they have stayed loyal to their roots.

4. Doom – The First Person Classic

FPS junkies who do not own this classic title deserve a headshot right between the eyes. This is the reason why you are playing Halo and Modern Warfare! Doom is the pinnacle of retro First Person Shooter gaming and the Xbox LIVE port is brilliant.

Like most of you out there, I am more familiar with Doom on the PC. The controls for this game have been converted well (a damn sight better than the GBA version of Doom II) and the level of challenge in this game has not been over looked either.

For those of you who aren’t familiar with this game, expect a really retro and basic FPS game. When I say basic, I mean basic in the way it plays, not in the difficulty setting. So take my advice and don’t plunge head first into Nightmare mode. You will most definitely have no more limbs attached to your computer rendered, pixellated torso.

3. Sonic 2 – Before The Blue Hedgehog Went Bad.

The platform genre is basically the forerunner of all video games. I’d say over half the games on the Sega Mega Drive and indeed the Nintendo systems were mainly platform based games of some incarnation or another. For me the Sonic series was the Platform game I first played, and of course stayed loyal to.

The downloadable version of Sonic 2 (and indeed the version on the Sega Megadrive Ultimate Collection) is the perfect nostalgic brick to the face, that will make any gamer smile and quite frankly be proud to be a gamer. There are no stupid voices, or annoying teenage angst in this game. You get the true sonic that has attitude, that will get annoyed if you put the controller down and walk away. The true sonic who’s arch-enemy is DR ROBOTNIK! (mumble mumble bloody Egg Man mumble mumble).

Gameplay wise you are looking at a fantastically fast paced side scrolling platformer that tests your reactions as well as you ability to collect coins and pass the level. Boss battles are a nice challenge if you don’t know what you are doing and it is a must play for anyone who loves Sonic and platforming. Pfft, who needs and italian plumber when you have a lightning fast blue hedgehog.

2. Peggle – Puzzle + Pegs = AWESOME

I started playing this game when a legion of people on my friends list banded together and started having Peggle parties. To this day I still think the name of the game is a tad strange. But as they say, don’t judge a book by its cover. Peggle is a fantastic puzzle game which is bursting with content. Lots of levels and challenges and a nice selection of characters to unlock and play as.

So what do you do in this game? Shoot balls at a load of pegs. Once all orange pegs are eliminated you are a winner. There is a nice rainbow and everyone leaves their console happy in the knowledge that they have superior peg eliminating skills. Straight forward enough, but the challenge is in the level design, and I am a sucker for level design. Peggle is uniquely designed to make you think about your next shot as opposed to shooting aimlessly and hoping to zombie Jebus you get that last orange peg.

It is a well thought out game that you must get your hands on. Believe me, once you start playing, you will realise a solid week of your life has disappeared in an instant.

1. Portal Still Alive – First You Will Be Baked, Then There Will Be Cake

When I first got hold of the Orange Box, I was easily bored of Half Life 2 (I know, shock/horror) but Portal grabbed my attention for hours. I then became very skint and sold my Orange Box. I felt a part of me die when I physically could not look deep into the heart of my beloved companion cube.

When Portal: Still Alive came out of Xbox LIVE and I jumped for joy, before quickly downloading it to my Hard drive.

This is a first person puzzle game where you have to use and deploy portals using your trusty Portal gun. The puzzles are completely mind-bending and very, very well thought out. But where it stands out in exceeding level design, it also stands out in brilliant story telling and character design. In my opinion Portal has one of the best villains ever. If you are not familiar with GLaDOS. I suggest you download this gem right now, and get ready for some fantastic level design, mind bending puzzles and a game that will truly test your brain power.

So there you have it, my top 5 downloadable games. Now I will leave this up to you, am I right? Or do you have a different top 5?

Garv

Feb

Metal Gear Arcade

By Garvaos 4 Comments

Categories: Game News
Tags: 3D, Mertal Gear Solid, metal gear arcade, Metal Gear Online, Metal Gear Solid 4, snake

Arcade gaming as you are well aware is defiantly one of my favorite pass times,mainly shooting things with a plastic gun, or beating up people with a joystick and some buttons keeps me happy untill the pound coins run out.

So when I first heard about Metal Gear arcade, I only assumed it would be something along the lines of, point a plastic gun at the screen and shoot. Much like the Silent Hill arcade outing. In some respects I was right on the button with that idea, in others though, this arcade cabinet is probably going to be somewhat revolutionary.

Online gaming has taken the gaming world by storm in recent years, Xbox LIVE being one of the main culprits in this internet uprising. But, having an arcade game plug into an online enviroment where most of the people you meet/kill are other players. That sounds pretty ambitious to me, but then again, the Japanese love their technology and their ideas.

Image From IGN.com

With all this in mind Metal Gear Arcade sounds pretty interesting. It is an online gaming experience where the player is sat down in front of a cabinet with 5.1 surround sound, armed with a plastic gun aiming crazily at a screen shooting things. Sounds pretty standard really, untill I mention the fact that it has full 3D visuals and head tracking controls. Meaning when your head moves the screen moves, making the whole FPS feel of this title, just that bit more authentic.

So what are we looking at gameplay wise? Well once in the metal gear arcade cab, you will take part in a sixteen player combat game, which will be against both human and CPU controlled opponents. But that’s not all, there will also be a mission mode for arcade gamers to select, they can either take part in this mode alone or co-op with a friend.

Weather this game will be your classic stealthy Metal Gear affair, I cannot tell you, but this cabinet is fully integrated with Metal Gear Online. Which can only mean that it is fully integrated with the PS3 game that you got with Metal Gear Solid 4.

Image From IGN.com

This game has been a long time in the making, Originally due for release some time back in 2009, the game was assumed dead when it didn’t reach that release. But I can assure you, it is very much alive, with its recent appearance at the AOU Expo this past month, it is now only a matter of time for this gem to be released in arcades all over Japan.

Then us guys in the EU will probably have to wait a year or two…….awesome.

Garv

Feb

Is Sonic & Sega All Stars Racing Any Threat To The Competition?

By Garvaos 1 Comment

Categories: Preview and Review
Tags: mario kart, racing, sega, Sega & Sonic All Stars Racing, sonic

The first time I even heard the name Sonic & Sega All Stars Racing, I could not help but think Mario Kart clone. With a load characters from Sega’s past, present and future thrown into a wacky races style racing game – with weapons, question mark boxes and brightly coloured crazy race tracks, you can’t help but think Sega have definitely sped down the same route as their long-term rivals, who have made Mario Kart games since their first release back on the Super Nintendo entertainment System in 1992.

I have now made it abundantly clear that Sonic & Sega All Stars Racing (Or S&SASR as I am now going to call it to save my fingers) is a lot like Mario Kart, so lets leave this fact aside now and look at this game as a separate title.

Right from the get go the demo gives you a choice of two characters to race as, our good friend sonic and the Xbox Exclusive character Banjo & Kazooie. As this is only a demo you can only play a single race or a 2 player split screen single race; as there was no one to play with at this given time, I went for the single race, and I of course chose Sonic first - I have grown up with the blue needlemouse so I thought it would be rude not to.

As with all racing games you start right at the back of the group as the 3 second count down starts, it is then your job drive round the circuit in a three lap race trying to get over the finish line first. It’s the racing game standard that has not been changed for decades. However, in S&SASR you are have the opportunity to drive into question mark boxes which in turn give you either a power up or a weapon to use to your advantage. So you could get a considerable advantage over your racing opponents if you use these power ups tactically. Now from previous Mario Kart experience i had some knowledge of what the weapons did, as they were quite similar. But as I played through the race countless amounts of times I noticed that this game really bring in a challenge, even on beginner mode I struggled to get first place, which brings a smile to my face. I love a challenge. Mind you the countless amounts of times I did get into 8th place gave me an advantage, if you are lucky enough to hit a question mark box while trailing behind the other racers, who will get your all-star special item. Each of these is a unique power that each racer has to get back into the race. Sonic for example has all the chaos emeralds at his disposal and turns into super sonic, giving him a huge boost in speed which you can increase by repeatedly pressing A. One of my favorites though has to be Amigo’s from Samba De Amigo. He unleashed his special just as he was passing me, he got a boost in speed and then drew all of his opponents into a huge conga line. All the racers were dancing behind him, and as soon as his power ran out, the other racers exploded….Awesome.

While you are racing around your circuit, you will come across jumps, these jumps can again be used to you advantage, as you take to the air start mashing the left trigger to pull off an array of aerial tricks. If you manage to land on all four wheels you will immediately get a boost in speed, the more tricks you pull off, the more boost you will get when you land, meaning if you have a heart of a daredevil you will take some comfort in this small game mechanic.

As you can well imagine with the cast of crazy characters and a whole variety of ludicrous weaponry and power ups, thew circuits themselves aren’t going to be on the plane mundane side, even though the demo only offers you one circuit, there is a chance to take a sneak peek at what will be available track wise, in the full game, you got tracks inspired by the sonic games which will have a lot of loop the loops and helix turns. You also have tracks inspired by house of the dead, samba de amigo and super monkey ball just to name a few. So you can expect a whole variety of whack and wonderful tracks to race around when the game comes out on full release.

From what I have played and seen of S&SASR I will be defiantly keeping my eye on it, it looks to me that a lot of thought has gone into the characters for this game. I mean you would never think a monkey in a marble from super monkey ball being pitted against some hard-core fist fighters from virtua fighter in a race would ever work but it strangely does. A lot of imagination has gone into this game and I think it is a worthy competitor for Mario Karts throne.

Garv