Game Review - Skate 2

Skate 2 isn't much of a move forward from the original but that also isn't a bad thing. Who can truly say that the Tony Hawks series moved forward in the first few games? Who can say it progressed up to 'Proving Ground'? Like its rival, Skate 2 has added a few new moves including hand plants, foot plants, copious modifiers and additions as such. If you have played the original you will be able to pick up and bust out the same tricks you are used to.

The most drastic change is the 'magical' ability to get off of your board, something that was expected of the series. This is a great concept meaning no more frustrating situations getting stuck at the bottom of a stairwell having forgotten to put a marker down. However, this is also the games biggest flaw as when on two feet the game becomes very heavy and sluggish. It feels like your character has the inability to turn in a fluid motion and rather takes steps, it really is quite poor for a game that is so fast-paced otherwise. What seems to have a major change in game play has slowed the game down considerably, it doesn't feel natural. If you can get your head round this (which you will have to at certain points in the game) then you can set up some very impressive lines and having skate myself, the satisfaction of nailing your own set up is excellent.

Another let down of the new game is the new ability to transport to a goal or task. Part of the original skate was to get from A to B by skating, it's in the name of the game! Now you can just do a task, then appear at the next, and the next etc. I really don't like this because it was such an integral part of the game and now you can just teleport. You don't have to do this but the temptation is too big, casual gamers will use it and even hardcore ones will be unable to resist at times.

Still, if you liked the original skate then you will loved the new one (even if it's just the same amount of love!). I expect most fans on the original to pick up the sequel especially as there is no competition from a certain Mr. Hawk this season. The game has added extras including a hilarious hall of meat mode - where you must induce the biggest crash possible. This could be a game in itself! Also the addition of an online free skate is very well done, any person in the session can propose mini goals for everyone to co-operatively work towards including a very difficult 'trick at the same moment'.

Skate 2 is great even if it is not that much of a move forward in the series, but like Tony Hawks there isn't a great deal more a skateboarding game can do. Personally I love it, it's a nice chilled out game when compared to the intensity of playing Gears of CoD. If you liked the first one, this is definitely worth a look.

Skate 2
released 23rd January 2009


8.2/10

Achievements:

Fairly similar to the first game, complete X amount of goals, reach legend in online points etc. New additions like complete activities and break X amount of bones follow in the same suit. There are no ratings achievements like on the original so no frustrating last one to obtain. If you love the game, ultimately you should reach your 1000G, you just have to put the hours in.

Skate 2 - Review to Follow...

Just picked up Skate 2 today.

I'll be writing a review any day now, just need to play it properly, the demo was great - I'm hoping for good things!

Game Review - Braid

Braid is special, Braid is a true gem.

Braid is one of those games that comes out with no hype or no expectation and blows everyone away. Released on Xbox Live Arcade and Windows, Braid is a platform come puzzle game which follows the story of Tim, a young man who is searching for his princess. I do not want to reveal anymore of the story because for one, it is very philosophical and complex (or vague) and also I do not want want to ruin anything for someone who has not played the game. The game is split into 6 main levels and a final level after the game has been fully completed. You must collect puzzle pieces and construct images that tell parts of the story. It is fantastically simple and works perfectly.

The game play of Braid is a side scrolling platformer where it is impossible to die due to the ability to rewind time (much like 'The Sands of Time'). The difficulty comes from trying to capture all of the pieces and some of them are very hard to work out. The game has a charming soundtrack which fits the story perfectly, told via short passages read before each different level.

My only criticism of Braid is that for some people it will be too philosophical, trying to be too serious for how it is presented. I believe this should be welcomed and applauded as an independent developer (Johnathon Blow) has created a masterpiece.

I think the pricing of Live Arcade games is way too high and Braid falls under the 1,200 point mark (about £9-10) but I believe it is the only game which justifies the high price.

Braid
released 6th August 2008

9.0/10

Achievements:
Braid has simple achievements that make up 185/200 points, basically just 100% the game. The final 15G achievements requires a 45 minute speed run, which is rather difficult - good luck!

Game Review - Mirrors Edge

Mirrors Edge is a free running game in a first person viewpoint developed by 'Dice' (an in house studio of EA) and published by EA themselves. You play as Faith, a 'runner' in a city governed by absolute surveillance in an effort to reduce crime and violence. Faith and other revolutionary groups use the rooftops to transport messages to each other and of course, all are well trained in parkour. Faith soon comes across her twin sister (a binary opposite - she is a police officer) who has been wrongly framed for murder.

Mirrors edge is very simplistic, LB is for up actions and LT is for down actions. That is the crux of the game, you jump over things, run along things, balance across poles and slide through vents. There is an element of combat but this isn't great and seems to be there purely for the sake of reality, the police are going to try and apprehend you but you are ill advised to fight - always run.

The story of Mirrors edge is short, you can complete the main quest line in about 6 hours. The story is predictable but also very satisfying and you will unlock hard mode which will take you the same time again. One of the main game play mechanics is the runner vision which turns certain object red and will guide you in a world that you will inevitably get lost in. Speaking of this world, it is stunning. Powered by the Unreal 3 engine the game encompasses a rare sight in video games. The game is bright and hyper-real, it looks believable but does not quite look 'real' per se. Either way, the developers have done a great job in constructing the city and though you will do repetitive actions over and over, the visual pleasure will force these actions to be nothing short of astounding.

That's not it for Mirrors edge though, there is what should be described as a 'pull your hair out' time trial mode and a set of speed runs for each of the games chapters. These speed runs are hard, they take commitment and hours of game play but if you love the game (and i mean LOVE the game) then you will get many hours worth of play out of it.

Mirrors Edge is a great game but its a new property and so there are bound to be some hiccups with the system. It's not a glitchy game but sometimes Faith has a way of doing what she wants and you will get very annoyed with the games lack of awareness. The game is also very simple and if played on the easy setting is more like an interactive film. The time trials require extensive skill and this is where hardcore gamers will get their satisfaction. Mirrors Edge feels like a good beginning to the franchise but it always feels like it the game should be doing more, doesn't quite hit its true potential. I would recommend this as a rental and then see how much fun you have with the time trials before buying it!

Mirrors Edge
released 14th November 2008


7.3/10


Achievements:
This game is a pretty harsh one, if you want 1000 points your going to have to put the hours in - many, many hours. That's 10 speed runs and about 15 time trials, each one needing at least an hours work. All are offline achievements so there's nothing to be concerned with there, its just a matter of how committed you are. Casual gamers are looking at about 450+.

Game Review - Gears of War 2

Lets get things straight; the first Gears was a great game and more importantly is was popular, a commercial success. Epic had a lot to live up to with part two of their proposed trilogy but fortunately the game lives up to the standard set by the first game and maybe just nudges past it.

Gears 2 continues where the first game left off, the locust are still a threat and the COGS must struggle on with the fight for victory. The story isn't revolutionary but has more twists and turns than the first and Dom's search for Maria is a welcome emotional sub-plot for the overarching story. That said, GoW2 doesn't really take advantage of its narrative potential. Yes, Cole Train is still undeniably funny, Baird's cynicism is still annoying and Fenix still thinks he can take on the horde single handedly, it's a fantastic team. I do think that Epic could've made more of new characters like Dizzy and Tai but that's their decision, I can only assume that want to keep delta squad a constant.

With that in mind I don't suppose your average Gears player will be that involved with the story and more interested the sound of popping heads in horde. The game play mechanics are exactly the same, which is fine, there's no need to fix what isn't broken. The introduction on new weapons works well, nothing new is overpowered as such, it is a good split between power and speed. The mortar is devastating but you walk slower than anything seen in Gears to date, each style of play is catered for.

Of course the majority of any gamers time on Gears will be dedicated to online play and this is where Gears is a let down, a very frustrating let down. I am not a hardcore Gears player, I'm the kind of guy that will run headlong into a match of execution and either pull of 3 or 4 class kills or just walk into a line of fire to be obliterated by the enemy. Luckily I play with some good guys who are without doubt much better than I am, who often save me the embarrassment of losing every game. However there are several factors that stop the Gears multi player becoming legendary. Matchmaking takes forever and often puts teams at unfair advantages, also if your team mates leave you can be left in a 1 vs 5 situation and the software will do nothing to help you. This is not a rare occurrence. There are many times when you seem to die from nothing and though I agree that sometimes you just get outsmarted and beaten, it is very annoying when you die from game glitches like torque bows pinging into your shins with no charge. The shotgun battles seem endless at times often resulting in a 'first punch gets the kill scenario'. Gears has tactics that work and if you do not follow them, you are destined to lose unless you are incredible. For someone of my skill this makes me not want to play the game, I find myself just dieing repeatedly - this is not a forgiving game. You must know where weapons spawn and how long it takes you to get to them, ie, is it worth rushing the boomshot or will I be sniped by the time I get there? These mathematical tools must be utilised, otherwise you will be running into battles severely underpowered. I do not expect this to be fixed, this is Gears, it is how it has always been and as long as they get rid of glitches (weapon slides, invisible shields, guns that cannot fire etc) then the game will be played and the frustration - of myself - will continue to rise!

There is no doubt that you should definietly team up with your mates for a good session at killing the horde. This game mode is so much fun with a good team and watching the bigger locusts come to get you is frightening and laughable at the same time. Having four of your friends crawl to you to be revived or piling clip after clip into an oncoming bloodmount will have you screaming down your mic for help, it's awesome. There are 50 waves to complete and if your playing on insane I wouldn't expect to do this anytime soon!

That is my opinion though and I know I am not great. I also keep coming back to play the game which just reinforces how good the game is, so good that I keep returning to have my ass handed to me! Gears 2 isn't bad at all, it will just make you want to scream sometimes. The story is great in single player and co-op and if you're going for things like seriously 2.0 then you will certainly be playing for a long time. The online play is annoying as hell but you will return again and again, I promise you. Any self respecting shooter fan will pick this up and I urge anyone who likes any of the things mentioned to give it a go, the visuals alone will have you playing till the very end. If the multi player was not so buggy and did not give such a blatant host advantage then this game would get a much higher score.

Gears of War 2
released 7th November 2008


8.1/10


Achievements:
GoW2 is a safe 1000 points for a hardcore gamer, the only two that are sticking points are Seriously 2.0 (100,00 kills - in any mode) and Party Like It's 1999 (play 1999 rounds). The rest can be picked up relatively easily and are a combination of story, multi player wins and weapon specific kills. A casual gamer will still be able to get a good 600+ points without a great deal of trouble.

Here We Go...

I have set up this blog to review and talk about, movies, games, television shows, music, anything that takes my fancy really. I am doing this just before an exam is about to take place which probably isn't the best plan of attack but I think I'll be OK. I have set this up for two reasons: 1 - that I am constantly told by my tutors that my writing style is quite colloquial and would suit a journalistic approach rather than an academic one and 2 - because I just like telling people what I think. (and 3 - i suppose, I'm hoping somone see's this and gives me a job lol)

Anyway, you can expect some writing soon, I just better get this exam out of the way. My first line of order is to review some of my old games and get into the swing of things!

Bradley McManus