It seems that one smart gamer out there has got more entertainment value from GTA4 then Rockstar had originally intended... By modding the game to create a first person shooter style game. Video footage of the modded game in action has appeared on YouTube and it looks very impressive. Suffice to say someone has gone to a lot of time and effort to create this mod.
It certainly makes for an interesting viewpoint and allows us a much more 'up close and personal' perspective on the city and the gameplay. You can clearly see the detail on people's faces as the player runs passed them and even details on newspapers on a nearby newspaper stand are visible. Shoot outs work well in the first person mode and appear to work just as well as any professionally made FPS. Driving looks like it could be more difficult, however seeing the realtime damage to the car windscreen and having it impair the driving view would be a fun challenge to navigate.
Is this something Rockstar should consider for a future GTA game or for download content? Watch the video here and decide for yourself. A word of caution though; GTA4 is an 18 rated game and this video may not be suitable for younger viewers.
Tuesday, 31 August 2010
Sunday, 29 August 2010
Currently Playing: Beneath a Steel Sky
So I might be heading back into the vaults but I recently decided to check out so previously commercial games that are now free to play. After some searching I found reference to the ScummVM (Script Creation Utility for Manic Mansion Virtual Machine) project. This engine provides a basis for several Point and Click style games, particularly those popular on the Amiga 600 home computer. As a big Amiga fan I decided to give it a go and see if some of my favourite games from my youth still hold the same appeal now as they did back then. So I wondered over to the ScummVM website and to my delight found that Beneath a Steel Sky was now available freely to download and play. So download I did and whilst playing thought it would be fun to write a review at the same time.
Beneath a Steel Sky is a classic 'Point and Click' adventure game. Basically you click where you want the character to go and he goes there. The gameplay revolves around puzzle solving and conversations with in-game characters. For example, early on in the game you find a cleaning robot shell and you are carrying around the personality circuit board of your best buddy Joey. So you combine the two and as if by magic, your best buddy in the whole world is brought back to life, complete with an attitude!
The story behind Beneath a Steel Sky is quite shadowed and unclear, all part of the atmosphere of the game. The main character, Rob Foster, lives in The Gap; an area of vast desert that is between major cities. The majority of city dwelling folk fear The Gap because of a government instilled belief in the existence of mutants and viruses running rife. As Foster knows though, this is just a ruse to keep citizens trapped in the city. One day his home is invaded by security forces from the city and he is taken prisoner. Whilst being escorted into the city the helicopter he is on suffers technical difficulties and goes down. By some luck Foster is the only survivor and goes on the run. This is where we join him in game. By method of exploration, interaction with citizens and some luck, it's up to you to lead Foster to safety and some answers.
The graphics for BSS are dated by today's standards. Everything does appear very pixelated although it is clear enough to see what objects are and to distinguish them from the background. Having said that everything has a 16-bit edge about it; the levels are actually scarily dark and moody. When moving to the outside you do get a feel of how far up above the ground you are, and when inside the backgrounds are decidedly cold and metallic. At the end of the day the gameplay of the game is so involving and gripping that you can overlook the graphics quality.
And this is where the game shines. It is a perfect example of how to make a point and click adventure game. The puzzles are clever and challenging, but never too impossible to solve. Everything that you need to have some interaction with is highlighted when you hover the mouse over it. You can get Foster to describe the object, all you have to do is work out exactly how to interact with it. Talking to other characters involves a selection of possible conversation choices. Some are a requirement of the game and will be available until you choose them; others will only be available as a response to the person you are talking to. These responses can have different consequences on the outcome of the conversation. In one section of the game you are talking to an engineer who is disinterested in what is going on around him. If you introduce yourself as a health and safety officer he opens up and talks to you about how old and creaky the machinery is and how he hates his boss. Introduce yourself as a security guard you don't get these details.
All conversation in the game is text based, as are most point and click adventures. Your choices for conversation appear at the top of the screen and you just choose which line of conversation you want to introduce. Fortunately to make it easy to follow the conversation, each characters spoken text appears above their head in a comic book style. More modern games have often introduced different colours for different people but this can sometimes be confusing when colours are hard to distinguish. But having the text stay above the characters head makes it easy to follow what is happening. For this reason there is now spoken sound, but the background music is suitably dark and sounds effects don't feel out of place.
One of the best things about the game is your robot friend Joey. He has a unique personality and is constantly taking digs at Foster, especially about his cleaning robot body. Joey fires off one-liners constantly throughout the game and at times had me laughing out loud because of his attitude. He also stirs things up with other characters in the game which is entertaining. He provides some comic relief when the tension of the game becomes too much or when a puzzle just has you stumped.
Beneath a Steel Sky is an addictive and puzzling game that even now holds its own. The graphics aren't ever going to impress those who are used to 1080p but the game more than makes up for it in style and gameplay. This is well worth a play if you are a fan of the original Amiga game or any point and click adventures (such as Monkey Island, or Flight of the Amazon Queen - also available for free download). It's even worth giving a go if you've only ever played modern games as the appeal is still strong. And as the game is available to download and play for free, you're not going to lose anything by giving it a go. It's got to be worth a try on that basis alone!
You can download the ScummVM and the game (as well as others currently available) from ScummVM.
Beneath a Steel Sky is a classic 'Point and Click' adventure game. Basically you click where you want the character to go and he goes there. The gameplay revolves around puzzle solving and conversations with in-game characters. For example, early on in the game you find a cleaning robot shell and you are carrying around the personality circuit board of your best buddy Joey. So you combine the two and as if by magic, your best buddy in the whole world is brought back to life, complete with an attitude!
The story behind Beneath a Steel Sky is quite shadowed and unclear, all part of the atmosphere of the game. The main character, Rob Foster, lives in The Gap; an area of vast desert that is between major cities. The majority of city dwelling folk fear The Gap because of a government instilled belief in the existence of mutants and viruses running rife. As Foster knows though, this is just a ruse to keep citizens trapped in the city. One day his home is invaded by security forces from the city and he is taken prisoner. Whilst being escorted into the city the helicopter he is on suffers technical difficulties and goes down. By some luck Foster is the only survivor and goes on the run. This is where we join him in game. By method of exploration, interaction with citizens and some luck, it's up to you to lead Foster to safety and some answers.
The graphics for BSS are dated by today's standards. Everything does appear very pixelated although it is clear enough to see what objects are and to distinguish them from the background. Having said that everything has a 16-bit edge about it; the levels are actually scarily dark and moody. When moving to the outside you do get a feel of how far up above the ground you are, and when inside the backgrounds are decidedly cold and metallic. At the end of the day the gameplay of the game is so involving and gripping that you can overlook the graphics quality.
And this is where the game shines. It is a perfect example of how to make a point and click adventure game. The puzzles are clever and challenging, but never too impossible to solve. Everything that you need to have some interaction with is highlighted when you hover the mouse over it. You can get Foster to describe the object, all you have to do is work out exactly how to interact with it. Talking to other characters involves a selection of possible conversation choices. Some are a requirement of the game and will be available until you choose them; others will only be available as a response to the person you are talking to. These responses can have different consequences on the outcome of the conversation. In one section of the game you are talking to an engineer who is disinterested in what is going on around him. If you introduce yourself as a health and safety officer he opens up and talks to you about how old and creaky the machinery is and how he hates his boss. Introduce yourself as a security guard you don't get these details.
All conversation in the game is text based, as are most point and click adventures. Your choices for conversation appear at the top of the screen and you just choose which line of conversation you want to introduce. Fortunately to make it easy to follow the conversation, each characters spoken text appears above their head in a comic book style. More modern games have often introduced different colours for different people but this can sometimes be confusing when colours are hard to distinguish. But having the text stay above the characters head makes it easy to follow what is happening. For this reason there is now spoken sound, but the background music is suitably dark and sounds effects don't feel out of place.
One of the best things about the game is your robot friend Joey. He has a unique personality and is constantly taking digs at Foster, especially about his cleaning robot body. Joey fires off one-liners constantly throughout the game and at times had me laughing out loud because of his attitude. He also stirs things up with other characters in the game which is entertaining. He provides some comic relief when the tension of the game becomes too much or when a puzzle just has you stumped.
Beneath a Steel Sky is an addictive and puzzling game that even now holds its own. The graphics aren't ever going to impress those who are used to 1080p but the game more than makes up for it in style and gameplay. This is well worth a play if you are a fan of the original Amiga game or any point and click adventures (such as Monkey Island, or Flight of the Amazon Queen - also available for free download). It's even worth giving a go if you've only ever played modern games as the appeal is still strong. And as the game is available to download and play for free, you're not going to lose anything by giving it a go. It's got to be worth a try on that basis alone!
You can download the ScummVM and the game (as well as others currently available) from ScummVM.
Wednesday, 25 August 2010
Peggle
Peggle is a new and interesting entry into the puzzle game market. It is quirky, colourful and most of all addictive. The concept of the game is simple: There are a number of coloured blocks on the screen arranged in various shapes and images. You launch a ball from a cannon at the top of the screen and have to eliminate the blocks. You have control over the angle at which the ball is launched from the cannon and then it's down to skill and luck as to where it bounces around the screen.
The game scores you on the number of chains of blocks you hit before the ball drops off the bottom of the screen. To assist you in your task there is a moving basket bouncing from one side of the screen to the other, at the bottom of the screen. If your ball lands in this basket you get another go. As your score raises the points you earn are added to a meter on the left hand side of the screen. When you reach a certain number of points you are awarded a free ball. You begin each level with only 10 balls to clear all the required blocks. This seems like a lot, and on the early levels this is more than enough, but when you start reaching the later levels of the game you often find yourself down to the last ball when you finish. At times like this the game feels very tense despite it's colourful and cartoony look.
This brings me nicely on to the graphics of the game. Like many of it's style, Peggle is very bright and cartoony, but this doesn't feel out of place. Each level has a different character for you to play as and all are beautifully drawn and keep the same cartoony style.
Each new character in the game brings a different special ability. These abilities are triggered by hitting the green blocks on the screen, and all are unique. Part of the challenge of the game is making the best use of these abilities. Some abilities are obvious; the dragon character can launch a fireball which wipes out all blocks in its path. Whereas some abilities require a little more thought; for example one of the earlier abilities is a rebound marker that adjusts to show you where your ball will bounce next. I think this is one of the features of the game that gives it appeal. When you complete the game you get master challenge mode where you can pick the character you play as, and thus the ability you can use in each level.
Overall I found Peggle to be unique and highly addictive. It brings some new life to the puzzle game scene that is overflowing with tetris or bubble bobble clones.
You can download a demo version of Peggle from Xbox Live or Popcap Games.
The game scores you on the number of chains of blocks you hit before the ball drops off the bottom of the screen. To assist you in your task there is a moving basket bouncing from one side of the screen to the other, at the bottom of the screen. If your ball lands in this basket you get another go. As your score raises the points you earn are added to a meter on the left hand side of the screen. When you reach a certain number of points you are awarded a free ball. You begin each level with only 10 balls to clear all the required blocks. This seems like a lot, and on the early levels this is more than enough, but when you start reaching the later levels of the game you often find yourself down to the last ball when you finish. At times like this the game feels very tense despite it's colourful and cartoony look.
This brings me nicely on to the graphics of the game. Like many of it's style, Peggle is very bright and cartoony, but this doesn't feel out of place. Each level has a different character for you to play as and all are beautifully drawn and keep the same cartoony style.
Each new character in the game brings a different special ability. These abilities are triggered by hitting the green blocks on the screen, and all are unique. Part of the challenge of the game is making the best use of these abilities. Some abilities are obvious; the dragon character can launch a fireball which wipes out all blocks in its path. Whereas some abilities require a little more thought; for example one of the earlier abilities is a rebound marker that adjusts to show you where your ball will bounce next. I think this is one of the features of the game that gives it appeal. When you complete the game you get master challenge mode where you can pick the character you play as, and thus the ability you can use in each level.
Overall I found Peggle to be unique and highly addictive. It brings some new life to the puzzle game scene that is overflowing with tetris or bubble bobble clones.
You can download a demo version of Peggle from Xbox Live or Popcap Games.
Friday, 20 August 2010
Fable III Preview
So the news is out on Fable III for Xbox 360... And it's going to be bigger and better! Everything that made Fable II so good has been included in the game, plus even more new features. Starting with giving the main character a voice. Now your prince or princess will air their views and feelings far more expressively than before. This will surely lead to all manner of wonderful encounters with quest characters and civilians alike.
One of the most anticipated new features of the game is the chance to be King (or Queen) of the world of Albion. To my understanding this means that you are able to make decisions that affect townsfolk across the whole of Albion and can gain a loyal following or become a hated dictator. In Fable II you were able to buy up property and businesses to gain the title of King/Queen, a feature of the game that I found fun to play with. Owning enough properties allowed you to have the title of King/Queen but this never had any impact on the game. Now you can own the whole of Albion and have the power that was hinted at in the previous game.
The moral decisions you have to make in Fable III have been seriously overhauled and nothing is black and white anymore. Whereas in previous Fable games it has been pretty obvious where different choices will lead you, in Fable III the decisions you have to make have far more wide reaching consequences. For example, in the early stages of the game there is a group of poor struggling townsfolk who are leading a peaceful demonstration and you are given two choices; kill the ringleaders of the protest or let your best friend die. It's a harsh decision to have to make.
Finally, the last new feature of the game available in all previews are the weapons. Weapons will now grow and develop with you; if you are a decent upstanding person your weapon will take on a holy glow and shape, if you are evil your weapon will become darker and more intimidating. Along with the changes to your characters features (a staple from the previous games) this new feature will add even more different ways to develop each character you play.
Add in the extended gameplay (Fable III is at least twice as long as Fable II), the updated graphics and the wider variety of missions to keep you going and this is shaping up to be the next game of the year.
One of the most anticipated new features of the game is the chance to be King (or Queen) of the world of Albion. To my understanding this means that you are able to make decisions that affect townsfolk across the whole of Albion and can gain a loyal following or become a hated dictator. In Fable II you were able to buy up property and businesses to gain the title of King/Queen, a feature of the game that I found fun to play with. Owning enough properties allowed you to have the title of King/Queen but this never had any impact on the game. Now you can own the whole of Albion and have the power that was hinted at in the previous game.
The moral decisions you have to make in Fable III have been seriously overhauled and nothing is black and white anymore. Whereas in previous Fable games it has been pretty obvious where different choices will lead you, in Fable III the decisions you have to make have far more wide reaching consequences. For example, in the early stages of the game there is a group of poor struggling townsfolk who are leading a peaceful demonstration and you are given two choices; kill the ringleaders of the protest or let your best friend die. It's a harsh decision to have to make.
Finally, the last new feature of the game available in all previews are the weapons. Weapons will now grow and develop with you; if you are a decent upstanding person your weapon will take on a holy glow and shape, if you are evil your weapon will become darker and more intimidating. Along with the changes to your characters features (a staple from the previous games) this new feature will add even more different ways to develop each character you play.
Add in the extended gameplay (Fable III is at least twice as long as Fable II), the updated graphics and the wider variety of missions to keep you going and this is shaping up to be the next game of the year.
Thursday, 19 August 2010
GoldenEye remake for the Wii
It's good to hear that one of my favourite games for the N64 is to be remade for the Nintendo Wii; GoldenEye. This is my personal favourite of the James Bond movies and also stars my favourite James Bond actor; Pierce Brosnan. So when the original game was released I was delighted. The game was such a major success and set the standards for future Bond games.
Now with such a success story behind it the developers of the more recent Bond games (007: Nightfire, The World is Not Enough, Quantum of Solace) are remaking the game for the modern age. Without Rare behind the steering wheel it will be left to be seen how successful the game turns out. With so many fans of the original the new developers are going to have to work extra hard to make sure the game retains everything that made it a success the first time around, while incorporating all the aspects of the recent James Bond films.
Rumoured changes include have an 'all-in'one' device, like a smartphone, as the main device for interacting with the environment, modern weapons and more of a focus on James Bond's physical ability. The levels in Cuba are likely to be moved to Nigeria to fit in with more modern conflicts, however this has raised some eyebrows from fans. Combat is likely to be improved with boss fights being more demanding and the battles with Xenia and Alec to be more challenging.
I'm intrigued by the plans for improvements to the game and hope that the new developers can do this while still keeping the key elements of the original.
Now with such a success story behind it the developers of the more recent Bond games (007: Nightfire, The World is Not Enough, Quantum of Solace) are remaking the game for the modern age. Without Rare behind the steering wheel it will be left to be seen how successful the game turns out. With so many fans of the original the new developers are going to have to work extra hard to make sure the game retains everything that made it a success the first time around, while incorporating all the aspects of the recent James Bond films.
Rumoured changes include have an 'all-in'one' device, like a smartphone, as the main device for interacting with the environment, modern weapons and more of a focus on James Bond's physical ability. The levels in Cuba are likely to be moved to Nigeria to fit in with more modern conflicts, however this has raised some eyebrows from fans. Combat is likely to be improved with boss fights being more demanding and the battles with Xenia and Alec to be more challenging.
I'm intrigued by the plans for improvements to the game and hope that the new developers can do this while still keeping the key elements of the original.
Wednesday, 18 August 2010
Medal of Honour Causing Controversy
EA's latest Medal of Honour offering is stirring up a hornets nest thanks to their decision to allow players to fight for the Taliban in multiplayer mode. This one might have crept under the radar had it not been picked up by Fox network, who then interviewed a mother who's son was killed in the current Afghanistan conflict, and then made a big news story of it. This isn't the first time that a video game has caused controversy (think Grand Theft Auto) and it certainly isn't the only game that deals with wars and conflicts around the world.
EA's response was that kids have been playing good guy/bad guy throughout history and this is just a virtual expansion of that: EA PR representative Amanda Taggart told AOL News "Most of us having been doing this since we were seven. If someone's the cop, someone's gotta be the robber, someone's gotta be the pirate and someone's gotta be the alien. "In 'Medal of Honor' multiplayer, someone's gotta be the Taliban."
Is it good? Is it bad? At the end of the day the gamers are more interested in how well the game plays. Game sales will be the final verdict.
EA's response was that kids have been playing good guy/bad guy throughout history and this is just a virtual expansion of that: EA PR representative Amanda Taggart told AOL News "Most of us having been doing this since we were seven. If someone's the cop, someone's gotta be the robber, someone's gotta be the pirate and someone's gotta be the alien. "In 'Medal of Honor' multiplayer, someone's gotta be the Taliban."
Is it good? Is it bad? At the end of the day the gamers are more interested in how well the game plays. Game sales will be the final verdict.
Monday, 16 August 2010
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
The long wait is over for the next Legend of Zelda game. Skyward Sword has a playable level available and it is breathtaking. Let's firstly start with the graphics. It seems that Nintendo have taken the best that WindWaker and Twilight Princess had to offer and merged them together. The serious style of graphics remains but with the cel-shading approach of WindWaker. I'll happily admit that I was much more of an admirer of the serious style of Twilight Princess than I was of the cartoony graphics of WindWaker. So to see both styles incorporated into the Skyward Sword is a step in the right direction.
Backgrounds are hugely detailed and immersive, and one of the greatest things about the levels is the different ways that you can progress to achieve your goals. In the demo level it is possible to follow several different routes; through the main path of enemies, climbing around using vines and platforms, or if you leave the beaten track you can find a series of rope swings that completely avoid enemy encounters below. There is so much to see and do beyond the main objectives and the Zelda world is becoming more vast.
Beyond the adventuring and puzzle solving, the other biggest element of any good Zelda game is the combat. Twilight Princess used the Wiimote brilliantly so that you felt more in control of Link's sword fighting. Now with the Motion Plus controls the fights in the game have taken on a whole new level of skill. Link responds exactly to your Wiimote gestures, so holding your hand directly up in the air makes Link present the Master Sword skywards. Waving the wiimote up and down at your side makes Link do a bird impression with his sword. Skyward Sword has been designed to allow much better reaction to horizontal, vertical and diagonal strokes, all adding to the feeling that you are actually taking part in the fights for Link.
As well as improvements to the attacks Link can do, his defensive abilities has also been improved. Using the nunchuck to wield your shield you can quickly raise or lower it during a battle and a swift flick of the controller will ram your shield towards an enemy, stunning them or knocking them backwards. With attacks needing to be much more accurate now and defence being just as important, battles are now more challenging and fun.
And if you didn't think that was enough innovation for you how about this; the inventory system is being changed as well! There will now be quick access to all of Link's inventory by pressing the B button and cycling through all of his inventory. Potions will now need to be used in real time so you will need to make tactical decisions about when is a safe time to drop arms and swig down the life saving red or green drinks.
All in all, if the current screenshots and trailers are anything to go by, this is going to be the best Zelda yet. Time to dig out your Wii and buy a Motion Plus sensor if you don't already have one!
Backgrounds are hugely detailed and immersive, and one of the greatest things about the levels is the different ways that you can progress to achieve your goals. In the demo level it is possible to follow several different routes; through the main path of enemies, climbing around using vines and platforms, or if you leave the beaten track you can find a series of rope swings that completely avoid enemy encounters below. There is so much to see and do beyond the main objectives and the Zelda world is becoming more vast.
Beyond the adventuring and puzzle solving, the other biggest element of any good Zelda game is the combat. Twilight Princess used the Wiimote brilliantly so that you felt more in control of Link's sword fighting. Now with the Motion Plus controls the fights in the game have taken on a whole new level of skill. Link responds exactly to your Wiimote gestures, so holding your hand directly up in the air makes Link present the Master Sword skywards. Waving the wiimote up and down at your side makes Link do a bird impression with his sword. Skyward Sword has been designed to allow much better reaction to horizontal, vertical and diagonal strokes, all adding to the feeling that you are actually taking part in the fights for Link.
As well as improvements to the attacks Link can do, his defensive abilities has also been improved. Using the nunchuck to wield your shield you can quickly raise or lower it during a battle and a swift flick of the controller will ram your shield towards an enemy, stunning them or knocking them backwards. With attacks needing to be much more accurate now and defence being just as important, battles are now more challenging and fun.
And if you didn't think that was enough innovation for you how about this; the inventory system is being changed as well! There will now be quick access to all of Link's inventory by pressing the B button and cycling through all of his inventory. Potions will now need to be used in real time so you will need to make tactical decisions about when is a safe time to drop arms and swig down the life saving red or green drinks.
All in all, if the current screenshots and trailers are anything to go by, this is going to be the best Zelda yet. Time to dig out your Wii and buy a Motion Plus sensor if you don't already have one!
Sunday, 15 August 2010
Deus Ex: Human Revolution
So in my inbox today appeared an email from SquareEnix with news about their latest blockbuster; Deus Ex: Human Revolution. The game website is so far quite empty save for a link to preorder and a teaser trailer of the game.
The trailer opens with helicopters flying around the city at night, dropping the main character off on a rooftop from where he heads on down into the depths of the city. The game visuals are stunning; the city is dark and dangerous, and the character movements are smooth and complex. After the opening sequence is over the trailer thrusts us straight into the action with traditional Deus Ex first person firefights, mixed in with third person action sequences of close combat.
As far as can be seen from the trailer, the game will incorporate elements of stealth, ducking and diving (as in Gears of War style) and close combat using some really dangerous looking electrical wrist blades. In first person mode it appears that there is an advanced sniping mode that looks very stable in the trailer. But the coolest feature to be shown in the trailer has to be the ability to go invisible. We see our character use this ability to sneak behind guards for some close combat executions, and punch through a wall to grab someone on the other side.
All in all, from what we've been shown so far, it looks like Deus Ex is becoming a game worth keeping an eye on in the coming year. Proposed release date is early 2011, but in the meantime you can get more information, as it's released, from the official site www.deusex.com and the trailer can be found here.
The trailer opens with helicopters flying around the city at night, dropping the main character off on a rooftop from where he heads on down into the depths of the city. The game visuals are stunning; the city is dark and dangerous, and the character movements are smooth and complex. After the opening sequence is over the trailer thrusts us straight into the action with traditional Deus Ex first person firefights, mixed in with third person action sequences of close combat.
As far as can be seen from the trailer, the game will incorporate elements of stealth, ducking and diving (as in Gears of War style) and close combat using some really dangerous looking electrical wrist blades. In first person mode it appears that there is an advanced sniping mode that looks very stable in the trailer. But the coolest feature to be shown in the trailer has to be the ability to go invisible. We see our character use this ability to sneak behind guards for some close combat executions, and punch through a wall to grab someone on the other side.
All in all, from what we've been shown so far, it looks like Deus Ex is becoming a game worth keeping an eye on in the coming year. Proposed release date is early 2011, but in the meantime you can get more information, as it's released, from the official site www.deusex.com and the trailer can be found here.
Thursday, 12 August 2010
Trio: The Great Settlement
From publisher Big Fish Games comes the quirky title 'Trio: The Great Settlement', a puzzle game similar to Columns (Sega Megadrive), Dr. Mario (NES) or Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine (Sega Megadrive). The Orbics are a peaceful race who's population have been imprisoned and it's up to you to free them by using the power of three; matching three same coloured Orbics to release them from their prisons.
This is another match three style game but with a couple of slight twists. Firstly instead of the Orbics falling from the top of the screen at a fixed position, you can move them left and right to choose where they drop. Secondly you don't have to match three in a row. You can match three in any pattern as long as the all touch. So zig zags, diamonds or full circles are acceptable.
Along with these unique aspects of the traditional match three style, part of the challenge of the game is the environmental obstacles that are introduced in the later levels. Orbics will fall from trapdoors at the sides of the level to mess up your lines, black Orbics will appear in the later levels that infect your Orbics to disrupt your lines, and the game adds additional challenges to completing levels - like having to destroy walls by creating links of Orbics in front of the walls. All of these and more add an extra level of difficulty to the traditional gameplay, but that's only part of the game.
After you have completed a level your score is calculated and transferred into money. You then return to the Orbics homeworld where you can spend the cash you have earned buying buildings for the Orbics. In this Sims style part of the game, the Orbics all have different personalities and needs which are displayed as thought bubbles above their heads. Some want bigger and better housing, some want better entertainment, each is different and it helps build a deeper relationship with the Orbics. As the game progresses you move on to other planets in search of a permanent home for the Orbics. But the only way to do this is to earn enough money to build transport for them.
It's a small part of the game but it adds a bit of depth to the cute Orbics characters and extends the main gameplay, otherwise the repetition and general duration of the game would be much less. I found it an enjoyable extra in the game and it encouraged me to keep playing the main puzzle game in order to earn more money to buy the buildings that the Orbics wanted. This may or may not be to everyone's taste, but as it accounts for such a smaller percentage of the game it's easy to get passed quickly.
It's quite a text heavy game in between the main gameplay so for some people that could be off-putting, but I personally found the level of text in between rounds to be of an acceptable level. As the game doesn't have voice acting the only way to progress the plot is through the character speech text. The option is there to skip through the text so if you've played through already, or just aren't interested in the plot, then it's easy to bypass.
Overall I found this game to be a fun and addictive little game to pass the time. The unique additions to the traditional match three style of gameplay are worthy of a play on their own, but with the simulation elements and the involving story, playing through the game and helping to secure the future of the Orbics feels like a new and refreshing experience.
You can download a demo version of Trio: The Great Settlement from Big Fish Games here: www.bigfishgames.com
This is another match three style game but with a couple of slight twists. Firstly instead of the Orbics falling from the top of the screen at a fixed position, you can move them left and right to choose where they drop. Secondly you don't have to match three in a row. You can match three in any pattern as long as the all touch. So zig zags, diamonds or full circles are acceptable.
Along with these unique aspects of the traditional match three style, part of the challenge of the game is the environmental obstacles that are introduced in the later levels. Orbics will fall from trapdoors at the sides of the level to mess up your lines, black Orbics will appear in the later levels that infect your Orbics to disrupt your lines, and the game adds additional challenges to completing levels - like having to destroy walls by creating links of Orbics in front of the walls. All of these and more add an extra level of difficulty to the traditional gameplay, but that's only part of the game.
After you have completed a level your score is calculated and transferred into money. You then return to the Orbics homeworld where you can spend the cash you have earned buying buildings for the Orbics. In this Sims style part of the game, the Orbics all have different personalities and needs which are displayed as thought bubbles above their heads. Some want bigger and better housing, some want better entertainment, each is different and it helps build a deeper relationship with the Orbics. As the game progresses you move on to other planets in search of a permanent home for the Orbics. But the only way to do this is to earn enough money to build transport for them.
It's a small part of the game but it adds a bit of depth to the cute Orbics characters and extends the main gameplay, otherwise the repetition and general duration of the game would be much less. I found it an enjoyable extra in the game and it encouraged me to keep playing the main puzzle game in order to earn more money to buy the buildings that the Orbics wanted. This may or may not be to everyone's taste, but as it accounts for such a smaller percentage of the game it's easy to get passed quickly.
It's quite a text heavy game in between the main gameplay so for some people that could be off-putting, but I personally found the level of text in between rounds to be of an acceptable level. As the game doesn't have voice acting the only way to progress the plot is through the character speech text. The option is there to skip through the text so if you've played through already, or just aren't interested in the plot, then it's easy to bypass.
Overall I found this game to be a fun and addictive little game to pass the time. The unique additions to the traditional match three style of gameplay are worthy of a play on their own, but with the simulation elements and the involving story, playing through the game and helping to secure the future of the Orbics feels like a new and refreshing experience.
You can download a demo version of Trio: The Great Settlement from Big Fish Games here: www.bigfishgames.com
Monday, 9 August 2010
Resident Evil - Afterlife
So what I'd been waiting for with baited breath finally landed in my inbox; Sony Pictures releases the new Resident Evil Afterlife website and confirms a UK release date, September 10th. Ever since Extinction left the cinema every fan was eagerly anticipating a fourth movie in the series. The final scene in Afterlife most definitely set up a sequel. The director knew it, the producers knew it and the fans knew it. Finally it's on its way to our shores.
As a big fan of the Resident Evil games and films, I've already been through every feature on the new website with a fine-toothed comb, checking out the screenshots, storylines and new faces to join the cast. It appears that Chris Redfield is to join the beleaguered survivors, though what his involvement will be remains to be seen as yet. I think it's safe to assume that this film will follow the steps of it's predecessor by being an original story based on the Alice storyline, rather than follow the timeline of the game series. Either way it will be cool to see Chris Redfield in action with his sister, and the ever increasingly stronger Alice.
The plot looks to follow on directly after Extinction finished with Alice heading for a major confrontation with Umbrella and Wesker, while Claire Redfield leads the survivors to Alaska on a hunt for a safe haven. The sneak peaks on the website show Wesker, with trademark glowing red eyes, as the super fast, super cool, super powerful bad ass that we've come to know and love. I for one celebrate this fact as I felt the actor playing Wesker in Extinction didn't nail the true level of coolness/danger that Wesker represents. That and I think that Wesker is the coolest bad guy in the Resident Evil series and he deserves a truly fitting representation on film.
With all these visual delights just teasing and tempting us, I'm looking forward to September!
As a big fan of the Resident Evil games and films, I've already been through every feature on the new website with a fine-toothed comb, checking out the screenshots, storylines and new faces to join the cast. It appears that Chris Redfield is to join the beleaguered survivors, though what his involvement will be remains to be seen as yet. I think it's safe to assume that this film will follow the steps of it's predecessor by being an original story based on the Alice storyline, rather than follow the timeline of the game series. Either way it will be cool to see Chris Redfield in action with his sister, and the ever increasingly stronger Alice.
The plot looks to follow on directly after Extinction finished with Alice heading for a major confrontation with Umbrella and Wesker, while Claire Redfield leads the survivors to Alaska on a hunt for a safe haven. The sneak peaks on the website show Wesker, with trademark glowing red eyes, as the super fast, super cool, super powerful bad ass that we've come to know and love. I for one celebrate this fact as I felt the actor playing Wesker in Extinction didn't nail the true level of coolness/danger that Wesker represents. That and I think that Wesker is the coolest bad guy in the Resident Evil series and he deserves a truly fitting representation on film.
With all these visual delights just teasing and tempting us, I'm looking forward to September!
Saturday, 7 August 2010
Alien Autopsy - Ant & Dec
Just finished watching the incredibly compelling movie 'Alien Autopsy', based on a true story. I love Ant and Dec but my thoughts about this movie before I saw it were that it was going to be a poor attempt at a sci-fi comedy. However I've got to give it to the cast and crew that I've had to eat my words because the movie is actually really good.
Ignoring the presence of the alien footage (which is afterall the reason most people watched this film) the story surrounding the two main characters is entertaining, funny and a sequence of incredibly fortunate circumstances. Despite not being involved in any real acting roles for quite a while (at least to my knowledge - I'm happy to be corrected on this) Ant and Dec are very believable as Roy and Gary, the two very lucky stars of the film. The story revolves around Roy's fortunate discovery of a rare recording of an alien autopsy at the Roswell US military base. However, a bad turn of luck leads to the original film reel being severely damaged and Roy facing an unhappy future at the hands of his financier. Roy comes up with the idea to recreate the events that he saw and release his homemade video as the original.
Having seen the movie I was immediately inspired to browse YouTube for the original 1945 footage that was released to the world. What strikes me about this footage is the realism of it. Had I not seen the Ant and Dec film I could have easily believed the 1945 footage to be of an actual alien autopsy. It brings to light how easy it is to fake such an alien encounter and at the same time how much effort was put into making the fake autopsy. Some of the footage on YouTube is so gory as to be truly believable.
Whether or not such footage is real or fake, one of the most important things these videos do is to raise awareness and discussion of the possibility of life beyond our planet. Debate is hot on the subject and just the comments on the YouTube videos are strongly in favour for one side or the other.
At the end of the day, 'Alien Autopsy' is a thoroughly entertaining film and whether or not you believe in aliens, this is worthwhile watching.
Ignoring the presence of the alien footage (which is afterall the reason most people watched this film) the story surrounding the two main characters is entertaining, funny and a sequence of incredibly fortunate circumstances. Despite not being involved in any real acting roles for quite a while (at least to my knowledge - I'm happy to be corrected on this) Ant and Dec are very believable as Roy and Gary, the two very lucky stars of the film. The story revolves around Roy's fortunate discovery of a rare recording of an alien autopsy at the Roswell US military base. However, a bad turn of luck leads to the original film reel being severely damaged and Roy facing an unhappy future at the hands of his financier. Roy comes up with the idea to recreate the events that he saw and release his homemade video as the original.
Having seen the movie I was immediately inspired to browse YouTube for the original 1945 footage that was released to the world. What strikes me about this footage is the realism of it. Had I not seen the Ant and Dec film I could have easily believed the 1945 footage to be of an actual alien autopsy. It brings to light how easy it is to fake such an alien encounter and at the same time how much effort was put into making the fake autopsy. Some of the footage on YouTube is so gory as to be truly believable.
Whether or not such footage is real or fake, one of the most important things these videos do is to raise awareness and discussion of the possibility of life beyond our planet. Debate is hot on the subject and just the comments on the YouTube videos are strongly in favour for one side or the other.
At the end of the day, 'Alien Autopsy' is a thoroughly entertaining film and whether or not you believe in aliens, this is worthwhile watching.
Friday, 6 August 2010
Currently Playing: Championship Manager 03/04
The Championship Manager series of games has been one of my favourite long running addictions. I'm not a football fan by nature, it's an interest I developed from my brother, but there's something about the games that keeps drawing me in. Whether it's the statistical analysis of player skills, the management of tactics and strategies, or just the pure thrill of managing your favourite team, I just keep coming back.
Championship Manager 03/04 is the last in the series collaboration between Eidos and Sports Interactive, before the two companies went their separate ways, and in my eyes is one of the best football management sims released. To be successful in the game takes more than just knowing which players are the best in the world; you need to be able to create successful tactics, assess player skills and performances, and build a team of players who can gel together to win matches.
To help you do this, the developers have put massive amounts of time and effort into creating a huge player database of skills; ranging from their ability to score goals, right through to off the ball, and even off the pitch skills. This could easily become a statistical nightmare but by keeping the ratings limited from 1 to 10, the development team have managed to maintain the level of detail yet keep the system simple enough for anyone to understand.
Tactics, set plays and player positions are easy to set up with a simple click of the mouse. Preconfigured tactics are available to quickly load and modify, and for the majority of the matches you play one of these tactics will give you the win. However, one of my major complaints of the game is that there are some teams that play the most crazy tactics that really shouldn't work yet do. Sometimes these tactics are so unrealistic as to make you doubt how fairly the game is being towards you. In these cases I've found it best just to accept that it's impossible to win against these teams and move on to the next match!
Graphically the game is an improvement over previous versions in the series. The introduction of a 2D pitch for match highlights brings a welcome break to the normal text based display. It also adds to the feeling of actually being right there in the dugout, short of actually shouting at the players on screen. Audio is easily turned off and not missed so I can't really comment on this as I often end up adding my own sound effects!
Overall, I found Championship Manager 03/04 to be a wonderfully addictive and well polished football management sim, stacked full of player statistics and team trivia to keep even the most avid fan satisfied. Even several years on since its release, I'm certain I'll still be playing this game for years to come.
Championship Manager 03/04 is the last in the series collaboration between Eidos and Sports Interactive, before the two companies went their separate ways, and in my eyes is one of the best football management sims released. To be successful in the game takes more than just knowing which players are the best in the world; you need to be able to create successful tactics, assess player skills and performances, and build a team of players who can gel together to win matches.
To help you do this, the developers have put massive amounts of time and effort into creating a huge player database of skills; ranging from their ability to score goals, right through to off the ball, and even off the pitch skills. This could easily become a statistical nightmare but by keeping the ratings limited from 1 to 10, the development team have managed to maintain the level of detail yet keep the system simple enough for anyone to understand.
Tactics, set plays and player positions are easy to set up with a simple click of the mouse. Preconfigured tactics are available to quickly load and modify, and for the majority of the matches you play one of these tactics will give you the win. However, one of my major complaints of the game is that there are some teams that play the most crazy tactics that really shouldn't work yet do. Sometimes these tactics are so unrealistic as to make you doubt how fairly the game is being towards you. In these cases I've found it best just to accept that it's impossible to win against these teams and move on to the next match!
Graphically the game is an improvement over previous versions in the series. The introduction of a 2D pitch for match highlights brings a welcome break to the normal text based display. It also adds to the feeling of actually being right there in the dugout, short of actually shouting at the players on screen. Audio is easily turned off and not missed so I can't really comment on this as I often end up adding my own sound effects!
Overall, I found Championship Manager 03/04 to be a wonderfully addictive and well polished football management sim, stacked full of player statistics and team trivia to keep even the most avid fan satisfied. Even several years on since its release, I'm certain I'll still be playing this game for years to come.
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