The Secret of Monkey Island

The Secret of Monkey Island is a classic point and click adventure from LucasArts that is funny, entertaining and challenging all at the same time. You play as Guybrush Threepwood, a wannabe pirate who has come to Melee Island to join the crew of a pirate ship. Whilst on the island Guybrush soon uncovers a plot, by the sinister ghost pirate Le Chuck, to kidnap the governor of the island and force her to marry him. And so, far from becoming a pirate, he begins a quest against the ghost pirates to save the governor and uncover The Secret of Monkey Island.

Graphically the game looks quite aged now. Characters are very pixellated and blocky, although animations are prety smooth for the time. There is no audible speech in the game, instead what the characters are saying appears above their heads in different colours. This is all easily overcome once you start to get involved in the game.

The one thing that will keep you playing the game is the sense of humour put into it. Obviously throughout the course of the game everyone makes fun of Guybrush's name, but the humour doesn't end there. The pirates on the island are witty and Guybrush retorts as good as he gets. About halfway through the game you are introduced to the relatively limited swordfighting moments, however these are as unconventional as they could be; Battles in the game are not based on how quickly you can press a key, or press a button combination. Battles are based upon how witty your put-downs and comebacks are. For example, you are taunted with "People run from me" and you can retort with "Even before they smell your bad breath?".

The other characters in the game are also a hilariously random bunch of folks. The pirates are typically guzzling grog in the local tavern, with a few dastardly dealers hanging arouknd on street corners trying to sell you dodgy goods. The local islanders on Monkey Island wear giant fruits on their head and speak backwards. And a few lost, crazy mariners run around the islands talking to themselves. All in all the game keeps the comedy level high throughout and constantly gives you laugh out loud moments to maintain the lighthearted mood.

In amongst all of this random comedy there is still a serious story going on and some really challenging puzzles. There's plenty of obvious solutions to find but at the same time there are also some really unusual solutions to keep you scratching your head. And there are some hilarious moments to be had solving some of the puzzles. Without giving too much away I challenge you not to laugh when you find the key to the giant monkey head!

When I started playing The Secret of Monkey Island I knew all about the humour of the series and I've always enjoyed a good point and click adventure, but I was hesitant at first. However, once I started playing I was captivated by the humour, the gameplay and the brilliantly well written and hilarious story of pirate to be Guybrush Threepwood.

My name is Guybrush Threepwood and I am a fearsome pirate!

You can download The Secret of Monkey Island for free from Abandon Online

Sega releasing Dreamcast Classics on Xbox Live and Playstation Network

Sega have officially announced that they will be releasing classic Dreamcast titles on Xbox Live and Playstation Network, beginning with their trademark blue superhero Sonic Adventure and their hugely successful arcade and console Crazy Taxi. Both legendary games on the Dreamcast and both hugely successful. Sega promise more titles to come and I look forward to seeing the list as it happens.

After the many Sonic/Sega/Megadrive collections that have appeared on Playstation, Xbox and PC, it's a nice change to see Sega releasing titles from their more recent consoles. Many younger gamers may not have had the chance to enjoy these games the first time round and many lifelong gamers will jump at the chance to experience the thrill of these games once again. As long as Sega keep turning out new and innovative titles as well as their back catalogue, then the buying public will be satisfied.

And to get these classic games at bargain prices makes them more than worth it. I myself look forward to enjoying Sonic Adventure once again, having long lost my old (and slightly faulty) Dreamcast.

Check out the press release here: Sega - UK - Dreamcast Classics are back!

Alien Carnage

Alien Carnage is a quirky little game that plays well despite being fromt the DOS era. The readme recommends using DosBox to run this game but I found it worked perfectly well under WindowsXP SP3. I never played the original game when it was first released so I came to this game with completely unbiased expectations. The game does look graphically dated, being 2D and pixelated, but it's not bad for a game of the time. It does bring back memories of my youth and playing old Amiga games, and it certainly feels like a traditional platform adventure.


The story is simple, aliens have invaded Earth and turned innocent people into zombies and you have been tasked with eradicating the alien presence and stopping their evil plan to enslave all of humanity. Armed initially with only your trusty flamethrower and jetpack, you are dropped into the danger zone and immediately into the action. The flamethrower is suitably powerful and destroys most of the early enemies with ease. I forgot about my secondary weapon so never actually tried the mini heatseeking missles I was armed with, while trying out this game. However, the list of additional weapons you can find sounds equally as powerful, with nukes, and the incredible "Omega" (whatever that is) just a couple of possibilities.

The jetpack is a great alternative to regular platform jumping. Being able to fly arounrd the levels is fun in itself, however the major challenge comes from the shared fuel that the jetpack and flamethrower have. They can be recharged at charging stations throughout the levels, but making sure you can get to each one without running out of fuel whilst navigating the levels, is a careful balancing act. Do you gamble on fairly flat levels and go all out killing, or do you try to avoid enemies in favour of navigating the complex tunnels and platforms in each level?

The plays well and the character controls and very responsive. You can configure the keyboard or joypad controls to suit your needs, and the freeware version of the game also includes a 'turbo' mode; allowing you to speed up the main character to either help or hinder your quest.

I'll admit to not playing this game for a very long time as it didn't hold my attention. Mostly for lack of direction and no clear explanation of how to interact with elements in the game. There is an instructions option on the main menu but I dived straight into the game to get a feel of it quickly. It's certainly a great game to pass a few hours though and does include the ability to save, so you can dip in and out as you want.

You can download the game for free from http://www.fileplanet.com/177324/170000/fileinfo/Alien-Carnage-(Free-Game)

New Trailer: Tron:Evolution

A new video has been released for the upcoming game Tron: Evolution. Set between events of the original Tron movie and the upcoming Disney release, Tron: Legacy, the story will build up plot elements that will be referenced in the new movie and allow gamers access to areas that the movie will briefly introduce. If you get your hands on a copy of this and play it through to completion before the movie is released, you can feel chuffed that you've been part of the buildup to the storyline in the movie.

Tron: Evolution involves action sequences that will be familiar to fans of the original film. You'll encounter the disc throwing battles and the famous light cycles as well as new game features such as running/climbing walls, traditional platforming elements and exploration and puzzle solving. From the new video the gameplay looks smooth and realistic, with your character jumping and leaping around the environment with ease. And just like in the films you can seamlessly move from running to mounting the light cycle as it is drawn around your character. It just reeks of coolness!

I'm looking forward to catching this in the cinema and on my console!

Watch the new video on Yahoo.

Currently Playing: Band Hero

Band Hero is the offspring of the very popular and very successful Guitar Hero: World Tour. It invites non-rock fans to join in by introducing more pop tracks to the song listings. Whereas before my wife wouldn't have really entertained the thought of playing Guitar Hero because she really wasn't in to rock music, when she saw the track list for Band Hero she was already reaching for the mic before the disc was even in the XBox.

With tracks like Evanescence "Bring Me To Life", the age old favourite "Wannabe" by Spice Girls, and so many more pop classics from the 80s through to the current day, you can see the appeal. Band Hero is picking up on the popularity of karaoke games, such as Lips, and drawing in that audience. You can see the full track list in this Wikipedia article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Band_Hero#Console_soundtrack

Now with the track list being the biggest attraction to new players, it's the gameplay that's got to keep them interested. And that it does! Either choosing to play solo or with friends, all the game modes are available; Career mode, where you create your own character and band, and jam out in different arenas, building up you reputation. Quickplay mode for those who just want to get straight into the action. And a Versus mode for those friends who want to test their musical prowess.

We slipped straight into the action with quickplay mode. Each of the instruments (including vocals) was challenging and yet fun and addictive. The difficulty settings were very well set so that beginners could join in and be active even if they hit all the wrong notes, and experts could show off with finger breaking solos. The beginner mode is an ideal starting point for new gamers or younger gamers because it's all about the rhythm. No need to worry about which notes to play (or sing) as in beginner mode all you need to do is hit a note at the right time to score points. Each difficulty setting upwards increases the number of notes and complexity of the song at a very sensible rate, so developing your musical skills doesn't feel like an impossible task. This has been true of the Guitar Hero series since its first outing and is very commendable.

One of the best features of the game is of course being able to play with friends, whether you are good or bad, and we spent several hours of an evening jamming away and having a great time. It's quite an energetic game if you really get into it so be prepared to get seriously knackered if you go for all out headbanging and stage presence!

And of course, every game is always marked on is graphical impressiveness, with Band Hero being no let down. The game characters are perfectly animated, beautifully drawn and have every bit of real life rock/pop star about them. The stages are equally stunning, although in fairness you're more likely to be spending your time staring at the guitar/drum notes or lyrics on the screen than what the game characters are getting up to. Especially as you get up to the higher difficulty settings.

Overall, my experience of Band Hero has been an entertaining one and I can't recommend this game enough. Check out the track listings and if that isn't enough to convince you to play this game then nothing will. 

New trailer for Sonic 4: Episode 1

Sega have finally released a new trailer for Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1 and it's looking like a fantastic return to the 2D series. The stage we get to see is a labyrinth zone style familiar to many of Sonic's previous 2D outings. Making a welcome return are the usual perils that Sonic has faced over the years; running rivers that Sonic slides down, similar to the oil slicks from Sonic 2 and the sand slopes of Sonic 3; Loops, springs, spikes and the need for air bubbles underwater (a bane of many a player!).

There are also some new features in this trailer. In one sequence we see a giant boulder drop from the ceiling and Sonic jumps on top of it and runs and rolls the boulder, destroying all in it's path. There's also a sequence with Sonic riding in a mine cart across some dangerous tracks, jumping large gaps of missing track on his way. Another interesting looking feature involves Sonic running along dark tunnels carrying a candle. This is reminiscent of the sand temple levels from Sonic 3 when you had to pull the hanging switches to turn on the lights and keep the ghosts at bay. And finally there's another sequence in the trailer involving a rotating environment similar to the special zones in Sonic 2 and 3.

Graphically, Sonic 4: Episode 1 is shaping up to be a gorgeous looking game. Despite not being true 3D, Sonic looks in excellent form and although the scenery may rush passed in a blur, the levels are beautifully detailed and very atmospheric.

If this trailer is anything to go by, Sonic 4 is shaping up to be a worthy return to the 2D genre for our favourite spiky hero!

You can see the trailer here