Assassin’s Creed IV Black Flag – Check out The Watch trailer

I love Assassin's Creed, so make no apology for posting this ad for the new game! Just check this out!

MANIAPLANET ARRIVES ON STEAM

Today, Ubisoft and Nadeo announced that ManiaPlanet games and services, including the upcoming multiplayer first-person shooter, ShootMania Storm, will be accessible via Valve’s Steam service. TrackMania² Stadium, the racing game phenomenon with more than 12 million registered users also makes its debuts on Steam. BothShootMania Storm and TrackMania² Stadium open betas can now be accessed via Steam. Steam users can also download the full TrackMania² Canyon game via Valve’s platform.

ShootMania Storm is currently in open beta, inviting gamers of all levels from around the world to have a try the fast-paced competitive shooter. The open beta will allow Nadeo to fine-tune and refine the experience thanks to the feedback of the open beta testers, as well as to test servers and progressively introduce additional features and possibilities. Several updates are already planned until ShootMania Storm reaches its final version on April 10, 2013.

“This partnership with Steam’s worldwide publishing platform allows us to introduce ShootMania Storm and all of theManiaPlanet games and services to an even wider audience of PC gamers in the world. As a matter of fact, it is key to us that as many players as possible join the actual growing community so that everybody gets maximum fun with the game” said Anne Blondel-Jouin, Nadeo Publishing Managing Director.

“Through Steam, we’ll make "competition for everyone" a dream come true for more gamers and map-and-mod makers who all create the user-generated content and activity that make ShootMania Storm so attractive and innovative on the FPS PC competitive field,” Anne Blondel-Jouin added. "I want to take the opportunity to thank whole-heartedly the players who have already joined ShootMania Storm frenzyness and to welcome warmly the new comers: we're looking forward to seeing all of them on the servers."

Both ShootMania Storm and TrackMania² Stadium are now available to pre-order on Steam with a 10% discount until release, as well as on the official website of the ManiaPlanet platform: ManiaPlanet.com.  The games can also be downloaded and played right away in their Open Beta versions on http://www.ManiaPlanet.com/download

Developed by Ubisoft’s Nadeo studio, ShootMania Storm is a fast-paced, multiplayer first-person shooter designed from the ground up for online and eSports competition.  With multiple game modes and diverse play styles, ShootMania Storm is an innovative twist on familiar multiplayer gameplay that focuses on skill, speed and strategy.  The game also offers stout community support and interaction, with an easy-to-use map-maker and sharing elements that to date have produced more than 15 player-made game modes as well as more than 20,000 player-made maps.

ShootMania Storm, TrackMania² Stadium and TrackMania² Canyon are part of the ManiaPlanet system and follow in the footsteps of TrackMania^TM, Nadeo’s successful arcade racing game.  ManiaPlanet is a flexible and robust development, gaming and community platform that pushes cutting-edge graphics, enables limitless game types, and encourages incredible community participation and user-made content.  

The Tyranny of King Washington Draws Near

The First Episode of Assassin’s Creed III – The Tyranny of King Washington: The Infamy to Release on February 19

The time draws closer to fight for justice against a revolutionary turned tyrant in Assassin’s Creed III newest adventure, the Tyranny of King Washington. The Infamy, the first episode of a three-part tale, will be available on Microsoft’s Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system and Windows PCs on February 19 and on PlayStation3 computer entertainment system on February 20.

In the first episode of the Tyranny of King Washington series, our hero, Ratonhnhaké:ton, awakens from an unsettling dream to find that, despite his efforts to deliver justice in the newly-founded United States of America, a new king has been crowned – George Washington. The Infamy will take gamers through the beginning of the journey to dethrone King Washington.

The three upcoming episodes of the Tyranny of King Washington are available through the Assassin’s Creed III Season Pass, which is available for purchase for 2400 Microsoft Points on Xbox LIVE or £23.99 on the PlayStation Network and Windows PC. The first episode, The Tyranny of King Washington: The Infamy, can be purchased as a single DLC pack for 800 Microsoft points or £9.99.

Following The Infamy, The Tyranny of King Washington will continue in two additional content packs that let gamers experience an alternate history of the events following the American Revolution.

All Assassin’s Creed III downloadable content packs will also be available on the Wii U.

Assassin’s Creed III is now available on PlayStation3, Xbox 360 and the Nintendo Wii U. For Windows PC gamers, the Assassin’s Creed III Deluxe Edition is available as a digital download and includes all future downloadable content.

About Assassin’s Creed III:

Set against the backdrop of the American Revolution in the late 18th century, Assassin’s Creed III introduces a new hero, Ratonhnhaké:ton, of Native American and English heritage. Adopting the name Connor, he becomes the new voice for justice in the ancient war between the Assassins and Templars. Gamers become an Assassin in the war for liberty against ruthless tyranny in the most stylized and fluid combat experiences in the franchise to date.

Assassin’s Creed III spans the Revolutionary War, taking gamers from the vibrant, untamed frontier and bustling colonial towns to the intense, chaotic battlefields where George Washington’s Continental Army clashed with the imposing British Army and the tumultuous high seas. Assassin’s Creed III features unprecedented scope and scale.

For more information on Assassin’s Creed III, please visit the Assassin’s Creed Official Website: http://www.assassinscreed.com

Assassin’s Creed III’s The Hidden Secrets Downloadable Content

Today, Ubisoft announces the Assassin’s Creed III’s first downloadable content pack, The Hidden Secrets, is now available for Season Pass owners on Microsoft’s Xbox 360^® video game and entertainment system and Windows PC and will be available tomorrow for PlayStation^®3 computer entertainment system . The Hidden Secrets downloadable pack will be available broadly on December 11 on Xbox Live Arcade for the Xbox 360^® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and Windows PC and will be available on December 13 on the PlayStation^® Network. The first downloadable content pack will release for the Nintendo Wii U^TM at a later date.

The Hidden Secrets for Assassin’s Creed III adds three extra missions, including the Lost Mayan Ruins, the Ghost of War and a Dangerous Secret, for an additional hour of gameplay, taking gamers from the lost Mayan ruins to the high seas. Every successful mission is rewarded with in-game weapons. Gamers will also receive:

·         Two single-player costumes including the fabled Captain of the Aquila uniform and the traditional Colonial Assassin outfit

·         Two multiplayer characters including the fearsome Redcoat and the deadly Sharpshooter

The Assassin’s Creed III Season Pass grants access to all five upcoming downloadable content packs including The Hidden Secrets, to gamers owning the original game.  The Season Pass provides more than 25% savings versus purchasing the DLC separately.

Assassin’s Creed III Season Pass is available for purchase for 2400 Microsoft Points on Xbox LIVE or £23.99 on the PlayStation^®Network. It can also be purchased at GAME in the UK.

Future Assassin’s Creed III downloadable content will feature “The Tyranny of King Washington,” an all-new single-player campaign told through three episodic content packs that lets gamers experience an alternate history of the events following the American Revolution.

It’s 1783 and the American Revolution is over, but the true battle is just beginning. Blinded by a thirst for unlimited power, George Washington has declared himself King. Now, our new hero Ratohnhaké:ton must dethrone the tyrant and return freedom to the land.

In addition to this all-new single player experience, Assassin’s Creed III downloadable content will feature new maps and characters for an even more expansive multiplayer experience in the upcoming  “The Battle Hardened” pack.

Assassin’s Creed III is now available on PlayStation^® 3, Xbox 360^®, PCs and the Nintendo Wii U^TM.

About Assassin’s Creed III:

Set against the backdrop of the American Revolution in the late 18th century, Assassin’s Creed III introduces a new hero, Ratohnnhaké:ton, of Native American and English heritage. Adopting the name Connor, he becomes the new voice for justice in the ancient war between the Assassins and Templars. Gamers become an Assassin in the war for liberty against ruthless tyranny in the most stylized and fluid combat experiences in the franchise to date.

Assassin’s Creed III spans the Revolutionary War, taking gamers from the vibrant, untamed frontier and bustling colonial towns to the intense, chaotic battlefields where George Washington’s Continental Army clashed with the imposing British Army and the tumultuous high seas. Assassin’s Creed III will feature unprecedented scope and scale.

For more information on Assassin’s Creed III, please visit the Assassin’s Creed Official Website: http://www.assassinscreed.com

ASSASSIN’S CREED ANTHOLOGY

I'm unashamedly a massive fan of this series, so I make no apologies for this press release!

 Today, Ubisoft announced Assassin’s Creed Anthology, a unique collection containing every Assassin’s Creed game ever released for the Xbox 360^® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and PlayStation^®3 computer entertainment system, available exclusively at Amazon in the UK from November 30, 2012 for £119.99.

Assassin’s Creed Anthology is a prestige collector’s edition which includes all expansion packs and downloadable content for the Assassin’s Creed games, including the Season Pass for Assassin’s Creed III, which provides full access to all forthcoming downloadable content, the first of which will be available mid-December.  The Anthology Edition also includes five exclusive lithographs, an exclusive steel book and a collector’s box.

Assassin’s Creed Anthology includes:

Assassin’s Creed®

Experience the power of an Assassin in Jerusalem, 1191 AD during the brutal times of the third Crusades.

Assassin's Creed® II

Assassin's Creed II introduces you to Ezio, a new assassin carrying on the deadly lineage of his forebears. Confront an epic tale of power and corruption as you hone your assassin's art, wielding weapons and instruments designed by the legendary Leonardo da Vinci himself in this gripping and deadly sequel.

Also includes:

Sequence 12: Battle of Forlì DLC and Sequence 13: Bonfire of the Vanities DLC.

Assassin's Creed® Brotherhood - The Da Vinci Edition

Ezio must journey into Italy’s greatest city, Rome, center of power, greed and corruption to strike at the heart of the enemy. Defeating the corrupt tyrants entrenched there will require not only strength, but leadership, as Ezio commands an entire brotherhood of assassins who will rally to his side. Only by working together can the assassins defeat their mortal enemies and prevent the extinction of their order.

Also includes:

The Da Vinci Disappearance: 1 single player story Mission

2 Additional Solo Missions: Trajan Market and the Aqueducts

New Multiplayer features: 1 Map + 6 Characters + 2 new modes

Assassin's Creed® Revelations - The Ottoman Edition

Ezio Auditore must leave his life behind in search of answers, in search of the truth. In Assassin's Creed® Revelations, master assassin Ezio Auditore walks in the footsteps of the legendary mentor Altaïr, on a journey of discovery and revelation. It is a perilous path — one that will take Ezio to Constantinople, the heart of the Ottoman Empire, where a growing army of Templars threatens to destabilize the region.

Also includes:

The lost archive: 1 single player story Mission

New Singleplayer Features: 3 Skins, Capacity upgrades + 1 Additional Mission: Vlad the Impaler’s Prison

New Multiplayer Features: 6 Maps + 7 Characters + Customisation Items

Assassin's Creed® III

Assassin’s Creed III invites players to experience the untold story of the American Revolution through the eyes of a new Assassin, Connor.  Designed from the ground up over more than two years, Assassin’s Creed III takes one of gaming’s most beloved franchises to new heights.

Also includes:

The Season Pass, providing instant access to all forthcoming Assassin’s Creed® III downloadable game content packs, the first of which is available from mid-December 2012.

To pre-order from Amazon, please visit: http://www.amazon.co.uk/s?ie=UTF8&rh=n:300703&page=1&hidden-keywords=B00A2RVJ7Y%7CB00A2RVJ9W

For more information on Assassin’s Creed, please visit (www.assassinscreed.com) and facebook.com/assassinscreed

Assassin's Creed 3 - Official Animus Trailer

Because Assassin's Creed, that's why!

Ubisoft Ignites the American Revolution with Assassin’s Creed III

Well, colour me unbelievably excited about this game!

 Assassin’s Creed III will hit store shelves on October 31, 2012, encouraging gamers to experience the American Revolutionary War not written about in history books.  The largest project in Ubisoft’s history also introduces a brand new hero.

With a development cycle of over three years and twice the production capacity of any previous Ubisoft game, Assassin’s Creed III is set to release on the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PlayStation3 computer entertainment system, Windows PC and is also in development for Wii U from Nintendo. Assassin’s Creed III is developed by Ubisoft Montreal in collaboration with six other Ubisoft studios.

Set against the backdrop of the American Revolution in the late 18th century, Assassin’s Creed III introduces a new hero,Ratohnaké:ton, of Native American and English heritage. Adopting the name Connor, he becomes the new voice for justice in the ancient war between the Assassins and Templars. Players become an Assassin in the war for liberty against ruthless tyranny in the most stylized and fluid combat experiences in the franchise to date. Assassin’s Creed III spans the Revolutionary War, taking gamers from the vibrant, untamed frontier to bustling colonial towns and the intense, chaotic battlefields where George Washington’s Continental Army clashed with the imposing British Army.

Assassin’s Creed III is powered by Ubisoft-AnvilNext, a revolutionary new game engine that delivers breakthroughs in visual quality, character models and artificial intelligence. Assassin’s Creed III will feature a ground-breaking level of stunning graphics that bring Colonial America to life.

“Assassin’s Creed III features the franchise’s most expansive setting so far, along with an exciting new hero and exponentially more gameplay,” said Yves Guillemot, chief executive officer at Ubisoft. “Whether you’re a longtime fan of Assassin’s Creed or if you’re new to the franchise, you’re going to be blown away by the scale and marvel of Assassin’s Creed III.”

Assassin’s Creed III also can be pre-ordered at UBIShop by visiting: http://shop.ubi.com/assassinscreed3

Additional Assassin’s Creed III details can be found in exclusive cover features in the next issues of Official Xbox Magazine (20^thMarch), Official Playstation Magazine (20^th March) and Nintendo Gamer (23^rd March).

New artwork from Assassin’s Creed III also will be featured in Assassin’s Creed Recollection, the real-time board game for the iPad.

For more information on Assassin’s Creed, please visit the Assassin’s Creed Official Website (www.assassinscreed.com) andfacebook.com/assassinscreed.

UBISOFT ANNOUNCES ASSASSIN’S CREED RECOLLECTION FREE OFFER

Today, Ubisoft announced that its real-time board game title Assassin’s Creed Recollection for iPad, is now available for free for a very limited time on the App Store.

Assassin's Creed Recollection, designed and optimised to take full advantage of the large display and Multi-Touch interface of iPad, allows players to live an entirely new experience in the world of Assassin’s Creed. Fans of the franchise are able to compete in political battles in a real-time board game, with key characters and locations from the original console game franchise. They can also discover and amass a wide variety of artwork created for the Assassin’s Creed games.

Players can expect an eight to ten-hour narrative experience with 20 story missions, which takes players on an intriguing journey from Barcelona to Constantinople. For those who want to take the experience online, they can challenge their friends and other players from around the world in intense real-time battles with Game Centre, where their strategies and abilities will truly be put to the test.

The Assassin’s Creed Recollection App is available from the App Store on iPad or at: www.itunes.com/appstore/

For more information, head to: www.assassinscreed.com/ios/recollection

New Aliens: Colonial Marines trailer unleashed!

Oh this looks great, but we have to wait until the Autumn!?
And double points for using the music from Moon.

UFC UNDISPUTED 3 PLAYABLE DEMO NOW AVAILABLE

 THQ Inc. (NASDAQ: THQI) and the Ultimate Fighting Championship® organisation today announced the UFC® Undisputed™ 3 playable demo is now available for free download via Xbox LIVE Marketplace for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, as well as PlayStation Network for the PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system.  Consumers will explore a fantasy UFC matchup between current UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones and current UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva.  In addition, they will relive a classic PRIDE Mode rivalry between renowned UFC fighters and former champions Quinton “Rampage” Jackson and Wanderlei Silva.  The playable demo will also offer mirror matches, enabling consumers to play against friends or opponent AI as the same fighter, in the ultimate test of skill.  UFC Undisputed 3 is currently scheduled for release on February 14, 2012 for Xbox 360 and the PlayStation 3 system.

OUCH!

UFC Undisputed 3 will take players inside the virtual Octagon with focus on intense toe-to-toe combat, impressive visual presentation and significantly increased accessibility, including the debut of PRIDE Mode, two new weight classes and an impressive playable roster of more than 150 UFC fighters.  PRIDE Mode will enable players to fight for the first time in the renowned Japanese MMA organization and include official commentators Bas Rutten and Stephen Quadros, authentic environments and notorious MMA rules, including the ability to execute soccer-style kicks, head stomps and ground knees to the head.  Finishing an opponent will be more important than ever through devastating new moves, responsive striking controls, refined visual presentation and the introduction of a brand new, graphics-based submission system.  In addition, players will now enter the Octagon with a choice between traditional and simplified gameplay control options, enabling them, regardless of skill level, to experience the intensity of UFC and nuances of MMA combat while executing simple standing strikes or more complex ground and transition mechanics.

Dredd vs Zombies game review

Yes! We're spoiling you folks! After too long with no reviews, here's a second one for today!

Even though 2000AD, the Galaxy’s Greatest Comic, is owned by Rebellion, a games company, there have been precious few games based on characters from the comic released.
Until now we have had the FPS Dredd Vs Death and the (I think it can be argued) criminally overlooked and possibly groundbreaking Rogue Trooper. Now though, we have another game to add to the list: Dredd Vs Zombies.
This is a budget iPhone release, and by budget we mean FREE, and what you get for your (no) money is really quite remarkable.

The story, for what there is of it, is about an outbreak of zombies in Mega City One, and Dredd has to get in there are sort them out. And by ‘sort them out’ I of course mean ‘shoot them with a variety of guns’, which is something he does very well, it has to be said. This is thanks to the rather nicely automatic aiming system in the game, so the player is not reduced to spinning on their heel in a circle frantically trying to hit something.
The levels are somewhat samey, but they include a nice range of different zombie types, some of which, like the fatty zombie, are uniquely Mega City One creations, and contain a nasty surprise for the unwary.
What is very impressive though is the learning curve in the game – it is pitched just about perfectly, well, for me at least. I found myself getting just that little bit further every time I tried a level, not so far as to make it feel easy, or not far enough to  make me want to give up.
The graphics are splendid too. They are crisp and clear and for a free game, impressively detailed.
There is some great fun to be had here, and each level has good replay value as you must return to gain that oh so important but elusive extra star so as to unlock some later level.
Just one thing though, Dredd. When you say, ‘No back-up required’, I feel that you’re being a tad over-confident, arrogant almost. There is a zombie invasion! Back-up would have been brilliant!

Superman iPhone game

We're still playing catch-up with some outstanding reviews here, thanks to the post-Christmas ennui!

So here goes with a couple that should have been up a long time ago!


Superman The Game

A while ago, your intrepid team Hi-Ex! attended the Dundee Comic Book Day, where one of the talks was about this game, which was developed by Dundee based Tiger Games.
Superman as a character has been very badly served in the past when it comes to computer games. I have played quite a few of them and the biggest problem has always been Superman himself. I have never been able to understand how or why they could give Superman an energy bar. He’s indestructible, after all! So having him die because of something that (to him) is relatively minor, like an asteroid falling on his head or something like that, never rang true.
Tiger Games have managed to solve this problem however. Instead of Superman having a health bar, Metropolis does.

The game, you see, concerns you, as Superman, defending the city against escalating attacks from a variety of fronts ranging from good old Lex Luthor to crashing planes or the aforementioned asteroids.
If you fail at any of these tasks then the city takes the damage, not the Man of Steel. So when the city dies, it is game over.
Gameplay is great, with the controls simple to master. The only bugbear is the virtual joystick, which is something that you either love or hate.
Graphic are, given the size of the game, very good indeed and there are some lovely touches, like Superman leaving a blue and red trail behind him as he accelerates in flight.
Some of the gameplay can be a little repetitive – just how many spaceships can fall on one city –but for the laughable price of 69 pence, this really represents superb value for money.

FREE CO-OP MODE AVAILABLE FOR WARHAMMER 40,000: SPACE MARINE

So, a while ago we reviewed the game Space Marine.
In that review, one of the very few negatives was the lack of online modes. Well, we'll take full credit for THQ announcing that there is a brand new, and free, co-op mode available for online play!

Details from their press release:

Space Marine's Exterminatus mode pits an elite squad of four Space Marines against hordes of alien enemies in a score based fight to the death. Players can choose the Tactical Marine, Devastator or Assault Marine as well as utilizing any weapons and perks available to those classes.
Each of Exterminatus Mode's scenarios, ‘Assault on Hab Center Andreas' and ‘Escape From Kalkys Facility,' feature global leader boards challenging players to better their scores by completing dynamic challenges as well as utilizing score modifiers which increase game difficulty in exchange for additional points.
Experience earned while playing this mode counts towards the game's multiplayer ranks, allowing players to earn progression in both Co-Op and multiplayer.
Jim Huntley, Vice President of Global Brand Management commented,
"We are delighted to be able to reward the loyal fans of Space Marine with a new free mode to extend and enhance their game play experience. Exterminatus will provide a rewarding new challenge to players old and new."
Space Marine's Exterminatus mode is available to download for free on the Playstation^®3 computer entertainment system and Windows PC. The Xbox^®360 version will be available for free soon.

Assassin's Creed Revelations trailer

Yes, yes... I know you're all getting excited by the new Batman game (which does look splendid) and Battlefield 3, but this is the one I'm looking forward to the most!

Assassin's Creed Revelations - unlock the Animus

I  make no apologies for blogging about this game again, because I cannot wait for it!

Ubisoft have just announced a new website for the upcoming Assassin's Creed Revelations, which you can find here.

As there is a chance to win a holiday there, I don't know why I'm even telling you about it, I should really be keeping it a secret...

Trackmania 2 review

This review comes courtesy of Richard McAuliffe from the Everything Comes Back to 2000AD blog and podcast - go check it out!
Unless your very young, in which case - wait until you're older!

Some of you may have played the first Trackmania game so to you I'll just say its more of the same but WAY better looking and polished. Actually it probably doesn't matter what the hell I say. If you played the first you've probably already bought this. So I'll just write this for the newbies.

Trackmania 2 is a driving game in which you get two basic modes, offline and online. So looking at both in order :

Offline is basically time trials. You get dozens of tracks to choose from and opening each you are presented with three medals to race for, gold down to bronze. Depending on which you choose a ghost car also appears on the track and in order to win the medal you have to beat it across the finishing line. Easy as that. If you fail to win and replay the track again there is a second ghost car which is your best performance so far so you race the computer and yourself.

This might sound slightly dull on paper but it really isn’t. For one thing there are the tracks themselves which are insane. Totally impossible physically with crazy jumps, twists and drops so it’s more like you are racing over a huge tarmaced rollercoaster than a racetrack. Then there's the rankings. I've never been much of a person for leader boards but after putting in my details and playing a few tracks I'm told "Well done, you are 250,496th in the world (or whatever) and 327th in Wales". That's what gets you. The need to be 326th locally. Then 325th. That "I'll just have one more quick try" factor to try and shave a quarter second off your best time.

Then there's the immediacy and pure arcade style fun of this. Going through the tracks four out of every five have something around 30-40 seconds as your target time. It’s this short burst element which gives it an Angry Birds style addiction and you'll find your "Just one more go, it'll only take half a minute" will suddenly turn into two or three hours. To compliment this rapid play, at any time you hit the backspace button and the track resets without even the slightest hint of a delay. While this is fun though the real meat of the game is online.

Online runs through its own server which works really well but to be honest I would have preferred it personally if, like the first game, it ran through Steam. As you'd expect you log in, select one of the hundreds of running games and are thrown in with 20 or so other players. Here though you are given a set time per track, usually five minutes, and its down to you to get the best completion time during that period. The fact the other cars are intangible did seem a bit of a shame at first but due to the complexity of most tracks it would be fairly impossible to put that many impactable cars on without it being total chaos. In game banter is generally done in text, but I did join a few servers which were giving channels of a game chat add on should you prefer. The game allows you to upload an icon to represent yourself and these are shown as little floating tags above the other cars for indentification in-race which does make for some fun competition when transferred to the leader boards between each track. Knowing you only need to complete a lap a second faster to go from 20th to 10th is some serious incentive.

The last factor of this game is the inbuilt level designer. I'll admit I only dabbled with this slightly but it did seem very straightforward and intuitive and having raced on some custom home made tracks in the online mode I can attest that it’s possible to make some seriously hardcore levels of your own. What I did spend some time with though, was the car designer. You can only manually paint onto a dozen or so basic car shapes but I did quite enjoy doing this. As a result if you do get this game and see a jet black car with a black and red rear spoiler and the Batman symbol on the doors and bonnet that’s me. And yes I know its childish and NO I don’t care because it looks AWESOME in-game. Even if the "Oi Batman... last again, eh?" chants got a bit old quickly  :(

So in summary this game rocks. I'm not usually a big driving game fan (exluding the insanity of Split Second : Velocity) but I'm totally hooked on this. The offline mode is a fun distraction for when you have 10 minutes to kill and the online is insane fun. Even when I was invariably coming in at the tail end each time I was still eager to play the next track and try and do a bit better and the online community seemed surprisingly idiot free and were more about the fun of the game than abusively lording it over newbies. Add to this the fact that the level designer means new tracks are constantly being uploaded and you're getting a LOT of game for your £20.

Highly recommended.

Space Marine game review

There have been many previous attempts to get the world of Games Workshop’s Warhammer 40,000 into computer game format. Many years ago we had the rather good, but by today’s standards very primitive, Space Hulk, which was based on the boardgame of the same name.

Best among the spin offs though was the brilliant strategy game Dawn of War.

Which brings us to this latest release: Space Marine.

As the name suggests, you take the role of one of these military superheroes. 

And for those of you who are totally lost or did not grow up as a teenage nerd boy, I shall tell you what a Space Marine is.

They are the elite soldiers of humanity in the far future, in a universe that is defined by conflict. Genetically engineered and encased in a suit of power armour, Space Marines defend humanity against the slavering hordes of aliens and Chaos demons that constantly threaten it.

Or they are horrible fascistic bully-boys destroying anything different to them… depending on your point of view!

You are Captain Titus of the Ultramarines, who are the premiere Chapter in the 40k universe, appearing in countless novels and comics. You are crash landed on a planet with a few of your men and swiftly become embroiled in an Ork invasion… but of course, everything is not as it seems and there may be other forces at work behind the scenes…

The story is good, but not brilliant, there are no real surprises in the twists in the narrative. But it is exactly the amount of story the game needs to take you from one action scene to the next.

And boy are there action scenes!

There is an undeniable thrill to be had as you stand alone on a battlefield and watch as a horde of 100 or more screaming orks charge towards you. But you just grip tighter on your bolter and, For the Emperor, let rip.

The combat, which is of course the backbone of the game, is great. Blood flows. Lots of blood. And to begin with, the combat is surprisingly difficult. I fouind myself getting killed quite quickly a number of times before figuring out that while Space Marines are tough, they are not indestructible, so running headlong into the middle of an ork attack is a Bad Idea.

As your life goes down, you can build it up again by performing a finishing move on an opponent in melee combat. These are Fun, but not for the faint hearted, as they are invariably gory in the extreme and there are different, but equally over the top, ones for the various melee weapons you pick up during the game.

I’m not the best person to judge the length of a single player game, as I play pretty slowly -  but to me the campaign mode in this game is a healthy length, certainly when compared to the likes of Call of Duty. And the range of weapons and out and out feeling of fun will have you returning to levels again to have another go. This was certainly the case with me, and I usually never play a level again once completed.

Of course, the campaign is very much half the story, as games today will stand or fall on the standard of online play.

In this respect, Space Marine is very much hit and miss.

The mechanics of the online game are great. Character design and tweaking is always fun, and you can do a lot of this - choosing armour colour and patterns, or just opting for an existing Marine chapter.  And as is usual, new weapons and armour are unlocked as you progress up the ranks.

The games play well and are fast moving. First few times out are a bit daunting though, so expect to be killed quite a lot before you get into the rhythm of things.

The biggest problem with online play though is the lack of variety.

There are only two races to choose from: Space Marines or Chaos Marines. It would be nice to see some orks up there, they are in the main game after all, so the skins already exists. And the addition of Eldar and some of the other races that populate the 40k universe would be most welcome. As well as a limited number of characters, there are also only two different game modes: a team battle and a seize ground one.

Again, while these are great to play, it would be nice to see more options up there.

I am hoping that this will be addressed in future patches and downloads, or else the online experience will be a decidedly limited one.

However, don’t let that put you off! If you’re a Warhammer fan, you’ll probably have this already, but if you’re not and are maybe unsure or just a fan of shoot ‘em ups, then it is well worth a look.

Gameplay is great, graphics are superb and there is a lot of highly entertaining highly bloody violence to be dispensed to the enemies of Mandkind.

Get to it!

Driver San Francisco review

The original Driver and Driver 2, more so I would argue, were stone cold classics. You remember Driver 2? You remember how amazing it was to actually be able to get out of your car? You remember the impossible final mission?

Such a small thing as opening a door and standing up seems no big deal now, in this post GTA world, but it was back then. In fact, There’s a good argument to be made that GTA and the like would not be what they are today without the first couple of Driver games.

Of course, as we know, the series went off the rails a bit with the not so good Driver 3 and slightly better Parallel Lines. Could San Francisco be the thing that would breathe new life into the franchise?

On the face of it, the central premise of this game is utterly ridiculous.

It starts with Charles Jericho, Tanner’s mortal enemy, making a bid for freedom while being transported in a prison van. During the course of the chase, you (that is, Tanner) crash and end up in a coma. Don’t worry about spoilers, this is the first couple of minutes!

After that, things get a bit… unusual.

You see, from your hospital bed, you are able to ‘shift’. That is, jump from car to car and take control of the driver of that vehicle.

Like I say, ridiculous.

It is a credit to Ubisoft Reflections that this gameplay element works so well. In fact, it works brilliantly, and adds a much needed extra layer to gameplay that helps lift this release well above other driving games.

For example: you shift into the body of a police driver as they are chasing a criminal. As you pursue them, you can shift between yours and other police cars and wear them down, or shift into a car further up the road and use it to block your targets path.

There are loads of side missions like this – like scaring a driving instructor or taking on the roll of a movie stuntman among them, and the make great use of the shift system.

The player has a choice to take these on or to pursue the main story arc, although some of these missions need to be unlocked by playing side missions.

I should also mention the environment here too. It is huge. I have never been to San Francisco, so cannot comment on how accurate it is, but it certainly feels realistic. And did I mention just how big it is? Well, it is. Huge.

Graphics are astonishing, with some of the cut scenes being almost CG movie in quality. Voice acting is very good too, and the banter between characters is fun and funny.

I also loved the control system. The shift element is surprisingly easy to use, and the cars all handle well. The physics are not too realistic, making it fun for the casual player like me who isn’t a hardcore FORZA nut!

And as well as all this, we have online play.

This is fun too, although being the aforementioned casual player, I am sometimes out of my depth with the more… serious players out there. But there are some nice online missions and the developers have obviously given a lot of thought as to how they can utilise the shift ability to the greatest extent.

So, can this breathe new life into the franchise?

It can indeed, if you have time to catch your breath.

Space Marine gameplay trailer

I spent a rather enjoyable afternoon playing the newly released demo for this.Can't wait for the full game!

Child of Eden review

It is hard to describe this game. You really need to play it to get what it is about.

Only you don’t actually play this game, it's more like you experience it.

It is strange in way… much like Star Wars is just your basic rescue the princess from the bad guy’s castle story (it even has Black Knight and everything) and Alien is merely a haunted house story- Halloween on a spaceship- Child of Eden is, when you strip everything away, a basic on rails shooter.

But, like Star Wars and Alien, it is done in such a way as to become so much more than the sum of its parts.

It took me a couple of plays of the first level to get this, but when it clicked it was a real ‘wow’ moment and from that moment on I could not get enough of this game.

There are only five levels here, and each is relatively short, but because you need to accumulate stars to open the next level, you need to replay levels again and again.

But know this- you will not mind.

This is because designer Tetsuya Mizuguchi (he of Rez fame) has created something truly spectacular. The graphics are great. Mind numbingly so. Players are treated to a visual feast. Images swirl and… things... fly past. Things that cannot quite be described. And the colours. Oh man, the colours.

So, in summary: it looks divine.

And then there is the sound element of the game, where you will get better scores of you mange to kill the bad guys in time with the music, which will in turn add another layer to the beat.

Oh, and the bad guys are not bad guys as such, there is a story to this game. Something about a computer virus and you are killing of the viruses inside a computer. Never mind that though- as I said at the beginning, this is a game to experience, not just read about. 

So get it and jump right in.