[360] Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing

Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing Review
Platform Tested: 360
Platform(s) Available: 360, PS3, Wii, NDS, PC
Kart Racing

When one mentions Kart Racing games the Mario Kart series tends to be the first to come to mind, having released numerous successful games over the years. Now Mario's old rival is taking to the track (somewhat bizarrely considering how fast he can run). Can Sonic keep up with the Nintendo mascot or will he be left trailing in his dust?

One of the first things to note about Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing (or Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing with Banjo-Kazooie on the 360) is that the game is all about fan service; If you love all things Sega then the game will no doubt leaving you squealing with glee on that alone. The game contains around 20 characters, depending on the version (Miis and Avatars make an appearance alongside the aforementioned Banjo-Kazooie combo), from a range of Sega games throughout the years. Obviously a lot of them are from the Sonic series but the game also includes the likes of Alex Kidd, Ryo Hazuki and AiAi to name a few.

As well as the characters, the music is taken from a range of Sega games. The games contains 40 different tracks, a pretty nice selection, and you can scroll through tracks at the beginning of a race if there's particular ones you want to listen to (or avoid). Of course if you want to listen to the music you may want to turn the commentator off; is there a game somewhere which has a commentator who isn't annoying and doesn't constantly repeat the same few phrases? I can't count the number of times I've heard the phrase "Where did you guys learn to drive? A farm."; you know what, yeh, I did, and I'm winning, so get off my case. That said he does have the benefit of letting you know when someone has one of the better power-ups.

And that can be useful to know. The majority of the power-ups are slight variations on the traditional Mario Kart ones. Green boxing gloves instead of green shells, Red Rockets instead of red shells, sneakers instead of mushrooms. Shooting stars turn the screen upside down and rainbows, well, your screen goes rainbow coloured, it's trippy, but not really off-putting; I tend to aim for them; but that could just be me. There's a few others as well but the most important one is the titular All-Star.

The All-Star is the ultimate power up. What it does depends on the character who uses it; Sonic becomes Super Sonic (bet you didn't see that one coming), Banjo initiates Jiggy rain (I could have done with this back in Diddy Kong Racing), and Amigo launches into an infectious Samba (Because Sega characters, obviously, care more about dancing than racing) and so on and so forth.

While it is nice to see a range of different moves, they aren't exactly balanced. In some ways this isn't an issue due to the fact that the very point of them is to be unbalancing. Like most games of this type the power-ups you get tend to increase in potency as you fall down the pack, helping, along with rubber banding, to ensure a competitive race from start to finish. My main issue with the power ups in Sonic Racing is that there isn't so much rubber banding as usual and instead there seem to be a large number of All-Stars per race. In multiplayer this is all very well, it keeps the game fun and gives everyone a chance to win, but in the single player it means you can be winning, and winning well, for a majority of the race only to be overtaken at the last second because an opponent got an All-Star. It's a common problem with Kart games but it doesn't make it less bothersome.

As far as game modes go the game supports online multiplayer, offline multiplayer, single races, Grand Prix mode, Time Trails and Missions (limits etc depend on platform). The majority are pretty self explanatory. A Grand Prix is the best over four pre-selected races, and Missions give you a certain objective on a certain track with a certain character and then rate you on your performance.

Through playing you earn a currency that allows you to unlock the music, tracks and characters which you do not have from the beginning. This system means that, while better players will unlock the content faster you do not necessarily have to be great at the game to unlock things it will just take longer if you aren't as you will get less points for your efforts.

A few other important mechanics worth mentioning (I assume I don't have to go into detail about accelerating); like a number of it's competitors you can get boosts in numerous ways, either by pressing the accelerator at the right moment at the beginning of a race, by drifting, by hitting boost pads or by doing tricks while in midair. In the case of drifting and tricks you can build up to 3 boost levels to unleash once you stop/land.

For the most part though the game follows the fairly standard Kart formula laid down by numerous games before it.

Rating:

Audio: 8/10 [Good selection of music. The commentator however is annoying, if slightly useful]

Graphics: 8/10 [The game has a nice, bright look to it]

Gameplay: 8/10 [Good, solid karting action]

Multiplayer: 9/10 [Great fun, levelled power-ups help to keep the field relatively level and competitive]

Presentation: 8/10 [Nice presentation, if nothing special]

Lasting Appeal: 8/10 [There's a good number of tracks and missions and a reasonable amount to unlock]

Story: -

Overall: 8/10

Better than Ridge Racer 7 - Worse than Mario Kart Wii
Like this? Try Mario Kart Wii

A solid karting game it doesn't quite do enough to propel it above the Mario Kart series but it at least comes close.

Illusion

[360] Operation Flashpoint: Red River Review

Operation Flashpoint: Red River Review
Platform Tested: 360
Platform(s) Available: 360, PS3, PC
Tactical FPS

Red River is the follow up to Dragon Rising, released in late 2009, which was itself a follow up to earlier Operation Flashpoint games developed by Bohemia Interactive. Dragon Rising, under Codemasters control, deviated somewhat from the original Flashpoint games and suffered from a lack of polish. But have Codemasters improved upon it with Red River?

Well, yes and no.

As far as making an approachable shooter Red River is a step ahead of Dragon Rising. It's also several steps behind the likes of Call of Duty, Halo and numerous other big name shooters. In fact the game suffers a little from not being sure whether it wants to be like its predecessors or like the guns blazing, hold your hand every step of the way, action games that are popular today. In terms of pure action it can't compete; which means that when it does hold your hand it's, well, boring. Fortunately that's easily rectified.

When will the river run red?

A quick flick of a difficulty switch later and the majority of the HUD is removed. Now you have to pay attention. Now you have to be careful. Now you have to think about what you're doing. Of course the downside is that now the game is brutally difficult. On the hardest difficulty we're talking no checkpoints and no respawns in hour long missions. Having to restart because you died right at the end can be... aggravating. Luckily the game allows some customisation of difficulty levels allowing you to adjust the HUD to your preference or allow respawns while disabling the majority of the HUD. While there are a few options to this which I feel should really be included it covers most of the bases.

Another benefit of this is that in co-op you can play on a lower difficulty but still allow better players to play with HUD options removed and get the most out of the game. And co-op is where this game really shines. Working together as a team is a great experience and while the removal of the dedicated medic class from Dragon Rising is a disappointment as far as roles is concerned there are four different classes to choose from, although the overlap is a little extreme in some cases. You also have the benefit that if you die half way through a mission (on hardcore) you've probably (if your team mates are any good) got a bit of time to go grab a cuppa while they finish the mission.

Besides being great fun, playing co-operatively saves you from worrying about AI companions. Not that the AI is bad. It isn't, or at least no worse than most AI, the problem, and I hesitate to call it a problem, but the issue some people will have with it is is that it tends to disobey stupid commands. That's right, if you're lying bleeding out next to three enemies and you command your team mate to heal you they will probably wait until the enemies are out of the way rather than rushing in and dying; it makes sense but some people expect the AI to do exactly as commanded.

Anyone for night missions?

On the flip side, if you don't give the AI many commands they won't be as effective. And giving commands can be slightly problematic in the middle of a combat situation, another reason to play co-op; asking Timmy to flank left with Rob while you go round to the right and Simon lays down covering fire is a lot easier than instructing AI.

Instructing AI is done through the use of a fairly simple radial menu. You can give commands to either the whole squad or to individual members. It can take some time, especially until you become familiar with the layout. You can also give some orders from the map which is useful and there is a similar radial control for issuing support commands (just try not to order mortars on your current position by mistake).

The campaign is fairly long, though slightly shorter than Dragon Rising. Also the PvP modes from the previous game have been removed though there are now a number of smaller missions aside from the main campaign which see you clearing areas, rescuing pilots in enemy territory, defending locations and escorting convoys. Each of these missions, including the campaign ones are given a rating and earning successive medals will help improve your characters basic attributes. You will also earn experience towards your current class, allowing you to earn unlocks. While this is a nice system you get to the point where the rifleman more or less does everything and the other classes only have minor benefits.

Whatever class you are you can use any of the weapons in the game, although how competent you are with them varies slightly. Your arsenal includes the likes of rifles, snipers, anti-vehicle weapons, grenade launchers and mounted weapons. You can also, depending on the weapon equip attachments like scopes and silencers.

Each character can also equip two of a set of perks which do things like increase the amount of ammo you can carry, reduce the chance of your weapon jamming, increase your endurance or simply provide you with more experience. As the rifleman gains access to an attachable grenade launcher and a rifle nearly on par with a sniper for most medium distance fighting these perks are the main reason to play as different classes once you've levelled them all up.

While the game is polished more than Dragon Rising was there are still a number of issues that carry over from the previous game but most of them are either minor or rare. Some of the language is also a little, excessive, though whether you consider that an accurate depiction of the military experience or a bad attempt to characterise the only person in the game who really has any character will depend on how you see such things.

Rating:

Audio: 7/10 [Excessive language and occasional glitches mar otherwise good audio]

Graphics: 7/10 [Looks good for the most part]

Gameplay: 8/10 [Great on harder difficulties but the degree of challenge isn't for everyone]

Multiplayer: 9/10 [Great co-operative game, team work and communication is a must]

Presentation: 8/10 [The HUD and map work well and are fairly adjustable]

Lasting Appeal: 8/10 [Between levelling up your classes and getting gold medals on all the levels there's quite a lot to do]

Story: 7/10 [Run of the mill military storyline]

Overall: 8/10

Better than Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising - Worse than Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter
Like this? Try Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter

If you want a challenging co-operative shooter Red River will provide your blood bath. But if you're just looking for action packed thrills there are better alternatives.

Illusion

[360] Just Cause 2 Review

Just Cause 2
Platform Tested: 360
Platform(s) Available: 360, PS3, PC

Open world action adventure/3rd person shooter

If ever a game screamed value for money and longevity then Just Cause 2 is it. You take on the role of Rico Rodriguez who must overthrow the evil dictator 'Baby' Panay; along the way you use and work for the three factions; Roaches, Reapers and Ular Boys... but enough about the story.

Just Cause 2 improves greatly on the original while keeping the great features including the favourite grapple hook. It would be tough not to mention the 'attached to your arm' grappling hook in this review without smiling but without it the game would be bland. The possibilities are infinite; whether attaching two fast cars together, or a person to a truck, or a plane to a tree or an exploding barrel to a helicopter or a... you get the point. The story requires 'chaos points' to progress and in short, gaining them is a case of destruction and rebel-ism against the Panau government, whether on your own or with the factions.

The game boasts impressive visuals, even when viewing the entire map from above, certainly a great feature considering the amount of time spent parachuting or 'utilising' planes. Just Cause 2 is difficult to critisise; perhaps only being single player is a draw-back or the ever so silly story, though fitting to the game isn't an epic drama - be warned!! Maybe the map is too large? It's certainly achievable, scalable and clearly superior to the never-ending world of FarCry 2, but could be smaller for those of us who simply don't have the time or effort of real-time travel on new missions. For those who enjoy fully completing games, don't think this is an easy feat., in fact don't even bother, this will take forever and a day to complete - try it!

Nonetheless, Just Cause 2 is an excellent game to throw away your boredom and have an outrageous time rebelling to save the world, one hook at a time!

Rating:

Audio: 8/10 [Good dramatic and fitting music, excellent sound effects]

Graphics: 9/10 [Excellent, from close or a far]

Gameplay: 10/10 [Fantastic fun, hours easily lost!]

Multiplayer: -

Presentation: 9/10 [Slick menus, easily into game, fairly fast on loading]

Lasting Appeal: 10/10 [It's easy to jump in and out of JC2]

Story: 7/10 [Good and laughable, like the game itself]

Overall: 9/10

Better than Just Cause - Worse than Hitman: Blood Money

Like this? Try Hitman: Blood Money

In short, a must have. You'll be hooked...

Ram

Turtle Beach - Ear Force X11 Review

Turtle Beach - Ear Force X11 Review
Tested On: Xbox 360/PC

The X11 headset is a wired headset designed for use with the Xbox 360 and PC, though anything with standard audio input/output jacks should work fine.

It's a headset.
There is nothing witty to say about it.

The sound quality of the headset is pretty good, it is easy to make out small sounds which would be difficult to detect with regular speakers and of course the benefit of a headset is you can listen to your games at a decent volume without disturbing other people. In addition the device contains separate volume controls for chat and game audio allowing you to fine tune volumes so you can hear both the game and your fellow players.

The headset is powered by USB, which can be slightly problematic if you already make use of all of your ports, though a USB adaptor can be purchased to enable use of a different power source. Personally I tend to power the headset from my PC (and its greater number of ports) even when on my Xbox.

There are a number of wires from the headset; on the xbox there is the wire to the controller and the wire to the Xbox (or whatever device is powering it) as well as the wire which piggybacks the audio out cable. On the PC, instead of connecting to a controller the audio out connects along with the audio in, meaning slightly less mess. The wires however are fairly long (16ft) but on the Xbox specifically they are a bit untidy.

The headset is fairly comfortable although I do sometimes find it causes a little bit of irritation with my glasses. It does have an adjustable frame though so it is easy to loosen if it is too tight.

One problem I have with the headset is that it seems quite prone to interference, although whether this is an issue specifically with the headset or with other devices I have is unclear. Still it is quite off putting to have the headset start buzzing when you are trying to concentrate.

All in all it is a good headset though, and a considerable upgrade from my old speakers/official Xbox headset combo. And if the wires are an issue there's always the option of the wireless model.

Rating:

Functionality: 8/10 [Works very well barring interference]
Ease Of Use: 7/10 [Reasonably comfortable even for the long haul, shame about the tangle of the wires]
Aesthetics: 8/10 [Good looking]
Value For Money: 8/10 [Reasonable price for what you get]

Overall: 8/10

Illusion

[XBLA] From Dust Review

From Dust Review

Platform Tested: XBLA

Platform Available: XBLA, PSN, PC

God game/Strategy

In the days of endless arcade releases, From Dust is a breath of fresh air. Coming in at 1200MS points [~£11] the strategy/god game sees you in charge of 'the breath'; a moveable sphere capable of sucking water, sand and even lava to sculpt the land your way. Before you get busy creating gigantic chasms, it's worth noting the entire point is to help the tribes reclaim the land - which was once theirs. Moving the tribal gatherings from point A to the next totem pole B is the crux of the gameplay, allowing you to acquire new powers as you gain new totems. The simplicity of the play combined with the sheer unique idea is a truly fun success.

However, parts of the game are a let down; the general user interface and HUD is dull, basic and just not at a high enough level expected from Ubisoft. We then come to an area which is seldom a perfect success, the AI. When creating paths for the tribe, spectating is all the can be done while the tribe take some good and some bizarre paths to the obvious goal; when under pressure from time this can ruin all hope of completing the level. Repetition is a true killer of fun, when will some developers realise this! After each level completed, the same cutscene is played - why bother? We've seen it before and before that and even before that...

From Dust features nothing in the multiplayer region, perhaps a disappointment considering other titles with successful co-operative play, but we can but hope for an improved sequel. Graphically the game is beautiful, not Viva Pinata beautiful, but benefits from realistic dust, water and lava simulations. As mentioned the fonts and general interface comes short but we can't hold that against the title. Nonetheless, UI aside, the game can be completed in a number of ways keeping you [if you can bothered!] very busy, but in fairness the game will be genrally played once and left to dust.

I won't claim the game is breathtaking... but it's by far one of the best on the arcade if you enjoy the genre.

Rating:

Audio: 7/10 [Fitting to the game but nothing to write home about]

Graphics: 8/10 [Superb water, liquid and sand effects]

Gameplay: 8/10 [Simple, quick to pick up, great fun, but short and the AI?]

Multiplayer: -

Presentation: 4/10 [UI system is interesting, repetitive cutscenes...]

Lasting Appeal: 6/10 [Great fun and many ways to solve the same problem]

Story: 5/10 [Predictable, serves its purpose - don't expect an RPG story here!]

Overall: 7/10

Better than Outpost Kaloki X - Worse than A World of Keflings

Like this? Try A Kingdom of Keflings

Pick this up if you love strategy games, well worth a look and works well on a console.

Ram

[XBLA] Ms. Splosion Man Review

Ms. Splosion Man Review
Platform Tested: XBLA
Platform(s) Available: XBLA

Platformer

Back in 2009 Twisted Pixel brought platformer 'Splosion Man to Xbox Live Arcade. Two years later his female counterpart is here and ready to carry on exactly where he left off. But how does his better(?) half compare.

'Splode-again?

Ms. Splosion Man leads directly on from the end of the first game; the scientists, celebrating the capture of the original 'Splosion man, accidentally manage to create another one, a rather more feminine one (Assumedly her bow is the 'Splosion equivalent of a second X chromosome, either that or it's the champagne). From there the story takes a back seat; to y'know, 'sploding and stuff.

And 'sploding is important. In fact it's pretty much the only thing to remember (besides shoes, obviously) as all the face buttons perform that one action. 'Sploding is your propulsion mechanism, it allows you to jump, to kill enemies, to activate barrels and generally blow stuff up. You can splode up to three times before needing to recharge, which is done by making contact with a floor or wall or through a couple of other mechanics and a big part of the game is making use of those limited 'splodes.

And you're going to run out. A lot. I can't begin to count the number of times I went flying past a barrel I needed to splode only to realise I'd run out of juice. The game is difficult; in a number of ways. In parts your timing has to be almost perfect, but even when it doesn't you often don't get enough advance warning to successfully navigate a section so Trial and Error is necessary. And if that isn't enough challenge for you the game also has a hardcore mode where the checkpoint are removed and a 2 girls 1 controller mode where you play the multiplayer section with, as the name suggests, one controller (It could be worse the multiplayer is up to four players, you only have to control two).

The multiplayer campaign is completely different from the single player campaign, so even once you've finished the single player there is still a lot to do. There are also a lot of unlocks; videos, pictures, music, avatar items and so on to be got, so you will need to play through levels multiple times, you could try and improve your times for the leaderboards while you're at it and make sure you pick up the shoes that are in each level. Ms. Splosion Man is even stylish enough to wear them for the rest of the level, a small but nice touch.

The game brings a few additional elements to the table compared to the original but none of them are anything dramatic; it's still all about timing 'splodes, the changes are mostly aesthetic. Still, it's nice to have different locales, and with the new world map there's the ability to take different paths and find hidden levels which is good for allowing players to avoid the more challenging ones, though personally I wanted to complete them all anyway so that didn't have much effect.

While your going through the levels Ms, Splosion Man will take every opportunity to spout pop culture references. Girly pop culture references for the most part. Despite being as out of touch as possible with pop culture as possible I still found myself quoting along with her after a while, though I suspect some people will get annoyed with the constant stream of drivel. Still, this is Twisted Pixel, they tend to do a reasonable job of humour in their games.

She'll be 'sploding down the block
just to show you what she's got.

The main negatives about the game are the bosses, which occur at the end of each level and are a bit weak compared to the rest of the game, a flaw which it shares with the original game, and the long loading times. Neither of them are deal breakers but they do detract from a game which is otherwise a lot of fun.

Rating:

Audio: 9/10 [Good music and chatter, but gets a little repetitive]

Graphics: 8/10 [Looks pretty good for the most part]

Gameplay: 8/10 [Simple to play, but challenging at times]

Multiplayer: 8/10 [Multiplayer specific levels. (Based on a fairly brief experience with the multiplayer side.)]

Presentation: 8/10 [Long loading detracts from an otherwise good presentation]

Lasting Appeal: 8/10 [Shoes, unlocks and leaderboards should keep you playing for a while, unless the difficulty turns you off]

Story: 5/10 [Does what it needs to, which isn't much]

Overall: 8/10

Better than Cloning Clyde - Worse than - Castle Crashers
Like this? Try Super Meat Boy

If you were bored with the originals mechanics this isn't likely to rekindle the flames of your desire. But if what you've been wanting for two years is more 'Splosion Man then you'll find this game to be pretty hot.

Illusion

[360] FIFA 12 [DEMO] Review

Fifa 12 [DEMO] Review

Platform Tested: 360

Platform(s) Available: 360, PS3

Football

At last, the next instalment of FIFA arrives in the usual just over a gig download. The latest outing promised a brand new 'Impact' engine - two years in the making! Gone are the forced animations holding together the impressive fakery and in are the real-time rigid body dynamics and improved AI; creating superior realism for football. So, the question is, was it worth it? Or even, is it worth the usual £40-50 price tag?

Watching the players on the pitch, I can't say it's impressive, in fact its tricky to even see the difference between the animations vs. realistic physics. Perhaps it's just me, but the real test is of course.... hacking. Sliding around like an animal is not only fun but possibly the true test for such an engine, doing this really does show the best results [but maybe not the best way to create friends]. The tackles appear fluid and obviously quite realistic with players being swept off their feet and stumbling around each other at a press of a button.

It's easy to go on about the physics vs. the animations, but there are other improvements. Gone are the days of loading during substitutions [at last!], seamless substitutions now take place during the match with a more appealing animation within. Andy Gray has 'left' being replaced with Alan Smith and a slight improvement on graphics has yet again taken place. Apart from that there is not much to say, well, except Arsenal being placed at five stars...

Nonetheless, is it worth the money? Each FIFA game has boasted new features; with 'Be a Pro', 'Be the Keeper' and handballs creeping in over the years, but with only the physics being the only true new feature it simply comes short of the 'impact' [sorry pun...] left by previous renditions.

My opinion, stay with FIFA 11 unless you're desperate for the updated teams [though Nasri and Fabregas are still with Arsenal], slightly better looking tackles and more fluid menus/substitutions. Just not worth the £40-50.

Perhaps the full game will show more but it still tops Pro Evo hands down.

Rating: [Demo based]

Audio: -

Graphics: 7/10 [Great, but always room for improvement]

Gameplay: 8/10 [Excellent smooth football]

Multiplayer: -

Presentation: 9/10 [Annoying spinner over screen feels a bit much]

Lasting Appeal: -

Story: -

Better than Pro Evo 2012 - Hardly better than FIFA 11 at this stage - Still the best in category though

Ram

Second Opinion

Another new Fifa game, more claims at big new changes. But do they really make that much difference? From what I've played; not really no.

Tactical defending takes a bit of getting used to but isn't that different from the way I have always defended (i.e. don't constantly spam the pressure/tackle button and you'll be fine). Some people won't like it though.

The new physics system is nice although it feels a little off at times.

Play actually gets stopped now if no one kicks the ball out of play when a player is lying on the floor in agony and you can see straight away what's wrong with him, which is nice.

Other than that it's mostly a polished Fifa 11. I'm a bit disappointed that a lot of the commentary from Fifa 11 remains even though one of the commentators has changed, but glad that they have sped up loading times when the ball leaves play.

How much you want the game will come down to how much of a football fan you are in the end. No doubt the updates will be enough for some though others would be better to hold off for a while at least.

Illusion