So it was with considerable excitement I discovered that the BBC was planning to release a series of downloadable Doctor Who games funded by the License Fee and with the involvement of Charles Cecil, the man originally responsible for Beneath a Steel Sky and the Broken Sword games. With the involvement of Stephen Moffat, could these TV tie-ins perhaps, just maybe, be a work of genius?

Of the four-strong series, two of the Doctor Who Adventure Games have thusfar been released: City of the Daleks and Blood of the Cybermen. At their heart, they’re point-and-click adventure games with reworked control schemes ala. recent Telltale offerings. Note to game developers: holding a mouse button down to move is infinitely shitter than clicking. It might work for lazy controller support, but when most of your action animations do an exceptionally extravagant move from where I am to the exact correct spot for that action, couldn’t I have just gotten there by clicking in the first place?

However the developers have thrown a number of other gameplay devices into the mix; the most persistently awful of which being some exceptionally long stealth sections which have you creeping through generic corridor X around Daleks with vision cones so short they make Foxhound guards look like fighter pilot candidates. There are also a number of mini-games thrown in as the final step of many a “add this to this” puzzle, presumably to justify the sonic screwdriver no longer being the deus ex machina it is in the series. Some of these are trivial whilst others, such as where you have to guide objects through a maze without touching the walls, are nothing short of malicious.

The graphics? Well, they’re… ok. The textures are there, but the lighting is shoddy and the models just aren’t all that detailed They’re more than fit for purpose, however. Most importantly, Amy isn’t quite so hot. The sound quality is more notably rubbish: whilst the Doctor and Amy have both been at least partially voiced, it sounds as if they’re both speaking through some ancient tannoy system. Also Karen Gillan’s performance is, at best, uninspiring (Matt Smith is thankfully somewhat more enthusiastic in reprising the Doctor).

Being funded by the license fee, it seems that the BBC has insisted that if it is to fund this “game”, they need to justify it to the Trust under the banner of education. A fair number of the clickables in the game bring up a screen telling you some real-world fact, perhaps about “nanotechnology” or “World War 2″. There’s also a trans-episode card collecting mini-game which provides the only element of replayability in these episodes, with cards being scattered in various out-of-the-way places, all relating to some aspect of the Who canon.

Amy, I love you!

Ultimately, the Adventure Games’ biggest flaw has nothing to do with the shoddy acting, dodgy stealth sections and questionable graphics. It lacks Karen Gillan naked. The true thrill of Doctor Who has always been watching the Doctor zip around from problem to problem, talking his way through anything thrown at him with a astounding mix of humour and ludicrous tecno-babble. The bits in between: the bits that this game allows you to control, when you’re pointing screwdrivers at things, grabbing an eye stalk from here and mixing it with a thingie over here before doing a mini-game? Sure, perhaps these are all things that the Doctor does, but that’s not the Doctor I want to see in these games. Unfortunately, the joy of Doctor Who isn’t something best portrayed by the video-gaming medium: noone yet has really found a good mechanic for the telling of a non-action driven story within a game, and maybe we should just accept this as a fundamental limitation of gaming that it just can’t tell stories like this as well as a book or TV program. Is this, fundamentally, the reason for most film/tv/book game tie-ins being crap?

It’s worth noting that of the two episodes released thusfar, the second is superior to the first in almost every way. The story is tighter and crafted with greater cohesive, the puzzles more intuitive, and mini-games less frustrating. Best of all, Karen Gillan’s VO work is much improved. I do have hopes for the remaining two episodes.

This is a game squarely designed for an eight year old Doctor Who fan to play with their parents after school. For an older gamer, the difficulty is almost insultingly easy, the stories rather dull and graphics uninspiring. As a fan of Doctor Who, it’s easy to look beyond many of these faults: some of the cutscene scripting is laugh out loud funny, and the main title sequence genuinely got my heart racing. As such, it’s almost impossible to recommend to anyone other than a Who-fan, all of whom I would encourage to give to give these games a chance (each episode isn’t long, nary one or two hours) on a quiet Sunday afternoon. It’s worth it. But if you’re just looking for a good game? Don’t bother.

In case you somehow missed it, this week saw the release of Modern Warfare 2, a game that has comprehensively smashed every existing release day sales record, and looks set to become one of the best selling titles of all time.

Leaving aside certain issues that came to light in the days and weeks preceding the game’s release, the game’s PC release was marked by a frustrating and peculiar disparity between the release date of the retail and digitally distributed editions of the game. For its retail release, MW2 has been fully integrated with Steamworks, meaning that in order to install and play the game, it is first necessary to install Steam and associate your copy of MW2 with your Steam account, something that worked well on the game’s release date of Nov. 10.

However, copies of MW2 which were purchased directly through Steam (i.e. weren’t ordered from a retail store either in the highstreet or online) failed to unlock on this date, and indeed did not do so until very late on the night of the 11th. The reason for this remains somewhat unclear, but is suspected to be a concession to a retail channel which is greatly afeared that digital distribution will steal all their business.

This hugely frustrated many who ordered the game through Steam unaware of this delay, but it does allow an interesting insight into the strength of digital distribution on PC today.

Steam, as well as every digital retailer known to man, has always been exceptionally reticent to release sales figures for any of the titles sold through their service. However, the Steam website has a stats page which lists the number of people currently playing a particular game, as well as the peak number for the course of the day. The staggered release of the retail and digital editions of MW2, combined with the game’s dependency on Steam, meant that for the first two days this figure represented only the total number of players of the retail edition of the game, whilst today these have also been added to the number of people who purchased the title through Steam.

Whilst I’m afraid I failed to obtain a screenshot at the time, the peak number of players over the course of the day, as observed towards the end of the evening of the 11th, but before the release of the Steam edition was about 33,000. As evidenced in the screenshot above, the corresponding maximum a day later was 68,000; implying that perhaps as many as 50% of all MW2 sales were digital.

Is this figure at all scientific or conclusive? Of course not. But at the same time, it does at least provide a ballpark figure – one which for me at least, proved shockingly high, and perhaps indicative of the rate at which digital distribution is increasing in importance to PC gamers.

It’s interesting to compare this figure to the number of simultaneous players on the XBox 360 edition of the game, which is considerably higher.

Ars Technica have the only well written review that I’ve seen from a PC gamer. I’d recommend reading it.

They have also done re-prints of Suikoden Tactics with the new age rating logo, and Silent hill 2,3,4 the room, MGS 2 Substance, MGS 3 Snake Eater all with the old style age rating logo.

Sorry, but pardon? I’ve just checked through all of Konami’s material and there isn’t a single press release or statement pertaining to this. Heck, a Google query for “konami rerelease” returns the above forum thread as its second result! Furthermore, none of the main UK retailers (Game, Amazon, Gamestation, Play, HMV etc.) appear to have any stock nor indications that they ever expect it.
So why have Konami rereleased some quite sought after older titles without the slightest fanfare (compared to, for example, the lauded rerelease of ICO pre SOTC) and then made the stock available only to small independant retailers operating through eBay and elsewhere? Konami have been contacted, but there’s been no word from them as yet.

This review is a reposting of the review that I wrote for the Warwick Boar – complete with intended italics.

Only a month ago, the landscape of PC adventure gaming seemed a desolate and barren place,  Telltale’s episodic offerings being the only visible remains of one of the bastions of traditional PC gaming. Since then Lucasarts had confirmed that they were returning to work on Monkey Island, one of the most infamous of adventure gaming franchises. Indeed, it was soon confirmed that not only were they working in collaboration with ex-Lucasarts staffers on development of a quintet of new Monkey Island episodes, titled the Tales of Monkey Island, but also on a special edition rerelease of the first Monkey Island title, the Secret of Monkey Island, resplendent with both a graphical overhaul and new voice acting. Only hours before this writer put fingers to keyboard, Lucasarts further announced that they would start releasing their back catalogue of titles on the digital delivery system Steam, starting on Wednesday with a selection of ten titles ranging from LOOM to Battlefront II.  Perhaps adventure gaming could be stirring from its long forgotten ashes?

The first of these Monkey themed releases is the Tales of Monkey Island, whose five monthly episodes begins today with The Launch of the Screaming Narwhal, which I’ll be looking at here.

Fans of the series need not worry: this is very much Monkey Island. Crucially, the humour is spot on throughout; in fact, the jokes seem to continually improve as you progress through the game. I found Launch much funnier than any of Telltale’s previous episodic titles, which suddenly seem rather dry by comparison. The developers have also drafted the considerable talents of Dominic Armato who, along with other actors who lent their voices to characters in Curse of Monkey Island, thankfully reprise his role. Dominic as Guybrush is a delight to listen to.

The puzzles in the game are similarly up to task. Whilst they’re generally noticeably easier than the calibre of puzzles generally found when Monkey Island was first released, there are still a number of real brain burners strewn liberally throughout the episode. The puzzles thankfully have little reliance on “rule of three” tasks and hold a good variety of problems and tasks whose solutions remain, with only rare exceptions, generally logical and relevant.

Launch begins where few gamers dare tread: at the end of a game, with the mighty Pirate, Guybrush Threepwood finally dealing with his arch-nemesis LeChuck once and for all, attempting to enchant a Voodoo sword, rescue his wife and save a number of rather bemused looking monkeys in the process. Somewhat inevitably, all does not go to plan and Guybrush is soon stranded on an unusual island. In some ways, Monkey Island titles have always been somewhat suited to being episodic content as their story has always been divided into somewhat discrete chapters and similarly each of the Tales can be approached in the same way: as a different chapter of a single game. Whilst Launch undisputedly is only the first part of a much larger, overarching plot, the episode’s story is still distinct to itself, with a definite objective and endpoint. In true episodic fashion, concluding with a cliff-hanger (of sorts) really whets the mouth with anticipation for the second episode.

The game does draw heavily from previous Telltale titles, using the same engine that has been employed in every episode since Sam and Max; and the control scheme is a modified version of Wallace and Gromit’s somewhat controversial choice of using WASG to move the primary character around. Here, this has been altered so that it is also possible to click and drag with the mouse in the direction that you’d like to move, allowing the game to now be controlled entirely with the mouse. That Telltale seems to have entirely done away with point-and-click movement is likely a nod to console gamers, but this is unfortunate given the somewhat cumbersome implementation of the click and drag mechanic. Additionally, some of the previous limitations of the engine used in Wallace and Gromit are still apparent; in particular the camera’s positioning is occasionally questionable.

In many respects Launch is vastly improved over its stablemates with the action taking place over a much broader variety of locations than Sam and Max or Wallace and Gromit, and I’m hopeful that there will be only a minimal recycling of environments over future episodes. Previous Telltale episodes have really suffered from reusing near identical environments time and time again, and I really hope that this doesn’t blight future episodes.  The environments themselves are lushly depicted and probably the main strength of the game’s artistry. Unlike some previous games in the series, they’re almost all brightly coloured and cheery. Unfortunately some of the characters seemed under-developed and bland, with two pirates in particular appearing almost precisely identical.  This and occasional shockingly low texture quality are unsightly blemishes on otherwise perfectly acceptable presentation which if you’ve ever played a previous Telltale game, will be of exactly the standard that you expect. This is not a graphical tour-de-force, but it should also just about run on your netbook.

It’s worth noting that in the build of the game that I played, there were two puzzles which would have been virtually impossible for a deaf or hearing impaired person. I hope that Telltale have fixed this issue for their final release.

Launch of the Screaming Narwhal was a game that I immensely enjoyed playing from the moment that I first loaded it. It has decent humour in spades; puzzles which are challenging, accessible and satisfying; a promising storyline and some memorable characters all at a very appetising price for a single episode. As a Telltale game, it is their best release yet. As a Monkey Island game, Launch is very much a product of 2009 with all of the hallmarks of a Monkey Island game carefully included. The lack of point-and-click might upset the purists, but Tales has reworked the franchise for a new audience whilst still doing well to appease those that have been enjoying it for nearly 20 years. The future of adventure gaming is once again Monkey shaped.

These are the games currently sitting on my shelf

Without counting the games purchased on Steam, of these, I have completed only… erm… COD2, COD4, COD5, Half Life 2 and… uhhh.. that’s it.

Christmas is a good excuse to play more, right?

Here’s the week 10 Boar article which once again I left writing until the very last second; and then some. Will thoroughly dealt with the first three platforms, whilst I wrote most of the latter three consoles’ recommendations; though I must admit to the need to entirely retract the recommendation for Guitar Hero: World Tour. It was made in lieu of any other decent DS releases in Europe for this holiday period.

Since this is the last Boar before Christmas, we thought that it would be a good idea to do a bit of a Buyer’s Guide of what you really want in terms of game. We’ll look at each of the consoles, hopefully we’ll help you decide which one’s right for you, and we’ll have a look at the best games coming out this holiday season.

Xbox 360

Considering that the Xbox 360 starts from only £129.99 for the Arcade, it really is a great all-rounder. Saying that, we’d recommend getting the 60GB Pro; it’s a bit more expensive but necessary if you’re serious about gaming. If you’re not too worried about High Def movie playback, the 360 has a lot to offer; a huge library of solid titles (the older ones now available for cheap), excellent graphics and a great online service (bear in mind, it isn’t free), all make it an excellent machine. It isn’t the sleek consumer electronic that the PS3 is, it doesn’t have built in Wi-Fi, Blu-Ray playback or rechargeable controllers, it does, however, offer you great games at a fraction of the cost.

Recommended – Gears of War 2

Following up from the hugely successful Gears of War, this sequel improves the franchise in every way. Continuing on the story of Delta Squad’s fight against the Locust Horde, Gears 2 takes it to the next level; as the developer said, Gears 2 is “bigger, better and more badass”. The graphics are improved, the cover system implemented has been refined and the enemy AI is more intelligent, flanking you and simply being harder to take down. The story itself also holds more emotional depth (it’s still cheesy in a lot of places), giving you a bit more of a reason to kill things.

The original cemented the Xbox 360 as a “next generation” console and many thought Gears 2 couldn’t take the genre any further; it’s safe to say that they were wrong.

Budget – Viva Piñata

There are a number of great budget titles available for the 360 but we thought we’d recommend something that’s not a shooter; Viva Pinata. If you go to a shop and pick this game up, you might be put off; it looks like a kid’s game. However, once you fire it up you find that there’s an extremely complex management sim underneath its colourful exterior which is completely addictive. You are effectively controlling the lives of a large range of pinatas, all of which have sweet related names (the game’s hedgehog pinata is called a “Fudgehog”, for example). You’re given a square patch of land that you can change to fit your pinata’s needs and a variety of objects to buy. There really isn’t an aim to the game, you’re simply trying to attract bigger and better pinata to your garden; this is what makes Viva Pinata great, you aren’t frantically shooting things, you’re just having a nice, relaxing time.

Playstation 3

The Playstation 3 is a slick piece of machinery but it does come at a price. You do get a lot of cutting edge technology for the £300 price tag: at its core is the Cell Broadband Processor, which is used in the world’s fastest supercomputer; it includes a Blu-Ray drive, the next generation of movie playback; and it has Wi-Fi out of the box. And the Blu-Ray really is a great feature, if you have a HD Ready TV then you really need to see a film in High Def, you will not go back to your old DVDs. The games are good too! There are a number of excellent PS3 exclusives and there is a large catalogue of titles available. If you want something a bit more future-proof, you can’t go wrong with the Playstation 3.

Recommended – Little Big Planet

Simply put, LittleBigPlanet (LBP) puts game creation into the players had. Although it’s only a basic platformer at its core, the main appeal is the ability to create your own levels and change everything in the game, on the fly. You control the, now iconic, Sack Boy and are able to bring up a number of tools that allow you to modify the surrounding environment; such as the placement of textures and objects or how the player interacts with the objects in the level. The creation tools aren’t daunting though; they are very easy to mess around with, although you might need to invest some time to make something that’s actually good.

There wouldn’t be much point to the creation of all these levels if you couldn’t share them with people. LBP has a fantastic online component that allows the user to share their creations with the rest of the world as well as play them with 3 others, over the net. You haven’t experienced anything like LBP before; this really is a next generation title.

Budget – Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune

Having just been released on the Playstation’s Platinum range, Uncharted is a great budget game. When it was released back in December last year, it was an exclusive title that gave consumers a real game-related reason to buy a PS3; up until this point, the PS3 only had a few exclusives worth getting, which really isn’t a good enough reason to spend £300+ on a console! Uncharted is a mix of Tomb Raider and Gears of War, there’s some solid platforming involved and a good cover system is included. Along with a great story (if a bit short), lush graphics and excellent sound design, Uncharted is a great game even at retail price – for £20 you can’t go wrong!

Wii

The Wii really isn’t the same as the PS3 or 360; although it has a few games for the hardcore audience, such as Super Mario Galaxy and Metroid Prime 3, it’s mainly aimed at the casual demographic. Its main selling point is the motion-sensitive controller that it comes with. It’s a completely different method of user input and is nothing like your normal dual-stick controller; you won’t be playing Gears of War on the Wii, anytime soon! The Wii is good for families or those who don’t take gaming too seriously and it can defiantly be fun when you’ve got some friends round, maybe not so much when you’re playing solo. If you want a more “hardcore” gaming experience, I’d recommend one of the other two home consoles.

Recommended – Super Mario Galaxy

OK so Super Mario Galaxy was released this season, not even this year, but considering the lack of a really great, new game for this Christmas, we thought it was necessary to ensure that every Wii owner has a copy of Super Mario Galaxy in their library. The game is centred around a hub world from which you can access more than 40 different galaxies all containing 6 or 7 challenges (each with their respective stars to collect). Each galaxy varies in style with its own planetoids and even with different physics, making each galaxy unique and entertaining. If you’ve ever played one of Mario’s Gamecube outings before, you’ll be at home with the presentation of Galaxy; the graphics are probably THE best available on the Wii. The game also makes use of the Wii’s controls, not implementing gimmicky “waggle” but using it in a way that makes sense.

Although Mario Galaxy still based around its well known platforming mechanic, its feel like a completely new adventure and throws you back to the good old Nintendo 64 days – this really is a must own.

Budget – de Blog

Probably one of the few really good 3rd party Wii titles, de Blob is a platformer at heart but with a bit of a twist. The story goes something like this; the evil INKT Corporation have drained all the colour from Chroma City, it falls to you to restore colour and free its people. You’re simply a ball-like creature that you use the Wii-mote to jump and roll around the city, restoring colour to everything you touch. You get points depending on how well you’re doing which open gates to continue to the next area. It’s simple but fun. The game’s presentation is superb; excellent CG videos hold the story together, solid graphics and art style make it look surprisingly good for a Wii game and the menu system really adds to the overall experience. Considering the distinct lack of games that are fun to play on your own for the Wii, de Blob is really worth a look, especially at only £20.

Nintendo DS

The Nintendo DS is almost single-handedly responsible for bumping Nintendo from its troubled position of just a few years ago into the market-controlling behemoth that it now is. By far and away the best selling console in the current generation; many developers, such as Square Enix with Dragon Quest, are moving large franchises away from the consoles which have traditionally been their home onto the DS. Whilst unfortunately having a reputation for being a “kiddies” console with childish and poor quality games; the truth is that there are more mature titles of a high quality available on DS than for almost any other platform. From the remakes of older Final Fantasy titles (though, alas, not VII), through the original IP of The World Ends With You to the traditional Nintendo staples of Zelda; the DS has more games than even the most hardcore gamer could shake a stick at. Its comparatively low price point also makes it ideal for those who find other consoles to be outside of their price range, and the software is generally available at a very reasonable price.

Recommended – Guitar Hero: On Tour Decades

The Guitar Hero franchise has, in just a few short years, run amok through the gaming world; selling millions of copies to new-found rock wannabes whilst single-handedly reinventing an entire genre around it. Given the obvious requirements and a stonking huge replica guitar, it’s a franchise which until now has been very much confined to home console. However, it seems that Activision have been incontent with not sourcing a revenue stream from this generation’s best selling console (the Nintendo DS) and have conspired to release Guitar Hero in its most portable form to date. It succeeds in being just that: an enjoyable port of Guitar Hero which can be played on the move and remains great fun despite some limitations inherit in the platform, such as the number of fret buttons being reduced to 4. The set list has clearly been tailored to the DS’s percieved audience of younger players; but it’s a Guitar Hero game which is as fundamentally fun as the series ever was.

Budget – Elite Beat Agents

Whilst I feel somewhat apologetic for recommending two separate music titles, Elite Beat Agent unfortunately escaped the attention of many when it was originally released over a year ago. EBA is a beat action music game which essentially requires the DS’s screen to be tapped in time to one of the twenty or so varied and generally decent tracks included within the game. A Westernisation of the earlier Japanese Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan, the game’s Japanese origins are still clear in the bright and vivid anime cartoon-book like animations which tell a story to accompany each song; the plot loosely being that people in trouble are rescued by the sheer wonder of the Agents’ dancing skills, encouraged by your essential… err… cheerleading. The game’s difficulty curve is well sculpted such that replaying each song never feels like a chore, and practice is rewarded by progression, and the sheer elation of seeing a happy conclusion to the tale. For me, EBA’s price of admission was entirely justified by a single, heart-wrenching song; which I’ll happily admit to being one of the very few gaming moments that I’ve shed a tear over. This title doesn’t deserve to be in the bargain bins it now seems to be filling: really, give it a chance.

Playstation Portable

Despite a reasonably quiet launch, the PSP has slowing been gaining momentum as a platform since it was launched three years ago. Differing crucially from the DS in its comprehensive multimedia support; including the ability to watch a movie or listen to music from either a UMD disk or a mass market memory stick or use the built-in wireless to browse the internet or play against others online; a recent upgrade and re-release of the PSP’s hardware makes this Christmas an ideal time to invest in one. The console has finally built a sweeping and comprehensive library of titles to suit all tastes, though there’s an evident bias towards a more hardcore gamer than the DS, with a greater prevailance of action and racing games. The exclusion of a second analogue stick stop it from being on par with an actual PS2, but the PSP still has a lot of offer; if you want a good all-rounder, look no further.

Recommended – Locoroco 2

As the sequel to one of the most quirky, addictive and enjoyable games thus far released on the PSP, Locoroco 2 never claimed that it would reinvent the genre or offer some soul-searching discussion of the human condition. Those who choose to invest in this title will receive exactly what they they expect: more levels, more Loco and more Roco. LocoRoco 2 remains true to its chirpy original, bringing with it charm in spades, well crafted and elegant level design, an equally memorable theme tune and many hours of some of the best platforming fun available on any console. Some might be put off by the “childish” and “simple” graphics; but allowing oneself to be deterred by such shallow principles will only result in you missing out on one of the most enjoyable experiences that the PSP can offer. In a world where games are supposed to be fun, pretension-free titles like LocoRoco 2 are all too often ignored.

Budget – Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories

At the opposite end of the gaming spectrum from LocoRoco lies Grand Theft Auto. One of the largest and most popular game series in existence, Rockstar seem not to be content with their games if they’re not pushing the bounds of what is possible both technically and socially. In itself, the fact that GTA:LCS even exists on the PSP is a technical marvel: this is the full world of Liberty City compressed with little compromise onto a platform which is technically much less competent than parent platform of the PS2. Though missions in LCS have been criticised for being slightly more restricted due to the nature of the platform, the title remains vintage GTA; those interested PSP owners who are yet to play it will find the living, breathing world of Liberty City pristinely rendered in the palm of their hands. For many this is little less than the gaming dream.

PC

The stalwart of gaming, the PC is becoming increasingly under threat as a gaming platform of late by the increased power and prominence of consoles. The drive for standardisation has left some recent big PC releases as little more than second rate ports, restricted by the console that is being used as the lead platform. However, due to the continuous upgradability of the PC, the few games that are PC exclusives are always at the bleeding edge, both in terms of graphics and artificial intelligence. Games like Crysis really stand testament to the fact that graphical fidelity on a PC can be so much better than that available on a console and, although expensive, if you’ve got the money to invest in a good set-up, you can have a unique experience not available anywhere else.

Recommended – Left 4 Dead

Left4Dead’s biggest selling points are the zombies. They infest every corner of the post-apocalyptic nightmare into which you are dropped, lurching at you from the darkest corners in the manner one has grown to expect having grown up on a diet of zombie movies from Night of the Living Dead to Shaun of the Dead. Other than the zombies, the game’s biggest selling point is its fantastic co-operative play. The game has been designed from the ground up to work best when playing as four friends helping each other through one of the game’s six “movies”. Playing together as a team is absolutely vital to finish on the games harder difficulty levels; and repeated playthroughs are an absolute joy rather than a bore thanks to the “AI Director” which dynamically chooses where the zombies spawn each time. Being able to go through the levels repeatedly and never being sure where the next wave will suddenly appear will hopefully keep L4D fresh and fun for years.

Budget – Peggle

What is there to say about Peggle that hasn’t already been said many times over? As the quintessential casual game on the PC; Peggle’s unique, transcendal appeal makes it a safe purchase for anyone you may know in possession of even the humblest of laptops. The basic gameplay dynamics involve simply firing a number of balls at a large number of “pegs”, with the intention of hitting all of the orange ones. Seeming apparently dull and uninteresting, Peggle instead using these simple mechanics with a wonderful charm and superb sense of humour to build a game that is one of the most endearing, entertaining and replayable titles available on any platform. For $10 on Steam or £5 in stores if you shop around, non-ownership is inexcusable.

Will Brierley and Nathan Wong

For some reason, I’ve recently expressed interest in writing for the new games section of the Boar. The first issue was pretty slick, with a review of a Wii title, Fable 2, a first impressions of Red Alert 3 and a brief discussion of WotLK (it even had some of my photos from my simply frightening visit to the Leamington midnight launch).

This week’s issue is somewhat more brief, with a discussion of the merits of the Xbox 360 and PS3′s downloadable games services, as well as some brief reviews of what we consider to be some of the better titles to grace these services. Though seeing it in print is clearly much more pro, the article is reproduced (in an even more extended form!) here. The vast majority is written by Will Brierley, though I pipped in for the PS3 reviews, which it must be said, suffered the editor’s wrath with the most (quite correct) vigour!

Overview

Back in November 2004, Xbox Live Arcade had hardly been heard of. Granted many of the people reading this article may still not have heard if it, but, with over 45 million unique downloads behind its back, a lot of people have.

When Xbox Live Arcade, an online distribution platform for downloadable games, first appeared on the original Xbox it was a very small affair, with a very small amount of games available on the service (a total of 12). Today Live Arcade offers the consumer a far wider variety of game types than could ever be offered through the retail sector. Small, short chunks of games (as well as many retro titles) start at 400 Microsoft Points, Xbox 360’s fake currency; implemented so that you don’t know how much money you’re really spending (it’s about £3.40). Then there’s the middle ground; 800 Microsoft Points, which offers something a bit more substantial and finally there’s the 1200 MP price point that has been used (only recently) to offer experiences that come close to those that are offered by full £40 games.

At this point you maybe be wondering what’s the point; surely I can get a much better, fuller experience from a £40 game than anything that can be offered to me through the Xbox Live Arcade. To some extent this is true, but the main reason this service has been so popular is that it gives the developers considerably more freedom in what they can try out. Today it costs millions of dollars to create a full budget retail game (estimates range from $20 – $30 million); the increase in graphical fidelity from each generation to the next as well as gamers wanting more and more from the artificial intelligence that they play against, has caused game budgets to verge into film territory. Due to this, if a company sinks a large sum of money into a project, they need it to be a success. If they don’t make the necessary return on the title it is likely they’ll be in financial trouble. The best way to make sure you’re game is going to sell is to iterate on a game what has already sold well; this formula is used by a number of franchises, making a lot of games feel very similar to each other. Downloadable game services (Sony and Nintendo also have their own) therefore give developers an opportunity to explore different avenues in terms of game design. Be it art style or a completely different gameplay mechanic, they can take chances that they could not do with retail products. The risk is considerably less when you’re spending a fraction of the cost.

The service also acts as a great starting place for young talent. Many game designers may have fantastic ideas that they simply can’t implement when working on a large project for a major publisher. Downloadable game services allow these people to express concepts to an audience without having to go through the usual process of acquiring a publisher to release their game. The cost of producing a game on Xbox Live Arcade, for example, will be well within a small company’s budget (i.e. under £80,000). An excellent example of this is “Everyday Shooter” on the Playstation Store (Sony’s equivalent to Xbox Live Arcade); the game is an old school style shooter in which you control a small ship fighting off a variety of enemies. What makes the game’s development unique is that it was single-handedly made by one individual, Jonathan Mak. He completed the game in a span of a few months, doing the programming, graphics and even recording all the guitar based effects himself. A few years ago a project like this would have never made its way onto a home console.

The three big hardware companies, Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo, do have different prospectives on how and what they offer to the consumer through these services. Microsoft’s Xbox Live Arcade was first to be released and came with a file size limit for its games; original this was 50MB making the games very limited in scope. The service was flooded with retro games (which were easy to port to the platform and rather average in terms of their execution) and only a very few good titles (for example Uno, see XBLA Round Up). This size limit was eventually upped, to 350MB at the start of this year, and now it is questionable how much it is really enforced (a recent title, “Portal: Stay Alive” had a download size of 629MBs). It seems that Microsoft really want games on the Live Arcade to be limited to small experiences; they want a clear distinction between Arcade titles and retail games. Nintendo offers a similar service, small chunks of games for a low price, called WiiWare. WiiWare was released considerably later on, in 2008, and, due to the Wii’s limited storage capacity, isn’t really in the same league as XBLA or the Playstation Store; although it does still supply the consumer with innovative and original titles.

Sony’s Playstation Store (introduced about a year after XBLA) implemented a different approach. The service began with no size limit, offering games that effectively matched products available at retail in terms of scope, fidelity and support. Titles such as Warhawk offer a far more in-depth experience than anything offered on XBLA, although these games do approach retail prices; some also being released in stores. The Playstation Store does offer titles similar to those available on XBLA though and, in my opinion, these titles are more experimental in how they iterate on established gameplay mechanics and with the art styles that they employ.

It really comes down to taste and what sort of a home console experience you prefer. Either way, each downloadable service offers something unique that a few years ago was completely unavailable to consumers. The best thing about having more than one of these services is competition; the services are continually supplying better and greater ranging products, making the games that you pick up at Gamestation or HMV only a small portion of what you could be playing on your system.

XBLA Games

Geometry Wars 2

The sequel to the smash-hit “Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved”, one of the defining games of the XBLA when it was released at the launch of the Xbox 360. In brief; you control your ship with the left analogy stick and its weapons with your the right, with the goal being to survive the onslaught of geometry! Geo Wars 2 adds 5 new game types to the previous game’s one – greatly expanding the experience. It’s exhilarating and extremely addictive. There’s also up to four player local co-op this time around. Altogether this is a must own game.

Braid

A million miles away from Mario; this is not your usual platformer. The game is split into 6 worlds, each employing a different time based game mechanic; one may allow you to reverse time while another may let you create a bubble in which time flows at a slower rate. You use these to solve puzzles and collect a number of jigsaw pieces that are needed to progress in the story. The art style is excellent but the game isn’t cheap (costs about £10) and has little replay value. A unique experience, that you either love or hate.

Bionic Commando: Rearmed

A remake of the 1988 classic, Bionic Commando for the NES, holding true to the original formula with a number of improvements. A good story mode, challenge rooms and online co-op really make this a great title. The game is punishing and can be frustrating at times; you really have to know what you’re doing, making it a challenging experience. Great side-scrolling shooter action with a lot of replay value; all for about £7!

Uno

Released along with XBLA, Uno is still one of the definitive casual titles available on the Xbox 360. It emulates the rules of the card based Uno game almost exactly; allowing the user to change winning conditions as well as certain rules. It’s cheap (about £3.50) and great if you have a partner who’s not really into gaming. Nothings better than sitting down and enjoying a nice relaxing game of Uno!

PSN Games

Wipeout HD

One of the poster-boys of the Playstation brand since the original Wipeout was released back in 1997, this latest release stays true to what made the series so popular: eye-bleedingly fast futuristic racing set to a thumping soundtrack. In the series first appearance on the Playstation 3, Studio Liverpool have taken a selection of the best tracks, teams and classes from the popular PSP releases and created one of the best looking games currently available for the PS3. The graphical quality is simply superb, with the game running at 1080p at a smooth 60fps, the brilliantly realised Blade Runner-esque tracks as appealing to the eye as the intuitive UI and menu system.

It’s worth noting that as a result of the recycling of Fusion and Pulses’ game elements, owners of these games may feel let down by HD and its lack of original tracks and gameplay. For the rest of us, the sheer quality of this game shines throughout. The developers have taken the Wipeout that old fans know and love and updated it for the latest generation. Support for trophies, custom soundtracks and online play are all hugely welcome additions that almost round HD into being a justifiable full retail release; but at £12 it becomes a must-have PSN title.

SIREN: Blood Curse

An interesting example of a full retail game being released exclusively over PSN (something which until very recently wasn’t possibly on XBLA); SIREN was originally conceived as being a truly episodic game, with short hour long episodes being regularly released for only a couple of pounds. This message seems to have been lost somewhere in development though, as the whole game was released at once, despite being clearly split into 12 TV style episodes (complete with “Coming next time” cutscenes at the end of each episode).

However, this pales in significance once you realise that SIREN is the most accomplished horror game released so far for PS3. Made by the same team who released the earlier SIREN games, this latest title has been clearly westernised in order to appeal to a larger audience; but the use of several American characters lost in these Japanese woods doesn’t detract from the classic Japanese horror in evidence. Of note is the “sight-jack” system used in the game which allows you to view the world from the perspective of other characters in the world. As well as being an interesting tool used as a gameplay element; the tension of watching the shibito, the zombie-like Village people, about to discover your tenuous hiding place is delicious.

If you are a fan of horror games, there are no better examples available for your PS3.

Pixeljunk Eden

Being the third in the remarkably successful series of quickfire Pixeljunk games released by Q, there was a degree of expectation that Eden would deliver on the fun and accessible tenets touted by its forebears, Monsters and Racers. Additionally as one of the first PSN titles to support some of the new features introduced to the PS3 in recent firmware updates; such as trophies, custom soundtrack support and video capture and Youtube upload, many were curious how well these could be used within the context of a game.

Fortunately, few were disappointed by the end result. Eden is a uniquely unusual 2D platform game, combining its distinct visual flavour with a powerful soundtrack. The core mechanics are very simple, with your character throwing out string ala Spiderman on which it can swing, climb, or collect pollen (which is necessary for progression through the level) in order to progress up through the garden to your eventual goal. Although there are only ten gardens, they all offer a high degree of replayability as initial visits only explore a very small area of the garden. Unfortunately, slowing transversing the lower levels of each garden to reach the highest grows gratingly tiring. The timer also proves a source of frustration at times, giving a tension and sense of urgency to the otherwise relaxing and calm game.

Whilst certainly not a perfect game, Eden is hugely fun and addictive enough to draw most gamers into its beautiful, tranquil and artistic world with its wonderful synthesis of music and trippy visuals.

My previous post was very brief simply because typing on the PSP is very slow. Think texting, and then half the possible speed. However, a decision to buy a rather pretty PSP (with a lovely Final Fantasy logo) on it was entirely justified by its support of Skype. O2 roaming charges to the US are an entirely ridiculous £2 per minute to make a call, and £1.50 to recieve one; but using Skype (which was available in nearly all of the hotels that we stayed at), cut that down to pittance.

Regardless, some photos from my time in California are below, enjoy:

For the summer, I’ve somehow winded up with working night shift back at Sainsburys for two nights a week. Having lost my letter, it was the only possible vacancy that they had left; and there’d have been no way I’d have taken it were it not for the £1.50 premium per hour. The main downside is, obviously, that it screws my already poor sleeping patterns even further. Boo.

I’ve also finally gotten around to playing MGS4, and am working through it slowly; not at all helped by the fact I sleep through nearly every day. Tomorrow is also being reserved for playing Pixeljunk: Eden, which lots of people seem to be raving about. I’m shallow enough to be drawn in by the prospect of Remote Play and Trophies (!!!), so it’s fortunate it’s fun too. I’m not exactly getting very far through the trophies in Super Stardust HD.

In other gaming; i34 is getting underway up in Stoneleigh Park in a couple of weeks time; and it has finally been confirmed as the venue for i35 in November. I’m now making it a priority to make as many people as possible going; namely compsoc, as we’re local anyway, and DiVAS for some silly pissup. Yay for Stoneleigh!

WordPress updated to 2.6; though I made a booboo when clearing unmoderated spam comments and accidentally deleted every single comment. Oh well.

Namco will soon be re-energizing the PS3 version of Tekken 5: Dark Resurrection with a new update coming March 18. The update is set to bring on a few changes by adding gameplay modes, DualShock 3 rumble support, and doing a little patching up of things all around.

The most notable addition to Tekken 5: DR is the Pickup Match Mode that let’s players continuously fight new opponents without having to switch back to the matching room. This change will probably make the experience feel more arcade-like as there’s a quicker transition from match to match. You can also change your match search settings after the brawl, just in case you want to face another type of opponent. Other tweaks call on the ability to create/display names for rooms, an added flag option for rooms which toggles certain search/fight conditions, an adjustment to the point allotment system, and match results are now unrecorded when Rank Match is set to off.

Strange. Having just gotten back from University, and fully armed with a brand-new via-eBay imported DS3, I decided to buy Tekken 5 (more because it wasn’t worth it with only the one controller). Rumble is quite definitely fully functional.

Source: PS3 Fanboy