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fei или Tomb Raider
» Rebooting the Tomb Raider franchise through an origin story isn't so much a choice as an act of necessity. Drastic measures are needed. To build an entirely new Lara - a relevant hero worthy of the attention that once came so effortlessly - Crystal Dynamics must break her first. by Meagan Marie
andyügar
regulars
6 Feedback
Readers miss the point (again!) of the Sacred Cow Barbecue, share ther thoughts on Halo: Reach, and voice a new and unusual viewpoint on the Call of Duty Infinity Ward/Tieyarch saga.
12 Connect
We're curious enough to investigate gaming in the. Islamic Republic of гал. Of siightly more practical use is our round-up of the latest crop of motion-enabled fit- ness games.
58 Previews
We got our hands on Dead Space 2's single-player cam paign and lved to tel the tale, A rare peek at the gritty investigations of LA. Noire provides a stark contrast to Isaac's grim quest
76 Reviews
Warren Spector's ambitious Epic Mickey oozes charm — and gameplay issues,
by Andrew Reiner
100 Game Over Bulltstorm creative director Adrian Chmielarz shares his. gonzo personality.
contents 3
games index
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Is Nothing Sacred
1 bet Game Informer got thousands of emails oncoming that Sacred Cow Crap Fest your morons fora stall wrote for this November's issue. But you should, because you guys wouldn't know a popular game ii hit you
in the head, Yos, | agree with things Ike the rip-olt God of War and Braid, and things ко KOTOR that just need a major revision. But when you tak about games with millons of fans, you really don’t have a say, World of Warcraft may not be а classic, but its a game that us gamers say wins! So shut up you jocks ind stop picking on us nerds, There's noth ing you can say or do to change the fact that WoW в chosen by the people, for the people, and its in the Hall of History.
Jordan Via Email
So, 1 got my new Game Informer and сате across your Sacred Cow Barbecue. read. through it and saw Pokémon, Resident ЕМ 4, апа God of War. AM have to say is this: F— youl I unsubsorbed to you guys a few years ag ‘because youre completely t---ing bias, now I. orig it again, You wouldn't know a good game
Ti hit you in your expletive del you ard your stupid-ass magazine,
Collin Haines
Perryton, Texas
Jes
When you hold your Sacred Cow Barbecue, you inevitably get hato mal threatening to uns- sorbe due lo your roasting of someone's favorite game. Do you gel the same fuzzy feeling that 1 до knowing that the average IO of your readers goes up each time one of these people sends you such alter?
DJ. Gorra Windsor, Conneticut
“Thank you for writing the Sacred Cow Barbecue articles. [have enjoyed reading а three of them. and whl it hurts (seeing as many of these games are favorites of min), must admit that almost every point you make is val and tue iroaizo you probably ge all sorts of hate тай When you do artes such as these, but here is aig “Thank you" trom gamers who aren't too proud to soo the bad inal the good.
Sam Rasmussen.
Via email
As much as we enjoy taking the industry's ‘most beloved video games down a peg When they deserve it, our favorite part of. writing Sacred Cow Barbecue Is the angry flood of emails we get from cranky fanatics ‘who don't get the Joke. It warms our hearts, like we're starring in some bizarro version of How The Grinch Stole Christmas, except the Grinch stays evil at the end.
Ihave never written in to your magazine bdlore but alter reading ‘Its Al Temporary" issue 211 i felt compelled to do о. As a wheelchar-bound vidual, t was rolroshing to have someone
bring to ight an issue I havo been deding with for ite some tie, With inventions Iko Xbox кесі and РОЗ Move, Ihave boon аай! that
more and more developers wil be steered in that drecton, elfectively shutíng me (and other gamers ко me) out. Thark you so much for acvocaling (о fellow gamers and publishers зако) оп our behal, because as you so elo-
quently раї, "our healt, physica prowess, and mentai faculties are all oriy temporary:
Aimee Lupo
Via email
Scaredy Pants
| was reading your last issue when I stumbled across your review of a game | had never heard ©: Amnesia. So, Ко your mag said, 1 fred up Steam and "d the fight thing.” Lot mo tll you, I have never been so scared ту l This garne draws youin and hits al the right stings. П has you во tense that when something does happen, you crap your pants and want lo tum it ofl, just so you can stop locking over the back © your computer chair into tho darkness that lurks ther. I's a very ching game that | would
recommend to anyone. Anthony King Via Email
brates were not introduced tnt Hal 2, ny are hey in he prequel game, На Raach? „Time travel?
«How are you Dd you know you can make of money from the compu?
Really? Tell us more...
Were glad you enjoyed it, Anthony. Our only advice: I you do happen to pass on a glow- ing recommendation of Amnesia to your friends, you might want to leave out the bit about you crapping In your pants. That way, ‘they'll still want to be your friends!
Crossing The Streams As a geek пузеї hot had to defen my. kind atter reading a Feedback response nthe October issue. most have а ют sus- icion that you guys d ths on purpose, but {wanted to pont ou hat in your response to Scott Say you sued rm and Star Ws
fans everywhere when you threatened him with “Ayeti was just алох! tored a Vulcan nerve pinch. As you probably already ead and need an expat. know, Vulcans aro a Star Trek reference, and Heb me Gameintomer ts. nota Star Wars one. To the real Star Wars lans, уи my only hope:
you mock us by referencing Star Tok, I's the equivalent ol taling Mario that Doctor Robotnik is after him.
Randy Haney Ма Email
Rest assured, Randy, we would never Intentionally mix up our sci-fi lore In hopes of antagonizing one of our delicate readers. If you sent out a Cylon raiding party In retaliation for our blunder, please. recall them to your Death Star. We won't 1е it happen again.
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feedback 7
Great Expectations In issue 211, wo asked readers И Bungie's last entry Into the Halo franchise lived up to their expectations. Here are some of the answers we recolved.
| think Reach has one ofthe best Halo stories 1o date, especialy wilh its өріс cnematics. Also, Forge Word is amazing! Reach is lacking in the ‘onine gameplay and excitement, though. When. you buid а franchiso around online play, you have to make sure that you can keep decicated lans attached to its multilayer experience. White things Ike Freight and campaign matchmaking are сод, Ihe arena system is пої as fun. was awesome when you cod say "Tm a 50 n Halo 37 Now you don't have that.
Brandon N.
Halo reach а decent gerne overall but to me it was kind of a disappointment. The campaign is excelent, bul tho gameplay was a drastic step back. Im a chard Halo fan, but Ihe reason why Ive always played Halo is for the awesome CF Е ‘matches! Reach has no dual wielding and they dropped most of the weapons. | know they didit 1o keep with the storyîne, but it just sucks! Jonathan Walden
Allin al Fm just asin love with Halo: Reach as маз withthe previous ios. The states Jock mo through the mind and sellossnoss o! а Spartan and left me astounded al the end, ‘The oniy thing I'm unhappy with is the inability lo party-up with your teammates after a qood огге match. Please being a party-up option with the now patch, Bungie!
Richard Renz
Halo: Reach was the best that anyone could ask for in a sorias-ending proqud И the option of thes gamar that arguments involving tho integrity (ol Master СН as a heroic character and the бу of advanced weaponry are all nerc-bab- ble. Halo: Reach is entertaining, and that is what а дате Б supposed to bo. I am addicted to completing daly challenges on Halo: Roach just о can дап credits to increase in rank and alier
es ae. mieten eng тему
— то appoaraco my басни Hal: ac зо provides the closure which all Halo fans have a aroiously awaited. — Brandons.
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Electronic Arts
EA had a distribution deal with Viacom's MTV Games for the Rook Band franchise that ended this year with Green бау: Rock Band, and EA had to post a $450 milion revenue decrease. because of the deal's expiration. Buying. Harmonix could recapture some of that cash flow, buta distribution deal where you're play Ing to your strengths in the retall space в dif- Terent than being on the hook for development, peripherals, etc. Moreover, you have to wonder НЕА aready had the chance to buy Harmonix Баск in 2006, and passed in favor of the distri- bution deal instead.
Тһе Fallout 3 developer and its parent com- рагу, ZeniMax Media, have been throwing. around money as of late. including acquiring 18 Software and most recently Machinegames Sweden (a studio formed by ex-Starbreeze. members). Rock Band and music games in general are certainly outside o ts core exper tise, but that could be exactly why It might. consider buying Harmonix,
Microsoft or Sony Grabbing the exclusive services of Harmonix and therefore a large chunk of the musi game market must be very atractie for Botn console manufacturers companies Who are certainly по strangers to overseeing peripheral manufacturing
Som Sony and Mierosoft have ther онт advantages. Harmon's Dance Centra was front and center at the Kine launch, and wave heard that the developer was very help- tulto Microsoft with the device: Sony on the other hand, also has a history with Harmonie Sony helped fund the development of PiayStaton 2 exclisives Frequency, Amplitude, and EyeToy: Antara.
Konami
Harmonix also has history with Konami = it developed the fst few games for the Karaoke Revolution franchise. However, the рай have also traded lawsuits regarding the original Guitar Hero, Konami's Guitar Freaks, and DrumMaria. franchises. Although Konami must be considered a dark horse the Harmonix sweepstakes, It would be kind of cool to see Konami buy the developer after ай the work it has done through the years with musio games (Including the. DanceDence Revolution series) long before the дете became popular.
Activision ‘Activision may control Rock Band's rival franchise (and former Harmonix IP) Guitar Hero, but it ‘would make а lot of sense for Activision to try and. effectively corner the music market, Doug Creutz, industry analyst with Cowen, thinks this в a great idea. “Activision's best option at this point would be to approach Viacom with [the] idea of merg- ing Ihe Guitar Hero and Rock Band franchises through a sale of joint venture agreement " Activision's own Bobby Kotick also thinks, the pair сап make beautiful music and money together. Earle this year he publicly stated he regretted not buying Harmonix back In 2008. At the DICE summit he talked about acquiring original Guitar Hero publisher RedOctane and. the IP. but not developer Harmonix: "We really гії even think, 'Hey, we should go to Boston and meet these Harmonix guys and see what they're up to” Of course, had we gone, | think the мот of Guitar Hero would have been rewritten and it wouid be a lot different today, and prob- abiy a profitable opportunity for both of us and an ‘opportunity where you'd have even more Innova” tien In the category.
Harmonix
What if Harmonix paid off Viacom and remained! independent? Although it would take the devei- ‘Oper back to its beginnings, perhaps Harmonix grabs the reins and starts to contol Its own des- tiny It could sell-publish its next il, ог! could {um to an unknown, much like It did with Red. ‘Octane back In the beginning of the Guitar Hero. franchise. It would be a ЧИПСЫ undertaking, but Harmonix has a history of sel-convieion that's ‘gotten it where tis at so far, and this could serve, Them well in the future,
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ІІІ
How Iran navigates the often tricky territory of rating games
by Jeff Cork
How до nations reconcile their citizens’ desire for for- eign goods against the need to maintain their own cultural identity? And how do you inspire creativity so that your countrymen can tell their own unique stories? An orga- nization in Iran is dealing with these very issues. We talk
with а representative to learn more.
Telling their own stories
Inaction to overseeing ESRA, Капе National Foundation of Computer Games helps nutre homegrown development talent. We just sta
Minaei says. "We are new, we are youths in this arca, We doit think our games are better than the American games or Japanese games, but we beleve that our games are They are based on nian cure
One such game isa PC tie in development by Fanatzar вій Game Sts, Garshasp stas a oro from аап mythology, taking placo in ancient
Рева. I's a thin person action game in he vein of X War ho) and some ight
burg elements.
Because of trade sanctions against an, the ay
ol games developed in he country are created on
POS The country has produced one game on the
Yoox 360, Mae says, though developers is had. ate а corporation п Canada because №6
provide access to tS XNA tools.
X licenses to prodo
tie wo a not эксе
8 but
egorize games is by using an East versus West mentality. Games developed in Japan and other ‘Asian nations fal on one side, and European and North American development landin the other — atten with the own cultura idiosyncrasies and Trenes added i to suit their au и everybody eise mport many of their gamas rom an entirely dierent set хобот nantly Матис nation, Iranian ойлого - and thor ма о sensitive to content that ght otherwise go unnoticed hero. We taikod with Dr. Berouz Меза, managing droclor of кал National Foundation of Computer С. the organization that overse rating board, to get his perspective on game ratings and to leam more about the challenges his orga nization faces "Whats appropriate here in the United States may not go over as wal in other countries. For example, we're nol as sensitive о Nazi conog:
raphy appearing in cur games as the German government, which prohibits such displays in games, Likewise, games with references to сорой that might cam an ЕТО» rating through
RB might be banned entirely through an Islamic nations ratings board,
“These are some of ће issues that anis Entertainment Software Rating Association faces. The independent, nonprofit organization was founded in 2007, and is tasked with rating for ‘ign and domiasticaly developed games based оп cura, religious, and sociological спі
айе withthe калап government and we can como up with a new ratings
ssid
System fori" Mnasi says. "We had а very long and scientie process о determine what the iflrencos wero between Iranian are and American aturo or Japanese culture.
The reall was а ratings systern that rarks games оп a six point scale. Minaci says games Under review aro played by professional gamers, and specialists aro brought in o evaluate games for content such as violence, sexual stimuli hopelessness, and sacrilego. Unike the ESRBS scale, which maxes out at the elusive AO rating - reserved for games that should orly bo played by gamers older than 18 - ESRAS scale affects gamers Up to 25, Some games aro bannod aniroly
We looked at some of ESRAS literature; and much ої itis universal, Parents worldwide have ‘expressed concem about the affects ol modia оп thet chicken throughout ho years, and having an casy-to-understand way of judging Content is helpt. Iran's ratings board dors from the ESRB in a subi but significant way. In the US, our ratings board doesn't try to make a determination as to whether or not games alloct a chis development. Instead the organization. Tags certain content - comic rischi, tobacco references - and assigns ratings based on the буре and severity of those lagged items. ESRA begins with the sociological assumption = for. better or worse - that children are alfected бу media and should be protected at сйісгі рогів in thor development
Some of hat reasoning is obvious, consid ering ESRAS evaluation criteria, WI other responses are more obscure. Mina says that ESRA i зогей in areas whero lam values
yo Violated, such as attacking Musim counties,
mm
whichis one reason that Cal of Duty 4: Modem Warare was banned. Other entries in the series that ват lake placa in Middle Eastern nations = опа or not = Grp face a similar reaction,
Most Americans would fnd Ше objectionable in the E-raled NBA 2K10, for example, though tno game was banned in lran for reasons wo weren't ble to determine. On the other hand, Need for Spoed Hot Pursuits lawbroaking violence named the game an E104 rating in the US. In ran, the game cruised by al a +3.
азу for us to take our deas of what kent appropriate for granted. Other counties don't necessary have that алу, Аз Mina says, Western games aro excoptionally popular among been gamers, particularly tiles such as Prince of Porsia and God of War. We don't hear about them уау olen, but Mnasi says that there aro more than 10 milion gamers пів Country, playing games on PO, console, and social networking stes. "sup to Minaci and his ‘organization to ensure that his countrymen at least know what куто getting into when they Play cur games. 6
and
ЕБАА є Ratings Hare are ESRAS ratings, along wi the agencys rt content des oes and Westen games tut
iv tht particu category
Doe
ot distinguish betwee ination and reality. Example games:
Cars ice Ю апа, Gran Turismo
Reacts physically and emotionally against tear and violence Example games:
LEGO indana Jones, Toy Story 3
Dependence on others decreases and feelings of independence increase Example games:
Ratchet & Clank: Sue Haters, Spider Man Немо Foe
Idealogict mation and religious sacre
games featuring discrimi dont
create problems because Individuals of this age can reconcile contradictions Example games:
Warriors of Might and Nagie, Halo Wars
Can play most games without problems, though games with sexual stimuli should be avoided
Example games:
Ca of Duty: Word at Wa, Rogue Warrior
No imitations Example games: Prototype, Midnight Cubs: Los Angeles
Games Rated by ESRA (as of 2010)
25000
2000
15000
10000
5000
eli (
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+15 15267
E
12324 18306
il:
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E
Civilization V The fifth numbered installment in the legendary strategy franchise brought host of radical changes to the game. We talked to the title's lead
to get his thoughts on his own Civilization revolution now that 0 How did you approach what to ̃ inva piecos охла postions my the the By comparison out and what to keep from prev citea). По sate алі though the Cv У team had roughly Фа versions of Cvlzation? Alter we mace Wis change was that Ihe same ropation ol artists оро. Ou goal tom he very begining Iumansquckyapproci J скратат make adusments bu / ⁰ Alto pay Mis Cress What was the reasoning behind % JJ ̃ d locale many development? epi were onthe table, Th en, more пси os and > Пепе game developers; we tires we КА most comiartatio berg testy tne СУ V tactcai Alt for ben what we шт vant о т prevous games nthe Series. ‘comps, ane alae Me prr fave oon in al rev versions of Tes ооду When we get lo the CC JJ . са sep back end plot u I These most bast elements wo never acions ol Mre oiher players In the ements ha wl mek һе game стаде ra mar dungen game. IhsdplamaicAlmaes sure уен. Then we prt age de warne baton that each А от pets a merta snd meko decisions based J From hal base we decided hat bor Eachlumihisanayss makes bel gameplay experience. же wanted 1o ad Combat чав посту which players ago Date лому alan loos, and we lat ^ gabopebd which ones hawo In hindaight, do you feel that J rd aso your decision to make diplomatic гасат aden мині зоосу. Пако ques abat WNC pe ol modifiera less ransperent was. States were bom. The рат чан tory each opponent ризи Ihe correct опе? %%% %%% nated by ho Alright away Tris оца procesa wie creating ho лга development and теат тол sen en ice the дате Alot was aed as we vent CC JJ rave, you do your best о аон Мау рою n ihe ond. Every fino you {ho tun” changing components that fesso а game to thousands ру жш! thal rtgosing, while expand Апай wore proud of what wo rs you uncover now things about ig en око та we ace and ke wo have wth the game, sometimes An ings vorsers of een weilcen- ак} somelmes tinge youd ко о ‘The Al has caught a lot of lak | Порто fen еек and weak Woe card с hau fom players. What led to те ARI improvements feedback on diplomacy and vd uso strategic and tactical Al shipping "feto mako политик ав wo inthe state they did? What took priority over Al for move land [airs noe: Sino GV isa ety complex gane, and development resources? User, 2K anounced an i %%% /// big or ail. und od cipiomacy harna: . Білсе ChVisaPConchnve,we Шао to pays] ia wasa major pois. Changing have a lot to balance, so eying %%% gags ° The community has been very ате a force sped ош wih nowt, ac, a gameplay vocal since Cl Vs launch. What imate en one unt per tie wasike deph We doled рисам kind of insight have you gained Upgrading e mitay se %%% з esters to form the community reaction? %%% J instanoe, cada tha wo atate shows Irat lans are розбою тоютун}! chess here san exudadOpecentsmalo Alor about hr Cv gomes! We vo def
itay boen making changes based ‘on community teecbadk, and contin- ue to do so. We certainly apprecate Feedback and constructive отап, and uso I ав much as possible to improve our games n the fut
Did anything from the critical or ‘community reactions take you by
surprise? ‘You aways leam a lot about your. game when 1 goes hom a hun
‘hed regular players о а hundred Thousand ovemiht, We did know ahead ol tme tha there were gong lo bo some long time players who wouldn't agree with our decison. Gv IW was а great game, and thats "what happens when you take some. iss changing rings up as we did. But we've also heard ram a lot ol layers who ve loved Cv lora wie that Ind Ov V a big step up. Its sm- ply a “whats your cup ol tear КПП of thing. Every game rra franchise wil Pick up new ans and lose others.
Are there any design decisions you've ultimately gone back on. based on post-launch feedback? Anyone who subscribes to e Пак tive dasign process is nov com- ‘lott locked-in оп anything, итий. Ing to change. There aro certainly things ГА ко to revisit, just as there ‘were a year ago, long ско the пите was aven announced. | thik the бу to change your mind and
has a single perfect view ol a game's final зо, so tho more гри youre. ling to accept the better. That having been said, fm very proud of wrat he team has accomplehod.
‘Out of the more radical changes чо the Civ formula in СМ V, what do you feel really worked?
Think the combat system the best example of a new feature hats worked wel П added a lot ot depth To ware, and presented a lot mare oplons and tough decisions to play ers The city-states have also done а ла in spicng up the рута, Its nice having more going on n the work, especially wäh players who arent focused on beating you Tm excited 10 soo where tuture updates and mods vil teke he game as welt
Seeing how everything is playing ош, are there any more legacy systems you wish you'd taken out behind the woedshed? Notting mmedelely springs to mind, А ths stage wo ty lo look at "Las much as possbio ав ho ar Ton salo ofthe game,” and what we can do to improve 1, гай then Comparing it t00 much wth carr Versions, We defintely looked at samo of tho legacy systems (ко tho ‘commerce side) and decided to goa diront drecton, but that was саму оп when Ci V was kosher in aur minda than Cv V Weihe пите has опу boon au for a cou- Plo of menths now, seme members ‘ofthe team have boen faking wth Iter па о and a hall years so that makes carr versions ol he game seem prety d. &
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Analyzing Our Industry Weathermen
Takin closer look at the future of video games
Forecasting the future of a constantly evolving industry is no easy task. Even with ample data and a nose for numbers, predicting software success or hardware price drops takes hundreds of hours of research and analysis. Widely quoted analysts Jesse Divnich of EEDAR and Michael Pachter of ‘Wedbush Securities explain the process of formulating a pre- diction and what it takes to become a headliner.
EEDAR Vice President, Capital Research & Communicatio
Wedbush Securities, Managing Director, Equity Research
Wu Seres
Making predictions
Divnich: Our forecasts do dier shy rom other analysts. By leveraging our database of ‘more than 20 milion internaly collocted facts ‘going back to 2000 and converging the data We rocolvo from cur partners, wo aro ablo fo Tun very high precision models Yes, it does sound that boring, There Б no magic eight ball, no crystal Бай, just a bunch of comput- ‘es and analysts. | do note, however, that the expertise ofthe EEDAR stall plays a very crucial где.
For oxamplo И you threw Guitar Hero into our model Ivo years ago, Ino results probably wouldn't be grand. No computer model could have predicted the success ©! Guitar Hero with precision. But thal в where EEDAR's oxperlise comes in to play. Ву examining the product, analyzing tho. potentials, and looking at the direction of our industry, wo can correctly adjust for these unforeseen industry trends.
Most importantly, the numbers | release to the press are not necessary based on these models. The numbers | speak about in the media are more of a high precision edu. cated guess. But to be ar, those educated eslmales come from 60 hours a week, mu- ріка by eight years, of nothing but crunch: ing numbers.
Pachter: There's no real magic to my fore casts. | ry to forecast as much as possible, With as much datai as possible, in the hopes that my forecasts wil Dep investors meke decisions. For example, i I forecast that Red Dead Redemption would sel three milion units and таку scd rino millon, my bad forecast wouid коор tho publisher's stock down (Take-Two, in this example) unti the game launched, and when it became de T was wrong, the stock would go up. If an investor disagreed with my forecast, he might havo boon emboldened to buy Take-Two. stock обого tho release. Ihe agreed with my lorocast, ho may have Sold Take-Two stock ‘betore the release
Over the long term, | generaly make а umber of mistakes that offset one another, and he sum of al of my mistakes comes out very doso to zero. So, in order to do my job well, 1 dort have to bo right ever; I can be wrong with al ot my predictions, so long as the low estimates are offset by the high est- mates, with the total being very dose to my ‘estimated totai. Fortunately for mo, hat's the way it usually works, and m generaly in the пор tior ol analysts for earrings accuracy,
Consumer feedback
Divnich: Nothing deliohts mo more than. those who question my qualifications. | was that same person eight years ago. Despite "hor anonymity and questions of their own Inteigonoe, | ry to road as much feedback as possible. Sure, 98 percent of what is sad on forums is completely useless and can bo. written of as banter, but the insight rom the other o percent more than makes up lor
il. Never underestimate Ihe wisdom of the
crowds, oven itis layered beneath sik inches of dog ple.
Bul lets be fair | don't get a penny for being quoted in the media o for appearing on television. What | do with the media | do оса | feel consumers and gamers alke nood to know.
Sometimes ту interviews wil get picked up by tho core media outlets, even though, ту intended audience was thal of another kind, The mainstream outlets dort neces: ary need to know the granular datas ol the таку, a simple "Call of Duly wil bo a bast “Soling о" в suficient lor tho mainstream. «том, but to tno core community, it come oll as a "Мо s-— Sherlock! statement
Pachter: | ink its healthy for people to question things they dort understand. My
job ts not to lak to journalists, it's to talk to точо. 11 say that a Wi HD is coring, it outrages fanboys who thnk that Nintendo.
always knows better, but It doesn't particu outrage investors Its healthy that people dis agres, and | am always interested in opposing viewpoints.
There aro а handful of readers who make personai attacks, and woud tel hom that Ihave no stake in tho outcome of anything | tak about (don't invest in the companies | ‘cover, and most of what | say Б just opinion. | don't say things because | hope they como true; | say them because 1 think that they
‘come true. Since my job is o got ho big picture right, | can allord to be wrong often on. the smal sif.
Missing your mark
Омей: One missed prediction was actu- ly printed in Game Informer last year. I said Grand Theft Auto V woud have йв unvelng at ЕЗ 2010 witha 2011 release date. Lite dcl know that Rockstar was delaying Max Payne and LA. Моге nto 2011, leaving no room for a GTA V. There were thousands of rides about il. just simply had to wipo tho yok oll ту taco on that one.
In terms of backlash, | сап honestly say I've never had апу. My personal baling average эга that of EEDAR в Ahe high. Anytime you attempt to predict the future it comes with an understanding that sometimes you wi just bo plain wrong. Lam certainly right more than Jam wrong, and the day my batting average drops below 700 is the day | hang up my тю not out of shame, but out of respect for The такту
Pachter | ort thin Ivo gone a week with- ол having an incorrect prediction, | model uris lor every game made by each ol ho. Seven compares | cover, by platform, ої make around 200 sales predictions a yoar As lar as know, Ive been right once (Spider Man 2 sales in 2004). I predict NPD sales by company and usually predict e to 10 game unit sales each month, as well as salos by hardware platform. That totals around 20 predictions а month, or a total ol another 240 wrong predictions. lm nol sure what ту bating average hore Б, but its below 10
percent. Nobody cares fm fight, охсор! fanboys. My cients are merely locking for a benchmark in front of numbers so that they сап assess whether the stocks of the compa- ries I cover wi go higher or lower.
Highs and lows
Divnich: The hours and doacines can be tough, Altar a while it begins to take a strain ‘on you, not just mental, but physical. Working 80 hours a weak lor a month straight Wil dive just about anyone bonkers. Then again, hat is rue lor most jobs,
“The most rewarding aspect of my job is anytime а project we worked on becomes success, For being an analyst, and a bus nessman, I realy couldn! care less about the money. Absolutely nothing beats the emotion of knowing you are part ol a company that improves how 9
Pachter: The hardest part ofthe job is the "ime commitment. 1 атмо at work at 4:30 ат, leave around 4:30 p m. and work around an hour each right and two hours each weekend day. When we have earings (19 companies each report four times a year, зо 36 nes а year | work three or fxr hours longer. | aiso travel around 65 rights а year, зо my average week is really long,
‘The best рап ol the job is that Im paid to do something that is realy un.
Career advice
Divnich: The acce l'd give is no different than any other carcer. Start young and start ону. But it aiso depends on who you ae where youlive, and what resources you have access to, You certainly have a much better chance in такай big i you go to an Ivy League эо, got an МВА. and land an internship with a prestigious francid institu- tion, but that road is not avalabie lo many of us. As someone who has succeeded
in this industry without those resources, | сап say tha challenges in tront of you oten seem тросс іе to overcome, The dispar
ity between the resources one has and the accomplishment one achieves is ultimately due to the sacrifices one is wing Io make.
Pachter: Tho од d boing a video game analyst are pretty stoop. There are only 35 olus, and thal moans that thoro aro any 5 ‘openings or so each уол. might not bo
аз competitive as being a baseball player, but suffice to say that most games analyst Stared out as something else, and worked "hor way into tho position. The best advice 1 can oa is to get as much education as
possible, and perform as wel in school as
possible, The skis required include wriing, modeling finance}, and speaking skis. Га. suggest an MBA. at minimum. $
Company roles in the industry
— can сова dat
determining шге тепа тезде
дейт financial ance to inetintional cents ny handles abart 450 including those m the vides dusty (аал 10 450) As manag research, Pach
f equi edits sa
in more infermatin on one ot th
з Most publishers ard avide et sales reports tracking, detaled reports, and m
connect 21
Action and strategy collide in Haunted Temple’s stunning debut
by Matt Miller
өн independent studios aro a lot of fun to folow. Unshackled by previous publishing relationships or existing franchises, а new. developer can stretch ts logs ахі dve into brand new territory. ‘Skulls of the Shogun is the brainchild of just sucha toam; Haunted Temple Stuchos formed up from a smail group of EALA expatriates. Ther тич game promisos something rarely achieved - а deep and rewarding strategy game featuring an approachable action Vibe and easly understood mechanics. The studio brought the game by the Gi offices for a short visit, or во they thought. | Count stop playing ай day.
On the surfaco, Skulls of the Shogun draws a lot ot easy comparisons. The styized, cartoon at style and characters recall Castle Crashers Tho tum-basod siratogy batlos have the simple mechanics of a Worms or Advance Wars game, bul the addition of resource gathering and levei- Ing calls to mind moro complex its Ike Frid Fantasy Tactics or Valkyria Chronicles. Haunted Temple impressively Гоа a way to combine a
these elements in an inviting package thats easy 1o pick up and play. New players can compete with veterans alter опу а few games, and the systems areal easy to understand so combat becomes a matlor of puro strategic competition.
Players сопи а mighty samurai. is truck down by an unknown moment of his greatest victory. When ho arrives in the Land of the Glorious Fallen, he shogun Is nent on delivoring istic to his murderer and rockiring his lost honor. As he sets out, һе encounters oiher aimless talen warriors who join him on his quest
‘The game has soven unique classes, Irom Infantry solders and cavalry to long-distanoo. archers and hoang moris. As expected, each Unit has its own strengths and weaknesses, tke excelent movement but low armor, or excellent attack but Imitod пу. As the shogun's forces grow, he faces other skul-faced warriors who stand in his way. Strike them down, and ary of your soldes can devour ho enemy әкі to lov Up, eventually gaining ackitional attacks and abi- ites. Moving across a love, characters can haunt
"co рабов, tho game's main resource. Haunt а nearby shrine, and your ‘accumuated rico can Summen new unis to fight at your side.
“Tho дате is a сао but last paced march ‘across the gorgoousty dra loves,
player aims to bring down tho powerful enemy genera. Rathor than sticking everyone о a grid movement, attack, and defense are all handed with a croular range system that radiates out trom each unit. Is easy to move about wil your cedo to the perfect spot to exact a devas- tating attack. Scool dose to a friendly unit, and Youll fon up nto a delonsivo wal tat benefits both characters.
The lengthy single-player story stretches across four lands, one for each season of the year. The newest dead samurai warriors appear ^n ho ichic spring, but only the most powerful ascend info ho dark hierarchy of winter. Players ‘can also divo into the holly multiplayer com- ponent with up to four generals al опоо. Ono. particularly smart design feature lots players drop in and out during a game, allowing to Al to take over during a bathroom break or other irresistible сай. ки of the Shogun jumped ‘onto my radar in a big way this month, and the team stil has months lelt to poish the gameplay and hone the witty dialogue. Koop your eye on this ono as it nears в spring release,
Bionic Commando Rearmed 2 bee more of what | loved about the frst game while oig the things | didn't. At least, thats the impression | got alter swinging through the frst ‘couple of hours. The biggest change may sound Tke heresy to od fans, but Nathan Spencer cn now jump, offering lar greater mobilly and easing the level navigation, Plenty of crazy bionic body "го зій exists, long with the expected mix ‘of new weapons and enhancements. Sporing a
onpers urr: 270 25
ля
potent
I bravado and humor add Ile
indicating de Things too seric
ndirack underpins he action, i bright colors, big explosions, and deep. background environments that seom to into the distance. The h and remains tho best presuming high challenge ist your sole priority. Tm stoked to play the ful experience when ly next yea. ion Network hasa с
ing in the next few weeks in Explodemon. Tris 2.50 action game features a mix of envrormen- tal puzzles, combat, and platforming, The main character is а malfunctioning prototype rob
мово for an alin
Uni the liege eie that the ost cisely resembles, Explocemon can blow tinsel up lo combat enemies, fing тесі into the air, and solve platfrring challenges throughout the world, Unabashedy aiming lege тот SNES ora piatlormers, Сим dios has been devdlopi most Ivo years, and il shows through polished visuals and smert design. Classic platformer enthusiasts should give Ihe game a look.
i's een awhile since Ive run into a creative new take on the twin-stick shooter genre, b Microbots fis robot as iis sent into ahum down older, faulty versions <
g the game for
dy to hunt. the robots that are
жасу ines ong tho way, you move theough bi ө, lung, and bran, powering up as you go with upgrades to attack, ‘detense, and propusson. Up to rino цуз available, so Tn ır prosanco. For instance, white blood colis wil generaly help you Jake down the invasive enemy mricrobols, but 4 you attack them, theyll tum оп you as wal ‘There's also a cool dynamic of fid space, as the body's icids sometimes push and ри. through areas. The fact that | сап play the game with a buddy through local co-op only increases ту interest, We seo how the game plays over the long-term when it releases this winter. ©
sık a On resting Pac-Man Championship Edition Dj» 7 Marvel Pinball (o en, A en ot Keting Bejeweled 3 í>
өзгесі 23
A viden games succes is typically measured in numbers, Quantifiable information like low review scores end poor
sales are clear-cut ways to argue a game's lack of могі
tut some poorly received games are adored by gamers
These games didn't move units like Modern Werfere or GTA ſ but they struck e powerful chord with smaller group
of gamers, creating ро
from the last two generations thet have garnered cult followings
MODERN
release buzz without strong marketing campaigns. Here is a collection of modern games
"ШИ
Deadly Premonition dere | Pat бо 50 Tis bizare Ше pubished by Ertrinment materie on video shelves iko a ghost emerging irom f were Deady Premonition i a sur- © plagued wi mucky aiming de design, and agonizing din are rewarded for mag fend ть the enigmatic Agent Vork с лев а charming and able character
‘Mix in ап alarmingly
аспу oft
track and you've got a recipe for
a rich experience buried under a layer ot т mechanics
Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem ere in | Rer kenn.
This criminaly overlooked Game ches the morbid monsters and
ubo ilo
utter haunted ware many other horror tiles: instead, protago- rist Alexeneka nds a haunted tome which transports her assuming the role of interosting characters from a Roman centurion to а Canadien freighter. The innovative sarily mete eer enced gamers to overlook he ватон mediocre gameplay. Тру enemies and situations compromise each characters
using balevabl allocls ко hordes of halucnated enemies, walk- volume levels. А Sadistic trick in the form of
г dala error corvinc
os all ber
bo forgotten by a aro sil asking for a f
No More Heroes dene ВР тама Touchdown is ап riroverted nerd tng, and seing a куйй. arre centi wi Tan Moro Haroos 10 securo а эноо spot in their hears o maybe і tho qur, uma. cus story abo апи bat cout als ko ам
жа» ferias
od lans
cod. No Maro Heros lan flowing Was enough for Uso o release а sexuel 112010
Beyond Good & Evil За В Pate Fain ы Geib know Beyond Good & E's rem, les prance it what kept he game on lans minds loc years The game femalo protagonist Jade, and dak benen sting of a planet bes х Jado stands арап tom the
design
тавай a out hit Without the pov
fans’ unileching love de
lock fonward to the games sequ о romae
E
Мне im | Рабит bean
Even at fest dance, i's obvi
EDF development team
low production costs. The voi
laughably bad, power-ups are generic 2
cardboard cutouts, and mary d be
ons are utterly use
aro enough for somo to:
оу. For thers, the low low
results in B-move charm, and ho arca play combined wil өрі
is fun enough tc messy package
together. I hard not o appreciate the irony
o defending Earth from alien bugs
simultanocustylovcling cy кл
stray rockots Wi its sheet destruc,
bugs that explode
bete goa
Earth delenders willbe able to continue. their mission in the upcoming sequel, Earth Delenso Force: Insect Armageddon.
Katamari Damacy Release: 2004 | Platform: Playstation 2
Sometimes a game is во quirky that у
an only imagine that Ihe development
team was crating a cut classic пот
iho боде. Gamers о
lo the absurd visage and humor of The
King of Al Cosmas before they even got
thai hands on Katamari
bal-rollag mechanic. The passie
эе patriarch wiggled his way nto the
memory of Pla ners with his
Shakespeare Gre LSD ou and awkward,
‘eodpiece-emphasizing poses. As if the
games тозсо soundtrack and surreal enough to eam praise,
the zerika simplicity of тойго to
into a sphere seed the deal. Ке
‘eid expectations, and the 3606 anemic
Beautiful Katamari possibly niurod the
video game cult classic.
Psychonauts
Release: ILS | Platform: Abox. PlayStation 7. PC
Теп Schalor а man famous for бодун Lndkrepprocated games, о
aids, fre works, et.) creativity ot Psychonauts. The game was ‘an underpertormer on the shev iod i Fans enjoyed ities to fight through лю shell-shocked mind of a mtr ‘coach, ard jumping through the organized genius bran. able characters, settings, dans Wil bo да ars lo come,
wich ensures de
ing fora soqual tor
ko
‘Release: 200 | Platform: PlayStation 2
Despite not breaking a min units э, storey ganeda ia adam and
captive ій rc "ho hearts of gamers. This early PlayStation. 2 мо evoked a st опа response trom players with its expansive and dotalod Vistas, iniricato-y puzzo d
and Ico and Yordais fragile uror immediately became a vor,
oquel with Shadow ofthe
fostered comparabile praise, The сс
Urner ives on with Tho Last Guardian, hich looms on next year's horizon, 9.
by Matt Ber
David Jaffe
Blogs, forums, YouTube, Twitter from Twisted Metal and God of Jaffe's stream-of-conscious sog the topic is Sarah Palin, the di anonymous developer blogs, or always know where he stands, mentary is never boring.
Keiji Inafune Мер Man erator rane ihe кай бозата over contemporary game deep ment n Japan, going as far o
Denis Dyack Seon Knights found Denis yack has championed video games as a ро Styling modum; but when Japan 5 опа We're done, Too Human ves panned by Ои дате industry в ned е pres and pub, he went Ater teling he New Yr Times on the offense, sayng that hat "Capcom is barety keeping "he haters “st det et Y un. Te ideas, gameplay. cause tas too "по design — there's mo diversity, no and teen.” Like when Kevin rally be abrupt ей the Costner deended Найти, company. Toll us how you realy то ое but him bought 1. Ted Ke
— Peter Molyneux Cliff Bleszinski Lionhead Studios’ Peter Mome is noswanger One of he пау ен create minds who has
позе} ont into the mainstream, Gears of War audited Bleszinski no stranger lo the ke ight talk show стай. When he's not touting hs ast ner ор acfon qame, he's engaging lans on Tit and speaking out against hal rates Ike tabloid game journals
do generating hendines, having battled for years wilh the bad шіл of cv ping features that his ‘ames ma to inc. Regardless of tho unt promises, he charming Bit’ endearing mamarsms and eye towards novation keep him a tan mare.
2
Gabe Newell
‘of everyone's ime
Hox Lie ва Don't ever change,
boss dishonorable.
Ken Le
Hal Le creator Gabe Novel без! nher words, Upon. auch, the Vae boss let Te Play Salon За vaste
bee on many levels.” Later айо horewrsed course and brad Sony's ptam, he save Май a taste ol his famous spe, saying that jan wa
Aa fumer semita and КОЛДУ ike Bostock and Thiel on his resume, people sien when Ken Levine taks. He's not alld to tel ей ет, scodng he games inst tor being too star stuck wh iis Holywood ав and lambast ing decns to shoehorn mates into predominately
ма
Gabe.
Tomonobu Itagaki Uke he фа МА wide receiver and fat realty show sr Terte Owens; lagak kae him some him. The former Team Nin leader never пёвева chance lo praise ів work, once saying that simply ‘бот Май Gaiden I wouid “make al other developers lose their motivation.” Lke 0, ‘e's aso known to ash tis formes employers tom time to Time calling his fom Tec.
Singh player experiencos. Sage "aco 1 we've вуз heard 1.
Tim Schafer Gm Fandango creator Tim Schar srt just one of the mist game developers; һе so has a ii sie, Shaler pub feuded wth Асп ovr ts treatm of Brütal Legend, calîng Aion CEO Bobby Кой a“total prick.“ He tr proposed а nuce айе Kotick retuned th pot shots by lic ing ана aby to most milestones and create ood games.
=
John Romero
‘Who can forget the legendary Dakatara ad cam paign at famous proclaimed, John Romero's ‘About To Make You Hs ich"? Unfortunately or Porro, he qame bombed, making he formes (4 ‘Software star ts bileh and puting a black mark on ап obervise impressive resume Іші nes the ‘evolutionary FPS Шев Doom and Qui.
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly NEWS \ ARCASTIC SPIN
PIN
Blizzard has
(ABOVE) Bioware has released this lone shot ram а new game thal could be Mass ЕПС 3. At the tne of his writ- ing we don't know much about the tite, апа itis Elect 3, we wonder this screen's gritty look means а new direction for the final instalment inthe плоду.
(BELOW) Ubisoft further delayed aready-delayed ites Ghost Recon: Future Soldier and Driver: San Francisco (shown), The games were sup-
sed 10 come out in 201 1, but now they may not hit shelves unti as fer away as March of 2012. Thats along time from now = plenty of time for another delay
(ABOVE) EA Sports and developer EA Canada put NBA Eite out of ils misery and canceled the boleaguered game Го the year. Tho serios is also picking up stakes and moving to Macken developer EA Tiburon, Its
хі sin by any means, but its better to admit deleat Mega Man
‘another $60 of garbage onto the public.
designer and
all-around И video game een genius Keiji Panic бойташ Inafune resigns нена а from his many жетер» соскы , e eg ee Capcom
ізо rinks thet some of Liverpool studio back in 2007, andit lames Ihe move БЕНКИ | co Ino poor sales ot Bu and Ino deciring racing market to the Taliban controversy ndy, the developer just completed Maybe they should have 007: Blood Stone or the publisher - E тоет action game removed rom the studios racing expertise, Mor ale and lees on b Was Blood Stone its last chance with Ac ‘experience mako Bizarro Creations more поет kinds of gan out okay in the end tor the team.
Connect 27.
28
Sonic Fan Remix
at sonicfanremix.com) was
Mercury {programmer}. We talked to them about t
ments of Sonic Fan Remix is the. fact that it's visually superior
to the Sega-made Sonic 4. How was а team of two able to make abetter-looking game than a major game studio?
Polkan: In the past, game engines fo Unity апа UDK have not been available to
the public for roo, and those engines can produce high quality results and they are realy easy to use. Sonic 4
and SFR have чау diferent
art styles and many people have complained about SFR'S "busy lock, so comparing бет в not simple.
молу; think that SER. ssicoaeds where Sonic 4 le because i's more surprising. There are so many detais that youre just not expecting to sec, and that's what таке so oxciing,
Did you start development on Sonic Fan Remix before or after the announcement of Sonic 4? Palkan: I started working on "ho game around 10 days prior 10 Бода announcement, When I heard they were work ing on a 20 Sonic | felt both excited as а Sonic fan and a bit disappointed. 1 did consider.
official sequel. Sonic Fan Remix [available for fre
stopping work on SFR at that рог! as I fal there might be no place for it
Has Sega contacted you in any way in regards to the game. (praise, legal threats, et)? Pelikan: No.
What's the plan going forward? Are you going to release a full version at some point, and will it remain freeware?
Palkan: Yes, it can only ba годнае as з a fan game, ‘and 1 willrelaaso each zone as ‘Soon as Б dono, along wi updates to ho previous zones.
Do you guys have aspirations of breaking into the industry full- time, oris this something you just enjoy doing as a hobby? Palkan; | have been working in games for tho past fow years ав a rodanco artist, but my big goal would be to make my ‘own games
Mercury: For ma its purely а hobby. I wouldn't want
to work in the indisty, mainly because the уре of project | lo to work on ізгі something that's commercially viable:
What the Sonic title? Polkan: Sonic 2.
a's favorite
announcement of had been long ov
Sonic hi
Longtime Sonic fans were excited by Seg
onic 4, as а true 2D return to form due; While
» it received generally
tive reviews, a fan-made tribute to old-school
created by two hardcore fans of the hedgehog
interview by Dan Ryck
Масу: Sonic CD.
When do you think Sega started to lose its way with the Sonic. serien?
Mercury: Sonic Adventure, It took pretty much everything loved about ho serios and throw i out
Pelikan: | have to agree with Mercury although I realy enjoyed the game at the time, Бода mado some choices tor Sonic from gameplay to v als to voice acting that never кеа with me and seem to have stayed with Sonic over since.
Sonic's movement physics have changed over the years. What do you think about some of thooe changes?
Mercury: Keoping strictly to. the 20 games, | hink some. changes make senso, Sonic Advance - boing on a hand. held system with a smal screen - reduced Sonic Jump height so thatthe payer wouldnt lose sight of a. ground when ho jumps. in Sonic Rush, tho feng phys- ios were changed to make roing up less uso, because thoy Wanted to emphasize the boost move. Other changes
з drummed excitement comparable to the
Pelikan (artist) and
excitement surrounding their labor of love.
яко Sonic's newfound aby to destroy breakable wals by fst wan through them at any speed, | fe Бо outrageous They soom more tke mistakes ‘ex lazy design than tion
els Have you e making an entirely original Sonic game?
Palkkani: For the me being, the озу Sonic өте | plan to мок оп SFR, I intend to create Orga zones frit hough.
Mercury Ive, fact after SFR, thats exactly what m. doing fo be working on.
Have you considered remaking any non-Sonie games? Ройкап, Wal; | have some оюуга gamo ideas that | Mod love to creato. As far ав. fermakos go, | would love to. ‘see Streets of Rage make a. comeback.
Mércury: Yes, actualy. Му other lavo game series besides Sonic в Phantasy Star, and td {ove to remake Phantasy Star | andi re ли,
AMAZING!
THE FRANCHISE JUST KEEPS/GETTING BETTER.”
Filed with lots of eye-popping special effects. This is what ЗО is supposed to look like:
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Last month the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in Schwarzenegger v. EMA (Entertainment Merchants Association), the California law that restricts the
sale or rental of violent video games to people under
18, and requires that such titles show a 2x2-inch
“18” sticker on their front covers (see “Enemy of the State” in issue 210 for more). The EMA is challeng- ing the law with the First Amendment - a strategy that has already been successful in this case with the lower courts — but the Supreme Court is not bound
by those decisions. We've read the transcript of the proceedings and talked to professor Dale Carpenter, who teaches constitutional law and First Amendment issues at the University of Minnesota Law School,
about what the Court may decide.
The Arguments Lawyers fr x
ЕМА
ackery Morazzini, Ihe supervising d
nd stated hat the Caldora law was con- лопа based on 4 s Supromo art ing - 19685 Ginsbor v York - which says materal fom minors с fonable іо adults, Рай the EMA, who wants the Calas Struck down on the grounds that it volales the Fest Amendment because й restricts deren hen of games based on the con- leni - essentially сізге video games
The Questioning
under heavy scrutiny ut olf the lawyers
heir arguments. rid оп the
vagueness of hel
Justice Antonin x howto. violence. What
jen — a deviant, мо
0 game? AS Opp г
video game When Morazzri answered thal there were estab- Тего norms, the justices asked why video ames = and nol movies oF books = should
bo singed ой and restricted. Suppose a new study suggested that movies were just as le., dite Justice а Kagen. “Then, presumably, Сайотча Cou regulate movies just as it could rogu- lato video gamos’ only were the law's definitions and ;coment options scrutiuzod by tho Сан, but so was its constitutonalty under
Ihe Fist Amendment, Justice Scala again offered some sharp commentary "You аго asking us to create a whole now prohibition which the American people never railed
when they rated the First Amendment. What's next after violenca? Derk Smoking? Movies that show smoking can't be shown to chicken?
The тих of EMA attorney Pau Smiths argument reied on the Fest Amendment but thal didn't mean he was reo rom the Counts ser ceedings, after Ciel Jus shot down Smith's assertion thal paren tal conire soles and TVs were adequato С 2-year-old сап bypass P pout e minutes several justices cornered Smith wiih his hoaw reliance on the Frst Amendment and the assertion thal there more or ess wasnt a problem with mincrs gating their hands ‘on violent video gar
Let me be clear about exactly what your argument is, Said Justice Samuel Alto.
*
ate
the most violent, sads
argumant is that there n do to eit minors! ac
graphic video
pod. Tats
your argument Smith didn't answer the question to
to or tho Courts Justice Roberts to ask, "Cen Ihave а
your honor Furthermore, Smith relied on th
Amendment and the vague word Сәйотіл law (and future laws) to such an tori that he dared the Court and any
State to come up wilh а comrecty worded
law that could survive а challenge of the Fest Amendnient, "hero is no way hal, n fact, anybody is going to bo able to соп back and craw a statuto that gets to wi
Smith argued, "because tno guage is not suscepti at that
The Prediction
Senso just stoning to the oral argu-
ment is thal there's probably a majority to sirke down the California law," said Universty of Minnesota Law Schock prole:
Carpenter, "Ага then the interest gestion willbe on what grounds de
they do and how much ground do they leave lor futur legislativo efforts,” ho court won't render its decision unti March at the
rst and the ond of Juno at tho latest. Carpenter declined to predict how each would vote, because fats 100 up.
in ho air, “п а сазо ко this, you are not necessary going to gota 5-4 spit along the fam ideological Ines on Ihe cour
For example, it seemed to mo in the ord arguments, Justice Stephen Breyer [who's sidered a more аса justico - Ed] was.
more sympathetic to the stato han some (of ho other justices. You co ‘unusual ineup at the ond of the di Carpenter believes that Ihe EMAS best strategy would be to stop these laws from geting adopted at levi to begin Wih, but hat ultmatay in this its Frst Amendment strategy w жөп. "ісі this court is by and large ч cal ibertarn about he i], That is, hie fes ‚ech; Is anti-government regulation 7 Speech. | think thatthe stato to some ‘extent recognizes tne dan positon it is n tying 10 defend this law, and s actu- aly asking! a Fest Amendment doctrin — these games
what wem "rst Amend
there по such thing as a dear-cut industry even й the Supremo.
Court rules against ho stato. Tho Courts do laws to De more ofioctvdly wetten s
d. Th
100 broadly arpenter explained. "rou need to write more narrowly lo focus on tho proc problem you've identified. The court might hint that just a tew changes in he law
bo fino, Or it might hint, There's not realy much you can do here but you can give it a ry’ So it may just depend on how much room the Court seems to leave tha state lo regulate
Playstation’s New Portables
Uncharted game already in the works for PSP 2?
to the PlayStation Portabl
or the platform and not ji
only initiative that Sony has
pany al
e difference? Why
known as the PlayStation Phone.
в two devices when one
f what we know
PSP 2
(Codename Veta)
Is hard эрише th uh rom mars won comes the PSP 2 bul whatever he fa produc ends up ong, Sony в deri bung 1o urit Maroove Sting rough the ати ОЛ here ала Trom what wo vo heard ourselves; ther soam obo a соді сісти fears бо rij
The developers wo ted о described the PSP 2 as a very power machine. and weve even herd VVV high-def graph Stand nn tor aon Unenariod 3- ат Do wot. "nat alone snows but бо speaks 1o how power No more UMDs. Games w M Do graphical cap шо or n апа ee Kota has hoard ht he PSP 2 has more tel memory ten he Xbox 30, end the PSP 2 codd hava 1GB o RAM -much more hn tho ar Tort PSPs WG
Tks party developers are отету waking wih "e Pan, апа t looks Ike ovayhing вро Fg to a hy 2071 launch, From What wo can lal. deviopemshao bee anats Boen gwon piany oi imo local in at waat pe Schwer 10 do neck. Жала бота We can oriy hopo tis тачка into fom ariar a o PSP arobustlaunchinewp and games Зы that make use of everything from he қақы phot you toch раза опе Бай нано fala J Saen me ui о Ihe PSP DS lmt aming mk Tuned 38 convection,
Dual analog sticks, d-pad, and face and shoulder buttons
PlayStation Phone
(Codenamed Zeus)
This Android 3.0 phone wil also play games with its épad and face, shoulder, and start/seect buttons, The unit wil кеу come an h 2011, and tech website Engadget says its already gotten its hands on the unit (showr). The sider phone is being made through the Sony Ericsson joint venture and other internal Sony disions, and Sony has already stated that it wants to bring the PlayStation Network to Ericsson devices such as this phone,
Developers are rumored to be making games fr tno Playstation Phone - inducing taik of high profied frst-party Sony files. The unit, which supports microSD cards (and which wil have up to 1GB ol internal memory wil reportedly have a 1-GHz Qualcomm MSMBG5 processor, 512MB of RAM, 1GB of ROM, а camera, a screen up о 4.1 inches, and moro.
Why don't you just. make one device:
Wile we'd ою itil Sony com. bined tho PlayStation Phone ‘and PSP 2 into one kick-ass tari device (check out Andys editos letter in issue 211), sing through the rumor cloud i seems Ike these
boo initiatives are distinctly diferent. Perhaps Sony is approaching this ike Apple does the Phone and iTouch. Having мо separate devices ‘means that those who don't want to deal withthe standard. ino year phone contract (or don't want to or can't eave their curent cartier) can
Stl enjoy some sort of а PlayStation branded handheld
Although the PlayStation Phone Wil play games, it sounds ike the PSP 2 wil bea much more powerful machine with the technological advantage of bo Ing geared specifically towards games instead of possby having to funtion as a jack
of al trades, master of none, Creating two devices also means you can cater and sell to diferent markets and types о consumers. While wed ike ‘ne дейсе to rule them al, we don't vant lo beside talkin N-Gage stylo, either
connect 31
Kinect
Fitness Test
How do Kinect's exercise games shape up?
With motion controls, a balance board, and the idea that fitness can be fun, Wii Fit had mass appeal. Nintendo's fitness offering became one of the best-selling games in the console's history, so it's no surprise other companies want a piece of the sugar-free pie. With Kinect's full-body tracking capabilities, publishers have taken the opportunity to bring fitness games to the next level. We broke a serious sweat putting each game through its paces to judge which Kinect fitness game is the best fit for you.
EA Sports Active 2 —
» Developer: EA Canada
> Release: tee 10
з umber of Players: 12
EA Sports Active frst debuted on Wi with tremendous success, leacing to an addon that offered users acdiionar workouts. Now EA Canada provides a controlar roa entry оп Kinect wilh a bundle that includes a heart moritor, which can be tracked on screen during workouts, as well as à resistance band. The bunde makes EA Sports Activo 2 the most expensive of tho bunch, coming in at $100.
THE GOOD: Seting up the bundled heart monitor is баву. Tho accessory fits comfortably on your loft arm and. syncs with your Xbox 360 to display hoart rato levels on. ‘screen to maximo your workouts. Tho game ollers WO Programs: а three-week introductory cardio program that helps users buid stamina, and a rine-woek program that ollers routines for ful-body conditioning. You can customize your experience to determino workout length, locus areas, and ому,
Among пост finess offerings, EA Sports Activo 2 has the greatest workout variety, Your customizable avatar wil Compete against NPCs in or-foot races, fide a bike опа hily path, engage in step aerobics, boxing, and dodgeball, protect а god in soccer, anc more. Each routine moves а! a sclid paco, quickly switching between exercises to retain interest rom beginning to ond. Tho constant changes “Setting keep you both physically and visually sien dated. A ihe end of each workout, EA Sports Active 2 providos Stats including calories burned (put toward wioek goats}, average heart rate, and total workout tme in both numerica and chart form to help visualize where your performance peaked during sessions. AI data automaticaly uploads to fsasportsactive.comn to converienty коер track of prog- ress кот a home computer as well as interact with other. community members.
THE BAD: Spotty detection wil occasionally give you credi or a move even if youra standing stil, lowing users to cheat - but in doing so you're oriy cheating yoursel!
ht? There was also noticeable lag in jumps during bke sequences, making those sections a pain. In adrilicn, aside Irom a few annoying verbal cues from the vitual trainer, Ihe game does a poor ob of provicing feedback on form com- pared to other offorngs, and watching your avatar onscreen doesn't aid in ttis, ether. The avatar attempts to mimic your movements, but f you move too quickly, your avatar locks Ika i's having a seizure. Recognition problems aiso occasionally caused the game to boot me from my profie midaworkcut requiring me to sign in again.
FINAL WORD: EA Sports Active 2 offers а wealth of fun, varied workouts that wil keep you coming back, but c you can overlook its technical problems.
Zumba Fitness
» Publisher: Majesco ? Developer: leis Sole
э Release: November 18
> Number of Players: 1-4 (4 rino)
Zurba teaches participants Latin dance techniques to ıa sizing soundtrack thal wil cause you to get f who: getting your groove on. Zumbais popularity sparked an international craze with classes in 90,000 locations across more than 100 countries. The dance finess program went from Ivo dassos to a best-seling DVD series, and is now ‘supported by Kinect,
THE GOOD: Youll Cumbia, Salsa, Samba, and Merengue your way through богет, termediate, and - t youre Тойго trisky - expert routines that got your heart pumping. he having a good tine. You have the option 10 choose between 20 and 45-minute routines, and an in-game work- ‘out calendar wil Keep you on trac
THE BAD: Tho arly way to folow along with danco rou- Tines is with а mute onscreen dancer, and though he or she Wi occasionally pont at a boxy part or droction as a due ‘of what's to come, prompts ike Dance Centrals fashcards that scroll alongside the action would ve been far more олөсїө. What really hindorcd tho experience, however, is the confusing way loedback is represented, The onscreen dancer's sihouette rapily changed colors (уон, geen, red) lo indicate how Iwas performing, The colors changed ізо quickly that it was hard to tel how | was doing at any uen timo. The soundtrack, though fun to dance to, occa- “sionally bocamo rapotituo as the same songs корі popping up across routines. Fray a calorie counter would ve been ıa groat action,
FINAL WORD: Zumba is an undeniably fun way to got a good cardio workout, but the Kinect entry is probably not your best bet. I you want to gel your heart rate going and бит a couple hundrod calories, | would suggest Dance Contra instead, which has а workout mode.
Your Shape Fitness Evolved
» Publisher: сої э Developer: Ust Montreal
э Release: November 4
ә Number of Players: 1-4 @ Олин) Your Shape Finess Evolved is the current entry in Ubisoft's flagship workout series, and is sponsored by programs. rom Men's Health, Women's Health and finess expert Michelle Bridges.
THE 6000: Your Shape Finess Evolved offers a modest rango ol ness options, inducing specialized workouts lor man locking to beet up and women who want to shed oll pounds rom pregnancy, There aro specific routines to help shape arms (you сап use weights), or get you to squeeze into your skinny jeans, The game even offers something for the older crowd looking for а low-intensity workout. Of al сі Кпесїз finess offerings, Your Shape Finess Evolved per- formed best in motion tracking and foodbaci Your form is represented by а sihcuetto of your body thal appears lo bo ‘smothered in slo for a fid representation of movement. With your figure placed alongside your trainer, is easy to оо how you compare. You сап also reor to he top right ‘corner of the screen that wil dearly display й you need to lungo lower, tt your knees higher, etc. Your Shape users же lested on rhyihm and form, and asida trom a ow hic cups in motion detection irked! о loose dotting, tho game тау missed a beat.
THE BAD: Though best in motion tracking, Your Shape Fitness Evolved olles the least variety. The specialized pro- ‘grams aro а rico touch, but youll find several ol tho work- ‘out ollerings repeat across routines, challenging motivation 10 continue. Regardless of program, there is ап unusual ebe of warm up, Cook down, and Поог oxercisos.
Yoga, Zen, and boxing actives complement your chosen program, but unfortunately higher dificultios of each aro locked al the outset causing achanced users who wart to dump right into go through a series of lighter workouts frst. Users have the opportunity to track progress and engage în community валов yourshapecantercem, something | would've К to ses integrated into the game's otherwise minima menu.
FINAL WORD: Your Shape Fitness Evolved makes a good complement о another existing workout program, but doesn't have enough features out of the box compared to ‘other offerings to stand on its own.
d
connect 33
34 connect
LEGO Universe
The LEGO license crafts a unique MMO experience
by Phil Kollar
Quests push you through each zone but romain fay simple, with many faing into tho "red and true Уй X number of bad guys" stye. The most interesting tasks ask you to find spe- li parts to modify а mirilig or to put together anew rocket or a race car for your personal іне. Quests also quide you to the social ela- ments ofthe game - co-op and competiluo ‘minigames, such as suring waves of enemy. attacks or facing.
‚Alter clearing out tho fest couple of zones, you ‘choose between one of four factions that wil help determine the droction ofthe rest of your adventure; Sentinel and Paradox characters WA focus on combat, white Assembly charac tors are largely about bulking. My choice, the Venture League, is centered on exploring every corner of LEGO Universe.
‘Another important and unique aspect of LEGO Universe is introduced even eater than the factions. Al the end of the Avant Gardens топо, you gain access to the Block Yard, а property that you can use to bull with tho vr ous LEGO pieces you've been gathering. Once you've created something worth showing off, you can open your property to tho public for Visiting and rating
Dort think oft ike LitleBigPlanot; there isnt a lot of playing to be done with something опса you've putittogothor. The real fun of te Block Yard поз in ting properties ust for the spoctade of seeing what players have created. In one lantasy-therned property, а user placed ‘basket that was pulled through the sky on the Wings of a giant dragon. Elsewhere in the same ава, a LEGO cal was poised fo pounce on a cheeseburger
1 фат! gain any gameplay rewards n these user-created zones, but Io joy of discovery was ‘enough. The only downside is that cach prop- erty you visit has to be downloaded individual, meaning sometimes it take longer to load up а location than youl actualy spend exploring it.
Though LEGO Universe does an excellent job of bung its own identity, іа has some ‘growing to do, Some quests provide vague or ‘confusing goals, particularly for younger players; Even though you may spend some extra time sohing those cryptic missions, the game's con tent is currently very тд, with less than 10
full zones available at launch. Ono. о! the bonuses of the LEGO license
Being a game critic who plays MMOs has its challenges. Not only am I tasked with sinking hundreds of hours into games that are incredibly big and complex, but the genre is also flooded with me-too fantasy games searching desperately for the success that World of Warcraft found. Some months, I feel like I'll scream if I have to swing my virtual sword at another level five goblin.
Some months, I get a total breath of fresh air like LEGO Universe.
LEGO Universe із an MMO unlike anything I've ever played before. It has the varied zones, quests, and social interaction we've come to expect from the genre without traditional leveling up. Grinding is non-existent (unless you want to build up your money reserves), and the focus is entirely on collecting LEGO pieces to create your own unique vehicles and areas.
‘The structure re-imagines the traditional 3D platformer as an MMO, Combat is a part of the formula, but you'll spend most of your time exploring for new pieces. LEGO Universe has more in common with console LEGO games than World of Warcraft, as you must scour each zone for parts, flags, special bricks, and several other collectibles, destroying everything in sight for coins and the opportunity to build more useful items.
is nat doveloper-created zones can Cover everything from old-school scifi to pirates to Atlantis — they кей need mora of them represented inthe game,
LEGO Universe was clearly сте ated with intentions ol being a fam- зулногау MMO, but don't mistake "hat to moan that its just lor kids.
'Stl | have to wonder it tho futura of the game is free-to-play (t currently costs $10 per month). That change would make it much more acces bie to a younger audience as well as to uncertain adults who think "hoy might bo interested. It would also mako a Чон drip of now zones more forgivable,
Whatever its future, LEGO. Universe is ol o a very solid start. nether you enjoy platforms, have grown fred of raiding drag ‘ons, or simply have the perfect ida for a virtual LEGO properly, NetDeyi's new MMO is worth giving a chance. ©
JUR ЕКЕМІЗ!
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DRAGONQUEST.NIN TENDO.COM
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Charting
‘Sega seems like a company that's going in a lot of directions at once. You have. the legacy products like Sonic, the Marvel licensed products, attempts at Western ‘games like Alpha Protocol, and then more Japanese games like Yakuza, What Is Sega's identity as a company?
It an interesting question. Going back to 2000 апа 2004, tho objective of Ihe company was to ty to bring out quality games wie at the ‘same tmo diving market share. Our objecto was to bo а top five publisher in fve years. То do that, we felt that we werent abl to rely on ‘our own existing IPs ike Sonic, Monkey Bal, and Vetua Tornis. That's why wo acquired. Some studios Ike Creative Assembly and Sports Interactive. At the same time, we nooded 10 got info genres that other top five publishers were дого wel the Ikes of Activision, Ubisoft, and THO had fim-iconsed properties. We ft ike that was something we needed to gain market ‘share. Henco, the Marvel deal. Sega's own. Iranchises are casual games and character based, Wo didit have any shooters, RPGS, or TSS. So, we went out aggressively to look for ‘other icensos and external developers to have products in those gerres on platforms that work wel for those gerres. Since then, things have changed куу. The focus now is profit and not market share. | think that we've had some mixed success.
It the strategy has changed, what was it about the old strategy that wasn't working? Wal, tho fim icensed category has been a bit ‘of bed luck for us. Maybe we jumped into й at the wrong time. That's а category that's been in decine over the last three yoars ав wo brought our ites to market. That's something cut ої
our hands. There aro no further plans for us lo ‘extend that partnership beyond the fe um deal wi Marvel,
In general, the games did not get strong reviews. Was it the decline of the movie ‘game genre In general that hurt those ‘games, or was It poor quality? Its probably both, to be honest. The way are being reviewed and looked at by the ‘especialy оп PS3 and 360 - the core. ro looking for a diferent experience. the category, but part ої itis that jut our hands up. Wa brought to (quali games. AS we started to- пу davolopers on platforms Беда, wo struggled a Ме bit. ve example. That Metacritic 10 a 47 oF 49 now, which is not think we're a good way to address- ig thal with Thor and Captain America. They both bo a good bit highor than tha
re gamer today expects a lot in iction values and polish. You ину. Alpha Protocol and a game like that Is You cant do а game like
a
that on the cheap. Looking forward, know- ing the risks, are you still committed to triple-A, core games moving forward? We're definitely stil committed, and thats ho Success of our stronger saling tiles tke Football Manager, Total Wer, Mario & Sonic, Virtua. Tennis, where we have achieved high levels of profitability that have alowed us to take some
ot hoso risks. We intend to continue 10 lock at new IP and in core games. Aliens vs, Predator was а success lor us, and we're developing an Alens franchise roadmap, so there wil be зм ‘sequent dens games,
Allens: Colonial Marines 1s stil coming out? ‘Colonial Marines is st п. We've been working osa with Gearbox behind the scenes, and мют бо азе to tl you a lot about hat nthe next couple of months, It wort be November ‘1th les previously epertec, We haven't announced a dato yet. This was kind of a Pickup lor us, with Aclson acquing Vivendi nd us hang tno Atens teense. With no
stato ofthe codo avaiable tous with Alens vs Predator Кот Rebetion, that kind ol forcod us ard alowed us to sl alter our Alenes ros map and strategy. It made senso to release hat fest, We have a further ile to announce from Platinum Games as wel. Wer also have а core Ше coming from Nagoshi saris [Super Monkey Bal crestor Toshiro Марскі - Ed internal sudo Japan. Пі a shooter
Sonic is the icon for Sega. There have been lot of Sonic tiles over the last few years. ‘Some have been better than others; it's a bit of a mixed bag. What ls your long-term strategy for Sonic?
‘Youre right. We have been guity of binging 100 much Serio product to market, Where жето trying to moo fo now is - we have Mario & Sonic, which is ow party Soric Мо. Then, мете locking to improve the quality and focus ol a puro Scric platform gaming experienco. We have released Sonic 4 digitali, which has reviewed very wel. Last week, we released Sonic Free Fiers оп Косі. Thats us being involved in the launch of a platform. Historically, Sega does very wel in he launch tmelrame
‘of platforms. We did very wel at the launch of РЕЗ and Wi. Free Riders was realy about bend арап ofthe launch of Kinect. Then, we have Colors, which is our pure Sonic gaming exper- ‘ence. That's had soma high scores. I's so the highest pro: soling puro Sonic tle we've had ‘over. That's a good indication. With tho quay ‘ofthe game, we're confident of that. Thats our pure platforming Sonic, But to your point, we have some announcements in ће early part
of next year that wil further support and add то this strategy. Thero wil bo two or throo big Sonic announcements in the early рап of next Calendar yeer.
The 3DS seems like a great fit for Sega. Tho 3DS was great. | dont know anyone who. Went 10 ES that wasnt excited about il. We're
New Course For sega
е and EA to his work as м
itchard, wi
obviously waiting to hear а lot of information from Nintendo. We have announced Super Москву Ball for 308, which wil be a launch Ile, We have a number of SDS tiles in cur ino- up for next financial and calendar year, There's {our or five existing franchises, one or two from. the old Sega IP locker, and we're looking at опе or Two new IPs as weil. Sega has always done well on Nintendo platforms in Nintendo and Europe.
Wi has been a tough nut to crack for third- party publishers. You did The House of the Dead: Overkill, The Conduit, and MadWorld. How challenging has Wil been for you, ‘especially with these core-orlented games? Yeah, its hard or the coro tiles, Going back 12 а 18 months when we roleasod these tiles,
it was a risk. Nintendo was supportive ofthe strategy. There was an intent to take the Wi console a Ийе older, and make а more core machine. So games Ike MacWorld, House of he Dead, and Conduit ft that strategy. House ol ho Dead is а mere established and casual franchise, ала thal did very wel. Conduit 2 is gelling a good buzz.
How did MadWorld do? It got great reviews. Was It successful?
Review- wise, i was. Commercial... tho ‘answer has to be no. It was a huge fisk that wo realy beloved in at the mo, but the tile qu not sall wel.
Moving forward, will you be a little more realistic about what the Wil audience
will buy?
Absolutely, We've got Cor 2 stil to rolaso. MadWorld was a big risk. Was it on the wrong platform? | don't know. Would it have dono bet- ler оп 360 or PS3? Possibly. think wo wil look at some of those зборі mora risky уре oppor. tunities, but very, very carey, We've stil got high hopes for Conduit 2. The Wi as a platform. ® па strange place. We've got the economic situation. И hard lor relalors, and consumers are buying lewer products. The Wi had such
а massive amount of success for throe years; things are dee now,
Former Sega designer ҮШІ Naka recently ‘sald he'd like to work with Sega on a Dreamcast 2. The rumors that you are get- ting back into the console business seem to pop up regularly.
Tho Dreamcast fans aro very devoted. You soo оп eBay people are stil buying the games and. system. Wo actualy havo a Dreamcast colec: fon coming cut soon. We же looking to bring. some ofthe did Dreamcast games to market ошу and packaged. Tho оз aro stil 10 bo announced, Bul, unless ов something | don't know - no ono has told me about getting back into the console business, [Laughs] ©
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connect 37
Xbox Live functionality match the
: Windows Phone
Can the new Microsoft phone
operating tem that boasts Sm It has taken forever, but
elegance and versatility of the — Microsoft's overhauled mobile 105 and Android? Platform is finally here. The
stakes have changed drasti-
cally since its last major update. Smart phones have taken over as the mobile device of choice for consumers, with the Apple iPhone and Google's Android OS duking it out for supremacy. So does Windows Phone 7 have what it takes to
here tû play
Most of the 58863 seamless contact and ealendar sync- ing, GPS, ай арр Marketplace, Netflix support, and smooth web surfifig= @ in place. But given itglate entry into the market/the [ak of features like пуа Юп, сору and paste/fünetiphality, universal seargh апа threaded email
make this a three-way battle? Yes and no. із afad scratcher. Though
муаозой plans to deliver зате of these missing options ifthe near future, it's not easy До make a splash when your brand new OS isn’t up to par ӘЛІН the competition.
Windows Phone 7's two-dimensional homepage uses large, bright ‘thumbnails rather than the smaller icf found on iPhones and Android phones. It's not the prettiest іпіенасё Б he vibrant, clean design is very easy to navigate. The rest of уш арр are tucked onto the Apps hub on a second page, which you'll 806665 often since the homepage houses a fraction of the apps found om other smart phones.
Setting up the phone takes less time than it does to boot up a PC - we had our Gmail, Facebook, Netflix; and Windows Live accounts synced with the phone, including ош éoDfacts list and calendar, in a matter of minutes, Rather than offering @ sepafate Facebook app, Microsoft chose to mesh the Facebook experiemee With your contacts database in the People hub. Qn the plus 5146; this System grabs images of your contacts from Facebook, butit also fills your contact database with people from high school youprobably never want-to-speakto-again.
‘The Xbox Live integration is supposed to be a big selling point for gamers, but after playing around with it a while we don’t think 175 fleshed out enough to convince Xbox 360 users to migrate to the new platform just yet. From the hub you can peruse your list of mobile games and view your gamerscore and avatar. То check out your friends list, customize your avatar, or send and receive messages you need to download the Xbox Live Extras add-on. Once downloaded, you have to open the Xbox Live app, then wait for Extras to load each time you ‘want to perform any of these operations. We're not sure why Microsoft would force us to essentially open two programs to perform these basic functions, but it's annoying.
The biggest drawback to Xbox Live thus far is the small and relative- ly expensive game library. The addition of achievements isn't justifica- tion enough to price gouge players for $4.99 to play Bejeweled when. its rough equivalent costs $2.99 on the iPhone. Strangely, Xbox Live also doesn't let you go head to head with friends, either. This com- promised feature set isn't enough to make us switch over right now, but we'll be keeping our eye on the platform to see if the game library grows with more Arcade-style games and Microsoft adds the missing multiplayer functionality.
"The same can be said for Windows Phone 7 as a whole. The new operating system is a major upgrade that shows a lot of promise, but as it stands, the phone is merely trying to keep pace with Apple and Google.
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connect 39
40
Everything’s A-OK
‘The first games from Warner Bros. and Sesame Workshop's partnership are out. Are they worth your kids’ time?
It's hard to believe, but it's been more than a decade since the Sesame Street gang visited dedicated game systems. While Elmo, Ernie, and Bert have made a few appearances оп VTech's educational computers, they haven't strolled down tradi- tional gaming avenues since the days of Nintendo 64.
Warner Bros. Interactive and Sesame Workshop set out to change that at the beginning of the year, with an announcement of a licensing deal between the two companies. The first titles from that partnership have been released in the form of
Cookie's Counting Carnival and Elmo's A-to-Zoo Adventure. I was curious to see if barely mado my way rough the games were up to Sesame Workshop's typical standards, so I took them home o Wesco un tues you а give them a shot. son. Whats hat? ho asked
as he noticed the boxes. Aler he saw Emos sming face, кл 1 was over I WaY! going 10 havo much luck ien Peso oul dore.
"We stared out with to W version ol Cookies Counting Carval. First, wo had to sp a spo ‘cl Cookie Monster sleeve over ho remote: servos two purposes (ко, 4 you consider "ooking adorate a viable гаю) Fest, кешу ми and rubberized back provides а good ур ping surface for younger hands, in a dover move, the cover aso obscures fo cons tat orit necessary tor рау a great way 10 Koop ‘ow players пот being nmekted or са by al тозо try buttons.
The recen Б ав simple as can be. When Cookie needs players fo ing а bol at Ine carri- vida sel rare of те or stance, Кв ist ‘eed o попу move he remote down with boh hand ko hoyo using an ar pump. My son pretere о pretend ho was swinging а gant атп, but what can you do? Ininstances. When ks пова to select one ol several рію, tipping ho remote fom sie fo side cycles trough those choices. A press of he 2 baton provides соитип
Naar of tho gamos aro graphical power houses, but my son was mesmerized, nonethe Joss fs вану lor б player to torget how amazing о час wih something опа television batch when your oriy previous exposure o the device is as a passive form ol ‘entertainment - even f noy look a bit Ike Flash armes.
Did my sono tho gamos? A ow days later, camo homo wih a Kinect and a copy ot cle | nought l'dbe a shoo lor some kind ol fahr tno татти award. Aller pet tg his игин cub lor а ow miles (nd having a great ите), ту son hard and asked ho Gold рау ^at Cooke Monster game” again.
My walt may have shed а tear al tbat moment bul аз a father 1 was moro Pan happy to accommodate him 4%
18 LittleBigPlanet 2
Ken
—
25 Dead Space 2
14 Another Classic Franchise
connect 41
3 k ical upbringing MEE oa on cheung Croke
instilling a love of the unknown that drives her to uncover rational explanations for the most heavily
ensconced mysteries.
While Lara's affinity for the ancient is effortless, she
often finds herself struggling to carve an identity of
her own from under her parents’ influential shadow,
She comes from money, but refuses to flaunt it.
Her name garners respect, but she craves to earn it,
She dreams of proving herself, but wants to pursue 14
her passion on her own terms. To that end, she - unexpectedly turned down an open invitation to
Cambridge and enrolled at a lesser-known university У to immerse herself in real-world experiences. This
time was crucial in molding Lara into a practical and
Nevelheaded young woman; а away chat 2 р het area алану о have allowed.
v
TOMB RAIDER
Now 21 and fresh from academy, Lara is eager to prove herself to the world — and perhaps to her parents. This drive places Lara aboard the salvage. vessel Endurance with Captain Conrad Roth, an ex Royal Marine commando known for his willingness to bend (or break) the law to secure a prize. Together, d ‘sets off on a voyage to search for lost. B ufa coast of ШЫ” “This first adventure was intended to be a definitive moment in
б a young and inexperienced Lara's career, a chance to ж Fraystation3 change history with a discovery of significance. — =з Before they reach the isle, the expedition a‘ i Payer Anion is derailed by a massive storm that cleaves the с Endurance in two, leaving an unprepared Croft lost Spuren in a sea of blackness. Instead of finding respect and
= renown, Lara will be pushed to the limits of human fortitude. A very mortal Croft must endure both тво physical and emotional trauma to survive.
Love her or hate her, in the late
1908 you couldnt ignore Lara Croft. i оао eee, .
C ary fom Pu пам sa prie 5 r оо БД т тт rosin pe ee Sumedha as a channie оооло.
Paaps lla agairt па piysa ос eee E eee e пана Lara о ves who lano ў ора mes
e e ое Priors ва ее alen een Now ant eee Baa ren lo hr aco wo а DESK ово mar ann. Wan he oy Fe Жа таа aaa дра,
т
акп story wasn't conie characters, wh
products ol й
lor at Crystal Dynam са wih ran
To evolve wit the fies. When they con't, you can tel. They wil fal, Crystal was bold in saying 'Wo have 10 do something big. ‘Something diferent.
How exact о implement that reboot, tough, was another issue өзінін When researching potential avenues for the redesign), carofuli examination of the character yildod a recurring sentiment. Lara's biggest downfall was her Telon V «d superficial lun, but when no amount ої physica exertion, рап, or heartache w ener, i
5. Crystal realized it needed a new, younger Lara A human Lara — one that players woud identiy with and care about, Longo relatable
charactor, and broak har down belore wo rebuild hor - to рий be tough survival challenges and havo hor c Gul a changed person, someone tha player wil
Crystal Dynamics set о er not ‘as a sex symbol or an ode to erment, but an өзге new Lara Grol bom o seen bolora,
Desperation.
To buk Lara Crott into а сигу relevant hero w lantion that once came so eflorlessly, Crystal must break hor
fest. This Lara mta shadow of her
a precursor to her later adven
gence, strength, and beauty of Tolon Lara, she is a woman
her own. This Lara won't be invincible, She blends and brs
rake hor stronger,
continued on page 46 >>
Redesigning Lara Cot was as dificult a task as reimagining and repositioning the franchise sl With her iconic lock so engrained in popular culture, ‘changes to her visage had to be meticulously consid- ered. Crystal Dynamic’ biggest challenge was finding middle ground between familiarity and freshness, mer and strength, and the all-important есіп of brains, brawn, and beauty "For me, every character design starts with who that person is and what motivates them,” explains Bran Horton, senior at decor at Crystal Dynamics. “What we chose to do very early on with Lara was not start withthe surface qualities and instead really work on who she was аз a character” “aller crafting the biography, our goal was to make her as believable and relatable as possible," Horton continues, "We wanted to make a that fl familar, but stil has а special ‘quality about her. Something about the way her eyes lock and the expression on her face that makes you want to care in her, That was ‘our number one goal. We wanted to have empathy for Lara, and at the same time show the inner strength that made clear she was going to become a hero”
Starting with a barrage of concepts аз simple as sähouettes, the artists added physical features after carey studying the elements that made Lara iconic. They retained the Маре of her ps the spatia relationship between hor eyes, nose, and mouth, and the iconic pony AN the elements were then packaged together in a softer, rounder face, forgoing the hardness {or which Lara was traditionally known.
“We know we wanted to bring her into a more believable proportionality and surface quality, so that was another big push for us," Horton says in ‘speaking to Lara's usually exaggerated physique. "We wanted to bring her into the real word and ground her as much as we could"
Part of wat roots Lara in reality в her wardrobe. In the early years, Lara's contextual ensembles and unackabe outfits were key selling points. Crystal intends to instead focus on functionality over form in the Tomb Raider reboot,
"She is on this expedition and has practical clothing - cargo pants and layered tank tops and boots because she isin and among a group that share the same values; Horton expains. "The end result was a look that is both contemporary and timeless We didn't want the look о trendy or loo hip, but she stil needed to feel you and relevant.
‘What of Lara's legacy of overt sex appeal? "Аз far as sex appeal, we're always looking to make a character that people want to play and рап of that tsa level of attractiveness and being drawn to Lara,” Horton says, "But we
don't want to play up sexuality for seruat s sake Context and motivation are paramount inthis project. thnk what's going to be compelling, and what our version of sexy is, В the toughness through adverse conditions, with a beauty and ‘vulnerability showing through. That is sexy in its own way” While this story marks the new Lara's debut to the world, some early tests indicate that Crystal may be hiting its mark. Eye tracking studies ol the new Lara versus the old revealed that instead of looking at Lara's arsenal or curves, most participants spent
‘their time gazing at her piercing brown eyes.
VVV cover story 45
JJ
continued from page 4%
Lara comes to alter che shipwreck
Thenollingness that enguled her is frst broken.
{og end the dipping of water. The асил ‘Yields to the hazy imagery ої a po ust as Lara begins to regain h World silts odia, folowad b тора protesting as iis pull taut. Lara года. "Consciousness with a gasp, her chin үкі trembling belare panic overtakes her. Sho finds Herself imprisoned inside а с pended upside down from al ‘cavern flor, only he
Lara Crofts naked in a figurativo sensa she has no tools or weapons at her берова. Dangling beside har is another captivo - опа who has aready ed Drawing motivation from. her foar, Lara begins to sugge wilh aid from.
Mtie more than s
‘As sho bus momentum, Lara crashes int
her, unirtontonaly lighting it on
па soa of candles The deceased inhet
iri draps to the Noor below. This smal sting of actions is Crystals wa
that Lara can
'exploi ta heip her survive, Lara kno
ous ruin - dom and ro
"ho unthinkable, there is a way cut ot hor рії to hurt.” she mutters to hersal
winging uni her own restraints ignite. Lara
Screams as tho Пав опо! hor and braces lor
otis no longer the epitome of grace The camera slows о а стамі, anticpating her FV V
the object
ies wey to nccherent st sid Lara п puling Tho spike rom her sido, Tho sereon ashes as the spike pls re, and al sound is crowned. Iranie heartbeat, Wi the object scarded she stands up wearily to show u the ll extent of her condition. Mud cakes hor ams, and chest, with only sweat and tears ‘exposing small (меге pulled back, er rugged ps soaked and covered in grime, Blood cie тегіс the әркез entrance and ext wound on Lara's gray top, Another noteworthy delal about er appearance is What's missing, However. А ara Стой without twin pistols is an unconven: fional sight. al?" Lara stutlers, the singe word olon- gated, "What's this placo?" Pushed forward by lear and ton. һе R
‘of a sacrificia altar, The most unnerving føalizalion is that te
46
‘son зол et ра Crystal ers тошу asan “action Sarrar een
улымды ме aud оре and bele
. bt nn she ааа а vn x“ — — Mo
cover story 47
an tn the den в а prodct "han of an quai ara wh a asta at
"specto ‘nd By org abeat tot Cra hopes that he wal ‘lo! тише ymin deno
j /
irived than traditional puzzle scenarios. While Teoms of relics make obvious that the island has history, the chance of Laragtumbling upon long. Jost and wholy так 'aHerra- 4 ing cut keys and pulling levers to timed doors = is It the player wards ofthe attacker, Lara escapes significantly less. Lara must instead re-appropriate. the small space just ast caves in, putting distance practical devices for her own means. between her and Io pursuer. The prospect of This scavenger's den seems to have purpose - а ‘moving fora isn't any more attractive than &ick- зрасе for fhe natives to sift through flotsam and ing around, ap tara must now navigate trough a jetsam for usable tems carried in with the tide А flooded corridor housing only a small pocket of ағ ight source indicates an ext trom the seaside cave Holding her head at an extreme angle to secure but is blockaded by a row ot explosive bares, The ‘oxygen and preserva her firo, she loses her footing quickest ext would be to light the barrels on fre ‘every few stops, dunking down below the surface | үйін һе torch, but in such a confined space the ‘and emerging with a panicked gasp. The camera ^ | copsequences would most kel include death, ‘work here is cinematic - intentionally poised behind Lara has alternate means of ighting up the bar- Lara so we seê her anxious face every timeshe е, however. "This Isa dynamic word," Neuburger looks back to ensure che isn't being followed continues. "We are Iving by the rules of a real world Drawn to ап expensive room by the sound of езеп though К is an unreal situation. We stil live is introduced to a franchise, | by fire, water, and physics. Lara has to be smart, traditionally described asa regourceful, and solve her way cut of these various bost way to characterize survival challenges wo put in front of her” £ ав Crystal Dynamics! The room is cluttered with objects large and ‘small including many buoyant cloth-covered crates, Lara could ight Ihe crates on fire and let the escaping tide pul them toward the barrels, but she quickly discovers a waterfall along tho path that would extinguish hor traveling torches.
Lara finaly spots a rusty shark cage used as a sorting device for scavenged tems. Enough experi- mentation uncovers a means to manipulate the cage through a counterweight system. Lara loads. -Severaiccates inside and redirects them to drop
< ah) xs
£
atop the explosive containers. A massive explosion welcomes in fresh air
Тһе ilusion of triumph lasts only moments, as Lara's careless use of explosives triggers a cave-n. ‘Sprinting toward the light that signifies salvation, Lara tumbles down a Певоге In the collapsing path- way and must scramble up a steep path to escape: The player ls in contro through the entire ordeal frantically alternating between shoulder buttons. to move up the incline, dodging falling boulders wh button prompts; and trying to find a safe path. through the chaos with analog controis.
As the escape wasn't desperate enough, the. scavenger finds Lard once more, grasping for her legs while continuing to maintain that he ony has the best. intentions: If you are successtul in heip- Ing Lara kick ree, the man wil fall victim to the rapidly collapsing tunnel. If you aro unsuccessful a massive boulder pins Lara's legs; giving her a moment of conscious thought to reach towar the camera before another boider crushes her skull It [e a shocking and ultmately disturbing moment fit len't obvious at this juncture, Tomb Raider is openly embracing an M rating. To make people care about Lara again, she can't wear that Telon coat. Эле has to be human. Fragile. Mortal. The consequences for failure must be real, and they must be ата.
Successfully avoiding death this time around, Lara breaks through to the Surface before collaps- ing. Her birth from the cramped tunnels isn't one of Inherent safety, however. Before Lara is a scene of denen grandeur. Stepping slowly towards a іа. edge, we get a view of a breathtaking ocean vista Ittered with ships, planes, and wreckage from cen- turies past. While Lara now has room to breathe, she seems to have jumped out ofthe frying pan
and rto the fre. RIT іше 50%
cover story 49
The last ot Tomb Raider’ pilars is stil "mystery Combat has been a contentious subject for Tomb Raider fans throughout the years, and isan obvious point of interest in the reboot asa тезш, Crystal's approach в three-pronged - to make combat fresh to the franchise, competitive amongst Peers, and relevant to the story.
Tho biggest change В a concession: removing the archaic lock-on system. “We've been puting a huge amount ot effort into the combat, a much. larger emphasis than we've put into any o our previous tiles says Crystal Dynamics studio head Darrell Gallagher, “The free aim system wil help to make Tomb Raider competitive amongst ur poets in the genre, while maintaining a unique flavor”
Crystal Dynamics believes the new fre system wil foster a raw, brutal, and combat style. Wih the success of a skin 1o skil, the player has something on the ine and must prove his or her own strength as а survivor.
The desperation stems directly from Lara's unfamiliar with valence. Se is оеп scared and not equipped with the oe "A that ago fresh out of college, not many gis have been thrust into a situation where they have been forced to kil somebody” explains Кай Stewart,
Jobal brand director at Crystal Dynamics
'sprety traumatic to do it for that frst lime, irrespective of the reasons you were forced to. That isnt taken lily in Ihe game at all. That is a
Stewart reinforces that combat wil have weight той, For Lara, combat is a function of survival, not spor As she grows and becomes more capablo, Kiling won't get any easier fom a physiologi-
cal standpoint. Despite this, the player will feel assured that Lara can handle whatever the island "rows at her,
As tor weapons, Crystal is't talking specifics, but i's sale to say that necessity wil drive items to become multifaceted in their use. Lara Crot has always been resourceful, and we expect the Tine between 1006, gear, and weapons to blur. We also speculate that the island's color history wl provide her with an unconventional arsenal 1o draw trom. Lara's official concept art alone depicts her with a bow, pistol, and shotgun.
Survival of
то pivotal moment draw to a lose, the pi n ail of Lara, Ih blinking tower in tho far d ро ling her goal. Now, playor-criver Tho sand is populated by more tr rest C Анел andl of survivors from the Endurance Т м = эй to Көөр breathing. Cutting to а new scene no різу Сун пой scs 5 Tr Lara no longer in daria of her лг nk har теп ЖШШЕ Ират
necessary Бейес equipped em for the hardships. Mic và ah
mentor, Corrad Roth, who has been қамау rin endranderdunconsous Larapatchesup Roh wih ern! Е e she's scavenged hoping lor the best, but AY oo ary ¢
pay aware hal the stuabon в Out of her hank т
Rot camp, commending his wounds, Gently prodding, he sates the he it going anywhere anytime soon. Both Lar Roh know. the stent implications of the statement Tv
ов toa storm raging outside thei no fe Work sho did or ; у Al
pair had plans to travel fo a radio tower high above t Vils In hopes of signáiog rescue. That task nov squarely and ез, on Lara. Тһе маїса сит ie
V reason lo be distressed. En ADSL ш Yeah. was raid you were going По say ha. F JVC looks away rom Rot. as embarassed. Wile L C as latent strength of character, she's made à hab the game to not ony deive arc of Lara k = ol emotionally but to deer itin gameplay as well ol reing on other people, Roth is an imperative char F actor in Lara's рої and sall-discovory, and make E ow hie té Re arbo: a meaning attempt atreasauring her reminding her 227 х that ев, nin aC апав Lora a biog HL venge ew ков md gaer a ted сіті вхо тов shap on coe end. doy | mente Lara atte prow think fat kind ol COR Об Lara, accoping | САМО, Some areas begin inaccessible dieto physical he tod and tho burden vith aloe of defeat. Lots "ПИЯ or scarce supplies. With the right sidls ar h fast loan соя х he lard is Laab for the taking, po Ima last вате а n EU С ню Base camps aren't simple win sing, bu SA У
Lara can combine savage from her inventory to create now Пот, and. & system 10 enhanco hor йв. Baso camps disc ler fast travel о help minimize backtracking, encour à at his or her
preferred pace. Whio information ab агава, Crystal Dynamics mado dear x won't delve nio x territory
is intended to ground Ino gamo in roam and, again, Taciitato exploration. "Wo arent treating survival as simply not dying,” Hughes ва This isn't about walking around an island and picking beries,” Neuburger expands. "But itis gng ward for exploration tat can feed back lo th
aclion pacing of the qame. Wo want these systems to have Пеку tor diferent player
5, and people who Ike to explore wil b rewarded with something more full.” Thes
Surprising even hersal, Lara proves capable
mbing to the radio tower, though an ur stretch of tmo has passed. Lara awaits an incoming Plane that responded to her 3.0.5.
With hope. Tho sound of sputtering en
yalts ят anco over Lara shoulder maki i devious thatthe plane in’ poised lor landing, Lara begins lo sprint at ful speed, huring herself head over heels down a steep slope, the wreckage n hot pursuit
Marking 008 of Crystal Dynamics! high action sat- place moments, tho player romans in ful contol ав tho scenario unfolds, someting that would have been traditionally reserved for a cutscene momentum as the player navigates hiar to re Sale, ying to find a path in the hil her the least bruised and broken lf she survives wit VVV one final command Wl secura her gip on the di‘ оде, keeping her Irom plummeting into the ocean. below. After tho plane's husk eects o the ocean, Lara dimbs to solid ground, Shes survived another attack
jor wasnt во lucky, antl wo fo let ponder: ing the mystery o! the island once more, Why isi FF
is shore become a graveyard of sels? Wh ndurance crew? Lara lale is Unearthing the secrets ol her geological captor, and as. she becomes more adept, there is no doubt she wil discover tho ruth = rational or otherwise;
Lara Сов muttmodia empra тау hava bean, Ibit cn a foundation ol antiquity, but Crystal Dynamics. is single-mindeddy focused on the horizon, ts goal of crafting a relevant character lor a new age f. gaming is an ambitious one. We may think we know Who Lara Crofts, bul sho Б discovering ber "as much as wo are. Trough desperation апа lance, tragedy and ung,
l be Born.
а E] ul Ж ш о u I - a ш а ш X m о = u c < = ш о ш [ш] < ш о 3 [n] ul т m = a x ш
BY ANDREW REINER
WE LEARNEO
EARTH WAS AN INSIGNIFICANT SPECK IN AN EVER-EXPAND- ING BLACK VOID, WE DREAMED OF TRAVERS- ING THE STARS. DRIVEN TO UNLOCK THE SECRETS LEARNED HOW TO FLY. WE WALKED ON THE Moon. We TURNED MARS INTO A SECOND Home, We THOUGHT OUR ACTIONS WERE GUIDED BY HUNGER FOR KNOWL кове. We THOUGHT PEOPLE INTO A NEW ERA. No MATTER HOW GIANT OF A LEAP WE MAKE FOR MANKIND, WE LAND IN ANCESTORS, THOUSANDS OF YEARS OF INTELLEC- ENTIFIC ADVANCEMENT DIDN'T CHANGE WHO WE АНЕ. Пин PEOPLE ARE NOT EXPLORERS We ARE CONQUERORS. Destrovers. We сом соєве EARTH. WiTH THE NEXT STEP WE TAKE. WE CONQUER Mans.
7 TIT,
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decent Arte » Developer
Dead Sp
hohorityng талів in the Dead cries КИ eveything brutally and ndescrimi-
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soht of them can drive ape tightening, again? Wih tho release of Dead Space 2 horizon, horror game fans are having пом containing their enthusiasm lor EA and Моа: Games! diling folow-up. Though the ier trea yet, | got my hands afew chapters early in the campaign. | spol any ofthe story moments, but here are Tha things you shoud expect fram your sind ig the S
player journey the
ce 2
ful gamo
1. ts Scary Vihen Dead Space 2 was announced, the team at Visceral ted about string a bettor balance withthe pacing. This le
10 condude that Dead w from its horror roots and bo shooter. Rest assured, that hasn't happened. The team's philosophy toward pacing seems focused mainly on injecting very into the action rather than changing the feel of the gameplay
Instead of just waking ck xs waing something to jump oul, I visited more zero grav- йу areas, guided Isaac ав he rocketed toward runaway tram, and played а sequonco
I had to fight ой Nocromorphs wie hanging орак Nie these segments add Naver, the dassic Dead Space gamaplay - compl
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2. Tho Sprawl Is Different Dead Space took place inthe cramped corridors ot a mining vessa, but the sequel в seton a populated space station. The change in venue provides more variety in the scenery; I found myself an apartment buiding, contr, a church, and floating in deep space and that's st n ho early chapters. The aro
1 corridors, ther, Each section һе ferent colors and spaces, so до! more ing of moving from one distinct place t In one open plaza, | noticed some de advertising, lke a poster for a horror movie caled
nad or Light whatever those are, Dead Space 2 car
tainly rt going for comedy, but these element
addi an otherwise tense atmosphere
3. Kinesis and Stasis Are Better 5 guns aro stil ів mai лазу fools have seen mprovemant sequel. Stasis, which s slow recharges. You s packs to replenish your meter mid-combat, but of tno abit for when the fighting
w, good or grabbing env ronmental objects and huring at your foes, At this point п developmen, ts stil пої perfect; in аре ol do
troling whether Ба
bits or slabs
pood with
upgrade fror the
4. Necromorphs Have New Tr Making ry gh the Spr plenty of feria (and ugly) Necromomph f Ike deformed babies and guys with blades for hands, | also saw some new enemies hal made ster s "t packs and use plos as lined up a shot on one rd a comer, another опе charged me from behind and knocked me to the round. Then, they both ied, making ficut to launch a counterattack, To deleat stakers, | ing one s asit chargod to got a doar Ме making sure his friends weren't launching an attack of their own. Fighting stalk- fers is harrowing. and they are a great edition to Ihe enemy inest.
5. Isaac Is Not Okay AL tho end of ha frst Dead Spaco, k destroys the Marker that caused th Nocromcrph outbreak on the USG Ishimura, Unfortunately or him, that didnt lead to а happy ending. The Markers aren't just mo Tihic symbols; ey twist tho minds around "hem into a Lovoeraftian nightmare, and aflictod, In addition to fighting Violent his warped perception of reality bizarre alucnations (usually ime girriend, Nicole) as he малі "ho Sprawl, Special bulotins paint Isaac as а fugitive, describing him as “delusional and dangerous.” In he early part of the game, s od is to moot up wilh man named Daina who has promised him. lor his disturbing visions.
fights again Ho experience invoking hi
Joo Juba
E
Operation Flashpoint:
Red River
Codemasters cleans up its thinking man’s shooter
ast yoar many FPS ons eagerly vated
tho release of Operation lespen Dragon
Rising, but spolly A and qame-ending ches mares The retum o he restore rte ancho. Wi ts second attempt at cre- ‘aing à tactical mit shooter, Codemasters is тачак ho series rom Ino ground а ing on story, co-op gameplay, and customiza- ton whio тагата Fastpointsumvaveeng dedicati to uenti
Players once agi ake conr ol a fu man squad of US. Marnos n a clon со іп Rod Rar nostr stoning, ho mary has pushed A pani insurgents nto he mourtanous Paton ol Тайып, а county ћа borders оп атат and Gina. As ho fighting continues cast, Chinas itary Ihe People's гас Amy steps rio the ray They have no iter- st having he талуын рй over eto hee county, and arent aba 1o rely on he US. "rita ode Por borde As bom nis push hater о Tajikstan, confici between ho Nro superpowers becomes палав, and soon players are waging war on two very irent roris: зт сві, close quarters encounters wilh the Algharvnsargens, and larger bates wih he superior PLA foros. Tho lator тікпе
fal into he anche specialty of mic ol
rango combat
With no shortage of enemies threatening your existence, hang adopt io is key o Your su, Tank the campaign is Оозу зросту or oue payr co-op F youre short on man alis the improved A зайотайсяїу steps and totowe your orders in агае comer wol Two во cu parson feo teams, Apa and Charo, also assist Your squad You won't have direct orit ever oso NPC squads, but hoy automaticaly Бар you compile (ӛсім and cov your fans
Red Rivers cea drector Sion Lenton demonstrated the improved AI ior us on aleve tha lakes place тта тай marke town buit out ıl repurposed shipping crates (Das on areal tov tat Codemasters documented on a rp 10 tho cu). As ho mado his way rough tho i tage. Пе squaciales automaticaly sought cover and suppressed enemy Ir wi he foros scd more complex orders, Such as deonding target aroas. Evan 1 you donit touch to com- ‘mar whee, your autonomous sauadmates prove to bo a big hap.
Payers aiso have пото customization options tris tno around Each of пе four casses (йе. тағ, greece, cad rd ало lear has scum set of weapons, aswel astriodablo орт and qun alach ments or atomi "blo loads You an choose o perks rom а wide variety о dass оройо bites whe
Over you span, мо a separalo sd pont
"System ons you fo permanent upgrade
your safes core idis Codemasters hopes ‘ose ans ий tear to greater raplayabiiy as players coat and upgrade a versa roster o oder oti n iron! modes or wit ciler- fai ends. Whether youre playing the campis r one ot to four multiplayer modes, you wi lays bo caring XP hat can uriock equipment and ov up your skits,
Опо ol Dragon Risings most praised fates Waits sone o rom, and Codemasters erregen ісінген Alo the urs have бооп completely remodeled oreet reiste waar and tear, and every gun features authentic damage, auo, bulet rop, reco, and qun
nb. Rad Rer oven simulates edet rco- hots an buet agen, as wal в а varity of explosion pes. Our derno featured the deto- "aon o 2,00 pound bomb (caled in by he Playe), and even in ts pre-alpha state, hepar боо обоа and sense о ойе Wero pressi. Codemasters tele us mal ho Ina amo азо ‘neds dest orvicrrments and moro Geta character damage, nauding rado пус», Im loss, and "explosive cee
Tho rei damage does е apply to your enemies. I you gel sho, your character Wil start oie oul, requiring you lo patch yours up wih fe сег (very class has hosing capables tis tme around to irit he damage. Once the bleeding stops you can con- true, but Ih ejr ий alec your deten. ‘eg wound causes you to move slower whio а Shot othe атп causes your Про accuracy to айа. You сап Му heal o iat апу pon, bul il wil requro you to remain dlersiess for я longer periodi о tne
Despite tis eam, Codemasters is expert ing alot ol for to mako Rod River accessblo 10 fans ot more action-oriented trs person shoot: «з, acknowecking thal accuracy does mean "much fo дате en’ un to play. To tat опа, players are provided with път ot assists, "ng lastknown positon radar, an proved HUD, and sovor aiming assit. Al cf those Supporting fares can bo tuned or tactical FPS voters looking for greater chalenge.
As tor ппу one ofthe modes, Last Sted tasks you wih delending a positon against waves ol rcreasingly ро enemies ті ю Gears of Wars Horde modo),
However, a novel twist on scoring gues tno тодо агл lool. In order to ам your score, You must cali an oxracton hacoplr to foo Your opponents: you ad your squacmats ай Фо botore the hefoepler arivos, your соо. lost. This creates а certant gamble beween sing for a higher soore, and saving what you roody have. Tho actua gameplay alt a lot moro Tactical tran other horde modes, and ho enemy torosa were lar rom ino typical cannon fodder, Al rina a tew enemies rom aes, tho opposing тоор pnd беле my location with
Platos Playstation 3 Xbox 360
Е 1-Player Adventure „ denen
THO
» Developer Double Aine
» Release Spring
Players
dol in the world," expi
нез
smal tobe of ary tra, known c father and sin
he creative developers at Double Fine had a surprise for us this month in revealing the second downloadable Live Arcade and lation Network game they are making in hp with THO. With Costume Quest ө door, ho team has shifted ils focus to а gorgeous adventure game satin a dols. me the rola of Charle Blackmore, аа in a large family ol chimney Iso happens to be Ihe smallest project load Loe Potty on overlooked and thought ol as too but when an evi indu уаз the Baron, conscripts his nto cruel and unusual hard
jange
labor, ho sets out to save thom,
Ge d which play
that
тату. However, unfko most ach
опо game in s must solve diferent challenges stand between him and the recovery of his
ure games,
Charte lant scouting hidden items or fetching
ar dol
ogress, Instead, he's stacking into то gan thor abies. “Because Charlie
is smaller than any other дой, this
ош
р, oF stack, inside of other, larger, ls,
Potty tels us. side another dl, Chariots determination to save his (ату overwhelms his host, giving Chao complete control. Ho can command the larger dolis actions, thon jump inside even larger dolis, or use their special abi les to help him on his quest to reunite his family
The game's core mecharic в intriguing, and houn
based loosaly on the Victorian and art doco «зв. The game begins in the Royal Train S and the player embarks on different trains levels, each themed around. m ol vintage travel, but taken in a now and Jal drection
The game's challenges aro broad in scopo
pen to rutiple solutions. Рогу explained musing setup in which Charis inhabits rather Malodor dal and must uso ts "atate" ану arcas, In ono chaleng
ough a ventiation fan, caus- ing the crowd within the room beyond to Saler and thus opening the way to a new paih. This is only one of several solutions to the problem; dedicalod players can explore maple vic
tory conditions and айап speciai rewards for ther digenc:
Urike C has no dis се sing on the sense of exploration and collecting that comes Irom solving challenges and gathering r дов. Tati not to say hat nothing unites the two downloadable tiles. “Stacking is similar 10 Costume Quest in that thay both embrace a lot ol Double Fels core interests - namely a foaus o rs, story; umor and personally:
gorgeous scroens support that state ment, and renforce that idea that Double Fine has struck out on йв own to try new ideas and game concepts that branch in unique directions. ited to see h
together as Ying launch. » Ман Miller
Capcom » Developer Blue Castle Games » Release December
Dead Rising 2: Case West
ee Rising 2 ended on a seemingly парру Deren tens Wilh omiy ing is oed ones rom e read merece. Al al has dono oi fam Chuck ray io expos ha dry da osi phamaceulcd company Prenotare: з a uye tac o's oli atio tance hom someone wh has prn Фе аео. Chuck Grane, meet Fer aso ost pk up dor e ovans o пагод, sim laneo. эл авап dene ard ng lane noto тоо от cres
(gina hero, "From a gameplay perspective we always wanted to incorporate Frank nto. the Dead Rising
says Shin С Mih Caso. Tojournatism skits wilo
this pho- кірін) Chuck. "The
vide evidence. хоп doing and how in the Fortune Cily outbrea
тооп tho character
environment located in the desert just out
f Dead araisa. Unik the cooperative experience in Dead Rising 2, wich. threw two Chucks into the world, Case
A have players taking on one character other. И youre staring out өсі
ng as Chuck. f you want to stop in змей shoes, you have to jo game
alte all
bo a standalone дом
on Xbox Liv. РІ xit have to
Ring 2 to chock it out, ether, There wal be
трі endings in Case West, and Case Zero ication, it should take a few hours
A pharmaceutical company may not soem tke the ideal locaton; sating is key п Dead Rising, and offices and factores don't immediately mako us think about improvised weapons. After seeing some ol the screens from Case West, we're а о less worried. One shot appears to
p
bo kom a wi Frank gripping a glass jar containing a zombie nother imago shows tho раї batting tho undead in a IK themed lounge. Capcom promises new items; enemies, and combo weapons, too (п aalen
head.
‘one of Frank Wests putting him in Lost Рале! 2 and m. Daad ising 2: Caso isis shaping up to be a solid new do the character, or both existing fans and potential admirers айке. » Jett Cork
п the eniro sordid history the Fourth Crusade was arguably the le success. Started by Pope Innocent I
as an attempt to retake Jerusalem by going through Egypt, these European solders ended
үр fighting other Christians, sacking the city of
was lar tr which makes it a fascinating topical choice for The Cursed Crusade, an upcoming action adventure from French developer Kylotann Entertainment Players tako on tho role of Donz, а Templar who joins up with tho mercenary Esteban. The wo Warriors engage in brutal combat with a pons ike swords, axes, ver 130
huge varity ol w spears, and more. Alin all,
are beng integ borusos on tho battiefiold
may дегі more damage, м 55 better
at breaking an opponent's armor, Best ot al, you al wielding any combo
‘can combine than ‘of one-handed weapons you wan Solo players only control Denz, though they
(can order Esteban to help out, I youre wiling to er, the Co-op partner takes
being ina second pla ‘control of the mercenary. The game has been designed trom the ground up for cooperative play, so you can work through al 40. a duo if you want. Denz and Est
very diferent places in Ihe story, but they jon. forces when they're both pulled into the Fourth Crusade and discover that something moro sin ister в going on behind tho scene
The setting is more than just an interesting backdrop. Куйое is going out ol its way to incorpora red historical locations and figures wherever po fictional, other charactors are plucked from tho history books, such as Bonilaco do Montfrat ‘one ofthe leaders he Fourth Crusade Kioton also promises realistic virtual inter pretatons Ike Constantinople, which "hoy ve researched extonsivaly to make ister озу accurate, The b cena в that well end up with something along the same In
st сазо
‘and each provides diferent For example, a sword
o. While Denz and Esteban are
ve rendering. dopar в Sans Creed among is influences, alongside Uunexpoctod co-op tiles such as Army of Tw О! course, not everything is striclly based in realty When Denz in't solving environmental puzdess o fighting regularly, he can activate th татр даі mode that plunge the ward around him into пее, This power is ио! for both the action and adventure portions of he game. It makes Denz more рони in abel. and il allows him to see ilams needed to progress that he could not find otherwise. onn cropped hints thal frequent use of the curse coud lead to bad things as the game progresses. The Temple's Curso power sug- gests that there may be a supernatural element
Despite being based around a confi ritiated by the Сало church, К, om 100 concerned about religion being an important ог overbearing factor in Tho Cursed Crusade, 2 the Fourth Crusade never relly gots to the ıl of Christians fighting Muslims, he game eds with more universal tnemes Ike greed and "ho hunger for power, exploring what could load
primary god wi Crusade is to create something diferent
ха fighting game not entrdy based in tan-
y. Besides some briel gimpses in a leaser чайы, | have yet to see the game in action, but with more than two years of development tme behind them and a unique historical seting, Im rd by its potential. » Phil Kollar
— — spears ranged and он weapon
„ Platform PlayStation 3 Крок 360 «PC
э Style 1 or 2-Player Action
Summer
previews 65
Killzone 3
Guerrilla adds new maps and tricks to Killzone’s multiplayer formula
„ Platform |1 may not have made the impact of а new PlayStation 3 | Call of Duty oF Halo, but when Kizone 2 „ ane 1 arrived for the PS3 in валу 2009, it provided 1-Player Shooter ал addictive and deep multiplayer experience, (24-Player Online) Guarita Games is ready to do it all over again » Publisher Wih Killzone 3 next year, and | got an early look Sony Computer el some ofthe tweaks and changes coming to ‘Entertainment multiplayer with the ongoing beta test.
» Developer “Чо Kilzcno 3 multiplayer carries over some
Guemila Games of the best parts of its predecessor - such as Warzone, the awesome mode that mixes up. » Release ркем objectives on the fly as you play = also plays
wth some of the basics. Last tme, each class had to be unlocked as you leveled up through
hours cf рау All five core classes - engineer, marksman, tactician, nfitrator, and medic - aro ‘availabe from the start now, and you choose which to focus оп and purchase unlocks fr.
The Operation mode provides a noteworthy addition. While the gameplay in this mode is made up of fairly traditional attack/defend sce- narios, Ihe experience is improved by occasional cutscenes Ina tell the story of he ISA/Helghast confict and showcase the best players. While the scenes are general brief and inconsequen- tal they provide bragging rights for he winners апа a healthy dose of added embarrassment for the losers,
Of the new maps, Frozen Dam is probably "ho least interesting, although its also the most played. The map contains two small bases with several floors and various bridges and catwalks connecting them. As wath Kilzone 2, Gene designed many of the maps with vertical play in mind, so be prepared to be nervously checking the walkways above and below you constantly,
Corinth Highway, a much bigger map, features anice gimmick in the form of giant mechs that ‘spawn occasionally in the midst of the dav- ‘station and can be piloted by players, These powerful machines sometimes lead to frustrating ‘uations, such as one match where salad enemy player pinned my team down п our base fora good five minutes, but in general they make the match more interesting and help swing the balance back and forth.
Finaly, there's Turbine Concourse, a map that drove me insano unti realized | was approach- ng it incorrectly. Another heavily vertical leve this one offers (and practically demands) the use of Kilzone 3's new jetpacks. И you don't grab a раскол your way out of the base, its кеу
that you'l be picked of from the sky as soon as You step into the open ar. Just to keep players on ther toes, Turbine Concourse also features а: huge EMP generator in the middle of the map. When й starts powering up, players have to scat- ter or risk beng insta-gibbed. Once the EMP goes of, раска and radars wil be offline for a Short period of time.
For those worried about the controls, reet assured that Guerilla Games has put significant work into tightening ther. General movement tl foots slower than most спіл shooters, but Pot to the extreme degree that turned some People off from the previous game, and aiming ‘speed has definitely been increased.
While my short time with the beta has been fun, Guerita has some balancing to werk оп. The infiirator class, for example, has the ‘overpowered abii to disguise themseives as members of the opposite team. Unless you're a tactician, who can reveal enemies withthe recon abilly its all too easy for nfitrators to pose as analy, get in close, and launch into an automatic melee kil In most matches, this is a minor incon- \enience, but when you go up against a toam that has three ог four infirators, it can quickly ki ary sense of progress or skil. The new melee kil animations look great, but some way to counter them would help balance encounters.
‘Whatever quirks are lt to be ironed out, Killzone 3 is already undeniably un and abso- ле gorgeous, With an improved leveling and unlock system and the Operations mode adding more incentive to perform wel, the game's multi player is packed with content fo keep fans piay- ing for months beyond its quickly approaching February launch, * Phil Kellar
Bulletstorm
Leave no bullet unshot
hen we first glimpsed Bulletstorm, we. were immediately drawn in by its crass sense cf humor, playful combat, and cfi pulp vibe that would be right at home in a Robert Rodriguez tick. That was just the single-player campaign. Given that the bom- bastic shooter bears the Epic Games stamp, we knew It would come strapped with some creative complementary modes as well. Enter Echoes mode.
Bulletstorm's skilshot system offers a natural benchmark for competition: who can rack up the most impressive streak of creativo kills? Echoes ‘mode strips the single-player campaign of its story-based elements and boss balles lov. ing you wih a destructive playground filed wah baddies just begging for your bullets. Players choose ther arsenal before heading into battle, and must run through the levels racking up as many creative ії as they can in a set amount of time. If you ish early, you'll earn a time bonus. ‘Once you make it through the gauntlet, the game tallies your points, gives you a star rating, and uploads your score to а leaderboard
The level played, called The Hideout, takes place in a tropical, vertical industrial complex. filed with cranes and rusted sheet metal struc- tures. With campaign companion Ishi along for "he ride, | maneuver through the level tying lo соок up the most creative ways to fil enemies full of lead, Му best results come when | use the leash to slam enemies into the ar and then fre а fal gun round that detonates in midar, taking ол all the enemies around the poor sap wrapped in the grenade belt. Using the environmental objects to genie higher scoring skilshots also comes in handy. In one scenario, | kick a door ff its hinges and t pins the hapless foes behind dito the fer wal end up with two cut of three
stars пой bad for a frat run, but f you want to earn а! three stars you'll have to be especially crafty with your skillshots.
In addtion to Echoes mode, Bulletsterm also features a new online only fcur-player co-op modo called Anarchy that encourages you to work together to рої of insane tear skilshots. Praying as a group of recruits who are trying ол for General Senates feared Dead Echo. Kiling squad, your team must earn a skilehot benchmark to progress to the next level, Like Echoes mode, the bullets are your paint, and the enemies are your canvas. Your best bet is coor-
inating team skilshots to gonerate points, but they take timing and coordination. For instance, the Drawn and Quartered skilshot requires all four players to grab a Imb with a leash and pull atthe same tme to dismember the unfortunate enemy at the center of attention. To beef up the ‘experience, Anarchy mode features a separate progression system from the single-player mode that allows you to spend points to tweak uni forms and upgrade weapons.
Gamers wil get the chance to show off their skiis in these new modes on February 22. "Matt Вета
„ Demlopar. People Can Fly/Epi Games
» Release February 22
previews. 67
THERE Is А MARE AT mens ме мату. A вели I
WHEN хи міомі Tanke,
E.
об Ej ue 2 1. — Е
CY
Platform
PSP » style
1-Piayer Suategy/APG » Publishoe
Square Enix
» Developer
Square Enix
» Release
February 15
es previews
4]
E
MONSTER DO мат?
Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together
a beloved classic
Updatir ахо toro was Рта Fantasy Tactics, ro B was Taco Owe. When tho sal taam That mado тю classic Super Famicom strategy APG was bought out by Square Enix To taka иддет Каган а too ten. FFT Gala an опали lnbacoand a 905 ger uno oa Rourea under drec кє Yes Metauro, тю core oam ha put Ta siamp on mng in 1686 updating he agnum ораи are rss oh PEP. Now oracors a vet) оо оон lr mre dea on Tactics Oges complicated рош тіло, and an unusual o она
System are the cormerstonas ol his remake.
Though Tactics Ogre can't daim a traction of the tans that FFT has, and has gameplay so Stir they aro as doso as sings as video games can bo, itis in many ways a superior game. The storyine has dozens of branching paths, ging players a great dea ol authorship over how the complex conti a the heart ofthe plot unravels, Having over two-dozen units por. Side па singe ballo в typical, ending a grander ‘Scale to combat. As hilarious as it is to use clever by combinations to havo a character that can Singlo-handedty dimanto tho toughest chal- lenges (and dual-wielding Excalibur and Save. the Queen while parrying teraly 97 percent ol all incoming attacks will aways have a spoci place in our hearts), that kind of gane dend abuso. їв impossible in Tactics Ogos Бопог balanced Systems
They don't make for sexy preview copy, but this remoke's localization emproverments and revealing ol expanded detals on the arcad fascinating plot wîl Ikely be the most significant changes. Tho mid. 905 wero a spotty timo for Americ releases of complex Japanese games, and the fact that Square Erix has tasked an experienced localization team with e-ranstaing the US. release from the ground up is heartening,
On the other hand, the Wheel of Fortune system is the most obvious change and car fies the greatest gameplay implications. This Teno-bending tramework encompasses both the Combat and story. driven parts ol Ino game. By taking advantage of it, players сап play out alter- nato scenarios without Ihe hassle ol repeatedly ‘saving and reloading.
Outside of battle, players can go back to any point at which the plot branches. Tho story has dozens of permutations as previously mentioned, зо tracing a dierent route involves a serious time investment even with the Wheel of Fortune at your disposal, You stil have to maintain a save
{or the furthest progressed game you have slong ‘each individual path i you want to play through тірі scenarios simultaneously, but this is nonetheless a big improvement for completion. ists аг anyone interested in samping Ino many delicious plotines Tactics Ogre has 10 oller,
The in-cormbat application ofthe Wheel ог Fortune system is more controversial. А tap of the L button at any point during ай lows players to reset tho gare stato to any pointin The last SO turns. Ths caries an obvious risk of choapening the experience, especialy in a game with permanent character death, Why not tako bigger risks when you can rewind time al your lesa I things go poorly?
Square Enix is counting on two things to keep. Ins rom dumbing down tho de m, strategic bates. For ono, the random number generator isn't reset, so the samo seres о! actions wil que. identical suits every tme. This hopeluly means You have to пу dramaticalycfferent tactics to move the outcome much in the desired direction. Additionally vhi 50 turs seems Ike a lol, in practico it won't be much more than two rounds Gen that tharo aro 25 cr so units on each sido.
Despite these mitigating factors, have serious reservations about the possbity of tho Wheel ‘of Fortune robbing the tense batles of their ‘gravitas. Stategy/RPGs have traditionally only alowed i batto saves to bo "sof saves (mean ing that thoro wpod upon loading the game to prevent choose tactics for good reason. Tho "Wheel ol Fortune is a massive leap in the oppo. site droction. 'm holding out hope that it doesn't end up as much more than a quicker way to. тому tough battles in practice, because Tactios Ogre is a briliant tite that deserves as broad an. aucienoo ав possible. Unforlunatoly there's no way to lel how it shakes out without spending ö been time with the game, and we've yet o got cur hands on l. Adam
Monster Tale
Metroid meets Pokémon in this promising mash-up
1 you keep your eye on the portable platform: ing scone, you probably remember 200076. Henry Hatsworth in the Puzzing Adventure ‘on DS. The game cleverly blended сайат. ing platorring on the top screen while а ‘match: three puzzle game continually ran on. the bottom sereen. Hatsworth had a ton of character and showed plenty of potential, but it isod tho mark in а low key areas. Following the release, koy leads Peter Ong and Ryan Ра eft EA Tiburon to start their own company, Свати
Monster Tale isthe company’s fist project, and its easy lo see the connection to Hatsworth оп. fest lance. The сало and vivi sprite animation, the tight melee and ranged combat, and the unique mixture of genres ай showcase the devo орос Signatur siye.
Players contral biue-hared young grl Elie as sho wakes up in an unfamiar world. She soon witnesses а creature hatch from an egg апа promptly names it Champ. Gating these two lo work together is ho main hook; Elio can shoot projectes and perform melee combos, whia Chorp floats around ike a fmi attack ing enemies. If ho loses health in Бай, уси can send him to Ihe monster sanctuary on the bottom screen to heal. From there Champ can. interact with any items you collect, ойх gain- ing experience and айылы points or using the
‘object to attack foes on the top screen, For example, he can use a catapult on the bottom screen to launch metal bali at өпөпїөв on the 1ор screen. Elie can also dractly command. Ghomp to perform specia actions Же shooting a series of spread shots, forming a shield, or tar ing into a балку plattom.
Rather than collecting hundreds ol ото monsters, players must evolve and advance (Chomp. А treo of 30 deren! evolutions alows you to push him in the direction you preter. We tied out the delonso focused Balista orm and the power yet slow Sentinal. Al of the forms so far have excusive special moves, andi you use ther enough to master them, you can perform т any of Champs forms.
The wot is designed to encourage explora- fion, and the pause soroen features a handy ‘Super Metroid style тар. The next objective is always ighighted, so we never felt lost while navigating the world, Of course, plenty ої obsta- ев block your path, so youll have to remember 1o return once you've upgraded enough to progress. Throughout our time with Monster тае, we scored things Ike a longer projectie hol, a meloo combo, and a ground roli that gots Elle through tight spaces, So far, this dofritly scratches the ісі for a 20 Metroid.
Bryan Vore
No More Heroes: Heroes’ Paradise
The crazy adventures of Travis Touchdown move to PS3
some significant design laws, Japanoso. gamers received an improved HD port
in the form of Heroes! Paradise in 2010. PS3 owners п North America have уві to be into: duced to his wild franchise, though. Thanks to Konami, that's about to change, and the game Wil receive some further improvements batoro it reaches our shoros адап.
No Mare Heroes folows the exploits of Travis Touchdown, an arime- obsessed young man who gets pulled nto an attempt to become the top-ranked assassin in the world by femme lata Зума. Heroes! Paradiso Говом Ihe samo plot as the originai game, but the graphics have boon beefed up to НО and Konami added new modes, such as the creepy Very Sweet Modo,
ТІ hough No More Heroes was held back by
Which puts the femaie characters into more tevoaling alternato cuts,
Unike in the Japanese release, Heroes Paradise in North America features motion. contol support ма the PlayStation Move con- trol. According to producer Так Fuj playing With Move fo a ite dierent than wilh a Wi remoto, but it wil mosty bo a rect translation. Though Fuj recommends experiencing the game with Move, players can choose а traditional PS3 Control scheme as wel
In addition to Move support, Konami is adding in some further graphical flourishes. Performance issues that wore reported withthe Japanese release wil be fixed by the tine the game launches hore. Most impressively, his release of. Heroes Paradiso includes new bonus bosses
brought over ram No Moro Heroes 2. Marvelous Entertainment, the Japanese publisher forthe ales daims to have no current plans for a simi ін HD pervungrade for No More Heroes 2, so ‘his may bo the dosost that PS3 owners can get to playing the sequel
Fuji assured us thal he's "a fanatic” for ho. sarios, and Marvelous Entertainment considers the Move-cnablod version of Heroes! Paradiso tobe the "nal cut" of the fest game. Il you're an Xbox 360 owner who's feeling left out, Fu во let us know thal Konami Б curently working to ‘come up with "aly satistactory contol scheme for косі" Hopeluly soon al gamers wi bo able to experience thot frst outing with Travis Touchdown, no matter where you Ive or which console you prefer, = Phil Kollar
з Platform PlayStation 3 Style 1-Player Action » Pobticher Konami
з Developer Foetus иеме юп
троп both in and ering to gest efe EA hopes to conjure same of its ovm storytelling mojo in the new Champion mode. ‘The story opens wäh a bang. main лади gets skad in the head and falis to the mat. Aer he comes his rene and his eyesight айша, you realise this tnt элу old boxing match, The protagonist а going hend to end with a tattooed skinhead in a state penitentiary as nates watch and der. beside the ring. Dont expect this to be a happy-go-lucky tale, a the der team saye Fight Might Champion well be the first Merated game in EA Spots history,
70 previous
[| /
Fight Night Champion
Building a better boxer
fending the Бої в а dangerous proposi- tion. You can keep doing what got you there, but your movements and punch combos become predictable over time and ‘opponents will Inevitably expose your weak- nesses, To avoid losing thor standing atop the boxing word, champions must constantly reinvent themselves, adopting new tactics and shoring up weaknesses while at the same time preserving ther unique talents that landed them atop the rankings.
EA Canada в facing a similar dilemma with Fight Night Champion. How do you improve а game that won universal acclaim? The develop- ment team went to the tape to find same hidden flaws, and discovered the telemetry data showed players threw a considerably higher amount of left-handed punches than they ід right-handed. It's not hard to understand why - moving the Fight analog stick to throw a right uppercut or right hook forces your thumb to contort in unnat- ura ways, To bring the stats back in Ine with true boxing, the team decided to reinvent the Total Punch Conto
The new punching system stil uses the right analog stick, but instead of swngng the. stick with different gestures to create different punches, you now just need to flick the stick na Specific direction. Different angles determine di ferent punches, and the new system has allowed EA to cram twice as many punch types into the stick With all of these new punches being added to Fight Night, EA Canada went back to the mo-cap studio to recreate more signature punches from star fighters like Manny Pacquiao and Міка Tyson.
“Throwing winning combos is only one aspect of becoming a winning boxer. To improve ts defense, EA also implemented a new reflexive blocking system that changes Ihe way you play defense and counterattack Instead of holding down the block button and swinging the analog stick to the appropriate blocking location, you пон can either tap the trigger to block a punch Fight before impact or hod down the button to. rely on the boxer reflex ratings. This also frees up the directional control to let players to punch from the guard postion for the first time in the series,
Perhaps the most dramatic change EA is ‘making to Fight Night is the increased impor-
tance of stamina In past games you could indiscriminately and continual throw a furry o punches. The new stamina system drains and төйі moro quickly, encouraging fighters to be ‘smarter about when to unleash a long combo. Other changes include cne-punch knockouts, a 20-point leveling system for each type of punch,
‘and the ability to choose where you train to ват ‘more stat boosts,
Taken together the list of improvements and tweaks to Fight Night Champion is impres- ‘sive. We can't watt to go a few rounds in a few months to seo f tho changes result in a more impressive boxer in the ring » Matt Вена
de Blob 2
Viva la color revoluciön
fore wok ie nover done. Ar AA ee т барони тле iest game, Hors pant рое e ob decors oh popes ag Under попів d monocot die Tha lr Revo send е Вор o anew rant Ama Се Daon pd to voting (ra eigouszodotby bre rame Papa бак. Under Fapa anc s wart, a iy has ben rane oian he vrai Do ob not orty hor totem clr bac to wants to renan ma toun fs clou roots. Мо frst de Во. players epai Prema atone socion ata tmo. бо op inas pani carts vatum од scattered saosa he Gy Ar sn Тег одо, де BD can lady part oun red y валит na о ick апа WMO нгі Tro ороп Watch c do obs ban oy ато Sete e vt пакт ihe fie ning of a mono ату peng inch pct ore, о loesing care by Bo ac va discover atow naw осв op ума he anodes pena al at lr For arp, a now наты ай vh Ted x aig bubo - surands de ban proc tm fom mo manco ac rcr The deat elt ro rcc Sa low de Bob to lake a ne rm NT amy io eng ar nd атоо ро негир Tune doc mi a acd bal wich owe Bim озук юге boram des iod o ——
222
А diferent kind of aventure fes hidden under tho surfaco of Prisma City. Somo missions
‘sand de Biob into the interiors of Prisma City’s buildings. These levels offer up 2D platforming challenges that provide a change of pace rom the open werld atmosphere of the rest ofthe game. Many ofthese Sequences roquio do Blob 10 berate captivo citizens without losing any ^ his color. For example, de Blob might need to paint a switch purple, so һе? have to Ind and consume both red and blue paint canisters Without fling into а pool of water or triggering the sprinkler system, both of which would wash ой his сдох.
One of the biggest changes for the series ‘sits movement to multiple systems. Gamers. who complained about having to shake the WÎ remate to тр ос attack nthe frst de Blob wil Want to chock oul Ino PS3 or Xbox 360 versions ol de Blob 2 (although THO has mentioned the possibilty of PlayStation Move support for play- «з who Ко shaking their controllers). Tho fest дә Blob's Paar inspired cutscenes and paint by-numbors gameplay showed allot ої prom. ise, and with al of the additions Blue Tongue Entertainment is bringing to the table or the sequal, de Bic 2 could be one of 201 1's early his,» Ben Reeves
„ Platform, PlayStation 3 bax 360: Wi Nintendo DS
» Style
1 ot 2-Player Piattonming
э Publisher m
» Developer Blue Tongue Entertainment » Relonso Febuary
L.A. Noire
Another look into the seedy world of L.A, Noire
ur cover story on L.A. Noire gave tho. World its first real look into Rockstar and Team Bondrs А. Моге. As the writer, | got to seo both the game (п demo form) and the groundbreaking facial capture technology that Team Bondi created to таке it. | came back trom my trip excited about the game, and ! hope that the finished product can Ive up to the very high bar that Rockstar and Team Bondi have set. Recently, we were able to get another look at the game; Rockstar brought by a brand- пом Ive gameplay demo that showed off another mission in the career of LAPD detective Cole Phelps. This case occurs during Phelps stint on the
мето desk - but i's a more sordid tale than a mece speeding ticket. It starts with Phelps and his partner Stephen Bukowski getting а сай to investigate a car crash, Two women, actresses une Balard and Jessica Hamiton, have appar- ently driven their car off an embankment and into а Coca-Cola billboard. Things get a itle more interesting when Phelps arrives at the scene to interview Ballard, who clans thay were drugged and put in the car as a set-up,
From here, this seemingly open and shut case drags Ballard into the seedy underbelly of 19405 Hollywood. Ballad, a veteran b-movie actress. and moll to mobster Guy McAfee, appears unra-
able, She's intent on fingering producer Mark
Bishop for the crime, but then warns Phelps to let her and her husband “settle the score." She's Clearly shitty, but Phelps knows there's definitely more to this story when he finds an unsettling place of evidence on the scene: а torn pair of Women's underwear. A fellow detective also ‘shows him a fake shrunken head, presumably stolen тот a movie set, that was used to wedge down the саг gas pedal.
From there, Phelps goes to interview the other passenger, Jessica Hamilton, at the hospital. Her doctor informe him that thero is evidence that Hamiton was drugged and possibiy sexu- ally assaulted. Speaking with Hamiton, t's clear that she's a naive gil who wants a break into ‘acting so badly that she's easy prey for the predators that populate the movie industry. While she has Ийе memory of what happened and is scared to talk, Colo cajoles some infor- ‘mation aut of her. It's interesting to see how the player has to judge the character of each witness. Here, Phelps takes a much softer approach than he did with June Ballard, perhaps ‘sensing Hamilton's fragile makeup.
‘Throughout the case, Phelps makes constant notes of clues — bits of interviews, objects in the environment, photographs, letters, and more. Each clue wil open up more Ines of questioning during your interviews, во t's wise to gather as much information as possible. You'l frequently have to use documented clues and facts to con- tradict a witness who ® ying.
Attor interrogating Hamilton, tho caso takes
tum into dark teritory First, Phelps does a tail mission on June Ballard, who makes a call at a diner telling her husband to Чаке care” of Bishop. After Ballard gives up Bishop's address, Phelps arrives at the producer's apartment
just in timo to get in a fight with some Mafia thugs who are presumably fnere to rub cut the producer. After dispatching the goons and inter- Viewing Bishop's wife, Gloria, a sinister picture appears to take shape: Bishop is somehow Involved in a ring that takes aspiring young actresses and makes them sexual prey for depraved Hollywood types.
While we won't spol the solution to the сазе, suffice it to say that his game might feature some of Rockstars grittiest content ‘ever. However, before you accuse them of being shock merchants, consider the fact that ‘every case in the game is actualy pulled from. the newspapers of 19406 Los Angeles. This Stuff really happened; i's ust been adapted and slighty altered for the game (most of tho. time this involved writing endings for unsolved cases). In addition, wo got a few hints of the game's larger, overarching plots, which seem to ‘center around Phelps’ struggles to combat the internal corruption that plagued the LAPD during this tme in history. At one pont, Phelps has an Interaction with a vice cop that suggests the lings between cop and criminal in LA are very blurry indeed,
This case also gave us a better window into the game's pacing, While t's important to note that this is по GTA in period drag - expect to spend а lot more time in tense conversation than in gunfights - Team Bondi does seem to do а оо job of injecting action sequences at logical Points n the story, During the mission we wt- messed the braw in Bishop's apartment, the tail mission, and a car chase - phus a fairy elaborate gun bene
However the real meat of the L.A. Noire experi- nce comes from the investigations, Once again, the character animation (accomplished through
ПТ
Team Bond's groundbreaking camera-based facial capture system) looks as good es anything we've seen in a game. It needs to be; with so. much emphasis placed on the interrogations, its the trueo-Ife expressions that allow you to realy feel invested in the experience.
LA Моге is a risky proposition for Rockstar While the painstaking recreation ot 1947 Los Angeles is as richly detailed as any of the open. "world environments the company has eni- ‘sioned, this game has a distinct, deliberate
that's quite diferent from anything ө t's done in the past Based on what we've seen so far, LA Noke has the potential to be something very ‘special, Wil Rockstars audience be ready to ‘embrace i?» Matt Helgeson
previews
» Patton PlayStation З
» өте
1 to 4-Player Action [16-Player Ohne] Publisher
Sony Computer Entertainment America ) Developer
Eat Sleep Play
» Release
201
Twisted Metal
Eat Зее
LIC displaying the newest installment of their car REUTERS
When did you first get the urge to revisit the series with a full-scale console release?
lay brings car combat back from the
dead
d Jao: мом I think it evolved in the bost way something could evolve, Wo started
Eat Sleep Play and said, “Let's make small games. Lots bo a premier PSN developer." We original were gonna mako Twistod Mata nde 39.90 or $12.99 downloadi game and that was it. think what happened was, as development started to come onine, there was a sense that the foundation was solid and fun, and it was Ike Hay, I remember Twisted Metali This coud bo тай, гоу cool." Toro was sort of a continual arking to the scope and ufimataly ho budget and tho schodul because Sony and Eat Sloop Pay was Ike "You know, | think we shoud set ur sights higher." It actually began as a much
small experience that wo said "Lots make this Tor tho hardoore Twist tans that wo know aro sill out there, let's ry to bring some new fans
in here as wal" As we started development there was а sense ої, "Hoy, we coud entertain alot mote people with this, but it means we're ‘gonna have to have more levels, more cars, more modos." Every four or five months we'd havo meetings with Sony and be Ike, “We really nood a single player [mode] now, anci wo realy eod some more multiplayer modes." By the end «їй, ind of evolved into what iis now. | hick it омдук because what wa saw so early Sed to have so much polenta,
In terms of online player count, what do you think the sweet spot is in a title like this? Was it ever tempting to say "screw It, we're doing 256 players online," or did you always intend on keeping it somewhat limited?
DJ; For mo, there aro wo ways to meke a “Twisted Meta game onino. Ona is fo bo a total purist about it and say we're designing this gerne from the ground up to be Ike Mortal Kombat bene ono on one. | stil think we're fortunate enough and the fans realy enjoy what we've ‘done with this game and we get to do down: loadable content ox we get to do a sequel, 1 wouldlove to sort d take a corner of that design and make something similar to the last Сай of Dulys Spec Ops modo. We'd just say We're just gonna тако eight loves and a number ol woapons and modes that are just one-on-one! because | do think thal realy represents a sweet ‘Spot, But |thirk as we've also gotten into deval- ‘opment and design on this game, certainty there is a caso being made that you can тако a realy fun Twisted Metal game with moro than опе: 00-000. | dort think 256, I don't, I dont think 258 with humans. as impressive as а game Ike Resistance 2 or MAG is... think they do alot
‘of work to curb the chaos, but | stil think you really want to bo able to wrap your brain around What you're doing. To me, with Twisted Metal
Га say tho энөө! spot is anywhero from 5-on-5 10 8-on-8 depending on the game mode that you're playing,
ampbell | hk when David and | are Kind of taking about online and multiplayer, it docs to fed Ike it used to. Some ol those das- sic TM battles dicht really nice a lot of players The more intimato balles became moro memo- rablo and required a lot moro thought and skil.
DJ: ts у because especialy with new goner- ations ol players coming up, | absolutely love we Last Man Standing mode of ів дате. Iknow we havo guys on the Team that ara into ho hardoore shooting games that are Ike "Oh, мо um hate "at." mike "Why do you hate that?" They say "Oh, don't want to dio and sit п a lobby" But dude, hat makes your Ме valuable, that means health matters, hat means playing delensivey matters. Im glad we can support hosa modes,
because ovo modes ка in SOCOM or Rainbow or now in Twisted Metal where you have a ‘couple ol ves or one He and when you're dead уте dead Yeah, you might have to wait na x five ог sx minutes to wait forthe next amo, but when the next game comes you're doing n with tris sense of tension and caring about your survive that nk just totaly ratchots up the immersiveness of ho experiance.
‘Twisted Metal 2 had somewhat dark, some- times violent endings with a cartoonish art stylo. Twisted Metal Black was more realistic, featuring much darker themes and far more gore. Where will the new Twisted Metal lie on this spectrum? Black had kind bul the ne 20 Hash cartoons, They reve actin, sort of та ross between ul motion video and comic books come to le. The visual style is unique. "n terms of comparing it to the tone of the other Wo games, I would say these aren't as dark аз ick the senso that they're really pushing
boundaries of taste. W ing hirmsell to a wall or drowning a baby, we're not going to that level, But the themselves and the charactors t (actualy more sad and darker and № and tho stories не а tie more psychological Tight Zone then they were in Black, Tho enc
th of hem. You stl have Calypso there, у have him granting wishes, and you ій have Contestants that realy need to be careful what they ask for because they end up geting il. | think i's qot a bit moro psychological creepiness той than the ful blown gorolest that Back w
So nothing like the campy deleted endings from the original game? DJ: Ideal, they wan't be campy at al. We tn ished production, and we were r the mindset © ‘We cannot be cheesy” Even though we hid that mindset, o and behold we had people saying “These во kind of d
ent the last couple of mo
qat rid of this, lois got rid ofthat shot Wo don't Want these to эру at al, hats nol
iio mora not al Та ha" ono-joke оттто, although there эге a tew of those. They run the spectrum,
What about in-game comedy, like shooting the kid into the swimming pool in New York or running over mimes in Paris? Wil it stay more serious in-game as well?
J: Wo do fat you launch a gurney out the back of an ambulance апа patient on it scarring with TNT s him, Thats in there. We ve got a number of things embedded into tho core experience that we fed represent that Twisted syle, You have a car with a magnet on the ont that can pull а саг and you can charge it up and launch an enemy at another enemy, and you hear hen scroarring as they fy through the a. That's represented, and | think destroying environments thal people hold near and dear. Ihe fact that jou can drive cars and monster rucksinto a grocery store or a church or a high school bine represents thal. So уап, that's always
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previews 15
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TURBOCHARGED | COMPACT FOOTPRINT | TORQUE VECTORING AWD”
The all-new sport cross. Nissan JUKE” Innovation for all.
NISSAN
PS3 360 Return to the original video game hero and his hot
Tew wicks
(Customizable visuals e you choose the Pac-Man lok
you remember
Thumping music evokes
the be lle qualty this game needs
Pac-Man established the persdgn of ampie to learn and tough to master, and that hasn't changed
The most exating Pac-Man une ever made
High
Pac-Man Championship Edition DX
НІ SCORE 588.110
рот
у ursts ий cry fou, but this is tho most accessible and lun Pac-Man game in the ‘character's long history. Numerous ma
and modes, completely custorrizable audio and
visual experiences, and several unique Wists on the familiar gameplay combine to make
this instalment thriing, By expanding on the
‘experience established in 2007's Championship
Edition, which was інді an evolution of tne
original classic, this new DX version shines as
one of the finest pure arcade experiences aval able on today s consol
There's nothing wrong wilh tho айке fcr- mula that mado Pac-Man a household namo. in tho 805. Chomp pales; ioo the ghosts. Eat
a power palo; chase the ghosts. It was such
a polished and simple mechanic that develop-
ers have struggled to fnd worthwhile ways to
er Action
Namco Bandai. Namco Bandai
November 17 (Xbox 360), November 23 [Playstation 3) ESF Е
improve the experience in the intervening years. The originai Championship Econ finally suc сода with {med mazes and a more strategic siting played. DX adds a few simple but nging mechanics into the mix. When. ово dastardly ghosts get dose, tmo Sows down and gives canny players the opportunity 1o chango course and keep the action fowing, When even that fais, а cache of bombs aro al your disposal; these blast the chasing specters back to their base, and give you a chance to эре. Fray, dozens ol ghosts now train alter ‘one another in a long snake behind you, encour ‘aging a corel routo plan through the increas ingly crowded mazo. Combined, these feat meke the game easier to enjoy lor new players, зиме offering experienced Pac-Man addict the opportunity for incredible point totals. You
game-ch
haven't ved unti you've taken down 40 backs in опе frenzied power pelt run.
Lost you lear that al the challenge has gone, let me case your mind, Pac-Man DX ascends To mind-shattering speeds in a hurry, demand. ing fast minds and thumbs both. Sever d tho courses ar busit around pattem recognition, and the ability to race the most expedient path is key to victory over your rends Scores. Ext excellent designed courses each have unique. chadlenges attached, rom achieving the highest ghost combo to numerous Ите tials. Pus, every game made you play lets you choose t Man увий you Ike best, from ho stark pixe lated original to modern-day 30 effects. Whether ‘on PSN or XBLA, this phenomenal revision of the classic franchise has video games’ original hero ready for another day in the sun.
78 reviews
1
‘phe 1-Player Racing (12-Player Online ot Local Publisher Deep Әмен асар Techland Nelenve November 30
Г Ф 2 СТР m ‘Tae games — ee E CE The clr punte a vibrant eres Be Кыл en mer
» Sound Queens of the Stone Age ate the lone standouts
in an otherwise forgettable soundtrack
з Playability
The camera can be disorienting and does not always present the best viewing angie, but oddly
ro. ы pace
nerd т the most ambitious
Second, Pure, and Blur have tried to
mako racing about more than just cross- ing the finish Ine frst, Because ot this, Ive admired those games and how they expanded "ho lexicon of racing titles, Nai'd is nol one of those games, Маа is nol trying to redefine Ihe traditional racing experience, but rather fli is ‘original promise: you go roaly fast and make it 10 the finish ine frst, victory is yours. However, that doesn't mean that Nail d is any less excit- ing than those other games. In fact, Маў attempts to capture what is fundamental about the genre in ils own way, loaving the player with а powertuly distilled experienco.
Imagine you're on a speeder bike from Star Wars and you're bombing through Yosemite Park and Greece, You have had 1,000 heart attacks aller the number of nea-misses you've гуне, but you've gotten used to ying by the scat ої your pants. Trade out tho speeder bike fr an ATV, and you get he picture of what қаға is iko. Poish developers Techland (Call ol Juste? have captured ighiring in a Богів with this game's sense of speed, and have smartly positioned other aspects ofthe game in service to the glory ot higher mph.
The games racks do an.
‘excatent job of combining sat-
piece moments, speed-buldng straightaway, stratogicaly
placed gates that give you tubo RES boost, and enough twists and turns to keep things very intere
esting. My favoritos aro the races
that consist of one long course
rather han a lop format, simply because everything you experi
ence is new from moment to moment. Although Nai'd doesn't
R cent arcade racing titles ike Spit 1
match he over-the-top craziness of Spit Second, there were enough boulder avalanches, hurting trans, ana gant swinging sad 0 Keep tings nad and exciting, Courses шо аво spied up by the fact hat you can stoer your biko up, down, lel, and right wrie Youre mia. Mis oa sound Ike much, But the way tat this unctonaiy is merged with iho tracks design and Тю overal sanse ol spood amplios the iso gravity colyng proportions. Малу ofthe amps in tho gem requro some өзі ol mr афто, Choosing where logos ten a leap into the urkmown and part of he Мп Soretimes you havo 10 decido prety салу on wheter youiro gang юри up tor more air or Фе down to avoid geting smacked in Тю lace wih a roo. Other mes hero sre тые routos arand a leve lo choose ram, and he game ues you o hour of decking wie youre Туга sever stories up n the sir Маг daus- парра, feh eyo-ike camera complements {ho onscreen деге nush, and even though îl can ave you bind oocasionaly, maro аю enough envronmenta dues to steer you'n the тк recton - even when youre taming most 120 degrees n mar.
game youl ever play, but ıt captures the excitement cf racing better than some straight up racing games
Moderate
Techland's single-minded focus on diver ing a high-speed, thriling experience comes at ho expense of tho game's overall breadth. Tre career mode consists mainly ol the same mme ien race type, punctuated by Stunt Challenges. These aro basicaly the samo as a normal race, only the winner is dotorminod by who can perform a Tmited roster of stunts which are not Ike ATV vs. М-во ticks, but aro simple fats ike landing on other riders or making huge boost jumps. Of course, Май is not supposed о bo a rice basod tile Ike Pure, bul I wish it found a way to augment its speed rush with more gameplay options and чаву, At least thers day-ane DLC featuring а Detonator mode that requires you fo perform a boost move in order to get a bomb off your back. SII, f d is not a game with great depth,
Creating a fast racing experience sounds Ike a fundamental requirement ої any racing lite, but Мага isn't just a game that blows by low oxpoc- tations. ИЗ a focused experience that sticks to aight racing fine and captures Ihe essenon of speed in a fash. » Matthew Kato
reviews 79
п
PS3 · 360 Allin the gaps between the original Tron film and the sequel, Tron: росу through an ali new sory
Sparse and clinical Ше
the Als, with the added disadvantage of being ugly The light cycles make a neat humming sound, but that’s about the only memorable thing ın the ано daparanent The controls are touchy, the platforming is awful, and the levels aro uninspired
‘This game is why gift receipts Were invented
Low
80 reviews
Tron: Evolution
1 Prayer Action (10-Player Online
| hen it debuted in 1982, Disney's Tron | ойогөй an edge gimpse ofthe V potential power of computer-generated arimaticn. Decades later, а sequel is hitting ıneators - alongside the inevitable video game companion. Set between tho events of tho frst movie and йв seguet, Tron: Legacy, Tron: Evolution makes it clear that some gaps don't need to be filed.
Players take on the role of Anon, a digital ‘everyman purposeluly devoid of personality or other бодо characteristics. Но а vrtual emissary ol sorts for Kevin Руға, Jt Bridges! character rom the ims. Evolution assumes that players have recently seen Топ, offering len the way of a plot summary or expository dialog. If you dorit know your ISOs trom your Basics, prepare fo bo completely durmblounded by the
fry, such that is
As a bota version of tho Grid System Monitor,
Anon can upgrade his ablllios and wid a variety
©! diforont discs п combat. These include bomb attacks, which cause splash damage and can break open weakened structures, stasis fields,
Disney interactive Audios D
which temporary roezo. ‘enemies; and com plen discs, which cause debii- tating damage, There are a andi of йок enemy types, each vulnerable to оп attacks.
On its surface, combat, Ike everything ese n "Ton: Evolution, sounds satisfactory at he least Unfortunatly ho ce tion s bunged up to the point whore its Barely functional, let alone fn. Targeting is ата, percutit when facing ор» of enemies — a frequent event - and
camera issues compound the problem. I's espe-
ау bad when you badkfip cose to a wal апа the camara freaks out trying to determine whore Anon went.
In addition to backlipping, Anon has to ra verse tho game's world using other acrobatic means. Wal-runs and талів jumps ere com- monplaco, and navigating those sections is ‘one ofthe mere frustrating experiences Ivo had in years. Anon а touchy fala, prone to. гойо Ol of ledges and taling into ормо, Tm al tor games with өдіс characters who can Create exhilarating, fast-paced moments. Tron: Evolution leans too much on the acrobatic sections, particularly since Anon moves ike а dnrken rissie.
Asido rom Ihe awful огоо sections, some- timos Anon finds himsal at tho heim of a light oyde or ight tank. Where the core game is frus- rating and twitchy, Ino vehicular segments are dul and boring. The ight судів segments give players an excuse to пр down a straightaway and dodge obstades - never mind toso iconic
arena battles rom the Test move. The tank por- tions are plodding exercises in creeping ahead and shooting at Ihe occasional enemy. Both
‘of these diversions last way too long, though werte a rico change of расо пот de-tezzng bindy off ledges.
“Ton: Evolutions multiplayer is a high point, mostly because its the only part ofthe game that actualy feats ке Ton. Up to 10 players ‘can batto in arenas, which mako good uso ot the game's weapons and vohidos, Players can summon ther ight cycles at wil with the press ‘ol a bution, and ifs cod 1o jump into the ar as aa person and land as a vehicle (a situation that never happens in the campaigr). Unike the campaign, tne ht сув function as they did in the move, leaving semisolid bands of color that damage anything that touches them.
"Ton: Evolution wil probably have a handful ol defenders, but cant reasonably suggest that anyone play t. I's a shody experience that та ist much fun, Топ superfans would до better simply watching the movie again and calling it a day, « Jett Cork
Marvel Pinball
Zen's
= IVER
sed pinball tables shine
Style 1 or 2-Playor Action (d-Playor Online) Publisher Zon Studios Developer Zen Studios міна December 8 [Xbox 360), December 14 [PlayStation 3) ESR E
ideo pinball has never been my thing: | miss the pop of the fippers and the roal- iy ofthat ito siver bal bouncing hap- hazardy ой he bumpers. That changed with Zaris alorts to bring the exporionco back o ils Tools. While Zen may not be able to transform ту game room into an arcade parlor, they ve finaly managed to nal what makes pinbal so much fun, The development team has made tho most ofthe Marvel license and crafted a number of awesome now pinball tables that
The Edge
‘Though the two consoles have enti tables,
the play experience is quite diferent on Xbox 360 and PlayStation З On Sony's platform, Marvel Pinball a standalone game. On
Xbox 360, the four Marvel tables fit comfortably аз an expansion into the expanding алау of Pinball tables avalable in Pinball РКО, Sinco рап ofthe fun comes Нот шіт up scares and competition across ай your tables, # hard metto recommend the 360 option.
shoud satisty even the most skeptical pinbal fans.
‘Spider-Man, ron Man, Blade, and Wolverine each have a dedicated pinball table, and every опе ol the four could absorb a player for endless hours of discovery and score improvement. Each tabla bows to ho style of tho charactar - Spidar- Man, my personal favorite of tho four, is fled With soaring ramps and amusing voiceovers. Wolverine has the Бу to rage and um nearly ‘every shot on the board into a high score jack- pot. ron Man transforms from Tony Stark into his armored alter ego lor Ihe most dangerous missions, Blade features a day/night cycle that completely changes tho fel of play. No matter the lable, each hero is matched up against three or four of her greatest nemoses, rom the Green Gobin to Whiplash. These unique missions are Tun lo tigger and easy to understand, though it Would havo been rice ifthe tables had thir own gimmicks rather man all of them being ted lo
superan fights. | also don't aways Ike when опзетөөп events оосу that wouldn't be possible оп атой tabio, ко the кіз exploding pump- kin mut-bal. The game isat its best when the desen of ue pirbal is maintained.
Without exception, the four tables are excel- lenty designed, and fantastic bal physics make the game worth repeated play. А molagarno tes "ho tables together; your combined score across al tables shows tho бего leaderboard king among your tends. Pack in some highly delatod ‘options for customizing your game experience, from table tit alterations to camera view, and ‘hero's a lot to love. Given this stallar effort, | an’ wait to see how Zen's pinball collection ‘continues to expand.» Matt Miller
8.5 770
PS3 360 » Concept
“ake four of Marvel Comics greater heroes and ge. ‘ham each a well-designed pinball table
» Graphics
Excellent comic ал and highly detailed visual обес make sch table pop with energy and color
» Sound
‘The jaunty musical themes меп! going to blow you away. but some of the Character voiceovers are fun rere,
‘Tho best video pinball physics ver combine wath ght and responsive flipper controls
» Entertainment
1 you enjoy ether pinball or comic superheroes, you cant go wrong
з Replay Value
Moderately High
nho final book ої J.K. Rowing's juggernaut
franchise, Harry strikes out to lo Voldemort's
plans, leaving the iconic wizard academy of Tris narrativo break Irom va.
major problem for tno game vers Hallows. Wandering around the school and interacting with its students were the primary redeeming factors in the last two entries, which raises the question: Can a Harry Potter game bo fun without Hogwarts? Apparently not. Instead of exploring the castio grounds and going to class, Harry в shuflod rom ono. tedious shootout to the nex, inging spas at Death Eaters in ruins and forests, | don't mind thatthe old ttee-toaming gameplay is gona. What bothers mo. is the tic porson shooting mechanics that roplaco iro staggering поте. Harrys confronted with a constant stream of mororic bad guys, who he dispatchos by shooting various spells that all do pretty much the same thing Іле game worked, you'd bo. switching spets on the у, stra- ecicaly confusing ox paralyzing
‘Style 1 or2-Playet Action Publisher Flectonic Arts Develop EA Bright Light Brie November 16 ESRE T
‘one enemy white blasting the next. In really, changing spalis slows the action to a craw since you need to bring up the weapon wheel every ‘couple seconds, зо you're better off sticking with оге or two spells ог entro encounters. Even then, the complete lack of variety in enemies and tactics таков every fight а bor.
“Things wouid be bad enough it Hany just had to contend wilh dark wizards, bul stealth ‘Sequences give you a whole new reason lo hate Deathly Hallows. Despite tho fact hat you own and uso an invisibly cloak, Harry cari soem 1o stay hidden to sevo his lo. Your inevitable election doesnt necessarily mean game over,
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1
This is why kids should stay in school
but il usualy triggers а freight against nearly insurmountable odds. You can just de ту again, and slowly give n to the dul hopelessness of Deathly Hallows,
‘The Harry Potter games were gating betta By focusing on tho simple joys ol exploring Hogwarts and casting spels, EA almost within reach of making їв last two entries entertaining. Wih Deathly Hallows, Harry regretfully retums to his roots by offering atro- Gous gameplay that no fan coud enjoy. Lio a Ошко player taling rom a broomstick mide match, this installment loses al forward momen- Tum and goes plummeting toward a facoplant at op speed, « Joe Juba
zzz The Edge
Even though the 360 version Ваз вне Kinect challenges, theyre just timed tail-hot= ing sequences that barely wore 1f you must buy Deathly Hallows, both versions ae equally bad, feel fee to pick your poison, EA would not
send ш an easly сору of the Wi versn, so we wll evaluate it ater release and provide a sepa- ate review if necessary. Otherwise, consider this ош definitive review.
5.5 777
PS3 • 360 » Concopt
Watch Harry flounder and
іші without the charm of Hogans to protect him
» Graphics
The man character models look lite their corresponding actors, but a lack ot enemy variety means that you're blasting the exact same punks
Expect to hear lots of shouting of ridiculous spell names
н rea Nothing works well from the camera to the cover system. Even switching spells is apain
» Entertainment
AL enjoyment is buried under derung mess of poor controls and tedious combat » Replay Value
Moderately Low
reviews 81
PS3 • 360 + Wii
PC + Мас
Construct contraptions о solve challenges in an
af themed worlds
» Graph
Simple, stylized. and one of
Create's only strong suits
» Sound
Folksy guitar tunes and
сату musie may be
contextually appropriate,
but that doesn't make
‘hem enjoyable
Controls aro Шу and the
Uis invasive, maling i
«пешо appreciate the
(Geste experience
inherently flawed, Create
fart engaging enough fr
ats or шше enough for
мат
„ Replay Value low
Create
Style L-Payer Puzzle Putsch Electronic Ала ораг EA Bright Light Release November 16 ESEB E
game Create as a sandbox for magina- Топ and toolset for ingenuity, I often felt uninspired and outright frustrated while playing, Given that LieBigPlanct nearly perfected this буре of experience already, my largost qualms are not conceptual, but mechanical
Most ofthe puzzo chalanges aro solved "rough repo rather than resourcsluiness. These bouts of trial and error requie you to sol up scenarios and tweak contraptions unti the stars alin апа you full а bizare comple-
V | хус аныны кшн V
212,300.
tion claus In one instance, I spent a hat hour slowly reposition. ing abal so that it would hit a toaster with just enough rco to чай some bumt bread at the perfect trajectory 1o land on a plato atop an rv motion vehicle. Whio ho physics aro realistic and impresiva, solving each puzzle sollen a happy accident rather than a show of sd, a factor compounded by poor controls. attempted nearly 4 the chai- lenges using both Sonys Move and a standard con- trol, and neither provided me with the precision needed to make minute manipulations to a ape positioning or tne angie of alen Міо using Move, посі found тузаї twisting my wist at annoy- ing angles to rotate and
long load timos and an invasive user intortaoo.
‘Objective boxes often obscuro the build area you naad to access in order to solvo а challenge. I ао found пузої referencing tho manual гореаі- ‘ey, trying to remember a path through urintu- Te monusin order to access sky ско, paint Patterns, wor objects, and more,
‘Completing challenges rewards you with unlockable tems Ike wal locks and lamps, which you can uso to decorate the background ої each unique chalenge world. EA provides ite incentivo to ador your stage, however, as the system of decorating simply feeds back into the oiher non-compeling mechanics.
Tidontly тузө! as a right-brain thinker, but instead of being inspired by EA Create, alt my creativity resticld by flawed contrais and Trostrating challenges. I pushed and polished, Create could have been a rewarding experience, Instead, й fs tke EA Bright Light needed some inspiration of its own. = Meagan М.
We've seen worse this generation, but Blood Drive a looks Шо a budget tile
» Sound The musicis generic and the voice acting is grating, but
we classical musie hat plays ‘during the pause menu is inaedily amusing
The controle are to rer, tobe accurate, but there are
зо many zombies scattered across tha fid that almost doesnt mater
узи enjoy throwing your hands up in frustration ater spinning ош of contol and sdfering а cheap death then Blood Drive could be your game
ofthe year Replay Value
Low
82 reviews
Blood
Drive
Ama Боталы; оса, ксы паро mens nn ==
и —
'gadatcria matches where contestants battle each other across obstacle courses tered with the undead. The tone is playful, and ho. abject тай в ripo for comic michi, but the Story is superficial at best and we're given Ше
context for each event. Since there really is no. Story and the single-player game only consists
ol timed challenges and tournaments with Al racers, tho fino experienc is neatly tho samo ав what youll Ind orine (good luck Inding orina. opponents, by the way).
‘load Drive has a mixture of challenges: explo- sive destruction derbies, checkpoint races, and score compeliins that require you lo run over "ho most Zombies. However, they begin to Ioa repallive after a lew hours. Tho дате mi of
эе Kalase November 2 2
weapons is unbalanced, but tho bigger problem is how base Frankenstein vehides contra. Most of he cars take comers about as wall as а shambing ‘corpse, and the smaller, more gio vehicles have rouble ‘standing up to tho more tane яко trucks. You need to bo зе to absorb alot of damage, because you won't be dishing ‘ut too much oft Aiming — or. ‘oven driving ina straight ine is alten a challenge. yout so. muchas a pebble, your car 'ends up jerking oll-cours Bigger clisions can send you floating nto the air for several ‘seconds, making you ап easy target for the hawkeyed Al.
‘Anyone locking ог a quick car combat ic betore next years Twisted Mota might bo able 1o waste afew hours on this tile, but they ‘wort bo wholy enjoyable hours. Since you ‘can't save n the mide ofa toumarmont, and some ol the later cups last a couple hours, the game eventual tests your endurance, Га rather ivo bone marrow than st through this Blood Drive again. » Ben Re
К OED SPICE ISN'T GREAT-SMELLING |
DOWNLOAD AT OLDSPICE.COM, YOU ARE INSANE.
“GREATEST SMELL IN THE NFL”
Kinectimals
>
‘plore the island of Lemuria. ‘with the help of adorable ‘es in a variety of fun. challenges
Drive the Car Drive forward for 5 seconds.
» Graphic ‘The lh and gorgeous island environments mesh perfec with the realistic And detailed cube. Theyre absolutely predous Timer
0:00.0
Everything from the ‘whimsical soundtrack to the warn purring of the cubs will ‘nace a anle
Enjoyable tor kids and adults айе
High
ви
surprising amount
1 te 4-Player Simulation Publisher Microsoft Game Studios Devslop Frontier Developments Halonse November 4 ESRB E
aprocious о gir took center stage lo ‘how off Knectimals for the fest tme. The ди and her baby tiger, Skittles, showcased the depth of Krnocr's interactivity, as the cub. responded to her every word and command, Though we scolted at the ridiculous пате ard brushed it ОП ав just another pot sm, Kinectimals proves to be far more than just an adorable, tury face. Frontier Developments has dalivore an entertaining and lengthy adventure wih a surprising amount of depth, Also, i's really, roaly cute.
Kinoctimás tels ho story (jos, i has a story) of a kind and gentle prato in search of a fantastic treasure. Whi hing on tho land of Lemuria, ho recruited a few native cubs to
A 1 Microsoft's 2010 ЕЗ press conference,
(v)
Change Doublesofa >
84 reos
help fed fragments of а treasure map tolead him to his fortune. He never found tho troa-
sure, and now up to you to embark on this quest with a variety of cubs to eam discovery points, completo changes, and open new Parts ofthe island to explore. As opposed to a series of static mini-games, Knectimals plays ‘out ike an early moming kids show, featuring
а cute creature named Bumble and gorgeous cinematic presentation.
Each of the 20-plus challengos makes en. lent use of the Kinect technology. You can feed, wash, and pet the cub witha low simple hand swipes. Playing games ко voloybal or осо with your pet ог teaching it tricks so shows off the impressive gesture and voice rocognition. capabilites. The game almost always accu-
rately recognized my commands, though here woro à lew minor hicoups with
gosture-basod cat training. These activities wil eam players а few discovery points, but the most entertaining way to progress is through
the challenges,
When moving to new areas, Kinoctimals pros- ents a minigame challenge ог you to complete for a high score. Raco an RO car around an 'obstacle-Hed track, kick Soccer balis to knock down diferent objects, shoot targets with a water gun = the fst goes on. Though some ofthe challenges are repetitivo, lator chalongess take familar mechanics and ramp up the dificully and Complexity to keep things tresh,
Wih around 20 hours of gameplay, Knoctimals lors plenty to do. You can play with your cub shop for now items, decorate your house with rino found on your adventure, complete challenges, have friends join n fo beat your high scores, and more. I youre looking for a rich ‘gameplay experience jam packed with adorable ‘валов, look no further. » Annette Gon:
Kinect Sports
Rare takes full advantage of its extra
experience with Kinect
Stylo 1 to 4-Playor Sports (4-Player Online) Publisher Microsoft Game Studios Developer Rare Release November A ESRB EIO+
inet Sports isn't the frst game to bite Wi Sports style, bul ono of tno low to bost itin execution, Al ol the sports here contrat naturally and intuitively with very lew duds in ho тік. The collection features a variety of straight sports replications and a few lun minigame twists as well
оос is ho most complicated event and probably the weakest, Your ord player docent run at ай. They jus stand sil and ty to pass fo the naxt teammate without lating tho bal get blocked, Shots on goal (and blocking as the goal) аго the best рап since the bal soems to go where you want it.
Bowing в even easier to grasp here than in Wi Sports sinca you don't have fo worry about releasing tho bal. You simply reach out, grab a bal, and toss it, You can oven strale sido to Sde to fino up your shot and put spin on tho ball wit а twist of your arm. Up lo four players can. take tums bowing, and its realy rice not having 1o pass around a remoto. My favorite trick is to how the bal ко а ори and take а huge Фо! out ofthe rice clean lano.
Track and d blends Ivo dilareni events into опе long tournament. Sprinting and hurdles both
have yourun n place With tho later throwing.
in jumps. While he javelin toss includes running betore the throw, the discus event doesn alow you to spin around betore you throw, This is probably for the best since dezy players woud, be plowing into their coffee tables. Long ump Works as ono wouid expect, so get your Van Halen split jump ready. Playing through his soc- "on made me long for onine leaderboards simia to those in Pinball ЕХ? where you're constantly taunted by your fiends scores.
Boxing tracks your arm movements pretty wol and lends itself to some strategy. И someone just als уйу, its not tough to block and counter. You also get bonus power added to your next Punch every tmo you block a hit. Opponents got blown back a іше after a big hit, so you canit just combo endessty unti they fal down.
Volleyball was the biggest surprise for me. Bumping. setting, and spiking works very wel and ihe automatic movement always воот to put you in the right place. Its especialy un 10 coop with another layer and sol up super spkos against the commputer-controtad team.
thought table terris would be a te strange
Without a real padde to had, but И works just no. In single-player you can oven strale from. ‘Sip to side to gel the best angi on the bal, Versus mode gets a litle crowded, but mar- aged not to smack anyone in the head so lar. ‘Adkiional minigames that tako a single aspect dd a sport to an extreme round out the colection. | had a blast throwing an endless series of bowl- ing balis at regenerating pins or blocking a bar- rage of soccer bals. If you've gol а big group of people to play with, you can check out a random. assortment ofthese in quick sucoassion within Party Mode, This в the best way to play local multiplayer Sinco you're doing а lot more playing without having to navigate a bunch of menus. ‘Thora it much of а career for single-player fans outside ol a basic leveling system. Youll got ‘experience every time you play under your profie and eam a new badge and avatar awards every 10 levels. Thats about all here 8101. Inthe end, if youre looking for a way to show off your now Кісі, this provides а groat complement lo tho pad Шо, Kinect Adventures. » Bryan Vore
ЖЖЖ ЖЖ 7 Ж эю — Maie ie Кона equivalent of Ls танаа —— ‘te presen — vtta оет РИА Sos Beach Boya to Lay Gaga — masie bergen, ‘ete vse games мої Бетті pis 2 — e my See ne anes —— bien » Replay pod
21.5
» Sound Ys largely frgetahe, though you wil hardly notice over the ‘yelling and jumping
э Playability
Kinect Adventures iz a groat showcase forthe technology and interactions quickly became ‘second nature
D Entertainment
Төмен something cool about playing a game without a controller, but whether ог not there's enough meat in here to keep layers going after the gee- ‘wh factor wears ой is debatable ж Replay Value
Moderately High
Kinect Adventures Delivering a solid launch experience
‘Stole 1 or2-Player Party Publisher Microsoft Game Studios Dovslopas Good Science Studios Release November 4 ESRB E
pect Adventures is exactly the kind of all- in, Jump around experience tat Microsoft
must have envisioned for its Kinect periph- eral. The game invites players to push the fumi- ture out of the way, take off heir serious gamer hats, and simply have a good tme. As а pack-in "ito И doos a briliant job of demonstrating what "he tech can do,
‘As with other Kinect tiles, youll need to cioar ол айо spaco око you start this ono up. More specifica the game scans your playing arca before stating, determining if you have an. ‘optimal space or one that’s merely good. Its ап important distinction, since tho lattor restricts уон to the single-player modo. Sinca so much of пес Adventures success rides on the frantic ттайірізуе; I's worth taking whatever steps ае necessary lo make enough room.
Once you're in the game, you can play one ої Ive main minigames i a standalone free pay. moda or ina series of events called adventures: (за). Fue might not sound Ike a раса largo number = and its not but there are ‘enough subtle variations ої each game type to keep things from growing stale reich,
Rallybal was опо of tho dates mplementa- tions of Kinect shown to Ine public, and fer good reason IS conceptually simple and easy to
understand. You stand at the end
а aboxod-n
haway and have
to destroy bores
and targets by
serving ander
playground bal toward tho objects, The ball bounces around the enclosure and returns, and you have to Swat tho bal back using your hands, head, and legs to keep itn play Rivor Rush and Rotex Figo ee simi putting you on platforms and having yeu her work to grab objects (n River Ният case) ог avoid geting pummeled by them (n Rolex Rida) by mong and ducking. In Space Pop, you have t foal around in zero graviy o pop bubbles. Fu 20.000 Leaks throws youin a фаз undersea boxin which you must move tof in leaks and cracks with your body.
Its remarkablo how well everything soars o Work, and alter a who you teke ho controler- оо схрогогоо for granted. At frst, playing Fiver Rush co-op was an exercise in near совете and unintentional priae. Alter a few rounds, тту feammaio and | wero abl lo navigate through tno rapids with ease, leaning and ump- ing n tandem. As with a lot of Kinect games,
alter cach round you're treated with stil mages: ot yoursat jumping, squatting, and generally looking Ike а goofball. Tho gimmick works
wel in the roler-coaster world, and its ust as efloctve here,
Ву now, most о us have played games that use фойе webcams, but they lack ho proci sion and fdolty that пост lere Being abo o move around precsdy in 3D space in Space Pop or 20,000 Leaks is incredible, and it speaks to the hardware potential. Avatar implementa- tion isn't lawless, on Ihe other hand, as the ‘charactors have а tendency to freak out when. you move your arms behind your head.
Knect Adventures в a perfect game lor in and ол pary-lypo play, but as the adven- tures become longer they can get tedious and ‘exhausting = pee tat) Rolex Ridges sadistic "squat, jamp, Sidestep, repeat" gameplay. That ‘sai, Kinect Adventures is sure fo be a lamiy hit as pocplo gather for the holidays, » Jett Cork
reviews 85
а
% Concept Racing without the fuss ot bralang or accelerating. ог seategizing
» Graphics
The environments ме reminiscent of an old Road Runner cartoon, Год ано point ош that avatars don't ure seatbelts
» Sound
Generic boats and mundane Venice sounds.
» тауамшу
Does a great job of reading basic movements, but
пог having the option to change speeds removes a fundamental aspect of racing » Entertainment
Loaded with content, but the Thrill deen match what a controller -based racer can ‘ive you
Replay Value
Moderately High
Second Opinion 6,5 traditional Xbox Live Arcade ! probably shoud мува that way. The sq works pretty well once you get past the odd feeling of gripping an imagi- mary whee, but mised not having contol over Маку and accelerating In tha way; it feels alot ne Топу Haws Down Jam. which is not a compliment. The орру controls malo the. game more ame ttm nit might otherwise be. Blow a turn in the middle
far or not far enough. and you'll careen around wack barriers Ше a pinball. When
Kinect inexplicably falls to through the аш doing
nothing, Racing gamer, den sims to art racers, require а бет d ptio Io be Б
Joy Rides simply lacking on hat fron. ое Cork
88 reviews
Joy Ride
close approximation of racing
inact has proven that oontraler-Iroe gaming is possible, but it hasn't shown.
Us that controler-Iree gaming is possible With established genres Ike FPS or racing. Yes, from a conceptual standpoint, Big Park's Joy Rida is а racing game. It offers cars, tracks, and sophisticated driving maneuvers Ik its ard boosts. What it doesn't offer are the basics of racing, AS the manual points out: "Tum the wheel to steer. Don't worry about accelerating or braking - the game handles those for you."
Without the азу to adust your speed, the sensation ol controling your car is never fly razed. Sure, its amazing that Kinect can roc ognize you are holding an visible steering wheal and can pick up the subtest movements of your hands. Leaning into a turn to apply a dr works ‘without fa, Twisting your hands or lowering them to rotata your car as it soars through the air isa geal way fo ропот tricks. The functionally is sound, and from the perspective of the player being tho controller, largely entertaining,
Even at Joy Ride's highest peak of excite ment, found myselí thinking that this experi- ence would be so much better with a controler. Unless you memorize every um and straight- анау, you're bound to run nto moments where you'll want lo pepper the brake to caso nto a соте or let of the gas to gide into а shortcut These moves are racing 101, and every gamer cr person who has driven a car insinctualy uses them. Without these actions incorporated into Joy Касе gameplay, you have 1o ive with bouncing off of walls o ying past that shortcut While the car cruises at а set speed, I never tolt Ike was just bong pulled through the courso; |
spun ол on tums, and also slammed into wals headlong, binging me to а complete stop.
I got a kick out of holding up items in my room. о that the game could duplicate the calor of ‘sid object on my car, but ho need to switch Cars never arose. Since spood isnt a factor, al of "ho cars accelerate and cruise at Ihe same veloc iy, A crappy ice cream truck has just as mu horsepower as a sports car. The long load times ard extensive menu navigation required before each race compounded my lack of desto to erter the vehicle selection menu. plenty of dapin in its seven ir von to Rock Bands approach to unlocking venues, now tracks for each mode type are earned through the number. of fans you bring in. Your performance on the "rack dictates how many інге jin you after each ‘event. With an average race noting around 160 fans, and unlocks coming in the tens of hou- sands, youll defritly get bang for your buck
Wnie | bogrudgingl played the three basic racing events (pro race, Баце race, and Xbox. Live race), and thought about knocking e ‘out зо! ат! have lo play tho tick events (al you do is pose yoursa in hilarious ways as your car soars though the clouds), it up every tme "ho gamo presented a now stunt, smash, or dash event. Al three ofthese events require pedal- to-the-metal speeds. Stunt is comparable to the trick park inthe Nintendo 64 San Francisco Rush games, where you rust launch Ой of ramps and string together as many rcs as you ‘can to car a high score and modal. Tho stunt events succosstully plant that addicta "I can do better” hook, yet dont far much variation
ту» 1 to 4-Player Racing |B-Player Online) Розовое Microsoft Game Studios Developer Big Park alonso November 4 ESRB E
in course design. Should Big Park decide to make а зоо, I wouldn't mind an entire qame of stunt events
‘The smash event embraces high spoed drit- ing, and ends up being lun oven though | spent most of my time in the car viewing the стек, Sideways sinco a great performance requires that you had your critt by leaning tothe side) for as long as you can. As you dil, you must knock over hundreds ol wooden characters toup your. scoring тирй.
I you want racing broken down to the absolute basics of just fipping your wrist to make your car ‘automatically hop into tho next lano, dash mode is fun and suprsingly intense. With obstacles littered on a straight rack, it can be comparable 1o the Death Star runin a Star Wars game. The faster you get to the frish, the higher your score.
Maintaining speed в everyting in Joy Ride, bus finishing tho race in frst place doesn't mean that you wil eam a gold modal, Medals are only ‘awarded you boat tho best time, which found 10 be defeating, Placing is chalenge enough, but Unlocking gold тей requires extensive playing, memorizing shortcuts and boost zones, and not messing up once.
Inthe right modes, Joy Ride pumps out ‘excitement In tho less desrablo avenues of play it опу brings frustration due to its h/ To deliver a ful video game racing experince,
А dose approximation of racing in a market loaded with great racing experiences Ike ‘Burnout, Project Gotham, and Forza just doesn't ut. » Andrew Reiner
lomilo's visuals wil draw comparisons to LittleBigPlanet - Ike that dassie platformer,
the main charactors aro adorable blobs that instantly charm tho player. That's whore tho comparisons ond. lomio is an action/puzale amo - one brälanı in design and fiendish ‘enough that, on the night of my second day of playing, I actually dreamt about й, That's а tes- Tament to its addctivness, espocialy consider- ing the other games | can recall seeing in my sloop aro Tetris and Rock Band.
‘The soup is simple. Both characters (lo and Mio) aro placed on diferent cubos in a three- dimensional word. You goal is to reunite the мо: by geting them to adjacent blocks, at which. рог! hey do an adorable happy dance. Wide the concept is simple (o every great puzzle game negotiating the porspoctive-twsting levels ® a complex task, Youre not given much to work with, just а small number of blocks that you ‘can pick up and place in gaps on the boards. Some are just blocks used oriy for fing in a gep. Others have special abiiies, Ike expanding 10 fil hroo-block gaps, moving up and down, Tio an elevator, or twisting on an axis to alow you to step ой on another plane. A number of obstacles also exist, ke sock creatures that grab and spit out the block you were сатупо, spring plates that send you fying to another block, or ‘creatures that pop oul Ike а jack-in-the-box to block your path, From here, everything isin your hands (and head). Switching off contr between По and Mio, youl slowly work your way together by making the correct moves and placements 1o reunite the duo. The daly is not extreme, but by tho ond youl find serious challange, oven frustration as you пу to wrap your head around
Style Lor 2-Player Action/Puzzle Publiches Microsoft Gamo Studios
solutions that otten roqure thinking in three or four diferent planes at once. For example, placing an levator block going "up" on ane lano might work ав a terry tor а character on parpondicuar plane. In forcing you to challenge Your assumptions and think beyond the obvi- ous, ото reaches а level of sophistication that bales its cule exterior,
In many ways, ото recalls Valve's classic Porta. Both games present everything you need to save the puzzle onscreen - its just a matter of teasing out the ine of logic. Both give you a very Simpla and та sot of tools and nos, then require you to apply them in the correct manner by folowing "imen" logic.
Whio Southend concepts and level designs aro neatly lawless, | have a couple of complaints:
Southend Interactive Release January 4 ESRD Б.
оп the expansive later levels, where you need to. ‘get ап accurato view ofthe area. Wie mio is Wal suited to co-op play = if only to have somo- ‘one to bounce ideas off of - | wish there was the ‘option to have a friend drop into your existing carcer, As stands, you have to start over rom
the fest level for co-op. Аво, while tno based co-op works fne, | hink an online mode "hat allows both players to move concurrently would bo a great addition to a possible sequel
Эй, these aro minor quibbles: The overall experience of playing lomio is absolutely addict- ing: ts as much lun as I've had with a ри game n ages. » Matt Helgeson
8.15 77
» Concopt Reunite two cite critters on a 30 playfield made o bods Sounds easy ight? Wrong! ou might be forgiven
for looking for the Media. Molecule label on this game, Sadboy resemblance aside, ‘he vandals are vibrant
and charming
» Sound
A whimsical and tuneful score fits ight in with the game's overall vibe
» Рауазіну
Ihave some problems with ‘the camera and the feel of tho controls but the puzzles ше fnely tuned Entertainment
Аа good a puzzler as youl play this yer, Hats off to Southend Interactive
c
э Replay Value Moderate
reviews 87
777 8.25
» Concept Bald a few towns and
collect resources in this relaxed ciy-bulder
n Graphics
No mind-blowing spectacle here - just simple, cartoon visuals doing thelr job
» Sound
ound myself humming the pleasant background music
to mysel though it could ше more vanety
% Ріаувійну
Iran into some slowdown and Му animations in especially crowded ares, but otherwise ‘the game controls and performs well
„ Entertainment
A low-pressure way to experience the joy of шелік) la thriving civilization
» Replay
Moderately High
A World Of Keflings
Ninja Bee's sequel builds ona solid foundation ‘Style 1 ог 2-Player Simulation (4-Player Online)
Tublichot Ninja Bee Developer Ninja Bee December 22 ESRB EIO+
Kingdom tor Kelings surprised mo when it released in 2008, What | thought was merely а gimmick to showcase Xbox Live's stupid avatars:
tumed out to be a charming simulation that addicted
me instantly with a lad back approach to buiding а
busting ciy. A World of Kelings, the sequel to Ninja
Bee's downloadable sensation, keeps everything | loved
about the original, but tweaks fo the gameplay make it
‘oven better.
All ofthe fun of Kingdom for Kefings is stil intact. Hove the process of ordering my kelings fo collet resources, then sreamining and refining production. When things, get rong, A World of Kelings conveys the same joy of ‘constructing a wal-olod machine, augmented by now Бри and three separate areas to strp-mine and harvest to depletion,
Ninja Воо has addressed practically смогу complaint trom the previous Шо, and tho experience flows much better because of it. You no longer nead to backtrack constantly to buld structures thanks to a cadre ol devoted игез carrying components right lo you (theyll oven erect some buiings themseives}. I you don't Ike where a structure ends up, you can just push il 1o a new location without having to bred down and reassemble й.
Towering over he other improvements is the presence ‘ol loca co-op, which was missing the last tmo around. Now you and your fiend (or your Kc can sit on the samme couch and go through the entre дате together = а pro- ‘cess mace even easier with the spft-scroen and drop-in features. The game supports up to four players over Xbox Livo, but playing with moro people in either muliplayor. mode doesn't realy change your approach. з just moro fun than plowing through the incar campaign soo,
‘Though optimizing your supply ines and customizing your buldngs is satisfying, the process ends up being too shallow to compete with Ihe giants inthe cily-buiding gerre. Additional layers ol vilago governance, branching development paths, or a free-play sand box mode would have bean great actions and ‘ven the simple oma. rore depth. However, A World of Kings stil suc- ceeds at baing a unique and accessio simulation. "hat sorves as an excel- lent frst step into a larger world.» Joe Juba
7779
PC · Mac » Concept
Match some gems to make them disappear A variety of modes stretch this mechanic. tos iit
» Graphics
Simple, crisp, and clean - rs ‘PopCap game, after all
» Soma
Audio has always been
ıa reliable uty player in Bejeweled, but Bejeweled 3's excellent sound design isthe best in the series
а mern,
Experts can mouse away шаў ‘her desktops smoke with му a hitch
п Enteetninment
Whether youre а casual player lolang to relax а twitchy expert ready to blast your way to the high-score lable, there's something for. everyone here.
» Replay Value
High
Bejeweled 3
PopCap takes its flagship series in unexpected new directions ЭУ aye ай» D eee қылық Games еее о PopCap Games
OLD. Meiose» December 7 ESRA Е
years. In less than a decade it's gone from a tiny Flash game to something you can play on mobile phones, consoles, and even the backs d aine seats. There's а good reason lor its success, too. Bejeweled ‘fers a concept tantaizingly simple to understand - match threo similarly colored gems to remove thom Irom а shitting playfeld = yet impossible to ly master
With the frst fublledged sequel in more than six years, PopCap has taken ће core concept and stretched it 10 its mit. Rather than simply offer sightly prettier gems (which Bejeweled 3 does), the latest instalment adds а. variety of clever fills on the formula that change the exper rience in substantial ways.
“There are eight main modes, afew of which are holdovers rom previous versions. Classic в the varila Bejowalcl you either love ос don't; Lightning is essentially Bitz rom Bejeweled Twist, which offers a race against the ‘lock; and Zen is a lot ike ho no-pressure endlos modo, with the action of optional relaxation cues bul in.
(Of the new games, | enjoyed Buleries and Diamond. Mine the most. Once you get past Buttet’s cutesy namo and presentation, you ind a challenging game in which winged gems inch their way to the top of the screen alor each turn. one creeps to tho spider at the top ol ho screen betoro ЇЗ removed, Ihe game is ‘over. Diamond Mine has you basing your way down by matching gems. You havo to chip away al the бөгіп beneath a white ine before the timer counts down. Asa longtime Bejeweled player, Ted how quickly these two modes play and how challenging hey can become. I you ‘don't plan ahead in either дато, youll find yours over nun nno tme.
I wasn't as fond ofthe other two main attractions, Poker and се Stor, though | can see their appeal. Matching gems to creato winning hands is a clever idea, but it didnt cop mo interested for long. Ico Stars rising pilars of ice creato tension, but Га rather stick to Lightning if | want a hectic game. Quest обо a nice tour о! ай he modes, giing players a reason to semple: each ol them by providing challenges. Most decent play-
Wil tear through Quest in an hour or so, but its a fun. no - and boat several ol tho challenges by the skin of my teeth,
1 Bejewled has become part of your evening ritual, Bejeweled З deserves a prominent spot in the rota- bon Core gamers may scoff at the idea of playing ‘something so simple, bul they'd be missing out by not giving it a shot, Swe, its pretty, but fs о one of the purest, most adáictng - and, yes, challenging = games around, «Jett Cork
B jeweled has become nearly ubiquitous over the
Sonic Colo
8 |
Style 1 or 2-Playet Platforming Publisher Sega Developer Sonic Team. 72 7 ‘Holease November 16 ESRE E Ye
wi enter gre rind when esse reserve BN пераа о paco 1120073. Полом отм acion raren Фе Mario by . позвао ,,,, пон ESTES e dee d eee e eee eee 7 trike Nrtendo'spumber Пепе PENCAK bene dam rden bana a eee = icp АЕ, ene ot eet, ... !! wenne br Eggmenhastuätaggen- Bd, le BI ngs Тш варом Sean papi во Whar Wcgdacicinamepahesusngocap тону ar geli hi, Dr C...... SoncCobreispaguidbyinaendé- © sed Masters Master's 6 тепмен Bu — Сабата ана рвет рою nel wale nddsmanäng Goente ребре map ur Mas Clay pipes реє 7. ALS worst yout Topic lag мо Nts arte vice наці pr
‘proved fom previous ties. Bachelor's
tho митоз wring Ivo ever hoardina surprise pits or groaning as a joyous run
CCC ee) m fan wil chur. Spring pater. А two-player modo Sonics movement is holy, ду» M ha Sports Management %%% вотот | біздін Femme Bamas Selo fas frequent shits between 20 and 2D avaiable, bu you don't want о play hal space. This becomes = мети Heg ‘gameplay, but instead of offensively bad crowded moss. ee tici EA Dre combat, his gamo features tho pre ‘Sonic Tans mest recent Wicteing be cuneo Bachelor's воан огай running we've known is evidence at s attempting 1o ван ls э Ei rn Computer Animation асо Sonic Adventure. While these way ul ol a deep gravo crammed wiln о сопе Чон Ma Entortainmont Business ‘ied rolercoaster ides show ofl an., disappointing les. Some ccharc Sonic fet esting bos bans, a Game ant .. ol lars with ит pate may ind ks te aed Danna u Game Dosign ‘sweets or a lush alen plano, thor knen enjoyment here, but the rest ol us should repetilve level design Associate's hic Design nal ler let me yawning or dead pickup one of Sonics ily 20 meg || пливи wams Graphic Design Internet Marketing S ho acton ару shied back nto be gol tight, Tim Tari m Recon Engineering Music Bisnes ту power. During several fast-paced Music Production
reiches Sonic is supposed Web Design & Development to perform quick sidesteps, but the move is unresponsive and the game never clarifies when you need to maintain momentum by pressing fr ward on the analog stick, ‘Sonics adventure enjoys some marginal improve- mentin the 2D sections, Wisp power-ups do wel to spice up gameplay variety, but for almost every ком «ому theo в a complete
dud. Transtoming no Winter Park, FL
ity Boulevard
956, wii » concept An eng Was Disney aon emen — wnt casts ungez ana tong ion orage » Option Tre pain and tier ee Wok tate neon Port ti caps evry di йош Wats eider cartoons * been one of neben — you len ow much diloga and — Bo gane 1 Senis odi tha rece oe — енен ‘ne paining and радона mechanics sre юш, but in ‘camera tangent Бе Сее — A lengthy game wh play ates to id, put lei кала gameplay » Ropay Value derail igh
90 reviews
‘concept makes for some great pure, but the mechanic iz strained by targeting probleme. Pull t all together, and you've got a good ‘game that probably а the revelation for ‘which many Dimeypiles hoped. But as a first septo making Mickey Mouse relevant one ‘mor, this ea better direction than the litle quy has gone in decades, «Май er
А colorless history lesson:
x
эу» 1-Payer Action/Platforming Publisher Disney Interactive Studios Developer Junction Point Baleaso Hovember 30 ESRB E
letter to Walt Disney. The Нет work of this
legendary creator is оп display throughout the game's museur-like worlds. As Mickey's adventure unfolds, he bounds through the black and white cartoons that put both him and Watt on the map, explores Disneyland s most recog- nizablo landmarks, and even takes a second to gaze wide-eyed at a bronze statue of Walt
Ав a tribute, Epic Mickey hits most of the right notes, After soaking up the nostalgic sights and. sounds, | tracked down and watched old Mickey cartoons, Thanks to this дате, I've developed эп appreciation for Oswald, the Lucky Rabbit. For those of you not up to speed on Disney trivia, Oswald is the first character created by Wa. Due to copyright issues, ho was shelved
‘and forgotten untl his revival in Epic Mickey.
Watching Mickey and Oswald interact is one of the game's most surprising allures. Mickey is mischievous, yet ultimately innocent, Oswald isthe exact opposite, He's Dbutlhoaded, and most of his dialogue expresses a harsh cynicism. Though they only share the screen mostly toward the end of the advan- ture, its worth the journey for Disney devotees.
The game begins with Mickey sneaking into a wiz- rds workshop and acciden- tally spiling paint thinner on a miniature world. As the thinner spreads, Mickey is pulled into {his peculiar land, Ho sees that thas been turned into ‘wasteland, sapped cf its Ме and color After spending afew minutes here, Mickey realizes that he's standing in a twisted version of Wars greatest creation. the Magic Kingdom. The residents ot Мап Street ace miserable, the rides in Tomorrowland are ‘matfunetioning, and Mickey's accident is to blame. He has to clean up the moss, and the task won't be easy. The thinner
E ре Mickey is Junction Point's thank you
has taken on physical form, and continues to corrupt the land.
Epic Mickey cings tightly to one cool gameplay gimmick - Mickey's ability to apply Paint and thinner to the environment. Channeing alitis magic lie he did in Fantasia, Mickey wields a magic brush that can spray mighty Streams of both paint and thinner Paint revta- ios objects. Thinner removes them from tha жола. With one lick of his wrist, Mickey can transform a dilapidated house on Ihe verge of collapse into a pristine work of art that shines with Ме. He wl also be forced to temporarily remove objects from the world to gain access to ‘areas that will help wth the repair. For instance, ‘spraying thinner on a rooftop wil give him
access the interior of tha building. When his task is completed, he can restore the building with a blast of paint
Junction Points uses this paint and thinner mechanic to croate a varity of clever puzzles and combat scenarios. Objectives are rarely Clearly telegraphed, which leads to paint and thinner being tossed around liberally. The hunt for solutions is the heart of Epic Mickey's gameplay. One spray of thinner could reveal a secret area, and a blast ot paint could reanimate ıa machine that changes the complexity of the entire level
While combat encounters are few in number, тов of the foes Mickey squares off against demand different attack strategies. Blotings, Creatures infected and/or created by Mickey's thinner disaster, meit nto а puddle f you pour thinner on them or become docila f you spiat- ter them with excessive amounts of paint Beetleworx enemies require thinner to expose "heir weakness, but can only be finished off маһа spin attack by Mickey, Some enemies oll at you, forcing Mikey to leap into the air, and ‘quickly spin around to establish another steady ‘stream of thinner. No matter what creature | was
‘squaring off against, the battles proved to be exciting tests of skil and precision.
All of this spray functionally із handled pan. fully on the Wii remote - just ат and shoot Fans of Super Mario Sunshine should feel right athome.
While offering exciting propositions for both combat and exploration, the entire experience is plagued by an uncooperative camera. As Mickey strafes around an enemy, the camera ‘could catch on a wall, causing t to lose frame (ofthe action, or freak out tothe point that з impossible to gauge what is gong сп. The platforming segments, which send Mickey up. perilous towers and across moving contraptions, эге marred by the camera tracking, sometimes locking in a position that binds you for the next jump. The camera can bo realigned and the player can also zoom into first person, but sometimes the game just won't let you ater the angle, Frustration abounds in almost every ord. This is a shame, as the worlds are teem- ing with wel-hidden secrets, such as body parts toconstruct bizarro versions of Donald, Gooty. ‘and Daisy. With the camera working against me, Lofton felt the secret wasn't worth the alfo Death often means you have to stort an entre level over again.
As much as! loved the artistry in the worlds ‘and the general vibe of the game, many of the missions Mickey is sent on are the very defini- tion of mundane. Miserabe talk-intensivo fetch Quests periodically rear thair ugly heads, and challenges ike “shoot the дому bits on seven Passive thinner tentacles” do Ие to get the blood pumping. As imaginative as the worlds aro, the quests feel tacked on, and sometimes: соте across as time sinks to extend the length ‘of the adventure, The end rosu is a game that offers fun gameplay mechanics that are sapped of Мо doe to the mnd-numbingly bering nature ol the challenges.
1 got a kick out of the side-scrolling levels, which turn Mickey's oldest and most memo- rable cartoons into lun (albeit challenge-free platforming sequences, but getting to them meant slogging through the larger worids. Epic Mickey goes out ot ts way to show gamers Walt Disney's body of work, but rarely fres on a. level that turns this beloved content into exci- ing gameplay.» Andrew Reiner
all
Iron: Evolution Battle Grids
[his Wi tie-in for Ihe upcoming Tron: Legacy doesn't even try to pull ой ho 'spectacia of the 360 and PS3 games,
much less the excitement of tho fim. Instead, it
stings together a handful of minigames based
‘on competitions within the Tron universe with
the weakest of plots. This wouldn't be the worst
decision if these events were аю! of fun to play. but with most of them being entiraly forgettable, the game settes on mediocrity.
Whether you're competing in he story modo to become the Game Grids Champion or playing în a tounament with a couple of friends, Battle Gris biggest problem is that its minigames are a mixed bag. Events Ike пуро, where you try to dissolve your opponents platform by ricochet- ing balls а! each other's feet, control well and ‘Oler genuine excitement within ther structured gameplay. Alongside the passable events, how- ‘r,s garbage ко the iconic ight cyclo races. ‘These events are plagued by broken steering machanios (you hold the controler sideways and WL to um), and | exploded so froquer that | wanted to drive into my own ight trai just to mako the misery end,
Each event has multiple variations that change gameplay in fun ways, and you can set up your ‘own custom toumaments. Choosing your Ито ‘of events helps you avoid the worst minigames,
and playing with fends alleviates some of the Inustraton ої playing against the computer
“The Wi гії known as a graphical power- house, bul even n a room ful of ugly ducklings, Вай Grids has reason to fod self-conscious. The character models sport a cartoony style reminiscent of Star Wars: The Clone Wars, but the fuzzy visuais and minimal dotai take away from the charm. Iknow the gerne is supposed to
Ghost Recon
One of the s is not like
Style 1 өг 2-Player Shooter Pablisher Ubisoft lat Level Gamos Haloase November 16 ESES T
Develop
| от Clancy's Ghost Recon franchise
mado a name for поа by embracing
squad-based tactical warfare over the Rambo-styo, до-Й-аюге military shooters that dominated the landscape upon ils debut in 2001. In bringing the franchise о the Wi Ubisoft and developer Next Level Games aban- don most ofthe traits that mado the series suc- Cosstul in favor о а questionable third-person тай shooter hybrid
‘This only асса this version of Ghost Recon stays rao о its namesake is with the near future Plot, which takes place directly after а group of power-hungry dirarationalists stage a coup in Russia, In a move to appeal lo tho casual Wi crowd, Nex! Level Games ditches the hardcore
tactical elements in favor of ra- опа rai shooting, Players do той contro soldier movements save lor pointing them to the next cover postion, and enemies preciclabiy food in as soon as you reach your пом entrenchment. The Ghosts deploy diferent arsenals depending on the croumstances, with your secondary weapon often rotating between a Чопоод sniper file, rocket launcher, ог M249, Ghost Recon doesn't spit the screen oc local co-op. Instead, Next Level implemented a ter- ible scope mechanic that places your telescopic sight n the lower comer of Ihe scroen. Given the smal size o this picture picture display itis Апа to ine up a shot quickly, which exposes your postion and leads to trouble. Throwing grenades is equally awed, as they take 100 ong to propery aim, and once you {oss them they often tal short. To break up the monotony of the ‘cover leaping levels, Nex! Level ncuded several missions where you man a gun
emplacement in а vehic or control "ho weapons of an unmanned ground verica. Other loves require the Ghosts tomove stealthy while methodicaly faking out groups of enemies with silenced weapons before they have a
take place inside nens cyber word, but some ofthe cgi envronments are so basic that | ‘nought Iwas playing an N64 game.
Ваше Grids may not bo able to compete with ho Wis more robust minigame collections, but if for some reason you canit got enough Tron, this amiy-fiendy ile is а better choice than the 380/P83 adaptation. » Jet Marchi
chance to react to your presence and fro off a Warning Taco. These stealth missions devolve into exercises п eben thanks to your question- able Al comrade, who doesnt operato with the necessary sense of urgency or рі the most dangerous threats, These situations are тихо. manageable in co-op mode, whore you two can determine who is responsible for which enemies. Like many games forthe network: challenged Wi conscio, Ghost Recon does тшде orîne co-op, Your only option outside ofthe campaign's 12 missions is a simple arcade modo with ontne leaderboards thal increases your score multiplier as you take down hosties ‘and punishos you lor taking fro. You can either рау with or against a trond, but its procictabiity hardly makes it a destination mode. In stripping Ghost Recon ol its best-known traits, Next Level Games does the franchiso a disservice, This Wi shooter is hardly worthy of ts namesake, delivering a predictable and Ltimataly forgotlablo shooter hampared by poor controis and uninspired level design. Lot's hope Future Soldier has а more promising battle plan. » Matt Bertz
Skip the big-budget movie ‘bein for a collection of hen.
based minigames
» Sound ‘The voice acting is rough, but the techno sounduack ist hat bad
» Plagabilty
With the exception of the horrible racing segments,
most of the action Just fine э Entertainment
с
Half the minigames aro
entertaining. and are forgettable
Moderate
wi з Concept Deliver
Recon for the Wit
Tho others
forgettable Ghost
"hat features
elements of both third-person.
and rail shooters
т Graphics
Blocky graphics with washed
ош eures make
Russia
ook drabber than it does in
pe
Too "reading? echo will
ring in your head play sessions » Playability
ong after
‘Sketchy scope implementation and widiy inaccurate grenade mechanics make
an already difficult game
more chalenging
Entertainment
їп abandoning the traits that made Ghost Recon иссез. the Wii iteration comes ot эв yet another uninspired
shooting gallery
Moderately Low
reviews 91
Ü 6.8
wi » Concept
Michael Jackson moets
Jet Dance
» Graphics
Each song's stage is themed around из respective video ‘The bury Jackson silhouette can be jarring to watch
‘and “Thilo” are perfect (ше Ballad selections rm. Jackson's library are an odd choice for the danco- only game
With the Wi remote as the опу source of movement detection, you сап get away ‘with cheating, which is not пешу as fin as actually performing tbe moves
» Entertuinmont
There's only so much
you can do when dance detoction is focused on one ‘ams movements
Replay Value. Moderately Low
ête leten отт НН En ana nee E ты ETS E ны ооо ии ‘easily get by full-on dancing, or just standing stil ИЯ See rer es nen Seen ето m
‘syle 1 to 4-Player Вуз Мае Pus
shallow
choices, However, уо! also come across bal- lacs ike "Earth Song" that are odd selections forthe danco-only Wa version, These slower tracks would be best served wilh a karaoke gameplay mode.
Despito being modded on one ofthe bost робот ol all то, Michael Jackson Tho
Michael Jackson The Experience
Experience on Wi puts on a lay lacus: ter show. Stil, if youre a die-hard Michael Jackson lan withthe Wi ав your primary. ‘console, you may frd something to ko hero. The rest of us wil bo lft wanting a moro wel- rounded experienco. » Annette Gonzalez
92 reviews
Ys: The Oath in Felghana
an't pronounce the name, but | enjoyed the game PPP 8. 5 ФЛ 2 ГЕ Ж ul cisclosure:|had never playedaYs accessories give new abies, inFolghana. поа iots about the long- out taking damage. you want to » concept running series, bul tnis was my frst perr uncover al ol Felgen secrets, Alte Secret ot Mana, a sence wititsold-school de чай ou need to revist dungeons once ine Zelda, and aot of old- gameplay. As it tums out, it was a perfectly you've gained access to each ‘school awesomeness Peasant гос new power Tis backtracking is » Graphics Үзв ап вота actiorvRPG that plays sim ороп but back the war тыз spte-base top-down
laly to Secret of Mana. You cut up enemies, level in an enjoyable, almost Мотой up, and collect items to speed you along on your esque way. Each area fedis ко its
‘world won't blow anyone. away, but it provides a color.
quest to save the troubled town of Redmont. hiding many secrets for when you 6 The game sticks to a dase formu, but battles return at м power. ә Sound are kept fast and fun, and new powers are Oath leatres а few interesting The voice acting nus the fü introduced frequently. charactors = particularly tho devi- alge лька па, In addition to the obvious increases in defense | ous (and awfully named) Chester - but since the Oath, elements: of it will frustrate some gamers. шеке cr attack power provided by new equipment, game is remake ol he generalydeikedyall, Suocess in Ys — » " the plot is what you'd expect for a Obers less instruction than many modem games. Simple combat makes it easy дате that originated in the “806. Giant bosses require numerous deaths as you to pick up and play, though .. . ports ilo 2089010 dar bosses has lo motvaion, bul the scry run to regular enemies who you can't harm Sealy jus an excise to keep you — unyouveacquredacertanwesponorepel. n Bilertainment | moving switty around thosmall Be prepared tor a chalenge, and Yswilnot The sralo may not be as | region ot Faghana, andl was езрро you en thank for ihe brisk pace, You'l No prior knowledge of tho seriosisroquired — Perse ae rever spend longer than afew і. | to Amp no Oath Ропа, though ало обот лоз es n dialogue before you're back ness for T6-bitera RPGS hops. As a newbie, у ae to sparing wih bad guys tis eny Sad mg on е вое, malte dg- дына? Though | enjoyed the relatively ging into the archives to chock out moro Ys as
‘Simple old-school gameplay ol arest. » Phil Kollar
Sonic Colors
Dimps crafts another amazing 2D Sonic game
YW, В, 5 eon rf ß v LLLA
Boss fights are handed similarly 10 the Sonic
ту sell-respecting Sonic fan wil tell you
в concept | that Saga premier Kendine has opted Rush tiles, which nu а 20 erent о create
. 1 помпа ma yours, However Mor depth parpectiva and sry Those — an port SINCO must bo mado here fahs shine күрес when Son s mani а ‘geod Sonic games ie the console games have been awful, the Giganlic spacecralt by destroying turrets or chal-
» Graphics hare Шо су retain mpoccabo quay ет bx Eggman о a атай, mm sage. Noticeably improved since Developer Dimps has been leading the hand- Тегі battle. Serie Colors also features the series? Ya Sanie DE game алі par cargo wi tortie Sore paloma rom тоя IND and wel enced spec stages
— GBA to DS, and it continues its run of entertain- Players steer Sonic with the stylus through Sound tos win Sonic Coors тарро coloca Mars, mend Soric 2, ‘hs best Sri tines Te
heard in years, The special stage music stil gets me pumped up
„ mega,
Sonie's boost апа homing ‘attack make the controle ‘Snooth Ше butter
® Entertainment
Sonic fans wil be running. “pumping, toe-tapping. nd "smiling all the way to
ibo cedi
* Replay Valas Moderately High
Sonic Colors captures the most fud sense of speed I've over experienced in a Sonic game. Players blaze through bright and gonzo levels at the push of a button thanks to a holdover ram the Senic Rush series - the boost gauge. The dassic spindash stil exists, bul boosting retains momentum better and makes tearing through. double screen loop de loops and zipping across Water fast and casy.
Tho boost abili joined by a plethora of mu "icclored powerups called wisps, and each adds: an interesting now gameplay mechanic without ‘succumbing to Werehag us Sonic frees cap- lured alens, gaining abies ike а сей, ricochet laser, and rocket. My lavorte transforms Sonic info an al-consurming blackhole, which alows him to vacuum up enemies and coins, becoming huge inthe process.
which make going back for chaos emeralds more ol a treat than a chore,
Whio the core game is a riot, the experiance ends just as it approaches bist loves of fun, ‘Sonic Colors can be completed in afew hours, about the same fme as one of the Genesis-era "ils. Replay поогімов such as timo tris, tm collecting missions, by-the numbers multiplayer, and unlocking wisps in arto stages are rice ‘axkftions, but become too repetitive.
I your craving more alter Sonic 4, looking for a great DS game, ог just want to experience an awesome platformer, don't ot Sonic Colors pass You by.» Tim Turi
reviews 93
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9 | Pinball FX 2 Phorm 360 Release October 27 EERE E Pinball FX 2 brings 1
the silver ball is a blast in and of tions turn this experience into Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved
Andrew Reiner
3 | Babysitting Mama tora Wi Malone і 5 EER E
It's hard to even call Babysitting Mama а дате, as the only ity comes in the form af slightly
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6.15 | Time Crisis: Razing Storm Porm res Release Otubar neter Ultimately, the compilation's two light-hearted rail ters will entertain gamers who don't mind а healthy dose of absurdity mixed in with their action, The titular Razing Storm, on the other hanı disappoint and frustrate virtu played another FPS in the - Jeff Marchiatava
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From one dance fan to another, is one and get
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Things You Didn't Know About...
зло fm never going to be a Hary SEAL or a space pt
ADRIAN CHMIELARZ
People Can Fly's Adrian Chmeilarz isn't putting half of the crazy things inside his head into Bulletstorm. Here are a few things you didn’t know about Bulletstorm’s creative director, in his own words.
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