Gamecca Magazine January 2011

w w w. g a m e c c a . c o. z a

issue 19 / vol 2 J a nu a r y 2 0 1 1

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s! view e r e gam Epic Mickey Splatterhouse Flingsmash Kinect Adventures Acrania: Gothic IV and more...

Hoop-Fest NBA Jam

Kratos Lives!

God of War: Ghost of Sparta

And the Winner is...

Gamecca’s 2010 Awards

Bloody Knuckles

The Fight: Lights Out

The Next Lap

GT5 is finally here...

Inside 6 From the Editor 8 Unstuck Developer annoyance...

10 The Rat’s Nest Game-plan 12 Lap 5 Gran Turismo 5 finally gets going...

18 Previews 14 Reasons why 2011 is gonna rock!

36 Gamecca’s 2010 Awards Our favourites from the year that was.

50 PS Zealot Synching up 52 Xbox Beat Those online stereotypes 54 House of Mario More memory? Why? 56 Reviews 23 game reviews to start the new year...

104 Stateside Being broke doesn’t mean no new gaming...

106 Essential Classics The Original Real Driving Simulator 108 Hardware Some awesome PC equipment

THIS MONTH’S COVER After a few flase starts, GT5 is finally off the mark. Read our review on page 58.

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114 The Lair Will LAN gaming survive?

116 From Space Waka waka waka...

gamecca contents • issue 19 • January 2011

Previews

20 22 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35

Reviews

58 62 64 66 68 70 74 76 78 80 82 84 86 88 90 92 94 96 98 100 101 102 103

Killzone 3 Dragon Age II Mario Sports Mix Ghost Recon: Future Soldier Shift 2: Unleashed Red Faction: Armageddon Darkspore The Sims: Medieval Driver: San Francisco Tropico 4 Kirby’s Epic Yarn Stronghold 3 Bodycount Hunted: The Demon’s Forge

Gran Turismo 5 The Fight: Lights Out NBA Jam Epic Mickey Splatterhouse Donkey Kong Country Returns Crossboard 7 John Daly’s Pro Stroke Golf Dance Evolution God of War: Ghost of Sparta Megamind: Ultimate Showdown Flingsmash Sports Island Freedom Pokémon Ranger: Guardian Signs Sly Trilogy Marvel Super Hero Squad: The Infinity Gauntlet Arcania: Gothic 4 Invisimals: Shadow Zone Kinect Adventures SingStar Dance Truth or Lies Buzz! Ultimate Music Quiz Heavy Rain: Move Edition

GAMECCA Volume2 Issue 19 January 2010 Editor: Walt Pretorius walt@gamecca.co.za Sub Editor: Charlie Fripp Writers: Alexia Pestana Brian Murdoch Bryan Banfield Dion Scotten Dylan Bouch Richard Bingham Suvesh Arumugam Letters: letters@gamecca.co.za Competition Entries: competitions@gamecca.co.za Newsletter Subscriptions: www.gamecca.co.za Design & Photography: 1337 Media Technical Support: Brian Murdoch Marketing Contact: Katia Taliadoros katia@gamecca.co.za

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All rights reserved. No content may be reproduced, copied or transmitted without the express permission of the publishers. Opinions expressed are not necessarily those of the editors and publishers. All Trademarks and Registered Trademarks are the sole property of the respective owners.

GAMECCA is published by 1337 MEDIA

gamecca contents • issue 19 • January 2011

Copyright © 1337 Media CC 2009 - 2011

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Good Gaming!

From the Editor

by Walt Pretorius

U

nlike a great many people living in Johannesburg (and the rest of South Africa, for that matter) I did not take a holiday to celebrate the closing days of 2010. I told everyone that we had a magazine to finish – that was my reason. And while that reason was not entirely inaccurate (you’re reading the magazine we had to work on right now) it wasn’t the biggest motivation for not stealing away to a quiet coastal town or sleepy bushveld retreat. The real reason is that everyone else snuck off to quiet coastal towns and sleepy bushveld retreats, meaning that the coastal towns would be less quiet, and the bushveld retreats not quite so sleepy.

Personally, I like Johannesburg during the silly season. For a few days – maybe even weeks – the otherwise bustling metropolis gets rather quiet and sleepy itself… the pack mentality of endof year holidays leaves it all that much more bearable. And, when all the folks who trekked off to their chosen vacations spots head back, well… that’s when I’ll go to my chosen spot, which will once again have

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become appropriately quiet or sleepy.

Preferably both.

Then again, I believe that I have little mini-holidays right here… in the form of games. Maybe I get too involved when I play them. Maybe I get so engrossed that they provide me with a little bit of the change of impression that holidays generally provide people. They’re not a real substitute, sure… but they do provide a good way to relax and unwind.

This first issue of 2011 was actually quite a joy to put together. It even mirrored outside events. As an example, the review of Gran Turismo 5, that overly ambitious and oftendelayed game, was ironically just that… overly ambitious and often-

delayed. But it’s here now, and it’s a cracking-good look at one of the previous year’s most anticipated titles.

Speaking of anticipation, 2011 is looking good at this end of it… at least in terms of gaming. There is a lot of good stuff coming, spread across the whole year. Even as early as later this month we will see some pretty big names cropping up. It’s very exciting.

And so, on with the show. But, before I let you wander through our virtual pages, I would like to take the opportunity to wish you, from the whole Gamecca Crew, a very happy and prosperous 2011. It’s going to be a good year for gamers! g

gamecca column • issue 19 • January 2011

Don’t Touch Me on My Game Unstuck

by Charlie Fripp

C

all Of Duty’s Black Ops has been very successful since its release, and although I haven’t invested an awful lot of time into the multiplayer, I have at least managed to level up nine levels in one recent sitting of Head Quarters.

At the time of writing, I’m currently at a rather modest level of 19, and with the highest levels going up to 50 and beyond, I still have a long journey ahead of me. But a rather strange thing happened when we were trying to capture and destroy an enemy objective – something that will forever leave a very sour taste in my mouth when I hear the name Treyarch.

Ok, so there we were slogging it out in Head Quarters, after playing a couple of very successful rounds. For those that don’t know, the objective of Head Quarters is to protect or to destroy a device that is randomly placed on the map.

Once the target is located, players will have to fight their way towards it, and fend off any other players from the opposing team who have the same idea. It works rather well if one works in a team, as some players protect or destroy it, while the rest of the team tries to stop the others from advancing, which is done by killing them.

A friend and I were doing rather well in getting to the target and occasionally helping to protect it, when we both got a Xbox Live message from a gamer with the gamertag DJBuntin.

Having a quick look at his profile on Xbox Live, his description claims that he is the lead game designer for Black Ops, and was rather proud to announce that he works for makers

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Treyarch. Doing a Google search on his tag, it corroborated this fact, and also revealed that DJBuntin is actually Dan Bunting, producer of Black Ops. Naturally, it would raise a couple of eyebrows to receive a message from a bone-fide member of Treyarch, but the bad part about our experience was yet to come, as the message he sent us contained some rather crude details.

Since this is a family-orientated publication, I can’t reprint his exact wording, but what shocked me most was the fact the he thinks he can actually get away with that type of language with gamers he has never met in his life.

I will try my best to censor, but he told us “Get the *%$@ out this game. It’s called Objective game for a reason, don’t play objective games if you are only going for kills.

You ain’t (sic) even getting any you *%$@-ing idiot. Get the *%$@ out this game.”

Now this is the way in which a member of Treyarch’s team talks to other gamers. The same member who expects you to not only pay for your games, but to like it and tell a friend.

You know that feeling you get when you just heard bad news? Well, that is how we felt. I think the next round we played in silence, as we were so stunned as to what happened.

Needless to say, we finished that round and quit the game – not because of what he said, but purely for the fact that we couldn’t believe what just happened.

Like I said in the beginning, I’m a level 19, so the message could have been meant for me, as I’m still

somewhat considered a noob in Black Ops. But my friend is already a level 50, and you don’t get to 50 by stuffing around.

But even if I am miles behind other people, it doesn’t give him the right to talk to me in that fashion, or any other person for that matter. We all have to start somewhere and even gamers who are now Prestige 11 or further had to start at level 1.

I’m actually too flabbergasting as to fully explain how upset this whole thing has made me feel. Needless to say, I have reported his gamertag to Xbox Live for inappropriate communications, and I have added him to my Avoided Players list. I also went a step further and emailed Activision and Treyarch about his conduct – not that anything will come from it.

But the moral of the story here, I guess, is that you will always get a grumpy old fart that will try to ruin the gaming experience for everyone.

And after he sent his message, the grouch even left to play Modern Warfare 2.

I guess we must have really ticked him off. g

gamecca column • issue 19 • January 2011

WTF 2010?

The Rat’s Nest

by Dion Scotten

W

here did 2010 go?

Seriously. I had a good year, a lot happened and it seems like at some points I reacted to most of it without thinking. Oops, and oh well. So with good intentions in mind for the new year (and our fellow man), we should think back and learn.

Firstly, did you finish every game you played? Tsk tsk. You need to learn to finish what you started and these uncompleted games show a huge flaw in your character. Be ashamed. This is an opportunity to learn an important life lesson, one that only the playing of games can provide. Once you master the ability to focus on subject matter to conclusion, the world can be yours. Always remember that other peripheral things will try to interfere with your concentration, (like chores, homework, human interaction), be strong in the new year.

Were you overly nasty to someone who may or may not have deserved it? Humiliating someone online is the same as doing in public, just way

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cooler. If it’s Mr. Camper-Sniper who had it coming, society could maybe understand, but not when it’s the puny noob. The real question is did it make you happy? Sicko. If you don’t feel bad, does it make you a bad person? Are you constantly thinking of new and innovative ways to destroy and humiliate your friends at the same time? The world will call you seriously disturbed but we’d like to think of you as perfectly normal.

We’re proud of you. Don’t waste your time trying to justify it in the new year… and may a stylish death await all who oppose you.

Were you a bad loser at any point?

Emotional outbursts? You can’t win them all, champ. Besides, having a group of gamer psychopaths as friends leads to certain death online.

Fact. You chose them, so don’t look at me.

Now, if you’re the guy whose birthmark looks like a target and practice just doesn’t make you better, then the only thing you can do is change your attitude. Join in the fun and realise that being the target is

half the experience. Without you, your friends could never experience the awesome combo kills they do… you’re an important team player. Be the target. [you talkin’ to me? – ed] Did you get enough exercise? You don’t need to look down because you know you didn’t. Stop making us gamers look bad and run around the block, damnit. If you can’t tear yourself away from your room then you need to have a game plan at least. Invest in a UV ray setup and a Kinect. That way you’re getting your Vitamin D and your daily workout at the same time. You can kata box, dance and Tai Chi your way to a fitter and healthier gamer hermit in no time.

The best part is no one will see you.

Well, except for your Kinect camera... and the internet...

Whatever your view of the coming year is, though, there is one thing you can be sure of. There will be plenty of massive game titles hitting the shelves in 2011 and you will not be able to play them all at once.

It’s going to be a good year. g

gamecca column • issue 19 • January 2011

Feature

Gran Turismo comes round again

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gamecca feature • issue 19 • January 2011

by Walt Pretorius

O

ur love affair with cars is undeniable. Millions of men and women dream about getting behind the wheel of a high performance car. It is a fantasy that is common but, sadly, the common man doesn’t often get the opportunity to make this dream a reality.

One such dreamer is Kazunori Yamauchi. But, unlike so many others, he has managed to realise his dream, and has enabled many others to enjoy the thrill of driving all kinds of cars, from mass produced models through to the rarest exotics and concept cars. The trick is, though, that Yamauchi doesn’t put people behind the wheels of real cars – rather, through his company Polyphony Digital, he enables enthusiasts around the world to experience these vehicles through the virtual medium presented by the Gran Turismo franchise. His passion for cars, which he partly expresses in real life through his professional racing activities, is clearly seen in this series, which has been considered the bench mark for driving simulators for many years.

In 1998, Polyphony Digital released the very first Gran Turismo title through Sony Computer Entertainment. The game, which had been in development for five years, was an almost instant hit. Featuring 178 cars and 11 tracks, the game brought gamers an experience like they had never seen before – particularly considering that the title was released for the original PlayStation console.

The game introduced several new ideas to the racing genre, including the need for players to qualify for higher events by completing “license tests” (a feature that would carry through the whole franchise, and one that is either loved or hated by gamers.)

Gran Turismo’s impact was undeniable. Aside from selling (to date) 10.85 million copies worldwide (making it the best selling title ever for the original PlayStation console), the title received several impressive accolades, including placing number 21 in Game Informer’s Top 100 Games of all time, published in August 2001.

The success of the game came as something of a surprise to the developers and publishers, who believed that it would appeal to more of a niche market, rather than becoming a mainstream hit.

gamecca feature • issue 19 • January 2011

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Feature

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gamecca feature • issue 19 • January 2011

But they didn’t get caught on the back foot… a short two years after the original, Gran Tursimo 2 hit shelves, ready to sate the desires of fans eager for more realistic driving action.

That was the key to the title’s success. While there were a great many driving games released before the original, but Gran Turismo approached the genre with much more attention to detail and realism. This would define it as the de facto driving simulator (as opposed to being a more arcade-like racer) until several years later, when Microsoft’s Forza franchise started challenging for that accolade.

Gran Turismo 2 came to market with almost four times as many cars, featuring 650 vehicles that could be driven on 27 different tracks. But the fast production time saw numerous bugs and glitches crawl into the woodwork.

Despite this, the game was received well, with 9.37 million copis sold to date.

The release of the PlayStation 2 offered Kazunori Yamauchi and Polyphony Digital much more scope and power to continue working on realising his ambitions of bringing an exceptional driving experience to virtual racers.

Its release was welcomed by the Polyphony team with Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec, which hit shelves in 2001.

This first PlayStation 2 entrant from the franchise had far fewer cars available for play: only around 180, in fact, a number far closer to the first game than the second. The shortage of cars was explained away by stating that the developers required far more time to model the vehicles, thanks to the PlayStation 2’s more advanced graphics. The team made up for it, though, by once again increasing the number of tracks available… 34, to be exact. A-Spec also introduced the first Formula One cars seen in the series, which could be unlocked by completing endurance races.

These were unofficial, though. Informal appearances were also made by Lamborghini and Porsche for the first time in the franchise.

Despite featuring fewer cars, Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec went on to become the series’ best received title, in terms of sales. To date, GT4 has sold 14.89 million units globally.

After being delayed for a year, Gran Turismo 4 arrived in 2005. The game was a significant notch up from A-Spec, featuring a mammoth 722 cars and 51 tracks. gamecca feature • issue 19 • January 2011

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Feature The impact that the game made was even more siginificant than the previous titles – except maybe for the first game. Critical acclaim for GT4 came from all corners, and went on to sell, to date, 11 million copies. Even Top Gear host Jeremy Clarkson commented on the game in his column for the British Sunday Times.

“I called Sony and asked it to send me a game chip already loaded with the 700 computer cars. And I am in a position to test out its claims because, unlike most people, I really have driven almost all of them in real life,” Clarkson wrote.

“There are mistakes. The BMW M3 CSL, for instance, brakes much better on the road than it does on the screen.

And there’s no way a Peugeot 106 could outdrag a Fiat Punto off the line. But other than this, I’m struggling: they’ve even managed to accurately reflect the differences between a Mercedes SL 600 and the Mercedes SL 55, which is hard enough to do in real life.

“There’s more, too. If you take a banked curve in the Bentley Le Mans car flat out, you’ll be fine. If you back off, even a little bit, you lose the aerodynamic grip and end up spinning.

That’s how it is. This game would only be more real if a big spike shot out of the screen and skewered your head every time you crashed. In fact that’s the only real drawback: that you can hit the barriers hard without ever damaging you or your car. Maybe they’re saving that for GT5. Perhaps it’ll be called Death or Glory.”

It’s doubtful than Polyphony Digital were listening to Clarkson when they started working on the newly released GT5… more than likely, they had been planning to include a damage model for some time. The often delayed game was released late last year, with more than 1 000 cars and 71 tracks on offer. But if you want to know more, you’ll have to check out our review on page 58.

Although it is arguable whether the Gran Turismo franchise retains the title of definite driving simulator, the five games and numerous sub-releases and spin-offs have secured the series in the hearts and minds of fans the world over. Gran Turismo, as a franchise, has gone a long way to realising the dreams of car enthusiasts the world over, even if just on a virtual scale. g

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glamecca feature • issue 19 • January 2011

gamecca feature • issue 19 • January 2011

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Previews Highlights 20 Killzone 3 Back to battle!

22 Dragon Age II The epic continues.

26 Shift 2: Unleashed EA gets serious about driving.

29 The Sims: Medieval AKA SimKingdom...

34 Bodycount Putting the fun back into FPS

I

t’s only just started, but 2011 is certainly shaping up to be a good year for gaming. There are a number of big names that are confirmed for release early in the year already, and the rumour mill would have us believe that a number of other highly anticipated titles will be out before the year is through.

We don’t like to speculate (it takes ages to wash the egg off of our faces) but there’s one thing we can say for certain: There is a lot of great gaming coming our way over the next twelve months. Just check out these first 14 previews for this year if you don’t believe us... g

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gamecca preview • issue 19 • January 2011

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LLC. “Sly Raccoon” is a trademark or a registered trademark of Sony Computer Entertainment Europe. All rights reserved.

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Killzone 3

On Helghan …stuck in the middle with you.

F

ans of the Killzone franchise will be thrilled to hear that Killzone 3 is arriving fairly soon. The players will take up where Killzone 2 left off, returning to the world of Hellghan to fight as soldiers of the ISA. Their enemies, the Helghast, will be as brutal and deadly as ever.

The story deals with the aftermath of the events of Killzone 2, with political groups scrabbling for control of Helghan while the ISA is caught in the middle of their feud.

Limited supplies and no reinforcements mean that the ISA troops – the player’s character included – will have to fight even harder and smarter to survive the attacks of the Helghast.

The new game will feature a “Hollywood” style approach, much like the previous title. Presumably this means a lot of in-game dialogue and impressive set pieces, as one would

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by Walt Pretorius expect from a top notch FPS these days. The narrative will follow a “David and Goliath” kind of idea, supported by numerous tweaks and improvements over previous Killzone titles.

First off, the game will offer larger environments – around ten times the size of the levels in Killzone 2 – with settings that range from nuclear wastelands to alien jungles.

This will be partially enabled by a new, optimised data streaming system that the game will employ. This system will load things like textures and music seamlessly. Texture and mesh streaming will mean that the graphics are better and smoother in the title. In addition, the graphics will support full stereoscopic 3D visuals, for those who are lucky enough to be using a 3D TV to play it.

The good looks will be supported by the HDR audio

gamecca preview • issue 19 • January 2011

system, which will allow the game to dynamically focus the audio depth. This means that sound effects will be in context, providing a deeper and more realistic sound experience.

Weapon wise, numerous trusty classics will be mixed with some new weapons, giving the player both familiarity and variety. A new melee combat system will also be in place, allowing for a number of varied, brutal closequarters attacks. Players will also be able to enjoy increased and enhanced vehicle use, including jet packs, land and air vehicles.

And, of course, there are the Helghast, the enemies you love to hate (and love blowing away even more.) There will be new breeds of the brutal warriors in Killzone 3, in addition to the well known stalwarts of the series. These

will include jet pack troopers, and even soldiers who carry hand-held weapons of mass destruction.

The enemies will be supported by an overhauled, improved AI. This new system promises, among other things, to be more varied.

Even the control system has been the recipient of a “look-at”, and promises to be an improvement over previous Killzone games.

The Killzone franchise has become one of the definitive PlayStation experiences, spanning two generations of the Sony console.

This new instalment looks like it will deliver even more excitement than the first game, and looks set to feature numerous improvements over Killzone 2. g

AT A GLANCE: Developer: Guerilla Publisher: SCEE Distributor: Ster Kinekor gamecca preview • issue 19 • January 2011

Feb 2011 Platforms

A new battle against the Helghast, with developers promising an overall improved experience.

PC X360 PS3 Wii PSP DS PS2

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Dragon Age 2

Refugee to Champion The rise to power begins

B

ioware, the critically acclaimed makers of Mass Effect 2 and Dragon Age: Origins, is set to impress again with the upcoming release of Dragon Age 2 in early 2011.

The elements that made Origins game of the year 2009 are improved on of course, but some changes were also made to the game play after careful consideration by the designers.

In fact the game designers drew strongly from critique received from players of the series during the developing Dragon Age 2. Things like the pace of the game being too slow in places, for those who liked more action in their RPG, were addressed while still keeping the strategy element for the calculating players. Not an easy balancing acts say developers, trying not to isolate anybody while giving players what they wanted and not losing the feel of the Dragon Age series.

The question is what will change and what can we expect from the latest in the series? Graphics and sound are improved on the whole for both console and PC but this we expected, really. The games designers wanted Dragon Age 2 to look unique and said that, when they looked back

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by Dion Scotten at previous releases, they failed to see a unique element to the art that stood out as Dragon Age. This art identity has been addressed say Bioware, while still improving on the overall look of the game.

The winning recipe of storyline delivery was still one of the main focuses for the team, keeping the good of Origins and Awakening but adding improvements. How exactly did the designers improve on this? The story is narrated by an interesting storyteller with the player reliving the chapters told. This way the storyline spans a period of 10 years of the character’s life and the player gets to face the consequences of his actions sooner rather than later once he may have forgotten.

It’s also the telling of a more personal story, one focussing on the main character Hawke (male or female) who rises from refugee to power over the 10 years.

Players will experience this from the point of view of a more believable person who suffers personal loss while struggling against the Blight. The designers wanted to immerse the player into the story and did this through this particular style.

Decisions made in Dragon Age: Origins and Awakening

gamecca preview • issue 19 • January 2011

will return to haunt or reward players who are brave enough to import their earlier games. Additionally an even more robust decision consequence element has been introduced to the game.

The changes made to combat will probably be the most significant though… they won’t change the game experience but will add a much needed speed boost.

The feel of the game will be just what players are used to, but there will be two ways to play. Developers have introduced a more action RPG style to combat where the players must adjust their battle strategy in real time while directly controlling one player. The idea is “think like a general and fight like a Spartan”. Smooth and responsive controls are promised and the demos released so far do show a seamless change from character to character with easy to reach ability tabs. Individual kill moves for mage classes have been added… mages can now disintegrate or rip apart enemies as artistically as their fighter counterparts.

Those players who love the pause and play approach need not despair as this element has not been removed.

Players can not only pause the game and issue a string

of instructions that’ll keep the game busy long enough to make a sandwich, but they will be able to view the battle from an tactical camera overview too (PC version only).

The gritty and believable adult dialogue is back with new and old characters each brandishing their own unique personality. A welcome addition is that the player character now actually has a voice. Instead of that awkward silence (unless you read the lines aloud) between responses from NPCs, a voice actor now fills in the space whether you’re playing a male or female character.

Dialogue symbols will also appear next to your speech options indicating which response is sarcastic, aggressive or friendly. Just in case. Now you have no excuse I suppose and interestingly the game will pick up on how you respond over time. This could lead to automated behaviour of a certain kind with your character acting aggressively for example in scripted dialogue.

Dragon Age 2 will be a game that fantasy RPG players will not want to miss out on while making newcomers to the series fans of the genre. Definitely one for the collection, adding to my dilemma to what to buy in the first quarter of 2011. g

AT A GLANCE: Developer: BioWare Publisher: Electronic Arts Distributor: EA South Africa gamecca preview • issue 19 • January 2011

Mar 2011 Platforms

Dragon Age 2 promises a better looking and faster paced fantasy RPG experience while still improving on story immersion.

PC X360 PS3 Wii PSP DS PS2

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Mario Sports Mix

A Mario Twist on Sports Do we need another sports title?

by Brian Murdoch

O

ne of the games announced by Nintendo at the last E3 was Mario Sports Mix but some people have been asking if there needs to be another Sports title with a Mario twist. Well looking at the facts I am looking forward to this one.

There are only four games in this title: Basketball, Volleyball, Hockey and Dodgeball. Each one of these games would be marked as a single title and sold separately by other publishers. Play any of these sports as your favourite Mario or friends characters, or even as a Mii character. Each character has a special move above and beyond the normal moves that can be played in the game. Banana peels and green stun shells are a norm on the court when Mario and Yoshi are around but playing as Daisy will let you plant flowers on your opponent to slow them down, or shoot a “bomber shot”

as Wario.

Even all of this does not seem to be enough reason for having another sports title, but wait, there’s more. Single players, and up to four players in multiplayer, can play in the three different cups: Mushroom, Flower and Star Cup… but replaying the cup will present the player(s) will alternative paths. In Basketball the alternative is “Feed Petey”, Petey being the piranha plant. Players feed him with the low-hanging fruits from the ceiling. In Smash Skate players must push others off a ledge using hockey sticks to perform charged shots. Bomb Dodge requires you to dodge bombs that are shot by cannons in a different take on dodgeball.

It looks to be a very fun title with a few more sports and games for the Wii owner, launching shortly. g

AT A GLANCE: Developer: Nintendo Publisher: Nintendo Distributor: Core Group

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Jan 2011 Platforms

This is not your normal sport game and, in true Mario style, will bring special moves and attacks to spice things up.

PC X360 PS3 Wii PSP DS PS2

gamecca preview • issue 19 • January 2011

The Ghosts go invisible

by Charlie Fripp

T

he Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon series of games have been the source of many spent cartridges, untimely deaths and adrenalin-pumping action sequences, and the franchise has no intention of lying down.

Although there have been plenty Ghost Recon and Tom Clancy-inspired games, a new title will make its way onto the shelves in 2011, which will surely be just as exciting as the previous ones.

Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Future Soldier (previously titled Ghost Recon 4) is due to be released on multiple platforms, and this time it sounds like the title will be taking a bit more of a stealth approach. Most of the games saw players going in guns blazing, but Future Soldier will put new shoes on operatives as they wage a war in the near future.

This time around the player will assume the role of a soldier outfitted with the most comprehensive array of high-tech gear ever assembled, which will also allow

them to move around undetected, thanks to the newlydesigned optical camouflage.

Not a lot is known about the game at this point, but the story will take place in Norway, the Middle East and Asia, and the Ghosts will once again go head-to-head with a Russian ultra-nationalist force which has been slowly invading its neighbouring countries.

Players will take control of a four-man Ghost squad consisting of a commando (Kozak), a sniper (Pepper), a reconnaissance expert (30k), and an engineer (Bones) in an effort to overthrow the ultra-nationalists.

Since it’s the first Ghost Recon game to venture into the future, Ubisoft also saw it fit to make some changes to the game’s design. The title is a third-person shooter for the most part, but as soon as players enter cover, it will switch to a first-person view.

If the previous Ghost Recon games are anything to go by, then Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Future Soldier will be a sure hit with any lover of the franchise.g

AT A GLANCE: Developer: Ubisoft Paris Publisher: Ubisoft Distributor: Megarom gamecca preview • issue 19 • January 2011

April 2011 Platforms

Although the title will be making some changes, it is still set to be a highly-anticipated game.

PC X360 PS3 Wii PSP DS PS2

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Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Future Soldier

Disappearing Act

Shift 2: Unleashed

Real Racer

EA going after Forza and Gran Turismo.

by Richard Bingham

Y

ou know things are serious when the executive producer for your game franchise says, “We are also working closely with real-world performance drivers to ensure that Shift 2 Unleashed captures their experience and becomes the benchmark in authentic racing action.”

That last bit is important, since it basically lays down the gauntlet for Forza and Gran Turismo to pick up. EA’s new strategy for its racing games has the Shift series (notice no “Need for Speed” prefix) focusing on the simulation section, while the other NFS games are for fun.

Shift 2 Unleashed is still being developed by Slightly Mad Studios, the same guys who used to be at SimBin, working on PC racing sims like GTR and GT Legends.

So, they kind of know what they’re doing.

Early screens from Shift 2 show some impressive graphics and particle effects, and the teaser trailer has footage of a car getting completely wrecked: that’s the crash damage sorted then. All that remains to be seen – or felt – is how it drives, compared to the games whose dominance it is challenging.

One of the confirmed features for Shift 2 is the AutoLog system used in Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit. It’s pretty much a Facebook for racing games, giving racers tools to beat their friends’ best times, post challenges and share photos. We can hope Shift 2 incorporates some sort of video replay system, with YouTube support hopefully, to better recount those racing intense moments the developers are hoping to recreate. g

AT A GLANCE: Developer: Slightly Mad Studios Publisher: Electronic Arts Distributor: Electronic Arts

26

Q2 2011 Platforms

The original was solid, and if this irons out some of the issues that the former had, it should be a cracker.

PC X360 PS3 Wii PSP DS PS2

gamecca preview • issue 19 • January 2011

Red Faction: Armageddon

Mars Attacked

An ancient evil enters the Red Faction franchise

by Walt Pretorius

T

he original Red Faction title was one of the first FPS games to be made for the PlayStation 2.

Since then, numerous titles have expanded on the idea brought forth in the first game; revolution on Mars.

Red Faction: Guerrilla brought the franchise to the PS3, with a much improved game giving the player a free-roaming experience. Between furious fire-fights and demolishing all kinds of structures, players of the game had an absolute ball on the Red Planet. And now it’s almost time to revisit it…

Red Faction: Armageddon will be set fifty years after the events of Red Faction: Guerrilla. The player will take on the role of Darius Mason, the grandson of Guerrilla’s hero, Alec Mason. But the Mars presented in this game is quite a different place… the surface of the planet has

become uninhabitable, and the Colonists fight for survival in underground mines.

Then Darius accidentally releases an ancient and unknown evil, and all hell breaks loose.

Darius and his Red Faction comrades will need to travel deep into the bowels of Mars to face the unspeakable horror that is bringing Armageddon to the planet. The action will move through ice caves and over lava flows as the player digs deeper into the core of Mars.

Expanding on Guerrilla, Armageddon is sure to be an exciting game, with new challenges and tweaked gameplay elements (which some are ground-breaking) to thrill players. If they have improved on the previous title, we are rather excited to see what this new instalment will have on offer. g

AT A GLANCE: Developer: Volition Publisher: THQ Distributor: Ster Kinekor gamecca preview • issue 19 • January 2011

Mar 2011 Platforms

The next game in the Red Faction franchise will take the action underground… literally.

PC X360 PS3 Wii PSP DS PS2

27

Darkspore

The Darker Side The time to strike back is now!

by Alexia Pestana

F

28

AT A GLANCE: Destroy the infestation of Darkspore and liberate a galaxy, in a mixture between Spore and Diablo.

Developer: Maxis Software Publisher: Electronic Arts Distributor: EA

March 2011 Platforms

or those of you who created the cute creatures in Spore but wanted them to be a little more vicious and take part in a bloodbath of PvP action, Darkspore is perfect.

Darkspore is entirely its own game. Rather than an evolutionary sandbox, it’s a full blown RPG with a sci-fi story.

The Crogenetors were an ancient race that travelled the galaxy and manipulated life to suit their needs.

However, they accidentally created something more powerful than they were, that they could not control, and so the Darkspore were born. Darkspore were able to manipulate E-DNA and transform all the creatures on a planet into mutated hordes that they dominate, with the ultimate goal of taking over the universe. The Crogenitors had a secret weapon, however. Hidden for a millennium, you too have the power of E-DNA, and you must form a team of genetic heroes to save the day.

Darkspore has been referred to as a combination of Spore and Diablo, piquing everyone’s interest almost instantly. It is a loot-heavy action RPG, like Diablo or Torchlight, except your loot is the E-DNA used to modify your own body. This is where the Spore creature creator comes in. After getting new armour, its location, size, shape, colour and other attributes can be modified to customise the warrior who uses it.

The game features a four player co-op and single player campaign, as well as intense multiplayer battles.

In order to defeat the malicious Darkspore, players will need to collect an arsenal of living weapons in the form of genetic heroes with varying combat abilities – upgraded with tens of thousands of collectible body parts and armour.

Darkspore features three unique classes of five different genetic hero types, with a limitless number of upgrades. Welcome to the dark side. g

PC X360 PS3 Wii PSP DS PS2

gamecca preview • issue 19 • January 2011

The Sims: Medieval

Ruling the Realm More than just managing virtual people?

by Walt Pretorius

T

he Sims franchise was a departure from the wonderfully popular SimCity. Now it looks like EA are going to take another side-step, this time from The Sims. The Sims: Medieval is due to arrive fairly soon, and this game will add a new spin on the franchise.

It won’t just be the setting of the game (which, as the name implies, is a medieval one) but also in what the player will be doing. From what we have seen, it looks like the game will take half a step back towards its roots, allowing the player some control over the kingdom that they create.

One thing that will remain a constant is freedom.

As the player take charge of their medieval kingdom,

they will be able to make decisions and take actions the way they want to. The ambitions that used to belong to individual sims will now belong to the entire kingdom. This ambition will determine stories and quests that the player can take characters on, as well as actions the player can take to improve their kingdom.

The player will control numerous characters in the kingdom, from the royalty through to the lowly workers.

It will feature management, quest based game play and numerous other elements that will excite Sims fans – as well as other management game fans. In short, it promises to be a complex, creative and rewarding romp in an authentic medieval setting. We can’t wait. g

AT A GLANCE: Developer: The Sims Studio Publisher: Electronic Arts Distributor: EA South Africa gamecca preview • issue 19 • January 2011

Mar 2011 Platforms

A new take on The Sims, set in the medieval era. It looks like there will be a lot to do in this one.

PC X360 PS3 Wii PSP DS PS2

29

Driver : San Francisco

The Chase is On….

A shift in the franchise?

by Dylan Bouch

J

ohn Tanner is back again with a new edition of DRIVER. Driver should be in your gaming vocabulary as it’s a game that, through the franchise, has sold over 14 million copies worldwide.

In this edition the gamer will be playing as Detective John Tanner on a manhunt for his arch rival “Jericho”.

This title will have over 100 licensed cars including makes like Ford, Aston Martin, Audi and Mazzarati, with over 208 Miles (334Km) of drivable road. To date this is the largest open world driving game. Driver: San Francisco also has a new element called “shift; “shift” allows the gamer to shift from one car to another. This might seem strange at first but it’s actually a great

concept. If you’re in pursuit of a car and your vehicle is moments away from an accident the gamer can shift to another car and keep hot on their heels, or if you like to drive in the opposite direction just “shift” to another, oncoming vehicle and take control from there. “Shift” just can’t be used whenever… you’ll have to earn it through drifting, getting some air and avoiding oncoming traffic.

The graphics are quite good but I can only speculate… once the game has been released, we’ll know for sure.

The handling seems to be good, with a similar feel to the previous Driver titles (again, all speculation). Driver will also have online modes; let’s hope it is as fun as it promises to be. g

AT A GLANCE: Developer: Reflections Publisher: Ubisoft Distributor: Megarom

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Q1 2011 Platforms

This could be the most innovative driving game this year and it may be an instant classic

PC X360 PS3 Wii PSP DS PS2

gamecca preview • issue 19 • January 2011

Tropico 4

Ruler for Life Return to power as El Presidente.

by Walt Pretorius

T

here was a long gap between the second and third instalments of the Tropico franchise. Perhaps it was the decision to change the setting of Tropico 2 to a pirate island instead of the banana republic in the first game. This wasn’t particularly well received, and the time span between 2 and 3 feels more like a resurrection than a sequel.

Whatever the case may be, the third title took players back to the banana republic feel, and obviously did fairly well in terms of sales, because the fourth edition of the game should be here before the middle of this year.

The game will allow players even more control as they

take on the role of El Presidente, a potentially tyrannical leader of the small island. 20 new missions across ten new maps will await the player, as well as 20 new buildings (including a shopping mall and presidential mausoleum.)

Being a game of underhanded politics, the player will now be able to appoint a cabinet of Ministers, and manipulate them into getting dodgy policies passed.

In addition, the player will get objectives from various factions, both foreign and domestic.

And as if that isn’t enough to keep one busy, nature will fight back in this new edition as well, with six natural disasters thrown into the mix. Looks like we’ll have our hands full with this one! g

AT A GLANCE: Developer: Haemimont Publisher: Kalypso Media Distributor: Nu Metro gamecca preview • issue 19 • January 2011

Q2 2011 Platforms

The fourth instalment of the Tropico franchise should keep players very busy.

PC X360 PS3 Wii PSP DS PS2

31

Kirby’s Epic Yarn

A Bit of String A stitch in time saves a franchise?

by Brian Murdoch

I

t’s been almost a decade since we have seen Kirby in his own title and he joins us in this exclusive Wii title in a world stitched together by fabric and yarn. This is a new way to add a twist in a classic side scrolling game.

The game will be full of adventure in this new world and Kirby has been given a bigger arsenal. Kirby can now transform into other shapes including a dolphin, UFO, steam train or even a giant robot. Made out of yarn now, Kirby is also able to use a whip to thrash and disarm enemies, unravelling foes or rolling them up into balls of yarn to fling at other objects. It seems as if Kirby has become truly epic.

Kirby is fighting through this fabric world, called Patch

Land, trying to stop the evil sorcerer Yin-Yarn. In doing so Kirby has to turn into woollen string to fit into the world.

Yin-Yarn is not into his needle-work and is going around tearing Patch Land to pieces.

If the story is too much in the single player mode, there is a two player co-op, with the second player able to play as Prince Fluff as they track down magic threads to sew Patch Land back together.

While saving the land and battling enemies in search of magic threads, Kirby also needs to find time to find the two themed items and piece of music in each level used to decorate new flats near Prince Fluff’s castle.

These will make new friends for Kirby and unlock new challenges. g

AT A GLANCE: Developer: Nintendo Publisher: Nintendo Distributor: Core Group

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Feb 2011 Platforms

Kirby has a wide range of transformations and moves to make him truly epic in in this new adventure, which goes strongly on

PC X360 PS3 Wii PSP DS PS2

gamecca preview • issue 19 • January 2011

Stronghold 3

Flying Cow! Back to Medieval we go

by Charlie Fripp

F

or many years, gamers who had a love affair with medieval times got their kicks from playing the Stronghold series of games. The earlier strategy titles had very good graphics compared to their peers, and a number of expansion packs also helped to keep it alive.

In April 2011, gamers will once again be tasked with helping their empire flourish, warding off enemy forces and developing their economy, as Firefly Studios are set to release Stronghold 3.

The game has been five years in the making, and will serve as the sequel to the successful Stronghold 2.

A couple of things will take on a different form in the third game, as the mechanics will be more similar to those of the original Stronghold than the sequel, since Stronghold 2 wasn’t as well received as the original.

Firefly Studios also promise that most of the buildings in the game will be more dynamic, and that the look of hovels will change according to their distance from the castle.

The title will also implement a new fog-of-war mechanic for night-time gameplay, but certain fire-based elements can be used to illuminate hidden areas.

Any Historical Real-Time Strategy fan will love the Stronghold series, and the third game might just turn out to be better than the original – which is always good.g

AT A GLANCE: Developer: Firefly Studios Publisher: SouthPeak Games Distributor: Apex Interactive gamecca preview • issue 19 • January 2011

April 2011 Platforms

With all the promised changes, it might be better than the original.

PC X360 PS3 Wii PSP DS PS2

33

Bodycount

Gun Fun

Shooter mayhem in a shred-able world

by Dion Scotten

P

utting fun back into the FPS genre’ was Codemasters and Guildford Studio’s main focus when making Bodycount. They say FPS is a genre that has got a bit too serious and could use a bit of lightening up.

Although a ‘softer’ FPS, game designers wanted Bodycount to keep the competiveness of the deathmatch along with realistic damage, explosions and the all-out mayhem shooters should bring.

Will anything make it really different and stand out from other games that claim the same thing? The shredding of the world through highly destructible environments is this unique thing, developers say, and the player will be able to destroy almost every element of the game environment.

The environment destruction is meant to change the tactics of the player over time while in-game. The start of levels will have most gun exchanges at close range but

as the scenery degrades, the more medium range assault rifles and such will come into play. The player’s visibility is increased as walls collapse or gaping holes in buildings appear and finally, when buildings are partially destroyed, long range sniper rifles will become more prominent.

The purpose of the environment design was to allow players to play the game the way they want to. Players should be able to create their own route through terrain, either to gain position on an enemy or to escape when cornered.

The enemy will be category based and not only just shooter enemies; there will also be support characters who will pick up Intel dropped on the battlefield to use against the player or even revive fallen enemies.

Bodycount looks promising and hopefully delivers shooter escapism along with a fun deathmatch environment for friends to kill each other in. What more can we ask for? g

AT A GLANCE: Developer: Guildford Studio Publisher: Codemasters Distributor: Nu Metro

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Q2 2011 Platforms

A promising shoot-em-up with some fresh ideas

PC X360 PS3 Wii PSP DS PS2

gamecca preview • issue 19 • January 2011

Hunted:The Demon’s Forge

Work Together Co-op fantasy action goodness

by Walt Pretorius

B

gamecca preview • issue 19 • January 2011

AT A GLANCE: If they get the co-op dynamics right, this might just be an awesome fantasy dungeon-crawler.

Developer: inXile Publisher: Bethesda Distributor: Nu Metro

Q1 2011 Platforms

ethesda are capable of releasing games across a wide spectrum of quality levels… from the critically acclaimed Fallout games (the later ones, of course) through to the lamentable Rogue Warrior. But when they get things right, they really get them right.

Hunted: The Demon’s Forge is an upcoming title from Bethesda that will put players in the shoes of two mercenaries in a fantasy world; the ranged weapon expert E’lara, and the up-close fighter Caddoc. Working as a team, the two characters will co-operate to rid the world of Kala Moor of a heinous evil.

The dependency on co-op game play is obvious in all the material we’ve seen about this game – we’re not even sure if there will be a single player mode, but here’s hoping (these days AI is good enough to support that, after all.)

Using the Unreal 3 engine, Hunted will present the player with a highly detailed third person fantasy dungeon-crawl, in which players will be able to combine the abilities of both characters to create awesome co-op attacks. In fact, the dependence on co-operation seems to be pretty heavy in this game, much like titles like Army of Two. The visuals from the title look pretty good, and if the developers get the coop dynamics right, Hunted: The Demon’s Forge may just be one of the titles to look out for early in this year. g

PC X360 PS3 Wii PSP DS PS2

35

Feature

Gamecca Awards

2010

36

gamecca feature • issue 19 • January 2011

I

t’s that time again, when gaming journalists around the globe decide that they are important enough to assign awards to the games that came out in the previous year. And why not? We like to let people know what we think, obviously, and we were often asked which game is better than which.

And so it makes sense to collate all that information in one place. Also, it’s a great way to look at the year that was.

At Gamecca, we give two kinds of awards: Best Awards, and Merits. Merits aren’t our main award categories they make up elements of games that we would like to mention, rather than being overarching categories like the Best awards are. In other words, Best FPS Game is a big category that takes all the different factors into account, while Best Graphics is a Merit award that looks at a more specific section of the games nominated.

The awards really are rather self explanatory... we’re sure you’ll get the hang of it.

2010 was a big year for games. We saw some really massive releases in that 12 month period, making the assigning of awards all that more difficult.

Which, of course, brings us to the criteria we use to select our awards for the year. We take several things into account, including all those things we normally look at, like graphics, sound and game dynamics. But we also consider other factors, like overall experience, actual longevity and a good number more.

Naturally, everyone is an expert when it comes to things like this, so we do not consider our awards to be definitive in any way. Rather, we look at this whole exercise as a way to give our readers a greater understanding, not only of the games that were released over the year, but also into the mind-set of the crew behind Gamecca Magazine.

And so, on to the awards. We are sure that you will agree with many of our choices and don’t doubt that you will disagree with others. These are, in the end, our opinion. Drop us a note at letters@gamecca.co.za to let us know what you think, because your opinion is important to us too. g

gamecca feature • issue 19 • January 2011

37

Feature

Best First Person Shooter

Nominees: Red Steel 2

Call of Duty: Black Ops Halo: Reach

Winner:

Call of Duty: Black Ops

Nominees: Dante’s Inferno Darksiders

God of War 3

Winner:

38

Best Action

God of War 3

gamecca feature • issue 19 • January 2011

Best Strategy

Nominees: StarCraft II Civilization V

Napoleon: Total War

Winner:

StarCraft 2

Merit Award

Best Hero: Ezio Auditore (Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood)

Merit Award Most Brutal Game: Splatterhouse

Merit Award Best Villain Lucifer (Dante’s Inferno)

gamecca feature • issue 19 • January 2011

39

Feature

Nominees:

Winner:

Best Adventure

Red Dead Redemption Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood Just Cause 2

Red Dead Redemption

Merit Award

Best Acting: Enslaved: Odyssey to the West

Merit Award

Most Disturbing Game: Naughty Bear

Merit Award Best Weapons: Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood

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gamecca feature • issue 19 • January 2011

Nominees:

Winner:

Best Fighting

UFC Undisputed 2010 EA Sports MMA Super Streetfighter IV

UFC Undisputed 2010

Best Sports

Nominees: FIFA World Cup 2010 South Africa

Madden NFL 11 NBA 2k11

Winner:

NBA 2k11

gamecca feature • issue 19 • January 2011

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Feature

Best Driving

Nominees: Gran Turismo 5

Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit Blur

Winner:

Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit

Best Casual

Nominees: Professor Layton and the Lost Future

Super Mario Galaxy 2 Wii Party

Winner:

42

Professor Layton and the Lost Future

gamecca feature • issue 19 • January 2011

Merit Award Best Game Babe: Miranda (Mass Effect 2)

Merit Award

Best Soundtrack: Call of Duty: Black Ops

Merit Award Best Multiplayer

Best Game-Play: Blur

Nominees: StarCraft II Wii Party

Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit

Winner:

Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit

gamecca feature • issue 19 • January 2011

43

Feature

Best RPG

Nominees: Mass Effect 2 Fable III

Dragon Age: Origins - Awakening

Winner:

Mass Effect 2

Merit Award

Best Game Hunk: James Bond (James Bond 007: Blood Stone)

Merit Award

Most Addictive Game: StarCraft 2

Merit Award Easiest Game: Roary the Racing Car

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gamecca feature • issue 19 • January 2011

Best New IP

Nominees: Alan Wake Dante’s Inferno Heavy Rain

Winner:

Heavy Rain

Best Single Player

Nominees: Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood

Mass Effect 2 Alan Wake

Winner:

Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood

gamecca feature • issue 19 • January 2011

45

Feature Nominees:

Best Sleeper Hit

Castlevania: Lords of Shadow Divinity II: Dragon Knight Saga Tetris Party Deluxe

Winner:

Castlevania: Lords of Shadow

Best Management Nominees: Sims 3 (console) Civilization V

Cities XL 2011

Winner: 46

Civilization V gamecca feature • issue 19 • January 2011

2010 Game of the Year Nominees: Mass Effect 2 StarCraft 2

Red Dead Depemption

Winner:

Red Dead Redemption

Merit Award

Most Difficult Game: Demon’s Souls

Merit Award Best Graphics: Red Dead Redemption

Merit Award Scariest Game: Alan Wake

gamecca feature • issue 19 • January 2011

47

“2”, “PlayStation”, “PS3” and “ ” are trademarks or registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. “ ” is a trademark of the same company.“Ô” is a registered trademark of Sony Corporation. “Blu-ray Disc” and “BD” are trademarks.. All rights reserved. LittleBigPlanet™ 2 ©2010 Sony Computer Entertainment Europe. Published by Sony Computer Entertainment Europe. Developed by Media Molecule. “LittleBigPlanet”, “LittleBigPlanet logo”, “Sackboy” and “Sackgirl” are trademarks or registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Europe. All rights reserved.

littlebigplanet.com

In Synch PS Zealot

by Suvesh Arumugam

F

inally, after much wrangling and negotiating, I was able to get my stolen goods replaced by my insurance company. Being Station-less over holidays has got to be the worst kind of torture, second only to being TV-less. Now imagine being both! But kind and wise, as insurance companies most certainly are, they saw fit to replace my entire home theatre setup with exclusively Sony gear. Now, the nerd in me was already surfing the net like crazy trying to find out what the better TV brand was, which had the best picture, features, etc. This was until I noticed that the latest PS3 slim 320 GB model (sweetly bundled with GT5) now features something called Bravia Sync. And so did the new TV and the Home Theatre Receiver.

I chatted to the salesman about this intriguing buzzword, and he dismissed it, saying it just means that the receiver remote can also work the TV, all brands do this. Not very exciting, I admit, but something in the back of my mind said to me, if it’s all Sony, there must be a benefit, so I took the plunge and signed off on the Sony gear.

Bravia Sync is so much more, and

for gamers, it’s like having a butler.

It took me a while to figure out, but once you’ve got it working, it’s awesome. Ok, I admit, the TV was extremely complicated at first. This was until I realised that 1) The menu system works exactly like a PS menu (convenient) and 2) I needed more HDMI cables to get this to work.

After that, it almost works on its own - it’s as simple as setting an option on each device. Once your Bravia Sync is setup, all 3 devices talk to each other. Not just remote control, but complete integration. I can switch the PS3 on from the TV menu, and then control it from the TV remote.

If like me, you have the power save setting on PS controllers, watching a movie can be a pain! Now you have one remote for everything (including a BluRay Disc remote). Adjusting the TV volume automatically syncs with the home theatre, so you don’t have the remote confusion that inevitably happens with guests who don’t understand your system, it does the thinking for them! If I power on the PS, it automatically switches on the TV and the home theatre, and switching from PS to TV or DVD mode automatically adjusts

the home theatre input, making it idiot-proof. The best feature though, is that when you’re done gaming at 3 or 4am, I often forget to switch off the PS or the home theatre or both, but now powering off the TV automatically switches off all the other components.

This has totally re-invented my PS experience, and taken it from the realm of recreation to lifestyle.

Anyone can operate the PS as a full media centre now, and I can see that Bravia Sync is an amazing ace up Sony’s sleeve, since no other console is able to offer this level of integration and control. But it’s the convenience! I love good sound, and I can’t imagine not playing games through 7.1 quality surround sound speakers (not the cheap PC speakers most stores try to sell you). But it is a hassle spending five minutes just selecting inputs and changing menus, especially if you’re watching a movie with other people who have no idea what’s taking so long! As far as Audio/Visual brands go, Sony will always be in the top 3, but this little add-on puts them squarely at number 1, in my opinion! g

This page is provided by PlayStation Gamer www.playstationgamer.co.za

The Gang’s All Here...

Xbox Beat

by Bryan Banfield

W

ow, another year in the history books and we have yet to be in the future we all dreamed about when we were young. No flying cars. No living on the moon. And, in our social circles, we still find people that have not moved past the old stereotypical Xbox Gamer types.

As life moves more and more towards the digital era and further and further away from the: “let’s all go outside and play” group we find that the bullies and thugs of the school grounds have found a new place to hang out. Xbox Live Multiplayer.

I had a bit of a laugh as I was mentally walking through this month’s column and wondered if I was the only person struggling with this quandary. A simple Google search and my fears were averted. I was not the odd one out. The broken toy or the one with a chip on his shoulder.

It appears that there are a few of us out there who have a little to say to the nasty boys on our service.

For a stroke of fun this month, lets categorise them as I have found them and as I have found others experiencing them. Paint on the smile and let’s go.

Our first specimen is what I like to call the Cry Baby. This is the chap that at the end of all rounds, map games or races is the one that is going off about why, if the world was different, he would have beaten you.

We are all enjoying the post-game chat and banter and there is one players screaming things like “man, I would have beaten you if I have one

more power-up” or “I lost because my finger cramped up from owning you so hard.” Or maybe “there was too much lag.” It all boils down to the fact that out of a possible 16 odd players, he was the only one that had something happen to him and he lost.

Our next group of “friends” are those that cause grief. The one on the team that is looking at the birds in the trees when he should have the crosshairs pointed at enemies.

The one that spends the whole time driving in the wrong direction to cause more accidents. These are not spoil-sports… just the ones that don’t play properly when needed.

Number three is the bully from high school. Through and through. This is the guy that shouts over the mic that he is going to kick your <insert bad word here> ass. Typically it goes down like this... You head shot him in Black-Ops and now he spends the rest of the game hunting only you.

The best way to deal with this little man is to keep delivering head shots over and over again.

The Spook is the one that never says a word. If you are in a game he just hovers around, never joins TF2 starts and will not follow orders.

Then, just as quickly as he joined, he is gone. Pray that if a Spook joins your Battlefield: Bad Company 2 game, pray, just pray that he is any good.

The next man is the one that never gets out. Xbox Live is his social outlet. You are screaming for backup and asking for cover fire and all you hear about is how his day is going and what he is planning to

have for dinner tonight. The fact that he fought with his parents and is probably grounded has nothing to do with the fact that you are losing a supply point on the map.

Our final stereotype is everybody’s inside man. No matter how much enjoyment was had in the last round there is always someone who is right there to tell you that there is another game that is way better and that he knows this as a fact because he was in the beta. Or that he knows the developers and has built a friendship with them on Facebook or Twitter or something like that.

Sometimes it takes a few moments to wonder what the Service would be like of it was not for these people.

Well, if that was the case it would just be severely normal. And who needs that? g

This page is provided by Xbox Gamer 42

www.xboxgamer.co.za

Do Wii Need More?

House of Mario

by Brian Murdoch

I

hope everyone had a safe and happy Christmas and New Year.

I know there where a lot of my friends that enjoyed their new Wii and DSs. Before Christmas I just showed them the great features of the consoles and they went out and bought the 25th Mario special deals. I think some of them even bought the special because of the fact that I would be jealous next time they bring it into the office to play.

I set up my Wii at the office this December and though I could just play in my corner and finished a lot of these classic games that I have downloaded but didn’t get to. I have a rare VGA cable for my Wii and it works well on my second screen for my laptop. The only problem is the resolution that the classic games play on is not supported by the cable, damnit. So I ended up finishing the great Donkey Kong Country Returns instead.

In this light of downloaded games, there have been a few interesting discussions about the Wii’s lack of hard drive in the past. Is the 512mb of memory that the Wii has enough?

Do I need to buy a SD card for my games? The short answer is no! The Wii has a great efficiency to read from the disc while playing games and not making a noise or taking as long as the HD consoles. That previous line will be removed by my editor so let’s give you another reason [really? – ed]. I’ve been reviewing Nintendo games for just over two years now and received not every but almost every game that came out. I download games from the Nintendo shopping channels straight onto my SD card since the Wii menu update. Last month was the first time that I was asked to clean up or select my SD card for my save games to go on. That’s two years of playing just under 300 Wii games and my memory is not full. If you take your console online it will force the SD Card menu

update and downloaded games can be stored and played right off the SD card with no hassle. I know what some of you are thinking and it has been asked of me a few times… can the games on the SD card be copied to another SD card and used on another Wii? As the game boots up it checks the Wii console number and if it does not match the console it was downloaded on then the game does not start. So, in short, no.

The range of games that is available on the Nintendo Shopping Channel will make your Wii become a better entertainment system. Most of the games available are classics, like the old Donkey Kongs, Super Mario Bros and Metroids, but the great range of Wii Ware games that are the same quality of the boxed games is on the increase. The other problem is how you know from a few paragraphs if the game is any good and should buy it. Well, I’m going to be starting reviews on those Wii Ware titles on the Nintendo Gamer site and am inviting others to add their comments as well. Watch the site and subscribe to the RSS feeds for updates. g

This page is provided by Nintendo Gamer 44

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You wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t only find reviews, news and great community features at www.nintendogamer.co.za. You will also find extremely informative FAQs all about the Wii & DS platforms, and the games you can play on them.

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Reviews Highlights 58 Gran Turismo 5 Polyphony’s oft-delayed racer 62 The Fight: Lights Out Bare knuckled beating 66 Epic Mickey Disney’s paint splasher 68 Splatterhouse Gory, gory, gory...

80 God of War: Ghost of Sparta Kratos back on the small screen

W

hat follows is a round up of the last few games we got in 2010... That’s the publishing industry for you.

But just because these games are technically ‘so last year’ doesn’t mean that they aren’t good options for you to take a look at.

You’ll also notice that we are finally running our GT5 review... we decided that, with all the patches coming out, we wanted to give the game a fair shake before firing off a premature review.

That’s how we roll here in the OGC (Official Gamecca Crew.)

We prefer to deliver better reviews a little later in certain cases, rather than rushing off and making fools of ourselves or looking like misinformed fanboys.

Just saying... g

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gamecca review • issue 19 • January 2011

Get a new perspective on technology.

1337 Media, the publishers of Gamecca Magazine, are proud to announce the launch of a new publication, Gladget Magazine, scheduled to arrive on the 15th October 2010.

With Gladget Magazineâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s guarantee that all reviews are generated locally from hands-on experience, readers will be able to rest assured, knowing that all hardware & software reviews showcase products that are available in SA.

ISSUE THREE AVAILABLE NOW! ISSUE FOUR AVAILABLE 18.01.2011

www.gladget.co.za Gladget, Simply Technology.

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Fun to read and invaluable in keeping up with technology & trends, Gladget Magazine will be focused on gadgets, tech-toys & hardware, offering readers access, through free subscription, to reviews, features & tons of interesting information every month.

Gladget Magazine will be published at www.gladget.co.za every month, fourteen days after its sister magazine Gamecca, which is available on the1st working day of each month at www.gamecca.co.za.

Gran Turismo 5

The Real Driving Simulator Six years in the making.

I

n 2005 Gran Turismo 4 released on the PlayStation 2. Five years later, we finally have its official sequel, Gran Turismo 5. A lot of things can happen in five years. A lot of things have happened in the last five years. We’ve seen the introduction of the PS3 and the Xbox. We’ve seen hundreds of new games, and many new franchises. And we’ve seen three Forza Motorsport titles.

This spells trouble for gaming’s most treasured racing franchise.

Gran Turismo games have always set the benchmark for graphics, car selection and realism, but the Forza series has really turned up the heat. The latest version even has full in-car views, hyper-realistic sound and a proper car tuning options. GT5 has its work cut out…

Let’s start with the visuals, then. It’s sad that exceptions have to be made, but such is the case with GT5. When its graphics are good, they’re fantastic. It has everything GT5 Prologue had, but with a bit more polish. Sadly, of the 1 031 cars in the game, only around 200 have been given the balls-out “premium” treatment.

These premium cars are highly detailed; they also feature full interior views, more realistic crash damage and even

58

by Richard Bingham sound better. That’s only one fifth of the cars in the game, though. The other 800 cars – the “standard” models – simply feel like they’ve been ported over from previous Gran Turismo games. They are flat, lifeless boxes with no extra polish and, sometimes, even pixelated textures.

On the other hand, Forza 3 has more than 500 cars now, including the downloadable content, and all of those have interior views. With full damage on all of them.

Trackside scenery also varies in its presentation. There are some gorgeous views to be had in GT5. Having spent a lot of time in cars, in many conditions, I can attest to how terrifyingly realistic it is when you get into a car and drive at night on some of the courses. Add rain to the equation and I’m literally too scared to drive quickly.

One of the tracks in the game is a bit of automotive perversion: two 10-kilometer-long stretches of Tokyo highway connected by offramps. And it’s set at night.

Driving along this, under clear skies, you see the lights in the Japanese capital twinkling in the distance. There are even fireworks going off in the night sky. Then it can start raining and the lighting from the buildings reflect on the wet tar, while your (premium) car’s wipers furiously

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sashay left and right to keep visibility optimum. You can even switch your headlights to bright, for better visibility.

But then you get some tracks with rinky-dink scenery.

Two-dimensional trees and cardboard cut out spectators.

Worse, still, is that the spray effect from the rain-soaked tracks seriously messes with the aliasing on the car models: put simply, drive through the rain and the edges of your car look like they’re made of LEGO. It’s all very… inconsistent. I can’t help but wonder if this is stuff that was still being worked on when Polyphony was forced to ship the game – conveniently – in time for the 2010 Christmas rush.

Audio is another let down. Technically it’s very good.

Sound comes from where it’s supposed to, the surround effects are fantastic if you have a compatible home theatre system. I even like some of the music they’ve included (the My Chemical Romance track used in the intro video is a guilty pleasure). However, when I’m bombing down the long straight at Le Mans, in France, I don’t get the feeling that these cars are the real deal. Here is where Forza 3 blows GT5 into the weeds. Its cars sound almost exactly like their real-life counterparts, while Gran Turismo’s cars

gamecca review • issue 19 • January 2011

sound good at idle and low revs, but pile on the revs – as you’re bound to do in a game about driving – and the exhaust notes become monotonous and synthetic. Believe it or not, cars – especially supercars – are very much about the aural experience. Engine and exhaust notes are organic and dynamic. Cars in Gran Turismo 5 sound like, wait for it, they’re in a video game. From the 90s.

So some of the cars look very good and the locations can look good depending on the weather. Not everything sounds great, but that can be overlooked if Gran Turismo 5 passes the most important test of all: driving.

While the first four Gran Turismo games were lauded for their “realistic” driving physics, it’s simply because there was no real point of reference. Unfortunately for Polyphony Digital, Turn 10 studios released Forza Motorsport around the same time as Gran Turismo 4 and gamers soon discovered that the Xbox racer had a more realistic feel to its driving. Tyres would progressively let go of the road when pushed hard, and cars could be manipulated more easily using driving knowledge taught in professional driving schools.

Gran Turismo 5 definitely has a very good physics model

59

compared to its predecessors. For once it’s possible to push a car’s handling to the limit and not immediately be flung off the track. Assuming you’ve turned off all the driving assists, it’s possible to get a feeling that’s close to driving a real car, but there are still some caveats.

Push too hard, and your car will be sent into a terminal slide. The important word there is terminal: the end of; death; irreversible. When you get down to it, and having spent an inordinate amount of time studying these things and playing with real physics, the cars in Gran Turismo 5 have no weight.

Take a front-wheel drive car like the Golf GTI: in real life it’s possible to drive this around a tight bend by entering a tad too quickly and lifting off the gas. This causes the weight to shift to the front of the car, which helps tighten the line and maybe even lets the back end step out a bit. It’s not the fastest way to drive the car, but a great example of something GT5 doesn’t replicate.

I’m not averse to playing racing games with unrealistic

60

physics (see: Burnout, Need for Speed, Test Drive Unlimited) but when a game calls itself “The Real Driving Simulator” and fails to really simulate driving, I’m going to be very critical.

In short, Gran Turismo 5 can at times offer a compelling driving experience. In the right car, at the right time, through the right corner at the right speed, you’ll feel very drawn in. It’s not consistent. If this game were a car, its temperamental nature would make it an Alfa Romeo – and that’s arguably the marque with the most passion.

There are other issues, too. Load times are inexplicably long. This review was written during loading screens. The artificial intelligence is still terrible: computer-controlled cars will happily slam into you. Menu layout and navigation is atrocious, with loads of confirmation screens before you see any progress (or more loading screens).

Crash damage is supposed to be in the game, but it’s not realistic. Hit a wall at 200km/h and your bumpers just get scratched. There is talk that this might be fixed in a patch.

gamecca review • issue 19 • January 2011

Work in Progress At the time of writing, GT5 has had four updates issued on the PlayStation Network. The first three were around 130MB, each. The most recent (v 1.05) was 660MB. That’s around 1GB worth of updates to get the game to its current, slightly better state of playability.

The first two enhanced some of the game’s online bits, as Polyphony’s servers crumbled under load. Version 1.03 added mechanical damage in online races, while 1.05 added an online car dealer and tweaked many other things.

No doubt there will be more patches, with the game’s creator promising all manner of possible fixes and additions via his Twitter feed. He’s already entertained notions of including motorcycles and offering premium versions of the standard cars – but what I consider its biggest flaws seem to go unmentioned. It’ll be interesting to revisit GT5 a year from now to see how far things have progressed.

AT A GLANCE: A labour of love, with some very ragged edges. Pretty to look at, but a pain to play.

Developer: Polyphony Digital Publisher: SCEE Distributor: Ster Kinekor

Parental Advisory Violence Language Sex Drug Use Prejudice

3+ gamecca review • issue 19 • January 2011

Accessibility Hard-Core Medium Casual

PS3 Platforms

Nothing confirmed, though.

The online lobby system is the worst in existence: I was able to join my American friend in a race, and a British friend came too, but in the race the Brit and I could not see one another, while the American saw us both on track.

It’s terribly broken.

It’s also cumbersome to collect a party and find your friends playing online, since it lacks an invite system. This, for a game that makes a big song and dance about having support for sixteen player multiplayer races.

Gran Turismo is the franchise that has sucked away more hours of my life than any other. It’s the series that introduced me to many cars I love today and something I have the fondest memories of, and perhaps this is why I’m so disappointed with 5.

I want it to be better than Forza, but I have to face the facts: it’s not. Here’s hoping that Kaz can issue some online updates to better realise his vision. g

PC X360 Kinect

PS3 Move

Wii PSP DS PS2

Score

76 61

The Fight: Lights Out

Gritty

But not much else.

T

he PlayStation Move control system is one that is going to allow for numerous new ideas to come to the PS3. Some of them are obvious, and other are no so obvious. One of the more obvious choices is a game that involves fists – boxing type stuff. And so it is little wonder that one of the first games to be released for this new system is just that.

But The Fight: Lights Out is not the sensitised and sanitised boxing you would find in a number of other titles for movement controlled systems. The developers obviously wanted to create a game that would appeal to an older market, a more brutal, visceral title.

The first thing they did was find an actor with some serious attitude to play the part of the player’s advisor and trainer. They picked Danny Trejo – it seems that the man nicknamed Machete and known for his numerous tough guy roles would be perfect for the part. But whether through bad direction or just plain old ham acting, Danny comes across more laughable than tough. He just has too much attitude. Put two Move controllers in his hands during the tutorial, and the whole affair actually becomes

62

by Walt Pretorius funny. Here’s this mean-looking tough guy telling you how exactly to smash your opponent to a pulp, holding a couple of Move wands, complete with gently glowing orbs.

Things don’t really get better from there on in. See, the basic premise is that the player is a bare knuckle boxer who wants to make a name for himself. That, quite honestly, is as deep as the plot goes. The player moves from one grimy setting to another, beating up on numerous opponents. Depth? Not so much.

The preferred control method is for the player to have a Move controller in each hand. The software differentiates between the two controllers by having each orb glow a different colour. In principle, it’s sound. The software even tracks head movement by way of the PlayStation Eye camera. In theory, the player should be able to bob, weave and punch to their heart’s content.

But something went wrong between the drawing board and the final product. The head tracking, for example, is absolutely awful – it seems the software thinks everyone is a hunch-back, because it confuses heads and shoulders.

It’s better to just turn the head tracking off and modify

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games where button mashing are a problem, but it’s really redundant in this title.

The graphics in the title are not too bad, although they are a little on the bland side. The developers opted for using washed out colours to add to the overall grittiness of the titles, making the somewhat drab environments even more so. The character models are good, and show damage during the fights. They aren’t particularly inspiring, though, and the players opponents start looking the same after a while.

While the concept was brilliant, The Fight: Lights Out represents a squandered opportunity. One could easily blame the hardware, but there have already been titles that have shown excellent implementation of the Move system. Rather, this is a matter of a game that was either approached incorrectly, or didn’t get enough attention. If there are future instalments in this franchise, they may be better, but this first title leaves a lot to be desired. g

AT A GLANCE: A disappointing end result based on an excellent concept, The Fight: Lights out gets more wrong than right.

Developer: X-Bow Software Publisher: SCEE Distributor: Ster Kinekor

Parental Advisory Violence Language Sex Drug Use Prejudice

16+ gamecca review • issue 19 • January 2011

Accessibility Hard-Core Medium Casual

PS3 Platforms

ducking with a button instead.

Blocking would seem a simple procedure, with the player just pulling their fists in close, right? Nope, not here.

Another button is needed to modify for blocks. Movement is performed by tilting one of the wands with yet another button depressed, but the opponents move around so much that the player ends up using one hand to fight, and the other to move.

Speaking of fighting, the game seems to enjoy losing tracking of the Move remotes, which results in the player having to throw three punches to land one accurately. This is particularly strange because the game will have the player go through a laborious calibration sequence before every fight.

The player will also be able to train (with the same kind of difficulty that fights pose with regards to accuracy) to build up their stats. That’s all fine and well – you need to build them up because (initially, at least) your in-game punches will suck, no matter how hard or fast you throw them in real life. The stats are fairly obvious, except for the inclusion of a stamina stat. It’s a good idea in

PC X360 Kinect

PS3 Move

Wii PSP DS PS2

Score

48 63

NBA Jam

Face Off No holds barred B ball

L

ike the title implies, NBA Jam is a smooth action packed game of basketball. NBA Jam is a 2 on 2 basketball game with outrageous slam dunks, big shots and bigger blocks. This is an “on the edge of your seat” game which keeps you coming back for more every time. NBA Jam is simply a dunk-a-thon that everyone will enjoy. When I say big dunks I mean super high, gravity defying dunks. This outrageous game always put a smile on my face, and the fast pace game keeps it exciting all the time.

There are many game modes available, including a classic campaign, a two on two, remix tour which include such modes as smash, domination, elimination, 21 and remix 2 vs 2. There is also a big boss mode which can be unlocked as you progress through the classic campaign mode. The gamer can play as a single player Vs the A.I, or two players can take on the CPU... even two on two battles with your buddies, that can be better at times because when you nail a three pointer or dunk a screamer,

64

by Dylan Bouch boasting can be rewarding .

All the game modes available supply a decent amount of game time, with the remix tour smash being one of my favourites. Smash is a jam session with no time limit.

The goal of this game mode is to smash the opponent’s backboard with heavy hitting slam dunks.

The standard rules of basketball don’t apply much in NBA Jam. There are no fouls or violations, so expect an elbow or two, or even a shove, but don’t let this put you off because you can do the same in return. The only no-no is goaltending and the 24 second rule, so the game can be physical at times.

Overall the graphics aren’t too bad - the visuals are quite realistic, though the players look like they have 2D heads on 3D bodies. The courts look great and the characters move well with no frame drops or freezing during the fast paced action. The background graphics are very ordinary, though. One of the coolest parts is breaking the glass backboard… this doesn’t just look good but

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opponents face constantly is great fun, but if not used staying ahead in the game will be difficult. Defence should be a big part of your game and if you can get it right, defence might please you more than offence.

Passing in NBA Jam has been done nicely, simply one button for a pass and, if you want the ball, the same button will call for the pass. This concept also applies when alley-oops come in to play. Just jump for glory, receive or pass the ball and dunk it home.

NBA Jam is a fun filled game that all gamers will enjoy, but if you’re not too interested in the B ball scene this title might be short lived. With plenty of game modes and all sorts of unlockables this game does offer value for money.

The gamer can challenge all the top players from all 30 NBA teams, not to mention that you can face off with the Democrats or the Republicans, with Obama and Bush shooting hoops. NBA Jam is the revival of the classic NBA Jam but is much better. g

AT A GLANCE: This is one of the better arcade sports games of the year.

Developer: EA Sports Publisher: Electronic Arts Distributor: EA South Africa

Parental Advisory Violence Language Sex Drug Use Prejudice

3+ gamecca review • issue 19 • January 2011

Accessibility Hard-Core Medium Casual

X360 Platforms

sounds great as well.

The sounds in the game blew me away, from the music (which was just awesome upbeat funk) all the way down to the squeak of the sneakers on the court. The cheering crowd, with the dancing cheerleaders, make it feel like the gamer is right in the game. The commentary from Tim Kitzrow is hilarious, with one liners that add to the game’s overall appeal.

The control setup is not too complicated but there will still be some challenge for the more intense gamers. The game uses the d-pad or the analogue control to perform basic manoeuvres… saying that, some controls are easier on the analogue than the pad. Shooting and dunking are done by the same button or analogue direction but with different timing. Shooting baskets in concession will unleash the fire within and the hoop will light up in flames each time you make a basket. Each individual player has a hot spot and once you find it, the three points keep rolling in. Blocking and being in your

PC X360 Kinect

PS3 Move

Wii PSP DS PS2

Score

76 65

Epic Mickey

Paint or Thinners?

Not a masterpiece…

E

pic Mickey sees none other than Mickey Mouse in his own game. The game, at the beginning, does seem like just another 3D platformer, with the added extra of painting (creating) and thinning (erasing) the surroundings and environmental objects to help Mickey on his journey, but after playing through these it opens up into another Disney theme park where all the forgotten cartoon characters have now made their home. These characters will not be recognised by most because they only formed the background of the Disney Stories and were outshone by the more popular main characters. This, combined with the multiple endings and paths, will have players coming back to the beginning and playing through again to see what happens if they paint a different picture.

The series of unfortunate events shown in the first part of the game explains how the world, as it is, came into being. Starting before Mickey was a star, he was working

66

by Brian Murdoch in a Wizard’s house, watching and learning. He sneaks up to find out what the Wizard is doing and sees him painting a master piece with paint and thinners. This is no ordinary paint and thinners and the things that it creates come alive. He then leaves and Mickey tries his own hand at the painting, which does not turn out so well and after Mickey spills everything together and makes a noise, the Wizard returns… too late to save the situation. He misses the monster that Mickey accidentally created, which hides in the painting.

Years later Mickey becomes famous… but then one day the Monster comes out the painting and captures him. In the commotion Mickey grabs what he does not know at the time will save him - the paint brush - and falls into the painting world with it.

The instructions seem to be missing narration. I know there are some that want every word in a game to be voiced and most of these are the people that too lazy to

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weapon. The combat does not overpower the game and is not the main focus… puzzles and choices are more common and the real power of the game. There are also very creative ways to destroy or recreate the environment in the game to help those cartoons in the world call it a better and more beautiful home.

Helping the locals and doing a few simple quests will grant Mickey with power sparks that open up portals to other locations, to continue with his journey.

The extras that are unlocked are a necessary and excellent addition to the game. Watching through some old reels of film and other fun unlocks will have player sweeping the stage to get them all.

Disney fans will eat this title up and it will make player extremely happy when they correctly identify the characters and where they are from. The game is a gem but I would hesitate to call it epic. g

AT A GLANCE: Epic Mickey is a good game and delivery well with only a few short comings. Disney fans particularly will look past its shortcomings.

Developer: Junction Point Publisher: Disney Interactive Distributor: Prima Interactive

Parental Advisory Violence Language Sex Drug Use Prejudice

7+ gamecca review • issue 19 • January 2011

Accessibility Hard-Core Medium Casual

Wii Platforms

read. But there is no spoken instruction here… just a lot of reading. Even this style of explanation sometimes does not help clearly explain what is going on and the choices the Mickey has to make. Ending up thinning or painting the wrong thing with does not end the game, but makes the player’s task difficult at times.

The camera angle could have been done better and controlling it with the DPad can be an issue. You’ll need to do it, though, as the automatic angle just does not seem to be good enough or is purposely trying to make the game harder in not showing you the next ledge or the floor.

The basics of the game stem from the paint brush and as the player chooses to paint or thin things out in the game, they paint the path to continue on with the story.

The main enemies running around are called blotlings can be either thinned out or painted (to make them allies for Mickey). The paint brush also doubles as a close combat

PC X360 Kinect

PS3 Move

Wii PSP DS PS2

Score

78 67

Splatterhouse

Splat!

Bringing down the house

E

verybody remembers Splatterhouse, right? You know the one where players are possessed by a mask, and are tasked with ripping the limbs off of enemies for no apparent reason? Sure you do, and the good news is that the game is back in all its glory (or should that be gory?)

Yip, Rick is back in the fray and since the original Splatterhouse was released a very long time ago, Namco Bandai decided to go digging in their library to find a game that needs a bit of polish and a remake – so the 2010 version of Splatterhouse was born.

In terms of plot, the third-person hack-and-slash isn’t very imaginative, but a plot it has none the less. Main character Rick and his girlfriend Jenny travel to Dr. West’s house, who is a professor in Necrobiology, and predictably the pair gets attacked by West’s creations.

The ugly beings kidnap poor old Jenny and leave Rick for dead, until he knocks over a sarcophagus with a mask inside. Why the mask is able to talk isn’t really explained,

68

by Charlie Fripp but the mask urges Rick to put it on in order to save his beloved. In doing so, Rick kind of sells his soul to the devil, which also gives him inhuman strength.

So with the mask on Rick’s face, and his brand new physique courtesy of the blood from others, he naturally sets off to save Jenny before it is too late. That is the plot in a nutshell; we promise there is a bit more to it, but it all seems irrelevant during the course of the game.

Something that also isn’t explained is why there are eleven collectable naughty pictures of Jenny lying around the Dr.’s house – oh well.

As mentioned before, the game takes on a third-person hack-and-slash role, which does work rather well at times.

The ‘hack-and-slash’ definition should actually be revised, especially for this game, as it should be ‘hack-and-stickyou-arm-down-his-throat-to-rip-out-his-lungs’ – definitely one of the most brutal we have ever seem.

And although Rick is rather good at using his fists to settle a score, players will be able to pick up different

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calibre. It doesn’t feature an awful lot of detail, but the necessary bits are there to convey the right message.

The bulk of the graphical output, however, seems to shock gamers in the sense that a lot of blood will be flowing.

Granted, the title isn’t called Splatterhouse for nothing, but once the shock-value wears off, it seems like there isn’t much else under the skin.

There is also a special treat for fans of the original 1988 title, in the sense that the remake utilises some of the side-scroller dynamics in some levels. So if gamers loved the original, they will feel right at home when the game kicks in to homage gear.

This game definitely isn’t for everyone, but if splattering bucket loads of blood within a relatively weak story line is what players are after, they surely won’t be disappointed.

The graphics are good enough to keep players enthralled, although the voice-acting could have done with some polish. g

AT A GLANCE: It’s a good effort in terms of remake, but it might not be for everyone.

Developer: BottleRocket Publisher: Namco Bandai Games Distributor: Megarom

Parental Advisory Violence Language Sex Drug Use Prejudice

18+ gamecca review • issue 19 • January 2011

Accessibility Hard-Core Medium Casual

X360 Platforms

weapons throughout the stages, ranging from spiked bats to chainsaws. A bit of a niggle came in here, as the button to pick up a weapon and drop a weapon is the same. When in a hurry, Rick won’t automatically drop a weapon to pick up another, wasting valuable slashing time.

But that isn’t the real issue here. The major problem with the game – besides the really gratuitous violence – is the repetitive nature of the combat.

Sure, the game does employ some different tactics every now and again, but in general everything ends up the same way.

The combat is brutal and borderline funny at times, but how much of the same thing can you do until it becomes boring? And to execute a limb-ripping manoeuvre, the game goes into an almost quick-time sequence cut-scene – every single time.

In terms of graphics, the game is pretty, if it can be described as that, but in all seriousness, the graphics are exactly what one would expect from a remake of this

PC X360 Kinect

PS3 Move

Wii PSP DS PS2

Score

75 69

Donkey Kong Country Returns

Bigger and Better More Donkey than you can handle

D

onkey Kong Country Returns is the Wii remake of the 1994 version, made for the Super Nintendo.

What a difference between the two games!

(Check out the Essential Classics section of last month’s mag to see what the older game was all about.)

Donkey Kong County Returns is a side scrolling game, like New Super Mario Bros Wii, but in my Mario fan boy opinion this one is much better and more exciting. Yes, I’m saying that this game is better than a Mario game. [I think I just saw a flying pig… - ed] The Island’s Volcano has erupted and evil Tikis have taken over the animals on the island. Controlling the animals, the Tikis get them to steal all of the bananas from Donkey Kong’s hoard. The Tikis hypnosis does not seem to work on Donkey Kong and after beating the Tikis out of his hut, Kong finds that all of his bananas have been taken. Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong proceed to go through the levels and fighting the hypnotised big boss animals to get to the Tiki boss and stop all this mayhem.

In the previous title Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong could be played separately, where Diddy could jump higher and

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by Brian Murdoch

Donkey was stronger, with the player swapping between each to achieve the goal. If any one of these died then only the other could be played until a special barrel was found. In the new Wii version the barrel is still there but it always brings Diddy back. This is because Donkey Kong is the only playable character and Diddy joins him on his back. This partnership lets Donkey jump and float a bit, with the aid of Diddy’s rockets, and gives the player another two hearts of life. Once these two hearts are spent, Diddy will fall off and only return at the next barrel.

But these game mechanics are not really what impressed me with this title. The action packed stages and extra dimensions that the game makes you think about it are the real treasures. Barrel firing is a common occurrence in a Donkey Kong game and I find it quite amazing that they are all placed so correct as to fling Kong from one point to the next. Some of these blast Kong into another dimension or a side scrolling platform behind the current one, which may just be an extra bit of the stage or a secret location for puzzle pieces. With a combination of hanging and swinging on, and with,

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scrolling controls, shaking it up and down will cause Donkey to pound the floor, shaking while pushing left or right will cause him to roll and shaking while pushing down will make him blow. This blow will open dandelions and cause flowers and wind mills to turn and reveal items.

The replayability comes from the extra collectable items hidden throughout the stages. At first there are the classic Kong letters that need to be caught in order and do not stay caught, unlike the puzzle pieces. Each stage has a different amount of puzzle pieces and equipping one of the purchased parrots from a merchant shop will have him squawking whenever there is a secret entrance nearby.

These collectables and the time-attack mode are what bring players back for more after finishing the stage to unlock some very cool extras.

The game is really for all types of gamers and if the stage or section is just too hard have the piggy show you the way to complete it and carry on with the game. g

AT A GLANCE: This remake features dynamics and twists that even put Mario to shame. It’s a great side-scroller for all Nintendo fans.

Developer: Retro Studios Publisher: Nintendo Distributor: Core Group

Parental Advisory Violence Language Sex Drug Use Prejudice

3+ gamecca review • issue 19 • January 2011

Accessibility Hard-Core Medium Casual

Wii Platforms

moving parts of the stage, the game really helps the idea of a monkey jumping around. Some of the stages are fast paced, with swinging from one rope or moving rock to the next, or jumping a high speed mine kart through the dodgy broken rails.

One action filled stage had Donkey Kong running away from thousands of ants coming out of holes and crevices in the stage. I have a thing against loads of ants like that and the hair on my head is standing up as I write and remember this, a stage I’ll have to ask a friend to go back and collect the collectables for me. The changes and tricks to the stages really do blow your mind and I’ve even had people entertained by watching the action it provides.

Lives in this game are really not an issue, with the player being able to replay any stage, Grand-Father Kong giving you extra life if you are running low and being able to spend the multiple coins that you collect on extra lives.

Don’t miss the secret shops in each stage as you can also buy an extra heart and even a temporary invincibility potion for a stage that is proving to be difficult.

With the Wii remote on its side for standard side

PC X360 Kinect

PS3 Move

Wii PSP DS PS2

Score

90 71

CrossBoard 7

Down the Hill Snowboarding has never been this cool

C

rossBoard 7, AKA ‘Adrenalin Misfits’, is a hoverboard downhill racing game and one of the latest Kinect games for the X360 from Komani.

From the art style, cover and game onset it is quite obvious that CrossBoard 7 is aimed at a younger audience.

The player characters are hip, cool and fluffy and the graphics are bright and childlike. The aim of this game was not to be a precise and complex boarding experience but rather a fun and exciting board racer and it delivers this quite effectively.

As with all Kinect games, no controller is required and by using the Kinect camera, players control the characters onscreen by moving their bodies. In fact you actually have to learn how to board downhill all over by assuming the position and not losing your balance. Players may be a bit rusty to start with but with a little practice they’ll be racing downhill like a pro in no time.

You can choose your character before each race from an available list which will grow as the game progresses.

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by Dion Scotten

Player can choose from “Rox” or “Lux”, who are two standard cool girl or boy characters, or even import their favourite X360 avatar to play with. Additional creature characters are unlocked as the player defeats these bosses in one on one races in a number of events.

These boss characters each have their own expertise and range from the overall specialist to others that excel at jumping, tricks or speed. These could come in handy when trying to beat top scores in certain events.

Introducing the hover board… this concept board is an all-terrain ‘snowboard’ and player will be able to collect up to 60 of them throughout the game. Each board comes with a variety of attributes, which include speed, power, technique and jump abilities, and range from novice to expert, depending on the level the player has achieved.

A total of 7 different race environments are available for players to race through including down snowy mountains, rivers and waterfalls and a number of land based race maps.

The maps form background scenery mostly and the

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body or lifting up your front leg both perform air tricks, and holding your hands outwards assists with gliding through the air.

The response time of the sensor I found very good and realised that most of the reasons why I crashed was because I didn’t react in time. Sometimes it’s better to just do what the programmer meant you to do instead of trying to push the boundaries until the sensor doesn’t pick up your subtle movement.

Multiplayer is great fun and splits the screen in two, as normal, with no interference from either player. It’s lots of fun when challenging friends and family and quite responsive if done properly.

Granted, CrossBoard 7 is a Kinect launch title but it is quite well put together and an overall a fun game for the whole family.

It’s not for skate game fanatics, who will be frustrated with the limited moves and controls available, but rather for kids of a younger age who will enjoy this game on their own or with friends. g

AT A GLANCE:

A fun and action packed downhill racer for the whole family Developer: Konami Publisher: Konami Distributor: Ster Kinekor

Parental Advisory Violence Language Sex Drug Use Prejudice

7+ gamecca review • issue 19 • January 2011

Accessibility Hard-Core Medium Casual

X360 Platforms

terrain doesn’t really impact on the player’s control of the board. The maps are mostly just downhill corridors but there are a few shortcuts and bonus routes if players get to know their maps well.

Power gates, which grant power ups to players, are scattered around maps on the way down. Use a power up by simply lifting and stomping your front foot down and, depending on the power, you will either boost your character or blast an opponent off of his board.

There are quite a number of different activities for players to choose from beside the tutorial trials to teach budding boarders. These are Free Race, Balloon Buster, Trick Score, Fly Distance, Downhill Slalom, Free Race or Stadium Games, which in itself is made up of Big Air, Terrain Park and Half Pipe. Each of these options has a whole range of different events which unlock as the player achieves a high enough score in the previous event.

The controls of the in-game character are basic and effective. Simply assume the boarding position and lean side to side to turn, or forward to speed up. Twisting your

PC X360 Kinect

PS3 Move

Wii PSP DS PS2

Score

74 75

John Daly’s Pro Stroke Golf

The Swing

But’s that’s all there is, really…

G

olf games are fun. See, us wanna-be golfers have either one of two problems (or, in some cases, like yours truly, both). Golf is expensive, in the first instance. Just getting the gear will cost you a pretty penny, not including clothing, lessons, greens fees and all that sort of stuff. In the second instance, it can be a very difficult game to play. There is a lot of skill involved in golf, which is why top golfers get paid so much money.

It’s cheaper and easier to get your golf fix on the virtual courses to be found in golf simulations. And there are good golf sims out there, particularly EA’s Tiger Woods PGA Tour franchise. This particular collection has become the de facto yard-stick that all golf games are measured against, so don’t be surprised when you see the comparisons crop up. It’s so entrenched, in fact, that very few games come close to challenging its position as the world’s favourite golf simulation. But that won’t stop them from trying, though.

Take John Daly’s Pro Stroke Golf. This newcomer tries valiantly to pose a threat to the Tiger Woods games by

76

by Walt Pretorius implementing Move based control exceptionally well… something which the latest Tiger Woods game had to be patched for, and didn’t really do a good job of.

The control really is excellent. The player can make all kinds of tweaks and adjustments to their game by rotating the Move controller, or angling it. Further, the player can change their stance and do all sorts of things that make their game a bit more exceptional. The only real problem with the Move control is that aiming the ball, using a targeting system very similar to the Tiger Woods games, is a bit finicky.

This excellent implementation of Move control extends through the whole golfing experience, from driving to putting. In fact, the putting in this title is awesome, devoid of all the silly little notions that make it such a pain in other golf sims.

To be honest, the whole experience is devoid of those ideas. This is as real an experience as you’re going to find. There is no modification of abilities by equipment, no spinning of the ball in the air – it’s just pure golf.

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going. There is a quick game mode, which is selfexplanatory, a multiplayer mode (the online servers of which are horribly under-populated with other players) and a career mode. This final mode needs some explanation, because “career mode” is a serious misnomer. This particular mode tasks the player with finishing numerous challenges, which will unlock a new course for use in other modes. An A to Z career it most certainly is not.

As a great implementation of the Move system, this game shines. But unless you seriously want it to be able to feel the swing in a more realistic manner, it falls far too flat in other aspects to make it a serious contender. And, if you don’t have the Move system, the analogue control it offers is inferior to that of the Tiger games.

This is a franchise that may, possibly, be a challenge to EA’s popular series in the future. It has a long way to go to get there, though. g

AT A GLANCE: The controls are great, but everything else will leave you wanting.

Developer: TBC Publisher: Oxygen Interactive Distributor: Ster Kinekor

Parental Advisory Violence Language Sex Drug Use Prejudice

3+ gamecca review • issue 19 • January 2011

Accessibility Hard-Core Medium Casual

PS3 Platforms

Of course, this does bring a small quirk into the mix – the accuracy of the control system means that, if you have a rotten golf swing in real life it’s going to be just as rubbish in the game. That’s not the game’s fault, of course…

While the control system in John Daly’s Pro Stroke Golf shines, the rest of the game pretty much falls flat.

The graphics, particularly, are a massive let down. The characters don’t look anywhere near as good as they should, with even the titular golfer not looking right.

The courses are bland, with blocky trees and lack-lustre textures all over the place. While a certain degree of latitude in graphics is naturally permissible, these looks just don’t make the grade at all.

Likewise, the sound within the game could have been a lot better. The overall presentation, from the menus through to the undeniably boring tutorials, doesn’t have the pizazz that one would expect from a game openly competing with EA’s franchise.

Another big problem with the game are the game modes. The game offers very little to keep the player

PC X360 Kinect

PS3 Move

Wii PSP DS PS2

Score

56 77

Dance Evolution

Anime Disco Dance karaoke!

D

ance Evolution is a title moulded from decades of experience ruling the neon-lit arcades in downtown Tokyo. The game opens to around two-dozen licensed J-pop, hip-hop and R&B titles, all of which have never been heard of. Included are hits like Exotic Ethnic from RevenG, Jun’s Kimono Princess and A Geisha’s Dream by Naoki, whose cheery tune and upbeat rhythm will stick with you for days.

Kinect obviously raises the bar for a series that was previously bound to a dance mat that responded only to precise footwork. Like the competition, it directs the entire body to punch ripples, strike poses, place the feet and wave the arms to the on-screen prompts, the accuracy of which will determine whether the song can be completed without failing.

Each of the songs on offer can be played freely from the start on either light, standard, or extreme difficulty, with another mode called Stealth unlockable later down the line. Every ‘Great’ or ‘Perfect’ move the player performs fills up the Dance Gauge, whereas being merely ‘Good’ or really bad depletes the bar. In a first for all the dancing

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by Alexia Pestana titles available for Kinect, the player can fail a song if the gauge reaches zero. This doesn’t mean the player actually has to dance for the entire track. You see, instead of going the “mirror the dancer” method implemented by Harmonix, Konami thought that matching poses and limb movements would be more fun. Dance Evolution doesn’t take the time to teach you the routines either (unlike Dance Central, there’s no choreography-learning mode nor any indication of the upcoming moves) and while the more experienced dancers will enjoy the challenge of following the routine to perfection, others will stand there and wait for the next prompt to show up before executing it. Just make sure you strike the poses and hit the sweet spots – they are all that matter here.

Dance Evolution is not a master of variety and Konami even points this out, possibly unintentionally, on its own site: “Choose from different modes to give yourself the ultimate dance experience: Dance Mode”. Maybe there was supposed to be a second mode at one point, but player selectable options are few. You can play alone, with a friend beside you, floor space permitting, or online. The

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Konami stuck with a very controller-centric menu system that brings any post-dance groove to a complete halt.

Sliding menu options from left to right is simple enough, yet it feels incredibly clunky. This is an easily avoidable mess had Konami been willing to put more information on the screen instead of requiring six hand waves to check your scores in any given song. This is all information that should have been visible on the main song selection screen, alongside its title and difficulty rating, rather than requiring you to go through each difficulty manually. There is a slightly more convenient way to check scores in the Records section, but then you have to back out of the Dance Mode entirely to go back to the main menu screen.

It seems like such a trivial thing and it proves incredibly frustrating when trying to chase achievements and find where you need more practice.

Some will find themselves drawn to its fast-paced world of Japanese Pop and over-complicated gameplay concepts, but the majority of players attempting to master this particular dance will likely be left wrong footed.g

AT A GLANCE:

A dancing game where the moves don’t really matter.

Developer: Konami Publisher: Konami Distributor: Ster Kinekor

Parental Advisory Violence Language Sex Drug Use Prejudice

3+ gamecca review • issue 19 • January 2011

Accessibility Hard-Core Medium Casual

X360 Platforms

only real choices come from selecting the song and what difficulty you want to tackle. They offer some pre-made setlists - which you’ll have to achieve a top score on in order to unlock Stealth mode; dancing the routine without any on screen prompts - or you can just select songs individually. It’s disappointing that there’s no way for players to make their own setlists, if only to avoid having to navigate through the menus constantly.

Kinect games demand clean menus that involve simple movements to navigate. It’s not going to matter how good or bad the game is if you end up spending all your time fighting with the menus to get there. Since the Kinect is so new, it is difficult to decide where to properly assign blame for wonky controls. Is the camera just having a fit? Is it my space? Did Konami duff up the communication between my actions and its readings? After redoing my whole life to give Kinect 4-6m, upgraded from my previous 2m, I choose to blame Konami for some poor decisions.

Other games, like Kinect Adventures, wisely decided to make menu navigation as easy as possible with large buttons and important information visible at a glance.

PC X360 Kinect

PS3 Move

Wii PSP DS PS2

Score

61 79

God of War: Ghost of Sparta

Small Screen Carnage Here’s a reason to buy a PSP…

I

t’s always dangerous to go out on a limb. It speaks of being reactionary, at times, or even of rampant fanboy-ism. While a journalist shouldn’t be a fanboy, or reactionary, there are times when going out on a limb is necessary. And the limb I am about to clamber out on is pretty much sturdy and safe… so here goes: there is no such thing as a bad God of War game.

The first two titles that hit the PlayStation 2 were near revolutionary, while the third edition, which arrived on PS3 to the delight of fans last year, took everything to a new, much higher level. Even the Chains of Olympus release, which hit PSP in 2008, was something that made the Sony handheld shine.

Now, with the release of God of War: Ghost of Sparta, also on the PSP, the series has enjoyed yet another high quality release – and one that takes previous achievements on the PSP and improves on them even further.

The story in Ghost of Sparta takes place between God of War and God of War 2. Kratos, newly enthroned as

80

by Walt Pretorius the god of war after defeating Ares, is troubled by visions of his past. He decides to rid himself of these visions by travelling to Atlantis but, on his arrival, discovers that he needs to go much further than the doomed city to ease his ever-troubled mind. So starts another epic adventure for the brutal hero, but unlike previous games, he almost comes across as human in several rather emotional moments in this title. The story also gives some fascinating insights in his past, which is a treat for those that want more than just action.

The action is exactly what fans of the franchise would expect: massive bloody battles against throngs of relentless foes. Kratos gets access to two weapons in this game – the familiar Blades of Athena, which can be augmented with fire, and a spear and shield combo that proves to be very versatile.

In the first instance, the fire is a useful addition, because it allows Kratos to not only destroy the armour of certain enemies, but to break through doors and destroy key elements of the environment. The spear and shield

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overly frustrated by it.

The actual game-play feels better, too, with tons of action delivered by slightly improved controls. Quick time events are now prompted by button requests at the applicable edges of the screen. While this could sometimes be a bit tricky in God of War 3, the smaller PSP screen makes this system work beautifully. Also, less reliance has been placed on the analogue controller during these sequences, which eliminates much of the frustration that came up in Chains.

The scope and scale of the game is also much grander, with bigger bosses and more detailed environments elevating the overall experience.

Once the game is completed, the player can unlock monsters that can be used in an arena mode, which allows the player to fight bad guys to their heart’s content.

This second PSP instalment by Ready at Dawn is a real triumph. It not only shows what the PSP is capable of, but delivers a valuable, high grade addition to the overall franchise. g

AT A GLANCE:

This second PSP God of War game is nothing short of brilliant – it’s a must-play for fans of the franchise.

Developer: Ready at Dawn Publisher: SCEE Distributor: Ster Kinekor

Parental Advisory Violence Language Sex Drug Use Prejudice

18+ gamecca review • issue 19 • January 2011

Accessibility Hard-Core Medium Casual

PSP

Platforms

allow for both ranged and close attacks, and the shield even allows the character to traverse dangerous terrain.

In addition, two magical effects are also available to the player. The first is a pretty standard lightning based attack, while the second generates an orb that sucks enemies into it.

The overall dynamic is made up of the previously mentioned combat, combined with some light puzzle solving. It is exactly what the doctor ordered, all neatly crammed into a pocket-sized package.

When compared to the previous PSP release, Chains of Olympus, the improvements are quite obvious. The first one lies in the graphics department. Ghost of Sparta looks much better than the previous title, with added detail and a newly built model of Kratos adding to a spellbinding visual experience. Sure, the graphics don’t quite compete with the HD God of War 3, but they shine on the small screen of the PSP, delivering clear and crisp visuals. The camera gets a little annoying at times, because of its fixed position, but it never gets to the point that the player gets

PC X360 Kinect

PS3 Move

Wii PSP DS PS2

Score

94 81

Megamind: Ultimate Showdown

Blue Dude Family Fun

T

he first digitally animated movies only realistically came out a short while ago, but the technology and the success that these films achieve have changed the way animated movies are made. Sure, there are still a few folks out there valiantly trying to keep the ideas and ideals of hand-animation alive, but the big block-busters are being made by computer geeks.

It would seem to make sense that it would be simpler to make a video game based on a movie like this than one based on hand animation or live action. That said, it really doesn’t seem to matter all that much – virtually every big movie (of a certain type) gets a video game these days.

So, no surprises that Dreamworks’ Megamind has got the video game treatment, then. And it’s pretty much exactly what you would expect; a video game aimed at a younger audience, as uncomplicated and entertaining as possible. But it is a little better than the average game made under these circumstances. Megamind: Ultimate Showdown is actually fairly challenging, and quite fun to play, all things considered.

The game, like the film, tells of the nefarious super-

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by Walt Pretorius villain, Megamind, but in the game he has turned over a new leaf and is trying to make a go of the straight and narrow. In the game, Megamind has been wronged by his rival, Blue Tighten (a fantastic name that never fails to get me to grin) and needs to reconstruct a machine that was stolen by his enemy. The plot, essentially, is simple and not really all that important. It’s the addictive platforming action that matters far more.

Seeing as how it is aimed at the younger generation, the game sometimes devolves into very repetitive game dynamics. The player will fight their way through numerous levels, using Megamind’s hand-to-hand skills, as well as a few upgradable weapons. Upgrading is not all that difficult… the player collects energy called B.I.N.K.E.Y virtually everywhere, which is used to buy upgrades. B.I.N.K.E.Y can be earned by beating enemies, trashing the environment, or just by finding it lying around absolutely anywhere. The end result is an environment that is very trashable… cars, benches, telephone booths and almost everything else can be a source of B.I.N.K.E.Y, and the player will likely spend a lot of time just breaking

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though, which keeps things on the fresher side.

If you’re looking for a fun family title that is easy to play, addictive and enjoyable, while remaining inoffensive and generally kid-friendly, Megamind: Ultimate Showdown is a great option. The recognisable characters are always a bonus, if the kids have seen the film, and the longevity of the game is considerable. It will provide a few cheap deaths here and there, but nothing that should prove too frustrating for gamers of almost any age.

Where many games based on movies feel rushed and unfinished, Megamind comes across as polished and professional. The good graphics and excellent voice acting make the game enjoyable, and the ease of play and regular prompting that the game gives the player makes it easy for youngsters to come to grips with. The mini-games and co-op indicate that the developers were keen on producing a better than average experience, rather than trying to make a quick buck. If you or your kids enjoyed the film, the game is well worth considering. g

AT A GLANCE: A fairly good adaptation of the movie, although it does have a lot of repetition.

Developer: TBC Publisher: THQ Distributor: Ster Kinekor

Parental Advisory Violence Language Sex Drug Use Prejudice

7+ gamecca review • issue 19 • January 2011

Accessibility Hard-Core Medium Casual

PS3 Platforms

stuff to buy all those upgrades.

The challenge comes in when some of the stages demand fairly accurate timing and movement to get through. Still, the kids are catered for; dying in the game isn’t punished much at all, and copious checkpoints mean that the player will never have to slog through a whole level over again after a cheap death.

To break potential monotony, the game offers several mini-games, including pod-races and mega-ball challenges.

The latter are quite fun; the player needs to traverse a treacherous obstacle course while inside a big, transparent sphere. Each of the mini-game types has different modes, which add even more variety to the game. And the single player campaign can be played co-op, adding even more fun to the mix.

But that repetition raises its ugly head once again. Even with the parts of the game that are based on movement puzzles can get repetitive, as the player needs to locate twitches, pull boxes and relocate explosives to get through the levels. Each set of levels has its own kind of ideas,

PC X360 Kinect

PS3 Move

Wii PSP DS PS2

Score

72 83

Flingsmash

Smack It!

Random directions rule the day.

N

intendo’s Wii console sits in a unique position when it comes to the video gaming market. While Microsoft and Sony are now trying to tap into a more casual market with their motion based controllers, Nintendo cornered that group of gamers a long time ago.

The result is that, while they are still casual gamers, many Wii players are looking for something that offers them a little more. Sure, there are still many that prefer a simpler game, but even they are becoming more demanding when it comes down to how the game works. Dynamics and physics are becoming more and more important for the little console that could, and the demand for better quality games keeps growing.

One would assume that Nintendo understands this concept. They have demonstrated that they do – even their very accessible party games, like the recently released Wii Party, show a higher level of challenge and complexity (if not in control, then in certain concepts.) So a game like Flingsmash becomes an anomaly, because it largely fails to please the desire for either complexity or accuracy.

On the surface, the game is very simple. The player

84

by Walt Pretorius needs to swing their Wii remote to send a ball shaped character zooming across the screen, breaking blocks as he (or she – there is a female ball character too) goes.

The idea is fairly cool, and the developers tried to inject complexity by adding in a strategic idea: the player can stop the character in mid-air, allowing them to drop into areas that could otherwise not be accessible, or to change their direction of “attack”. The player also has to collect numerous coins and other prizes, some of which will require more than just careful swinging. At times, they will even have to hit designated targets in a specific order.

On paper, it looks like a lot of fun, and initial playthroughs further imply this. But the truth is that the game falls flat in two areas, which almost completely scupper the experience.

The first thing that becomes obvious is that the game is incredibly repetitive. It only really requires one kind of motion, and even the mini-games that the player unlocks only ever need the gamer to swing the remote. Even when strategy is called for, in stopping the character and changing their direction, this is the basic mechanic: swing the remote to send the character off in a particular

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to beat their scores. With the same mechanic employed through-out, it’s a bit doubtful that any but the most dedicated (and possibly boring) people will try and do it.

Even the boss battles in the main game are plain, often resolved with simple, repetitive strategies. And the story – well, there isn’t much of one.

What is really odd is that the game, because of its rather iffy read on the control input, ranges from laughable easy to frustratingly difficult. It is extremely hard to get through the times, hit-the-targets-in-the-right-order bits when the player isn’t even sure that the ball is going to go in anywhere near the right direction.

Bundling this game with the RemotePlus is probably the only chance that Nintendo have of moving many Flingsmash units. If you’re going to buy the bundle, you’ll need to do so because you want the new remote… the game itself is disappointing, from its overly long intro sequence to its let-down of an ending. g

AT A GLANCE: Ultimately disappointing, Flingsmash features repetitive controls and inaccurate sensing.

Developer: Artoon Publisher: Nintendo Distributor: Core Group

Parental Advisory Violence Language Sex Drug Use Prejudice

3+ gamecca review • issue 19 • January 2011

Accessibility Hard-Core Medium Casual

Wii Platforms

direction.

Repetition can be dealt with, and doesn’t bother everyone. But when that repetition is combined with controls that are often inaccurate, things get to a pretty bad point. And Flingsmash fall victim to this second problem too.

The game is sold with one of the new Wii RemotePlus units, which conveniently have MotionPlus built in. And, quite honestly, the software picks up the 1:1 positioning of the remote rather accurately, as indicated by a remote position display in the bottom corner of the game screen.

And yet it manages to mess up the intentions of the player (in terms of the direction that the character is meant to go, and the strength of the swing) rather often. Perhaps the game doesn’t quite get the point of impact right… it’s hard to say. What is obvious, though, is that it gets rather frustrating, with the player resorting to mad flailing just to get through the level, rather than precision aiming to get the ball exactly where they want it.

To add insult to injury, the game is also bland and short. The player will get through it in a few hours, after which they can try and enjoy the mini-games, or attempt

PC X360 Kinect

PS3 Move

Wii PSP DS PS2

Score

42 85

Sports Island Freedom

Run to the Hills No freedom from these sports

G

ames for Microsoft’s Kinect have been popping everywhere since the launch in November and in order for one title to come out on top, there inevitably needs to be a good number of titles that don’t really cut the mustard.

Unfortunately Sports Island Freedom, or Deca Sports Freedom as it’s named in Japan, is one of those titles that stood at the back of the development queue when creativity and fun was handed out.

Let’s get one thing straight from the beginning: all games that get released on Kinect have the potential and the fan base to become great games, but not all games suit all the players. Some players might love a certain game, while they dislike others. The mere fact that the game can pick up your movement is already an achievement in itself, but there has to be at least one game at the bottom of the pile.

Sports Island Freedom, as with most Kinect games that get released so soon after the official launch, is a collection of mini-games of various activities, skill level and difficulty.

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by Charlie Fripp In total, there are 10 activities for players to take part in, ranging from Tennis, Paintball, Boxing and Archery to Beach Volleyball, Dodgeball and a virtual version of the Japanese martial art of sword-fighting, Kendo.

Before players get too excited about the range of activities, their happiness will be short-lived once they have experienced all the sports, as most of them don’t work particularly well.

Stopping short of using the word rubbish, most of the mini-games, the menu system and selection process are incredibly flawed. In other Kinect games, a little hand is displayed on the screen at all times, to give players a firm indication as to where to place their hands. For reasons that are unexplained, Sports Island Freedom steered clear from his, leaving players to guess where they need to hold their hand in order to activate an option.

It becomes really annoying when the system doesn’t correctly pick up your hand placement, leaving gamers to flail their hands just to get an indication as to where the tracking is.

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The game that relatively works the best out of the bunch is figure skating. The players don’t have to physically skate around their living room, but rather assume the poses needed in order to complete the selected difficulty and pieces of music.

Here the game works beautifully in registering the player’s moves and actions, with it even tracking when a leg or an arm is sticking out in a certain direction.

Surprisingly it’s more fun than one would expect, and more so than the other games.

In terms of a decent Kinect game, the Sports Island Freedom still has a long way to go, but then again developers Hudson Soft aren’t known for their awardwinning titles. Without sounding too harsh, there are a lot of better games on the market.

Gamers shouldn’t be fooled by the amount of minigames on offer, as the excitement will only be very shortlived, and the only thing they will have to show for it, will be a stiff arms from the boxing. g

AT A GLANCE: As far as Kinect games go, this one is at the bottom of the pile.

Developer: Hudson Soft Publisher: Hudson Entertainment Distributor: Ster Kinekor

Parental Advisory Violence Language Sex Drug Use Prejudice

3+ gamecca review • issue 19 • January 2011

Accessibility Hard-Core Medium Casual

X360 Platforms

And then there are the actual mini-games. Starting off with Archery, the short tutorial doesn’t help much in terms of understanding the basics, although most people should at least know what to do. During every loading screen, small animations will also indicate what to do.

Aiming in Archery is done by stretching out the left arm, drawing the string back with the right and moving the left arm around so that the reticule is on the target.

That principle works fine, but in order to get the arrow in the target, the left arm needs to be placed nowhere near the centre of the television to get a straight shot. One would think that a straight arm will get a straight shot, but that wasn’t the case. There was also some difficulty in releasing the arrow, and without jokes, the only thing that eventually released the arrow, was assuming a German Third Reich salute.

Kendo is just as confusing, with the blue player seeing another blue player as their opponent, making it rather mind-boggling as to what is actually going on. The game’s action recognition is also a bit off, as one can scratch your ear and the character will go for a strike.

PC X360 Kinect

PS3 Move

Wii PSP DS PS2

Score

59 87

Pokémon Ranger: Guardian Signs

Signs of the Times Same game with a different story.

S

ome Pokémon fans don’t know what to do with themselves until March 2011 when Black and White will be launched. If you fall into that category, then Pokémon Ranger: Guardian Signs might be a title that will satisfy those Pokémon cravings.

Pokémon Ranger is different to the main line of Pokémon game and some players won’t like how different it is.

There is no catching to collect Pokémon and no battling of Pokémon, but rather an almost opposite of that. The Pokémon Rangers are like extreme boy (and girl) scouts that are all about protecting the Pokémon, people and land around them. Equipped with a capture stylus, these rangers befriend the Pokémon to “ask” them to help while they solve puzzles, save and protect others. Once these Pokémon are befriended (by drawing circles around them until their friend bar is full) they get registered in a Pokémon Browser, including information that is known about them. This is the collection in the game but I don’t understand why it is needed. Would the ranger academy

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that trained the ranger up not know this common knowledge about the Pokémon and be able to download it to their Pokémon Browser before they go out in the world?

Guardian Signs is the third in the Pokémon Ranger series, the first one being Pokémon Ranger and the second Pokémon Ranger: Shadows of Almia, so check the titles carefully before buying because confusing the games is easy. If you have played these before and are expecting more and different things from this title, you will be disappointed. That said, it does have a few improvements and the new story is much better, and will take a good 15 hours to finish. If this is not enough, there are downloadable missions available via Nintendo WFC. There are six currently available (most of which can even be played in multiplayer mode) with more that should come. The story has its main plot and, as usual, a range of side quests. Some of the new things are that the Pokémon assisting in the battle are now displayed next

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quick save point, you may not be able to because there is a string of text that must be read first. The Quick Save is not new but is still so handy as the exact point can be “paused” with turning the console off… which can then easily be returned to later.

Pokémon Ranger: Guardian Signs is not a bad game but it’s not going to be a hit to remember. If you have not played any of the others and want to play at least one Ranger game, then this is a good option and you’re not missing anything by not having played the others. Please do make sure that you have the right stylus and/or screen protector before you head into this game as there will be a lot of circle drawing and without a certain amount of protection the screen may be ruined. I say correct stylus because the replacement ones that come in packs are not of the same quality of the originals. They may be fine for normal playing but not for the extreme playing that comes with Pokémon Ranger games. g

AT A GLANCE: Some new stuff from the previous version, and a good long story.

Something to play until Black and White is launched.

Developer: Creatures Inc Publisher: Nintendo Distributor: Core Group

Parental Advisory Violence Language Sex Drug Use Prejudice

3+ gamecca review • issue 19 • January 2011

Accessibility Hard-Core Medium Casual

DS Platforms

to each other so it’s easier to aim and direct their attacks.

The new ability to summon legendary Pokémon, once you’ve met and befriended them, is great and has added another dynamic to the battle.

The one thing that catches most Pokémon collectors is the fact that some of the rare Pokémon can be copied over to their other Pokémon games. In the original Pokémon Ranger, players could get their own Manaphy and copy it over to their copy of Pokémon Diamond or Pearl… this time players can get Shaymin, Heatran and even a Deoxys, which can be sent over to HeartGold and SoulSilver games. Be warned, though, because Deoxys can only be obtained by playing through all of the game in multiplayer mode. This will require you to find a friend with a copy of the game.

The story is great but the text, at times, has you getting up to do other things as you tap through it. Even when wanting to just go to bed and hit the next save or even

PC X360 Kinect

PS3 Move

Wii PSP DS PS2

Score

74 89

The Sly Trilogy

Thieves and Scoundrels

Reruns of the world’s sneakiest raccoon…

D

evelopers Sucker Punch are more than likely familiar to a large number of PlayStation 3 gamers. After all, they developed inFamous, one of the most fun third person action-adventure titles for the Sony platform. But before inFamous (and the upcoming sequel) they made a name for themselves with another franchise: Sly Raccoon. These games, released in 2003, 2004 and 2005, were PlayStation 2 exclusive adventures featuring a super-thief (Sly Cooper) and his band of accomplices. They were among the platform and adventure games that defined the genre on the PlayStation 2, along with franchises like Ratchet & Clank.

They were, in short, some of the best PS2 games around.

Developer Sanzaru Games has breathed new life into the Sly Raccoon series, not by releasing a fourth title, but rather by revisiting and reworking the previous three for the PS3. All three games are included on one disc, which makes it great value. If you consider that each game takes

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around 10 hours to finish in the story mode (excluding the extras that may or may not be present) you have a pretty long experience already.

And it gets better. Each Sly game has a clear identity.

The first game is a linear platformer, the second is more of an open world, mission based game, and the third is a mish-mash of those ideas, with a few extras. Additionally, Sanzaru have varied thing up even more by adding a handful of Move based mini-games. They’re not fantastic, but they certainly do add a bit of variety into an already varied mix.

If you somehow managed to miss the previous releases of these titles – a forgivable sin, seeing as they were released a few years ago – here’s a quick break down of what you can expect: Sly is a master thief who trots around the globe in search of various treasures. In doing so he and his band of accomplices meet up with various characters, ranging from law-folk who try stop him to

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Is there a place for this kind of move? Does the market have space for not only new games, but also rereleased older titles? Sure, why not? Games are essentially things that can be played over and over again. While the ravages of time to take their toll on things like graphics, a good game is still a good game years later. Giving them a bit of cosmetic surgery doesn’t hurt, of course, but reintroducing games to older fans (and possibly gaining new ones) is a great idea.

If you haven’t played the Sly games before, and you enjoy uncomplicated platform style action with a bit of humour, they are a great choice. They’re also pretty family friendly, so don’t worry about showing the kids these classics. And the value cannot be beaten.

If, on the other hand, you are a Sly fan, I won’t tell you to buy this… you probably already have. This package is an excellent deal, and a great reminder of one of the best franchises to ever grace the PlayStation 2. g

AT A GLANCE: This reworking of the three Sly Cooper games is great for fans, or just anyone who enjoys uncomplicated platforming fun.

Developer: Sanzaru Games Publisher: SCEE Distributor: Ster Kinekor

Parental Advisory Violence Language Sex Drug Use Prejudice

3+ gamecca review • issue 19 • January 2011

Accessibility Hard-Core Medium Casual

PS3 Platforms

evil-doers who… well, try stop him. Although the games are easy to get to grips with, they can still prove to be rather challenging in various ways, and players will be able to enjoy a relaxed, yet sometimes difficult experience with this collection.

Sanzaru didn’t just slap three old games on a disc, mind you. They did a lot of work to bring these games up to a better spec. They might not be entirely what one would expect from modern PlayStation games, but they certainly are improved from their PlayStation 2 incarnations. The updated character models and cell-shaded graphics go a long way towards modernising the titles, even though the dynamics and plot lines – pretty much the whole thing, really – are still identical to what they used to be. And that’s a good thing; these are evergreen titles that deserve the attention they are getting. Just releasing them as they were would have been an obvious mistake, of course, but keeping true to their original nature is just as important.

PC X360 Kinect

PS3 Move

Wii PSP DS PS2

Score

80 91

Marvel Super Hero Squad:The Infinity Gauntlet

Mighty Minis

Cute superhero characters for the kids

T

he characters of the Marvel Universe are ones that have been with us for a long time indeed. Names like Iron Man, the Incredible Hulk, Spider-Man and many others have been firm favourites for several decades, and that doesn’t look like it’s going to change all too soon. With Hollywood paying these favourites a lot of attention, as well as numerous video game releases further spreading the popularity of these characters, they’re here to stay.

Ensuring longevity for something as valuable as the Marvel franchise, though, means bringing new blood into the fan fold. If the characters are going to survive in the long run, they need new fans. Young fans. Fans who will grow up with these characters embedded in their minds.

One of the ways in which Marvel are trying to make sure that their already long run of success (despite a few wobbles along the way) will continue for even longer is by producing, or at least being involved in, projects that appeal to the younger generation. An example of this is

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the Marvel Super Hero Squad series of games, based on the popular TV series. It only recently became a series, with the release of the second title in the new franchise: The Infinity Gauntlet.

There is no doubt that the game is aimed at a younger market. The plot is very simple, the game dynamics are easy and forgiving, and the characters themselves have been turned into cuter versions of their “grown-up” selves. The politics that make the comics so interesting are gone, replaced with a more black and white morality that kids will find easier to deal with.

And yet, there are some things in The Infinity Gauntlet that hint at a little appeal added in for older gamers.

We’re not talking full focus here, but rather a few furtive, sideways glances at older fans of the Marvel characters.

The biggest of these is the inclusion of some of the more obscure Marvel superhero characters. While the bulk of the game will feature characters that are easily recognised, every now and then another character pops

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characters (the game will give the players default characters the first time they play through a level) to help unlock extra items and the like.

Graphically, the game is very bright, with cuter versions of the Marvel superheroes for characters. The graphics are rather simplified and sparse, speaking of the Wii origins of the franchise. While they are still good, it would have been nice to see a bit more from the visuals on HD platforms.

The action is rather mild; even though the characters beat up bad guys and use super-powers, there isn’t really a feeling of violence in this title. This comes across even more when considering the sound effects – combat impact sounds are almost non-existent.

If you’re looking for something that the kids will enjoy, and if they have a yen for superhero types, this is a good choice. The game offers a lot of replay value, and could prove to be a fun experience for the whole family. Older gamers should not expect too much of a challenge, though, as this is squarely aimed at younger players. g

AT A GLANCE: A great game for kids based in the Marvel universe.

Developer: TBC Publisher: THQ Distributor: Ster Kinekor

Parental Advisory Violence Language Sex Drug Use Prejudice

7+ gamecca review • issue 19 • January 2011

Accessibility Hard-Core Medium Casual

PS3 Platforms

up that even long standing fans of Marvel’s comics may, at very least, scratch their heads over.

Another hint at an older appeal is some of the humour thrown into the game’s dialogue. While most quips are well within the reach of youngsters, odd references to things that may not be familiar to them are made from time to time.

Other than those examples, it’s a kids’ game all the way.

The controls are simple, with a lot of guidance to help the kiddies through the various tasks they will have to perform. Most of the game is a sort of action platformer style, with mild puzzle solving thrown in for good measure.

Some of the puzzles and challenges may be a bit tough for very young kids, though. Still, the game is extremely forgiving, allowing characters to pretty much instantly respawn if they have been bested.

There is a small amount of variety thrown into the various levels of the game, but most of them are rather repetitive. They can also be replayed with different

PC X360 Kinect

PS3 Move

Wii PSP DS PS2

Score

75 93

Arcania: Gothic 4

Sword, Bow & Spell Mixed with some really bad dialogue…

T

he Gothic series of fantasy role playing games have always been met with mixed responses. While some really didn’t like what the games had to offer, others absolutely loved the stories and the world that the franchise presented. That’s probably why the series has made it to its fifth instalment. And, on the flip-side, that might be why the publishers decided to go with the name Arcania: Gothic 4, instead of Gothic 4: Arcania. Whatever the case may be, fans of the series will be happy to know that Arcania is the best game to date in the Gothic franchise. That said, it still contains a number of elements that the less forgiving players out there may find rather frustrating.

The game tells the tale of a shepherd turned hero (the player’s character) who decides to avenge the destruction of his island village by invaders. To do this, he must travel to the heart of the war-torn mainland, facing all kinds of horrors along the way, and face those responsible for sending the soldiers to his once peaceful home.

There are literally only a handful of stories that make up typical fantasy fare, and all of them involve some kind of quest (thanks to Tolkien’s influence, of course.) Arcania’s

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complex and often entertaining plot falls squarely into the “quest” category, but the developers did stick a few original ideas into the game. The politics of the tale are quite complex, which makes for an interesting story. The player will be faced with choices within this arena, which can affect the outcome of the game in numerous ways.

Still, pretty standard role-playing stuff, but fans of the genre don’t necessarily want something that departs from the norm, so that’s all fine.

Graphically, Arcadia is a mixed bag. The environments are breath-taking, crammed with beautiful detail and wonderful variety. The characters that populate it are where the problem comes in. The monsters that the character will face are well designed and modelled. The people he encounters… not so much. The player should expect to see the same faces repeated over and over again, and should hold out no hope of seeing a single pretty woman in the game. This wrecks the experience a little, because it’s pretty easy to get confused by the similar characters repeated over and over again. From time to time they will even wear similar clothing, making it even more difficult.

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getting stuck on items. It’s fine if the item is a massive boulder and the player can visually navigate around it, but sometimes tiny, near-invisibly things can cause the same problem. It’s more of an annoyance than a deal-breaker, but still…

The animations, too, are a mixed bag. The character moves fairly well, and the fight animations are good all round. But the cut scenes are drab, with no lip-synching to speak of, and an absence of actions (like handing over items gained in quests, and such.) The conversations during some of these scenes feel a bit odd, and some of the dialogue is utterly awful.

Despite these problems, Arcania offers a lot of what role playing fans are after; a big world, lots of quests, character development, tons of different equipment, and an ability to affect the outcome of the game. It doesn’t lift the status of the franchise beyond cult-classic, but it delivers a passable experience and is quite fun if you’re willing to look past its quirks.g

AT A GLANCE: Although this game has numerous bugs and quirks, forgiving genre fans will find it to be quite enjoyable.

Developer: Spellbound Publisher: JoWood Distributor: Apex Interactive

Parental Advisory Violence Language Sex Drug Use Prejudice

16+ gamecca review • issue 19 • January 2011

Accessibility Hard-Core Medium Casual

PC Platforms

This situation is exacerbated by truly awful voice acting.

One would hope for better in a game like this, but the voice cast might as well be performing for Sunday morning kids’ TV shows. The voice cast is very obviously American, although a number of them do valiantly try (and ultimately fail) to sound more European. There is no consistency in the pronunciation of some of the odder names that crop up in the game and, in one alarming instance, a character’s lines were delivered by an entirely different voice – even though the character showed no signs of MPD or demonic possession.

The game dynamics are nice and fluid, though. The character system is based on skill levels, rather than on character classes, allowing the player to customise their character (which, incidentally, has a predetermined look that cannot be altered, save for different types of armour). The combat is simple, yet effective, with a fluid set of controls that work well more often than not. Some of the hit detection is off at times, though, meaning that a monster that looks like he will miss with a strike still manages to land a blow.

The player will also have the occasional problem of

PC X360 Kinect

PS3 Move

Wii PSP DS PS2

Score

70 95

Invizimals: Shadow Zone

Hiding in Plain Sight Find creatures in your home.

K

ids of all ages find great appeal in the games that require them to collect things. This is particularly true of titles, like the Pokémon series, that need the player to collect and battle with mysterious, powerful creatures.

Sony have entered the fray with Invizimals, a creature collecting game for the PSP. Actually, they entered the fray more than a year ago with this particular title. The original was released in Europe in late 2009, but only hit the US in the last quarter of 2010. While the Americans are getting to grips with that, Europe has been treated to the second Invizimals game (in the form of Invizimals: Shadow Zone) already. Seeing as how South Africa is generally governed (in terms of game releases) by what happens in Europe, we’ve been lucky enough to get the same product before the US as well.

This second instalment of the Invizimals franchise works exactly like the first. The player has to capture numerous creatures and pit them in simple, yet enjoyable, battles against other creatures.

But here’s the key that makes Invizimals so much fun…

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by Walt Pretorius while games like the Pokemon franchise have characters that the player controls, and these characters capture the creatures and send them into battle, all ideas of this kind of proxy are removed from Invizimals. The player is the character, the creatures belong to the player and, best of all, they are ‘directly’ captured by the player, using the PSP. The idea is really rather clever. The player fixes a camera to the PSP, and then explores their surroundings, looking for small, invisible creates. The locations of these creatures are determined by the colour of the surfaces that the player scans – some are found on red surfaces, others on green, or black, or whatever. Once a creature is “found” the player lays a “trap” on the surface, to begin the capturing process. The trap is a bit of cardboard – supplied with the game – that has patterns printed on it.

The creatures then appear, positioned according to the trap. This is where things get even cooler – the software reads the position of the trap, and places the creatures accordingly. This includes angle and distance, meaning that if the trap is tilted, the creatures will be displayed at

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the previous game, and takes the appropriate actions accordingly.

Sadly, the game lacks any real depth, at least in terms of story. Like the first, Shadow Zone uses the story to purely cobble together excuses for fighting. This isn’t a deal breaker, and the younger player (which really is the target market of this title) will probably not object, as long as they can capture lots of creatures and use them in battles.

Also, the variety of what the player gets to do is limited.

It really comes down to mainly capturing creatures and fighting with them. Also, the need for surfaces of different colours may lead to problems, although there are ways around this (buying sheets of different coloured paper may seem to be a cheat, but it may be necessary.)

All in all, it’s a good game for youngsters, and shows an ingenuity and fresh approach that is very welcome on the PSP. It’s not perfect, but this franchise – with a few tweaks – can certainly go a very long way. g

AT A GLANCE: A good game for youngsters and the young at heart, Invizimals: Shadow Zone will keep the player busy for ages, despite not being Developer: Novarama Publisher: SCEE Distributor: Ster Kinekor

Parental Advisory Violence Language Sex Drug Use Prejudice

7+ gamecca review • issue 19 • January 2011

Accessibility Hard-Core Medium Casual

PSP Platforms

an angle, still standing on the surface in question. And if the trap is closer to the camera, they will look larger, and so on. The idea is really very clever, and adds a degree of personalisation to the experience: the creatures appear in an environment familiar to the player, after all, captured and displayed on the PSP screen by the affixed camera.

The player will need to perform various different actions to capture creatures – each one has a specific way in which it is caught. There are other challenges, too, all of which involve the player’s environment and the trap.

Combat also works with the trap. The controls for combat are simple, with each creature having only a handful of attacks. There are also special items that can be employed during combat, to either harm enemies or aide the player’s combatant.

Although this is a sequel, the game will guide new players in the ways of Invizimals. In other words, you won’t have to have played the original to gain the full experience of this second title. It will also elaborate on the story of the first game, explaining where needed, if needed… the game actually asks the player if they have played

PC X360 Kinect

PS3 Move

Wii PSP DS PS2

Score

79 97

Kinect Adventures

Kinecting with adventure Big jumps and big thrills

B

y now everyone knows what the Kinect is, and has probably had a spin on it already. It’s supposed to be the next big step in the technology ladder, but before it might sound like we’re being a bit cynical, we haven’t even seen the tip of the iceberg.

The technology works brilliantly, and if this is the starting point for the new tech, then the end product, in a couple of years, will truly be something amazing. Although we have seen in a previous issue of the mag that it’s by no means a new thing, the Kinect, and the Playstation’s Move, it’s definitely the way in which developers choose to go.

One of the first games to demonstrate the effectiveness of the Kinect was Kinect Adventures, a launch title, which puts the gamer in adventurous shoes as they try to overcome certain high-adrenaline challenges.

For starters, the menu system and item selection is done very efficiently, with a small hand on the screen at all times to indicate to the user where their hands are.

This might seem like a normal thing, but some games

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by Charlie Fripp steered clear of this, leaving the gamer to guess where to place their hands in relation to the screen.

The one thing that gamers always wonder about when it comes to Kinect is the response times and in-game lag. Well, the lag in Kinect Adventures is really to a minimum, and there is maybe only one mini game that it can really be noticed. In general, there is almost no delay in response and tracking, making it one of the best launch titles.

As far as the mini games go, the title is actually a collection of five game types, each one with their own strengths and weakness. The collection, however, is a well-rounded group of games, and there will definitely be something in there for everyone to enjoy.

The Kinect’s full-body motion sensor really comes into play with 20,000 Leaks, which is probably a pun on the book 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea. The player is stuck in a glass cube underwater, and as leaks start to spring in the walls and ceiling, gamers will have to use their whole body (hands, feet and occasionally their head) to plug the

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all, the will also have to flap their arms in order to make the avatar float, and then they’ll have to lean in whichever direction to steer.

Kinect Adventures is a really cool game for a launch title, and a lot of fun will definitely be had in the offering. The mix of titles is a good array of what the Kinect can do, and although not all are equally strenuous, a lot of sweat will be worked up.

But that’s the whole point of the Kinect, and who said that full-body gaming won’t give you a workout in the process? As a whole, the titles are fun, but ultimately they can’t be played forever, so in that sense, single titles won’t have a very long lifespan.

For a quick rush of energy and a game that works really well, gamers can do far worse than Kinect Adventures.

The graphics are fun and cartoony too, so that also makes it appealing for all ages and genders. g

AT A GLANCE: For a launch title, Kinect Adventures is about as good as it will get.

Developer: Good Science Studio Publisher: Microsoft Game Studios Distributor: Microsoft

Parental Advisory Violence Language Sex Drug Use Prejudice

3+ gamecca review • issue 19 • January 2011

Accessibility Hard-Core Medium Casual

X360 Platforms

holes. It’s a lot of full, and it’s sure to give a good workout once the more difficult levels are reached.

River Rush might just be the most famous Kinect game, as it was demonstrated and previewed around the world months before its release, but never the less, it’s still good fun. Up to two player stand on a raft that’s rushing down a white-water rapid, and using body movement and sidesteps, the raft is steered over ramps to collect coins. It’s the only mini-game where slight lag can be experienced, but that is only when jumping.

Seen as a bit of a Breakout clone, Rally Ball will task players to use their full body to hit balls at wooden blocks at the end of an alley. It’s not the most adventurous game in the box, but it does require a good deal of aim in order to do it correctly.

Out of all the mini-games in the title, Space Pop is probably the most fun and really puts the Kinect to the test. Floating in a near-weightless room, player will have to pop bubbles in order to achieve the highest score.

Not only will they have to run side-to-side to get them

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Score

77 99

SingStar Dance

So You Think You Can Dance?

Bet you can’t sing at the same time…

It’s not particularly forgiving, though… the demonstration dancers are obviously professionals, and keeping up with them is quite the chore. Then again, a clever player will figure out that mimicking the movements of just one arm – the one holding the Move controller – will fool the game into thinking you’re breaking a sweat.

You’ll look like a dork, but you’ll have a better chance of getting through the often complex dance routines. The game doesn’t provide prompts of what the next moves are, either. Initially, you’ll be jumping around like an itchy monkey on speed just to keep up.

SingStar Dance is hardly going to challenge any of the top dancing titles out there. But, just like SingStar Guitar, that’s not really why it was made. It’s there to add something extra for all those loyal SingStar fans who have been buying these games for years now. And, as an added extra, it’s not too bad. But you’ll want to memorise those dance steps if you’re going to make something of it… g

AT A GLANCE: A fun addition to the SingStar franchise, but no real threat to other, focussed dancing games.

Developer: SCEE Publisher: SCEE Distributor: Ster Kinekor

Parental Advisory Violence Language Sex Drug Use Prejudice

7+ 100

Accessibility Hard-Core Medium Casual

PS3 Platforms

T

he SingStar franchise certainly is trying a few new things. We recently saw the release of SingStar Guitar, which attempts to take on (or more realistically, just add) the guitar based rhythm game genre. Now the developers have decided that the dance game market is next. SingStar Dance does exactly what the name implies – it adds dancing to the popular PlayStation karaoke franchise, thanks to the Move control system.

The core of the game is pretty much the same- in other words, you can still sing along to a number of popular tracks. The addition, though, allows a player to dance as well. We would suggest that the player dancing isn’t the same player as the one that’s singing… it just wouldn’t work.

The dancing is introduced with very little fanfare… the player is instructed to mirror the movements of a demonstration dancer on-screen, while holding the Move controller.

by Walt Pretorius

PC X360 Kinect

PS3 Move

Wii PSP DS PS2

Score

75

gamecca review • issue 19 • January 2011

Truth or Lies

Hidden Truths The game is a lie

is only optional. To explain, in the beginning of the title players are asked to calibrate to mic, which is fine, but the process can be cheated.

In essence, it’s a party game with the right ideas, but ultimately it doesn’t offer more than a couple of laughs in the beginning, until it becomes stale and unimaginative.

The game caters for kids, families, teens, couples and adults, with different question sets for all, but with only 3000 questions spread over five groups, and repetition is inevitable.

It’s one of those games that you will probably play two or three times in your life, leaving it to gather dust for the remainder of its lifespan. g

AT A GLANCE: The game is fun at first, but becomes boring rather quickly.

Developer: THQ Publisher: THQ Distributor: Ster Kinekor

Parental Advisory Violence Language Sex Drug Use Prejudice

3+ gamecca review • issue 19 • January 2011

Accessibility Hard-Core Medium Casual

PS3 Platforms

E

verybody at one point in their lives has played a game of Truth or Dare. You know, the game where you have to dare your friends to do something silly, or they have to answer a rather embarrassing question.

Well, THQ recently released an alternative version to the popular teen game, but gave it a bit of a twist. In Truth or Lies, the principle is the same, but instead of doing a couple of dares, players are asked to answer questions as truthfully as they can – with the winner having achieved the highest score for the most amount of truthful answers.

The game sounds like fun, but a couple of elements just make it weird. There isn’t an awful lot that is going on while the game runs, and it seems like voice calibration

by Charlie Fripp

PC X360 Kinect

PS3 Move

Wii PSP DS PS2

Score

64 101

More trivia style virtual quiz-show for the PS3

E

veryone loves proving that they’re smarter than other people. Deny it as much as you like, but there is a certain satisfaction that everyone derives from being smarter than others. And the Buzz series of PlayStation titles allows us to do just that.

This new instalment of the Buzz series, subtitled The Ultimate Music Quiz, allows you to do that with up to four friends… provided you know your stuff when it comes to all kinds of music. If you have played Buzz before, there are no surprises here – the game follows the same formula, using the specialised Buzz controllers.

However, support for the Move system has also been

by Walt Pretorius

added, which is a bit of a fresh breath for the franchise.

Oh, yes, and the thoroughly annoying host, Buzz, has had a bit of an overhaul in the looks department. He’s still irritating, though…

If you enjoy quizzes, trivia and that kind of thing, this is the perfect family or party game for you. The game is easy enough for anyone to play, provided they have the answers. But with several thousand questions in store, everyone is bound to get at least a few wrong – which adds to the fun.

It really is more of the same, but fans will be happy with that. g

AT A GLANCE: Fans will no doubt love this latest instalment in the Buzz series, which is all about music.

Developer: TBC Publisher: SCEE Distributor: Ster Kinekor

Parental Advisory Violence Language Sex Drug Use Prejudice

3+ 102

Accessibility Hard-Core Medium Casual

PS3 Platforms

Buzz!:The Ultimate Music Quiz

Name that Tune

PC X360 Kinect

PS3 Move

Wii PSP DS PS2

Score

75

gamecca review • issue 19 • January 2011

Heavy Rain: Move Edition

Fluid Movements Same game, better control scheme…

scheme is really rather nice. The movements the player makes with the Move wand feel very realistic, which makes the already immersive experience offered by this great game even more so.

The player will need to have a Navigation controller as well, or they can make use of the left analogue stick on the sixaxis controller.

If you haven’t played Heavy Rain yet – and you have a Move system – then this is the way to go… even if you don’t like the Move controls, you can revert back to the sixaxis. Whether a whole new release was necessary is a good question, but if you don’t have Heavy Rain yet (shame on you) this is a good option. g

AT A GLANCE: The Move controls for Heavy Rain just feel better… it’s as simple as that.

Developer: Quantic Dream Publisher: SCEE Distributor: Ster Kinekor

Parental Advisory Violence Language Sex Drug Use Prejudice

18+ gamecca review • issue 19 • January 2011

Accessibility Hard-Core Medium Casual

PS3 Platforms

W

hen the Move came out, some developers and publishers released patches that would allow players to use the new control scheme with previously released games. This idea didn’t seem to fit with Quantic Dream, though – the Heavy Rain developer decided to rerelease the game with a Move option built in.

The only thing that’s different between the two editions are the control schemes. In the original, only the sixaxis controller could be used, but the Move edition allows the player to select either the sixaxis controller or the Move as their weapon of choice. If you have played the game before, there really isn’t too much point in getting the newer release… although, with that said, the Move control

by Walt Pretorius

PC X360 Kinect

PS3 Move

Wii PSP DS PS2

Score

91 103

‘Tis the Season for Free Fun Stateside

by Corey Schon

I

s your wallet crying softly in a corner after you bought gifts for all your friends and relatives? Did you write a carefully worded, painfully descriptive letter detailing all the games you wanted… only to end up not getting any of them?

While I can’t relieve that pain entirely, I can suggest a couple great free games and repositories, to help tide you over until those games come down into your price range.

First is a game I’ve been playing a lot of over the last week or two. League of Legends (www. leagueoflegends.com, PC only) is a free-to-play entry in the niche “genre” known as “Defense of the Ancients”.

The original DOTA was a custom Warcraft 3 map, where the idea was to defeat “Ancients” – armored structures at either end of the game map.

Many variations on this theme have emerged in the seven years since. League of Legends is free-toplay – and not in that “up to level 10 out of 100” kind of way, either! Only one type of game content can’t be unlocked without putting down real cash – character skins.

League of Legends is essentially an RTS for people who don’t really like unit management. That’s mainly because all the important other units in combat are your fellow players.

Five champions (the standard mode – there is also a 3v3 mode) per team farm “minion” monsters to gain levels, build items and skills to gain a tactical advantage in every battle, and co-ordinate with your fellow players to overpower the opposing team.

Some small parts of your

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character’s progress are permanent carry-overs, but most powering up is done game-to-game; so long as you take the time to understand the games mechanics and find a champion that you like (there are over fifty unlockable; the handful of “no unlock necessary” characters to play with changes frequently), you stand about as much of a chance as a veteran. Recommended to all RPG and RTS fans. It’s not especially resource intensive – if you can run, say, Torchlight on your computer, you should be good to go.

A note, though – while the initial installer is reasonably sized, expect to be downloading a LOT of updates once you get that installed. Those with capped internet plans may want to download this near the beginning of a month.

If you don’t feel like installing something, there are many, many “game arcade” sites out there! One of the most polished and contentheavy is probably Kongregate (www.kongregate.com), recently acquired by game store/giant “evil” corporation GameStop. Games on Kongregate come in all genres and qualities.

The best ones also tie in with user accounts that can be made for the site – you can earn achievements and level up your account by playing their collection of Flash games.

It’s enough to make a gamerscore freak weep a little… at least for those who can’t afford a Windows 7 phone.

If you’re not a PC gamer, but you’re still looking for your free-stuff fix, check out the new Doritos Challenge winners on Xbox Live Arcade – Harm’s Way and Doritos Crash

Course. They’re surprisingly slick games, for ad-supported content.

Neither is really terrible Doritosslanted, either.

Harm’s Way is a hybrid racer where a team consisting of a racer and a shooter (who sits in turrets high above the race track) try to finish first.

The shooting is the wrinkle in the racing game – it’s also the part of the game that makes it worth trying out.

The driving is generally lousy, with poor controls and a tendency to lead your eyes toward places your car isn’t supposed to go. The shooting can be quite fun, as you upgrade your guns and attempt to take out as many opposing racers as you can, to help your guy finish first.

Crash Course, on the other hand, is an “extreme obstacle course simulator”. Yeah, I mean it. Guide your avatar across trampolines, hanging ropes, giant jumpable gaps, and around colorful balls being fired at you out of cannons to reach the end of 15 different stages in as little time as possible.

The presentation is good, the controls are generally fun (though quite finicky in some cases), and the levels really ask you to jump, duck, and slide and quite a few different ways. It’s quite rewarding to get your clear time for a level to the gold medal level – though that’s often a case of memorizing the level, as much as anything else.

Have any free sites or games we should know about? Drop us a line at letters@gamecca.co.za and fill us in! Happy New Year, and happy free gaming! g

gamecca column • issue 19 • January 2011

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Essential Classics

Gran Turismo The Original Driving Simulator

by Richard Bingham

I

remember it very fondly: a Saturday morning in 1998.

I walked into the game shop with a fistful of R20 and R50 notes. Hard-earned cash from a holiday job. I pored over the selection of new games, not really sure of which one to pick.

But I’m glad that I picked Gran Turismo. My mom tells me I was always into cars, regaling me with stories of a two-year-old yours truly naming cars as they drove past.

Despite this, I like to think of Gran Turismo as the game that ignited my motoring passion.

All the way home – what a long drive it was – I pored over the thick manual. It spoke of things like weight

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transfer, tyre grip, oversteer and understeer. Terms I now use every day, theoretically and practically. I couldn’t have fathomed then how important this would be to me.

I popped the disc into my PlayStation and set about creating my future. At first I didn’t pay attention to which cars I was in. I just chose the fastest ones. Then, after spinning out numerous times I went back to the manual and read up on oversteer.

I remember the now infamous license tests. I remember how I didn’t have a memory card for my PlayStation, and lost my license progress every time I powered down the console. g a m e c c a fe at u r e • i s s u e 1 7 • N ove m b e r 2 0 1 0

One Saturday morning I woke up at 7am, completed the licenses and didn’t stop playing for another twelve hours.

When I eventually got a memory card I rejoiced at never having to do a license test again.

Then came the endurance races. 300km around Grand Valley. Two hours of listening to the same song – because the developers didn’t think of cycling the soundtrack – and winning by a three-lap margin.

Hindsight is 20/20. Only now do I realise how important the original Gran Turismo was. Its graphics were really quite something. The replays looked like TV footage. The fundamentals of car control were just about right. I don’t g a m e c c a fe at u r e • i s s u e 1 7 • N ove m b e r 2 0 1 0

like to think of having spent R320 on a game. I’d rather call it an investment in my future, while having huge amounts of fun.

The thing I’m most grateful for is the fact that I still have my original Gran Turismo disc, with its thick manual. I can still read the manual and I can pop the disc in my PS3 to relive some memories.

There’s not a driving game today with a development team who can’t owe some of their passion to Gran Turismo – and that’s probably one of the most defining characteristics of a classic game. g

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MSI P55A Fuzion Motherboard

Versatility Keep your upgrading easy

by Walt Pretorius

M

otherboards are an important decision, as we have pointed out time and again. Choosing the right board is vital, not only because it affects the way your PC will work initially, but also because it determines the upgrade potential of your machine in future.

And then there’s considering what exactly you’re going to be doing with your machine. You don’t want to get a board that will shackle you in terms of options, but you don’t necessarily want to get something that is going to be “too much board” because of the costs involved.

The secret, then, is finding a board that provides you with potential, without breaking the bank. Depending on your requirements, the MSI P55A Fuzion might just be that board.

This board provides potential for mid to mid-high range gaming, without many of the possibly redundant bells and whistles that bigger (more expensive) boards have on offer.

What makes this board so wonderfully versatile is the Fuzion technology that makes up part of its name. Fuzion technology breaks the boundaries that one would expect

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to find with other motherboards that support multiple graphics cards. Normally, a board would support NVidia’s SLi system, or ATi’s Crossfire. This one supports both.

N-Mode, which runs the Nvidia protocol, will give a 25% performance boost, even with non-identical graphics cards (another break from tradition, particularly for SLi.) A-Mode runs the Crossfire system at a 33% performance increase, also with non-identical ATi cards (which Crossfire is pretty much known for.)

It’s X-Mode, though, that makes things even more interesting. The user will be able to squeeze up to 15% more power out of their graphics performance in this mode, and they’ll be able to do it with virtually any combination of Nvidia and ATi cards. Yes, that’s right – cross-breeding of graphics between the two competitors.

These three modes mean that the user can upgrade pretty easily… they can hang on to their older graphics card, and add a new one to the system. It saves money, and even reduces concepts like e-waste to a degree. It is, in short, an awesome idea, and it works… we tried a few combinations, with solid results.

CPU performance can also be upped, by as much as g a m e c c a h a r d wa r e • i s s u e 1 7 • N ove m b e r 2 0 1 0

36%, thanks to onboard and software based overclocking solutions. MSI’s OC Genie and Super Unlock systems work very well together, delivering generally safe and stable overclocking to those that want to go down that road.

Further, the board uses military grade components (something that is fairly common with new motherboards these days) to ensure better lifespan and better cooling across various component groups.

The P55A is a great board, but it does have one or two niggles that may (or may not) be problematic, depending on what the end-user requires. Actually, there’s only one issue that springs to mind immediately, and that is that the board is a little shy on card slots. It offers 2 PCI Express 2.0 x 16 slots for graphics cards (which are nicely spaced), 2 PCI Express 2.0 x 1 slots and 2 PCI Express 2.2 slots.

You’re not going to be sticking a whole bunch of cards into your PC with this boards, but it does have all the things like on-board LAN and sound, so you shouldn’t have to.

MSI’s performance is generally great, and the P55A Fuzion is a good motherboard for those who want to push a few limits and enjoy versatility in performance and upgrade options. g g a m e c c a h a r d wa r e • i s s u e 1 7 • N ove m b e r 2 0 1 0

AT A GLANCE: The Fuzion technology makes this board great for using multiple graphics cards.

Score

88

Manufacturer: MSI Distributor: Pinnacle Africa Online: www.pinnacle.co.za RRP: R1495 Tech Specs: • Fuzion Technology • i7, i5 and i3 compatible • 4 x DDR 3 RAM slots • 2 x USB 3.0 ports • 9 x USB 2.0 ports • Intel P55 chipset

Pros: • Versatile for GPUs • Easy overclocking Cons: • Only supports 2 GPUs

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GMC H-80 Computer Case

Super Cool!

Let your PC chill…

by Walt Pretorius

I

am not really easily impressed by computer cases.

Yes, they are important, from both a practical and aesthetic point of view but, essentially, they amount to roughly the same thing. Or so I thought.

See, the most important thing a computer case does, besides housing and protecting all those components you spent so much money on, is deal with heat. All the cooling fans on your mother board and graphics cards don’t mean squat if the case doesn’t effectively remove heat from around the components. And these days, most cases use a very similar system: one 120mm fan in the front, one in the back, and a 80mm fan mounted in the side. This creates an effective system, keeping the case relatively cool while not going ape on the fans.

This set-up works well for most PCs, but really highperformance rigs – like ones running multiple graphics cards – need a bit of extra cooling power to stop the system from overheating. Very few options allow for that, though.

The H-80 is pretty different in that respect. It comes

110

standard with four fans, rather than three. In the front, a 120mm fan, in the back, one more. Nothing unusual there. But a third 120mm fan is mounted in the top of the unit, pulling air away from the power supply, which also generates massive amounts of heat. And, in the side panel, one of the biggest fans I have seen in a PC case… a monster 250mm fan that blasts air into the system. Additionally, the box can house two more fans in brackets at the bottom, but the user will need to buy these separately.

Additional cooling is made possible by ports to allow water cooling apparatus to the system, and an extensive venting system helps drag air through more effectively.

The front fan, for example, is housed behind a door that can be opened or closed, depending on whether the user wants a little more cooling power.

The stylish box also features two doors for optical drives, as well as one for a floppy drive (does anyone still use those?) The top front of the case features four USB 2.0 ports, as well as an eSATA ports and space for g a m e c c a h a r d wa r e • i s s u e 1 7 • N ove m b e r 2 0 1 0

a firewire connection. This is rounded of by a relatively unobtrusive LCD screen that indicates power, hard drive activity and system temperature.

The overall design is reminiscent of most GMC cases.

There is no side window, and the box has a chunky, feral look. They have cut down on the many hard edges and corners that some of their other cases feature, making the box look less over the top.

The H-80 is a great case. It’s interior is spacious and screwless, with a “toolbox” neatly fitted to hold all the parts that one would need in putting the case together.

The hard drive bays are also side-mounted, for easier access.

On the whole, it looks impressive and delivers cooling straight out of the box that blows many competitors right out of the water. With the added options for additional cooling, things look even better.

If you have an extreme gaming system, or you just want to make sure that your PC will never overheat, this box is an excellent option. GMC have delivered a really high quality case at a great price in the form of the H-80. g g a m e c c a h a r d wa r e • i s s u e 1 7 • N ove m b e r 2 0 1 0

AT A GLANCE: Fans galore, and options for more, plus a bunch of other bells and whistles.

Score

96

Manufacturer: GMC Distributor: Pinnacle Africa Online: www.pinnacle.co.za RRP: R635 Tech Specs: • 3 x 120mm fans • 1 x 250mm fan • 4 x USB 2.0 ports • 1 x eSATA port • 2 optical drive bays • LCD display

Pros: • Excellent cooling • Screwless • Looks good Cons: • No PSU supplied

111

MSI Wind Top AE1920 Computer

Space Saver

Not very powerful, but handy none the less…

by Walt Pretorius

T

he face of personal computing changes so often these days that one would be excused for comparing it to an aging actor fighting off the ravages of time with plastic surgery. OK, maybe the comparison is a little extreme, but you get what I’m saying, right. Technology pushes on, sweeping the world of computing along with it, resulting in an almost constant state of change.

That’s not a bad thing. If fact, it’s a very good thing, because each new step makes our lives just a little easier, a little more convenient.

One of the latest ideas – or, more accurately, more popular ideas – that is pervading the world of computing is touch screen control. Touch screens are hardly new tech… they’ve been around for ages, actually. But new advances in the field have made them more accessible, more effective, and less prone to being damaged or delivering inaccurate (or even accidental) readings.

Another technological idea that has been around for a while and adds to the constant change we see is the idea

112

of miniaturisation and consolidation. This works for some devices, while others don’t do so well with it.

The MSI Wind Top AE1920 is one of the devices that benefits from both of these ideas. It is a desk-top PC with notebook aspirations, an amalgamation of stationary and mobile computing that aims to deliver the best of both worlds. But, in doing so, it sacrifices aspects of both styles of computer use that are more or less definitive of the experiences.

While the Wind Top AE 1920 is portable, it is not extremely so. It lacks the ability to fold up, leaving the screen vulnerable to damage. And while it offers a neater, more space-friendly alternative to desk-tops, it sacrifices some of the power and versatility that big table-top rigs offer.

Still, in the right set of circumstances, it is a good PC. It’s ideal for regular users who don’t necessarily fall into the power-user category, like students and home users who need a PC, but don’t really want a monster. And, at the price, it’s a fantastic option for anyone falling into g a m e c c a h a r d wa r e • i s s u e 1 7 • N ove m b e r 2 0 1 0

that broad zone of end-users.

The AE 1920 is consolidated, in so much as it appears to be a bulky monitor. But everything is built into this larger “screen” housing, meaning that, aside from the optional mouse and keyboard, the unit takes up very little space.

While it does come with more or less standard hardware, it can be upgraded in the same way that a laptop can, so there is some versatility in the device. And, if space is a real problem, the mouse and keyboard can be set aside, because it has a fairly accurate and capable TFT touch screen built right in.

The screen measures 18.5 inches, meaning that it takes up the bulk of the device’s 210mm x 197mm size. It runs with optional single or dual-core processors, at a speed of 1.8 GHz. Up to 4GB of RAM can be installed (the model we tested was running half of that). Our test model also had a 250GB hard drive, and a standard 512MB GPU. It’s not a powerful machine – it may run older games – but it is a good option for those that are strapped for space and need a fairly capable computer. And, at the price, it’s worth looking at. xt. g g a m e c c a h a r d wa r e • i s s u e 1 7 • N ove m b e r 2 0 1 0

AT A GLANCE: A space saving option for those who don’t need a massively powerful PC

Score

79

Manufacturer: MSI Distributor: Pinnacle Africa Online: www.pinnacle.co.za RRP: R4499 Tech Specs: • Up to 4GB RAM • 1.8 GHz • 512MB GPU • 250GB HDD • Touch Screen • 18.5” Screen

Pros: • Space saver • Excellent price Cons: • Not very powerful • Not very portable

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Will LANning Survive?

In The Lair

by thebanman

B

LAM... and the year is off.

For some of us it is off to a very fast start and many are hoping that it is not going to be as crazy as last year. LAN gaming saw some interesting trends taking shape in 2010 and we will see if this continues to be the case as we move deeper into 2011.

As for The Lair, we are keen and excited to see what this year has in store for us. Our StarCraft 2 BootCamps have been a great hit in Cape Town and, community and distributors willing, we would love to bring them to the LANs around the country. We look forward to working with the guys from PolarFluke and with the community of guys we have in Cape Town.

On the Johannesburg front.

December 2010 saw the finals of the Telkom Do Gaming Leagues. This was hosted at an event at Gallagher Estate in Johannesburg. The tournaments seem to have gone off well but the event was not as well supported as hoped by the organisers. The Lair was there with the gear for the BootCamp and consoles to show off some Guitar Hero and Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit but the lack of social gaming did not keep the consoles busy.

It still will need to be seen but, as the broadband user base increases in South Africa, may have an impact on the attendance at the various LAN events around the country. With gaming servers available for all

of the hottest titles the need to pack up your gear for an event might start to lose its appeal.

At The OC last month we had the opportunity to use the new Cell C Speed Sticks. We used these to setup a small network on top of OC’s existing network, to allow us to give Battle.Net access to our StarCraft 2 BootCamp players. At times we were able to clock 2mb and 6mb speeds across these devices. When Cell C says they are Speed Sticks, they are not lying!

If your 3G contract is up for renewal seriously pop in and take a look at these babies. Keep an eye on this space. I’m hoping to be able

to run some test and feed a few concrete facts and figures back to you.

Let’s take a quick whip round the country’s LAN gaming scene.

Cape Town: The Organised Chaos – 14-16 January 2011 - http://www.oc.co.za/ Johannesburg: The Liberty LAN – 15-16 January http://www.libertylan.co.za/ The Mayhem LAN – 22-23 January http://www.mayhem.co.za/ Frag Arena LAN – 21-22 January http://www.fragarena.co.za/ Durban: Frag LAN – January http://frag.co.za/ g

This page is provided by The Lair www.thelair.co.za

Pac Madness From Space

by Columnist A

W

aka waka waka.

No, it’s not what you’re thinking.

Waka waka waka.

Try again.

Waka waka waka.

The subject of this month’s “From Space” is not just three random words. Those six syllables are not related to Shakira’s world cup song – catchy as that might be.

No sir. The words are the phonetic representation of the sound a certain puck-shaped videogame character makes when eating his magic dots.

It’s the sound I’ve been hearing in my sleep for the past few weeks, sometimes overlaid with catchy electronic music. It’s been the soundtrack to my insanity, for when I close my eyes all I see are digital mazes inhabited by ghosts and filled with… high score opportunities.

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I know I once wrote that being very competitive is what ruins games.

Taking it seriously and making it about being good is what sucks the fun out of it. No, I won’t take back what I said – it’s still true. But Pacman is a definite exception. There is no multiplayer co-op mode to enjoy with your friends and there is no deathmatch mode to cheat at and be an annoying puckhead. Pac-man has always been about high scores.

The newest version – Pac-man CEDX - made its way to Xbox Live Arcade and PSN in November, and is a fantastic game. It hasn’t strayed from the core Pac-man gameplay, but the challenges are new. Instead of ghosts going around trying to trick you, you go past them and they join the afterlife hula train as you run rampant through the dynamic levels.

Collect fruit, and the level rearranges

itself, giving you a new set of dots to collect. Do it right, and you’ll be zipping through the levels with mathematical precision. There is only one way to solve a level in the fastest time or highest score.

It’s a pure gaming experience, and being competitive (using the leaderboards) is the only way to play it. Even if you mindlessly solve all the levels and “finish” the game, you’ll soon start trying to beat your own times. And then you ask your friends to have a go. And beat their times, too.

You’ll lose sleep. You’ll log on to the leaderboards every day to see where you’re placed. You’ll throw controllers at the TV when your D-pad doesn’t register your inputs. You’ll contract an incurable disease: the Pacmadness. g

gamecca column • issue 19 • January 2011