WOLFENSTEIN – PC, XBOX 360 & PS3

The Castle of Wolfenstein games have come a long way since their inception many sunrises ago.  Wolfenstein is it’s latest incarnation and is the first on the current generation of consoles.  Set in World War 2, you are fighting the Nazi German’s and their zombies.  You find an old talisman which has special secret powers to unlock.  As you progress through the game you gain extra powers to the talisman – powers like the ability to make enemies glow up so you can see them easily and a special power to see hidden doors and secrets. Weaponry comes in the form of the usual WW2 guns – MP4, M23 and the rifle.

The game is made by Activision who are the publishers of the Call of Duty series, this is no Call of Duty but there are influences from those games.  The controls are very similar and have the same feel and even the mission markers look just like the Call of Duty stars.

Graphically the game does look good but there are sometimes low resolution detail and you can see they could have put a little bit more into the presentation. It is certainly no deal-breaker though and there are far worse looking games around.

Wolfenstein is of average length and a casual gamer can get through the campaign in 10-12 hours, maybe a little more if you do all the side extras.

Good/10

Shadow Complex  – Xbox Live Arcade 1200 points

For 1200 points you are getting a fantastic game which is almost of full retail price proportions and is far better than some of the sludge that has been released lately.

Shadow Complex is a side scrolling 3D platformer/shooter/puzzler all thrown into one tasty package. It is made by Epic Games – of Gears of War fame, so you know that every effort has been made to give you a great gaming experience.  It looks good, the graphics are high detail for an arcade game and I experienced no problems.  There was only one time when the game showed some screen tearing and that was when riding the minecart.

The game is quite easy to play and even grandad’s would not have a problem with the controls.  My finish play time was over 6 hours but I did not take the time to collect all items and visit every room.  My stat at the end of the game was only 49% of items to complete so it has the possibility of a good 4-5 hours extra if you are wishing for 100% completion.

Shadow Complex in my opinion is the best Xbox Live Arcade game to date, bar none and is worth every penny I spent on it.

Great/10

Batman: Arkham Asylum

History shows that video games made from movies/comic books have always been very poor, with little gameplay, lots of bugs and look graphically rubbish.  It is like the developers are trying to milk a cash cow without putting in any effort.

Batman: Arkham Asylum is here and is definitely one to break the mould.  This game looks every bit a high definition game with amazing visuals. I would go as far to say next to Call of Duty 4, it is the best looking game on the Xbox 360 to date. There were no bugs, no glitches, no tearing and no framerate problems except for a bit near the end – some cutscenes with the Joker. I am not saying it is the best game ever, only that it looks the best, nearly.

The game is a bit of a hack and slash button mashing affair when it comes to combat, this makes it a relatively easy game to play except really when it comes to the boss battles.  I have to admit I have not completed the game.  I have come to a boss battle near the end and I simply cannot do it and there seems no way to change the difficulty.  This may be a game which ends up unfinished, which is a shame as I have throughly enjoyed it.

There are lots to collect, from riddler puzzles to trophies and interview tapes with prisoners.  There are also challenges to unlock, these can be timed challenges or set pieces to achieve certain goals.  The challenges are accessed through the main menu.  If you have the PS3 version of the game it does include the Joker challenge missions for free.  Sadly the Xbox 360 version does not have these challenges and you will probably have to pay for them if you want them at a later date.

This is a must have game which is worth at the very least a rental.

Great/10