sprites & bites

Gaming, iPads and a few biscuits on the side…

Category Archives: marketplace

Previously on Alan Wake…

The storyline strong Heavy Rain was released on the PS3 to critical acclaim a few months ago and a few days ago it Microsoft’s turn to release a storyline strong game – Alan Wake, which has been in development since the original Xbox was out. Both Alan Wake and Heavy Rain feature action aplenty with impressive storylines to carry the game through.  Heavy Rain had the thriller but Alan Wake is a horror story with enough twists and screams to affect your nightly dreams.

Alan Wake your character is a horror book author who has writers block and decides to go to Bright Falls with his wife Alice to take a break and end his writers block. Unfortunately, things do not go as planned, Alice goes missing and he sets on a frightening tale trying to get her back.  The world is twists, full of horrors, the darkness of evil consuming the population of Bright Falls.  To remain spoiler free I will not mention the story further, only to say that I found myself questioning the storyline several times because it kept twisting – this is not a negative note, it is saying that I was kept on my toes trying to keep up with the twists in the story and at one point I had myself thinking I got the story all wrong, but it was the story playing with my mind.

Graphically the game has its superb points when the environments look polished with high detail. Unfortunately the game looks bad in places on my big 40″ TV. Sometimes the background appears a lower resolution so while you have Alan Wake looking good, the area in the background looks pixelated and like I say on a big TV this is evident. ON a smaller TV this may not be so noticeable.  There is also an element of screen tearing at times when Alan is forced to walk places and follow people, it is no game-breaker but can be a tad annoying at times.

They have included some excellent songs in the game and the sound effects match the spooky atmosphere in the game.  There is a big fail with one part of the sound though. When someone is talking as part of the story, sometimes you can hear conversations in the background so it plays two conversations at once and it can be hard to distinguish the two apart. Turn on the subtitles and it is even more of a mess. You end up with two lots of subtitles one above another with no indication as to which subtitle is which.  If anyone has the sound turned down or is deaf and relies on subtitles this is very bad because there is no indication which are the storyline conversation words and which are the background conversation words.  It is not very well implemented at all and they should have had it so when storyline conversations come up, the background conversations are muted.  I would say this is the one thing that ruins the game sometimes and it is very distracting.

So for those obsessed with numbers, with the graphical issues and the sound/subtitles issues I have to mark this game down, I would have expected more from a game in development alledgedly for 10 years and it is a disappointment to have these flaws. However, whilst I would have knocked away 2 points from the score giving an average 8, I think the storyline has enough gusto to carry the game into a 9 score. Because the game is all about the story and you will find yourself gripped from the very beginning and emotionally driven to solve the mystery and find Alice – dead or alive.

GREAT/10

Alan Wake is available now on Xbox 360 only. Rated 15 years and over.

Don’t forget also you can download filmed episodes of the Bright Falls series on Xbox live marketplace. They add to the story of Alan Wake and are free to download.

Borderlands Xbox 360

Borderlands just released last week has to be one of the best games I have played this year.  It is an RPG shooter along similar lines of Fallout 3 but with a unique cel-shaded cartoony look and a more comical side to it.  From the moment I started playing Borderlands I just knew it had something special about it.  It’s whole feel is very sarcastic and tongue in cheek and is a joy to play amongst the more serious games out there.

It started out as a game with more realistic graphics but over time the developer decided to scrap the realistic look and go for a cel-shaded cartoon look.  This does actually fit in very well with the games humour and sometimes it feels akin to a comic book.

The weapons system is quite unique and the developer wrote a program which randomised weapons and gives you a theoretical hundreds of thousands of guns, although when playing through the game it did actually feel like only 100 guns, this is because even though there may be a sniper rifle made lovingly of plywood, it has a number of them with different tweaks to make it seem like there are lots when really it is just the same gun.  There are still many guns you just only get to see a few types with lots of combinations.

The missions are quite repetitive but when playing them the game does not give that air of repetitiveness at all, each mission feels unique with it’s own personality but really deep down it is like 10 tins of beans made by the same company but with different labels, it does not feel that though and that is good game design.

I actually got hooked on this game and played it from start to finish in almost every available moment and I finished it at around level 34 in 36 hours.  I had so much fun it was such a shame when the game ended and I knew there were no missions left to play.

This game definitely gives great value for money.  It has a large world, tons of missions and has a funny storyline.  If you love RPG games and shooters then this is an excellent mix and I doubt anybody would regret buying it.  Lots of games being released this time of the year so if you cannot afford it now, do rent it or wait for it to drop in price because it is an excellent game.

It is rare, but I give it an EXCELLENT/10

Round up of the Latest Releases

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

Xbox 360 Games Marketplace

Great idea but like everything else run by a big corporation, it is too expensive.

I really want Call of Duty 2 as I have never been able to find it again in the shops but at £20 I think that is far too expsnive for a game which is 5 years old.  If it was £9.99 I would buy it instantly but not at £20, I am not that desperate.

They should really have prices whcih reflect the market for older games.  Maybe have a tier system – new games at near full price, games over 2-3 years old should be bargain bucket.

Unfortunately I think people will accept these prices and pay them which will in turn justify them to Microsoft and they will not bother changing them.

Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10

Another year, another EA money spinner of Tiger Woods PGA Tour – we are in double figures now and have made it to 10, representing next year 2010.  EA like to feel ahead in the calendar.

First thing I notice after the starting splash screen is a nice new menu, but hey..  “New courses available, press LB” so I press LB and it takes me to the 360 marketplace where I can buy 2 courses at 600 points each – thats two DLC courses ON THE DAY OF RELEASE – clearly EA held them back from the real game to gouge us for extra money.  I find this disgusting practice.

So onto the game itself.  Graphically the game looks good and EA are  improving on the way they render bushes and trees but still they seem unable to do crowds properly.  The crowds have so little detail they might as well be matchsticks but this is really just a minor irritation and shows that whilst EA are making a good effort to make the game look good, they are neglecting the crowds.

The game has all of the traditional modes, tournaments and the career play.  Every year the career challenges are laid out differently, last year it was the honeycomb grid, this year they are play cards moving left to right through the different courses and have differing levels of difficulty.  All of ythe challenges are copies from real life golf incidents with major players over the years, so it is quite good we are actually playing these famous incidents – from long drive challenges, to par 3′s etc and infamous comebacks.

Apart from the way the challenges are set out, not much really has changed from last year.  Your personal coach is still there and you have the optional challenges to improve your golf through the coach.

If you really must get the newest golf game every year then this is worth a buy but there is not much more to that of last year, so do not expect huge changes.

Downloading Full Games

Downloading additional content for games for your consoles is a multi million pound business. From small arcade titles to map packs and older games with backwards compatibility. This multi million pound business is here to stay and will only grow. But what about downloading full games? Sony and Microsoft are of course aiming to get everybody to download games and in the future we will no longer have a physical disc to play them on. They hate the rental market and the second hand trade in market – it costs them sales but that sort of business model requires the support of both the consumer and the retailers – retailers who have supported them for years by selling their consoles and games, are the console makers really ready to bite the hand that feeds them?

It is not just retailers who would die but other sectors aswell. Rental companies like Swap Game or Gamesfrenzy would die, disc manufacturers and disc pressing companies would lose millions and the retailers like Game or Gamestation would shut up shop because there is no point in stocking just consoles. Could they live with themselves for making all those millions of people jobless? Money matters more than morals so maybe that point is dead too.

Having a physical disc is also a reminder that you own the copy of the game. I have countless games downloaded on my PS3 and Xbox 360 that I have never finished. I never finished them because within all the tabs of the interface they got lost and I forgot that I actually bought them.

Top 5 reasons why discs should never die

1) Most customers want a physical disc which shows they have something for their money.

2) Rental markets and second hand markets would fail. Consumers will not accept the lack of right to sell their games on when they have finished with them.

3) With no retailers to sell the games they would have no retailers to sell the consoles. Instant kill.

4) People want to be able to take a game to a friends house to play, they won’t want to lug their consoles around.

5) If I want to buy a game for someone as a present there is no way I am going to buy them a download voucher.

I started out making a top 10 but couldn’t think of any more reasons, if anyone wishes to add some reasons please feel free :-)

Peggle on Xbox Arcade

Peggle has had a huge following in PC gaming for years but I was never into PC gaming so its appearance on Xbox Live Arcade this week was very tempting. For a mere 800 Microsoft points you can snap up one of the most addictive games ever in the history of ever.

The concept is very simple and requires you to shoot balls to knock down the orange pegs but you only have a limited amount of balls (10) to use in a standard game. You can gain extra balls by reaching certain scores.

This game is so addictive I spent a solid 4-5 hours on Wednesday with no break and completing the story mode fully. I am now on the challenge mode which means you have to meet a certain score for that level. This is where the game is getting increasingly hard. I just about managed to finish the 300,000 score levels but now I am on the 350,000 score levels they seem impossible. I dare not even think about the 400,000 and upwards levels.

The game also offers online multiplayer where you can challenge your friends to get the highest score. My experience of that last night though was not great. The game was very laggy and something I would expect to be fixed in the next few days/weeks.

On the whole it is an extremely fun game and is a steal at only the 800 points requested.