Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood

Ezio, the star of Assassin’s Creed 2 is back with more running, climbing, thieving and killing. Now set in Rome, Ezio has to battle the ruling Borgia and build up Rome to be a better place. The area of Rome is huge and is probably the same size as the previous game but all condensed into one giant area instead of separate areas.

Gameplay is largely unchanged from the previous games and there are plenty of things to do to keep you occupied, from destroying Borgia towers (which opens new areas) to collecting loot, carrying out assassinations, and collecting feathers and flags. I thoroughly enjoyed my time with the Brotherhood although I did expect some changes and beefed up gameplay which was simply more of the same from before. That is not necessarily a bad thing, the gameplay works as it does but there could have been some more improvements to mix it up a bit.

I would liked to have seen some improvements over the platforming mechanics but sadly the old problem of randomly jumping to your death still exists. A series of jumps may work well but the most miniscule of movements away from thumbstick forward may see you falling to your death – something which is most annoying when for example climbing the spectacle which is the Colloseum. But while this game is as frustrating as hell, it is one of those games which has a unique draw and addiction. So while I spent many a time falling to my death or surviving and having to make a climb over and over again, the charm of the game made this a non issue and there was a drive to complete it. Had this been any other game, no doubt I would have traded it in out of annoyance. But it is Assassin’s Creed, so it is okay.

Section 16 puzzles are back and are still as mysterious as before. If you like your brain tested, the glyphs are definitely something to search out. In a huge place like Rome though these glyphs can be hard to find. But here is a tip – Press start and go to database, then locations. Ensure Rome is highlighted then press Y to filter through to section 16 locations. Pick a location (I don’t recommend the first one early days as it is hard to access) and then you can add a map marker to take you to the location. Much easier to find them then.

I have finished the game now although not yet got 100% completion. I did complete buying all parts of Rome and was really disappointed not to get an achievement for that. I am not greatly into achievements, but it is really annoying when you get an achievement for watching a cutscene and then do not get one for something that actually requires effort. Note to developers: Make sure your achievements actually mean somethign to achieve please.

Anyway, all in all a good game and I look forward to some download content to extend the game. Oh and a BTW, what the hell was up with that ending? That was a major WTF moment.

Fallout New Vegas

Fallout: New Vegas was released on 22nd October to much fanfare and critical acclaim. The sequel if you like, to Fallout 3 which was set in a make believe Washington DC, New Vegas is set in Las Vegas and the surrounding Mojave Desert. If course it is not a scale of the real thing, but a re-imagining by the designers. There is even a re-imagining of the Las Vegas gambling strip where you can bet away your hard earned gold to gain lots more with games like blackjack and slot machines in the casinos. Naturally you are not assured of winning gold and you may lose lots, so be careful how you gamble.

This game is huge. Not just huge in space but huge in things to do, main storyline and sub quests. There is so much to do that in a single play of the game trying to do as much as possible it could take you 80 or more hours to finish and you still will not complete it all. In fact because at a certain point in the game you are forced to choose a side from the 5 fighting factions available, it is actually impossible to complete every single quest in a single play of the game. This game is so big it would take multiple plays to finish everything. I have almost finished playing at around 70 hours and I am really not sure how I managed it, I have done everything I can and still there are things I cannot do due to the path of storyline I chose to take.

It is a simple story. You are a courier who at the beginning of the game was robbed of a package you were delivering and was left for dead by the robbers. There starts your goal to hunt down who robbed you and why. Much of the side quests are interlinked with the main story and often you may find yourself angering a faction who you wish to side with, so make your quest choices wisely and be careful who you befriend as it may be your downfall.

Fallout New Vegas has been getting positive reviews across the world and little is said bad of the game but beware it is not perfect. The game does have some awful glitches, at it’s best you may have to restart a quest, at it’s worst you will find your gamesave corrupted so it is strongly advised that you use multiple save slots for your single game and save lots. Save when something important happens, save before and after a quest and save when you find a new area. Do not rely on the built in autosave otherwise you may find your 70 hour game and reduced to a pile of nothing and you have to restart – something which is a painful prospect. A patch has been made available which fixes some of the many glitches but there are still some so make sure you connect to the internet to download the latest updates. I had one game save corrupted but fortunately I saved frequently so only lost one hour of progress.

Aside from the glitches and bugs, Fallout New Vegas is an amazing game and if you like RPG games then you will love this one.

Available on Playstation 3, Xbox 360 and PC. Rated 18 years and over.

Mafia 2

Mafia 2 has been criticised by many gamers for having no side missions just like Grand Theft Auto or Saints Row but does it really need them? Just because other games do it, does not mean that all games have to have the same ideas. The only problem with having no side missions or collectables is that the developer has made this beautiful free roaming open world but has done nothing to encourage exploration. I don’t really want to explore as there is nothing to gain so I stick to the main story, and the story is where the game holds it’s own.

The story in Mafia 2 is well thought out and you start off as a soldier in the war against Mussolini. From there you come back home and that is when you start to fall into the life of crime which is the basis for the game. It does flow really well with a decent pace but unfortunately at about halfway through the game the pace is ruined by a chapter which drags down the game to a snails pace and really takes away from the game rather than adds to it. I don’t want to give away spoilers so that is where I will leave that comment, only to say that personally I think the game would have been better without that dull chapter and without it ruining the pace.

The graphics in the game are excellent and well detailed however at times there was some screen tearing on the Xbox 360 version. This seemed to happen really only in the first couple of hours and then settled down so it was not too much of an issue, just a little distraction.

The game uses a cover system which feels a little clunky at times but it is very important to use cover as there are times when you can be killed by one shot. The AI is not that great, but come across one with a shotgun and it may be game over if you are out of cover. One annoyance I found was the police wanted system. You have two layers of wanted – first the car you are in is labelled as wanted and secondly if the police see you out of the car they get a description and then your clothing is marked as wanted. To get rid of the wanted status of the car you must change vehicles or change the number plate at one of the many garages and to get rid of personal wanted system you must change your clothes. The problem was getting to these places. There seemed to be at times police on every corner so it was quite a task to actually shake off the police. You may lose their alert but as soon as you go near another police car the alert starts again and you can get into a vicious cycle. Simple taking another car is not that simple because all stationary cars are locked so you have to wait for the animation of smashing the window or picking the lock before you could take it – and in that time another police car turns up. I tried running to a shop to get a change of clothes and shock horror just as I was about to go into the store a police car turned up and the alert started again, I got into a 20 minute vicious cycle of alerts and no alerts before I was able to take proper action. Frustrating times but it did not dent my enjoyment of the game.

Overall I really enjoyed the game and it’s storyline and would recommend it to everyone to play. It may not have the sandbox feel of other games but really it does not need it. Definite rent, possible buy.

Toy Story 3 The Video Game

Platforming games are few and far between lately and those which have been released are generally sub-par games which are rushed and as buggy to hell. Toy Story 3 is a pleasant departure from the run of the mill collect-a-thons and actually has a decent level design and some replayability. It is a rather short game though and can be finished within 3 hours. Do not be scared by the 3 hour mark because alongside the story mode you have the Toy Box where you can spend many more hours.

Toy Box is a whole town which you can build up and do mini fetch quests for different town residents. Quests are very short but there are plenty of them to keep you occupied. I have spent 3-4 hours in Toy Box mode so far and I doubt I am near completion. It is a fun game with plenty to keep you occupied and is available on all formats.

This is not a review, just a passing comment

GOOD/10

Singularity

Singularity was quietly released in Europe on 25th June 2010. When I say quietly I mean really quiet. So quiet that I could not even get a copy of it on launch day in my town. None of the supermarkets had it nor did the game shops, it was not because they sold out, they just did not get any copies. You have to wonder what Activision the publisher were thinking when they make no effort to market a game and then subsequently cry when the sales are bad. Well they will be bad if they do not even bother to get the game into the shops. One week on and I managed to get the game in Gamestation but even then they were only given 3-4 copies.

This game has borrowed (copied) many elements of some of my favourite games. You will see elements from the likes of Bioshock, F.E.A.R and Fallout 3 just to name a few. There is an old saying that imitation is the best form of flattery and the developer here has done very well in it’s flattery and come up with a very accomplished game which is worthy of your money.

The detail in the graphics is excellent and unlike the above named games I experienced no glitches, bugs or graphical issues like tearing whatsoever. It was like they took all these games, mixed them up and actually improved the look and feel to give a polished experience.

The story itself is a little wild and at times has you going from the year 2010 back to 1955 via a TMD (Time Manipulation Device) strapped to your arm. The game is based around time manipulation but unfortunately I do not think they used it enough in the game. There was only a bit near the beginning and some near the end of the game where you went back to 1955. I would liked them to have extended this and had more experiences of going through the time warp. It was a good feature but not used to it’s potential. This did not affect my enjoyment of the game at all, I just think it should have been utilised more within the storyline.

I really enjoyed Singularity and it was a pleasant reminder of some games I had played in the recent past and would definitely recommend everyone play it. It is an accomplished FPS and whilst it may not be worthy of the full RRP price, this is a must-play if you can get it cheaper than what the game shops are offering (£44.99). Available on Xbox 360 and Playstation 3. Rated 18 Years

GREAT/10

Lego Harry Potter

Let me get my admission out of the way first, I do not like Harry Potter films. I only ever saw one and could not be bothered with the rest but I had to play the game because it is Lego and I have played all Lego video games so far except for Lego Rock Band. So I went in playing this game thinking it was going to be also rubbish. To my pleasant surprise, it was not like Harry Potter really at all and it was not long before I just felt like I was playing a Lego game with wizards and spells. This was fantastic as I was able to brush aside my dislike of Hogwarts and just concentrate on playing the game.

It is classic Lego game fun and while I would not rate is as highly as the previous games – Star Wars, Batman and Indiana Jones it is still definitely a worthy addition to your collection if you are also a Lego fan.

The previous games got bigger and bigger in gameplay space especially the last Indiana Jones episodes so it was a disappointment to find that Harry Potter version feels a heck of a lot smaller. I think this is due to being mostly in the confines of Hogwarts Castle so I did feel at times a little claustrophobic and restricted and it also felt quite linear. I suppose this is not really something I can criticise too much because of course they are trying to vaguely follow a story which was mostly set around Hogwarts and if they strayed too much away from that, die hard Harry Potter fans would find holes in the story. As usual with Lego games there are tons of collectibles – red bricks, gold bricks, postal boxes and some which are unique to Harry Potter like shield crests – each level has 4 quarters of a shield to collect. There are also bonus levels to play for extra gold bricks.

There is really not much I can say about this game further. It is Lego, in the same vein as the other games with a different skin and a smaller playing area. If you are a Harry Potter fan you can add it to your collection, if you are like me and do not like Harry Potter but are a Lego game fan, it is still a worthy game to play because you will soon forget you are playing the series.

One final note for the developer, I think the title is wrong. I know the game is aimed at all ages, but the title Lego Harry Potter: Years 1-4 really makes it sound like the actual game is aimed at pre-school when it is not.

GOOD/10

What next for Lego games? Spiderman, Superman, or maybe a collection of super heroes would be good?

Tiger Woods PGA Tour 11

Another year, another Tiger Woods game with much more of the same. The problem with sports games is that they never really change much because the rules of the game are set in stone so it takes a huge amount of imagination to bring a new sports game with the same rules but something which packs original punch. Unfortunately, EA Sports year in year out seem quite incapable of using that imagination to give us something refreshing and new and the new Tiger Woods PGA Tour 11 is the same old. Granted, you can now play in the Ryder Cup, but that is just another tournament added to the list of tournaments already playable in the tournament mode.

EA Sports have tried to change the game slightly and have added a new “true aim” mode which is supposed to replicate proper golf and which is turned off by default so you have to enable it. Sadly, in their rush to try and bring something new, they forgot to tell us how to use it. This is exactly what the manual says:

True-aim is an all-new, more authentic way of playing golf in Tiger Woods PGA Tour 11. Rather than utilising an aiming circle, players using True-aim must use an in-game marker to see the distance ot the target and then adjust their swing accordingly. This results in a more realisitic way of playing and gives players even more control over their swing.

Sounds easy yes? Except when you switch to True-aim mode you are presented with not an individual marker but about 8-10 different GPS points and there is no explanation at all on how to use them or switch between them.

Another lack of explanation is for the new Focus mode. And this is what they say:

Use the all-new focus feature to take even more control over your game. Your golfer’s focus is displayed as a red meter in the lower left corner of the hud. As you perform advanced maneuvres such as power boost, spin, putt preview or shrinking the aim circle, focus decreases. Once focus is completely depleted, advanced maneuvres are no longer available. As time passes, focus is slowly restored.

This is all pretty self explanatory and on the whole it works very well except I cannot get it to work for boost accuracy in the training section so I keep failing. The instructions are clear to a point but when you exit to take your shot there is no instruction on how to actually apply it to the shot and so my training is failing. Needless to say I exited the training and just played the game as I used to. Now I am sure some bright spark will come along and explain how to do these, but if something which should be simple requires explaining, then EA Sports have failed.

Let’s talk about the putting. This is one of my biggest gripes of the later Tiger Woods games, it is that I cannot use the putting grid very well. I struggle to read it and understand the speeds and putt accurately. I can manage about a foot either side of the hole but anything greater than that and my putting is a mess. EA Sports have been criticised by many gamers for this before – not for having a putting grid, but for having no real alternative to read the green for those who hate the grid. Sure they have the putting line by pressing LB (Xbox 360 version) but this can often be very vague and it is limited in use to how much focus meter you have. The putting line uses up quite a large chunk of focus so there are many times when you can only use it once per putt or even have no chance to use it at all because you have not enough focus, so you are left to using the putting grid – if you know how to use it well.

Gone are the monetary prizes for your skills and now you have the XP system known from RPGs and adventure games. You get XP points for completing challenges and general play of the game. These can be spent on upgrading your skills or buying items from the club shop. You have to balance out your desire for new kit against upgrading your skills. My personal recommendation is to ignore the pro shop until you start getting lots of XP and concentrate on upgrading the skills only at first. Certainly there are a few early challenges which require you to have a certain amount of power to pass so power should be an early priority. Speaking of challenges, there are 48 challenges to play ranging from completing 3 or 4 holes in a certain par or more challenging types of 9 holes. They are a little challenging this time round as not only do you have to beat the par score of the opponent but you also have a minimum amount of greens-in-regulation (GIR) or fairways-in-regulation (FIR) – so as an example one of Retief Goosen’s challenges is that you have to beat his score of -1 under par but also minimum of 7 out of 9 greens in regulation. So its a double challenge as you may pass on one but fail on the other.

Generally I feel the game is an okay upgrade but it seems to lack some punch and something new to the table, those bits which are new are quite poorly explained and the whole game just barely feels like a new game at all. As I said at the beginning it is just the same of golf churned out with a few bells which at a push let out a little ding.

Be wary of buying the game second hand if you wish to play online. EA now have a unique code on each manual which unlocks the online play. If the code is used then you have to pay to unlock the online play. A bit cheeky but I can understand a bit that they want some money from the second hand market although being the largest game developer in the world, they certainly do not need the money and many customers will see it as penny pinching.

I am disappointed with this game, its just another rehash but if you are one who has to buy every iteration of every Tiger Woods game then it is worth buying, just do not expect any groundbreaking new things. I would class it more as an expansion pack, but then that is the way all sports games are nowadays.

GOOD/10 (at a push)

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