Seems like if you’re an EA game these days your plan for marketing a game is either to compare it to Modern Warfare 2 (Battlefield: Bad Company 2) or Halo (Crysis 2). The guys at Visceral have now gone the Uncharted 2: Among Thieves route, stating that Dead Space 2 could “stack up very favourably” with Nathan Drake’s devilish good looks.
Steve Papoutsis, executive producer on the game spoke to Edge, saying that “Uncharted is a beautiful, completely awesome game. I think it [Dead Space 2] is going to stack up very favourably. We were very proud of what we accomplished on the first game. Obviously we go back to it quite often to look at what we did and when we compare the two, the advancements the team has been able to make from a visual perspective are unbelievable. It really looks phenomenal and it’s a major step up from the previous game visually.”
The first Dead Space was no slouch in the graphics department. Papoutsis fully expects that people are going to be “blown away” by what their art team has achieved.
It strikes me that it’s a bit odd to compare a game set in space with one that takes you through jungles and mountains visually, but you can judge for yourself with these new screens.
Game: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Platform: PS3/360/PC Publisher: Activision Developer: Infinity Ward Players: 1-4 Release: Out Now
Let’s be honest, you were always going to buy Modern Warfare 2, regardless of what other people say. The original blew pretty much everyone on the planet away with an intense single player, and of course, an incredibly addictive online mode that no one can stop playing. Does 2 have any hope whatsoever of living up to the mammoth expectations laid upon it?
The single player picks up 5 years after the original as a shocking turn of events pits Russia at war with America. You’ll play as both the American Ranger force and the 141, an elite squad of troops carrying out special missions. Most of your time will be spent in the boots of Sergeant Gary “Roach” Sanderson, a member of the 141 who answers to Captain Soap Mactavish, the hero from the first game.
The campaign will see you doing a range of things, from sneaking around a snow-drenched enemy base to storming an oil rig. If you played the first Modern Warfare’s campaign, then you’ve undoubtedly come to expect a lot from this sequel, and for the most part, your needs are fulfilled. The campaign is certainly interesting, but it’s not until the last act that things really heat up, and some of the most incredible missions around are thrown at you. The first 2 acts are certainly fun, but don’t quite feel like the successor to the game that had us creeping around the fields of Chernobyl and fighting off helicopters from the back of a jeep.
The story is certainly more out there, but it kind of has to be to create some of the best set-pieces in the game, and what set-pieces there are. How about storming a completely wrecked White House, or pushing through an archaic Russian gulag (which features an awesome homage to The Rock)?
The crushing disappointment about the campaign however, is the length. I took me roughly 6 hours to beat the game… on Veteran, the hardest difficulty. Modern Warfare wasn’t long either, but being able to do this game with ease in one sitting is frankly a little embarrassing. There are a lot of loose ends by the time you’ve finished that are obviously being saved for the next game, but that just makes it feel like there are levels Infinity Ward left out on purpose for what’s to come.
Something that isn’t lacking is the online multiplayer. Easily the biggest staple of the CoD series, Modern Warfare 2 adds just enough tweaks, maps and perks to the experience to warrant a new title. New game modes, killstreaks and more are sure to keep you up for many a night and cancel any plans you’ve made for quite some time. If you’re big on online gaming, there’s no better place to go than this game.
The best part is that if you played a lot of the original online (which I’m willing to bet a large sum of money that you did) then you’ll fit right back in here. All you need to do is learn the maps and you’ll be pulling off 25 killstreaks in no time.
The final piece of the puzzle is spec-ops, a great co-op mode with around 23 missions for you and a friend to take on. These are built around quick, 2 player bursts of gameplay. This mode plays like a dream and is completely addictive. It’s a genuine thrill to fight your way down a bridge with a friend, or survive wave upon wave of enemies. This is perhaps the best part of the game that I hope we see a lot more of.
The presentation is also completely solid in MW2. Graphically, it’s buttery smooth, not dropping as many jaws as it did 2 years ago, but still remaining impressive. Together with fluid animations and a great soundtrack, this is a well made game.
If you take a look at any one part of Modern Warfare 2, you’d be pleased. The single player campaign is good, the online mode is great, and the spec-ops are amazing. When you combine this into one package, you’re left with a fantastic game. Buy it, if for some strange reason you haven’t already done so.
Batman: Arkham Asylum Platform: PS3/360/PC Publisher: Eidos Interactive Developer: Rocksteady Studios Players: 1 Release: Out Now
It can be hard to make a great comic book game, history proves that. The Spider-man games managed to capture the feel of web-slinging around New York, but other elements weren’t as polished, and Superman’s history with the medium has been pretty rocky. Forget all that though, because here comes everybody’s favourite caped crusader with his latest title. Last year Batman rocked the cinema with The Dark Knight, can he do the same to the video game world?
You get a classic comic setup; upon returning the Joker to Arkham Asylum, the madman breaks free. Before you know it, he’s in charge of the entire facility with a whole host of villains on his side. Batman’s job is clear, take the Joker down and put everyone back where they belong, in their cells. The best part about this extremely well presented story is just how faithful it is to the Batman legacy, right down to the voice actors. Both Michael Keaton and Mark Hamil reprise their roles from the classic 90’s animated series as Batman and Joker respectively. Even if you never did watch the show, they do an excellent job of bringing their characters to life and really make you feel involved in the plot.
The game play is a brilliant mix of 3rd person action and stealth. When enemies are unarmed, you can go all out, with a combat system that doesn’t let you simply button bash your way to victory. Instead you have to time hits, making sure you counter the enemies attacks at the same time. It can take some getting used to, but when you get the hang of it, it can become 2nd nature and truly addictive. This is a system you really can master, and actually requires skill and patience to learn.
Of course, Batman isn’t just about kicking butt, and the game realises this brilliantly. When enemies are armed, you have to take the stealth option, scrambling around the ceiling and picking your targets off one by one. These parts become more like puzzles, choosing the best way to take down a certain guard, or how to separate 2 standing next to each other. There’s a real mix up in variety here, meaning the game moves along with new situations to grab your attention with constantly. A range of gadgets, from the trusty batarang to the handy bat-claw also open up new paths and make you feel like the man himself a little bit more.
Plus, running on the same engine that games like Gears of War use, Arkham Asylum looks very sharp. Batman is a bit too muscley perhaps, but this is a great looking game, with crisp textures, and insanely detailed characters. It does the title proud.
It’s clear that all the separate parts of Batman’s latest add up to make an amazing game. If you settled in with the gritty realism of Batman Begins and The Dark Knight prepare for a few changes here, with some of the more out there villains like Killer Croc and Poison Ivy making an appearance. The ending leaves a lot to be desired, and some certain boss battles are pretty weak, but overall this is a title not to be missed, and worthy of the title of the greatest comic book videogame of all time.
Game: Dead Space: Extraction Platform: Wii Publisher: EA Developer: Vicarious Visions Players: 2 Release: Out Now
This frantic, fast-paced prequel to last year’s Dead Space has traded in the original’s third-person view for a first-person on-rails shooter similar to House of the Dead and Time Crisis. Set in the distant future on a barren planet, a human colony prepares to “crack” the land for vital resources when a strange artefact is discovered. As a team of engineers attempts to move this object, most of the colony suddenly turns insane, eventually into vicious monsters called Necromorphs that come in all shapes and sizes. You’re job, playing as a number of survivors, is to escape the horror.
Queue 10 levels of intense action, shooting everything in sight and praying you’ll make it out alive. Extraction is a wild ride from start to finish, but doesn’t play like any other light gun game. For example, aiming for the head won’t get you anywhere. Instead you have to go for the legs and arms, trying to slow the enemy down before they can get to you. It makes for a different, more exciting experience compared to what you may have played before. The pressure only builds as more enemies pile onto the screen, and you may well find yourself starting to sweat with anxiety. Other cool additions like using stasis to slow Necromorphs down, or a weapon that shoots spinning blades that you can then move with the controller only add to the experience. The first game was a refreshing addition to the survival horror genre, Extraction is very much the same, only on a new console and a new genre.
You can play through the campaign by yourself, but it’s even better to blast through with a friend in 2 player co-op. The story is constantly moving, perhaps sometimes a little too much for one level, meaning you spend a lot of time listening rather than shooting. Thankfully the plot is engaging enough to keep you interested, the voice acting is top notch, and the graphics actually manage to look quite a bit like the original game, despite being on the Wii over PS3/360.
It doesn’t end once you’re done with the story, either. There are weapon upgrades to collect, digital comics to watch, and a challenge mode that sees you trying to beat high scores. It all runs out eventually, but Extraction does what it can to keep the disc in your Wii for a while.
Overall Dead Space: Extraction works in a number of ways to deliver one of the best shooters on Wii. You may not have the control of an FPS, but the weapons, enemy types, limb slicing, and tight presentation more than make up for it. You might get more out of it if you played the first Dead Space, but that shouldn’t be any reason for you not to pick up a Wii Remote and start blasting away.
Game: Uncharted 2: Among Thieves Platform: PS3 Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment Developer: Naughty Dog Players: 1 Release: Out Now
It might be just after you take down a helicopter, or after scrambling up a train that’s literally dangling from the edge of a cliff that you realise Uncharted 2: Among Thieves is something truly special. Nathan Drake returns in this stunning sequel to 2007’s Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune. Fans of the original game will remember it for many reasons; it played just like watching an Indiana Jones film, with thrilling 3rd person gunfights separated by platforming that would make Lara Croft shake in her boots. The game also looked stunning, the best out there for it’s time. Saying that the sequel has a lot to live up to could perhaps be the understatement of the year.
Fortunately Uncharted 2 delivers on the hype and then some. This globe-trotting adventure holds about 10 hours of jaw dropping action as Drake chases after the lost treasure of Marco Polo. Whether you’re sneaking through the streets of war torn Nepal or hanging on for dear life in the Himalayan Mountains, the game never lets up.
The first thing you’ll notice is simply just how good the game looks. And by that, I mean it’s easily the best looking game to grace a console yet, pushing past Gears of War and Killzone 2. The level of detail you’ll find in any one aspect of the game is just incredible, and this goes past the graphics. Voice acting and story are both top notch, as if you expected any less. The game goes along way to pour everything is possibly can into its presentation, there’s not even a single loading screen after you load up you save.
You’ll get your hands on a load of weapons from the original game, but new additions such as the grenade launcher are more than welcome, and when combined with an improved cover system make for some frantic fights. Even better, you can assault the enemy with your bare fists for some grizzly hand-to-hand sequences. There’s a bunch of times the game will throw something else at you, armoured soldiers, helicopters, even tanks, to make it that bit more memorable. Amazing set pieces play host to the battles, a fight on a speeding train being the highlight. The detail and care in the presentation clearly carries over to the gameplay itself. Platforming returns to mix things up, as do some fairly simple puzzles. They might feel more like road blocks than variety at times, but that’s rarely the case.
The biggest addition over last time however is the multiplayer. There’s a heap of deathmatch modes, along with 2 co-op game types. While the vs matches may well tear you away from Call of Duty 4 for a while, it’s the co-op that stands out, survival missions seeing you hold out against waves of enemies with a friend, like Gears of War 2’s horde mode. Then there are missions that take place in areas from the single player campaign. They do more than enough to make sure this is one disc that will stay in your PS3 for a while.
Ultimately, for all the set pieces, graphics, and guns the game throws at you, it’s the little things in Uncharted 2 that will stick with you. Like making it through a tense scrap by the skin of your teeth, or getting that incredibly lucky shot. Make sure you don’t miss this game.
There are a lot of things in life I wish I could un-see, most of which can’t be mentioned here. Wii Music, specifically the game’s E3 presentation is one of these things. Despite this faceplam moment, a lukewarm reception and under-performing sales, Shigeru Miyamoto hasn’t given up on the franchise yet.
Mr. Mario spoke out to Edge on the title, saying, “As soon as we’ve finished a project, I always have regrets about what we could or should’ve done,” count one of those regrets as pretending to play the saxophone with a Wii Remote in front of everyone at E3.
“But then there are these great ideas that we can utilize with future projects, one way or another. Some people might say Wii Music is a good example. It’s been said that it could have sold much more than it actually has to date, but it simply means that I have some assets right now that, by tweaking something, we might be able to have great success with in future.” Okay so maybe not quite Wii Music 2, more of a Wii Music Plus, perhaps? Maybe Miyamoto will be air guitaring his way onto the stage in LA this year, one can only hope.
Square Enix have made it obvious that they like money a lot this generation with their multiplatform approach to consoles and a move towards developing more Western games. There’s still another filling to go into the sweet money pie though; DLC. We’ve seen the publisher pass up on some huge opportunites to take advantage of this in games like Final Fantasy XIII, but that’s all set to change.
Square Enix Europe CEO Phil Rogers has been talking about the importance of DLC in the company’s future, stating, “How we offer content to consumers via digital download is very important to us, and premium downloadable content is an absolute must for the titles that we launch.”
We can already see the seeds of this plan being sewn; Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light is Square Enix’s first download-only entry into the Tomb Raider franchise (or maybe not). “I think the new Lara Croft game is a testament to our strategy to try something new,” said Rogers, “not as an experiment in a hit or miss way, but actually as a way to meet new consumer demand.” So we can expect to see plenty more Sqeenix content when we go to check the PSN and XBL from now on.
