Review: Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1

Release Date: October 7, 2010
Developed By: Dimps, Sonic Team
Genre: 2D Platformer
Platforms: PSN, Xbox Live Arcade, WiiWare, iOS
Platform Reviewed: PSN

Leading up to the announcement of Sonic the Hedgehog 4, instead of raising hype by announcing which characters would be in the game, Sega gradually eliminated potential characters, eventually revealing that Sonic would be the sole hero of his latest adventure. Are Sega so out of touch with fans that they've only just come to the realisation that no-one wants monstrosities such as Rouge the Bat and Silver the Hedgehog tainting what was once a respectable series of games? Or were they aware all along, ignoring the collective sighs of gamers as they indulged in designing another redundant humanoid-animal to add to Sonic's crew? Neither is a particularly appealing reality.

Whatever the case, Sonic 4 is dubbed as the game that fans have been wanting for the past 15 years. The obvious question is “why did we get the 2006 Sonic the Hedgehog game instead?” The fact that they decided to name it as a direct sequel to fan-favourite Sonic 3 & Knuckles almost seems to imply that Sega wants to brush the troubled releases of the last decade under the Big the Cat skin rug.

Titled “Episode 1”, this is the first in a series of releases that will make up Sonic the Hedgehog 4. In this first episode you get 4 zones, each consisting of 3 acts and a boss, as well as 7 special stages in which you find the chaos emeralds.

There's Something Wrong With The Gravity!

Immediately after the nostalgic zone intro overlay disappeared, I noticed that the soles of Sonic's shoes were apparently coated in glue. Sonic's acceleration rate is severely sluggish. The protagonist who is characterised by speed is now having trouble getting started at all. There's also something seriously wrong with basic physics such as gravity and momentum, as Sonic will frequently come to a sudden stop in the air and fall down in a perfect vertical line. It means that getting used to the controls takes time; something that never happened in the original Sonic games that boasted fluid controls that allowed Sonic to spring into action quickly. Even when you do learn to make up for the engine's shortcomings, controlling Sonic just never feels quite right. This, being one of the great strengths of the earlier games, grants the game quite a significant handicap from the get-go.

Sonic is equipped with his staple moves, such as the spin dash, as well as the more modern homing attack, which comes as a double-edged sword. When you do eventually get Sonic running at the speed he's supposed to, using the homing attack can destroy a succession of enemies while keeping him moving. However, this also removes the challenge of the precision Badnik bouncing of the past, replacing it with a pinch of the much berated 'on rails' style of the newer Sonic games.

Deja Vu

The zones on offer are influenced by Green Hill, Casino Night, Labyrinth and Metropolis, though to say that the zones are inspired by classic Sonic zones is putting it lightly. At times it feels like you're just playing remixed versions of the aforementioned zones. The occasional new mechanic will pop up, such as using a flaming torch to light the way or casino style poker cards that can be flipped for bonuses, but this doesn't make up for the moments where you're faced with a section that has been ripped straight out of Sonic 1 or 2 and awkwardly shoehorned into the level. It's a shame, because the level of design that makes up the majority of Sonic 4's zones is what made the original games great. If it had been put to use in creating zones with new themes and mechanics, Sonic 4 would have felt much fresher.

Another complaint about the level design is that the dreaded bottomless pits often have no warning. There were many times I found myself falling to an unexpected death purely because I didn't see the pit coming. That's not challenging. That's just cheap.

The bosses are copied and pasted from the old zones of reference, with a slight twist revealing itself once the original version is defeated. The main audience of this game, Sonic fans, will naturally get through the first phase of the boss battles with very little thought. It's interesting to see a new mechanic added to each of the bosses, but most of the time, it's an awkward one that's more irritating than enjoyable. For instance, the Labyrinth boss now ends with a room of moving columns that must be used to reach Dr Robotnik/Eggman, before quickly finding and moving to the small safe spot in which you won't be crushed by them. This is mostly a case of dying several times to find out which are the wrong ways to reach that safe spot. Even when you do get it down, the sluggish movement of Sonic can still cause a frustrating instant death.

Speaking of bosses, Sonic 4 includes one of the deepest of gaming sins. Before fighting the final boss, each of the previous bosses must be fought in succession. Just as in every game that this boss gauntlet has appeared in, rather than actually adding anything to the game, it's nothing more than a lazy way of padding out the final level.

You'll find nothing new in the special stages, as Sonic Team have decided to recycle the most annoying of them all; the rotating mazes from the first game. There is a slight difference in that you now rotate the stage, rather than directly controlling Sonic, but there's still every chance for the smallest wrong movement to cause Sonic to fall straight into a "goal" pit, instantly throwing him out of the special stage empty handed. If they insisted on bringing back a classic special stage rather than designing a new one, it's a wonder they didn't bring back the infinitely more enjoyable blue sphere stage from Sonic 3 & Knuckles, or even the often remixed tunnel of rings that first appeared in Sonic 2.

Mega Drive Drums

Sonic 4: Episode 1 certainly looks like a 2D Sonic game. It's bright and colourful with a style heavily influenced by the Mega Drive games. The character models are decent enough, but are less detailed than the environment and thus look detached. Also paying homage to the classics is the return of the instantly recognisable 16-bit Sonic drums included in the game's soundtrack. In fact, every part of the music seems to be trying to recreate the style of the old 16-bit tunes, but unfortunately, it doesn't quite work and leaves the music feeling a little too primitive sounding. It doesn't help that most of the tracks are barely memorable or catchy, and loop far too quickly.

I did appreciate hearing all the old sound effects, such as when collecting rings, passing a starpost or bouncing off a spring, as they at least still sound like they mingle well with the overall style of the game.

So Close, Yet So Far

There is a half decent platformer in there somewhere, with some 2D Sonic-esque level design that the series has needed for a long time. But poor controls, unoriginality and lazy presentation mean that this is just another disappointment in the troubled last decade of the blue blur.

Calling it Sonic 4 was a big risk, and this first episode doesn't come close to living up to the name. Rather than feeling like a sequel to Sonic 3 & Knuckles, the step back to the style of Sonic 1 and 2, and the poor execution of basic Sonic gameplay result in something that resembles a bad fan game. In fact, you can still have a much better Sonic experience by playing the original games, which are easily accessible in the many compilations and digital downloads that have been released over the past few years. Why would you want to play a below average rehash of the brilliant 16-bit Sonic games when you can just as easily play the real thing?

There was potential here, and I just hope they use it to create something new and refreshing for episode 2.

Rating: 4/10

Review: Infamous

Release Date: NA: May 26, 2009, EU: May 29, 2009, AUS: June 4, 2009, JP: November 5, 2009
Developed By: Sucker Punch Productions
Genre: Third-person Action-adventure
Platforms: Playstation 3

It's hard to believe that I had shaky first impressions of Infamous. The shallow characters, dodgy animation and mediocre beginnings of the story were almost enough to put me off the game. I'm glad I stuck with it, though, as it turns out it has a lot more to offer than it first appears to.

Infamous literally starts with a bang, as the main protagonist, Cole MacGrath, unwittingly activates a mysterious object known as the ray sphere, creating a blast that devastates the surrounding city. Cole wakes from the explosion with electricity surging through his body, giving him superpowers. The city becomes a war-zone, with gangs of 'reapers' roaming the city causing as much chaos and destruction as possible. With his new powers, Cole is put to the task of retrieving the ray sphere by Moya, a government agent, while restoring order to the city along the way.

Characters are a strong component of a good story, so it's a shame that the characters in Infamous are so bland. Cole has little personality other than being a hardened badass with a gruff voice, and his comrades are no better. His best friend, Zeke, is your typical cocky (read: annoying) sidekick and the sort-of-ex-girlfriend Trish has almost nothing to contribute to the story other than being the mandatory love interest for Cole. The plot was making some effort at trying to draw me in with a few intriguing questions, but the one-dimensional characters and otherwise predictable storytelling held it back from becoming involving.

In fact, it's not until the latter parts of the game that the story picks up pace, and it wasn't until the very end that I was actually surprised by a plot twist. It was definitely becoming a good story, but sadly, it was too late. Similarly, the villains of the game were far more interesting than the good guys, and it would have been nice to see them have more screen time, especially in the early parts of the game.

Visually, it's a good looking game with a rich setting of apocalyptic urban blight. You get a good sense of the magnitude of the devastation as the citizens display feelings of despair and hopelessness, and the cityscape is littered with ruined buildings, broken roads and general rubble. The cut scenes are played out in a striking, moving comic-book style that fits in well with the game's superhero theme. Unfortunately, the presentation is marred somewhat by often inconsistent framerate and awkward animation. The characters move stiffly, especially when speaking. In a game that looks so great, the sub-par character animation sticks out like a sore thumb.

Don't Judge a Book By It's Cliched Gravelly Voice

Despite my qualms in the early stages of Infamous, by the time I finished the game, I was surprised at how much my opinion had heightened. What it may lack in story and presentation, it more than makes up for in gameplay.

The game resembles a third person shooter, only with electrical powers in place of guns. Many of the elements of a shooter are present, such as cover, grenades and sniping. Mixed in are a few extra powers that allow you to blast away in style, such as a shockwave that sends enemies flying and a ground slam that knocks down all enemies within a certain radius. Some of the later abilities are a real treat and it would be wrong of me to spoil the surprise. Powers can be upgraded with experience, gained from defeating enemies and completing both story and side missions.

The combat is the meat of the game and never really lets up from being challenging. As you progress and gain more of your powers, several variations of enemies enter the fray. When you move on to a new segment of the city, you face more powerful, tougher to kill versions of the enemies you've been fighting so far. Enemies will also use turrets and armoured vehicles to try and shred you into tiny pieces. The steady stream of new powers and enemies ensure that the combat never gets repetitive and remains enjoyable right to the very end.

If there's one niggle, it's that you sometimes find yourself in seemingly impossible situations that cause temporary spikes in difficulty. To then later acquire a power that's designed to combat the obstacle in question makes one wonder if the difficulty curve could have been somewhat smoothed by introducing these powers earlier. Sure, it's a lot more satisfying to develop a hatred for certain enemies before being handed the tools to fight back, but at the same time, if you've already learned to deal with them without the new power, it becomes relegated to a mere convenience.

The combat is aided by tight, responsive controls, which also shine while you're moving around the city and scaling buildings. One of the perks Cole gains from the ray sphere blast is the ability to climb buildings as effortlessly as some sort of arachnid-based superhero. Control-wise, it's as simple as tapping X and directing Cole to the next grab-able object on the side of the building. Along with the absence of fall damage, this makes traveling around the city a breeze.

Welcome to the Desolate Sandbox

The game follows a similar structure to that of the Grand Theft Auto series. You can roam around the city at will and progress the story by picking up missions in specific locations. At any time there can be one, two or three story missions on offer, along with a plethora of side missions. The main missions put you in various combat situations that get crazier, and as a result, more challenging, as you progress through the game.

It's during the main missions that the bulk of the "karma" decisions come into play. Infamous has a good/evil system, allowing access to specific powers based on your actions. Story-wise, these moral dilemmas aren't particularly deep or thought provoking. When a decision comes up, the action stops while Cole's inner monologue explicitly, and almost patronisingly, considers which option is good and which is bad, resulting in a moral system that's very black and white. With little effect on the overall story, it seems that the karma system is mostly a function of the gameplay. Since the most advanced upgrades to certain powers can only be obtained by becoming fully good or evil, the intended way to play is to choose your path at the beginning and stick to it. It does give the game some replay value, however, as there were a few choices I would have been interested in seeing the opposite outcome to.

The side missions are connected to small sections of the overall map and completion of each one removes enemy influence, in a similar vein to the gang warfare missions in San Andreas (though capturing territory in Infamous is permanent). While the types of side missions do repeat, there's enough variation to keep them from becoming stale, and the fact that they're short and simple means you can knock out a fair amount of them without straying from the main story path for too long. And with an obvious reward for completing them, seeing a side quest icon pop up on your mini-map is far too tempting to ignore.

Overall

Despite it's flaws and a mostly uninteresting story, Infamous is a game with a lot of potential for enjoyment. Though it starts out slow, stick with it and the precise controls and collection of awesome powers turn this game into 15-20 hours of entertaining, electrically charged mayhem. It's proof that sometimes, solid gameplay is all you need for a game to radiate greatness.

I'm happy to say that I'll gladly be going back for a second play-through in the near future, to explore the evil side of Cole.

Rating: 8/10

If you like the sound of it, Infamous will be on offer for free when the PSN Store returns!

Review: Portal 2

Release Date: Steam: April 19, 2011, Retail: NA: April 19, 2011, EU/AUS: April 21, 2011
Developed By: Valve Corporation
Genre: First-person Puzzle
Platforms: PC, Mac, Playstation 3, Xbox 360
Platform Reviewed: PC

Fear not, this review will not contain spoilers. Any plot points mentioned here were revealed by Valve in trailers prior to the game's release.

The fact that I've felt it necessary to assure readers that this review will be spoiler free speaks volumes about the powerful effect Portal had on the gaming community. All over social networking sites and gaming forums people are being extra vigilant in what they read about Portal 2, begging those that have completed the game not to blurt out any details of its story. Portal received huge amounts of praise for the combination of its unique logical puzzle-solving gameplay and its brilliantly intelligent and witty story-telling, despite a confined setting with just one speaking character. The element of surprise was a core part of the Portal experience so it stands to reason that gamers have been looking forward to having the sequel throw everything they couldn't possibly have expected at them.

GlaDOS and Aperture Science have left a lasting impression on the gaming community. Portal 2, then, has the extremely daunting task of remaining absolutely true to the fiction and personality of its predecessor while introducing new elements to keep it from becoming 'just a sequel'. Almost immediately it's apparent that the story goes much deeper than in the first game as you're introduced to a new character in the first few minutes. Already the dynamic has shifted; Chell, the silent woman you'll once again be playing as, is no longer alone with GlaDOS. There's much more of a narrative this time round with some rather delicious and completely 'out there' plot twists that will genuinely keep you guessing as to how it's all going to unravel.

This is supported by the return of the dark humour that made the first game so memorable, with a well-written script complimented by fantastic voice acting. GlaDOS remains as chillingly menacing as ever, while the new characters are introduced with equally strong personalities. No one character ever steals the spotlight and it's likely you'll come out of the game finding it difficult to pick a favourite, as they each have a substantial effect on you in their own way. It's also interesting to see Aperture Science itself given a little more attention by allowing you to explore its history, but at the same time, you're not given so much that it loses any of the mystery that makes it such an intriguing company.

The voice actors for Portal 2 have been well chosen for their respective characters. Timing and delivery are spot on and allow for some genuine laugh-out-loud moments while at other times sending shivers down your spine.

Also noticeable is the increase in music over the original. The score includes a range of ambient background music as well as appropriately dramatic pieces for some of the more eventful moments. An interesting touch is the extra musical elements that are injected into the overall theme when interacting with specific objects in the game's environment. Even though they occur at the moment you perform a certain action, they somehow feel like they're a natural part of the music.

After becoming enthralled by the introduction and being taken back into the laboratory you've previously grown to love (and fear), you could be forgiven for almost forgetting that there's an actual game to play here too. Portal laid the foundations of a simple premise that facilitated some truly complex logic problems. For those that missed out, Portal and its sequel equip you with a device that allows you to place two portals on certain surfaces within the Aperture laboratories. Enter one of the portals and you exit through the other. It's simple, but add in puzzle elements such as blocks, buttons and lasers and you end up with some wonderfully tricky but logical conundrums. Portal 2 gives you a quick reminder as to how your portals work in some 'classic' test chambers before moving on to the new mechanics designed to further test your brain-power.

Like the story, the gameplay of Portal is fragile. Mess with it too much and you could end up losing whatever it was that made it work so well. Thankfully, Valve have struck a good balance of quantity and quality as only a handful of new elements are introduced, each working very well with the existing tools at hand. Some of the test chambers are truly devious and getting into the 'thinking with portals mindset' is definitely required to come up with solutions. There are plenty of those satisfying moments where, after you've been looking around a test chamber, prodding buttons and scratching your head for some time, it all suddenly clicks into place in your mind as you exclaim a triumphant "Oh... I get it!"

The single-player mode clocks in at around 7-8 hours, give or take depending on how many times you find yourself stumped. This may seem short for a full priced game that has been in development for so long but when I reached the end, it felt about right. It's clear that every one of those hours has been lovingly crafted as the game is consistently enjoyable throughout. Furthermore, any longer and it might have run out of steam* as the story could only tease you so for so long before rewarding you with a conclusion. It's also best to play Portal 2 in sessions of a couple of hours at a time as thinking with portals can be mentally taxing if engaged in for too long.

If you've got a Portal playing friend to bring along, Portal 2 offers a cooperative mode that, thankfully, never feels tacked on. Entering this mode makes you realise just how 'meant to be' cooperative Portal gameplay is. The addition of another player with an extra two portals allows for some interesting twists on the puzzles you experience in the single-player mode. The thought process that's usually confined to your mind now becomes a back and forth conversation of collective thinking, as you each work together to come up with a solution. Though voice chat is highly recommended, you're given tools, such as a countdown timer and the ability to place a marker where you want a portal creating, to facilitate the basic communication you'll need to get by. There's no less of the charm that makes the single-player great either, as GlaDOS is along for the ride once again to offer much needed sarcastic masochism.

Every now and then a sequel comes along that feels more like an important event than just a video game. Portal 2 is one such sequel. The original saw such huge popularity that the follow-up had to be no less than superior in every single way. Valve have excelled in pulling this off and it was a genuine pleasure to be able to experience a game that has had such a powerful emotional impact on myself and hopefully, many others.

Rating: 10/10

*Not a pun. Too predictable.

Review: Assassin's Creed 2

Release Date: Playstation 3/Xbox 360: November 2009, PC: March 2010, Mac: EU: September 2010, NA: January 2011
Developed By: Ubisoft Montreal
Genre: Third-person Action-adventure
Platforms: Playstation 3, Xbox 360, PC, Mac
Platform Reviewed: Playstation 3

Assassin's Creed 2 is the follow up to the original game of 2007. While the first game was generally well received for its unique assassin-em-up gameplay, many players cited repetition and blandness as its biggest shortcomings. The sequel aims to address this by cramming in as much flavour as possible to create a rich and exhilarating experience

It's advisable that you begin Assassin's Creed 2 with knowledge of the first game's plot. Either by playing through the original or reading a plot summary online, understanding certain elements that were introduced in Assassin's Creed is vital, as the sequel jumps straight into the story with very little explanation of what has transpired so far. Especially important is to know what the 'Animus' is, as newcomers to the series may be confused when they find themselves beginning the game as a character from present day rather than the assassin on the front of the game's case.

"How many of these things are there? ...Animuses? Animi?"

Assassins's Creed 2 continues to follow Desmond, a descendent of at least two assassins of the past. By entering the Matrix-esque Animus, Desmond is able to relive the memories of his ancestors to learn the locations of dangerous artifacts that his modern day enemies are seeking, as well as training him to become a skilled assassin himself. Upon entering the Animus, the story switches focus to 15th century Italy and a young man named Ezio Auditore, who finds himself wrapped up in a story of conspiracies and trains as an assassin in order to 'remove' those who seek power through murder and malice.

Engaging in Ezio's story is very enjoyable. It's the classic tale of a power struggle between corrupt political and religious figures and underdog freedom fighters. The game is structured into chapters in which you work with other characters to set up the assassination of one or more of the evil protagonists, concluding with the actual assassination itself. It introduces you to some characters you truly come to despise and lets you take their power away from them, along with their life. One might expect an assassin to be cold and soulless but Ezio is positively charming, cheeky and heroic. At no point does he show joy in his executions and he only kills those who have killed others. There's a fine line between a heroic assassin and a murderer and Ubisoft Montreal have pulled it off well. You're well aware that you're killing another human being but it always feels like every kill is justified and for the greater good.

Desmond, on the other hand, has next to no personality to speak of. It's clear that Ubisoft Montreal were trying to create a spin on a traditional assassin story by having someone from the present day relive memories of the past, but it feels entirely unnecessary. The story of Ezio is enjoyable enough that whenever the plot shifts back to present day, it's nothing more than an interruption. Occasionally, characters will also interject with hints while you're playing as Ezio, completely breaking the immersion. A game with a strong plot is supposed to make you forget that you're playing a game but here it almost feels like Desmond is playing a game himself. Thankfully, trips back to the present are infrequent so you do get to enjoy Ezio's story for the majority of the game. Still, it makes you wonder if the overall plot would have lost anything, or even been improved by, the absence of this odd story concept.

"I have plenty of outlets."

While there is the main story to follow, the game takes on a free roam style and offers you plenty of side quests to take part in. These are optional but they serve to break up the series of large scale assassinations with some variety. On offer are races over rooftops, courier missions, smaller assassination contracts and a plethora of treasure hunting with many collectables to find. Money can be earned by upgrading the Auditore family villa to bring in revenue which can then be spent on armour and weapon upgrades. Also of note are the assassin tombs that contain some of the more challenging climbing sections which eventually add the obstacle of timed doors and switches. The most interesting side quest involves locating glyphs left by another mysterious Animus user which unravels a completely separate side story and has you solving some fairly tricky Da Vinci Code style puzzles.

Controlling Ezio is mostly intuitive but can run into occasional issues. 15th century Italy has a conveniently traversable system of rooftops and simple free running controls allow you to glide along them with ease. This allows for some exciting chase scenes, intense stalking of targets in the streets below and is even just generally a more fun way to move around the city. All of the free running is bound to one context-sensitive button which keeps it from becoming too complex, but this is also where the problems come in. Holding the button to sprint also starts Ezio off on any climbable surface, so it can be frustrating when you're trying to give chase and you accidentally get too close to a wall, which Ezio then wastes time trying to climb up. It's also sometimes unclear which way you're aiming before performing a jump, which can result in Ezio leaping to his death for no apparent reason. These issues don't come up often enough to be a major problem but there's definite room for improvement.

The combat is also kept simple, using the standard lock-on, block and counter system that many third-person action games have employed in the past. Countering is a case of watching your enemies' movements and correctly timing your button presses. Attacks can also be dodged leaving your enemies open to your own attacks and there a few other neat tricks such as disarming foes and using their own weapons against them. The combat works well and allows you to slaughter hordes of guards like a pro but the simplicity is, unfortunately, its downfall. The problem is that the fights never increase in difficulty as the game progresses. You'll always be fighting the same types of guards and the same methods can always be applied to defeat them. It gets to a point where, instead of sneaking around groups of guards, you just rush straight into them because you can expect it to be an easy encounter.

Not limited to just the combat, there are also a number of mechanics that are introduced in the early stages of the game that are never really put to full use. In one of the earlier chapters you learn how to blend in with crowds to avoid the attention of guards when they're on high alert. Any less-than-legal actions you perform raise your notoriety in the city. Become notorious enough and the guards will start to look out for you which is when the blending comes in handy. It's odd, then, that you can play through the majority of the game without ever getting to this point. When your notoriety even slightly increases you get the option of tearing down wanted posters and bribing heralds to lower it. It's easy to keep your notoriety low enough that the blending mechanic is never really used outside of a few of the more sneaky plot assassinations. It's a shame as it had the potential to be a refreshing take on stealthy gameplay.

"To test it you would have to leap off a tower. Who would be mad enough to do a thing like that?"

What the game lacks in challenge, it makes up in style. This is an extremely well presented game that creates a great atmosphere of a bustling 15th century Italian city. Crowds of people go about their daily business and react suitably to your actions. Start climbing walls and they'll comment on how crazy they think you are. They'll gather round and watch any scraps you get into, but take an apprehensive step back if you try to approach them afterwards. Bards will run up to you and sing of your fame. All of these nice little touches work together to give the feeling of a living, breathing city. This is complimented by rich background noise, with the sound of people chattering which has a great effect of echoing off the walls when you're up on the rooftops.

The cities themselves are beautiful, boasting some intricate architecture. Climb to the top of one of the taller buildings and you get a really good sense of the sheer scale of the city. The highest points of the city can be used to survey the surrounding area and fill in a section of your map. Activate one of these viewpoints and the camera pans out and almost seems like it's showing off just how far you can see.

The script is well written, often witty and is accompanied by some exceptional voice acting. It makes a nice change that the accents reflect the setting of the game, unlike in past games where it's believed that everyone in the world (Persia, for instance...) had a 'British' accent in the middle ages. The game can be played with either an English or full Italian voice track. Even in the English voice track the accents are Italian and the characters switch between both languages frequently. Generally, the main exposition is in English and can sometimes be followed by personal speech expressing emotion in Italian. It never feels forced and only adds to the authenticity of the character.

"Nothing is true; everything is permitted."

Assassin's Creed 2 favours style over challenge. While players aren't going to have a hard time getting through the game, it's still a joy to play throughout. This a game well suited to completionists due to the large amount of things to do, even after the main game is completed. It's clear a lot of work has gone into making you feel like a skilled assassin of Renaissance Italy and it's definitely paid off.

Rating: 8/10

Review: Pac-Man Championship Edition DX

Release Date: XLA: November 17, 2010, PSN: NA: November 23, 2010, EU: November 24, 2010
Developed By: Namco Bandai
Genre: Arcade
Platforms: Xbox Live Arcade, Playstation Network
Platform Reviewed: Playstation Network

"Wakka wakka wakka wakka" - Pac-Man

Revivals of classic games are not an uncommon thing. There have been plenty of attempts to bring retro games, such as Space Invaders and Asteroids, to modern consoles throughout each generation. Developers have a difficult task on their hands because adding too many new features can detract from whatever made the game a classic in the first place, while not adding enough can result in a game that's too similar to the original to make it worth revisiting. The planets must have aligned when Namco Bandai were developing Pac-Man Championship Edition DX because this is one case where the revival has been a complete success.

A Nutritious Diet of Dots and Fruit

As usual, this latest Pac-Man game has our hero navigating a maze, eating trails of dots and avoiding the evil ghosts which seek to undo him. Power pellets can be eaten to temporarily change the ghosts into a blue and edible form. That sounds like Pac-Man, right? What if I told you, then, that you'll be bolting around at blazing speeds while being chased by a train of 10, 20 or even 30 ghosts? It sounds crazy but it's exactly what you're letting yourself in for.

On beginning a game you're presented with two lines of dots. Eating the dots from one side of the maze will cause a higher scoring item, such as a fruit, to appear on the other side. Eating this bonus item will create a fresh path of dots on the other side of the maze. In some ways the game bears similarities to a rhythm game, as the way to a high score is to follow these pre-set paths of dots and fruit in as optimal a fashion as possible. With practice you begin to memorise the fastest way to complete each path and you gain the quick reactions needed to move onto the next one smoothly.

Speed is the name of the game here, as both of the main game modes have you racing against the clock. These consist of Score Attack, in which you have a set amount of time to score as many points as possible and Time Attack, where the aim is to eat a certain amount of fruit in as little time as possible. With your scores and best times then being posted to a global high score table and a ranking given based on your standing (Rank A for being in the top 20%, rank B for being in the top 40%, and so on), the addiction sets in as you try time and time again to perfect each maze and move up the scoreboard.

Hunted and Haunted

Of course, the ghosts Inky, Blinky, Pinky and Clyde return to make things difficult for Pac-Man as they move around the maze, toying with him, breaking him down mentally by inducing deep paranoia before going in for the kill. While you may be trying to follow the optimal path of dots, Clyde can suddenly cross your path and throw you right off the trail and wasting you valuable seconds.

The most interesting and ultimately satisfying new element is the new type of ghost that sleeps in a certain part of the maze and awakens to give chase when Pac-Man rushes by. Several of these ghosts are dotted about the maze and more appear with each new path of dots revealed. Eventually you end up with a massive train of ghosts following closely behind until you grab your next power pellet and reach the pinnacle of gratification this game has to offer. Having Pac-Man chomp his way through a string of 20 or more ghosts is a sight to behold and may go down in history as one of the best examples of the phrase "revenge is sweet." Each ghost you eat is worth a large amount of points which increases as you eat more ghosts in succession. So, not only are you trying to eat dots and fruit as fast as you can, you're also passing by as many sleeping ghosts as possible in order to create a long trail of spirits to feast on when the time is right. There's plenty to be paying attention to.

Thankfully, Pac-Man has a new weapon to deter the ghosts; bombs. When used, bombs hurl every ghost to the centre of the maze allowing you to continue on your way unharmed. When a ghost is getting a little too close, the game slows down to a crawl, bullet-time style, to allow you to make the decision of fight (bomb) or flight. Don't misjudge this as a way to make the game easier, as each bomb you use reduces your speed, temporarily lowers the point value of dots and renders you unable to add more ghosts to your train until it catches up to you again.

"Blang blang blang BLANG BLANG BLANG" - Pac-Man, Pac-Man Championship Edition DX

The entire experience is enhanced by the brightness, loudness and sheer speed of the game. Whizzing around a maze of bright, neon colour with some fast paced music constantly reminding you that the clock is ticking and a gradual increase in Pac-Man's movement speed throughout make for some adrenaline fueled, sweaty-palm inducing gaming sessions. If you weren't so tightly holding on to the controller you'd be punching your fist in the air as the extremely emphatic sound of a long train of ghosts being devoured blasts out of your speakers. Everything about the presentation of this game wants you to keep your eyes wide open and darting about the screen. It wants to make you feel like the greatest Pac-Man player who ever lived every single time you play and it does so spectacularly.

More Pac-Man Than You Can Shake a Joystick At

There's little fault to be found here. Replays of high scoring players can be viewed for the 5 minute Score Attack mode and it would have been nice to see replays of the other modes too. Apart from that, the only thing that could improve the game is more of everything it already has, which says a lot about the high quality of the existing content.

The game certainly isn't lacking in content though, with 8 maze variations, several distinct graphical styles to choose from for both the mazes and character sprites and extra modes such as a challenge to eat as many ghosts as possible in the duration of one power pellet. Since the enjoyment of the game comes from perfecting your dot scoffing skill there's more than enough here to keep you jumping back in time and time again.

Pac-Man Championship Edition DX is an excellent example of what makes services such as Xbox Live Arcade and PSN great as it balances complexity and simplicity with competence in a pick-up-and-play game. This is an update that remains true to classic Pac-Man while successfully creating a fresh new experience that's easy to recommend to anyone.

Rating: 10/10

Review: Final Fantasy XIII

Release Date: JP: December 17, 2009, NA/EU: March 9, 2010

Developed By: Square Enix

Genre: RPG

Platforms: Playstation 3, XBOX 360

Platform Reviewed: Playstation 3

"It's easy to lose sight of things in a world as wide as this one, but if you keep going you're sure to find what you're looking for sooner or later." - Vanille, Final Fantasy XIII

In the 40 hours I spent playing through Final Fantasy XIII (or 13, if you prefer) I experienced what could only be described as mixed feelings. There were certain points in the game where I found myself unable to tear myself away and I was giddy at the thought of the next time I could get a good session in. At other times I had to will myself into loading up my save and pressing on to the next chapter. If I had to plot it on a graph I'd end up with a distinct trapezium, beginning with a slow ascent as I gradually learned to enjoy the game, peaking with a long line of highly entertaining gameplay and ending with a slow decline as I slogged through the final chapters.

This says one thing to me. To grow fond of this game takes effort. That first slope of the trapezium consists of tutorials and being handed each element of gameplay piece by piece. On beginning the game many players may be put off by the lack of options in combat and even the ability to level up. With leveling up being one of the main motivations for engaging in battles in RPGs, it was an odd decision by Square Enix to exclude this feature for the first couple of hours of the game, all for the sake of a learning curve.

I don't want to set the world on fire...

Thankfully, the story is able to draw you in right from the start. As in any good introduction you're dropped straight into the action and there's an immediate drive to find out just what's behind the chaos that's going on around you.

There's no question that this is a Final Fantasy game. As is tradition, a small group of heroes are thrown together by the starting events of the game and find themselves with the potential to alter the fate of the world. However, this time the protagonists are charged with the task of destroying the world rather than saving it. With the price of failure being transformation into mindless beasts and the way to success being the destruction of their home and everything they hold dear, to say our heroes are in a bit of a pickle is an understatement.

It's this plot point that kept me going through the early stages of the game. For roughly the first half of the game the characters are split into groups of two. This really allows you to get to know the characters as individuals as they each react in their own way to their new dilemma. It's genuinely interesting to see them interact with their partners and watch as their motivations are revealed. By the time the characters meet up again you'll have decided on your favourites and gained a desire to see them overcome their dire circumstances.

There's real growth to be observed in the characters too. While at first they appear to follow stereotypes such as the soldier who's all business and the hot-headed brawler with a flair for heroics, it's refreshing to watch them break away from their mould and become so much more intricate and as a result, likeable.

That's a shifty lookin' paradigm

If you continue to enjoy the story and put in the effort to get through the first portion of the game, you'll discover its next great element; the combat system. When fully unlocked it's one of the best the Final Fantasy series has ever seen. Players who might have yearned for a little more direct control over the combat in Final Fantasy XII will be happy to hear that Final Fantasy XIII has returned to its turn-based Active Time Battle roots.

The first time you see an auto-battle option you may find yourself concerned that the coming battles may turn out to be a little on the easy side and the fact that two out of three characters are AI controlled can only add to this worry. Thankfully, the battles become so fast-paced with quick decisions being constantly made that you come to depend on that auto-battle button.

This is thanks to the paradigm system. Paradigms are combinations of the various roles that your characters can assume. All of the staple RPG roles are here, including today's standard of damage-dealing, healing and tanking, along with support roles of buffing and de-buffing. The paradigm system allows you to set up several combinations of these roles and switch between them at will in the middle of combat. The rise in challenge as you progress towards the end of the game as well as a rating after each battle really gets you experimenting with different combinations and it becomes very apparent just how deep the system goes. There's a great sense of satisfaction when, after tweaking your paradigm setup, you achieve a full 5-star rating on a battle that you had previously struggled to even live through.

There has always been the type of RPG player that enjoys going further with a game's combat system and learning advanced tricks and techniques in order to master it. There's definitely room for that here as a little research on internet forums can reveal some of these techniques. While not required to finish the game, choose to master the combat system and you will consistently see 5-star ratings at the end of each battle resulting in a higher chance of obtaining the more rare and valuable items of the game. Along with this, you get the choice of how to level up your characters. Each has three of the game's six roles available as primary roles, but for a higher cost of experience points, secondary roles can be purchased for each character too. Need some extra healing? Give Snow some medic spells. Need to get your buffs up faster? Have Lightning take a few Synergist spells. There's a lot of potential for customisation.

A feast for the eyes and ears

Visually, Final Fantasy XIII is stunning. Square Enix's art team never fail to impress and as usual they've gone all out to make the game look as strikingly beautiful as possible. The FMV sequences once again show off some of the most impressive CGI you'll find on current technology. Something of note is how much smoother the visual transition between a playable section of the game and a FMV sequence is. While it is still obvious that the FMVs are better looking, the in-game graphics engine has been used to great effect, producing some awe-inspiring background scenery and well animated characters that are capable of displaying plenty of emotion. This results in a much smaller contrast between the two that has been present in previous Final Fantasy games.

Nobuo Uematsu is still missed as the main composer of the series but Hamauzu's score is competent and pleasing to the ear. Much of the music is an arrangement of the main theme, so repetition is present, but the theme is in keeping with the game's atmosphere. Those expecting a soundtrack on the epic scale of the older games in the series may be disappointed however, as there is nothing particularly memorable about Final Fantasy XIII's.

On the other hand, the voice acting is continuing to improve for the series and has come a long way since the awkwardly delivered speech of Final Fantasy X. The main characters' voice actors fit into their roles well. The only complaint I would have is that there's something not quite right about Vanille's accent as at first I couldn't even tell what it was supposed to be.

"All this dampness is damp." - Sazh, Final Fantasy XIII

So with all the positives in mind, why the mixed feelings? I'm sorry to say that even the peak of the enjoyment trapezium wasn't perfectly straight. This game has flaws, born out of choices made by Square Enix that appear to experimental but unfortunately, not to great success.

The first of these is the decision to limit the amount of storytelling through exposition. A growing trend in RPGs is the use of a journal or datalog to store extra information about the game's world, characters and important events. Final Fantasy XIII's datalog includes information about main plot points which is otherwise unavailable unless read. The story can be followed without ever opening the datalog but not to the full effect the developers intended. In a fast-paced, action packed game like this it feels wrong to have to stop and read at various intervals.

Another negative is the slow decline in enjoyment I experienced towards the end. It often felt like there were a few too many battles to get through before reaching the next cutscene. When I reached the next advancement of the plot it frequently followed with another long stretch of battles to plough through. Disheartening isn't the word.

Just can't wait to get off the road again...

But these are just niggles which could have been outweighed by the game's positive elements. The main problem that constantly disappointed was the complete linearity of it all. Until you get to one of the very late chapters there is no straying from the main path. You're locked into a routine of battles and cutscenes and while this may be true of any story-based JRPG, they've always done well to hide the fact with the chance to diverge from the main path and explore optional areas with extra rewards on offer. The feeling of adventure brought on by exploration is one of the main motivations for many RPG players and the lack of that here sometimes makes you wonder if you're just playing a battle-simulator with a narrative.

You do eventually have the chance to get involved in some side-questing but it becomes available much too late in the game. By that point I'd been playing for 25-30 hours and I just wanted to reach the end of the story. The idea of stopping and lengthening the game by another few hours just didn't seem appealing whereas if these side missions had been spread out through the entire game, I would have been much more motivated to complete them.

It almost feels like these were meant to be played primarily after the main game is completed, considering your characters are unable to reach their full potential, level-wise, until the final boss is defeated. The side missions themselves are fun once you're no longer feeling the eagerness to progress the story and I'm finding myself still playing the game after completion. For anyone that's looking to get trophies or achievements, many are tied to what you might call the end-game so at least in terms of having things to do, you get your money's worth.

Overall

Final Fantasy XIII is a game that RPG fans will want to look into while waiting for the next big game to be released. Despite the flaws, fans of the Final Fantasy series in particular are still going to be pulled in by the familiar style of world, characters, story and turn-based battling that they've warmed to over the last decade or two. Amongst claims that JRPGs are becoming stale, the evolution of the traditional turn-based battle system and a cast of characters that break away from the stereotypes of the past are refreshing to see. It's just unfortunate that issues with linearity and pacing are the only things holding this game back from being truly outstanding.

Rating: 7/10