Flow [PS3] - Review

Flow is a very difficult game to review. In fact, it is difficult to even class what type of game Flow is supposed to be. It most resembles a traditional 2D shooter but without actually shooting any enemies. You control a worm like organism and you guide it around the water to eat other smaller organisms. The more you eat the more you grow and evolve the shape of your creature.

Most of the creatures you eat are defenseless and you just have to aim your mouth at them and swallow them up. Other creatures can fight back and you need to decide on the best way to approach these creatures to eat them without getting harmed. By eating red particles you can travel to deeper, dark and more dangerous waters but you can also return to safer waters by eating the blue particles. It kind of sounds like The Matrix's red-pill, blue-pill choice.

The most interesting aspect of Flow is the unique control scheme. The direction and movement of the creature is controlled with the Sixaxis. All the other buttons have the same function, to increase your speed. The controls work well and quite responsive, certainly one of the best implementations of the Sixaxis I've encountered. The unique controls, nice graphics and really beautiful music provide you with a nice experience as you play. Just how much you will want to play is up for debate. I think of it as a game to jump in and play for a few minutes rather than something you will spend hours playing.

Graphics
Nothing spectaular but the characters all move smoothly and there is a nice 3D effect as you move to different waters.

Sound
Not much in the way of sound effects but the music is amazing.

Controls
Nice implementation of the Sixaxis and easy to get to grip with.

Verdict
The main goal of the game is supposedly to help you relax and if (please excuse the pun) you go with the flow then you might just find yourself relaxing. I can't see much use for it in the long-term but it is a cheap enough game on PSN.

Rainbow 6 Vegas 2 [PS3] - Review

I really quite enjoyed my time playing R6: Vegas 2. What I enjoyed most was the change in gameplay style from most other FPS games I've played. Normally I find myself employing the run and gun style of play throughout most other FPS games but in this one it is totally different. You find yourself moving from cover to cover, not taking too many risks out in the open and planning your every move. It takes some getting used to but most importantly it becomes fun.

It is also the first squad based FPS game I've played. I was worried that the controls wouldn't be adequate or the AI wouldn't be good enough either. I need not have worried on both counts. Issuing commands to your squad is a simple as pressing the D-Pad and the AI in your teammates is surprisingly good. So good in fact you can send them in to clear a room and they will do a very good job everytime of taking out the bad guys. Only a couple of times during the game did the AI fail and they got stuck behind a box or a doorway.

There is a large online component to this game, which is good because the single player experience is quite short. There are the usual deathmatch and team deathmatch modes, plus the fun terrorist hunt modes. I've experience no lag and find it easy to get into a match. One of the best features of the game is the way that as you build up your characters experience points in single player the points are carried over to your online character too and vice-versa. I like having this persistent character as you feel as though you are accomplishing something with every game.

There are a few major points about the game that put me off. The story is the first major strike I have against the game. Firstly let me say that I've never played R6: Vegas 1 so I don't know what happened in that game storywise. It appears as though Vegas 2 picks up the story. I had no idea what was going on. There is no recap so to me it seemed as though I was just going from complex to complex, room to room clearing it of bad guys. No explainations and no real feeling of progression. It actually started to feel a little repetitive after a while. I think there was a twist in the game but as I don't know the characters this fell flat for me. Another bad point is in the way in which the enemies would spawn. If you die and have to redo a section the enemy will be in exactly the same spot each time. Therefore if you play a section enough times you know when and where an enemy will pop up and you'll be ready. It takes away all sense of tension from the scene.

One other thing that annoyed me was the choice of locations. The game promises Vegas but it isn't the Vegas we all know. There is one Casino based level but the others take place at such bland locales as convention centres, oil refineries and a college campus. No shoots outs along the strip or in famous casinos. Extremely disappointing.

A good solid FPS game but hampered by the issues mentioned above.

Graphics
In an age where we have COD4 the graphics aren't overly impressive. Some nice character models and animations but lacklustre backgrounds and textures let the visuals down.

Sound
Very good sound in this game from the great sound effects to some good music. The only complaint is that sometimes the talking is very low and hard to hear.

Controls
Simply superb. It is so easy to issue orders to your squad and taking cover and firing from cover is simple.

Verdict
A good solid FPS game but severly let down by a good narative. The great sound and controls make up for average graphics. There is also plenty of fun to be had in the online section of the game.

Wanted - Review

*** This discussion contains spoilers. ***

It is hard to know where to start with this discussion of Wanted as I was so totally blown away by how awesome this movie is. I am totally serious when I say that this type of movie just reminds me of why I love cinema so much. Suspend your disbelief for 120 minutes and sit back and watch the most amazing visuals you are likely to see on screen this year, video game included.

Generally speaking movies like this don't exactly live or die by their storylines and this film is no different. We all know from the ads that this movie is being sold on the promise of amazing action and the presence of Angelina Jolie. The plot concerns a secret society of assassins, The Fraternity who use assassination as a means of keeping humanity in check. When one of there number turns renegade the group recruit Wesley (McAvoy) the son of a fallen Fraternity member to avenge his fathers death and kill the renegade assassin. The story is better than I thought and it does a good job of providing plenty of scope for those promised action set pieces. The most pleasant aspect of the story is that it isn't as predicable as you might expect, at least it wasn't for me.

Simply put this is the best action movie of the year thus far. Perhaps a little disclaimer is warranted though, as you will need to check your cynicism at the door. If you like your action realistic then stick with Jason Bourne as the action in this movie harks back to it's comic book origins. Right from the first scene the action is in high gear as we get the Fraternity's top assassin jump from one skyscraper to another, shooting bad guys on the way. This is a film that doesn't try to hide from is silliness, rather it embraces and runs with it. The action does let up as we are introduced to McAvoy in a sequence that reminded me very much of Fight Club. The action soon kicks into high gear again and never lets up.

Of course we have seen plenty of action movies in recent years with tons and tons of action, like Die Hard 4.0 for instance. What sets Wanted apart from the crowd is the inventiveness of the set pieces and the unique visual touches. Indeed, the keyword for Wanted is inventiveness. We've all seen drive-by shootings, but have we seen one where a one car is flipped over the other so the shooter can shoot though the open sunroof to bypass the bullet proof glass? There is the breathtaking set piece with a train/car/bridge mashup. There is a refreshing disregard for the safety of innocent bystanders too, just check out the aforementioned train sequence for proof. The violence is also pretty graphic for a mainstream blockbuster, with a rather large helping of onscreen blood. To counter the graphic nature of the violence the film also boasts some strong humorous moments. A personal favourite is the scene where McAvoy smashes a keyboard over his friends face only for the keys 'F','U','C','K','Y','O','U' to fly past the screen. Or the running joke about 'who's the man?' that has a wonderful payoff, with Jolie at her absolute sexiest.

The actors in this movie are all extremely well cast and deliver top performances. Angelina Jolie may be third billed but she steals the show in every scene she is in. This is the best performance I've seen her give in any of her big action roles. She manages to portray a mix of uber cool, sexiness and menace with consummate ease. You will wish she had more screen time. This is the first movie I've seen James McAvoy in and he certainly showed here that he has real star potential. His character starts off as a pathetic, whinging nobody but ends up as a super cool, confident and extremely dangerous killer. Probably not the easiest character arc to pull off but McAvoy manages it convincingly as he does with the more physical set pieces. The real star of the piece however is Russian director Timur Bekmambetov. I remember seeing his Russian language film Nightwatch a few years ago and being amazed by it. It was like a Matrix meets Underworld hybrid and the story was as confusing as that sounds but the inventiveness of the action scenes is what amazed. In Wanted he has managed to meld his visual flourishes with a Hollywood blockbuster budget to bring us something special. I can't think of any director currently working in Hollywood (possibly bar Guillermo del Toro) that has such style.

The soundtrack in th movie is another thing that I was highly impressed by. The rock style songs that they went with match up perfectly with the onscreen action beats and helps to build the excitement level higher for the audience. I must mention the best use of the song 'Time to Say Goodbye' yet seen on film. In fact I was so taken with the title track, 'The Little Things' that I want to buy it, so I Google'd the song. I was stunned to discover that Danny Elfman provided the music to this movie. Everyone knows Elfman as Tim Burtonsgo to guy for his movies, or as the creator of The Simpsons theme tune but I never associated him with a rock sound. Furthermore, it is Elfman himself who lends his vocals to the title track. Surprised is not the word, although I have learned that he provided the singing vocals for Jack Skellington so perhaps I shouldn't have been. I think I'll be taking a trip to the iTunes store later today.

I said already that this is the best action movie of 2008. I would go as far as to say it is the best since The Matrix. I do not like to make a lazy comparison to The Matrix but it surely owes a debt to that film in there use of slowing down time but understand that Wanted is no mere copycat. It doesn't do just want has been done before, it takes everything to a new level. Having given it all this praise I do want this movie to be a one-off. I don't want a sequel, for it can only diminish what has been created in this film. Also I don't want to see a poor licensed video game as no console could do this game justice. If you like action, humour and want to see a director with new ideas then check out Wanted as soon as possible. Oh, and the last line's a killer.

****

Assault Heroes 2 - Review

I was given the chance to review the XBLA title Assault Heroes 2 by the ExiledGamers website on behalf of Vivendi. It wasn't exactly a game I was excited about but I had played the original and I thought it would be interesting to write a review. Plus I got the game free, pretty cool.

I generally find this type of game quite difficult but Assault Heroes 2 manages to set the difficulty level just the right side of challenging. The enemies come at you in huge numbers so you'll soon find yourself trying to dodge enemy fire from all directions. Thankfully, the controls are nice and responsive so you'll only have your own reflexes to blame for any failure. The bosses will also provide a real challenge but not so much that it will put you off the game as I found with Ikaruga. Not only does the game provide a challenge but it also brings some much needed spectacle to this type of game. Just look out for the alien 'whale' enemy on the first level that jumps out impressively at the screen before spitting out a hoard of enemies to take you down.

The game also provides some variation in the gameplay. You won't always find yourself driving your tank as sometimes you might be forced to take a narrow path so you'll just have to get out and hike it. The times you are on foot make for some frantic gameplay as you desperately dive out of harms way to avoid being hit all the while letting rip with impossibly big guns as you search for the next vehicle to board. You aren't restricted to just your normal vehicle either, with attack helicopters and heavy-duty tanks on offer. Assault Heroes 2 has one major ace up its sleeve, the inclusion of a multiplayer mode for either local or online co-op play. While making the game slightly easier because of the extra firepower available it also brings cool co-op attack moves to the party. Co-op play also adds a little depth and strategy to proceedings as you can keep playing as you would in single player or perhaps play a more cooperative game with your partner.

For all of the games pluses, I had the same problem with Assault Heroes 2 as I have had with all other scrolling shooters - repetitiveness. It is impossible to avoid really as you basically travel in one direction through each level with your finger on the trigger. The game goes to some lengths to try to offer some variety in with a glut of distinctive backdrops and imaginative upgrades to your armoury. It is unlikely to be enough to keep me coming back to the game for a prolonged period of time but it does more to keep you interested than many similar games.

Graphics

I played the original Assault Heroes and the sequel definitely has the upper hand in the graphics department. It looks sharper, has some very good lighting effects and a lot going on onscreen without any slowdown. It is cool that you can destroy nearly everything on screen and burning down trees looks so cool. The viewpoint is at just the right pitch so you can see exactly what is going on. All in all this is just what you need from an XBLA title in terms of graphics which aren't groundbreaking but a nice improvement on shooters from yesteryear.

Sound
I would describe the sound design as solid rather than spectacular. There is a good retro score and lively sound effects so nothing to complain about here. I must give a special shout out to the foot soldiers that charge towards you, all yelling like some kind of demented group of chickens. Brings a smile to my face every time.

Controls
The controls are perfectly implemented in the game. The left stick is for movement and the right stick is used to aim and fire. The trigger buttons are for selecting weapons and firing bombs. All simple enough and nice and responsive.

Verdict
This isn't a ground breaking game - shoot anything that moves (and some things that don't), defeat the boss and repeat. The repetitive nature of the game is a real problem for me and after a few hours of play I began to think that the game had given me all it had to offer. Having said that it does provide some classic arcade action with a nice HD shine for a budget price and you can't say fairer than that. If that doesn't convince you that it is worth a few hours of your time then download the trial and decide for yourself.

Waiting on the big one

As mentioned in my previous post I was toying with the idea of retiring Halo 3 and today I did just that. I would like to say that it served me well but in the end I never really got that much pleasure out of it. It was fun for a time but never anything like COD 4. Anyway, it is gone now along with Super Paper Mario, Gears of War and Assassins Creed.

I got bored by the constant talking and lack of platforming in Paper Mario - so that had to go. I played GOW to death and I had no intention of going back. Then AC, which I got cheap on e-bay as a gamble. The gamble didn't pay off as I disliked it as much as every reviewer out there seemed to. Still I didn't lose any money on it.

So that is four games down and what is the big one? Well that is GTA IV, and it is out tomorrow. I'm looking forward to playing it and according to reports it is living up to the massive hype. Let's hope so.

Time to retire Halo 3

So the time has come I think to retire Halo 3 from my collection. I have played it about three times since I bought COD4 and each time I was playing it I was thinking that I'd rather be playing Halo 3.

Right from the start it underwhelmed me with its average single player campaign. I actually did complete it but I never got to see the ending, I had to leave right at that moment. It was annoying but I was never inspired to go back and beat the last level again. If I do I can always visit youtube.

The multiplayer was good but I eventually go fed up of being thrashed by people who clearly spend far too much time playing the game. That and the fact that a very large percentage of people seem to play the game just to thrash talk.

I never got around to making my own map with The Forge or using the replay and save features either. It's a shame I suppose as they sound like fantastic ideas and will hopefully be in future games on the 360.

Anyway, I'll be trading it in next week I think when getting GTA IV.

The Challenge – Update 10 (J’s)

So 31 films mined from the letter J. It is actually more than I thought I would find. From this small list there is a couple of contenders for the top movie. I think JFK is a wonderful movie but I have to give top marks to Jaws. Usually credited as the first moder summer blockbuster the film still stands up today and I always enjoy it when I catch it on TV. I actually keep meaning to buy the 30th Anniversary DVD. There isn't really much else from this category worth a mention. Apart perhaps from Juno, if you haven't seen it you really should do so.

The worst film I've seen beginning with J - Jaws IV: The Revenge deserves a mention but I think it falls into the "so bad, it's good" territory.

Current Count: 579