Halo 3

Master Chief is back. It’s been a while, and to be honest I’ve never been a huge Halo fan, so I’m pretty much coming at Halo 3 as a novice.

Apparently the Covenant controls Earth, the all-consuming Flood has been unleashed and the fate if the galaxy hangs in the balance. An ancient secret, buried under the sand of Africa may hold the key to our salvation or our doom. Spartan 117, the Master Chief must uncover that secret and stop the forces that threaten us for one and for all. He is the last of his kind, a warrior born for combat, bred for war… and humanity’s only hope.

Humanity’s only hope? Sheesh, I’m not sure I’m up for that job description, but I guess I’ll give it a go.

Coming off the back of a long line of World War II shooters, jumping into the world of Halo was a bit of a culture shock – it took a while to get re adjusted and get to grips with the various monsters and the huge assortment of weaponry available to kill them.

Once I got into the swing of things however, the fun kicked in. Halo 3 is, it has to be said, is simply a first person shooter. It doesn’t try and be anything else, it doesn’t try to be original, it just does what it does, really, really well. What it lacks in interesting moves, such as peering round corners, the ability to go prone, etc, it makes up in straight forward game play that keeps the intensity tight, and shooting near constant and the addictive fun ramped up way past ten. [more]

Shadowrun

Rating: R16 - Restricted to persons 16 years and over.
Console: Xbox 360

Initial thoughts
Microsoft’s Shadowrun sought to unite Xbox 360 console gamers with Microsoft Vista computer gamers in the first game to be able to be played by both different pieces of hardware in the same game. This in itself is an interesting feat and worthy achievement all on it’s own. However one could argue that it’s only self serving as in only unties Microsoft controlled players with, um, well, Microsoft controlled players. One could also argue that with something in the region of 7 Million online players, Xbox live doesn’t really need computer gamers invading its turf.

So just what is Shadowrun? Apparently it’s based on a 1989 pen-and-paper RPG and essentially has been given a Counter Strike makeover to bring it into the 21st century.

Sadly that just about sums it up.

After some training levels, that help you come to grips with some of the unique attributes you can give your character (walking through walls anyone?) it’s onto the game-play.

What? No single player campaign? Just the ability to play against (and with) bots? Now that’s not a very deep concept. With the enticing subject of an ongoing battle for control of some magical artefacts, I was expecting a campaign where my magical abilities depended on gaining control of the artefacts as the game progressed.

Sadly what could have been a fast paced single player game with on-line playability, shrunk into an online only game.

Now that I’ve played it a bit more
Fortunately I’ve got a one month trial on Xbox Live and was able to play online. It certainly shows it’s true colours online, and as such is a strong game with many unique features.

Graphically it’s impressive, though parents be warned – this is an adult game, as there is blood galore. It is after all a first person shooter at heart, and the name of the game is to destroy your opponent’s team in any manner possible.

Longevity
Sadly Shadowrun just didn’t cut it for me personally in the long run. I’ve played a fair bit of Call of Duty 3 since getting Xbox Live, and the ability to re-spawn means that the games are longer and there is less waiting around watching the games finish. Of course to be honest, I’d always choose a World War Two FPS shooter over anything futuristic, so with that in mind, I’ll say that Shadowrun is a great game to keep your skills sharp whilst you wait fro Halo 3 to hit the stores.

Forza Motorsport 2

Rating: G - Suitable for general audiences.

Initial thoughts
The original Forza re-defined driving games. It bought the shiny graphics and exotic cars of PlayStation’s GranTurismo, and added realism, edge of your set action, and fun.
Graphically it was the best of the best, and playability was unmatched.

It seemed that the only thing to make it perfect would be some V8 Supercars style damage. But alas, all you could do was scrape paint. A minor point considering the complexity of the game and what Microsoft had managed to do.

So now we have the next-gen X-Box 360, and Forza 2. Initially not a lot looks different. The graphics are as you expect them to be – more lush, more detail, but possibly not mindblowingly awesome – at least in comparison to what we were expecting. The graphics were nice, and the play smooth, and that’s what counts.

So pretty much the same game, the tacks (as with all sequels of any decent driving game) feel slightly different, but the cars handle much the same – bone crushingly realistic, especially when you try and take a corner too fast – and it’s at this point that you notice that Microsoft have added so ‘removable parts’ to you beautiful shiny car.

What you may not notice is the attention to detail, especially to the technical side of things, now whilst driving you can call up you HUD, and get the Telemetry. For me, this is a little too much information, but luckily they still have the simple damage indicator and tire temp icons.

So if not that much has changed, why bother? Because it’s the best driving game on any console, period. It’s been improved upon on so many little ways, but it feels just like the original, which is a great achievement, you’ll as comfortable in Forza 2 as you were in Forza, its just that if you take the time to look around you’ll see a lot more detail, like the smoke coming from your bonnet after rear ending that car on the hairpin. Or the dust cloud billowing out behind you as you get a wheel slightly off track.

There’s not really much else to say, if you’ve driven the original, then you’ll gonna love part 2, if you’ve never played Forza, then you’re in for a mind blowing treat.

Now that I’ve played it a bit more
I think any downplaying of the graphic of Forza 2 were un-warrented. On reflection there is a heck of a lot more going on, the tracks aren’t just grey, but a mixture of surfaces depending on the track, and a whole lot of rubber. The attention to detail off track is amazing as well, with the entire area modelled right down to trucks parked row upon row on the infield of an American oval circuit.

Why you might ask would you bother – well because you do notice, and its these little things that on reflection make you realise just how much better the graphical grunt is on the 360.

The other nice improvement is the AI. The computer cars are a lot more imperfect in their driving, and at time down right aggressive. From time to time you hear the distinctive noise of colliding metal and two cars behind you fight for the corner. Computer cars will continue racing on with smoke belching from their engines. No one is the perfect driver in Forza 2, and it’s refreshing.

Longevity
Forza is a huge game, with so many options in customisation of your cars alone, add to that the many different race options available and you have a challenging game that will take you a while to unlock everything on offer.

X-Box Live
The arrival of Forza 2 coincided with the arrival of broadband in my home, which meant one thing, I was going to hook up the 360 to Live and see how I fared against real people. I was worried that New Zealand’s under performing broadband speeds would make the game laggy and un-enjoyable. It didn’t. 95% of the time everything was smooth, with the only problem being the other players.

It could be the curse of our time zone but there were precious few options when it came to playing with other people online (No, I have no Live ‘friends’) and those who did want to play with me seemed intent on shunting me off the road at every opportunity.

Next Gen V8?

Here's some news I've been wanting to hear ever since the release of the XBox 360...

Publisher and developer Codemasters would like the public to know that there is a new Motorsport video game currently in the works over at its studios. Expected to arrive in 2008 for PC and "leading consoles", the title will be known as Race Driver One.

But you see, this game is not entirely new. It is actually the third generation of the much-loved racing title from Codemasters. What we are talking about is the TOCA (DTM/V8 Supercars) Touring Car games that ran from 1997 to 2000. After that, it became known as TOCA (DTM/V8 Supercars) Race Driver series from 2002 to 2006.

If you want to have an idea how this game will look like, just take note that Race Driver One will be powered by middleware Neon. It is the same brilliant engine behind the soon to be released Colin McRae: DIRT. Codemasters Studios Executive Producer Gavin Raeburn said,

As each generation of gaming formats shifts up a gear, so does this series and Race Driver One is set to evolve the previously headlined TOCA (DTM/V8) titles as much as DIRT has the Colin McRae series. Combining our racing heritage with the Neon engine, Race Driver One will create a world that goes far beyond the traditional boundaries of Motorsport gaming.

Currently, information about this game is quite limited. We just know that the in-game circuits feature locations through Europe, U.S., Japan, as well as other popular areas. There is also a career mode where players can build their own team to rank number one in the world.

Codemasters added lastly that the Neon engine will be enhanced and expanded to deliver new level of visual detail, physics, and car damage system.

Sweet... 2008 can't come soon enough...

Lost Game? Groan.

In their most recent official podcast, ABC's LOST producers Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse confirmed that the upcoming game adaptation will be arriving on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC.

Typically, adaptations cater to as many consoles as possible so as to guarantee they hit the same market as those who watch the TV show. Is this an indication that the PlayStation 2's time is coming to an end, or is developer Ubisoft Montreal focusing more time and effort on delivering a title whose graphics are on par with our expectations for the newest generation of console?

Said Cuse approximately 25 minutes into the podcast, "[Developer Ubisoft Montreal] came down here the other day and did a demo on some of the stuff," while Lindelof remarked, "very impressive," in response to what they were shown. We don't want to imply that television producers know what makes great games, but as fans of the show, we are comforted that progress is being made on the title. No release date has been mentioned.

Too Human Update

If you're Denis Dyack and the crew over at Silicon Knights you've had a rough time since last year's E3. The company unleashed on the gaming press and attendees the stunningly awful demo for Too Human, which ran like a stuttering flip book and played like a poor man's God of War -- like cat food is all you've got left to eat poor. Dennis Dyack is now breaking the silence by plopping a big ol' exclusive over at IGN and saying Too Human is too different now. He just wants people to M.I.B. flashy-thingy last year's demo from their memory. The big shiny reveal for this too new Too Human is the very ambitious four-player cooperative mode that can be played over Xbox Live.

Dyack says, "With Too Human, we're trying to seamlessly integrate multiplayer with the single-player. If you're really going to do that, you should be able to jump in any time, anywhere and go on a 15-minute mission with friends or play five or six hours straight if you want to. In order to do that, the world has to be pretty open and hub-based so you can jump anywhere and come back very much like Diablo."

The cooperative mode will have players utilizing different character classes in a team structure. There are five initial classes to choose from and more will be available through downloadable content -- the talk of downloadable content in the piece smacks of trying to regain lost development revenue, otherwise why not just put it in the game upfront? Dyack says the single-player campaign is balanced differently from cooperative to keep players on an even playing field.

IGN talks about the game a bit saying, "It's functional, it's fun, but so far it lacks the graphic umph that we would like to see accompany the combat scenes, especially since they play such an integral role to the game ... the fluidity, which drops below 30 frames per second, should be locked." Dyack says they haven't optimized the frame rate yet (video after break) and that they're going "to hit a solid 30 frames per second." We hope so ... we really hope so. Last year's lashing will be nothing compared to what Silicon Nights will experience after an extra year of development and delivering another Too Human flip book simulator.

Happy Birthday XBox 360

Yesterday I got home to a lovingly, if somewhat small package from Microsoft. Inside was a yummie Xbox 360 chocolate cupcake with a single candle.

MMMmmmmmmm, Happy Birthday XBox 360.

Crackdown

Rating: R18 – Restricted to persons 18 years and over.
Genre: Third Person Shooter, Action Adventure.
Developer: Microsoft.
Release Date: Available Now.

OK, so Crackdown is gonna get called a GTA clone, but then that’s nothing new. GTA has become more than the name of a game, it’s become a genre in it’s own right.

Free-roaming, living city, crime style games are numerous enough to stop calling them all GTA clones.

They do however all have a commonality; free roaming gameplay, missions to complete in your own time, and plenty of people and vehicles and weapons to ‘interact’ with.

So, Crackdown is a game in the GTA genre, you know what to expect, well expect more. Expect to be totally blown away, because you will.

Crackdown is at the top of it’s genre, because it’s fun to play. It’s an absolute blast.

Let me explain.

You are a cybernetically-enhanced cop, who’s job it is, to rid Pacific City from its three gangs.

But be warned, just because you’re a cop, that doesn’t give you license to do what ever you want – kill too many ‘innocents’ and the cops will try and take you out – and not to dinner either.

So what does a cybernetically-enhanced cop cop bring to the genre?

The ability to leap tall buildings.

Sounds like Superman, but the way you land, and the way the pavement cracks under the impact, makes you feel more like Neo.

Of course, you don’t get to leap tall buildings right off, you have to build your skills by collecting the 500 agility orbs scattered around the city, mostly on the roofs of buildings.

Getting to them isn’t always easy, but it’s always challenging fun.

Along with up skilling your agility you’ll be able to increase your shooting and driving skills along the way.

All of which is essential if you’re going to take out the gang bosses.Graphically Crackdown just blows everything else out of the water, the whole thing looks so realistic, but it’s been given a cartoon makeover, making the whole experience more surreal.

You’ve definitely taken the red pill.

Spectacular explosions, bullets literally whizzing through the air, it’s an audio-visual overload.

Perfect Crackdown isn’t. but it definitely raises the bar to a considerable hight.

Rent or Buy?
Buy, you’ll be wanting to play this over and over again.

Halo: Welcome to the Third Place

Just in from Microsoft:

The Legendary Edition ($199.95 RRP) will be released in limited quantities and arrive in a highly collectible Spartan helmet case that no hardcore Halo fan should be without! Included in the Legendary Edition are two bonus discs packed full of extra content.

The first disc provides exclusive, behind-the-scenes footage and videos and includes a high-definition* ‘Making Of Halo 3’ documentary that showcases the Bungie team and its effort to create the most anticipated title in the industry’s history.

And never before seen on a video game, the disc will also include an AV calibration tool. Custom designed by the Halo 3 graphics and audio team, this tool will make the most of fans’ high definition home theatres, for the ultimate Halo 3 and Xbox 360™ audio and video performance.

The second bonus disc, an exclusive to the Legendary Edition, includes completely re-mastered cinematic material from Halo®: Combat Evolved and Halo® 2, complete with developer commentaries, to provide a refresher course on the thrilling Halo story so far. This disc will also include a feature documenting a day in the life at Bungie and exclusive content from the creative minds of machinima artists Red vs. Blue and This Spartan Life.

Fans who purchase the Legendary Edition also receive an illuminating collection of original Halo 3 storyboard art from artist Lee Wilson, depicting key moments and pivotal scenes from Halo’s epic cinematic production.

The Limited Edition ($119.95 RRP) also includes a bounty of extras. Within a sleek metal collector’s case, gamers will receive the first bonus disc found in the Legendary Edition, as well as a special Halo fiction/art book. A must-have for Halo collectors and a source of invaluable and exclusive information, the piece is an elaborate and compelling guide to the species and factions that inhabit the worlds of the Halo universe. It includes never-before-seen art and story that expands and illustrates the depth of the Halo fiction.

And for those who crave nothing more than the highly anticipated third chapter to one of the greatest gaming trilogies of all time, the Standard Edition ($99.95) includes the Halo 3 game.

WOW, two hundred bucks for the Legendary Edition? Damn, better start saving...

Fuzion Frenzy 2

Rating: PG – Mild Violence.
Genre: Party Game.
Developer: Microsoft.
Release Date: Available Now.

Having never played the original, comparisons can’t be made, so I’m looking at this from a purely genre ponit of view.

Fuzion Frenzy 2 is promoted as a non-stop party game, and this is where I believe its strength would lie.

As a single player game, its 40 mini games and campaign mode seem somewhat lacklustre, playing against 3 computer controlled competitors just isn’t that enthralling in this type of game.

But that’s exactly why it’s a party game. Playing with three of your mates would soon spice things up as there would be a real reason to be competitive.

Graphically Fuzion Frenzy doesn’t stand out as being anything special, but don’t blame the 360 or the developers, its just that this type of game has a certain flavour of graphics that doesn’t care whether its on a next gen console or not. But it’s graphics compliment game play, which is important.

Game play as I mentioned above really relies on having other people to play with, being that on line or split screen, as a single player game the fun is some what limited to a couple of goes.

What is good about Fuzion Frenzy 2 is that it shows that Microsoft are taking note that some people want their console for party games rather than hard core gaming.

Rent or Buy?
That depends, hardcore gamers will find it a waste of money, where as sociable people who like to have fun with other humans will find it a blast.

No 360 Games Being Released on my Birthdate!

I was browsing through the list of upcoming games at GPStore's website, when I decided to see just how far in the future they were listing games.

In the interest of making sure your website has the infrastructure to keep growing, the ability to list products at a future date is often built into the programming and thus it wouldn't be silly to be able to look up just what games are due for release five years from now.

Of course, there are no games scheduled yet.

But what about February 1971, by birth month.

Well, according to GPStore, there are no X-Box 360 games due for release then either. Maybe because the X-Box 360 wasn't even a consideration way back then.

I can understand a website being able to cater for the future, but way into the past seems a little kooky.

Just Because It's The Weekend!

Meet Xbox 360-tan. She's got thigh-high boots, Xbox hairbuns, cable locks and a wireless arm, what some fan boys do is mind boggling...

Huge Year For Microsoft Games…

March sees Microsoft New Zealand celebrate the X-Box 360’s first birthday, and what better way to celebrate then to release a whole host of new games over the rest of the year…

Fuzion Frenzy 2 | 2nd March
Fuzion Frenzy 2 combines over 40 mini games with futuristic arcade action, custom tournaments, Xbox Live features and more to create the ultimate party game exclusively on Xbox 360. Play with your friends and family to find out who is the strongest among you.

Until four years ago, Fuzion Frenzy was the most popular tournament on Earth and was broadcast live to all corners of the world. However, due to the extreme competitiveness of the players, the leaders of Earth banned it, fearing its influence on the general population.

Recently, however, the world’s leaders have struggled with the problem of overpopulation, and have come up with a plan for the citizens of Earth to immigrate to space. To encourage immigration, the leaders have brought back the Fuzion Frenzy tournament, but with a change—they have set up game zones on various other planets. The people of Earth welcome this news, especially the announcement that the leaders have reinstated the six most famous players, who are returning with renewed enthusiasm!
Mass Effect | 3rd May (Estimated date.)
Mass Effect is a science fiction action-RPG created by BioWare Corp., the commercially and critically acclaimed RPG developer of "Jade Empire," "Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic," "Neverwinter Nights," and the "Baldur's Gate" series. "Mass Effect" will deliver an immersive story driven gameplay experience with stunning visual fidelity. Published by Microsoft Game Studios, "Mass Effect" will be exclusively for the Xbox 360 video game system.

As the first human Specter – sworn defenders of galactic peace – your mission is to halt the advancing armies of a legendary agent gone rogue. But as you lead your elite team across hostile alien worlds, you will discover the true threat is far greater than anyone imagined.
Too Human | 1st June (Estimated Date)
Step into the world of “Too Human,” the next-generation third-person epic action game from renowned Canadian developer Silicon Knights. As the cybernetic god Baldur, you are thrust into the midst of an ongoing battle that threatens the existence of mankind. An ancient machine presence has forced the god’s hand. In the first part of a trilogy, Baldur is charged with defending humanity from an onslaught of monstrous war machines bent on the eradication of human life.

In “Too Human,” players are treated to a nonstop barrage of action powered by the seamless integration of melee and ranged firearms combat and fueled by breathtaking visuals enabled by the powerful combination of Xbox 360 and the Unreal Engine 3. Battles unfold in awesome scale as players engage with vast numbers of enemies. Gamers take it to the next level by playing the entire single-player campaign in multiplayer co-op mode via Xbox Live® or system link.

“Too Human” is produced by Silicon Knights, which brings a wealth of knowledge, story-based design and gameplay expertise to the next generation of video gaming.
Forza Motorsport 2 | 1st June (Estimated Date)
“Forza Motorsport 2,” the sequel to Microsoft Game Studios’ award-winning, fully customizable driving simulator “Forza Motorsport,” speeds its way onto Xbox 360 this holiday. With authentic simulation physics, bone-jarring damage, photo-realistic graphics, and licensed tuning and customization options, the franchise improves on the unprecedented features gamers enjoyed in its debut installment. Loaded with more than 300 of the world’s hottest cars for you to collect, personalize and tune, “Forza Motorsport 2” gives you a complete racing experience.
Shadowrun | 28th July (Estimated Date)
FASA Studio, the creative minds behind “MechWarrior” and “Crimson Skies,” are back with “Shadowrun,” the new multiplayer first-person shooter (FPS) based on the much-beloved role-playing game (RPG) franchise. “Shadowrun” propels team-based combat into a new dimension with a revolutionary blend of modern weaponry and ancient magic. Up to 16 players can battle for control of this new world through Xbox 360-to-Windows Vista online compatibility. In “Shadowrun” players vie for supremacy in a constantly evolving battlefield where advanced technology and ancient magic provide an unprecedented and high-velocity tactical action experience.Alan Wake | 19th October (Estimated Date)
Alan Wake is a psychological action thriller, a unique new take in the world of gaming. The game is set in an idyllic all-American small town and its surroundings in the state of Washington. Alan Wake, the game's protagonist, is a bestselling horror writer, who writes a novel about his darkest nightmares. In the game, those nightmares come true.

The game features a massive, open world for the players to explore. The game design is mission based with the player as the driving force behind the action, and as with their previous games, Remedy again focuses completely on delivering the best possible single player experience.Halo 3 | 31st October (Estimated Date)
The epic saga continues with Halo 3, the hugely anticipated sequel to the highly successful and critically acclaimed Halo franchise. In this third chapter of the Halo trilogy, Master Chief returns to finish the fight, bringing the epic conflict between the Covenant, the Flood, and the entire human race to a dramatic, pulse-pounding climax.

Halo 3 represents the third chapter in the Halo trilogy—an international award-winning action series that grew into a global entertainment phenomenon, selling more than 14.5 million units worldwide, logging more than 650 million hours of multiplayer action on Xbox Live, and spawning action figures, books, a graphic novel, apparel, an upcoming film adaptation, and more.

Video Games Don't Make You Violent!

According to a new study by a researcher at Texas A&M International University, studies that see a connection between video games and violent behavior usually suffer from shoddy research techniques. Dr. Christopher Ferguson studied the results of a number of recent studies linking violent video games to aggressive behavior with an eye not just to individual results, but also to overall trends in the studies as a whole.

Ferguson found that the connection between violence and gaming had more to do with publication bias than it did with any actual correlation. In other words, journals were more likely to publish studies that supported the hypothesis that playing violent games made a subject more prone to violent behavior. Nothing like scientific stacking the deck, eh? Ferguson sums it up nicely:

Thus it was concluded that there is little evidence from the current body of literature on violent video games that playing violent video games is either causally or correlationally associated with increases in aggressive behavior.

Wow, so playing violent video games isn't bad anymore?

SOURCE | Wired

Battlestations: Midway

Rating: M - Suitable for mature audiences 16 years and over.
Contains violence.
Genre: World War Two, Action, Strategy.
Developer: Atari.
Release Date: February 22nd.

It’s December 7th, 1941 and you’re on a PT Boat heading through the peaceful harbour waters on your way to battleship row, peacefull that is until all hell breaks loose.

Caught in the middle of Japan’s surprise attack, you have to help fend off wave after wave of aerial attacks, and then, when it seems like you only just survived you spot the unmistakable signs of a submarine prowling the waters, looking for a target that the plans missed.

That’s right, it’s sub-hunting time, and after her you go, armed with a limited supply of depth charges.

A baptism of fire Pearl Harbour may have been, but its nothing compared to what awaits you in Battlestations Midway. This is no world war two themed arcade game, this is an all encompassing action/strategy campaign for domination of the Pacific.

The early missions are really only training – though they don’t fell like training, but in war, everything is training – for the later missions when you have to really engage your brain, reflexes and skills to win battles.

So treat these early missions with respect, because the skills you learn being in control of only one aircraft/ship/submarine at a time will be invaluable later on when you have to manage an entire carrier group at Midway.

So an all-encompassing game can only excel at one thing, and with something this big, that thing would have to be strategy, right?

Wrong.

Battlestations Midway seems to get everything right. The aircraft handle like you would expect aircraft to handle in a flight combat game, the surface vessels respond how you’d expect them to handle in a battleship game, and the subs handle, well you get the picture.

So on the one hand you could look at this as three games in one, and in fact the options you get at the start menu reflect this. You can opt to jump straight into the American Pacific campaign, or try you had and some flying missions, battleship missions or submarine missions.

But it’s the campaign mode that really gets the grey matter going, as the strategy is the glue that binds all the individual components together into one mammoth experience.

Graphically, with everything that’s going on, I was expecting a below par look to the game, but in true 360 style, the graphics are awesome, with beautiful explosions and smoke effects, right down to destructible buildings on the islands, through to the liquid oceans and the water splashes on the screen when you fly too close to the water.

It’s mind numbingly awesome.

Of course there is a down side. No game is ever going to be perfect, and Battlestation Midway’s best feature is also it’ achilles’ heel. The sheer amount of gameplay means that there is some steep learning curves, and this can take time to master.

Now to a lot of people this wont seem like much of an achilles’ heel, but if you’re looking for a quick game, that isn’t going to tax your brain much, and give you non-stop carnage, then you might w ant to look else where. If, however, you want to experience warfare it it’s realest form, then look no further.

Rent or buy?
Buy it, you’ll be playing this one for some time.

Dead or Alive: Xtreme 2

Rating: PG – Parental Guidance Recommended.
Genre: Sport?
Developer: Temco.
Release Date: Available Now.

Ok, so I’ve played one of the Dead or Alive fighting games, and I’ve seen the movie (on a recommendation of a girl friend!?), but this was my first experience of Dead or Alive Xtreme.

It seems that the game follows the same scantily clad girls from the fighting game and movie, though now they’re on holiday.

And what do scantily clad girls with abnormally large breasts do on holiday? Well they race Jet Skis, play Volleyball, sunbath, play pool games, running games, basically anything to show how well animated their independently - and slightly disturbing - bouncing breasts are.

Not only do you get to see these bouncing oddities in game play, but you’re also treated to re-plays in lovely hi-def video.

WOW. This is any 13 year old boys dream game.

Except that the game play isn’t all that. The Jet Ski racing is the most fun, and I must say, Team Ninja have done a great job of modelling the water, but it’s too easy to win.


The Volley Ball could have been another interesting segment, but the controls and camera problems make it more frustrating than fun.

Visually the game is a treat, though it’s easy to see that way too much time went into modelling and animating the breasts, as there are some enormously funny glitches in some of the animated scenes.

There is a sim-like element of game play whereby you have to try and be friends, and stay friends with the other girls on the island, and this involves spending time with them and buying them appropriate gifts, but I’m not sure wether this improves or distracts from the overall game play.

Dead or Alive: Xtreme 2 – Fun for a while, but the joy quickly fades.

Rent or Buy?
Rent. It has some fun value, and shows off the graphical grunt of your 360, but you may end up being embarrassed if someone finds it as a permanent part of your game collection.

Battlestations: Midway

I could be wrong, but I’m pretty sure this title was originally scheduled for release on the original X-Box but kept getting pushed back. But pushed back no more, and with the grunt of the 360 running it, Battlestations: Midway is due to hit our shores just after valentines day.

Battlestations: Midway brings to life the epic naval battles of World War II from Pearl Harbour to the Battle of Midway itself. Featuring an innovative blend of action and real-time strategy gameplay, players can instantly switch between every vehicle under their command throughout the course of any battle.

The single player mode features 11 large-scale campaigns with 12 bonus challenge missions, while the online multi-player combat offers an entirely new online battle experience with head-to-head and co-operative style gameplay with battles boasting over 100 units.

2007 marks the 65th anniversary of the Battle of Midway, the single most decisive naval battle in US history, which served as a turning point of World War II.

PS3 Sucks, Again.

Far Cry team leader Cevat Yerli is working on a new game, Crysis, where he says; “Every individual tree in Crysis has more technology applied to it than the whole of Far Cry”

But more importantly, he says of the X-Box 360 and PS3…

"The 360 is a fabulous machine to work on," he says. In particular, "graphics programming is a blast. Microsoft has done a great job with all of their developer-support tools." PlayStation 3 has "tons of power," but "is not as easy to develop for.... Sony's not as good at the developer-support part of things as Microsoft is. I know people in the office (who got) PS3 development kits and (said) they're twice as (expensive), but they're half as capable.

"It's not a bad console; it's certainly far better than everything else except maybe the Xbox 360. In an ideal world PlayStation 3 will be more powerful, but for the vast majority of the cases, you'll be able to effectively exploit more power from the 360."

New Gears of War Maps

For all you lucky buggers with X-Box Live, there's some free Gears of War maps about to be unleashed on you...

Sponsored by the Discovery Channel, the complimentary new content will be available for download via Xbox Live Marketplace early Thursday morning, January 11.

By now most of the current maps have been memorised, analysed and brutalised, but this map pack will feature two new maps including one where players fight around a downed King Raven helicopter:

Raven Down: A Raven Helicopter has gone down in the middle of a large scale battle with the omnipresent Locust Horde. Gears have taken out the Seeder and gamers join Delta Forces moving into the crash site from all angles to search for survivors.

Old Bones: In an attempt to eradicate any traces of human history and culture, the Locust Horde has emerged under Sera’s Capitaline Museums and has begun to destroy them brick by brick. Each gamer’s mission is to help the Delta Force recapture the museums before all remnants of humankind’s existence are obliterated.

And why am I posting about content for the X-Box 360, that me with no X-Box Live can access? Because the pictures are so darned nice to look at....

Rainbow Six Vegas

Rating: R16 - Contains Violence and offensive language.
Genre: First Person Shooter.
Developer: Ubisoft.
Release Date: Available Now.

Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six franchise redefined first person shooters way back in the day, and now with the arrival of ‘next gen’ the Rainbow team is here to re-define your experience once again.

Anyone familiar with the franchise will know what to expect – squad based tactical realism, with real world tactics and locations.

So what’s new with Vegas besides absolutely stunning eye candy graphics?

Well, quite a lot really. First off there’s only two skill levels, and being sensible I chose the easier of the two, but in saying easier, I don’t mean easy.

Normally you’d get a real easy, build your confidence whilst getting your men killed training mission. Not here, you’re dropped in on your own, having to recon your way to your team-mates. This showcases a couple of new features.

You have to plan your route to your objective – there is always more than one way to get to where you are going, so as in Brothers In Arms, you can out flank your enemy. But be warned, if you can out flank, so can your enemy. If you stay put for two long, expect some hostile fire coming from your six.

One shot kills, or at least wounds, and there are no medical packs to pick up. That’s old school Clancy. In Vegas they’ve utilised the Gears of War type system where by there are visual clues if you’re taking too much damage and need to take cover to recover.

Which brings us to another new feature; the ability to take cover, blind fire from cover, or target fire from cover.

Cover fire is essential, ‘cause once you find them; you have to look after your team-mates. If they go down you have to get to them and give them medical aid to get back on their feet. No body but the terrorists can die in Vegas.

Another neat feature is the ability to pick up fallen weapons. Run out of ammo? Pick up a dead terrorist’s weapon and keep on killing.

Planning will get you further, especially with the increased AI of the enemy, who as I mentioned before will try and flank you, corner you, and kill you. The biggest help with planning is your snake cam, that lets you see under the doors into the room behind, allowing you to spot and target the terrorists before going in. Ordering your team-mates to breach, clear or frag will help you complete the missions, and with no manual saves, gun-ho run and shooting from the hip will only get you killed, and sent back to the start of the level.

Of course, some times you won’t use the door. You can now rappel down the side of buildings, and enter through windows, shooting the bad guys as you go.

And you’ll never be alone; you have constant updates through a HUD video feed from your angel in the sky. She’ll let you know anything and everything you need to know. Listen to her; she has a finger on the pulse.

You’re going to need all the help you can get when you finally get to Vegas after the first mission. This Rainbow Six game has some very determined terrorists, who have literally hired an army. At times you’ll be literally swarmed by the bad guys, who carry all manner of weapons, and can do as you do, and slide down ropes from the roof and come in from behind you.

Intense, face paced action, explosions, flash bangs, and plenty of hot lead overloads your visual and auditory senses. And because it’s Vegas you’ll have all the sounds that go with the city that never sleeps. Along with this assault on your senses, you’ll have to keep an ear out for voices. Hear some one talking and take note, it probably means there’s some one with a gun nearby!

In short, Rainbow Six Vegas is the most complete first person shooter available, no competition. If you want action that forces you to think on your feet and make snap calls, then Vegas is for you.

Rent or Buy?
Buy, this is more than a one night stand, and even after you finished it, you’ll be tempted to run it all over again just because.