Gamers are an odd bunch. They spend a great deal of cash on unnecessarily over powered, shiny machines, only to indulge themselves in ultra violent or sexually suggestive material. And what makes it worse? They control the actions taken. The gamers themselves are usually overweight, have greasy hair, live with their parents and have one arm suspiciously more developed than the other.

Of course we don’t see it like this, but unfortunately the majority of people who don’t ‘get’ gaming are of this opinion. Can we blame them? Lets start from the ground up. Lara Croft. surely in her line of work, it would be logically expedient to have a flatter chest? then why does it protrude so? Because gamers, like it. thats all there is to it. More recently, the Ninja gaiden sigma 2 sixax-boobs. why? game changing? no. developers think we want it.

It’s a curse for us, but a blessing for the onlookers that shake their heads. That denounce generation after generation of gamers as ‘wasted’, and it provides them with more ammunition. I’m not suggesting we should require games to be toned down, but this appears to be an ongoing problem. I know for a fact that Australian gamers have some of the hardest times. Left for dead 2 (i know its not on PS3, calm down) had to be heavily edited in order to pass the ratings board.

And just when we thought we could breathe a sigh of relief as the wii began to change minds, we get brought back down to reality with a crash. Jerry lawton, the slime responsible for quite imaginatively creating the idea of GTA Rothbury (following the story of Raoul Moat), and proving that the newspaper he works for really is written by idiots, for idiots, attributed the game straight to rockstar. Not only was this a huge affront to the entire industry, but he even quizzed the relatives of the deceased about the game!

However, we can’t pretend that some of the stuff we’re made to do it the GTA games aren’t as bad as the actions made by moat himself, but it is wholly disgusting and morally wrong on every level to suggest a game based on a tragedy such as this, made even worse by taking the story to print, and presenting it as fact. If that wasn’t bad enough, Lawton went on to label gamers as “grown men who sit around all day playing computer games with one another who’ve today chosen to enter the real world just long enough to complain about my story slamming a Raoul Moat version of Grand Theft Auto!” I’d like to stress that this example is not one of ‘woes is us’ but one that portrays exactly how some individuals view this industry. Not as evil. but as an easy target. Rockstar have since forced an apology from that newspaper, but the damage is still done.

There isn’t a great deal we can do about these stereotypes, but with beautiful and inspired creations coming from thatgamecompany and team ico respectively, perhaps when we have company we can ‘six-axis-up’ some petals, as opposed to hogtying nuns, and cackling manically as a train transforms them into a mist. I know we’ve all done it, and it’s amusing as anything to create a sim of our least favourite co worker and cement them into a square foot room, but the critics mean business, and if we’re going to strike back without giving anything up, lets put out a good public front eh?

Another cool feature is that as you start taking 3D pictures or 3D camcorder movies, you can play those back on PS3 too. This was all anounced by Sony studio director Mick Hocking in a media gathering in London.

Exciting stuff this, sony has patented a system that would allow two people to view two different images from either side of the same television. Apparently the tech would require a 3D screen, thus meaning glasses would have to be worn along with ear phones for separate audio feeds. The applications could range massively, splitscreen could be far more emersive without the squeezing onto half of the original screen, someone could watch TV whilst another plays games, or two different games might even be able to be enjoyed.

The patent was filed a year ago so the tech may be coming along nicely by now. However, with almost everyone not having the benefits of 3D TVs just yet, its going to be a while before either sony deems it a good idea to release it, or before the majority of people can enjoy it. Cool though.

Sound: With this being primarily a rythm action game, the soundtrack must be done perfectly – integrating into the gameplay and on screen visuals simultaneously, and i can say with great glee that it does this perfectly. The songs performed in the game each have a unique sound and style and none ever feel bland or boring. The songs in this game are in the JPOP genre, so if you aren’t into that sort of thing then this game is not meant for you at all.

Gameplay: This is a rythm action game so expect something along the lines of Rock Band Unplugged or Gitaroo Man in terms of actual gameplay. The Game is split into 3 main modes; “free play” this allows you to play each song and unlock more as you finish each song, “Miku’s Room” this mode lets you customize Miku’s bedroom with room style and furniture and finally “song edit” lets you edit not only the songs on the UMD to make them easier/harder, but also the player’s own songs can be edited if they are in the music folder on the memory stick.

Playability: As this is an import game this is an important subject, because the game is menu driven and there is no real story to the game the fact that it is entirely in Japanese does not really matter once you have learnt the menu layout.

Overall: This is a very import friendly game and also provides hours of fun. The only real downside is that there is no real story mode or any other characters for that matter. To finish, this game is highly recommended to all who enjoy listening to JPOP.

John Weingartner (Plankfan) – Writer, Podcast Guest

With so many games coming out in just the first half of the year, where’s a gamer to begin? I’ve already played a good 75% of the games from this year, so making my list proved to be a bit difficult. With BioShock 2,  the single-player experience provided is second to none. You will be immersed in the game’s world and atmosphere from the second you start it up.  The abundance of Trophies will have you playing through the game more than twice. I loved every minute of it. The multiplayer component doesn’t hurt as well.

3D Dot Game Heroes – Pure nostalgia. This game is just pure fun, with no gimmicks. Building upon The Legend of Zelda with more to do, more to see, and updated graphics, this game is a excellent and fun way to relive your childhood. Another title i loved was Bayonetta – I’ve never played anything quite like it. The game perfectly combines a mix of mindless action and strategizing. Coupled with stunning visuals and outlandish bosses, Bayonetta will most definitely have you coming back for another lick. I also enjoyed Battlefield: Bad Company 2 – Whether playing by yourself or with a group of friends, this game’s multiplayer component is one for the ages. Everything in the multiplayer is balanced perfectly, the maps are large and expansive, and the weapon unlocks just add to the many addictive qualities of this game.

However, my Game of the Year so far would be Heavy Rain – This game is simply a spectacular feat in terms combining storytelling and moral decisions in gaming, I’ve spent a good deal of time playing and replaying this game over and over again to see the plethora of possible outcomes. It’s going to take something big to dethrone this game from my top position.

Alex Hedges (Hedges1001)- Writer, Animé Nut

My game of the year so far is probably Yakuza 3.  Not only did it introduce me to the series, but it was kind enough to give me a choice on whether or not I wanted to see the backstory. Also, it’s a very pretty game with awesome music and brilliant controls. Finally, i’m a sucker for anything that portrays Japanese culture!

Liam Kelly (LeeKelly) – Writer

In the (highly constricted) time I’ve had to play video games this year, I’d say only three have really hooked me into spending extended periods of time away from the textbooks and in front on the television. First off, Bayonetta is just and enthralling game that completely blew me away. Totally different to games like God of War that, while entertaining, never had me fully pumped to play it, or that when I wasn’t playing it I was thinking about it. Secondly, Red Dead Redemption; oh my GOD what a fun game. Clichéd as it is, saying it’s GTA meets Wild West is the absolute perfect description for a game that is as fun as all hell, with a decent story to boot. The third game that I’ve loved this year has been Mass Effect 2, but seeing as it’s a 360 game I won’t go into too much detail here, apart from it’s awesome.

Peace and keep gaming.

Patrick McClellan (zippypatrick) – Writer, Podcast Host

We’ve seen some great titles come out already this year, and I’m actually surprised with what I’m gonna name as my number 1. A few months back we did a “most anticipated titles of 2010″ top 5 on the Podcast. My number 1 ended up being Heavy Rain, with God of War and Bad Company just behind. Whilst i purchased, and played a great deal of all of these titles, i don’t think they do it for me quite as much as two other titles, one of which hadn’t featured on said Top 5 list at all. Red Dead Redemption came in at number 5 for me initially, and it blew me away. We had a news story about how development on the title was troubled, and i was quite worried about it. That was up until it started getting high 9′s across the board. I finished the title in around 20hrs total, and found it far more compelling with regards to story, and gameplay than Rockstar’s previous efforts in the Grand Theft Auto series. Despite this, it’s not my game of the year thus far. That accolade would go to Yakuza 3, which really hit the spot for me. Having previously only played Yakuza 1, I was well aware that the formula and methods of story progression would be similar, but I still found the characters and dialogue very interesting and satisfying. Gameplay was consistently fun throughout, and I would have to heartily disagree with a number of reviewers who have criticised it for being “repetitive”. Considering it was released in Japan in early 2009, I still find the colourful visuals to be beyond satisfactory, even when compared with the newer games. There are tonnes of extra missions to complete post-main story, which in itself racked up at over 20hrs for me. It’s gonna take a huge release to beat this one out for my overall Game of the Year, and man, i really can’t wait for a western release of Yakuza 4!

Simon Thornton – Writer, Podcast Host

Unfortunately I feel that the first half of this year is the weaker half,  so my choice will undoubtedly change come Winter. That said, we have had some strong releases so far, none of which have had as much as my time poured into them as Battlefield: Bad Company 2. Yeah: the campaign is less than compelling; the humour of the prequel has gone and the vast battlefields of Bad Company 1 have been shrunk drastically but all of this is irrelevant when you look at the multiplayer. There’s something for everybody: quadbikes, helicopters, Wookies (well… ghillie suits) and big ass guns. If you haven’t heard the amazing dynamic audio the game outputs or heard people’s reactions when you fly a helicopter into a tank then you really are missing out.

Ben Potter (Confused_Dude) – Writer, Podcast Host

My GOTY so far has to be… Final Fantasy XIII. A controversial choice I know, especially when compared to the AAA rated games mentioned above, but there’s something about this game that compels me to enjoy it. For starters, I’ve long been a huge fan of the series, and when the PS3 iteration rolled round, I was beside myself with excitement.

The rich and detailed world and lore that the FF creative wizards manage to create time after time, continues to both amaze and deeply impress me. The new and fresh invention of the combat system, at face value, seems daft, and when trying to explain it, one is often left babbling incoherently about chains and combos, and how you only control one character; “One character!” haters proclaim, “How could that possibly be engaging and involving in the realms of the party based FF series!?” Although I did find myself asking this upon starting the game, you’re very slowly and deliberately walked through it, and soon you’ll be juggling techniques and abilities like a pro! I can liken it only to whistling, you struggle to explain how, but once you get the hang of it, you’re like some sort of super whistling ninja thing (maybe).

FFXIII also boasts some of the most gorgeous graphics around, only slightly outdone by the CGI cut scenes that span the game. The soundtrack is another gem, beautifully haunting wind chime-y music that provides the perfect backdrop for your adventures through cocoon. The characters appear as the same stereotypes; angsty kid, quiet lead with a ‘troubled’ past, comic relief, goofball, and of course, ‘Mr Cool’ *Gunshot*. Although easily hateable, they all contribute massively to what I consider to be a fantastic and compelling story.

Maybe it’s the graphics, the story or beautiful soundtrack, the ginger woman-child with the brain of a startled sparrow, or how I can’t wait for the inevitable ‘accident’ that leaves hope mirroring his namesake, face down in the tire tracks from snows motorbike, this is truly a wonderful game that must be experienced to honestly pass judgement. Yes the first few dozen hours are linear, but they’re not dull, with considerable story input and regular ‘CGI breaks’. This game is not aimed at the FPS generation, so stick at it, and in the words of GLaDOS, “There will be cake”.

Bionic Commando Rearmed was a massive hit for Sweden-based developer GRIN, and much was expected of their future projects. They would go on to release two poorly-made, shoddy movie tie-ins, in the form of Wanted: Weapons of Fate and Terminator Salvation. Another title was released by the studio however, contrasting the previous titles as it featured clever mechanics, good visuals, and a solid experience overall, and one that I feel is underrated by many.

This game was Bionic Commando, not a downloadable game, but a title that would see a full disk retail release on for the Playstation 3, Xbox 360 and PC. One thing these titles did have in common however, was their poor sales figures. Bionic Commando sold 27,000 units in the US in its first month at retail, truly terrible numbers from publisher Capcom’s perspective. Despite being a far less polished game, Terminator Salvation sold 43,000 units – still very disappointing figures admittedly. More misery was to come, as GRIN filed for bankruptcy in 2009. Despite the poor sales, many fans (including myself!) continue to hope for a sequel to Nathan Spencer’s 2009 outing, but have to accept that it is unlikely Capcom would gamble on it, given the limited success of Bionic Commando.

The game serves as a direct sequel to the aforementioned Bionic Commando Rearmed, and features a redesigned version of ginger hero Nathan Spencer. Vocals for the character are provided by Faith No More singer Mike Patton, who generally does a good job of screaming and dishing out the cheesy insults when appropriate. Spencer, now sporting dreadlocks, so as to be ‘down with the kids’, has been betrayed by the government, and “Great Bionic Purge” is taking place, whereby all soldiers with Bionic technology are imprisoned having been stripped of all their Bionic kit. Without spoiling anything, Spencer then becomes free, and is free to seek his own special brand of vengeance. I felt the story is a whole is enjoyable and fairly well written, but a couple of the later plot twists don’t work quite so well.

Like the previous games in the series, Bionic Commando has a heavy emphasis on action and adventure, but it also strays from the familiar 2D side-scrolling presentation of earlier games, instead opting for a full 3D world. Locations in the game vary, with the player visiting ruined cities and vibrant forests. These both give you the impression that it’s going to be a fairly open game, and that you can achieve your goals through non-linear means. Whilst this is true to an extent at certain parts, the often frustrating radiation mechanic often restricts you to a certain path, eliminating any hope of forming a creative route. Whilst I understand why the developers chose this, I can’t help but think about the potential awesomeness that could come in the form of a more open world game containing a swinging mechanic.

Speaking of this, I think it’s important to discuss the impact of the Bionic arm in the game. Some have described the swinging as “erratic”, but I would completely disagree. You can latch on to the majority of objects, and you simply have to jump, and roll the joystick back and forth to begin swinging, quickly building up speed. The difficulty comes in the timing – Let go a little too early, and you’ll fly flat, not getting enough height, and if you release too late, you’ll float helplessly in the air, not gaining the distance needed. Once I nailed the timing, I found it to be one of the most satisfying mechanics in a game I’ve experienced in recent years. The thrill of stringing together 7-8 giant swings at full speed is really something else.

The other main mechanic in the game is shooting. I had been a little worried about the gunplay before its release, as it looked a little lacklustre. I was pleasantly surprised however, as it proved to be very satisfying, with a range of guns each packing a punch. Controls while shooting are surprisingly solid, and enemies never feel like bullet sponges, more often that not succumbing to their fate after just a few shots. Melee attacks with your Bionic arm are also deadly against the majority of enemies, and are a good way of disposing of nervous stragglers without wasting bullets. If you do run out of bullets, never fret! Your Bionic Arm also has the ability to pick up numerous objects, from cars to boulders, which can in turn be chucked via lock-on at enemies, often dealing massive damage. Gameplay is definitely a strong point for the title, and is very refined. The level design and structure is often massive in scale, and is cleverly put together, but the radiation mechanic does leave a little to be desired.

The graphics within the game are for the most part, very impressive. This is displayed during the numerous frantic boss fights, but also as you travel from location to location, swinging at full speed. Draw distance is also very impressive throughout, and you never have to worry about not knowing where your goal is. One of the shortcomings comes in the form of enemy types. You will encounter the same looking soldiers multiple times, seemingly void of personality, and certain other enemies will be seen multiple times during the sub-10hr story mode. The soundtrack borrows certain tracks from Bionic Commando Rearmed, but does at times opt for a more sombre mood, as a lone pianist plays the main theme in a way we’re not used to. The soundtrack fits the mood of the game, and is really well put together.

The game does feature online multiplayer, but I feel it is a little underwhelming. At the point of writing this review, it is very rare to find anyone still playing the game, and when you do, it tends to be the generic deathmatch mode. Introducing the swinging mechanic into multiplayer does add another element, but it really is quite standard fare as far as online titles go. More could have been done with the multiplayer for sure, but it could give you some fun one you’re done with the Story Mode.

Bionic Commando is a severely underrated title, and it pains me to think that it will probably never get a sequel, despite the ending of the game implying that the guys at GRIN had more they wanted to do for the franchise. The swinging mechanic really steals the show, and is immensely satisfying once you get your mind around it. The story mode will take up a fair chunk of your time, and if you’re anything like me, you’ll enjoy it for the most part. The fact that you can pick it up literally dirt cheap has seen an inevitable surge in sales, but it’s sadly too little too late for GRIN, who shut its doors just a few months after the game’s release. I’d definitely recommend this title for fans of the original title, and 2008’s Rearmed, and it should provide a great bang for the buck of any action/adventure aficionado.

By Patrick McClellan

Kind of a kick in the teeth for the people that actually registered the 5 million accounts, but what can you do?
They’re still mighty fine looking tum-scrums!

p.s. I’ll refrain from using a childs thesaurus entry for the word ‘sweets’ in future posts… ‘yum-yums’? honestly…

E3 has proved to be an exciting show as always, but amongst all the big name sequels and high budget blockbusters are a bunch of games that i feel may slip under the radar. Whilst there are many others beyond this list, these are the games that really caught my eye.

5. NeverDead

This was one of the highlights in a fairly low-key Konami press conference. It looks to be a Bayonetta-like action game, and the name comes from the fact that fallen playable characters can re-assemble their body parts if they are dismembered. Nice! There also looks to be a fair amount of saucy banter, which should also be entertaining.

4. Hunted: The Demon’s Forge

Published by Bethesda, the title’s story involves two soldiers, E’lara and Caddoc, who go in search of an artifact which the latter had a vision about. It’s going to feature non-splitscreen local co-op, and the two characters will have very different weapons/skill sets. I think after the success of Trine, which encouraged teamwork between two characters, this title could be a hit with the same crowd. It’s visuals are perhaps slightly dated, but if you can look past that, i think Hunted could be a success.

3. Hydrophobia

Launching exclusively on the 360 for a timed period, we know that the title will be getting a PSN release in time. I’ve been interested in it for a while, and gameplay looks pretty fun. The story does look to be a little throwaway, but that’s yet to be determined.

2. Warriors: Legends of Troy

The main selling point for me on this one is the story. We really haven’t seen any next-gen Roman/Gladiatorial games, and I’ve got my fingers crossed that this one turns out good. The main concern is that it’s technically part of the Dynasty Warriors series, so combat could prove to be mindless are repetitive. Unlike games in said series however, this title will carry an M rating, so lots of blood and guts should be in store. Yay!

1. Majin and The Forsaken Kingdom

To me, this game looks colourful and vivid, and in many ways comparable to The Last Guardian, as the human character forms a bond with a strange, mystical creature. The voice actor for the human seems like a typical macho American, which was a bit off-putting and did seem out of place, but I still have a great deal of interest in this title. Definitely one to keep an eye on.

Wow. What a show. E3 2010 is finally wrapping up, and just as everyone should have expected, Sony rocked the house. They started off strong with a demo of Killzone 3, and ended on an even stronger note. Out of everything Sony threw onto my platter, these are my top 5 servings:

5. Gran Turismo 5 Release Date – Well, it’s about damn time. Sony and Polyphony have finally set a seemingly firm release date of November 2nd, 2010 for the much delayed GT5. Here’s hoping it doesn’t get pushed back yet again.

4. PlayStation Move Priced and dated – Although the games shown off for Move seemed a bit lackluster, the price is not. Announced to release on September 19th in the U.S., the standalone Move controller will cost just $49.99. While the secondary Navigation controller will be $29.99, but can be supplemented with a standard PS3 controller.

3. PlayStation Plus – Despite being rumored at for months, the official announcement was pretty awesome. Priced at $17.99 for three months and $49.99 for a full year, the added incentives make it more than worth the asking price. Some of the included bonuses are early demo access, exclusive beta invites, select free PSN games, and automatic downloads of game updates and firmware. The service is scheduled to be available at the end of this month.

2. Portal 2 on PS3 – I was not expecting this whatsoever. With all of the bashing on the PS3 by Gabe Newell and Valve, this came an extremely welcome surprise to everyone. On stage, Newell said that the PS3 will provide the best Portal 2 experience. That will be an experience I’m really looking forward to.

1. Twisted Metal on PS3 – When Sweet Tooth and his ice cream truck drove onto the stage, I cried with joy. Twisted Metal has always been one of my favorite PlayStation franchises, and I’m overjoyed that it’s finally coming to the current generation. With Jaffe at the helm, I expect nothing less than perfection from this game.

Disclaimer: this review was done at the 15 hour mark.

Graphics: This is a 2d sprite based game with static backgrounds. I gotta say that the environments do not look top par especially for a PS2 game. I can say however that the event scene graphics are very well presented with individual character art, the anime style of the characters is very pretty and can be appreciated by many.

Sound: this game’s soundtrack is just awesome it balances the cheery tunes with the J-pop and then with the opera metal battle scenes, it is clearly obvious that a lot of work went into creating the music for this game.

The voice acting in this game is inconsistent in where it is used, but where it is used it really brings the characters to life. From the cheery cat girl with an awesome singing voice to the wannabe hero with a booming voice. I have to say the voice acting in this game is the very best i have heard short of persona 4.

Gameplay: This game takes a novel approach to levelling up, this is handled by using alchemy to create specific items and then register them in a book that is specific to each character, each item unlocks a slot in the book that holds a set number of upgrades or a skill. Then you use points earned from battles to purchase new skills and stat upgrades that were unlocked by alchemy. The battle system of the game is very similar to Final Fantasy 10 in the sense that there is a timeline of planned actions on the screen and the player can plot their moves and see how they affect the turn structure in real time. The battles are turn based and fairly easy to get your head around. The game is split up into a series of assignments to keep up with the school setting of the game this also makes it easy to pick up and play the game if you just have a small amount of game time a day.

Story: Finally a game that pulls away from the generic “save the princess/world” story line and is about a socially recluse boy who attends school at Al Revis academy to learn alchemy just as his father did. The main point of the game and its story is for the boy to get through the school year in one piece and to learn more about his father and himself.

Conclusion: Overall despite the lower visual presentation this game pulls through and ultimately entertains constantly. This is a highly recommended title.