Well, what an eventful weeked I had last week. After deciding that I should undertake and publish the details of this particular challenge, I thought I would get on with finishing a couple of games I was already partway through and then choose another one to crack on with!

Portal 2 was first to go, so I thought I’d do a mini review for you guys to enjoy:

I absolutely loved the first Portal game and even as part of a stunning package (the Orange Box) I thought it really stood out as something more than just a fun concept – it was an idea that really had legs. Unfortunately, the standalone sequel, by the very nature of its asking price, had to be bigger and bolder than the first and that has sadly come at a price.

Portal 2 is a victim of the first games own succes, it could have been more of the same, but instead it has arguably the same amount of test chambers (only that they are MUCH easier) spread out between a load of boring and pointless corridor wandering and standard FPS exploration. Sounds harsh? Well yes and no. Portal 2 is stil fun, but the first game is better and far far cheaper – so why not make the sequel an Arcade game?

Oh I know why not, because as always the fans have to pay for the massive dev cost that goes into creating those pointless corridor sections and to pay Stephen Merchants bar tab. Incidentally, the humour in Portal 2 is spot on, being just like the first, but with so much more of the same that the feeling is of an almost constant narrative.

Honestly, I’m glad I played Portal 2 and I absolutely loved Portal, but if there is a third outing I doubt I will pick it up for more than about twenty quid. If I want to listen to Stephen Merchant for two hours I’ll buy An Idiot Abroad I think.

7/10

Next up then, I decided to complete LA Noire as I had been playing it all week, here’s what I thought:

LA Noire is one of those rare games that you play, put away and possibly never take out again for years. When you do dig it out again and dust it off, you’ll want to play it and although it will age, badly, you’ll still enjoy it as a ‘snapshot’ of gaming at the time. I think of it in the same way as I do Monkey Island – which is old and dated now, but somehow still relevant. That’s how LA Noire will be seen in ten years… Maybe.

Anyway, the reason I say that is because I really Enjoyed LA Noire in a way that other games have failed to capture. Take Bulletstorm for example. Epic specifically wanted to capture the way that players ALREADY used the environment to enhance their potential in similar games, they rewarded you for something you’ve done in a million other games out of sheer ingenuity…. Be it chucking someone off a cliff or shooting electricity into water or whatever, they knew you would do it, so they gave you points.

LA Noire is the opposite. It features naked ladies (yeah, like totally naked) and yet at no point did I close the curtains for some private time or feel at all tempted to squat my character on a corpses head as though he were pooping. LA Noire is serious, it’s REALLY all about cracking the case at hand and moving the compelling story onwards to its inevitable climax.

I’ve read plenty of criticism of LA Noire, about how the main character (Cole Phelps) is boring and rigid but I think they are missing the point… You don’t record hundreds of hours of facial animation and voiceover just to end up with a rigid and starchy character by accident for Godsake! By the end of the game, I’d challenge anyone not to feel themselves spiralling into Cole’s world; even if the game ends with a lot of loose ends and a fairly obvious sequel, it’s classic Hollywood storytelling and of such a high standard that I couldn’t put it down.

9/10

So, I’m just about a week in and two games down. That’s not too bad is it right? Well maybe not, but sadly, I was dealt a harsh blow when choosing my next game. As followers of my Twitter account (@RagingKileak) will have noticed, I was in an odd mood last weekend. Setting not only this challenge, but also a ‘left hand-right hand’ round robin tournament to see which of eight randomly selected games would be next.

By the ‘semi final,’ I knew that Halo Wars was never going to be next – fate had decided that I would be spending the next 130 of my gaming hours playing Divinity II: The Dragon Knight Saga. Fair enough, it’s not the worst game ever by any means, but it just might be the hardest game I’ve played in ages, not to mention the ugliest.

Hang on, let me just reiterate… Oh my Lord, Divinity is UGLY. Does anyone remember Bee Smith from Prisoner: Cell Block H? I’d say she might be just a bit uglier, but we’re definitely talking Premier League ugly here for sure. And hard. Did I mention hard? I think I’ve played around 10 hours of Divinity II now and I’ve learned that saving every couple of minutes is absolutely essential… The Autosave feature works only before boss battles or other tough sequences and doesn’t even kick in when moving from one area to the next. In fact in my house, the *Autosaving* text box (which pauses the game) has become symbolic of the fact that I am about to be smashed into a thousand pieces 4 or 5 times before I even work out what will kill me. Good times.

So there you have it folks, 2 games down, 38 to go and one huge Dragon based marathon to run before I even begin to climb the pile.

Check back next time for an update on what’s killing me in Divinity II, or possibly (if I leave it three weeks or so) a mini review and some info on what’s next.

Matt

The scene is initially set by a dream that quickly turns from pleasant fantasy into a demon infested nightmare. Caddoc, a barbarian/fighter/mercenary, is woken by his elvish companion, Elara, and begins to explain the vision when the pair are interrupted by a scantily clad woman who explains her need for help. At this point, although sceptical, the pair embark to the near by town of Dyfed in search of the Lord Mayor and the mysterious woman.

The first thing that hits you when Hunted starts is the graphical representation of the world and the characters within. Given the detail of Oblivion and the upcoming Skyrim its quite disappointing to find Caddoc and Elara trouncing round something that would look at home on the original xbox or PS2 when Bethesda obviously have the ability to do better. 

Textures are pretty poor and characters are fairly standard fair with none of the flair or polish seen in earlier titles by the publisher. Environments are presented as closed off areas split up by large doors or sections that may only be traversed by both characters.  This tends to make exploration critical as theres no chance of collecting some items after passing the point of no return.

Lighting is quite atmospheric and dungeons are gloomy and dark while outdoor environments look bright according to the setting (Dawn, Dusk etc.) Some puzzles in the deeper dungons cannot even be attempted without a torch as its so dark you can’t make out doors or switches.

Combat is also fairly bland with only the special skills or spells for each character available to spice up the action. Compared to action games such as Devil May Cry or Dantes Inferno, the combat is neither exciting nor original. A basic four hit string of attacks is all the characters can manage which also cannot be combo’d or strung into the specials available to the player as they advance. 

Skills and Spells are gained by spending the Crystals collected as loot and earned by dispatching the enemies. Additional attributes are unlocked via collection of certain trinkets or killing enough enemies with a weapon. Weapons can be collected from racks or from more rare and much better hidden weapon cases within the dungeons. Most rarer weapons have special attributes with a number of uses. These attributes increase damage output upon a successful strike although tend to run out fairly quickly. You also spend a lot of time picking up the same weapon or once you have found a secret with fairly good base damage, just defaulting to that until you find a better one.

Gold is earned throughout the campaign but other than collecting it there are no purchasable items. This could have been an opportunity to increase either replayability or the range of weapons available but instead only opens up score tiers which themselves offer no real reward to returning players after the main campaign.

Also, despite the fact that Caddoc’s shield can be destroyed and both Player Characters are underpowered to begin with, Hunted soon becomes very one-sided. In the entire game I only had to revieve my partner once. Even when I tested this by letting her get ambushed by a minotaur; she absorbed every blow in a shield that I can only describe as ‘not fit for purpose’ without taking any damage whatsoever. Were it I taking the beating my shield would have splintered ten times over and I would have been revieved a few times until inevitably, the game stopped giving me chances to return to the fold.

The cooperative nature of the play adds some saving grace to the premise. Even due to all its faults, the game is just better in co-op. Utilising the specific talents and skills to support your partner definitely adds to the sense of achievement after each battle. Is unfortunate though that the skills available for the characters do not suit the style in which you are meant to play them. Hanging back until Elara picks off the archers often leads to you having little shield left and half a life bar while belting in to provide massive damage usually end up with you killing all at the cost of a potion or two. 

Pros

Coop Play is Fun
Good Story/Premise
Some fairly interesting puzzles

Cons

Poor Graphics
Lazy Combat and Controls
Very Repetative

Final Verdict

Hunted sets out with a lot to make up for as the poor graphics and limited combat options quickly push players to wish they had simply bought something else. For players who decide to stick it out, an interesting story with some well thought out puzzles await a game that is improved drastically by adding a friend either in split screen or network play ove PSN or Live. The idea is solid but poorly executed and given the best examples in the genre, Hunted still has a lot missing.

6/10

Alex

The challenge is simple. Play through all forty xbox 360 games at least once, finishing them on the hardest (unlocked) difficulty level and picking up all reasonably easy achievements in the process.

That last bit might sound a bit of a cop out because really, is a game truly ‘finished’ until you have achieved full Gamerscore from it? The main reason for the approach I’ve chosen is that I want to update this blog regularly which means I need to make rapid progress. Getting stuck on achievement like Dead Rising 2′s ‘Kill X Million Zombies’ could bog me down and stall the whole challenge.

The main rule is simple… Buy no more games until these forty are done. Simple. As 2011 is looking like one of the best years for gaming in a while, that’s a lot of games I’ll have to miss if I don’t get my fingers in gear.

In each article, I’ll try and provide an insight into what I’m up to, how I’m getting along and what I’ve been playing. To begin with, here is a full list of the games I’m going to work through:

Portal II
LA Noire
EA Sports MMA
Left4Dead2
Crackdown 2
Halo Wars
Vanquish
Battlestations Pacific
Rock Band 3
Alan Wake
DJ Hero
DJ Hero 2
Battlefield: Bad Company 2
Red Faction: Guerilla
Prototype
Wolfenstein
Just Cause 2
History: Great Battles Medieval
Rockstar Table Tennis
Forza Motorsport 3
Dragon Age II
Divinity II
The Sims III
Deathsmiles: Deluxe Edition
Fallout 3: Game of the Year Edition
Super Street Fighter IV
Mercenaries 2
Borderlands Game of the Year Edition
Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood
Final Fantasy XIII
Darksiders
Gears of War 2
Dead Space
Prince of Persia
Tomb Raider Underworld
Viva Pinata: Trouble in Paradise
Eternal Sonata
Tomb Raider Anniversary
The Orange Box
Command and Conquer RA 3

Phew.

So to give a touch more background information, I’ve already finished a couple of these games. Dragon Age II, Battlefield: Bad Company 2 and Fallout 3 being big ones. I figure with DAII I will play through again as part of the challenge, whilst on Fallout 3 I will go through all the DLC. Where Bad Company is concerned, well ok let’s make it 39 games to finish before I buy, eh? Shhh!

So there you have it, check back often for news and updates!

Matt

The first thing I noticed about Dragon Age II was the much slicker, more professional presentation when compared to the original. Dragon Age was never really applauded for its beauty, but it was always pretty enough to convey the story as it was intended and menu’s etc were there for functional reason, rather than an aesthetic one. DAII provides slicker, easier to navigate opening, in game and pause menu screens, wrapped in improved backing art and faster loading times. This might seem a funny way to open a review, but otherwise I might forget. The reality is that whilst DA featured so many clunky technical flaws that they became endearing, Dragon Age II is just a more technically competent game and therefore deserves a mention!

Base class in Dragon Age II is limited to Mage, Rogue or Fighter and the backstory is basically ‘Human Noble.’ This is a shame if you ask me, as one of the key draws to RPG gaming has always been to experience the weird and wonderful. Playing as an Elf or Half-Orc and having people react differently is something I’ve always enjoyed in ‘proper’ RPG’s (which is what I believe DAII is supposed to be.) Despite it’s limited opening, the story soon picks up a bit of pace and before long, our chosen hero has to deal with one tragedy after another, gathering a small party in the process. One nice touch here is that depending on your chosen sex and class, only certain characters in the opening party will survive the early stages of the game…

On this note, the party assembled to assist our hero in DAII is smaller and sadly less interesting than in the original game. There are two rogues; both of whom can open chests and disarm traps etc, as well as adding a variety of debilitating attacks to the party’s arsenal. Two to three main melee fighters also feature, depending on the choices made during character selection. One is setup as a fairly effective tank, whilst the other is built for massive physical damage. Finally two to three Mage’s make up the party, with the two mains ones being essentially all about good (spiritual magic) and bad (blood magic) although not neccesarily in the order you would expect. Sadly, none of the characters are as interesting as the likes of Morrigan, Leliana, Sten and Zevran.

Despite this, you can see where Bioware have tried. I mean, REALLY tried. Everything that fans of the first game enjoyed has been revamped and included, it’s just that it’s not always obvious, or as successful as the first time round. For example, I loved the banter and genuine bile that went into conversations between Morrigan and Leliana. In DAII, the script includes a huge amount of ad-hoc dialogue between characters whilst on mission – just banter really. The effect is warming and it’s certainly a nice touch, but only on one or two occasions will characters ever really show their true dislike of one another. By the end of the game (which is supposed to span a number of years) I had the distinct feeling that everyone was behaving as though at a tea-party; as though the penalty for misbehaving was being sent to bed without supper.

DAII does get an awful lot right however. Despite a few reused locations (caves and houses in particular) this is one of the best looking RPG’s I’ve ever played. The level of detail in every crag, mossy stone, tree, carved facia etc is really something else and does an awful lot to convince the player that the series has grown up. It’s not QUITE as big a jump as Mass Effect 2 was over Mass Effect, but it’s getting on for that kind of thing. Characters look a great deal more distinct in this outing and the Mass Effect 2 dialog wheel returns, allowing Bioware to flex the muscles of their facial modelling tools.

As I said earlier, in game and pause menu’s have changed significantly and are now more simpler, better looking and more intuitive. This won’t suit everyone, as basically they are set up to accomodate those who might make bad choices if not railroaded somewhat. Skills and Magic Schools are grouped together by type in a visual spiders web which branches based on previous choices, thus allowing players to specialise, or pick and choose as they like. Experienced RPG players should hopefully accept this style readily enough, whilst newbies probably won’t easily be able to create a ‘broken’ character as a result.

Spells and Skills are as destructively effective as they always have been in Bioware RPG’s, although I must say that some are less exciting than they appear. Most groups of skills or spells feature at least one or two dud’s which you won’t ever use (or want to) which is a shame, whilst certain Spells carry explosive graphics, but do very little damage (or vice versa.) During the (much improved) combat, it’s often hard to tell which Spells and Skills are effective – although there are some visual indicators.

Combat then, is far more straightforward and exciting than previously, although undoubtedly it’s dumber. Many fights involve spamming the attack button and throwing in the odd Spell or Skill before rinsing and repeating a thousand times, but that’s the case with many another RPG as well. When Dragon Age II really kicks off, it’s exciting and enjoyable hacking down one baddie after another and the game does do ‘fight selection’ well, with a wide range of interesting enemies to face in some fun and interesting environments.

I could probably go on forever and ever about a game like DAII because I do love RPG’s, probably more than any other kind of game. This review may appear a little critical, but that’s almost certainly because RPG fans are incredibly demanding and DAII was a prime candidate to be ‘spoiled’ by EA’s hand of Nerf. The good news is that in a nutshell, DAII is still a fantastic game. It lacks the warmth that made Dragon Age so enjoyable and fails to invoke the deep, parental desire to nurture and care for companion characters like in the first game. DAII even has a completely broken ending that ‘makes up’ random events for the surviving characters and so on, but what it lacks in heart and soul it makes up for in awesome looks, superb sounds, great combat, accessibility, strong storyline, good longevity, replayability and so on.

For me then, DAII is still one of the best games so far in 2011 and one I relish the prospect of playing through again, knowing now what I do about the outcome and how to change it. Any serious RPG gamer should seriously consider investing in the game and will hopefully join me in eager anticipation of another sequel.

8/10

iNFamous 2 picks up where the original left off (and for those of you who had a PSN account before 21st April 2011 its not the worst option in the Welcome Back Package available now on PSN) and finds Hero/Antihero, Cole, struggling with the aftermath of his battle with “The Beast” at the climax of his first outing. Since the destruction of Empire City, most citizens in the US have labelled him a demon and the stygma follows him through iNFamous 2 like a bad stench. This also means that you wont (for the majority) be exploring any familiar settings. The sequel certainly features numerous new locations laid out before Cole and Co as the story progresses.

Like iNFamous before it, the sequel leaves many of the mission choices to the player and allows you to attack them in whatever order you like or simply explore and power up Cole before taking the side or main story missions. The missions again follow the format of the original with you able to complete most in one of two ways.

Cole’s offensive skills have also been altered and improved. The Anti Hero and Hero Skills are now different rather than copies of each other with differing damage outputs. Close Quarters Combat is also improved with Cole’s Amp weapon. Many a time in the original I found myself just punching and kicking in the general direction of the enemy with no real lock on but that hasnt happened yet in my time with the follow up.

My main gripes with the first iNFamous were the way godlike powers were bestowed on Cole but Godlike Heath, accuracy and damage dealing capacity were bestowed upon standard enemies as well, essentially neutering the hero. Balance has also been fixed and now just a random jaunt around the concrete jungle does not mean cautiously checking for enemies on roofs or around corners for fear of being killed in two shots.

Graphics are again sharp and saounds are clear as they should be from a first party developed title but hopefully the monotony of repeating the same few mission formats in the original has been removed in the follow up. So far, so good but only the full release will answer these questions.

Expect iNFamous 2 to hit retail on 10th June.

Alex

First things first, I’m not a ‘proper’ audiophile really. I have a modest 7.1 system setup in a normal sized living room, which features a traditional speaker layout. Mordaunt Short Alumni II speakers mounted beside a Sharp 46 inch TV provide standard stereo sound, whilst a Tannoy centre speaker sits just below. Tannoy bookshelf speakers make up the rest of the package, with left and right speakers mounted half way and at the back of the room. A sub sits just to the right of centre. It’s a system I bought with the full intention of upgrading (which I now intend to do thanks to the Onkyo – but more on that later) and spent around £1500 on, including the TV and original Onkyo 606.

When deciding to upgrade (or purchase) a piece of kit like an AV Receiver, the first (and perhaps most important) thing to decide is budget. Kit like this begins at under £200 for a basic, fairly featureless device, but extends well beyond £2000 for niche or audiophile requirements. My original budget was similar to that which I paid for the Onkyo 606 – just £300.

A visit to my local budget Hi-Fi store would be needed, but before I ventured out into the big bad world, I needed to make some calls. Very quickly, I learned that around the time of my purchase (May 2011) only one manufacturer had really shown it’s 2011 line up: Onkyo. Most of the solid AV Receivers in my price range were 2010 offerings from Yamaha, Denon and Pioneer, with the Onkyo 608 of course still kicking around in the odd shop window.

With this in mind (and the budget of £300) I narrowed my search down to the Yamaha RXV 667, the Denon 1911 and the Pioneer VSX 920. Each brought something I couldn’t live without to the table and it was a tough choice so I went to push some buttons, see the sights and have a listen.

The Denon delivered a nice, rich sound, but ultimately lacked features and connectivity, plus I couldn’t help the feeling that anyone in the know would simply shake their head and tell me ‘It’s not a patch on the 1910 mate.’ Pioneer’s VSX920 was a clear favourite to begin with, with amazing spec on paper and a number of connections the other devices lacked. In particular, a LAN connection for Internet Radio. Despite this, the Pioneer was the worst sounding of the bunch, lacking any sense of occasion and leaving me cold. I therefore chose the Yamaha RXV 667, which is a good looking unit with sufficient connectivity and a lovely, natural sound.

So why is this review about the Onkyo 609? Well, when I actually arrived at the Hi-Fi store I’d made a deal with (on the Yamaha) it turned out that the 609 had begun to arrive and there actually was one available for test. After watching Russell Crowe’s comically stupid ‘Robin Hood’ for only ten to twenty minutes, I was convinced to blow the budget and spend £500 on Onkyo’s superb new device. The addition of Internet Radio, Spotify/Last.FM and iPod/USB support and a range of other features were more than enough to convince me that I wouldn’t need another device for some time either, so lets take a look under the hood.

The 609 provides 7 channels at 160W and can power 2 subs simultaneously, which is almost double the raw power of my original 606, though it also remains extremely composed (despite my modest speakers) and is able to pick voice, music and effects out with ease. As a test, I decided to play through the Patrol Boat sequence in Call of Duty: Black Ops. The Onkyo 609 simply blew me away. At the outset of the level, the Onkyo shakes the room as a Helicopter Pilot opens up the throttle, the voice of Ice Cube’s badass Marine calls me onto the boat, cutting cleanly through the noise whilst also retaining an authentic ‘shout’, whilst an eager Private cracks jokes in the background. The Stones ‘Sympathy for the Devil’ begins to play out across the water as I gun the throttle – it echoes as I imagine music does across open water. Seconds later, we’re engaged by the enemy and the 609 remains equally composed… The music continues unphased and clear, whilst voices ring through the carnage in a way that my 606 could never achieve. All the while, numerous heavy, light and handheld weapons fire continuously from the boat, each distinct in its report. The rear speakers tell me that bullets are ricocheting off the metal frame around my character. It’s just astonishing that at £500, sound can be so good.

Video handling is superb, with all images upscaled to 1080p. This makes even the poorest Sky HD (lets face it, the SD content on Sky looks awful sometimes) show look entirely acceptable (Sky Anytime+ users in particular will benefit here.) Back to back with an equivalent image delivered to the TV via Freeview (Eastenders) I was pleasantly surprised that I really could tell a noticeable difference to crispness, colour depth and warmth. In fact, I’m not considering a TV upgrade as well as some new speakers!

On this note, the 609 is the only device at this price which supports 4k upscaling – something which very few TV’s can handle right now. Essentially though, it means a HD signal which is around twice as ‘HD’ as HD is now. The Onkyo 609 also supports audio return via HDMI, allowing the pleasing option that you can direct audio from the TV itself back to your amp. In an age where TV’s feature a variety of streaming technologies and everyone needs 5 tuners to keep up to date with ‘Lie to Me’ AND ‘Game of Thrones’ AND ‘CSI’ AND….. this is an essential feature! The 609 also features a load of stuff you will find on the Internet on your own, but to summarise it has 6 HDMI inputs, 1 PC input, USB input, LAN, 2 Component HD inputs, a proprietary iGadget/DAB dock input, 2 Optical Inputs, 1 Phono input plus numerous others. It outputs up to 7 channels including the possibility for 2 zones (5 channels to Z1 and 2 to Z2) and can power dual subs.

It features 1080p upscaling potential, including to 4k once available, 3D handling, Audio Return, Internet Radio, Spotify/Last.FM support, USB or iGadget input (works out the box, although limited iGadget control without additional connectivity,) plus God knows what else.

In summary, the Onkyo 609 is a FAR better looking device than previous Onkyo iterations have been, with a decent remote that continues to be a bit fiddly for some. That’s irrelevant though, because the 609 sounds absolutely incredible, with a punchy, powerful sound that is also capable of subtlety as it picks through intricate and ever changing recordings, games or movies. The image is as crisp and warm as I could hope, though it must be said, the 606 was clearly already doing a good job of this as I’ve been spoilt over the past 18 months! Additional features such as Internet Radion (which actually work well) at this price point make the 609 a no brainer. I bought a 5 year warranty with mine and I fully intend to keep the 609 for that long – I will spend enough money upgrading my speakers and TV in that time to prove the Onkyo’s worth I think.

10/10

10th to 16th June
Infamous 2 (PS3)
Duke Nukem Forever (PC, X360 & PS3)
Red Faction Armageddon (PC, X360 & PS3)
Kung Fu Panda 2 (X360, PS3, DS, Wii)

17th to 23rd June
Dungeon Siege 3 (PC, X360 & PS3)
Alice Madness Returns (PC, X360 & PS3)
Kinect Power Up Heroes (X360)

24th to 30th June
FEAR3 (PC, X360 & PS3)
Shadows of the Damned (X360 & PS3)
SSF4:Arcade Edition (PC, X360 & PS3)

Why not log into the site and tell us what you’re playing via the Comments button?

The key seems to be accessibility and the franchise has been adding it in droves since it first appeared back in the 80′s. Slowly but surely the rules and regulations have been relaxed or simplified but the content (or at least the majority of it) is still there.

Daggerdale throws much of this out of the window in the respect that the genre has been changed from RPG with a heavy focus on die casting mechanics and replaced with pseudo rpg elements mixed with an action gaming control set. In Daggerdale,  if an orc fires an arrow at you and you side step it and take no damage rather than losing the defensive roll and it hurting you regardless of whether the projectiles graphical representation hits you.

We speak a lot at Pixel Towers about how simplistic games are becoming but how accessbility is increasing the market potential for new titles. Never has a truer word been said in this case. As a Live Arcade or PSN (Soon …. hopefully) downloadable title, Daggerdale provides a healthy dose of D and D fiction based around the solid and much used Unreal engine. Up to four players may take up arms in the multiplayer campaign or local players my go it alone or as a pair through the story.

Players choose form one of 4 pre created characters and although each is easily stereotypical in its representation (Large Burly Warrior, Short Stout Dwarf etc) it maybe would have been nice to see some personalisation in the mix. Setting players apart are the skills of each character and your investment in each skill available. More points usually means more power / defense and or a jack of all trades may have all skills but no real game changer.

The unreal engine makes mincemeat out of the environments and although we have seen it do much more, its not a bad effort for a download that makes up about 1.3Gb of storage space. Sounds are clear and crisp and main story elements are spoken to assist in the role playing. Swords and Shield hits have a satisfying effect upon landing a blow and arrows give out a nice thunk as they land home. It all feels weighty as it should rather than all graphics and no result (Halo – I’m looking at you !!!)

Weapon and armour drops are plentiful with merchants splashed around to enable you to empty your inventory of the chaff that usually builds up in these games and trading between players can be done fairly simply outside of any battle situations. Kills and Quests give XP and gaining a level gives you attribute points to dish out as you see fit.

Daggerdales biggest hinderance in gaining a decent base may be its time of release. With full sequels to larger gaming franchises in the works such as Dungeon Siege III and Hunted: Demon Forge out next week it may have landed at the wrong time. Its unfortunate but its got a weeks head start and of course, being an XBLA game it is relatively cheap.
Daggerdale is a great effort that will go along way with fantasy fans but its price may deter some of players, check out the demo on XBLA or delve in at 1200msp. Due to a lack of PSN right now we are guessing at £6-£7 but hopefully it will be back soon. Expect it to sell better when the price drops to 800 Pts / £5 or Below.

Alex

For a starter, even with the more than ample screen provided by the latest smartphones, the omission of physical controls severely limits my options (Xperia Play Excluded). I dont like the Virtual DPad offered for games such as Gun Bros and I only tolerate it in Zenonia 1 and 2 due to my love of the RPG Genre… But where does mobile gaming on this generation of mobile work for me? Strategy RPG. Turn based or real time, with the right control scheme it will keep you hooked while on the move for as long as your battery last.

BattleHeart combines the art style of games such as Castle Crashers and adds in a more strategic premise. The game reminds me in amany ways of Final Fantasy Revenant Wings on the DS. The control scheme also extremely close and well suited to this genre. Characters are moved on the field by pressing once on them to highlight them and following up with a dragging motion to the destination. Attacking units engage in a similar way by dragging the target reticule onto the advancing enemy. Defensive units can cast buffs and healing spells in a similar way, but on allied units.

The player’s team is made up of four characters in total each with a different skill set. These characters can be swapped out for recruited characters between levels within the keep or new characters can be hired from the tavern. Each character earns XP from kills or healing buffs and advances in levels gaining more HP and attack/defence.

Every 5 levels, each character may choose an additional skill from their profession. This skill may also be changed after each fight for any other available skill making skill choice integral to the team you have picked. Skills come in the form of defensive or offensive buffs or extra powerfull attacks which may help in turning the tide against more powerful foes or multi directional attacks for when players are mobbed.

The shop offers quick upgrades in the form of new weaponry, armour or accessories which is purchased with the gold taken from completing each level. Some equipment also has the ability to be upgraded if no new items are available although this tends to be fairly expensive. Items themselves may also carry special abilities such as increased gold dropped, auto regeneration or increased movement speed so choice of item on what player makes up a the strategy employed to earn victory.

Addictive and time consuming at the same time, BattleHeart also allows all levels to be replayed either to earn additional gold or just to help you level up the rest of the team at your disposal. Items earned during hese replays may also be sold for additional money.

Pros
Great Controls
Addictive Gameplay

Cons
Some extended loading times on older device

Final Verdict
Since the emergence of the Gingerbread iteration of google’s mobile operating system, the games on offer are quickly gaining both quality and playability. Its likely that with games like BattleHeart on offer, Google’s Market will quickly become as popular as Apple’s Appstore. BattleHeart offers a well presented, addictive, real time strategy game that is well worth your time and money.

8/10

Having seen Brink at a distance for quite a while I was amazed when looking back that my first recollection of it was at an expo event in late 2009. From then until its release, a steady stream of media had been released up until a massive advertising campaign covering mainstream magazines, gaming websites and TV spots landed a few weeks before its release date. A rolling stone gathers no moss and the Brink marketing wagon had gathered enough speed at this point that it was all that many gamers could talk about on its eventual release date.

Players are introduced immediately to the Ark and offered a choice. Security or Revolution. Two sides of the Ark’s story. Security; tasked with public safety and order upon a floating citadel built for 5000 but carrying 20000. Revolution; where restrcted information, food and supplies are forcing the citizens of the Ark to look for contact with the outside world whatever the consequence. Thankfully this doesn’t limit your character progression and you can switch to your alternative persona at the press of a button in the menus.

Rather than all out deathmatch, each map contains a number of objectives given to each side to attack, defend or retrieve information from within the other teams strongholds. If Security are attacking, for example, then the Revolutionaries are defending. Each objective can only be completed by a given class and rather than choosing a class for the duration of the match (which can be upto 45 minutes), players are given the opportunity to alter their skillset at will by utilising command posts dotted around the environment.

In addition to primary objectives, a number of secondary tasks are available dependant upon your class and skillset. All players can caputre additional supply points giving that team an increase in supplies, health or a decrease in spawn time. Alternative objectives include opening up new paths, repairing stairs and lifts or building machine gun nests in defensive positions.

Class structure is made up of Soldiers, Engineers, Medics and operatives with players able to invest points in each class as they level up. Base skills increase abilities tied to a character such as sprinting time or grenade abilities where as class specific skills increase damage or defensive attributes for that class only. Soldiers wield explosives, Engineers can mine and deploy turrets, Medics heal and Operatives gain stealth related skills.

In addition to the class associated with a player, further customisation comes in the form of appearance or weapon attachments. As objectives are completed and enemies dispatched each player earns XP. In addition to levelling up, attachments and clothing options are unlocked offering a personal touch to each created character online. Players also have the choice between Light, Medium and Heavy builds offering increased movement or health for a decrease in the opposite. Heavy players also have the ability to wield the larger weapons to make up for the lack of mobility.

The entire game is delivered via the game engine although its very clear that a lot of polish has gone into the cutscenes before and after each section. Its unfortunate however that this polish isnt translated into the main game as the models and environments can look rather rough at times. In addition to this there seems to be some large delays around the loading of textures during each match. At some points we were 20 minutes into a match and still textures around walls and crates were missing.

Controls are fairly tight and are standard fair for shooters with skills deployed from the Directional Pad. Remap of buttons is also available within the options at anytime with sensitivity also cusomisable to suit the most twitchy players. The A/X/Jump button also accesses the freeform abilities of the player character. Running toward a wall while holding it will see the character traverse the obstacle in a manner of ways with the lighter or smaller build classes also having the ability to wall jump.

The entire campaign can be taken online with players making up either allies only or enemies aswell and although the AI will fill in the gaps it isnt the most effective of team mates often charging directly into a barage of defending fire. The main story takes the form of 5 story missions per faction in addition to 2 what-if missions. Brink also offers 4 training single player missions to unlock guns and clothing in addition to a free form option where the host chooses the map and sets the objectives for the each faction.

Online maps initially allowed 16 players to join although lag and drop out issues resulted in a patch restricting games to 8 players during the first 48 hours of the games release. This was only the first problem we experienced and its unfortunate that given the games development track the others will not be fixed so easily.

The class balance is off kilter to the point that most players will stick to the strongest classes (Engineer and Medic) while eventually only new players will be changing to the required class to complete an objective. This also means that most players will spend points gained by levelling up on their favoured class. When faced with no alternative but to change class to assist again in completing the objective players are well underpowered and become cannon fodder for the defending force.

Map design coupled with the format of several of the objectives create some fairly nasty chokepoints which are pretty much unpassable when facing a well organised defending team. Mined and covered by turrets, the entrenched team can hold out for th remaining time on the clock or have the option of falling back gradually and setting up at a second bottleneck before the attacking team can reach them.

Pros
Fast and Furious Action
Good Level Design
Lost of customisation to player models

Cons
Balance issues
Limited replayability
Lag and Graphical issues

Final Verdict
After 48 hours with several play sessions, our online character had reach its level 5 potential and we had taken 750 Achievement points from the possible 1000. At this point and coupled with the balance issues, online lag, texture issues and map design we were left wondering what else Brink had to offer. Unfortunatey the updates for this game may not come fast enough to detract gamers from trading in or selling a game which at times is extremely fun and entertaining for upcoming blockbusters such as LA Noire while many players continued discussion of Brink will be where it failed and not where it succeeded.

7/10