Dragon Quest is a series that has almost remained fundamentally the same throughout its long history; it’s kept the same battle screens, the same mechanics, the same monsters and the same art style and has kept a tight grip of the same turn-based RPG core gameplay. The saying don’t fix what isn’t broken comes to mind and for good reason. Dragon Quest is a consistent performer for the most part in terms of sales (in Japan at least) and quality so why change the winning formula?

A testament to just how much of a winning formula Dragon Quest contains is the sheer popularity of the series in Japan, it’s no longer just a game but a national treasure and can even be called a pop culture symbol. As well as selling millions of games Dragon Quest also holds the honour of the first game to inspire a ballet, so why hasn’t the Dragon Quest series captured the West in quite the same manner?

Dragon Quest IX offers a vibrant and varied 3D world to explore.

Dragon Quest IX continues with religious themes set by past titles in the series, players take up the role of a celestial (who is created by the player via a number of customization options offered at the beginning of the game) who is put in charge of a small village and tasked with protecting the people the village, aiding the villagers rewards a celestial with benevolessence which is then offered up to the Great World Tree which situates within the sky. The player finds them self offering up the last few required benevolessence for the Great Tree to bloom however when the try blooms everything goes to hell and the players celestial finds them self awakening in the village he/she once protected and discovers he/she has lost their wings and halo. This is where the game becomes instantly familiar to veterans of the Dragon Quest series. The world in which Dragon Quest takes place is filled with the traditional elements you would expect to see in a Dragon Quest game, from the eccentric NPC who inhabit the villages and towns to the creative and kooky creatures who roam the lands. The core gameplay is completing side quests and burning through the main story line, both of which involve interacting with NPCs and performing quest which consist of fetch quest, killing quest and the like. The quests may sound quite repetitive on the surface however they are far from it, the Dragon Quest charm has a strong presence which instantly pains a smile to a players face. The quests mange to stay fresh by also delivering comedic elements into some of the NPCs. It’s at this point it becomes clear that the localisation is top notch as no part of the script feels awkward or unnatural  .The main story its self doesn’t stand out as anything particularly epic but it does however offer the Dragon Quest charm and traditional themes you would come to expect from such a fruitful game series.

With questing comes exploration and Dragon Quest IX offers a vibrant and varied world to explore. The locations range from small villages to large forests and of course the odd dungeon, all of which are well designed and well detailed   a broad pallet of colours mixed with the 3D visuals and detailed character models create a world that is a treat on the eye. While exploring the land and carrying out quests it’s only a matter of time before you meet the enemies that inhabit the world and this is where players will encounter a change to the Dragon Quest series, gone are the days of random monster encounters which provoked a sense of grinding in past titles. Instead of random encounters Dragon Quest 9 opts to place the enemies on the world map which allows players to sometimes avoid conflict all together or engage enemies by walking into them, this removes any frustration that may stem from being attacked within quick concession that occurred at times with the random encounter system as well as this the new encounter system also frees up the game allowing it to feel more fluid and more welcoming to explore.

Dragon Quest IX is a fantastic traditional JRPG that bucks the trend of over bearing cut scenes and instead offers a charming experience that is both extremely enjoyable both in single player and multiplayer.

Combat its self remains as traditional as ever with the enemies lining up and facing the camera as they have done through Dragon Quests long lifespan, also sticking to tradition is the combat system, there isn’t any attempt to upgrade the system with new mechanics in the same way other JRPGs have tried e.g. Resonance of Fate, Final Fantasy 13 and instead sticks with turn based system that allows players to take their time thinking out their next move and overall strategy in each battle. This combat system may seem dated to some but for most part quite refreshing change from the current trend of JRPG’s trying to reinvent turned based combat.

The player takes up the control of all four parties’ members (assuming they are not playing with a friend via Wi-Fi) and chose the skills and abilities to use in combat; there is no set time limit in between turns allowing for a player to think out their next move or weigh up the options open to them.  There is also the option to set the mentality of the bots during single player, so for example you can set one bot to focus on healing and another to focus on attacking which this however does mean the bots will select their own skills and attacks during combat but does offer a easier gaming experience . The combat system won’t do anything to draw in gamers who have already gained a dislike to JRPG’s combat but for most part Dragon Quest 9 delivers on the combat front with its traditional take that offers a number of skills and abilities that all are carried off with fluid animation and great visuals. Unlike past Dragon Quest titles which normally required some degree of grinding to overcome certain enemies Dragon Quest 9 is more lenient and is overall easier than past instalments. This easier difficulty may be off putting to some veterans of the genre but it does however allow new comers to the Dragoon Quest series and indeed genre to ease into the gameplay.

Defeating enemies rewards the party with experience points which of course are needed to level up, levelling up in Dragon Quest opens up the ability to put points into certain weapon specialisations which in turn make a character more effect with a weapon and also opens up the ability to learn new skills.  A class system opens up a bit further into the game which allows you to pick from a range of classes which will affect your characters performance in certain roles such as healing or damage dealing.

Experience points are not the only thing a player will require during their time in Dragon Quest 9 as equipping your character and indeed your party with items is a key part to the game. Items such as armour and weapons can be found in chests dotted around the world as well as being dropped items from defeated enemies. The range of items with Dragon Quest IX is quite impressive; weapons and armour all look wonderfully detailed and look great on the in game character models, this allows for each character to look unique.  The sheer amount of items within Dragon Quest IX will offer collecting hounds plenty of replay value as they search for the best items within the game.

This biggest addition to Dragon Quest 9 is the multiplayer aspect. Using local Wi-Fi players can group together to tackle Dragon Quest in a group of four, the option to team up with bots is still open while online but is not as satisfying as playing with friends. A handy option included in the multiplayer section of the  game is the ‘Call to Arms’ feature which allows the host to instantly summon all players within the world to your location making travel and exploration a more than welcoming option while playing with friends.  Combat is fluid even in multiplayer and any delays normally come when a friend is taking their time to select their combat action. The rewards on offer by playing with friends in multiplayer come in the shape of more fun while playing, more experience points for your character and in the even your party up with friends who are further on in the game you’ll be able to bag yourself some   powerful items to take back to your game save and story point. However Dragon Quest 9’s multiplayer isn’t flawless; the only way you can play with your friends is via local Wi-Fi as there is no online option which then leads to the issue of gathering your friends in one place in order to play with them which isn’t awfully practical. However gathering with friends to play Dragon Quest 9   is a wonderful experience as tactics are discussed and items are shared out as too is the wonderful Dragon Age charm. A other issue with Dragon Quest is that seems to be designed with multiplayer in mind, the bots that fill the spots in your party in the single player have zero personality which can somewhat take away from the single player experience, this may not be a major issue but it is a niggling issue throughout the game.

Dragon Quest IX is a fantastic traditional JRPG that bucks the trend of over bearing cut scenes and instead offers a charming experience that is both extremely enjoyable both in single player and multiplayer. The world of Dragon Quest IX is both welcoming and full of witty banter that is sure to bring a smile to the face of any gamer, combat is traditional is every sense but never the less is a joy to play. Although Dragon Quest 9 doesn’t do anything ground braking it does everything else with a classic touch and finesse creating a fantastic gaming experience that is a must buy for  any Dragon Quest fan or JRPG fan, new comers to the series will find it highly accessible and enjoyable. Multiplayer adds a whole new dimension to the game and offers many a fantastic social playing experience.

Thanks to Nintendo for providing us with a reviewer copy.

Limbo, as a game, is pretty much impossible to describe with words, yet I’ll have to do my best. – You play as what appears to be a young boy, – or rather, a silhouette of what appears to young boy, as you never actually get to see his face, just his eyes which glow in the dark. This is one thing I was torn against in the game, whereas on one hand you have this mysterious boy, of which we know absolutely nothing about, which adds a sense of interest and desire to the story – but on the other hand we have a bland character whom is uninteresting as we know nothing of him, and who we cant relate to in any way shape or form.

The only shimmer of a storyline was actually given on the games description on Xbox live & xbox.com, – there’s no sign of it on the game itself, which personally I found rather odd, that the only description as to what the storyline is about – isn’t even in the game. The only glimpse of a storyline throughout the game is the ending – and don’t worry – I wont spoil it for you. However, that’s the beauty of this game – it’s a gem in its own right, no storyline is needed as it’s simply a great ride the whole way through.

We don’t know what he’s doing, what his purpose is, his mission or any slightest detail about him, apart from the fact that he may be a young boy. – Personally however, I actually appreciated this aspect of the game, it’s quick and easy to get into without a dreary storyline or characters being introduced here and there, so in that respect, I thought it succeeded, though I do understand how players may want more from the main character – They may want to see a personality, instead a lacklustre, uninspiring boy.

In terms of game play however, this is where the game gets interesting – at first this game may seem like an innocent little platformer, but if these were your first impressions – you’d be in for a big surprise. – Though it may seem that nothing could happen to a small boy in this day and age when it comes to video games, you’d be severely mistaken – in this video game, your character faces peril from spikes, giant fuck-off spiders, being crushed, torn apart, stabbed, shot or simply from falling to ones death. How to survive? – Simple, get through the puzzles ahead, and continue on to the next area while keeping a good eye out for anything that can kill you. – Which unfortunately for you, is most things.

In fact, the “area’s” in this game are actually of particular interest, as the game doesn’t actually contain separate levels, in reality, the whole game is one whole giant single level which doesn’t end, which I thought was really cleverly done, as it never seems to end, giving you a sense of hopelessness and helping you indulge yourself all that little more in the game. – That’s not to say you can’t return to certain points of course, the game has a nifty little ‘chapter’ system, which if you’re a fan of achievements, its not that hard to go back and get the ones you missed.

One thing this game really seems to pride itself on is its art style. – And to be perfectly honest, they’ve earnt the right to pride themselves on it, as the art style is simply fantastic. – It looks like something out of a Film Noir detective film, its all in black and white, the screen is gritty, dank and looks overly miserable, which works really effectively, giving the audience a sense of despair and desolation, making you feel all the more hopeless as you come across dead bodies, dead ends, and of course, a killer tree which has no problem with draining you of life.

Overall, Limbo is a great little awesome looking game with challenging (and occasionally frustrating) puzzles, but at the end of the day, that’s all it is – a little game. It’s a very simplistic side scroller with puzzles, with only around 5 hours per playthrough. having said that, I do believe they are asking too much for this game with the asking price of 1200 Microsoft Points. A game of this demeanour has so much potential, and though it is without a doubt a gem, – they are simply asking a little too much for it, which is a shame really, as I believe more people should play this cracking game. And for those reasons, I give this game a worthy 4 out of 5 stars.

Thanks to PlayDead for supplying us with review copy of Limbo

Decay ‘Part 2′ picks up from the end of ‘Part 1,’ in-which the player finds themselves in the lobby of a gritty block of flats. The odd colour scheme returns, giving the sense of a almost dream like state; as ever, the environments are eerily empty of any living creature giving the familiar sense of isolation delivered in ‘Part 1.’ The sense of mystery, confusion and hopelessness was a strong theme in Decay ‘Part 1′ – thankfully, ‘Part 2′ continues to use this theme to great effect. The visuals are a blend of realistic environments and objects glazed with strong colours which reinforce the dream like feeling within the world of Decay.

The only atmospheric change within the game is the emphasis on ‘jump scares’ this time around, instead of using over bearing sense of dread that was found in the first part during the family portrait and noughts and crosses room. Instead Part 2 uses sudden shadow movements combined with sudden appearances from the strange and awfully creepy doll that seems to stalk the protagonist throughout the first and second game. The atmosphere and feelings conjured up by Decay is amplified by the creepy soundtrack which manages to carry a dead beat sound that keeps you on the edge of your seat. Mix all that together and Decay Part 2 has all the dark charms of its predecessor.

Part 1 left a lot of things unanswered; Part 2 is about bringing everything full-circle.

The core gameplay is still the same as Part 1, after all if it isn’t broke then don’t fix it, players are tasked with wondering the creepy environments looking for clues and items to progress in a typical point and click manner, unlike Part 1 the puzzles this time around feel a bit more interactive yet remain wonderfully simple yet enjoyable to solve. The puzzles in Part 2 tend to be more ranged with an interesting puzzle involving a music box and small piano like object allow for a more creative experience than Decay Part 1.

Decay Part 1 asked the questions and set a plot outline and Decay Part 2 begins to answer some of the question asked while effortless asking new ones without ever risking becoming overly complex, the story is by no means any clearer but the cast of characters begins to take shape but this only increase the mystery vibes of the story and makes it all the more interesting to follow.

Decay Part 2 is by no means a long game, but it does feel more developed and fleshed out than ‘Part 1′ did. With the atmosphere experienced in Part 1 still intact and the puzzles undergoing a much needed evolution. Shining Gate has a great skill for creating creepy and interesting settings while carrying off and mysterious and engaging story. Decay ‘Part 2′ comes as an enjoyable yet creepy gaming experience which deserves the attention of any true gamer.

By Sean.Halliday

The story of a hero on a quest to obtain an artefact in a fantasy world may sound like your bog standard story from a generic game -  however, when you add the fact the Hero is a thong wearing wise-guy in a world of video game references and parodies, it quickly becomes apparent that DeathSpank is something a bit different.

Gameplay wise DeathSpank is what would happen if, hypothetically, Diablo and Monkey Island had a drunken fumble in the back seat of car. The hack and slash, dungeon crawling and loot em up elements of gameplay will instantly feel familiar to veterans of Blizzard’s Diablo franchise. On the surface the prospect of hack and slashing your way through hordes of enemies may seem tedious, however DeathSpank manages to keep things feeling varied by giving a wealth of item choices to the player, which in most cases can alter how a player goes into combat. DeathSpank also keeps combat feeling fresh by featuring a justice meter, which is filled by mowing down enemies and once filled allows a player to unleash a special attack, attacks are depended on certain weapons carried by the player such as lighting rods, axes, giant poles with fists on the end to name a few.

DeathSpanks combination of hack and slash and item gathering allows it to replicate the successful core gameplay of Diablo which creates an experience that can be enjoyable in small doses or indeed in long play session. DeathSpank offers some slight role playing elements such completing a number of quests handed out by NPCs which range from simple kill and collect quests to more humors quests such as beating the poop out of demons. Gaining experience to level up is a other example of RPG however don’t expect any in depth levelling system as the level cap is 20 and with each level you are given the option to pick one of three cards that will increase DeathSpanks skills in such areas as melee damage, ranged damage and so on, the options may be limited but does keep the games overall gameplay fluid.

The second part of DeathSpanks core gameplay takes its inspiration from Monkey Island, this involves the ability to talk to NPC’s and select multiple response – all of which have a familiar sense of wit seen in the Monkey Island games. Surprisingly the depth of conversation topics and reply’s is quite deep and rarely will you find yourself not chuckling. The conversation and wit is not the only thing DeathSpank has in common with Money Island, either. Both games are renound for their puzzle elements – however DeathSpanks puzzle elements are only minor, but always still thought out thoroughly – which also provide a refreshing brake from slashing your way through the game.

The only real issues in terms of gameplay that DeathSpank suffers from is perhaps the combat can become repetitive for some or even a little too simplistic, however no one can ever say DeathSpank doesn’t cater for both the hardcore and casual market as combat is accessible to everyone and easy to master. Other gameplay issues mainly concern the puzzles as there isn’t a large amount to tackle and when they do come they are welcomed but a tad easy to overcome. Some players may feel a little overwhelmed by the stats staring them in the face when it comes to equipment, after all who wants to stop playing for up to five minutes to perform math calculations to see which item is better than the other, however there is a option to automatically equip better amour by default allowing for the less stat concerned players to continue a fluid gaming experience.

Visually the game looks wonderful as its almost a ‘Saturday Morning’  kids cartoon style, which is both effective and interesting. Character models are well constructed and move naturally (as naturally as a Leprechaun can) and DeathSpank himself is nicely detailed. Each piece of armour and weapon equipped by DeathSpank also shows visibly and are well modelled and creative – in some cases quite impressive in terms of design. The world is alight with bright colours that are only described as bold and beautiful, making DeathSpank a real treat for the eyes.

The world itself is filled with a weird and wonderful cast of characters’ – including such mythical beasts as Unicorns, Leprechaun and Sabre Tooth Donkeys. The NPC’s in the world of DeathSpank range from odd pedestrians such as the Fisherman – who hates fishing but loves his tackle box – the wise cow – as well as characters that act as parodies of the RPG genre.  Aside from these, there is a strong dose of video game references, the most blatant being the two orcs who talk about their days of World of Warcraft.

DeathSpank is well worth the ($14.99/1200MSP) asking price as it supplies a 10+ hour experience full of fun combat, decent puzzle solving and great comedy in the same vein as Monkey Island. The world is rich with comedy gold and great monsters and characters, combined creating a great single player experience. When you add the local two player co-op to the mix it’s hard to argue that DeathSpank isn’t worth your time or investment. With only a few minor issues to speak of DeathSpank truly is one of the biggest slices of fun to hit box Live Arcade and PSN store in the forseen future. Enjoyable in both short and long play sessions, Hardcore and Casual alike,  DeathSpank is truly worth checking out over the summer period.

The original Crackdown made its debut in early 2007 and was a success (in part thanks to its inclusion of allowing you to enter the Halo 3 beta through its menus). Crackdown was a surprise to some who had only really gave in for the Halo 3 beta. It was a fresh take on the sandbox genre and was an exclusive title for Xbox 360. Crackdown 2, a few years later, now from developer Ruffan Games, continues the dirty fight against corruption in Pacific City. Yes, we’re still in Pacific City but it has changed a lot (think: collapsed structures, the Agency and of course the many new features). It’s more of less the same thing you had with the first game – just a few extra features. Nothing too big.

Having played and enjoyed the original Crackdown, I was very excited on hearing the news for sequel. I logged so many countless, fun hours into Crackdown. Although, a lot of time was wasted on loading between extraction and jumping into the co-op mode. Jumping into Crackdown 2 works better – loading times seem to have been greatly improved. No more long waits from extraction and lots of seem-less co-op action. More gameplay, less loading.

Pacific City becomes more dangerous when the sun goes down.

Menus have been overhauled and now feels more generic but fits in a lot more options. The original Crackdown menus gave a beautiful view of Pacific City. This is not present in Crackdown 2. The menus this time feel a bit on the cheaper production side and have taken away the familiar electronic theme that one could go as far to say as the “Crackdown music.” In fact, the menu music in the original was a version of “Paradise Bird Theory” from DJ Krush. This theme isn’t present in Crackdown 2 – instead composer Kevin Riepl (Gears of War, Unreal Tournament 2004) went on board to provide various pieces for the game. There’s also a theme you may be familiar with that was present in the Grand Theft Auto IV launch trailer – a theme from Koyaanisqatsi, composed by Phillip Glass. The soundtrack continues through the radio in vehicles too with a varied selection of tracks.

Progression works a little differently this time in Crackdown 2. You should have no fear about jumping into co-op. A lot of things, including the various orbs, can be collected still – even if you’re in someone else’s game. They won’t be able to see or collect yours but at least whilst in their game, it can still give you a chance to collect more. In addition to agility orbs, hidden orbs and stunt rings, there are now new types of orbs (or slight variations).

There a few special kinds of agility and vehicle orbs that now you have to chase after also, making things a little more special. 50 LIVE orbs can only be collected when at least one other agent is nearby too. Orb hunting seems to be a little easier this time round thanks to your orb detecting abilities and stats. Using up on the d-pad will put any nearby orbs (except audio diaries) on your radar. These only show up for a few seconds and it takes a short amount of time to use this again. Quite possibly the most welcoming feature seeing as the hunt for orbs in the original Crackdown proved a real time consumer.

Fed up of climbing back to the top of the Agency tower just to get that one achievement? Get in the chopper!

Story-wise, Crackdown 2 does have a rather lack-luster effect. The original Crackdown connected the story together through the various gangs and gang leaders. Here you’re pretty much just activating some beacons and taking out a very active horde of freaks. It feels the same throughout, with the occasional varied thing happening. I certainly am missing some of the elements from the previous game. At least things aren’t entirely what they seem, though, as you will find out through your collection of audio diaries.

Some of the new features feel very welcoming but a few felt rather annoying. Take your gliding ability that you eventually unlock. It really takes time to adapt to this, although I can never get a true sense that I have mastered it. Agency vehicles like the SUV are back, although this time these do not upgrade as you increase your level. A new addition is the helicopter. For a game like this, it’s definitely a very worthy thing to put in. Fed up of climbing back to the top of the Agency tower just to get that one achievement? Get in the chopper!

Crackdown 2 has its fair share of annoyances, just like the first game did. These are often made up from the rather helpful flaws present. For example, that one annoying rooftop race could be done using a helicopter, since the game doesn’t recognise it as a vehicle (and no…you can’t use this to go through the stunt rings…that would just be too easy). Then there’s the random achievements that seem to pop up despite you not really aiming or actually doing the intended thing for.

As well as co-op mentioned earlier in the review, Agents can now battle it out (16 total players) in a PVP match, which is the competitive side to the game. Although, Crackdown 2’s strong point isn’t necessarily this side but it’s a good feature to include for those wanting something more varied. Freaks change things up a bit too in the game. These come out in the night and pretty much get in your way a lot – especially the giant forms.

Wingsuit:- Hard to use; Harder to Master

Compared to the original, Crackdown 2 does place in a lot of worthwhile features but fails to an extent of really pushing it that much further. It’s maybe not quite Crackdown 2 to some. Having played the original, this was rather easy to adapt to. Even if you haven’t played the original, Crackdown 2 does a good thing of gradually introducing the feature set as you progress through levels and the story. Don’t feel that the original must be played in order to enjoy Crackdown 2.

It is expected that DLC will come to Crackdown 2. This is made apparent through the Avatar Awards descriptions. Whilst I am probably expecting something like the “Keys to the City” mode in Crackdown, I feel this could have at least been included on the disc for the sequel.

Crackdown 2 is worthy of getting for pure mayhem all over again in Pacific City and lots of experimenting with the new Agent abilities. There’s something that makes you want to keep searching for orbs, keep trying those races – this is what a game should make you feel. It doesn’t feel like a chore for the most part and you have a lot of freedom to do whatever the hell you feel like doing. That is once you’ve turned down the volume of the repetitive Agency guy voice.

Thanks to Microsoft for providing us with a review copy.

Blacklight isn’t trying to be ground breaking or anything new, and instead goes for style over substance in an attempt to look like the ‘triple A’ titles that flood the FPS market. For the most part, Blacklight’s environments look detailed and rich, and the same can be said for the character and weapon models within the game. However, at times, texture popping does occur. The environment manages to carry off the sci-fi setting well and, overall, the game looks remarkably good for an XBLA title and wouldn’t look out of place as a retail game.

Despite holding its own - it doesn't do anything to stand out from the competition.

Gameplay wise, it’s nothing you haven’t played before in the likes of F.E.A.R or Unreal Tournament Multiplayer. The game plays pretty much as a fast paced run and gun with very little strategy attached to it, although, that being said, gameplay is fluid, maybe a bit too fluid. Player movement may seem unnatural as players almost glide across the surface, but this upholds the pace found within each play session. Investing time into Blacklight will be rewarding as there is a wealth of unlockables such as weapons, attachments, scopes, stocks, magazines, and more, all of which can be unlocked by gaining experience for a number of tasks such as kills, kill assists, and completing game objectives. Other notable game play features include a Hyper Reality Visor which, when active, will allow a player to see enemies through walls for a short period of time. It’s nothing ground breaking, but it’s a nice touch. However, the game play isn’t flawless: the weapons customization may be a bit overwhelming for some players and often games can become a little too fast and turn into something of a pray and spray situation.

Blacklight: Tango Down is a generous package when you take into account the 1200MSP price tag and the fact the game contains 12 maps and 7 game modes. The 7 game modes aren’t anything new and are all recognisable modes such as Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch, Domination, Last Man Standing, Last Team Standing and Detonate which all offer a familiar experience that still manages to be fun. As for the 12 maps, there are a few issues mostly to do with the design. The maps may looks nice but they are not practically inspiring or unique. The maps range from close combat areas to open streets allowing for the combat to vary with a map cycle, but with each map there is a returning issue which is partly the fault of the developer and partly the fault of the community. That issue is spawn camping. The levels are designed in such a manner that each teams spawning point is similar with normally 2 entry/exit points. However, the issue lies with the ease in which a team can cover both entrances/exits and force the team into a corner. To prevent direct spawn camping there are two sentry guns placed in each spawn, however, this is in the dead centre of the spawn and can’t prevent the issue of one team forcing a other into a corner. This design flaw is a running theme in each map and isn’t the only issue as some maps look quite similar creating an unwelcome sense of repetition.

But with loads of unlockables and maps to choose from, if you can look past the generic feel, fun could be had, maybe.

As well as the multiplayer experience Blacklight offers, there is also a campaign mode named Black Ops which allows players to play alone or with four buddies via online co-op. Black Ops may offer a alternative to the multiplayer mayhem, but it’s nothing special. In fact, in essence Black Ops is a linear stroll through generic and quite dull levels filled with mindless enemies, loosely strung together with a minimalistic plot. Playing Black Ops alone feels like a chore and a unfair one at that, and it soon becomes clear that Black Ops was designed for four players to take on as the sheer amount of enemies and gunfire makes it hard for a single player to play through and indeed enjoy. If anything Black Ops feels like an afterthought that’s merely been shoe horned in to offer some cheap extra hours of play. At it’s best, Black Ops manages to be a generic fast paced co-op experience and at its worst it feels like a collection of dull run and gun exercises.

Overall, Blacklight: Tango Down delivers a generic online experience that does have a decent amount of unlocks to be had. However, the dull and flawed nature of the map design puts a downer on an already average experience. To Blacklight’s credit, the game looks the part and stands up to retail titles, but this does not excuse the mostly mediocre package that is Blacklight. At a glance, the 12 maps and 7 games modes, co-op campaign, and pretty visuals may make Blacklight seem like a decent purchase, but it is nothing more than an average game that fails to deliver the triple A experience that was promised.

2.5 Stars

The murderous-action is separated over seven episodes with each episode having five challenges and a main episode in them. The challenges include going around and turning all the bears insane by scaring them until they can take no more, going through the episode without getting hit, completing the episode in a certain amount of time, not using weapons and going through an episode without being seen. All sounds simple right? Wrong, you find these challenges to become increasingly difficult if you don’t know the spots to hide or when to pick your fights.

Over a short amount of time you will become tired of doing these different challenges as they seem tedious, and a way to prolong the game – as each chapter in a episode consists of the same storyline, but requires you to approach them in different ways (ie. Stealthy, fast, without taking damage, without violence). At some point you will be required go back and do these challenges in order to unlock the later episodes. This wouldn’t have been such a problem if all the chapters in an episode weren’t the same mission, but with another strategy assigned to it. It is good in the sense, it will force you to play to all of the games different elements/strategies – though the thought of having to do the same mission up to five times in order to proceed in the story is a little daunting at times.

Each weapon has their own different attributes and styles, but the main gimmick when using a weapon is the kill animations.

The island offers you a number of venues to explore, ranging from a Disco to a Tea room – you may not notice a lot of the scenery if you play-to-kill, never the less, when taking sight at your target from the bushes, you will take great notice of these venues due to their bright colours which contrast with the lush green woodland in which the island is set on. The island is quite small in size and you could get from one side of the island to the other in about two minutes, but with a few building for you to explore and traps to exploit, you will feel the local is perfectly fit for purpose. You will also be pitted against a range of different enemies from normal teddy bears which are pretty easy to kill; there’s also gun wielding police that will shoot you on sight, so keep an eye on them; some other special enemies include swat teams, aliens and zombie bears – each having their own different strengths, weaknesses and game-styles.

The main focus of Naughty Bear is to reap revenge on his fellow bears, to do this you simply accumulate as much ‘naughty points’ as possible during challenges. In an attempt to keep things fresh you are also given optional objectives to earn more points, which usually require finding hidden items and destroying them.

How do you accumulate Naughty points you ask? Points are your reward for hurting, killing, and driving the other bears insane. You can also accumulate points by completing optional challenges, collecting hidden items and for destroying items, but in order to reap all potential benefits you will have to do the ultimate naughty deed: finding ways to torture other bears into insanity, then send them over the edge which ends in them killing themselves.

There are two key strategies to play Naughty Bear, either you killing every bear within sight, which is the quick-and-easy approach. But in order to get maximum points and secure your place above your friends, you will have to drive the bears insane! Driving the bears insane is the games suggested method, and really demonstrates the games strong points, as well as the game truly coming into its own. Scaring a bear instead of killing is not only more fun, it reaps better rewards such as gaining you more points and higher chain multipliers. It is not so much what you do in a specific moment, it is the knock on affect that will truly determine your score. An injured or scared bear will continue to walk around the area and will start to affect the mentality of other bears, which in turn, activates multipliers and gains you instant points. Not only does the chain effect work when scaring bears, but if you decide to take the more cynical route and kill them outright, if another bear stumbles across their corpse, that too will cause them distress and gives you points. If going out and beating the fluff out of bears is more your style then you can still gain those extra naughty points and multiplier boosts by beating a bear to death in an area where everybody can see him/her die or leaving the body where other bears will walk by. It doesn’t matter which route you choose as both methods are fun and exciting in their own respective ways.

Unlike a lot of games, Naughty Bear also gives you incentive to beat your friends scores

There’s a big selection of weapons Naughty bear has at his disposal, although not all are available from the start. You will find yourself using an arsenal of guns, knives and sports equipment, along with some chapter themed weapons such as ninja swords and ray guns which you may have to trick(or kill) a special enforcer in order to get your blood filled paw on. Each of these weapons have different attributes and styles, but the main gimmick when using a weapon is the kill animations, each animation is intentionally over the top, and vary depending on the weapon. The worrying part, though. As they are bears at heart, it has an odd ‘cutsey’ feel to it. Don’t get me wrong, they shouldn’t be. They are gory and vicious and even a little satisfying in some way.

The graphics are cute and cartoony, not dissimilar to Viva Piñata which isn’t a bad thing considering the context of the game. The little visual details such as the stuffing flying out of the teddy bears You will find a number of bright colours standing out from the buildings almost like there trying to draw you into it and sometimes will get the better of you as you find yourself running over there to see what’s going on. You will find frame rate issues when Naughty Bear enters and exits doorways and bridges, thankfully this isn’t much of a problem but does take away from the polished visuals.

You will have a narrator following you around each episode and will give an introduction as to what has happened and adds some insight – and will normally end with some sarcastic comment asking about what Naughty Bear is going to do. Which adds some welcome humour, as well as helping to bring the island to life. The soundtrack is simple, so it doesn’t take the focus away from the game, but in the same token, its more likely you wont even notice it is even there. You may only ever notice music when in the main menu, as the contract between good and evil bears is displayed, the music follows suit, which fits in with the overall package very well.

Kill or Scare: It doesn’t matter which route you choose as both methods are fun and exciting in their own respective ways.

Multiplayer? Yes a game involving homicidal teddy bears has multiplayer, sounds fun doesn’t it? Well there are four game modes for the player to choose from, including: Assault which requires one team to attack and one team to defend. Cake-walk which is almost like a cupcake land version of king of the hill. Golden Oozy is where a team must kill the player holding the ‘oozy’ and finally we have jelly wars which is just like capture the flag, but with jelly. All these game modes are game modes I would expect to find in any game involving multiplayer but this is just sugar coated to suit the Naughty bear theme. Each mission also has its own global online leaderboard so you can compare how naughty you are with other players. Naughty Bear also gives you incentive to beat your friends scores. Which in itself, appears to be one of the main elements in Naughty Bear. As you progress through each mission you will be greeted with your friends score in that particular mission – when a friend has a higher score than you, the game creatively makes you feel inadequate.

Overall the game is a good break from the norm, and offers the player a unique experience that you will not find on any other game. Naughty Bear does what I didn’t think was possible, it forces the stereotype into submission, and delivers a homicidal game, when all it had to work with was the definition of ‘cute.’ f you are prepared to play the game as the developers intended, by using scare tactics instead of straight kills then you will find an enjoyable game. Finding new ways to kill and scare the bears is great fun if you enter not expecting a game you can blissfully play for hours on end. Though, as a distraction from way-too-serious games, there is a lot of fun to be had here, providing you look past the tedious episode progression.

Thanks to 505Games for providing us with a review copy.

Star Hammer Tactics is a bare basics space themed tactical game, game play wise you won’t find a simpler tactical/strategy game on the entire Xbox live service this works both in favour of the game and against. Game play is simple you take control of a number of ships, each ship has 10 turns which can be used to move or engage in combat each ship within the game offers different approaches in terms of defensive ability and aggressive potency. The game boils down to a rock, scissors, paper that will see you matching ships in terms of combat, however his only really applies to the larger ships within the game as the smaller ones must be right next to each other on the gird of play and combat is decided via a number of stat attacks (quite similar to Dungeons and Dragons basic combat) with the only real player input in these battles coming n the form to switch a units defence or attack rating. The combat of Star Hammer Tactics is easy to learn and welcomes new players that sometimes feel overwhelmed with games that encourage a tactical approach however in making the game very accessible for new comers it creates a sense of repetitiveness which can lead a more experienced gamer into daze of boredom.

The maps in which you battle on are separated into grades which allow you to count your turns easily but it remains to be said that the backgrounds of the grids are nearly always the same and are never at any point interesting or compelling, this helps add to the feeling of repetition which unfortunately is a running theme throughout the game.

Star Hammer is great for newcomers, but only really offers a brief experience that is playable before repetition sets in and interest is quickly lost.

Visually the game is nothing special but this can be excused as it is a turn based tactical indie effort, basic shapes and colours are used and ship design isn’t very inspired and the lack of animation and indeed audio is quite disappointing.

In terms of life span Star Hammer Tactics offers two ways to play, the first is a story driven mode which supplies you with the ships and a bare minimum amount of story leaving the experience feeling a little underwhelming and takes away any sense of care or investment into the story, the second mode is a little better as your allowed to select the ships you wish to use as well as the size of the grid you wish to play on allowing for a somewhat better playing experience.

Star Hammer Tactics is an average and little too basic at times, while easily playable to new-comers – however on the whole Star Hammer only really offers a brief experience that is playable before repetition sets in and interest is quickly lost.

It’s odd then, that a new retro 8-bit style game like Mega Man 9 would appear on all three current major consoles, styled in such a fashion that hasn’t been seen since the age of the original Nintendo Entertainment System.  What’s even more surprising is that we’d see a game like this appear in the midst of an age dominated by HD remakes, especially when classic 8-bit gaming seems to have been all but dead, as it has been for nearly two decades.

That’s where 3D Dot Game Heroes comes into the fray, it’s sort of like a blast from the past and while it’s definitely not a blatant NES-style game like the newest iterations of Mega Man, its heart is definitely in the right place.  3D Dot Game Heroes is essentially a NES game in… yep you guessed it, 3D, kind of a “what if” in terms of what a NES game would look like if 3D technology existed at the time.  In fact, 3D Dot Game Heroes actually begins in the opening introduction as a 2D world that quickly finds itself changed forever as it enters the realm of 3D.

One of the key draws is how it combines Retro-Gaming with the 21st Century.

One thing that’s readily apparent in 3D Dot Game Heroes is that it never really takes itself very seriously, and while it does make a legitimate attempt at telling a classic tale of a hero standing up to save the world against a terrible evil, there are comical undertones throughout the entire game.  The game frequently makes references to other games such as Demon’s Souls and Dragon Quest, and the opening sequence even pokes fun at 2D games.  It’s explained that the King had changed the kingdom to 3D because sprites were becoming too outdated.  Amusingly, the world retains its pixilated look, which is ultimately what gives 3D Dot Game Heroes most of its charm.

While it’s quite evident that 3D Dot Game Heroes was intended to be a massive homage to the original Legend of Zelda, dubbing it as a cheap imitator would be a grand mistake – this game has been lovingly crafted not only as a 2D Zelda clone, but as a love letter to anyone who holds fond memories of a bygone era.  Nostalgia is a huge factor here.

It’d be an unfortunate error to claim that nostalgia is the only way to enjoy a game like this though – 3D Dot Game Heroes is a legitimately fun game, and despite its intentional old school aesthetic and design, it hasn’t been designed in such a way to include the limitations and frustrations that often plagued games from years gone by, such as insane difficulty and ridiculous expectations of skill from the player.  It does go a long way though to include a ridiculous amount of side-quests and hidden items with nary a clue to point you in the direction or existence of such things.  If you want to find all of the secrets this game has to offer, you’re going to have to discover them for yourself.  Nothing is spoon-fed to you in 3D Dot Game Heroes.

Take a trip into the Zelda-esq Dungeons.

At its core 3D Dot Game Heroes is a very traditional dungeon crawler, complete with an overworld leading to all of the available locations.  You’re tasked with retrieving the six orbs from six different dungeons, and upon retrieving all of them you’ll be able to take on the evil Dark King, once sealed away in ages past by your ancestor.  The story design is simple, but it gets the job done.  With a lack of focus on epic story telling it allows 3D Dot Game Heroes to focus on what it does best: interesting and challenging dungeon design with a nostalgic flair.

Along your journey not only will you gain powerful magic sealed from within the orbs, but you’ll also collect a variety of indispensable items that will assist you in completing puzzles and exploring the game world.  You’ll have pretty much all of the standard items you’d expect if you’ve played a classic Zelda game, such as the hookshot, dash boots, and so on.

Perhaps the biggest feature of 3D Dot Game Heroes is that when you’re at full health your sword appears as this gargantuan blade that can span across nearly the entirety of the screen.  Each sword has a maximum potential to be upgraded, and with your hard-earned cash you can use these upgrades to improve various attributes such as strength, length, and width, and you can even add additional properties such as piercing and sword beam.  Piecing is especially useful as it allows you to clear an entire room in one fell swoop, even passing through solid objects.  The drawback to this system is that at full health you can be an unstoppable killing machine, but the moment you take damage your fearsome blade is reduced to a much more feeble variation without all of the fancy bells and whistles.  You’ll prosper by the fearsome blade wielded at full health and likewise suffer at the hands of the piddly one you have when damaged.

3D Dot Game Hero is a very charming title - both visually and audibly.

3D Dot Game Heroes’ nostalgic presentation does not end at its charming visual design and old school gameplay though, it also comes with a wonderfully unique musical score that’s a perfect blend of 8-bit styled music with modern sound design.  It’s absolutely lovely and very pleasing on the ears, however it’s intentionally repetitive and thus at times can grate slightly in the more annoying areas such as the desert.

As such, 3D Dot Game Heroes is not perfect and does have the occasional flaw.  The desert area is extremely annoying until you figure out the trick to get through it, and as such led to some long instances of hair-pulling frustration.  Thankfully you’ll rarely have to visit one area more than once, and side-quests are relatively easy to complete since you can use warp wings to instantly travel to the towns and inns that you’ve already visited

3D Dot Game Heroes makes a bold move by offering an intentional old school game in both presentation and design, but it’s safe to say that the final product is nothing short of a glowing success.  In an age dominated by games approaching photo-realistic quality graphics and having a heavy focus on a dramatic narrative, it’s a bold move indeed, but it’s a wonderfully refreshing game that was created for a very specific audience.  If you have a soft spot for classic gaming you’d be wise to pick up 3D Dot Game Heroes before it goes out of print.  It’s easily one of the most unique games released this generation and is a perfect example of a truly unique, hidden gem.

Thanks to Atlus for providing us with a reviewer copy.

Most of us that are old enough will of heard or seen Earthworm Jim before. The new game does the cartoon proud with its new make-over of going into high-definition. The high definition sure does give the game that extra shine and glow in the little bits of detail which you appreciate from the second you start playing although this is only a small feature, it really does make all the difference to the way you enjoy the game and how much more you enjoy it.

The game is a simple 2D platformer which requires you to go through each level fighting a number of enemies which varies from Crows to Ghouls, this gives the game a different feel every new level you go onto but all ends the same way really with a few shots to to face or a whip with your own body to bring each one down but I will come onto weapons later on. At the end of each level expect to face a boss of not much difficulty that can be taken down pretty easy when you find out when to shoot them or how to damage them, on difficulties easy and normal you are given a ‘boss hint’ which tells you the way in which to bring down the boss by telling you all you need to know about damaging them, this is a nice feature for new players to the game because you don’t get dragged down on one boss for to long although on the highier difficulties this hint doesn’t appear and will make you fight the boss with no way of knowing how to defeat it other then trial and error however by the time you start trying the game on the harder difficulties you will know how to defeat each boss with no problems or hints needed at all.

Since you will be spending a lot of the game shooting or hitting I will get onto the arsenal you have at your disposal within the game. Your primary weapon of use will be the standard pistol that Earthworm Jim uses throughout all of his games and TV series which is good for fans of the gun, overall it doesn’t really take much getting used to as all you do it start firing your gun and aim towards the enemies you wish to kill, the problem though is that it only lets you fire your gun at certain angles so some enemies you wont be able to kill unless yo move about to get the right angle on them, this could become a big problem when playing on the harder difficulties due to the mass of life a simple enemy takes off you but from normal and easy this shouldn’t cause you to many problems. Your secondary weapon is your own body, your worm body comes in very handy as a whip and when used against your enemies can do a lot of damage but requires you to get up close and personal with them which could cost you a bit of your life, but that’s nothing to how much fun you will have knowing that you’ve destroyed your enemy using your own body as a whip. There are power-ups for your pistol which includes a plasma ray for them all important bosses but be warned that you only get 1-3 bullets with it so make sure you use them to great use. The problem with these power-ups for your gun is that there not really needed because most enemies go down with normal bullets fast enough but maybe they have been put in for the harder difficulties? I will assume so.

Health packs are a thing of the past, in Earthworm Jim you collect orbs which give you health although it’s not much health there are quite a few on each level to collect, which after taking damage and collecting one you will be granted with a bit more health put back onto your life but I still found myself collecting the orbs even at full health just because it was so much fun due to the funky looking colours of them and how much they stand out above the background.

My favourite thing about Earthworm Jim HD on the console is the new 4 player co-op they have put in for you and your friends to game together, all playing as Earthworm Jim. This feature is brilliant for having a laugh. When you see your friends jumping around the screen only for one of them to die at the others expense it really does have you laughing and enjoying gaming as a group, this is what I always thought online gaming should be like and in this arcade game, I have found it.

The only really bad fault I have found in the game is that when you use the analogue for movement of your character it’s really sensitive and the slightest of touches onto the analogue will cause your character to move in that direction at a standard pace although this can be overcome by using the D-pad it just doesn’t seem to suit the flow of the game much if you go ahead and use the D-pad but I would say it all comes down to personal preference, after using both controls for movement I found out that if it’s flow of the game you are after then use the analogue stick but if you’re after a firm but precise movement then go for the D-pad either way it shouldn’t affect your game play to much but may affect the way in which you go about playing the game.

In summary the game is a nice edition to the console and should keep you entertained for the next couple weeks with its stylish game play that you wont find on many other games. It’s just like the cartoon you all remember, not letting it down in any shape or form. The all new four player co-op really does add something to the game which makes it all that much better then what it would be without it. The simpleness of the game keeps you happy because you feel your progressing through the game nicely and without to much brain ache. An overall example of what a remake of a game should look like.

The thing that lets it down our the sensitive movement controls which can be overcome but still not the greatest thing to put up with in the first place when a truly great re-make of a game has so many good points it’s a shame that it has to have a bad point holding it down,  but no game is perfect, am I right?