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Valkyria Chronicles II review

Ashley Day — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 16:32:27 +0000

Valkyria Chronicles II is the sequel that a small but passionate portion of Sega fandom demanded. Or is it? Making the transition from PlayStation 3 to PSP, introducing fashionable four-player co-op and setting the story in a military school, this is no by-the-numbers sequel, and may even alienate some original fans.
In truth, the majority of the changes are fairly harmless. Multiplayer has been subtlety integrated into the gameplay and, much like Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker before it, its inclusion enhances the campaign missions without punishing those who choose to go it alone. Likewise, the change of setting, to a military academy full of teenagers, threatens to derail the series into mindless juvenile anime territory, but is handled with the same maturity and wit that made the first game so likeable. More divisive changes, however, arise from the switch to a handheld format.

Either in an attempt to offer greater longevity or simply take up less UMD space, Valkyria Chronicles II pads out its campaign with a series of minor battles, which must be completed before the school calendar moves on and unlocks a story mission. Each of these compulsory side-quests recycles a small handful of maps and tasks the player with the simplest of challenges, making each a monotonous chore that you feel forced into playing. And it’s not like those maps are much fun either; broken down into a series of tiny interconnected sub-maps, they offer little depth and few surprises. You’ll learn every inch of them within one or two battles.

Such flaws seriously hurt Valkyria Chronicles II, but they don’t quite ruin it, as the move to handheld has also forced Sega to inject more depth into the character development side of gameplay, essential for personalising a multiplayer squad and leaning the game further toward an RPG style of play. Getting to know your squad members is just as crucial on the battlefield as it ever was, but you’re now able to shape their future too, making the emotional bond between player and game even greater. New personality traits can be unlocked and equipped as the story develops, while accolades earned in battle now drive individual characters along their own class-trees, unlocking a much wider range of abilities and strategies.

The twin backbones of Valkyria Chronicles, its revolutionary strategy gameplay and wondrously sketchy visuals, thankfully remain in Valkyria Chronicles II, but there are also a lot of changes to accept. A greater emphasis on customisation, multiplayer and side-quests makes for an even more time-consuming game, and begs that you spend just as long tinkering away with your squad as you do directing them in battle. It’s a game that Sega wants to be constantly in your pocket; a sequel for the truly obsessive; one for the fans.

Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker Review

Metroid: Other M review

Ashley Day — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 16:18:37 +0000

In any series that’s already been through one bold reinvention, you have to admire those creators who elect to go through it all again. Yanking Metroid away from the Texas based Retro Studios and handing the property over to the very Japanese Team Ninja is about as dramatic a change of direction as you could expect. And, as a result, certain sectors of the Metroid fanbase have had to go through exactly the same fearful anticipation process as they did for Prime. An increased focus on combat and a predilection toward CG cut-scenes threatened to turn Metroid into something quite unlike the classic games of its youth. But, under the guiding hand of series co-creator Yoshio Sakamoto, Nintendo and Team Ninja have once again proven that Metroid can dramatically evolve without abandoning its core strengths.

For those looking to have their fears assuaged as quickly as possible, allow us to get to the point. Other M is a proper Metroid game in every sense. The focus is very much on the isolation of Samus Aran as she explores an abandoned, labyrinthine complex, accompanied by little else than a few power-ups and a foreboding, John Carpenter-esque score. Combat plays a part, especially in some jaw-dropping boss battle set-pieces, but such fights are really there to punctuate the otherwise sombre mood. And just like Super Metroid, you spend most of your time exploiting Samus’s various special abilities, often in less than obvious ways, in order to make your way through a rather puzzling environment.

The feeling you get from playing Other M is eerily similar to the sense of wonder and discovery that came when first playing Super Metroid all those years ago. But Metroid: Other M is no retro remake, simply spruced up with modern visuals. It adds a lot of new elements to the mix, and mostly to great effect. Most obvious of these is the series of CG cut-scenes that now run through the course of the game. A risky addition for a series that has either shunned or clumsily struggled with dialogue in the past, the cut-scenes could have gone very wrong indeed. Yet Team Ninja has pulled them off well. The voice acting is of a reasonably high quality, running time is generally kept sensible and the story actually enriches the experience.

With Samus working alongside a Galactic Federation military squad throughout the game, many of the cut-scenes delve back into the character’s past in order to flesh out her relationship with the extended cast. The script works quickly to establish a connection between Samus and a handful of other characters, so that when things start to go wrong later in the story, the emotional impact hits precisely the right note. Moreover, we’re offered a deeper insight into the thoughts and feelings of Samus herself, thanks to an occasional internal monologue that further develops the maternal themes of the franchise, as well as the parallels with a certain Sigourney Weaver film series.

Much like the original Resident Evil, however, Samus rarely comes into contact with other people, the corridors she explores most often occupied by just herself and a handful of monsters. Which is where the new combat system comes into play. Shooting is still the order of the day, but now with an intelligent auto-aim mechanic that removes any fiddiliness that sometimes occurs in 3D worlds with fixed camera positions. In fact, the auto-aim mechanic makes the game even more fun as you later upgrade Samus’s plasma beam. Running through a corridor at high-speed, blasting every enemy without stopping to pause, is a thrill that is only made possible by such a concession.

With enemies attacking from all sides, combat is in danger of becoming a tad overwhelming at times, but a smart dodge mechanic – Team Ninja’s most obvious influence over the game design – sorts that out nicely. Tap the D-pad just as Samus is about to be struck and she’ll nimbly dodge in that direction. Do it while holding down the fire button and her plasma beam will instantly charge to full power, enabling you to blast off a devastating shot of retaliation in a second.

Using auto aim and the dodge mechanic in combination, combat becomes a fast and fluid distraction from the exploration and is never anything less than exhilarating. And while it may sound a little on the easy side, the fact that each enemy has its own distinct attack pattern and weakness assures that you have to think carefully about the way you tackle them and change up your strategies often. Some concessions are made to struggling players, meanwhile, in the form of a neat recharge mechanic. Tilting the Wii Remote upward and holding the A-button for a few seconds replenishes Samus’s stock of missiles, and will also giver her an energy boost if she happens to be dangerously close to death. This, again, might sound like a concession too far, but it balances out through the risk of holding the Wii Remote upward, making it virtually impossible to move around, dodge or attack while recharging. Similarly, enemies no longer drop pick-ups when they die, as they did in the Prime games, so there’s little option to top up health beyond the recharge ability.

The secret weapon in Samus’s new arsenal, of course, is the ability to switch to a first-person perspective with a flick of the Wii Remote. Rather than turn the experience into a full-on FPS, you’re rooted to the spot, using the Pointer to look around the world and target various objects. As well as offering the opportunity to soak up the stunning visual design of the environments, this enables you to scan the area using Samus’s visor and take free, precise aim of her firearms. Those players put off by the time-consuming scanning of the Prime series will be pleased to hear that such activity is kept to a minimum here, the scanner used either to locate a weak spot on an enemy, an interactive point in the architecture, or simply to direct Samus’s attention toward something that may move the story along. In terms of combat, first-person mode is the only way to fire a missile, introducing some risk to the act as you stand still to aim.

Metroid: Other M makes very minimal use of the Wii Remote’s capabilities, but regularly switching between the first and third-person perspective does lend a curious satisfaction to the gameplay. You soon learn to fall back on the closer examination offered by the scanner when stuck in a seemingly impassable room, and there’s nothing quite like whipping the remote around, like a quick draw handgun, to deliver a killing missile shot to a fallen foe.

Combat is a very small part of the Metroid experience, of course, and if you’re a longtime fan of the series then you’ll be expecting exploration, platforming and puzzles too. In those areas Other M does not disappoint. Though streamlined through the use of regular objective updates and a helpful mini-map, exploration is far from a walk in the park. You’ll know where you need to get to. But how to get there? That’s the real trick, and you’ll have to put all of Samus’s abilities to good use to pull it off. Wall-jumping returns, as do the Space Jump, Grapple Beam, bomb jump and speed boost, while a new type of beam allows Samus to shoot through clear walls to hit previously unreachable switches. The level design is cleverly built around all of these power-ups in a way that ensures you’re regularly stumped just enough to feel like a smartarse when you eventually overcome each puzzle, without it ever feeling unfair or illogical. Which is where Nintendo’s experienced touch is most felt, actually. Underwater sections with Zelda-style depth-switching, Mario Galaxy-style gravity tricks and classic-Metroid Morph Ball tunnels all conspire to come between you and the end credits.

And they’re not the only thing. Other M might excel at providing thoughtfully paced exploration and creating a haunting sense of isolation, but it also knows how to rack up the excitement factor with a well-timed set-piece. We wouldn’t like to spoil all of them, but there are certain moments (especially boss battles) that make for the most jaw-dropping moments in Metroid history. One has you hanging from a moving conveyor platform as you fire off missiles at a giant monstrosity; another boss pins you down and forces you to struggle in first-person; one brilliantly imaginative boss has the power to control the force of gravity, messing with your weapons; and another set-piece asks you to lock on to and fire at a precise target from across a crowded room full of warring, savage beasts.

Such moments inject Other M with all the big-budget action movie moments you’d expect from a console’s tentpole release but, crucially, they do so in a way that retains the core gameplay mechanics, encouraging you to draw upon your accumulated experience with the game rather than abstract it through disconnecting quick-time events or context sensitive actions. They feel part of a whole, comprising equal parts explosive action, contemplative storytelling, thrilling combat and brain teasing level design that mesh together seamlessly rather than feel like unconnected elements shoehorned into one product.

So where does Other M fall short? In very few places, actually. Instead of discovering and collecting new power-ups throughout her adventure, Samus now starts with a full complement of equipment but is limited by the authorizations given by the Galactic Federation. This ensures that you still get the feeling of gradually increasing in power and ability, but it also feels a little contrived and diffuses the illusion of a non-linear structure. A slightly disappointing ending, meanwhile, opts to conclude the game with a lengthy CG cut-scene rather than one last epic boss battle or puzzle. It’s the sort of sequence you sit through, certain that you’ll be treated to a big finale afterwards, only to be let down by the inevitable roll of the credits.

Except, of course, that in Nintendo’s new tradition of saving the hardcore content for last, the end credits of Metroid: Other M should actually be considered a new beginning, as you’re dropped back into the world with new explorative abilities, new enemies to fight, secrets to find and a 100 per cent completion rating to aim for. After finishing the story in under eight hours with only 22 per cent of items found, we were certainly pleased to see that one of the greatest, most thoughtfully designed Metroid games we’ve ever had the pleasure of playing still had much more to offer.

gamesTM Issue 100

Luke Albigés — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 10:01:00 +0000

FEATURES
Discuss The Decade
In this issue 100 special edition of Discuss, we look back on the events, developments, controversies, promises, surprises and quotes from the last ten years in videogames.

100 Greatest Games Of All Time
As we reach our centenary issue, gamesTM chooses the 100 greatest games in history. The gloves are off. Let the arguments begin.

Great Expectations
Peter Molyneux promised us a no-holds barred interview, and wouldn’t you know it, he actuallly delivered. gamesTM speaks to the legendary game designer about Fable 3, Kinect and a boy named Milo.

No Gods Or Kings
With BioShock Infinite now officially unveiled, we sit down with Irrational Games co-founder Ken Levine to discuss his past, present and future.

Street Fighting Man
Street Fighter IV was a major factor in the rebirth of the beat-’em-up – we talk to Yoshinori Ono, the man responsible for arcade sticks becoming a coffee table centrepiece.

Team Player
‘There’s no ‘I’ in team’, they say. Clearly they weren’t talking about Sonic Team, or the head of the Sega codeshop, Takashi Iizuka.

Outrageous Misfortune
He’s one of the games industry’s brightest and most creative talents, but his career has been beset by bad luck. We ask Tim Scafer about staying funny in the face of adversity.

A Link To The Future
We speak to a number of industry legends, including David Braben and David Cage, about what they think the future holds for gaming.

REVIEWS
The definitive verdicts on the biggest games, including…
Metroid: Other M
Shank
Valkyria Chronicles II
StarCraft II: Wings Of Liberty
R.U.S.E.
Dead Rising 2: Case Zero
Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days
Lara Croft And The Guardian Of Light
Limbo
Mafia II
Castlevania: Harmony Of Despair

RETRO
Behind The Scenes – Burnout 3: Takedown
gamesTM is given unrestricted access to the Criterion vault, returning with the untold story of the developer’s finest arcade racer.

VCS Veterans
Howard Scott Warshaw talks to his former Atari colleagues, and returns with their account of the rise and fall of the original videogame company.

Famicom Memories
Japan’s best known retro gamers look back at the genesis of the country’s videogame age and the incredible impact of Nintendo’s Family Computer.

Issue 100 is available now from all good newsagents or online from the Imagine eShop. You can even select which cover you’d like to order by clicking here, though supplies of each will be extremely limited so you’ll want to act fast to get the one you want…

World Of Warcraft: Cataclysm Beta Key Giveaway

Chris McMahon — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 10:00:17 +0000

Thanks to our friends at Blizzard, games™ is giving away 100 beta keys a day for the next ten days for the hugely anticipated Cataclysm expanasion pack. So, maths fans, that means we have 1000 keys up for grabs.

All you have to do to enter the draw is click here and answer the simple WOW-related question. Make sure you fill in your details and, if you’ve come here via Twitter, then make sure you retweet the original tweet and include your Twitter name with your answer – they’ll be checking!

At the end of each day, 100 names will be drawn from the proverbial hat and winners will be emailed their beta keys, so keep an eye on your email…

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games™ Top 100: Covers 1-20

admin — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 00:10:44 +0000

To celebrate the 100th issue of games™ we’ve created a once-in-a-lifetime event: producing 100 separate covers each one showcasing one of the top 100 games of all time.

Ideally we’d like all of our readers to buy all 100 issues – but we do appreciate there’s a recession on, so feel free to pick your top 10!

On Thursday 2 September we publish all 100 covers across five articles on the games™ website – so everyone can get an peek at the amazing line up of covers and games.

This article features the games™ Top 100 covers 1-20, highlighting legendary titles such as Pac-Man, Donkey Kong, Elite, Robotron and the daddy of the them all: Space Invaders.

So go ahead, have a free look on us. And then rush over to your newsagent and get your hands on the real deal.

Alternatively head over to the new Imagine Shop where you can order all Top 100 games™ covers online by clicking on the arrow below…

[Show as slideshow]

100 Greatest Games Of All Time: Covers 1-20
100 Greatest Games Of All Time: Covers 21-40
100 Greatest Games Of All Time: Covers 41-60
100 Greatest Games Of All Time: Covers 61-80
100 Greatest Games Of All Time: Covers 81-100

games™ Top 100: Covers 21-40

admin — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 00:09:04 +0000

To celebrate the 100th issue of games™ we’ve created a once-in-a-lifetime event: producing 100 separate covers each one showcasing one of the top 100 games of all time.

This article features the games™ Top 100 covers 21-40, highlighting classic games such as Cannon Fodder, StarWing, Super Bomber Man, Sonic the Hedgehog, Super AMrio Kart and the revolutionary first-person shooter: Doom.

So please feast your eyes for free. And then rush over to your newsagent and get your hands on the real deal.

Alternatively head over to the new Imagine Shop where you can order all Top 100 games™ covers online by clicking on the arrow below…

[Show as slideshow]

games™ Top 100: Covers 41-60

admin — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 00:08:42 +0000

To celebrate the 100th issue of games™ we’ve created a once-in-a-lifetime event: producing 100 separate covers each one showcasing one of the top 100 games of all time.

This article highlights the games™ Top 100 covers 41 to 60, featuring historic games such as Resident Evil, Deus Ex, Starcraft, Super Mario 64, Final Fantasy VII and the amazing N64 shooter Goldeneye.

So please take time to browse gratis. And then rush over to your newsagent and get your hands on your favourite cover – or covers.

Alternatively head over to the new Imagine Shop where you can order all Top 100 games™ covers online by clicking on the arrow below…

[Show as slideshow]

games™ Top 100: Covers 61-80

admin — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 00:06:19 +0000

To celebrate the 100th issue of games™ we’ve created a once-in-a-lifetime event: producing 100 separate magazine covers, each one showcasing one of the top 100 games of all time.

Here we highlight the games™ Top 100 covers 61 to 80, featuring cracking games such as Halo: Combat Evolved, Gran Turismo 4, Super Monkey Ball, Half-Life 2 and the global phenomenon that is World of Warcraft.

So spend as much time as you want browsing the covers on our virtual newsstand. And then rush over to your newsagent and get your hands on something you can hold and treasure forever.

Alternatively head over to the new Imagine Shop where you can order all Top 100 games™ covers online by clicking on the arrow below…

[Show as slideshow]

games™ Top 100: Covers 81-100

admin — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 00:05:38 +0000

To celebrate the 100th issue of games™ we’ve created a once-in-a-lifetime event: a set of 100 separate magazine covers, each one showcasing one of the 100 greatest games of all time.

Here is the final set of games™ Top 100 covers, numbering 81 to the big 100, featuring all-time greats including Gears of War 2, LittleBigPlanet, Virtua Fighter 5, Heavy Rain, Mass Effect 2 and Bioshock.

So while away your spare time perusing these classic covers and reminiscing about great games. Then go and buy this historic 100th issue of games™ – it’ll be a great heirloom for your grandchildren.

Alternatively head over to the new Imagine Shop where you can order all Top 100 games™ covers online by clicking on the arrow below…

[Show as slideshow]

David Cage – “If Heavy Rain had been a commercial failure I would have left the industry”

Chris McMahon — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 09:30:51 +0000

In an exclusive issue 100 interview with games™ regarding the future of games, Quantic Dream founder David Cage discussed the impact of motion control on the future of the industry, revealing an interesting viewpoint considering the recent integration of Move into Heavy Rain.

“For me, emotion is everything. If you can create an experience that is emotionally engaging and though provoking I don’t have anything against using motion control,” said the game director. “But are motion controllers the magic solution to our content issues? I don’t think so. Yes, it will be a very useful device for many people who have difficulties using the standard controllers, but if we cannot offer anything more than tennis games we are not going to hold their interest for very long. Content is the key to everything. Once you have the right content, you can make it work with any type of device.”

Cage went on to discuss the importance of breaking free of tried-and-tested patterns, saying we need new type of games if the industry is to have any kind of future whatsoever. “If Heavy Rain had been a commercial failure, I would certainly have had to go back to more standard types of games…actually, I would probably have left the industry,” he told us.

“My point of view is certainly very marginal in the industry right now, but I continue to believe that the future of games lies in reaching an adult audience, not the way the Wii does, but in creating interactive experiences that carry depth and meaning, and trigger complex emotions. We should invent new ways of playing to get rid of loops, mechanics and patterns, as well as stop limiting ourselves to ultra-violent themes.

“There are so many things to talk about that have never been evoked in a game; so many worlds to explore; so many new ways of playing that we cannot even think of today, that it would be stupid not trying to go further. If we don’t do it, we will see our business decline and we will limit games to toys for kids and teenagers.”

The full interview – which also contains contributions from Elite creator David Braben, Crytek CEO Cevat Yerli and future-thinker Jesse Schell – is on sale tomorrow, 2 September. Order your copy now from the Imagine Publishing eShop.

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