“Over 1,000 new animations ensure that this year’s PES feels slightly slicker than in years gone by”

What’s the story?

PES games in recent years could best be likened to England’s performance in South Africa. They were lazy and passionless; the inspiration appeared to have run dry, and Konami were outpaced by their greatest rivals almost as badly as we were by the Germans. But Konami isn’t going to give up that easily. With a ton of enhancements, this year could see a return to the glory days of old, but it won’t come easy.

What’s new?

Plenty actually, and though we get the impression Seabass is still playing catch-up with EA (total 360-degree control, one of PES 2011’s biggest improvements, still comes a year after its inclusion in last year’s FIFA, for example), there’s still a lot here to sink your teeth into. The power gauge usually reserved for taking a shot on goal is now present with every kick, giving you complete control over the power of your pass, while up to four feints and tricks can be mapped onto the right analogue stick to let you dazzle your opponent far more easily. A new motion blur filter also makes the action look slightly more realistic, and although the game still feels as arcadey as ever, over 1,000 new animations do their bit to ensure that this year’s PES feels slightly slicker than in years gone by.

Is Master League back?

Yes, and it’s better than ever. This year’s Master League is completely online-enabled, meaning you can take on rival managers the world over. Think you’ve got what it takes to be the best? Now’s your chance to prove it.

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H.A.W.X. 2’s opening is as confident a start as any of the big-budget blockbusters we can rattle off the top of our head, and by wiping out the original game’s player character in the opening act, an inspiring sign that Ubisoft Bucharest wants to start afresh for the sequel to last year’s misfiring flight game. The story has been given a much stronger emphasis this time around, with the campaign strapping players into the cockpit of the US, Russian and British Air Forces as they battle above international skies. It’s every bit the Tom Clancy game that the original game wasn’t.

But perhaps more importantly, the team in Bucharest has recognized the biggest problem we had with the original game, the almost unavoidable – and unfortunately very boring – nature of modern day ‘fire and forget’ aerial warfare. You’ll still be able to lock on to your targets from miles away, but a large part of the action is being brought closer to you, with Ubisoft focusing on tighter close-quarters dogfights and introducing a variety of weapons to encourage different play styles and brand-new gameplay mechanics to break up the pace.

Bucharest wants you to feel like a pilot in a similar way to how Slightly Mad wanted you to feel like the driver in Need for Speed: Shift. Take-offs and landings are in, with the player taking charge of every action from the moment you step into the cockpit. Mid-air refuelings have also been implemented, though the execution seems as fiddly and ill-advised as any other flight game we’ve seen them in before. More exciting is the idea of AC-130 gunship support missions, which we presume will let us rain hellfire down on any hostiles causing problems on the ground below. A nice little shake-up from the usual – even if it may have been ripped straight out of Call of Duty. The varied mission types, too, including recon missions, night-time raids (complete with an infra-red night-vision option) and espionage missions that have you listening in on bugged telephone conversations each do well to distance H.A.W.X. 2 from the sterility associated with the genre.

So, H.A.W.X. 2 looks to be one of those rarities that we can’t help but feel excited for, admirably seeking to fix the shortcomings of the first to deliver an exhilarating dogfighter. The supersonic action, ever-twisting story arc and improved multiplayer could provide the game flight-fans have been waiting for. Buckle up for lift off: H.A.W.X. 2 may well be the Modern Warfare of the skies.

H.A.W.X. 2 – Trailer

“Expect the usual Bond witticisms, a ton of explosions and plenty of gorgeous girls”

What’s the story?

Bond’s back, and he’s looking better than ever! Daniel Craig and Dame Judi Dench return for one of Bond’s most dangerous missions yet, in a brand new story that sends the suave super spy across Athens, Istanbul, Bangkok and Monaco to protect the UK’s biggest secret from falling into enemy hands. The story’s being penned by GoldenEye and The World is Not Enough scriptwriter Bruce Feirstein, so expect the usual Bond witticisms, a ton of explosions and plenty of gorgeous girls.

What kind of game is it?

Blood Stone’s primarily a third-person cover-based shooter, taking inspiration from Splinter Cell: Conviction’s gameplay to deliver action-packed set-pieces, whether it’s through hand-to-hand takedowns or slow-mo 007-style ‘Focus Aim’ shots. Bizarre’s handiwork with Blur should also have a chance to shine, with between 5-10% of the game consisting of driving sections, and further stealth-based ‘espionage’ missions.

Who’s the new Bond girl?

Her name’s Nicole Hunter and she’s played by stunning British songstress Joss Stone. Nicole’s what Joss refers to as a ‘posh Paris Hilton’, an it girl who parties hard, and parties with the right people, giving Bond access to players he’d otherwise struggle to find. And no, there’s no relationship between Joss Stone’s involvement and the name of the game – it’s purely coincidental!

Anything else?

As well as jumping into Bond’s Aston Martin to pursue your targets on land, you’ll also be able to jump into a speedboat to give chase at sea.

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And there’s definitely plenty of that, along with the smattering of blood and bone we’ve all come to expect from the smashing slaughter-’em-up series, which sees Ezio taking center stage once again and battling against the Templar’s following a siege on his villa. Brotherhood is anything but a mere expansion pack, of course, and despite only the single year keeping them apart, it’s arguable that this year’s Assassin’s Creed builds on its predecessor much more than last year’s ACII ever did. Alongside the usual visual upgrades, Ubisoft Montreal has once again focused on the mechanics most widely criticized, completely revamping the horse controls and improving the villa upgrade system to allow you total control over the city of Rome and its economy.

New beginnings

But Assassin’s Creed isn’t about to turn into Sim City. The combat and parkour is still firmly at the game’s forefront, with the former being given a significant overhaul to offer players increased control over hand-to-hand combat and – for the first time – while fighting on horseback. There’s plenty more being introduced in Brotherhood too, including what Ubisoft call ‘ballistics gameplay’, which sees Ezio taking control of a cannon to fend off incoming armies, as well as plenty of new moves, weapons and gadgets, including a machine gun on a chariot. Yes, you read that right.

Multiple ways to kill

The biggest addition of all however, is the introduction of a brand new multiplayer mode – and thankfully, it doesn’t feel as tacked on as you may have expected. “It would have been easy for us to just do a frag game,” says Boivin, “but that wouldn’t feel like Assassin’s Creed. It had to feel Assassin’s Creed and we’re really proud of what we’re able to do because there’s not really anything out there like that.” And true to their word, Ubisoft has delivered something quite unlike anything you’ll have played on PSN before. It’s all built around the idea of cunning and deception, as players creep around Rome disguised as members of the public, while attempting to pick off individual targets without being spotted. It’s ultimately a game of cat and mouse, with players skulking about rooftops, and attempting to blend in with wandering townsfolk before delivering a deadly blow to their target.

Bonus points can be earned by performing silent or acrobatic kills, with further rewards offered to the player for humiliating their target or escaping from their pursuer. An additional option to customize the player’s abilities adds depth, with the player able to allocate two unique abilities to their load-out, including a ’Disguise’ option to cloak themselves as an NPC, use smoke bombs, throwing knives or a hidden gun, or use ‘Morph’ to transform the crowd around them into duplicates of themselves, baffling their opponent along the way. More abilities unlock as you gain experience, and we’re promised further team-based and adversarial modes when the game launches this November.

So, it seems that Brotherhood isn’t just the mere stopgap between last year’s stunner and the inevitable third game that we’d been expecting. With an awesome single-player campaign and a fresh and utterly addictive multiplayer component, Brotherhood could easily be the best Assassin’s Creed yet.

Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood – Cinematic Trailer

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Assassin’s Creed II – Review

“Welcome to paradise”

What’s the story?

After cruising the streets of Oahu in the original game, TDU2 takes us to the Balearic paradise of Ibiza, and puts us behind the wheel of a fleet of supercars. It’s the type of dream fulfilment that videogames do so well, but unlike most games that allow us to hurtle around in desirable vehicles, Test Drive Unlimited 2 doesn’t force players into challenges or down specific routes. In TDU2 the island is your playground.

What do we know?

Well, Ibiza has been mapped out beautifully, but impressively, Eden has managed to fit all of Oahu on the disc, too. Just hop on a plane and you can be over on the other side of the world. As with the original game, it’s not just the cars; it’s the lifestyle, the music, the clothes and the money. You can customise your apartment and your gear, and (if you do so wish) even get plastic surgery on your face. It all comes back to the pseudo-MMO racing though, and that’s where Test Drive Unlimited 2 shines. The handling’s a little twitchy as before, but when you get used to the oversteer, you can have some riotous drives across a truly huge environment.

Anything else?

The soundtrack is shaping up nicely (Paul Van Dyk and Phonat making the cut on the dance side of things) and the overall package is looking smooth. Expect more in our next post article.

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“Spoiling for a fight”

What is the story?

Despite being a prequel to the popular Mabinogi, it’s likely you’re not familiar with the story, as the game was only popular elsewhere. So we shall enlighten you. Vindictus is set on the world of Erinn, a grim and depressing place where monsters stalk the land and the people live in constant fear. Their existence is made tolerable in the vain hope that an ancient legend will come to pass and rescue the population from their drudgery. Players will, of course, be hoping to rise to that legend by beating the crap out of each other.

What you should know?

From the distance of just looking at a few screenshots on a website, Vindictus seems to have little to differentiate it from any other fantasy MMO. However, the game is built around the venerable and still distinctive Source engine, which allows for a higher degree of environmental manipulation than most other off-the-shelf engines allow. This suits the gameplay very well, seeing as the game is ostensibly set around arena-based combat, where you can pick up a cabinet and smash it over the heads of your enemies.

Distinctive real-time combat and depressing fantasy backdrop aside, not being in on the closed Beta puts us at a slight disadvantage. We should know more in a few weeks, when we can assume testing will open up for the masses.

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