Gaming News & Reviews - Xbox 360, PC, C64 emulation and more...

Might & Magic Heroes VI - June 2011

2011-04-13T09:15:00.000+10:00

I'm moving away from being Xbox specific content from here on in spurred on mainly by the up and coming release of one of my all time favourite (non-console) games: the Heroes of Might and Magic series.

Titled Might & Magic Heroes VI this next installment in the series is to be released at the end of June this year with the final touches being put in by Hungarian developers Black Hole Entertainment. Five years after Heroes V this turn based strategy game has a few new features with 5 factions to choose from and the new Blood and Tears morality system similar to that used in the fable series with your battle style and choice of magic/abilities earning you either blood points or tear points.

This game really suits a console as a single player game and considering there is nothing like it currently on any console system I think it would be quite the seller if it were to be ported. Even as a PC game there are only a couple of titles I find that are similar (but still no where near as good) like Disciples and Kings Bounty.

I haven't had a game in the past 12 months which I've wanted to play as much as this. I even pulled out my old copy of Heroes V (with expansions) and started playing through some single player challenges just to keep me busy. Since this release date has changed 3 times now (originally expected in March) I'm trying not to get too psyched but if you've ever played a Heroes game you'll understand it's hard not to be.

Battlefield 3 - Coming Soon

2011-02-28T14:27:00.034+11:00

I'm a big Battlefield fan having spent quite a lot of time playing 2142 on the PC and even more so now with Battlefield 2 on Xbox 360 I have to say Battlefield 3 is one game I'm hanging to play.

Due for release in "Spring" for the US (March-May) BF3 has new physics, destruction and visuals utilizing the latest features in the Frostbite 2 engine. Also on offer and available with some pre-orders is the Battlefield 3: Back to Kirkland multiplayer expansion which includes 4 re-imaged maps from BF2.

Visit the Battlefield 3 page @ EA

Duke Nukem Forever Campaign and Release Date

2011-02-16T10:55:00.002+11:00

Being one of a horde who have been waiting patiently for Duke Nukem Forever to be released I can happily say the wait is almost over.

Duke Nukem Forever is due to be released May 6th 2011 and will once again strongly feature Duke's penchant for the ladies and will even include "..a glory hole. Yeah. Fortunately, I'll just leave it at that." as described by Gearbox boss Randy Pitchford recently on a US talk show.

What strikes me the most about Duke Nukem Forever is the discussed length of the campaign. Randy recently revealed that the campaign would be a whopping 16 - 18 hours long. I must admit I am a fan of longer campaigns making me feel like i got good value for money considering the typical 5 hour campaigns of games like Call of Duty can be completed in one sitting.

Recently however my love of a long game has changed due to work/study and personal commitments and I find the game needs to be something special for me to want to come back the next day to continue my campaign. I used to want to finish a game regardless of the length but over the last 12 months I've found a lot of games have repetitive content and a bad story which makes it hard to want more.

I guess we will see in 3 months time whether Duke Nukem Forever can keep us coming back for more.

Batman: Arkham City Screenshots

2011-02-04T08:45:00.005+11:00

Some new screenshots have been released for the highly anticipated Batman: Arkham City. This game is at the top of my list after absolutely loving Arkham Asylum. I hope my high expectations are met when the game is released and from these shots I think it might just happen.

As you can see from these shots (and previous ones) Harley is a prominent figure in this edition but more notable is the fact that Batman is seen soaring across the city sky.

The expected release date is "Fall" in the US which is from 23rd September this year (2011). It's still a bit of a wait but I think it will be worth it.

[REVIEW] Carcassonne

2011-01-25T12:49:00.016+11:00

Carcassonne is by far one of the most popular board games to date listing first as best seller on BoardGameRatings.com up there with the likes of Settlers of Catan, Puerto Rico and Ticket to Ride.

This game is a mix of luck and strategy with each player taking it in turns to receive a random tile and placing it somewhere on the board that favours them. Players score points by using the tiles to complete castles, roads, monasteries and farm lands. You occupy these tiles with one of your seven followers which is returned to your stack when the occupied object is complete.

The Good:

The game has everything the board game has on offer including some of the expansions (Rivers, Kings & Barons, etc) and a few extras that the original doesn't. One thing in particular you can't get with the board game is the visual clues as to where your tile can be placed. The game highlights these positions with an empty tile which cuts the game time significantly and is quite helpful when introducing the game to a newcomer like my fianceé in hope she will enjoy it as much as I do (1 week later and she kills it on expert difficulty).

The tutorial, single player and multiplayer all live up to the dream and I still find today, three years after being released, that there are players waiting for for a game in the multiplayer section. The number of opponents, difficulty and rules can all be altered slightly such as removing farm scoring which for newcomers can be confusing at first.

The Bad:

The road pieces in the game, specifically the crossroad pieces, have 3D trees in the middle of the tile as decoration. These trees hide parts of the road and sometimes your followers on the farm land. Whether playing hide and seek was intentional, bringing a bit of deception into the play, I'm not a fan.

Further to this the followers on farm land next to a castle can sometimes get caught up in the walls of a completed castle, hiding it from the rest of the board. With both these issues, come scoring time, you are often surprised to see the farm land given to your opponent when you were certain you had more farmers unless you really pay attention during the entire game.

One other minor gripe and it's probably just me but playing multiplayer you can set a turn limit of 30 seconds or so. I would like to see a time limit lower than 30 seconds, say 5 or 10 seconds for a "speed" game, as some online games take 15 minutes when your opponent uses the full 30 seconds for each tile. A quick game really shouldn't take more than 5 minutes.

The Ugly:

At first I was quite content with the colours thinking they were simple enough not to distract you from the game but detailed enough that it stands out as a quality port from the original board game. In fact the colours are terrible with the followers blending into the tiles. The default blue follower is a good piece but i've found some of the others like pink and even black become lost in the game which makes multiplay and i guess even single player quite difficult.

I thought it was my monitor/TV being quite old but i've heard complaints from others that enjoy the game.

Summary:

Apart from the minor graphical issues which can be overcome with a little extra concentration the game is definitely well worth the purchase at 800MSP. The game has come from being an hour long board game to a quick 10 minute no mess no fuss easy to play port.

My Score:

[6.9] Graphics & Sound

The graphics, although quite simple and smooth, lets the game down slightly with the colours becoming a little conflicting. The 3D effect of the castles after they are completed are an added bonus but with the trees it causes me issues.

The sound is also quite simple but i recommend turning the music off. After one game with the music on you will forever be whistling the tune.

[8.3] Control & Interface

Simple controls allow easy navigation around the board with the option to zoom in and out at your convenience.

The interface is also quite simple and not at all confusing. There are options to adjust the layout of the players names and other information to fit the screen how you like which is a nice little bonus. Came in handy on my old screen which cuts the outside edges of the picture by an inch or two.

[8.5] Game Value

Another great port from the original board game with optional expansions. The fact that you can still find an online game after 3 years of being released is a good indicator of the value of the game. Being able to play a game in 5-10 minutes means you can get in a quick game here and there.

Score: 7.9

Australian (Game) Classifications Under Review

2011-01-22T07:00:00.070+11:00

In a follow up to Papa Roberts article regarding R18+ classification for games in Australia it seems the whole classification model is currently up for review.

As stated on the official classifications website today, "The review will consider changes in technology, media convergence and the global availability of media content.".

Under the proposed terms of reference it is confirmed that there will be a "review of censorship and classification" in regards to games and the gaming industry. "the impact of media on children and the increased exposure of children to a wider variety of media including television, music and advertising as well as films and computer games"

Agreeing with Papa Roberts, an R18+ classification is something that needs to happen. Although there are quite a few kids gaming in Australia it is quite apparent there are more adult gamers than children, with the average age of gamers in Australia in 2009 being 30 years of age (see Interactive Gaming Full Report 09). "Increasingly, older Australians are choosing to play computer games."

Funnily enough I just started playing Battlefield: Bad Company 2 with my father only a couple of nights ago after convincing him he needed an Xbox 360 because my mother was hogging their only PC playing Heroes of Might & Magic V until the wee hours of the morning. My grandmother is also quite obsessed with both Farmville and any fun form of online poker (no money involved). The number of adult gamers I personally know most definitely outweighs those under 18 years of age.

Further readings and references:
R18+ Games Australia
An R18+ Classification for Computer Games
Papa Roberts article - Why an R18+ Rating Needs To Happen
Interactive Gaming - Full Report 09

[REVIEW] Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit

2011-01-21T13:49:00.000+11:00

Having been a big fan of the Need for Speed series since my PC days and preferring the Underground and Most Wanted titles from early 2000 I was quite excited when I got a copy of Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit which brought with it a Burnout look and feel thanks to the guys at Criterion Games.

The Good:
The game was all that I expected, with high quality crisp graphics & sound combined with great handling, good user controls & interface and good gameplay all round. You have a choice right from the beginning to plays as a racer or cop with the opportunty to swap before your next event. For both there are a few different styles of events which try to mix up the experience from straight races to takedowns and more.

The graphics is a standout for me and specifically the crash scenes after a takedown or collision, you can really see the Criterion touch. It is one of the many improvements over Need for Speed Undercover which was the last NFS title I played. The sounds are also quite good but you can still hear the sirens in your head after you've stopped playing.

The handing was a very important factor for me after the failure with NFS Undercover. I played Undercover right through till the end and enjoyed most of it but being able to do a 180 degree hairpin turn at full pace was where it killed it for me. Hot Pursuit goes back to how it should be with each car handling slightly different and the movements feeling much heavier to me, the way I expect. You can still manage to do 180 degree turns quite well but at the cost of speed via drifting.

Firepower is added to your vehicles ranging from EMP's and spike strips to temporarily slow your opponents to turbo boost for that short burst of speed. These slowly become more effective as you progress through the campaign and are vital as a cop in takedown mode to quickly capture your victim.

The online multiplayer option was satisfying for a change considering a head on collision with general traffic could push the front runners back a position or two. It left the race wide open for anyone half decent to win when usually if someone got a good enough lead it was all over.

The Bad:

After playing the game almost the entire way though I ended up finding it quite repetitive. There are 3 or 4 options of race styles for both cop and racer but in the end, as a cop for example, it still feels like you are simply chasing a car down the same road over and over again.

There was a complete lack of garage or tune-up opportunities for the vehicles in Hot Pursuit. I'm not that into my cars as it is but I do enjoy a small managerial role in most games, it adds to the satisfaction of a win. You simply select your race and drive. I think having a garage or something would have broken up the repetitiveness a bit.

The Ugly:

After completing each race the experience gained from your result eventually levels up your character which in turn unlocks cars or increases effectiveness of your weapons. To show off your gains a short clip was presented explaining what you've just received. This seemed to appear after 4 out of 5 races and eventually became quite annoying. All I want to do is move on to the next event, I'm not that interested in the real life costs of an Audi A3 or their thoughts on the custom BMW M3 Police Cruiser.

Summary:

Dispite the repetiveness of the game, which was possibly due to playing it for 3-4hrs a night for a week straight, the game brings the NFS franchise back to where I remember it and a little bit more.

The graphics are the standout for me with a showcase of quality looking cars driven under good lighting and weather conditions. The crash clips are great to watch even after the 100th takedown.

My Score:

[8.9] Graphics & Sound

Quality graphics throughout the game which doesn't distract you from driving. No real issue with the sound, maybe an option to turn off or down the sirens which can get to you after a couple of hours.

[8.5] Control & Interface

The controls are simple allowing you to end a long straight into a quick drift while firing an EMP at a speed of 250km/h. It is not complicated, at times I might say a little too simple.

The interface is great. Smooth with crisp graphics and easy to navigate. The radar while racing could use some improvements but it wasn't too much of an issue.

[8.6] Game Value

A great game all round. Enjoyable in both single and multiplayer modes and includes a huge selection of cars and tracks.

Score: 8.7

Foxtel on Xbox 360 - A blunder down under?

2011-01-20T13:00:00.002+11:00

I signed up for Foxtel on Xbox 360 almost straight away after calculating the savings in comparison to a proper IQ service and considering I only have SD free-to-air channels I felt I needed more.

Being a big fan of movies I signed up to the basic package with Movie Network package for a total of $34.50 giving me a further 20 channels to entertain me during my periods of boredom. Having used it for 2 months now I am almost certain I will be stopping the service in the coming weeks when I receive my new TV with built in digital tuner. I'll start with the bad points and work my way up to the good.

The picture quality, at it's best, is standard definition which I do not have a problem with. It uses about 800Mb/hour on the 'high quality' setting and 540Mb/hour on 'medium quality' which means the total bandwidth used, including your normal usage, can add up depending on how much you watch TV. Since there are no unmetered ISPs at this time (rumours of BigPond being unmetered) and the 'low quality' setting is unwatchable you can expect your bandwidth to increase significantly. As I'm usually awake past midnight most nights I get up to a couple of hours a day of viewing (say 1Gb/day worth). Being on a 20GB/20GB ADSL plan I was in need of an upgraded package to cope, add another $10/month which I consider a cost of the Foxtel service.

The 20 channels on offer doesn't exactly feel like 20 channels with 7 of these (movie) channels being catch-up only. With the movies on loop for the month there doesn't end up being too many choices and I find I only end up watching one movie a month maybe two. Looking at it now it is almost cheaper to rent movies via the same service at $5.95/ea (or even cheaper at the local video store) and considering the titles would be more recent I have found the movie package to be unworthy.

Watch Foxtel with your friends (avatar). Why?

A small gripe with the catch-up service too is that when viewing the movies on catch-up it lists all the movie channels, not just the ones that are part of your service. So scrolling through the titles I occasionally come across something I may watch only realising it's part of the Showtime service, being unable to filter the channels to display only what I am paying for. I understand it's their way of trying to get you to sign up to other packages but it becomes quite frustrating. This goes for the live TV EPG which lists all the channels on offer regardless of whats in your package.

My latest issue occurred last night while watching The Simpsons. Having seen ads for the Golden Globes "coming up next" I thought I'd stick around to check out a bit of Ricky Gervais's humour as host. When the time came around for the show I was presented with a screen explaining that Foxtel can not show this particular programming. After further research it seems Foxtel blackout particular programmes which are broadcast "over the internet". I didn't stick around too long but they could have at least put another programme in its place but they didn't. I don't enjoy false advertising or paying for a services that is not available 100% of the time.

The buffering when changing channels is a little annoying, taking 5 seconds before the show appears. This stops anyone from channel surfing which I used to do when I had normal Foxtel years ago. Not too much of a problem if you use the EPG but sometimes I'd like to have a quick look at the channel before making my final decision on what to watch.

Finally on the channels that are on offer in the basic package, which you must subscribe if you want any part of the service, I think I watch 2 of the 11 channels, 3 at most. Being charged for something I don't use when the money could be better spent elsewhere is the final straw.

I've also been informed that the sports package, due to programming restrictions yet again, do not show all the sports game you would see on normal Foxtel. At first lot of A-league games had been missed or are not Live and from what I've read (this may change?) the NRL & AFL is restricted to Telstra's T-Box and therefore will not be available on the service when the seasons start.

There are some positives from it all. For those that would make use of the service and the channels on offer the starting price of $19.50 is quite good considering the starting price of noramal foxtel is more than 3 times that much. There is also no installation fee like there is with a normal service. An xbox 360 and an internet connection is all you need.

There are no contracts or sign up/cancellation fees and therefore you can come and go as you please. This also means you can add and remove packages whenever you want to adjust your package to your liking at the time.

Where i'm impartial on my opinion is the dropouts and On Demand services. I'm sorry to say I've had dropouts during a catch up movie having it occur a total of four times during the one movie. One of the four times my Xbox Live connection was also lost so it was most likely my ISP but I'm not quite sure what happened the other 3 times as I stayed connected to Live and needed to restart the Foxtel service to get going again.

The On Demand service is quite good with a fairly decent selection of recent movies for $5.95/ea. This is similar to Xbox's Zune feature and with the two put together you can surely find something to watch. The downside of the On Demand service is the price of TV episodes being something like $3.95/episode. This adds up to $30 or so the full season.

All in all a great idea for Foxtel via Xbox 360 but I feel it has been poorly executed. Costing me $44.50, which includes the cost of increasing my internet quota, I'd be better off back at the video store renting TV episodes and recently released movies with money still in my pocket. Considering the lack of a contract for the service it is worth giving it a go. As it is only a new service maybe it will improve over time.

Microsoft donates Xbox 360's (and more) for Queensland Floods Relief

2011-01-19T00:06:00.002+11:00

Microsoft, among other things, have donated 13 Xbox 360's to the Australian Red Cross for use in 11 evacuation centres across Queensland. $40,000+ has also been committed to the Premier's Flood Relief Appeal thanks to Microsoft who initially made a donation of $10,000 and are currently matching their employees' personal donations dollar for dollar.

See the full details from Microsoft.

If you can spare some change why not make a donation to the Flood Relief Appeal.

EA Sale - 50% off Jan 18th - 24th

2011-01-18T09:01:00.008+11:00

EA have decided to slash the prices of some of their arcade titles and add-ons by 50% for one week only. There are titles for everyone ranging from sports to action and family fun.

Add-on List:
Dragon Age: Origins - Awakenings [Now: 1200MSP]
Dragon Age: Origins - Warden’s Keep [Now: 280MSP]
Dragon Age: Origins - Return to Ostagar [Now: 200MSP]
Dragon Age: Origins - The Darkspawn Chronicles [Now: 200MSP]
Dragon Age: Origins - The Golems of Amgarrak [Now: 200MSP]
Dragon Age: Origins - Witch Hunt [Now: 280MSP]
Dragon Age: Origins - Leliana's Song [Now: 280MSP]
Medal of Honor Hot Zone Pack [Now: 400MSP]
FIFA 11 Live Season All Leagues [Now: 400MSP]
Madden 11 Max Pack [Now: 400MSP]
Tiger 11 Favorites Course Pack [Now: 800MSP]
NCAA Football 11 Powerpack [Now: 1200MSP]
NHL 11 20th Anniv. Bauer Boost Pack [Now: 280MSP]
Fight Night Round 4 Champions Pack II [Now: 400MSP]

Games List:
Madden NFL Arcade [Now: 400MSP]
NHL 3 on 3 Arcade [Now: 200MSP]
RISK: Factions [Now: 400MSP]
MicroBot [Now: 400MSP]
Battleship (Hasbro FGN) [Now: 400MSP]
Scrabble (Hasbro FGN) [Now: 400MSP]
Boggle (Hasbro FGN) [Now: 400MSP]
DeathSpank [Now: 600MSP]
DeathSpank: Thongs of VirtueSale: 600MSP]
Battlefield 1943 [Now: 600MSP]

Check the Xbox Marketplace between January 18th & 24th for these awesome discounts.

New Dreamcast Collection - Available February 24th

2011-01-17T09:44:00.001+11:00

SEGA has recently announced details of a new Dreamcast Collection for the Xbox 360 (and PC) which will be available in Australia on the 24th February. The collection is to be made up from these 4 popular classics: Sonic Adventure, Crazy Taxi, SEGA Bass Fishing and Space Channel 5: Part 2.

Having only played a couple of games in the SEGA Mega Drive Ultimate Collection it was nice to see the 40 classics on offer unaltered and still in their retro graphic state. The new Dreamcast Collection however will be offering enhanced graphics for a more enjoyable visual experience along with online leaderboards and the usual offering of achievements.

“The Dreamcast console is still remembered as a pioneering console for online gaming,” commented Gary Knight, VP of Marketing at SEGA of America and SEGA Europe “We are delighted to be able to offer to our large community of dedicated fans a collection such as Dreamcast Collection for them to enjoy old favourites on this generation of consoles”.

The Dreamcast Collection will be available on February 25th 2011 in Europe and February 22nd in North America, February 24th in Australia and February 25th in New Zealand.

[REVIEW] The Biggest Loser: Ultimate Workout

2011-01-16T12:00:00.027+11:00

I'm a big fan of The Biggest Loser TV series celebrating each grand final episode with my fianceé, 2 large pizza's, garlic bread, coke and a whole lot of guilt. As Xmas and New Years have both just passed I find myself in need of a bit of exercise and weight loss so what better way to do it than The Biggest Loser style.

I must admit, with the advertising power of Your Shape: Fitness Evolved and from what I had seen I wasn't expecting too much from this game in comparison but I've definitely embraced it now committing myself to a 12week fitness program of 50 minute routines 5 days a week. After 2 weeks I don't think I can remember the last time I felt so sore.

The Good:

The common complaint I heard leading up to using the kinect sensor was the lag and while I do agree that it does exist I was quite surprised at how small the lag really is with The Biggest Loser (TBL) being probably well under half a second. While this is significant when you are trying to keep in time with the trainer one of the good points of this game is that as long as you are performing the exercise at the right speed then being in time is not a problem. Further to this you do not actually need to perform the exercise at the same speed as the trainer, although American TBL TV trainers Bob and Jillian may tell you otherwise, the game does not really punish you for it. The main focus is on performing the exercises correctly and hence building up a significant heart rate and burning those unwanted calories.

After first starting up TBL I straight away went through a body scan which measure length of limbs, size of neck and other sorts of stats. I also filled in my current and target weights and more and was presented with a suggested program. After customising a 5 day x 12 week program I was on my way.

Having played the game for almost 2 weeks now (set to 50 minutes on challenging difficulty) I have found the game is quite accurate and responsive. The exercises, of which there are more than 120, offer a range of difficulty and differing lengths of routine so you can take it as easy or as hard as you like and caters for use of items such as fit balls and dumbbells. You can also adjust the focus from a full body workout to simply arms and chest.

Routines are styled around Yoga, Box-fit or general fitness exercises offering a short water break every 5 minutes or so. As you work out Bob or Jillian may ask if you are keeping up or need another water break. Surprisingly you can verbally respond from a few on screen responses and they will take it on board however I've found after being 30-45 minutes into my routine that my responses are not understood all that well whether it be my Australian accent or the fact that I'm gasping for air so much the words don't come out right. Still a neat addition and a good use of the kinect.

The Bad:

Whether it be because I'm around 6 foot 2 inches or my lounge room is not large enough (although calibrating it seems fine) or even that my sensor is not on top of my TV but rather to the side of the TV on a stack of CD cases about 20cm off the cabinet but I find after having done quite a few different exercises that those performed on the ground are not recognised as well and I end up not scoring well, not that scoring is a big part of the game. I'm taking it as a combination of my setup but I can't see the majority of kinect users having much more success unless they have a dedicated kinect room without the hassle of moving coffee tables or lounge suites.

Apart from the floor routines there are the rare exercises where I'm asked to raise my legs higher even though they are much higher than shown by my trainer. I've found turning your body slightly to give the kinect cameras a different angle fixes this issue rather quickly.

My other minor gripe is with the challenges. Here there are 5 (or 6?) challenges such as Punch Clock where the objective is to follow your trainer's exercise for a short period of time to perform well in the on screen challenge. These are correctly labeled challenges because they are not games like offered in Your Shape: Fitness Evolved rather a "fun" way to do a short exercise routine.

My issue is that there are the two or so exercises you have to follow are not well explained. During a normal fitness routine your trainer may ask you to turn 90 degrees left or right so the exercise is better tracked by the sensor but in the challenges they leave that vital point out. Unless you've done the specific exercise before you may not know that small little detail which results in your challenge more than likely failing.

The Ugly:

By far one of the worst menu navigations I've had to endure and hopefully future kinect titles recognises how epic of a failure it really is. A lot of the menus work similar to the Kinnect Guide where you leave your hand on a menu option for 1-2 seconds as it ticks around the circle to confirm your selection. Occasionally it loses it's place/tracking and resets the confirmation circle leaving you hanging for a couple of seconds longer in which it may lose it's place again. 5 or dare I say 10 seconds later your selection is made.

Some of the menu options, for example increasing/decreasing your current and target weights or modifying your calories eaten in the diet management section of the game are much smaller buttons and require a completely steady hand. The longer you hold your hand over a button, if it is being recognised at all, increases the speed of increment and eventually you find you've overshot the desired target by a few click resulting on you having to click another small unresponsive button to adjust your error.

Summary:
For a fitness game and one that utilizes the kinect sensor I would have to say it is the best I've seen. Having played a little kinect Adventures and spent a week using Your Shape: Fitness Evolved I am quite confident when I say this is the best game out there for kinect at the moment.

With almost perfect tracking, both physical and verbal, and with the wide gaming options from setting up a full 1-3 month schedule with diet tracking, recipes, body analysis and logging additional fitness to being able to play "freeplay" and setting up your own personal routine from a list of over 120 exercises, this game is well worth the purchase.

The demo was recently released on the Xbox Marketplace, try it for yourself.

My Score:

[7.5] Graphics & Sound

These graphics are great and offer a much more realistic representation over some of the other fitness games out there. The sounds are okay with the verbal queues from the trainers quite helpful on some of the difficult exercises. They do become a little bit repetitive even throwing in the occasional negativity when you start falling behind.

The music does get a bit annoying. I suggest turn it down to a volume where you can still hear the trainers but not the music.

[7.1] Control & Interface

Controlled via the kinect both physically and verbally. A major let down in regards to the interface, it's as though they took the kinect guides menu navigation and made 10 times worse.

[8.6] Game Value

So far the best game on the kinect although it's early days. If you are serious about fitness or simply want to tone your body (which is an option) this game is sure to please. As fitness should be part of our every day lives I can see myself using this for quite a while.

Score: 7.7

[REVIEW] Risk: Factions

2011-01-14T09:30:00.031+11:00

As a massive fan of Risk the board game playing it almost weekly with my family when I was in my earlier years I had to have Risk: Factions for the Xbox 360.

Risk is a game of world domination played partly by luck of the dice (and starting positions) but more so on strategic skill. To play classic Risk you attack and defend countries and their territories, earning extra units at the start of each round based on how many territories or countries you occupied. Attackers generally use 3 dice and defenders 2 with the attackers worst dice ignored. The highest dice from each side is compared and a unit is destroyed for the losing side with a draw going in the favour of the defender. The same for the 2nd highest dice from each side. Kill all the defenders units on a territory and you take it over but fail and you are a sitting duck.

The Good:

Risk: Factions offers the classic style of risk with nice graphics and simple game-play. The factions section adds the new maps with bonus features and objectives. I've enjoyed the differences from the classic map with the additional features giving players extra power in the game, such as holding 3 or more "crypt" territories allowing you to "freeze" any territory on the board.

To win a factions game you are required to complete 3 objectives from a list of 5-10 depending on the difficulty. These range from capturing an opponents capital to occupying 4 barracks or taking over 10 territories in 1 round. Completing an objective also adds a bonus such as an additional 2 troops at the start of your turn or an additional maneuver of troops at the start/end of your turn.

The Bad:

There are major issues with the stats within this game. From the main menu you can view your games played, lost and cats killed for example. I have clocked up about 150 games but my stats show 298. One day they jumped from 80 to 240ish and I'm not sure why. I've read further complaints in other forums.

The online stats are also flawed but possibly due to players boosting or all the players above me have stopped playing. I am currently ranked about 600 out of some 70,000-100,000 players. I can win 5 or 10 games straight and my number doesn't move.

The Ugly:

I enjoy games online much more than I do single player (with the exception of Heroes of Might & Magic) but there are some massive issues with multiplay. I usually play 4 or 5 person "command room" style games and used to find 2 out of every 5 games unexpectedly froze with the game "waiting" for a player to do something which they themselves could not do. You could still operate the menu and were basically forced to resign from the game counting as a loss.

The other major issue was having players quit. It is possible to play a game and have your opponents quit early knowing they don't have much hope in turning things around. That much is fine but when you win by "default" it would display you as the winner in the final scoreboard but record it as a loss. My current record stands at about 50% win ratio but would be closer to 65-70% if it were not for this issue.

Summary:

The comical animations and sounds during particular battles adds a bit of flavour to the simple and repetitive action of dice rolling. The new features in factions allow for more strategic options making you decide between pure domination or the extra power gained from objectives and map features. Still allowing the option to play classic style was always a must for the developers and it was done well.

The let down with stats and multiplayer game freezes are the only things I can find that damage the game but in saying that the freezes since the games release have dropped quite a bit down to 1 in 15 games maybe and considering the developers have dispersed and the game is now 6 months old we most likely won't ever see a small patch or "band-aid" from them or EA.

Overall a great game that I still play and I would highly recommend if you enjoyed the board game even in the slightest. Grab the trial game from the Xbox Marketplace and give it a go.

My Score:

[7.9] Graphics & Sound

Smooth and comical, all well presented. Doesn't blow you away like a great FPS but it's well suited for the style of game. Occasionally the meow of the cats or moans of the zombies becomes annoying.

[8.4] Control & Interface

Simple controls and interface, not much missing.

[8.5] Game Value

A well rounded game with balanced dice rolls, although I've read many others disagree, and optional online multiplayer only let down by it's freeze bug. Quite a good board game port covering both the classic style and the new interpretation.

Score: 8.3