So the game is hard, but is it good?
Well actually, yes it is. Very good. 

From the outside it looks much like any other RPG, it’s got the traditional character types, traditional stats, skills, weapons, armour and it has a fairly standard levelling system. You fight the traditional monsters through the traditional dungeons. All of which has been carried out to a high standard that should leave both hardcore RPG players and casual gamers equally satisfied. But there are two or three innovations in Demons Souls that makes it play unlike most other RPG games I have experienced.

Firstly you do not have a large open world to explore. Early in the game you will die (get used to it you’ll spend plenty of time dying) and be transported to the Nexus. The Nexus represents the hub of all the worlds you will explore and cleanse of demons, you come here to heal, trade & spend your souls to gain experience. Initially only 1 area is open but once you clear this stage another half a dozen areas open up and no direction is given as to where you should head next. After levelling up I tentatively headed into a new area (chosen because it was the shortest physical distance up the stairs from the first zone) and…..

Actually I did ok.

I stayed alive fully 10 minutes before dying! I even managed to fight my way back to all my lost souls before legging it back to relative safety as my baby had awoken and gaming was over for the day. Which brings up one of the annoying but necessary features of the game (no not being interrupted by a baby) when you die you lose all your souls. They are left in a pulsating puddle of blood at the feet of what ever big bad has killed you. Fortunately you don’t lose all your items but even so this will frequently cause a great deal of annoyance. If you embrace the perverse then you can think of it like a bet… double or nothing?! Get back to your blood pool before you die or they are gone for good!

So this is an RPG, with very little RP about it just numerous worlds to explore filled with monsters to kill and there is only 1 way to play this game… kill them all! Fortunately the killing in this game is a delight. It has a very simple combination of commands (quick attack, strong attack, block, fend, dodge) which provides a reasonably easy to pick up combat system. The pleasure comes in both the interplay of those moves, working out how you deal with each enemy and balancing that against your quickly depleting stamina. If you run out of stamina you will be unable to complete any action so either you need to quickly dispatch your enemy or move around them dodging and weaving. The good old RPG 3 step!
Step In – Strike – Step Out…. Step In – Strike – Step Out….
But for some reason in Demon’s Souls it feels a more natural part of the game, probably because it’s essential for survival. Add in ranged weapons, magic, miracles & consumables like fire bombs or throwing knives and you’ve got a wonderful variety of death dealing options!

Another interesting feature of this game is a unique online enhancement to the single player campaign. It’s a system where fellow players can leave messages that appear on the floor in your world. These messages may be helpful or may not; they might help you see an ambush early or maybe put you off trying that leap of faith. Other players also appear in your world as ghosts from time to time and occasionally their deaths will appear as a blood puddle you can click on to see how they died. . Overall this is a novel feature that doesn’t make or break the game but it certainly does add a little something extra to the experience.

And it is this overall experience where Demon’s Souls comes together.
Visually it is good, dark & brooding, it will keep you on the edge of your seat as you try to see what is ahead. You will feel frustration, elation & fear (OH NO! PLEASE DON’T DIE!). The online connectivity gives you some hints and amusing moments. Sure it’s hard but it is that very difficulty that keeps you so closely engaged in the game. You can’t save every 2 minutes so you really do care what is around the corner, what price you’ll pay if you challenge that suspicious looking man with the big pike & red eyes? (Death, if you ever wonder what the price will be it’ll be death!)

Demon’s Souls is a great game that has, in a way, chosen artistic honesty over commercial success. The game will struggle to be hugely popular as it is too hard for your average gamer but the inclusion of a difficulty slider would have seen it compromised, it is that challenge that makes it the engrossing experience that it is.

Tense and engrossing, excellent combat, high difficulty with an equally high sense of accomplishment. But really only a game for the hardcore gamer.

Reviewed on: PS3

Available on: PS3

Reviewed by:

Me neither. But that’s very much how the Medal Of Honor beta for Xbox 360 feels. It’s made by DICE, the team responsible for Bad Company 2, using the same engine no less.

But in place of the Battlefield series’ more methodical, strategic feel, here they are very obviously gunning for the twitchy, fast-paced style of Call of Duty. The maps are fairly small and the combat is frequent and intense.Since the game is so clearly targeting the core audience of the current shooter king, lets compare them… 

Unfortunately, Medal Of Honor lags behind Call of Duty in several respects. First of all, the graphics just aren’t up to par. Player models have a strange, plastic look to them, and gun models look far more cartoon-y.

There is a levelling system here (one of the core features that make these games so addictive), but it’s all a little bit “meh”, at least in the beta.

But by far my biggest problem with Medal of Honor are the controls. The janky, screen-shaking effect is back in full swing when you run. (Speaking of running, if you do, you’ll appear on the enemies radar. Way to promote camping!) In fact, the whole mechanic of aiming down your sights and targeting enemies doesn’t feel smooth at all, it feels lethargic.This wasn’t as much of a problem in the slower-paced Bad Company series, but in a twitch shooter, it just doesn’t work.

Despite all of this, the beta didn’t give me the impression that Medal of Honor was a bad multi-player game. It seemed like a decent one. Perhaps, if you are completely burnt out on Call of Duty, you’ll find something to like here. Certainly, you won’t be bothered by a constant barrage of killstreaks in the sky in Medal of Honor, and that will please some people. Also, if you are a person who would enjoy a grittier, less arcade feel, then perhaps the comparative lack of polish here could be a plus.

However, to me it seems that for all it’s flaws, Modern Warfare 2 still reigns supreme. Every new “Call of Duty Killer” that comes out just seems to drive that point home further. With Medal of Honor’s multi-player, DICE are trying to compete with a full strength espresso by serving up an instant coffee. It might give you a small caffeine hit, but it won’t really satisfy.

Reviewed by:

Born, bred and based on the Central Coast of Australia, Sheridyn is known for her cute-as-a-Bunny look and her girl-next-door attitude. Now the new face of Playboy Swim Australia, she has won the hearts of many of her fans by just being her fun-loving self. Modelling professionally for over seven years, Sheridyn enjoys all aspects of her career but still considers herself a “tomboy at heart,” loving nothing more than playing her PlayStation 3 computer entertainment system. 

As part of her involvement with Mafia II, Sheridyn will be featured in an exclusive Mafia-inspired photo shoot with an Australian men’s magazine.

“I am thrilled to be an ambassador for Mafia II—it’s a great opportunity for me to release my inner geek!” said Sheridyn. “Mafia II is an awesome shooter, with an amazing story and environment – but my favourite bit is that you can collect more than 50 vintage Playboy Centerfolds! Being an avid gamer, I am so excited to be a part of the Mafia II Australian release and look forward to meeting other fans of the game at the Mafia II Black Beta Event.”

Through a compelling narrative, Mafia II transports gamers into the dark and unforgiving world of the Mafia. The fiction is embellished by a sophisticated, era-evoking atmosphere that meticulously replicates the clothing, cars, music and advertising of 1940s and 1950s Americana. Players will easily become immersed in the game’s cinematic Hollywood-style experience with strong, believable characters and an epic gangster story. By fusing action-packed gameplay with white-knuckle driving and an engaging narrative, Mafia II looks to be the industry’s most compelling Mafia title to date. -2K

Salt is the upcoming movie release from Columbia Pictures. The storyline promises to deliver a great movie experience, however you can discover the mystery behind Salt and does “Day X Exist”. 

Starting 11:00am on Tuesday 27th of July you can visit www.dayxexists.co.nz to be part of what promises to be a very fun and extremely interactive online experience. Produced by the same people who brought the Emmy award winning “Lost” series online. So will you be joining us online to discover “Who is Salt?” 

Mission 1 starts 11:00am Tuesday 27th July at www.dayxexists.co.nz

You start with a single ‘Novice’ level boat and course and have to complete a series of races against 15 CPU opponents or lone challenges to unlock more boats and content by earning credits. Placing 1st, 2nd or 3rd in the race or posting a low enough time in a challenge gives you varying amounts of credit depending on the skill level. There’s 8 distinct courses to race on with three skill levels: Novice, Pro and Expert. The courses are all in fantastic settings like the interior of a hydroelectric dam, a monster filled island, sewers pipes under Paris, or an alien infested secret lab. The courses are a mix of single lap and multiple lap events and each one is scattered with ‘boost’ power ups which fill your boat’s boost meter for extra speed. Snagging boost is vital for winning races in record times, but you can also boost jump, allowing you to get into secret areas and shortcuts in each course. 

There are two lone challenge modes: ‘Ringmaster’ and ‘Gauntlet’, again with Novice, Pro and Expert levels. Ringmaster has you racing through a series of fixed rings on each course. Each ring you hit gives you a little more boost to burn, and each ring missed gives you a time penalty. I ignored Ringmaster initially and just tried to unlock all eight by racing. However going back later I noticed that racing Ringmaster is an excellent way to learn the tracks, as the Pro and Expert Ringmaster levels guide you through the secret areas of each course. Gauntlet is less interesting, as it involves you racing through the course filled with explosive barrels. Hitting a barrel is really just a time penalty as you have to restart from the point your boat exploded. The dynamic nature of the water combined with the floating barrels of death can make Gauntlet rather tricky on the Pro and Expert levels too. The final single player mode is ‘Championship’ which is a series of fixed races and challenges scored on points. For example you might race a Ringmaster, a Gauntlet and a final Race over different courses for a particular Championship. Winning gold in the races and challenges also allows you to unlock different skins for the 9 boats you can play, although the skins have no effect in game.

Hydro Thunder has good multi-player support with a split screen mode for up to four players on one XBox and hosted XBL multiplayer matches with up to 8 players. The multiplayer races are fast and frantic fun, and you can expect a lot more argy bargy from online players than you’ll get from the rather polite AI racers in single player. As each race typically only lasts 3-5 minutes you won’t be waiting long in the game lobby for your first race either.

There’s also several gamer pictures and two Avatar awards in Hydro Thunder for you to unlock. The first Avatar award is rather dull, but the second is a very nicely detailed toy. As I don’t like spending real MSP on virtual doodads for my Avatar it’s nice to see so many XBL Arcade titles these days include a couple of items to add to your collection.

Overall Hydro Thunder: Hurricane is an enjoyable, well executed arcade racer, although for experienced gamers it will be awfully familiar territory. It’s family friendly too with an ‘Everyone’ rating and has quickly become a favourite of our resident 6 year old. It is quick to launch and play, with minimal level load times and most races taking under 4 minutes, but has that addictive ‘one more go’ quality you want from an XBox Live title.

Reviewed on: XBox 360

Available on: XBox 360

Reviewed by:

Gaming visionary American McGee returns to Wonderland as EA and Spicy Horse Games announce Alice: Madness Returns, the dark and deranged sequel to the year 2000 PC hit, American McGee’s Alice. Designed with the same dark style of the original, but now featuring entirely new visuals, story and game design, Alice: Madness Returns is a fun and addictive action adventure set to release on PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. The game follows Alice on a journey through a wildly corrupted and shattered Wonderland to uncover the truth behind her haunted past and tortured psyche. In this journey, players will romp through highly-detailed elaborate worlds, encounter a cast of off-beat characters and engage in epic battles with deadly weapons and sinister villains.

“Alice is a classic fiction, infinitely rich with memorable characters, places and experiences. Our approach to Alice: Madness Returns takes this colorful world and reinvents it with psychotic personalities and pervasive insanity,” said American McGee, Spicy Horse Games Co-Founder and Senior Creative Director. “We can’t wait to share our vision with Alice in Wonderland fans and gamers around the world.”

Alice: Madness Returns takes place 10 years after the conclusion of the original game, with Alice struggling to recover from the emotional trauma of losing her entire family in a fatal fire. After spending a decade institutionalized in an insane asylum, she is finally released to the care of a psychiatrist who just may be able to help her conquer the nightmarish hallucinations that still haunt her. Alice embarks on a mission to root out the true cause of her family’s mysterious death, jumping from a gloomy and stark London to a rich and provocative Wonderland.

“In 2000, we launched a cult hit on the PC with American McGee’s Alice. Ten years later, I’m pleased to announce American is back on board leading the top-rate talent at Spicy Horse Games to create this sequel,” said David DeMartini, Senior Vice President and General Manager of EA Partners. “The Alice in Wonderland fiction continues to be a fan favorite all over the world. We can’t wait for them to experience the next chapter with Alice: Madness Returns.”

Alice: Madness Returns will be available in 2011 for the PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.

“Kinect offers tremendous entertainment value for the whole family and those who are new to video games with nothing in your hands and no buttons to press. If you can do it in life, you can do it with Kinect” said Frazer Scott, Head of Xbox, Microsoft New Zealand. 

With full body play and the ability to enjoy entertainment, Kinect is a unique and accessible way for everyone to enjoy controller-free fun. With more than 15 games available at launch, Kiwi living rooms will become fitness rooms, dance clubs and sports stadiums.

If you don’t currently own an Xbox 360, you’ll have the opportunity to jump in with a great new offer from participating retailers for NZ $499.00 featuring:

The all new Xbox 360 4GB console
Kinect sensor
Kinect Adventures game

“With a record month for Xbox 360 console sales in June, we are excited about our momentum. Given our rich offering this Christmas including Kinect for Xbox 360 and a great line up of blockbuster games, I imagine consumers will definitely want to pre-order at their retailer of choice to secure their Kinect under the tree this Christmas. It is going to be an exciting time for all of us.”

The darkness of the game design matches its content too. The back story is you’re a little boy out to rescue your sister, but you’re given no hint of this in game. Your character simply wakes up and you start playing. You seem to be trapped in some terrifying dream-scape filled with lethal puzzles, and while you start alone you’ll soon meet some less than friendly denizens of Limbo. This is certainly not a kid’s game as the first creature you meet will terrorize most children, and probably a few squeemish adults too, and it’s pretty much downhill from there. Failure to solve a puzzle often results in a gruesome death by dismemberment, and without giving too much away I think I can safely say Limbo is the only game I’ve played on the XBox that involves solving a puzzle by using the drowned corpses of other little kids… 

The game is broken into 24 chapters, each of which includes several puzzles for you to solve. The controls are minimal: you can run left and right, jump with A and move objects, or activate switches and levers with the B button and that’s it. The puzzles in each chapter progress from classic platformer fare with running, jumping and swinging tests, to more challenging tests involving some quirky and downright nasty opponents, then finally to a set of interesting physics problems. Initially the game seems to focus on making you feel helpless and trapped in a rather unpleasant place, but as you progress your character seems to start to adapt to the world of Limbo somewhat!

The environment slowly changes as the game progresses too and you’ll find yourself running through a number of beautiful set pieces to reach the end. The presentation is very unique and there were several puzzles in the game that were simply a pleasure to play and watch unfold. It’s also pretty clear that the developers are a rather malevolent bunch and I can recall at least two points in the game where solving a puzzle still results in a messy death unless you’re really paying attention.

However overall Limbo is not a difficult game and a sufficiently motivated gamer could probably finish it in a single sitting, which really is a pity. The game is so well presented and such a pleasure to play through that you are left wanting more. Limbo also suffers from the usual problems with 2d puzzlers: it’s strictly linear and has very little replay value once you’ve gone through and solved all the puzzles once. The developers have tried to extend the game by hiding several achievements through the chapters, and including one achievement that involves replaying the entire game in a single sitting.

Overall 1200msp may be a little much to pay for Limbo considering its length and the fact it has almost no replay once you’ve finished it. However on the flip side Limbo is definitely a unique and beautiful gaming experience which you certainly won’t regret playing if 2d puzzlers are to your taste.

Reviewed on: XBox 360

Available on: XBox 360

Reviewed by: