Original game features:

• Utilize the unique FreeFlow combat system to chain together unlimited combos seamlessly and battle with huge groups of The Joker’s henchmen in brutal melee brawls.
• Investigate as Batman, the WORLD’S GREATEST DETECTIVE, by solving intricate puzzles with the help of cutting edge forensic tools.
• Face off against Gotham’s greatest villains including The Joker, HARLEY QUINN, POISON IVY, SCARECROW and KILLER CROC.
• Become the Invisible Predator with Batman’s fear takedowns and unique vantage point system to move without being seen and hunt enemies.
• Explore every inch of Arkham Asylum and roam freely on the infamous island, presented for the first time ever in its gritty and realistic entirety.
• Experience what it’s like to be BATMAN using BATARANGS, explosive gel aerosol, The Batclaw, sonar resonator and the line launcher.

Additional content in the Game of the Year edition

• Scarecrow Nightmare Challenge Map: a combat map for expert players set in the Scarecrow’s nightmarish world where players will need to fight against hordes of skeleton henchmen.
• Crime Alley Challenge Map: a combat map set in this iconic location from Gotham City that has been overrun by The Joker’s henchmen.
• Totally Insane Challenge Map: a combat map set in the heart of Arkham Asylum where players will need to fight against waves of lunatics.
• Nocturnal Hunter Challenge Map: an Invisible Predator map where players will need to seize back control of the Prison Watchtowers from The Joker’s henchmen.
• X360, PS3: New and exclusive Trioviz 3D with 2 sets of 3D glasses included in the box
• PC: Anti-Aliasing implementation for ATI graphic cards and nVidia PhysX content featured in the game’s title update

Batman: Arkham Asylum GOTY is set for release in India for Xbox 360 and PS3 on March 30

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It was previously announced that BioShock 2 would act as a prequel as well as a sequel to the first game. However, apart from the impressive opening cutscene, the majority of the single player game is set ten years after the events of BioShock. The underwater city of Rapture still lays in ruins with most of its inhabitants being crazed junkies aka. splicers. The lumbering Big Daddies and creepy Little Sisters still prowl around looking for corpses to harvest for the miracle substance called Adam. However, the fall of Rapture’s founder Andrew Ryan results in a new authoritarian figure taking up control of most of Rapture in the form of Sophia Lamb, a former psychiatrist, Andrew Ryan’s rival, and the game’s primary antagonist. Without spoiling much, all I can say is Lamb has her own agenda for Rapture and its future and it’s not good.

You play as Subject Delta, the very first Big Daddy, who, after a tragic death, is somehow awakened by Dr. Tenenbaum (from the first game). You are then guided on a mission to find your original Little Sister named Eleanor, who may or may not be what she seems. Unlike other Big Daddies, however, Delta can actually think for himself. This leads to many moral choices in addition to saving or harvesting the many Little Sisters you’ll find along the way. As expected, your actions determine how the ending plays out, and somehow, it feels far more logical this time. And though the final resolution comes off as a bit predictable, most of the game still manages to hold your attention all the way through, especially during the last few hours. There is also a strong emotional element to the story this time around, with the Big Daddy-Little Sister relationship being the focus.

The core gameplay largely remains unchanged, but 2K Marin has introduced a few tweaks of its own to make it flow better. For starters, you can now simultaneously use your weapons and plasmids, the game’s special magic-like abilities. Being a Big Daddy means you can wield all weapons with one hand, leaving the other free for using plasmids. Most of the plasmids from the first game are back. You can freeze enemies, burn them, electrocute them, in addition to some unconventional methods like hypnotizing an enemy to fight for you, turning invisible for some stealthy attacks or deploying a doppelganger that soaks up damage for you. Add to that some fun-to-use weapons with diverse ammo types and you can see that there is a great amount of variety in the combat. You can even enhance your character further by finding (or buying) various passive boosts known as gene tonics throughout the game.

You’ll rarely want to stick with one type of weapon and plasmid for too long though. Part of the fun in BioShock’s combat lies in experimenting with different plasmid and weapon combos. Much like the first game, your default melee weapon remains the best in your arsenal. However this time, the wrench is replaced by an equally awesome drill. You can perform deadly melee attacks at close range which can greatly be enhanced by certain gene tonics. There’s also a devastating “drill charge” move which lets you quickly dash to an opponent while impaling them with the spinning drill. These moves are very satisfying to perform and give the combat a visceral kick.

Most of the enemies you’ll face are the same splicer types and Big Daddies from the first game. The extremely fast spider splicers and teleporting Houdini splicers still remain a pain in the butt, but yet always offer a decent amount of challenge. The game also throws in a couple of new enemies, the most distinctive of which is the Big Sister. Depending on your choices, you’ll encounter these female Big Daddy counterparts many times throughout the game. Big Sisters are far more agile and can use plasmids in addition to deadly melee attacks. However, taking them down isn’t too different from fighting Big Daddies. Just throw all your best stuff at them and they’ll usually go down in no time. Also, like the first game, you cannot die. Death usually means exiting the conveniently placed vita chambers, finding the enemy who killed you and finishing it off.

Despite the lenient death system, it’s worth mentioning that BioShock 2 feels more challenging than its predecessor, especially in the early levels. Some encounters feel flat out frustrating, requiring some persistence, which is made worse by the fact that the first couple of levels aren’t as good as the later ones. However, by getting enough upgrades, plasmids and gene tonics, you’ll be pretty much unstoppable by the end of the game. BioShock 2 is one of the few games that actually get easier as you progress thanks to a great RPG-like customisation system that will constantly have you tweaking your character setup. Most plasmids and tonics can be found by actively exploring the levels. However, some have to be purchased at the Gatherer’s Garden vending machines using Adam, which is found mostly by dealing with little sisters found in every level.

Unlike the first game, you can now choose to adopt a Little Sister every time you kill her Big Daddy. After adopting her, you get an option to harvest corpses for some extra Adam before you choose to either rescue or harvest the Little Sister herself. Harvesting corpses is no easy task though. Splicers will attack from all directions and you’ll have to defend the little sister until she finishes harvesting. To aid you in this, the game gives you a variety of options. You can set up traps by using special ammo and hack turrets, sentry bots or cameras to help you defend the area while you keep the splicers from getting too close to the Little Sister using conventional means. There are numerous ways to deal with these encounters limited only by your own imagination and availability of resources. These sections are quite tense and get progressively harder as the game throws tougher enemies into the mix later on. They do tend to get repetitive, but are not mandatory. You can choose to ignore them and still get enough Adam to get by.

Next page: IVG Verdict

Silent Hunter 5
Release date: March 4
Pricing: Rs 699 (PC)

Assassin’s Creed 2
Release date: March 5
Pricing: Rs 999 (PC)

Battlefield: Bad Company 2
Release date: March 5
Pricing: Rs 2,299 (Xbox 360 Std), Rs 2,699 (Xbox 360 CE), Rs 2,499 (PS3 Std), Rs 2,799 (PS3 CE), Rs 999 (PC)

Fat Princess: Fistful of Cake
Release date: March 5
Pricing: Rs 1,499 (PSP)

Supreme Commander 2
Release date: March 5
Pricing: Rs 999 (PC)

Final Fantasy XIII
Release date: March 9
Pricing: Rs 2,499 (Xbox 360, PS3)

Resident Evil 5: Gold Edition
Release date: March 12
Pricing: Rs 2,499 (Xbox 360, PS3)

Warhammer 40000: Dawn of War II: Chaos Rising
Release date: March 12
Pricing: Rs 499 (PC)

Yakuza 3
Release date: March 12
Pricing: Rs 2,499 (PS3)

Command & Conquer 4
Release date: March 16
Pricing: Rs 999 (PC Std), CE price n/a

Dragon Age: Origins - Awakening
Release date: March 19
Pricing: Rs 999 (PC)

God of War III
Release date: March 19
Pricing: Rs 2,499 (PS3)

Metro 2033
Release date: March 19
Pricing: Rs 2,499 (Xbox 360), Rs 699 (PC)

MotoGP 09/10
Release date: March 19
Pricing: Rs 3,499 (Xbox 360, PS3)

Just Cause 2
Release date: March 26
Pricing: Rs 2,499 (Xbox 360, PS3), Rs 699 (PC)

Resonance of Fate
Release date: March 26
Pricing: Rs 2,499 (Xbox 360, PS3)

Batman: Arkham Asylum GOTY
Release date: March 30
Pricing: Rs 2,499 (Xbox 360, PS3)

Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City
Release date: March 30
Pricing: Rs 1,999 (PS3), PC (Rs 499)

Release dates are tentative and subject to delays
Std: standard edition
CE: collector’s edition

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Game4U also plans to begin trade-ins soon, allowing buyers to trade in old games for new ones. And if you happened to miss out on the Dante’s Inferno preorder, you can still get the Dante figurine when you buy the game at the store. While the store lacked game collectibles and memorabilia, they do plan to make those available soon.

Game4U is located at Ground Floor (18B), Mega Mall, Oshiwara, Mumbai - 400102. You can visit the online store at Game4U.com. More pictures of the store below.

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The company also revealed that to meet the requirements of their ramp-up in high-end game development, they have expanded their game development facility to house a team over over 1,000 game designers, artists, animators, developers and QA specialists, making it one of the largest game studios in south Asia.

GameShastra has been at the forefront of console game development in India. Desi Adda was the first Indian game to release on the PSP, and only the second Indian game on PS2. They’ve also been one of biggest contributors to the PSPs minis line-up. Now they’re set to create another first, with Eklavya set to become the first PS3 game developed in India.

Update: Also tucked away in Jim Ryan’s quote in the press release was the announcement of Cart Kings, another PS2 and PSP game from GameShastra targeted at the Indian diaspora worldwide. A bullock cart racing game, perhaps?

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Press release:

Hyderabad, India, 23 February 2010: GameShastra (www.gameshastra.com) and SONY Computer Entertainment Europe today announced to expand their relationship, which will boost GameShastra’s role as one of the major SONY’s PlayStation and digital download game development partner in India. The relationship encompasses innovation and delivery of exciting new digital download gaming products by GameShastra to SONY consumers worldwide which include Desi Adda for PlayStation2 , PSP and now ‘Eklavya’ for SONY PlayStation 3 platform.

To support the new projects, GameShastra also announced expansion of its full service game development team of designers, artists, animators, developers and QA specialists in its Game Development Center in Hyderabad. It has established a new state of the art game design studio in Hyderabad to accelerate this growth plan and cater to the growing demand of its services worldwide including SONY Computer Entertainment. This facility has the capacity to accommodate 1000+ associates - making it one of the largest Game Studios in South Asia.

Making the announcement Prakash Ahuja, CEO of GameShastra said: “For GameShastra, the expansion of relationship with market leader like SONY Computer Entertainment reaffirms our position in the digital download games services market. We enjoy a successful working relationship with SONY Computer Entertainment and our team in India is committed to innovate and continue to deliver outstanding digital gaming products not only to SONY consumers globally and but also to other leading players.”

Speaking on the occasion Jim Ryan, COO of SONY Computer Entertainment Europe added: “GameShastra has proven that it can match our pace and bring innovations to create an even greater excitement for PlayStation game enthusiasts with Desi Adda. SCEE is delighted to expand the scope of its successful relationship with GameShastra with the announcement of ‘Cart Kings’ for the Indian Diasporas globally. We are excited with new innovation GameShastra is creating in India who can provide us the competitive edge globally.”

GameShastra’s goal is nothing less than to fiercely innovate and become the preferred game development destination for global console players. Desi Adda developed by GameShastra became the first console game completely developed by Indian Development Studio for PSP. Next will be the proposed ‘Eklavya’ for PS3 platform, another first by an Indian company.

GameShastra operates a state-of-the-art Game Services production center in Hyderabad, India for game development, game testing and game art production for the PS2, PS3, PSP, PC, Mac, Web, Wii and Nintendo DS. It is possibly the only company in India which has taken the lead to design, develop and deliver games for all leading platforms.

Mixing historical events and fiction with incredible finesse, the downloadable episode that serves as the thirteenth memory block of Assassin’s Creed 2 picks up immediately after the Battle of Forli. Ezio returns to Florence to retrieve the Apple of Eden from Father Savonarola. But the good priest is in control of the city and has his lieutenants (by choice or coerced) running the city. Needless to say, these are dark times for Florence, and if the premise wasn’t bleak enough to get through to the player, the city has a perpetual cloud cover giving it a washed out look to underscore the point.

Across its fairly decent length, the player gets twelve missions and a new segment of Florence to explore. Most of the missions are assassinations, where Ezio goes around the city eliminating key members of the Savonarola regime to drive the populace into a revolt against him. This translates into gameplay that can be best described as a highlight reel of what Assassin’s Creed has to offer. Every assassination offers a unique challenge, which requires a fair bit of planning and usage of all the tools at Ezio’s disposal. For example, while one may involve chasing down the target across rooftops, another may require the player to blend in and carry out the assassination undetected. Variations in each scenario make each assassination in this episode unique, and the joy of completing one in style is unparalleled.

These missions aren’t different from what the player would have done at some point or the other in the main game, but coming back to the game for this episode after having completed it before is a lot of fun, especially because you get to play the best parts of the game jam packed into one and a half to two hours. The story also happens to be more cohesive than the earlier episode, whose excessive combat in the first half comes off as a bit jarring. Bonfire of the Vanities ends with a resolution to this particular part of the story, and it is all the better for that.

While Bonfire of the Vanities may have hit the bull’s eye in terms of offering meaningful downloadable content, its exclusion (and that of Battle of Forli) from the retail release does take away a bit from Assassin’s Creed 2. Had these two episodes been included on disc, the story of Assassin’s Creed 2 wouldn’t have come across as lopsided towards Ezio’s personal quest for vengeance. Both the downloadable episodes focus on what’s really at stake in the battle between the assassins and templars, making sequence fourteen a much more compelling experience in light of these events.

Conclusion

For anyone who is yet to play Assassin’s Creed 2, we would suggest splurging a bit extra and experience its epic story in its entirety. At a reasonable price of $3.99, it’s well worth it. For those who have already finished the game, this downloadable episode is a great reminder of everything that is awesome about the series.

(+) Fun and varied missions
(+) Fairly decent length
(+) Drives the latter half of the Assassin’s Creed 2 story

(-) Nothing you haven’t already done in the main game

How we score games

Title: Assassin’s Creed 2: Bonfire of the Vanities
Developer/Publisher: Ubisoft Montreal/Ubisoft
Genre: Action-adventure
Rating: 18
Platforms: Xbox 360 via Xbox LIVE (320 MS Points), PS3 via PSN Store ($3.99)
Reviewed on: PS3, Xbox 360

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1. Did you enjoy Devil May Cry 1 and 3?
2. Do you like anime/manga?epi
3. Can you NOT blink for a long, long time?

It is absolutely essential that you nod your head vigorously to all three of those questions before you even think of exchanging your hard earned money for this game. Still with me? Alright then.

Hold Me

Bayonetta is the logical culmination of the stylized-action genre that a nice man named Hideki Kamiya revolutionised with the first Devil May Cry nearly a decade ago. This was however, before Capcom realised that betting their cash on games that just don’t sell despite all the goodwill and critical acclaim was a bad idea. Post epiphany, and after Clover was shown the pointy end of the stick as just reward for creating gems like Okami, God Hand and Viewtiful Joe, Kamiya left Capcom and created Platinum Games with fellow brainiacs Atsushi Inaba, Shinji Mikami and the rest of the Clover team.

This association is pretty darned significant because in Bayonetta, you can cherry pick references to almost every game Clover and the above mentioned holy trinity ever made. I won’t point most of these out, especially since Platinum makes no attempt to hide the fan service. Classic Sega titles also get a shout-out. Everything from Sonic to Outrun is in there if you know where to look.

It is also worth pointing out that the Japanese gaming industry is just not what it used to be. The time and cost pressures of developing in HD, the heart-breaking decline of public interest in any gaming that isn’t handheld, and the need to cater to a growing western market has led to smaller developers shutting shop, switching to smaller, less-demanding platforms or cutting output altogether.

This aversion to risk is especially tough on those of us who have, until now (in the glory days of the PS1 and PS2), been used to unique content and variety from Japanese developers; the kind that Bayonetta delivers in spades. This is reason enough, as much as anything else I can possibly tell you in the ensuing paragraphs, to buy and bear-hug this game. It pays to know and have more than just a passing interest and love for videogames to genuinely enjoy what is on offer here.

Thrill Me

And enjoy you will, because what Platinum have delivered is a 15-20 hour epic that takes lesser knock-offs to school and then makes them walk back home in the rain. I remember reading something about David Jaffe admitting way back when to how the Devil May Cry combat system was better than what God of War ended up shipping with. The gravity of this admission is amplified tenfold in Bayonetta’s case, as it blends beginner-friendly button mashing with the kind of intricate combos you would normally associate with a fighting game. What really sells the combat however, is the ease with which the animations blend together. Combine that with the ability to shift forms (there’s one Okami reference), and you could be flying through the air and running around in big-cat form the next, all while being able to seamlessly launch into a brutal series of combos anywhere in between. The R2/RT button is used to dodge attacks and also engages Witch Time if you manage to squeeze the button just before an attack hits you.

Combat is nothing without style, and Bayonetta knows it. With firearms attached to all four appendages, every encounter has the potential of being highlight reel worthy. Torture attacks unique to different enemies add to the fun and the GIGATON count as you button mash like mad to power up your attack never gets old. The detail that went into each frame of animation really shows through, with each taunt, idle animation and analog stick nudge getting you exaggerated movement that will have you grinning like an idiot.

You also earn halos as enemy-drops, which can be used to unlock new techniques, weapons and jewellery knick-knacks that add even more crazy moves and abilities to your already chock full list. Another nice touch is the loading screen that lets you practice moves, complete with a list of combos that you can toggle on or off. You can also toggle the practice mode, stopping the next level from loading in and letting you practice all you want. The levels are divided into different verses and each verse is scored based on a medal system that takes into account your combo count, style and damage taken. Each level also nets you an award (be prepared to see a lot of stone if you aren’t very good) based on your performance in each of the verses.

Next page: IVG Verdict

The new IP, set to release on “leading console platforms”, has been in full production for a year now, so it shouldn’t be long before we see an announcement from Codies. The Guildford studio is a massive one, housing a 450-strong staff. While much of that workforce is focussed squarely on this new IP, the studio’s general focus will be on churning out original new IP across the action genre.

The studio is set to grow even further with positions opening up in key art and programming positions, along with senior positions in game and level design.

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But it isn’t. On the surface, there’s not much technically wrong with Dante’s Inferno, but the things you earlier overlooked as slight niggles, slowly gnaw at you the longer you play, which eventually sucks the enjoyment out of it. To be honest, I know nothing about the Divine Comedy, so there’s no way for me to tell how faithful to the original the game is. But in the game, you play as Dante, who must journey through the nine circles of hell to rescue his wife Beatrice, who is being held captive by Lucifer.

The story is told through a mix of in-engine, 2D and CG cutscenes. While the latter are gorgeous and an absolute treat to watch, the in-engine cutscenes don’t leave much of an impression. It’s through the 2D cutscenes that a lot of Dante’s past is revealed and his character built up. But while the animation itself is brilliant, the 2D nature creates a disconnect between the story and the game, so you’re not really able to relate those incidents to the character you’re playing, and the impact of some of the rather important revelations is lost because of the fact that it’s done in 2D.

In case you skipped past the first paragraph, Dante’s Inferno is a hack-n-slash game. Dante’s primary weapon is a scythe, which he pries away from the grim reaper’s cold dead hands. You can perform light, heavy and grab attacks, and you can later unlock focussed and special attacks and additional combos. You also unlock four unique limited-use attacks in the form of magic at various points in the game. These are powered by purple orbs of Mana which you collect by opening chests and killing enemies.

You can pick up collectible relics throughout the game and these give you specific performance bonuses such as automatic counter-attacking, increased damage, etc, and each of these relic powers level up and become more effective as you play along. You get two relic slots at the start, with the ability to unlock a third later in the game. There’s also a morality system at play, which brands you as holy or unholy depending on your actions in the game. While it isn’t game-changing, it’s a nice addition thanks to the availability of certain unlocks and relics on each side that aren’t available on the other. Sticking to one side is also rewarded by offering more powerful relics on reaching higher holy or unholy levels.

When you start out, the combat will feel just fine. But once the game throws a variety of enemy types at you, the inadequacies in the combat system creep through. These are most exposed when facing smaller enemy types like the unbaptised babies. They’re quick and attack without any sort of indication, and neither the block, jump nor evade manoeuvres are responsive enough to counter them. So if more than one of them comes at you, chances are you will take a few hits. This isn’t much of an issue with the bigger enemies and bosses, because you can see their attacks coming, but it’s very often these small enemies in large numbers that can make combat sections really frustrating.

Next page: IVG Verdict

People Can Fly is the Poland-based studio that brought us Painkiller as well the PC port of Gears of War. Further evidence comes from the developer’s website which states, ‘A brand new IP is in development as a collaboration between People Can Fly and Epic Games. The title is being published by EA Partners’, although the title ‘Bullet Storm’ isn’t mentioned. It’s unknown whether this will be third-person or first-person shooter, but with release only a year away, we should see an announcement very soon.

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