Consolation Prize

Based in the near future, Tom Clancy’s EndWar is the recounts the desperate struggle for resources between the superpowers of the US, the EF (European Federation), and Russia in the year 2020. Unsurprisingly, the events leading up-to this “clash of the titans” doesn’t feel that unbelievable, and as with all the best fiction it contains some contemporary truths woven into the fabric of the story line.

But enough about the setting, what you all want to know is if this real-time-strategy game is any good or not, and is it worth keeping an eye on? Well, yes. I found it entertaining enough to play and it managed to burn a good hour or two of my time without me even realising.

Of most interest to gamers will be the voice control interface. Indeed I must admit to being a bit dubious about the actual practicality of such an interface, but once the voice configuration is complete, and the dialog and structure of the possible commands learned, then in practice it turns out to be surprisingly good and easy to use. Only on the odd occasion did it not understand my commands - even when I tried to catch it out by speaking faster than normal.

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I noticed that while searching for the Mercenaries 2 demo on Xbox Live Marketplace last week that a demo for Fracture had been released. Now, I must confess that the idea of this landscape deformation game certainly had me intrigued, so it went straight to the top of the download queue… However, after playing through the tutorial and demo level I have to say that I’m not completely sold on the game just yet.

It all started off very promising with the tutorial; starting aboard an airborne assault craft flying over what looks like was once San Francisco Bay and past the Golden Gate Bridge while the commanding officer explains the fundamentals of your HUD, before finally getting dropped into the incursion point at the beginning of the training level. After my initial disappointment at realising there are design restrictions to the landscape deformation (there were bound to be!), which in reality meant I could only raise or lower the landscape by about 10 foot wherever some “dirt” was present, the tutorial actually turned out to be a pretty good introduction to the controls and the various weapon types and abilities on offer.

The main selling point of Fracture is of course going to be the novelty factor involved from being able to manipulate the landscape using the “Entrencher”; implemented via pressing either the left or right controller bumper buttons which in turn fires off a pulse that will lower or raise the landscape respectively. It’s an integral part of the level design and throughout the demo you’re invited, nay required, to use this ability in order to reach inaccessible higher platforms, jump over or tunnel under obstacles, and even to provide tactical cover. It all works reasonably well, even with the noticeable limitations.

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In between playing Castle Crashers, which seems to have been dominating my gaming habits recently, I took some time out from creature bashing to try out the latest race game offering: Pure from Blackrock Studios.

Instead of road or track racing - which seems to be the more dominant racing variant on the Xbox 360 with titles like Forza Motorsport 2, GRiD, and PGR4 - Pure instead spins its wheels off-road featuring Quad bikes, unfeasibly huge jumps, and the ability for the rider to perform a variety of crazy tricks.

The demo features a tutorial level and three laps of the “Mount Garda” course. The tutorial is quite rudimentary and is basically just an oval, but it does provide the basis for an introduction to the controls and on how to perform tricks. However the actual race course itself is a far more interesting affair with branching routes, varying terrain, and a total number of 16 competitors all vying for position.

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Star Wars: The Force Unleashed has the heavy burden of expectation laying heavily on its shoulders. It has been a few years since the acclaimed Knights of the Old Republic series from Bioware and the franchise demands another success.

In terms of the time-line the game takes place after Episode III: Return of the Sith but before Episode IV: A New Hope as the new Empire is mopping up what’s left of the Jedi order. The game tells the story of Darth Vader’s secret apprentice named Starkiller, the name of whom is in itself a nice homage to the original draft of Star Wars where the character we now know and love as Luke Skywalker was originally going to be called Luke Starkiller.

Starting out with a cut-scene between master and apprentice Starkiller is sent to an Imperial Shipyard which is under attack by the Jedi Master Rahm Kota. You’re mission is simple; destroy the Jedi and return his Lightsaber to Lord Vader.

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Small alarm bells start ringing in my head when demo’s are released onto Xbox Live Marketplace after a game has already been released. The cynic in me wonders what the publishers are trying to hide and if it’s just an exercise in damage limitation so the game is at least guaranteed some sales before word gets out that it isn’t as good as the developer diaries and the previews showcased. However after playing through the available chapters in the Alone on the Dark demo the game wasn’t as bad as I was expecting.

The demo starts off impressively as the player partakes in an interactive cut scene whilst the character of Edward Carnby lies half unconscious on a bed unable to move but able to see and hear, and occasionally having to blink to stop his vision from becoming blurred. Eventually you’re led off to be taken “care of” by one of your unknown captors giving rise to your release from captivity once your escort falls foul of some unseen assailant and leaves you to free explore your surroundings.

Alone in the Dark has some good production values and the cut scenes shown throughout the demo have a very cinematic feel about them. Graphically it looks decent enough, the main character model is fine, if a little woodenly animated, but the environments all look great and the fire effects as the flames flicker and dance across flammable surfaces are excellent. Speaking of which, fire seems to be an integral game mechanic. Used not only as a hazard to impede your progress but it can also be turned to your advantage; Furniture can be used to create torches lighting darkened rooms, locked doors can be burnt down, but most importantly fire is the Achilles heel of the inhuman denizens of the game.

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Going back a few years I used to be a fan of Sid Meier, from the early flight simulators like F15 Strike Eagle and F-19 Stealth Fighter to his more strategic games like Railroad Tycoon, Colonization and of course the renowned Civilization. Eventually I just stopped following what Meier was developing but I’ve always remembered his name and his legacy.

I’ve been keeping an eye on how this console centric version of Civilization was progressing with keen interest, and over the last couple of days I’ve been playing the demo, trying to decide if I actually like the game or not and if it’s worth purchasing.

Well, after a shaky start I’ve warmed to the game. To begin with I wasn’t that enthralled; the cartoon-like art design didn’t immediately appeal and the random gibberish spouted by your advisors in place of a verbal language is very irksome. Maybe I was comparing it to the Civilization from old which I remember as being quite a hardcore resource management strategy game where cartoon characterisation and comedic advisors certainly didn’t have a place.

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Although I’ve never read any of Robert Ludlum’s original Bourne novels I have enjoyed all the Hollywood movies starring Matt Damon as the ex-secret agent Jason Bourne. The books and movies have been successful but is the video game adaptation going to continue the run? Well, you can decide how the game is going to fare by trying out the demo of The Bourne Conspiracy that’s available on both Xbox Live Marketplace (1.2GB) and PlayStation Network (1.65GB).

The demo provides the player with three levels to play through, two of which “Escape from the Embassy” and the “Paris Chase” I remember from the movies, but I’m assuming the level “Eliminate Divandelen” may have been taken from one of the novels. Firstly players will immediately notice that Matt Damon hasn’t authorised the use of his likeness for the main character. Those of us whom are more familiar with the movies will feel a little disappointed that a new “face” has had to be used to represent Jason Bourne, but on the whole this shouldn’t really matter as long as the game plays well.

The three levels on offer act to showcase the different gameplay styles available in the game, after all this is Jason Bourne we’re talking about so we expect close hand-to-hand combat, thrilling gun fights, and unbelievable car chases. The demo does it’s best to serve up a slice of each but is only partly successful in delivering an exhilarating experience.

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Due to be released this Friday (23rd May, UK) a demo of the eagerly anticipated PS3 exclusive game Haze can be downloaded from the Playstation Network, weighing in at a mighty 1.57GB.

For its huge download size the actual demo is really quite short. You play a soldier from the Mantle Corporation and along with your fellow squad members are dropped into the jungle and tasked with locating a downed transport craft and securing its valuable cargo of Nectar. All in all you can blast through the level in about 15 minutes and even quicker on successive runs and this level merely acts as a tutorial for the controls and the effects of Nectar on your combat skills.

As a Mantle trooper you have access to the performance enhancing drug Nectar. When coursing through your blood Nectar enhances your vision allowing you to easily pick out enemies, increases your strength, and improves the body’s ability to recover from wounds.

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