This bite-sized Asgardian can do some major damage

It’s not easy growing up, particularly if you happen to be a young Norse god. Young Thor invites players to experience the titular deity’s coming of age as a side scrolling beat-em-up in the convenient, bite-sized format of a PSP Mini.  

A tiny god on an epic quest

Combat is a basic affair; move from left to right and mash attack buttons when enemies get in the way. It’s uncomplicated but still incredibly satisfying. As players progress they’ll come across power-ups and equipment that enable new moves, but ultimately the game doesn’t change too much. 

Size matters not

Despite it’s small size Young Thor manages to present itself very well aesthetically. Environments are attractively stylized and characters are affable in their cartoony forms. The entire presentation seems to be designed around optimizing visibility to make the combat experience more fluid and natural. 

Young Thor doesn’t reinvent anything, it’s a very simple action game. In that simplicity though players will find an experience that let’s them get to the root of what makes the genre fun. At a budget price and travel size it’s hard to pass Young Thor up because there will always be moments in life where you just want to smash some stuff.

Young Thor was released on July 7th 2010 for the PSP as a PSP Mini via Playstation Network.

Ruffian picks up where Real Time Worlds left off, but doesn't forget the spirit of the game

Crackdown 2 is a game about freedom. The liberation a player feels having a ridiculous level of power an entire city as their playground is what Crackdown 2 exists for. No rules, no cares, just unadulterated freedom.

Mutant freaks are a much more agent-worthy opponent

Everything players adored about the first Crackdown has returned; ridiculously over-powered weaponry, the ability to whip cars at foes, and enough collectable orbs scattered throughout the city to drive even the most passive of collectors mad with compulsion. Picking up the controller will be like riding a bicycle for anyone who’s even a little familiar with the first game, they play almost identically, almost to a flaw.

Vehicles return, but none of them transform this time

4-player co-op is the game's defining feature

It’s hard to find the artistry in a game like Crackdown 2, but there’s something that can be learned by the Ruffian style of game development. Crackdown 2 doesn’t take itself seriously for a moment and it almost seems self-aware of its flaws. However, the game revels in its imperfections and delivers its best moments when players stop trying to experience it like a traditional game and just go have fun with it.

Crackdown 2 is a really fun game and, though it’s mired in flaws, never stops being fun. There’s not a lot to distinguish it from the first Crackdown game, but for anyone who’s never enjoyed the original this is a great opportunity to experience what you’ve been missing.

Crackdown 2 was released on July 2 2010 for Xbox 360.

Stuck in a rut, Puzzle Quest 2 fails to deliver anything new

The first Puzzle Quest was a devilish combo of classic RPG elements and the best of the puzzle world, resulting in an addictive blend that made many road trips, bank lines, and family gatherings a little more bearable. Puzzle Quest 2 introduces some new mechanics and a more robust campaign setting, but all the additions may be a little too light to convert any existing Puzzle Quest addicts.

If this looks familiar, it should

It’s the additions though that make a sequel, and though Puzzle Quest 2 revels in more than a few new mechanics none of them enhance the experience to make things feel fresh. The biggest of these additions being an expanded world-exploring mechanic that let’s players travel a fully-animated world instead of simply navigating points on a map like it’s predecessor. The pacing may crawl at text-adventure speeds, but the animated backdrops and characters bring a liveliness to the world that wasn’t in the last game.

A more explorable worlds adds to the experience, but very little

Puzzle Quest 2 also suffers from having to innovate on the innovative. The original combat mechanic was so well designed in the first game it’s clear nobody knew how to take the game to the next level without breaking format like 2009’s Puzzle Quest: Galactrix. The only noticeable addition is the inclusion of equipment, which allows players to store counters and deal damage without matching 3 skull-gems. It’s a nice way of balancing the combat for those unlucky few who just can’t catch a break with the gem drops, but for most it’s just an additional spell slot.

Combat animations add flair, but get stale quick

Puzzle Quest 2 is an okay successor to a great game. It’s not a bad place to start for those who’ve never played a Puzzle Quest game, but for those who’ve already tired of the first there’s not enough in the game to make it worth your time. As for those who are still playing Puzzle Quest, the sequel is alright if you want a change of scenery but not much else.

Puzzle Quest 2 was released on June 22 2010 for Nintendo DS and Xbox 360 via Xbox Live Arcade.

There's a huge number of worthy bands, but these few might do well with their own game

The Rock Band series has taken us from the legendary career of The Beatles to the modern metamorphosis of Green Day. Like them or not, band-specific games are here to stay and will continue to grow and evolve with the music-game genre. The only question that remains is who’s next to get their own title? While we may not know for certain let’s examine a few contenders who are more than capable of delivering a solid Rock Band experience if given the chance.

Combine a unique visual style with some of the most innovative and catchy tunes of the decade and you’ve got a recipe for success. Every album since their 1999 debut has been loaded with billboard topping hits, but there’s still plenty of fan-favourites that could flesh out a well-rounded playlist. Their 6 album history has enough breadth to carry a game without the aid of other artists, though a few Raconteurs tracks could easily be thrown in for good measure.

Performing at some pretty crazy venues, like their impromptu 2007 show in Nunavut, set dressings would be far different than the usual stage with pyrotechnics. Nevermind the fact Jack and Meg White are both extremely animated performers with an incredibly unique fashion sense, which would be fun to see digitized. In fact, the fact that they’re a duo is probably the only thing that could hold it back, considering Rock Band’s social aspect. Though, if 3 worked for Green Day I’m sure fans could forgive losing one more.

Gorillaz: Rock Band

They may not have the biggest catalogue to pull from, but the unique stylings of Murdoc, Russel, 2-D, and Noodle would provide a symphony unlike anything that’s hit the Rock Band stage thus far. The opportunity for the animators to present the game entirely in 2D cartoons would be a fresh change of pace from the pseudo-realistic 3D models that have gone relatively unchanged since Rock Band’s inception.

Because Gorillaz is a fictional band, the campaign is not required to follow a historical path. The game could follow along with their musical career, but of all the bands in this list this concept has the most room for exploration and growth. It would be interesting to see a unique fiction played out, or even recreations of the music videos. Regardless, if Harmonix could figure out a way to work a limited catalogue this could be a very worthwhile release.

The Rolling Stones: Rock Band

If you’re going after the biggest of the big, it’s hard to get more influential than The Rolling Stones. With more hits than you can count, a fanbase that’s been following them since the dawn of time, and a legacy that spans generations it’s hard to say they haven’t earned it. The Rolling Stones are probably the only group that could match The Beatles: Rock Band in terms of mass market popularity with songs like “Ruby Tuesday” and “Satisfaction”

I don’t pity the developers who would have to condense The Rolling Stones’ nearly 50-year career to a few playable venues and some carefully selected track lists. Taking another page from The Beatles: Rock Band, artistic vignettes would do very well to illustrate the group’s lengthy career and bring a fresh set of eyes to one of rock ‘n roll’s greatest. Add in a wealth of unlockable video footage and you’ve got a lot of the Stones to enjoy.

Rage Against the Machine: Rock Band

Another group with a powerful visual style, Rage Against the Machine is one of those bands that puts out such a strong thematic vibe not much more is needed to carry the experience. It does certainly help though that Tom Morello is an absolute mad scientist with his guitar, creating incredible aberrations of music. Throw in Zach De La Rocha’s powerful lyrics and you’ve got an electrically charged disc.

The only issue about revolving an entire game around the band is their lack of ESRB-friendly songs. With every Rock Band title being censored to fit a T for Teen rating it’s hard to say if the music would suffer from the cropping. While it’s unlikely (and illogical) that lyrics alone could warrant an M for Mature rating it’s safe to say Harmonix would have to develop a solution to deliver a RATM experience at full strength.

The greatest transformation; your perception of licenced games

When the first live-action Transformers movie burst on to the scene, it re-ignited a sheltered ember that would grow to a roaring fire of fanboyism. Out of the woodwork burst geeks in Autobot and Decepticon t-shirts, spouting epitaphs from the series and debating where Optimus Prime’s trailer goes when he transforms. Then something terrible happened, 2 really bad video games and an even worse film sequel came along and destroyed any hope the fans had for a true return of their beloved Transformers. Now, with the franchise about to fall back in to irrelevance High Moon Studios have come along and delivered a game that gives every Transformers fan something to get excited about.

Characters are redesigned, but completely recognizable

It’s obvious that during development High Moon was focused on building a good game first, and a good Transformers game second. Aiming is accurate, movement is well-paced, controls are simply laid out, and everything feels balanced. All the fundamentals of good game design have been covered, and that makes the game extremely comfortable to play. Transformers: War for Cybertron could be stripped of all it’s Transformers assets and still be a fun game to play, solid game mechanics are solid regardless of what things look like.

However, War for Cybertron works beyond the confines of licensed-game expectations. High Moon has paid an incredible amount of respect to the source material to deliver the ultimate Transformers fan experience. Everything from the audio cues to the detailed transforming animations are authentic to the original series and with Peter Cullen, and a few other G1 voice actors, performing their respective roles this is as close as anyone could get to recreating the magic of the cartoon.

The Transformers world has never felt more real

The single player campaign is a divided affair, letting players take part in both the Decepticon, then Autobot sides of the conflict. Structuring the storyline in this way gives players a chance to revel in the unhindered evil powers of Megatron while still swinging in for a hero’s victory with Optimus Prime at the end of the game. Characters like Sideswipe and Breakdown are also available, but won’t see much play outside the game’s co-op campaign; no one wants to be the kid playing with bottom-of-the-box toys if they don’t have to.

The story follows Megatron on his quest to erradicate the free-thinking Autobots from Cybertron by infusing ‘dark energon’ in the core of the planet. Optimus and co. embark on a quest to stop him and as expected hit a few snags on the way. The plot carries a surprisingly environmental message considering every living thing in the game is made of metal. Cybertron is imbued with a Gaia-like essence and there’s plenty of juxtaposition to our current global condition for those who want to read too deeply in to a game about fighting robots.

Interesting class elements work well online

Where the campaign really shines is during the boss battles which pit the player against Transformers more than 5x their size. Whether the pattern-based gameplay is an intentional tip of the hat to 80’s-era gaming or by-the-book game design it calls back memories of the games fans would be playing during the heyday of their Transformers hysteria. Taking down one of the big enemies is triumphant with the moments leading to the fight baited with equal parts anticipation and trepidation.

The online multiplayer is a worthwhile experience that won’t call everyone back, but will have an audience that returns time and again. The modes are a medley of the typical deathmatch and capture the flag varients, but a class-based structure combined with transforming elements provide a unique spin on an otherwise unoriginal attachment. It’s worth playing if you have the game, but the multiplayer is not a reason to go out and buy Transformers: War for Cybertron.

Transformers: War for Cybertron is a good game. It’s not perfect, but for the fans who’ve been abused through the past 2 cash-ins a little roughness around the edges can be tolerated for an game with as much heart as War for Cybertron. Development was clearly focused around building a solid set of mechanics that any player could enjoy, but ultimately this is a game best served to fans. Those who don’t ‘get’ Transformers will see a slightly better than average action/shooter, but for those with “The Touch” this is the game you’ve been waiting for.

Transformers: War for Cybertron was released on June 22 2010 for Xbox 360, PC, and Playstation 3.

The Beatles are a tough act to follow, but Green Day steps up and delivers a solid performance

Love them or hate them, Green Day is one of the few bands of the 90’s who remain as successful today as their original breakout. Re-imagining themselves from the punk rock trio that released hits like Welcome to Paradise and Basket Case to the modern, thematically charged artists behind narrative albums like American Idiot and 21st Century Breakdown Green Day has catered to a current audience across 2 decades. Now with more people experiencing their music through games, Green Day are once more adapting for the masses with the release of Green Day: Rock Band.

Green Day: Rock Band is first and foremost a fan's game

To make matters worse, Green Day’s already got a rather fractured audience with a majority of fans pledging allegiance to either their earlier or later works. Harmonix made the wise choice to include Green Day’s 3 best albums in their entirety while only selecting the best of their lesser albums rather than throwing every song the band’s ever made at players. Combine that with 3 separate campaign segments (all available to play from the start) that highlight the band’s major formative periods and you’ve got a structure that gives players access to the content they want without losing the reward of progress.

Career mode gives snapshots of the band's varied history

Unlockable photos are accessed by completing and 5-starring songs as expected, while videos are earned through completing new challenge setlists. Unlike previous band-specific games the additional content is mostly live performances, which really adds value to the disc and enhances the Green Day experience. There are a fair share of interviews to be accessed as well, but it’s obvious Harmonix felt it was important to give the player a sense of what Green Day is like on stage.

Venues cover Green Day's change in visual styles well

The overall presentation does suffer from some heightened expectations after The Beatles: Rock Band’s phenomenal dreamscape sequences. With only 3 stages to play on and only minor virtual pyrotechnics to differentiate tracks visually one could question why Harmonix didn’t just release a giant Green Day track pack for existing Rock Band games. Thankfully the game does enable you to export all the songs to your hard drive and play them in Rock Band 1 and 2, as well as Lego: Rock Band for a change of scenery. There is a small export fee for those with the standard edition, but the price is well worth it for the ability to add almost 50 songs to your library.

Animators capture Tré Cool's mischevous on-stage antics well

Green Day: Rock Band is the baby bear to Harmonix’ Goldilocks tale. It fits nicely between the locked-down but immaculately produced content of The Beatles: Rock Band and the bare bones but accessible AC/DC Live: Rock Band track pack. There’s a level of polish and exploration to the experience that puts it head and shoulders above a plain old DLC release, but doesn’t get caught up in trying to be it’s own thing. There’s still a reason Harmonix puts Green Day ahead of Rock Band in the title, but in this more than any previous release the two entities live in greater harmony. If you have a passing interest in Green Day or just want some new songs to play for your existing games Green Day: Rock Band is well worth a look, the only people who won’t find value are those who take issue with the music.

Green Day: Rock Band was released on June 8 2010 for Xbox 360, Playstation 3, and Nintendo Wii.

Toy Story 3 delivers gameplay that lasts to infinity, and beyond

Making a good kids’ game is hard. By the time your skills are refined enough to deliver a solid experience you’re out of touch with your audience. It’s a strange crux to face, but the folks at Avalanche software stared it down and delivered a very solid experience for the minors. Toy Story 3: The Video Game straddles the line between story-driven and purely experiential gameplay to offer the best of both worlds for kids who want a lot from their games.

Toy Box mode offers a lot of things to collect

Toy Story 3’s open-world Toy Box mode is as close to an offline MMO as you’ll find in a kids’ game. Players are given absolute freedom to explore a large western setting (straight out of Andy’s imagination) and are given plenty of things to do while in the Toy Story world. There are missions to collect and complete, buildings to customize and mini-games to be conquered but the pacing is left entirely to the player allowing them to enjoy the bits they like and ignore the bits they don’t. The result is a free flowing experience that gives players absolute control of their world in the best way possible.

All the major characters make an appearance

Self-governance metagame aside, the Toy Box missions are simple enough to complete but fun enough to draw players back. They provide just the right amount of challenge for young people who want to do it all and there are enough collectibles to give developing minds a hoarding complex. Combine that with the fun and creativity that comes with the mass customization available in the game and you’ve got a winning experience.

Campaign follows all the movie's high points

Campaign mode doesn’t follow the story 1:1, it adds in a few extra fantasy levels and skims a lot of the story. This means that in the unlikely event players are playing the game before seeing the movie very little will be spoiled. The missions are a mix of traditional action-platforming with slight puzzle-solving and a few open-space instances to explore and conquer. It’s a short experience, lasting only 2.5 – 3 hours total but it packs in a surprising level of polish for a licensed game.

Campaign mode's best levels are inspired by great games

The only thing really holding the game back from being truly fantastic is it’s controls, particularly in the combat portions. The characters can all throw Pixar balls at enemies, but targeting and trajectory are so loose that it can cause some serious frustration. There’s also a lot of objectives within the open-space instance levels that use repeat mechanics from the Toy Box mode that just aren’t as fun when you’re not working towards a reward.

Toy Story 3: The Video Game is a surprising success. Any 10 year-old with a fascination with the flick will get an experience that not only brings all the characters to life, but provides a lot of fun in the process. The single player campaign is a little short and has it’s ups and downs, but the Toy Box experience is infinitely re-playable with much fun to be had. Older gamers might get some joy out of the game on a purely mechanical level, but only if they can forgive some mechanical weakness. However, Toy Story 3: The Video Game is a must-play for young people who love games and love Toy Story 3.

Toy Story 3: The Video Game was released on June 15 2010 for Xbox 360, Playstation 3, Playstation Portable, Nintendo Wii, and Nintendo DS.

There's nothing that brings friends closer than a little world domination

The Xbox Live Arcade has been host to a plethora of board game adaptations by this point, but the king of all war games has been sadly absent. Come and go are the classic compilations and German fan favourites, but Risk has been nowhere in sight. However, Hasbro has finally seen fit to release an online adaptation of La Conquête du Monde with an updated rule set for fast online play. For those that have been waiting, this is now your day.

The cartoon vignettes are funny and well composed

Risk: Factions offers up a 1:1 digital remake of the classic game, completely in-tact. For those that want the classic experience you’ll get it, so it’s safe to pack up the board and enjoy your squabbles for Asia online. You may miss the feeling of dice in your hands, but with the game keeping track of troops etc. (plus the removal of cheating) the game is marginally easier to play.

Combat is illustrated most gloriously

The single-player campaign is very short, a 5-level affair that has players taking the role of army commander for various fictional forces. If you’ve ever pretended those little black X’s on the board were robots or zombies, this is the game for you as both are playable races in the game. With each army themed, Stainless Games (Duels of the Planeswalkers), has seen fit to throw in a little visual splendor when attacks are issued pitting cartoon characters against one another in cute, if too long, animations.

On-board hazzards like volcanoes shake things up

Risk wouldn’t be Risk without a solid multiplayer setup and Risk: Factions delivers. Offering players the option between online or same-screen play. Matchmaking is helpful, pairing players of like-skill but online matches (like real life) often don’t reach a glorious conclusion with players either quitting or disconnecting partway through the match. This is absolutely a game that benefits from party play with friends as the matchmaking experience doesn’t really hold the same diplomatic metagame Risk is known for.

Now the infection can go world-wide

Risk: Factions is a very well produced adaptation of the world’s best global conquest game. It may have gone down a somewhat bizarre route with the fantasy elements, but the cartoons are enjoyable and the theme doesn’t detract from the mechanics. The experience playing this title will range from person to person greatly. Risk: Factions is for people who like Risk, but don’t have the time or energy to commit to an entire evening of the game. For those who play Risk as a serious game will probably find the interface more hindering than helpful, but for most casual fans the options for quick matches will probably deliver their first complete game.

Risk: Factions was released on June 23 2010 for Xbox 360 via Xbox Live Arcade.

Like that cute chick from summer camp, Blur matures racing-combat to a beautiful conclusion

Fast cars and projectiles have gone together since a particular plumber figured out a turtle shell to the back of the head really hurts. Since the racing-combat genre’s inception there have been plenty of attempts to mature the gameplay, but the over-the-top nature of cars racing to the death has always felt a little juvenile. Through it’s visual design Blur brings a surprising elegance to motorized mayhem and delivers an experience that’s equal parts fine-tuned street racing and destroy-em-all destruction.

Splashes of light are more appealing than traditional weapons

However, the game picks up considerably once players get in to the meat of the races. Battling it out with a variety of power-ups and overtaking one another in a duel for first place is what this game is about. Visually the power-ups are very refined, instead of giant canons or miniguns the vehicles just spit out coloured pulses. It’s a very appealing way of handling the look of the mechanics, where many other games falter.

Online can get a little over-crowded with 20 players

Leveling your profile is what you’d expect it would be; race, win and earn. There’s not a lot to the formula, and because of that it can feel a little dry. As players earn fans (read XP) they’ll get access to increasingly more powerful cars, which are necessary to beat the increasingly difficult races. It’s been done a billion times before in every genre and it works fine, but it would have been nice to see something a little more unique from a game that’s trying to break the mold.

Splt-Screen co-op is a necessary inclusion for this genre

The online space however is a very different story. With multiplayer matches up to 20 players things can get a little too chaotic with implements flying in all directions. Cars constantly fight for shoulder room, which sounds great in a game like this, but ultimately feels crowded and over-blown. Players do have the option to scale their matches down to a more manageable number, but for those who walk in via quick matching will have a less than stellar online experience.

Blur is a game caught between two worlds. On one hand it wants to deliver a very compelling Mariokart-esque experience, and on the other it revels in photorealism and the technicality of racing. However, despite mastering the mashup both mechanically and visually there still feels like something’s lacking. The game is refined, but refinement on a stock concept is like eating the world’s best crafted cracker; it’s the best cracker you’ve ever had, but it’s still just a cracker. If you’re a genre fan, Blur is definitely worth checking out if you can temper expectations. Most will have fun with the game, but it’s unlikely this will become your raison d’être.

Blur was released on May 25 2010 for Xbox 360, PC and Playstation 3.

Unfortunately we can’t all be winners in life so our randomly selected duo are Rum Geoff and Xiantayne. Congratulations to both of you and keep an eye on your inboxes, a beagle will be landing soon. As for the rest of you, keep your eye on the front page as we’ll be having plenty more contests in the near future.

Canadian developer United Front Games puts a personal spin on the kart-racing genre

Character customization is detailed and refined

Building tracks is very easy, almost as easy as just driving. The track creation tool provides a lot of options for players who want to manually edit every bank and bridge, but it’s simple enough to create a basic track literally within minutes. The game does a fantastic job of letting the player control every aspect but provides a much simpler experience with an auto-populate tool that decorates and places items all over the track. There’s an incredible depth to the process and players who put the effort in will ultimately be rewarded with more dynamic tracks, but those without the time or care to do so still have options for creating great content.

The character creation process is very simple, but completely freeing. Players are presented with a blank slate in the form of a basal white vinyl doll (similar to the Kid Robot figurines) and add clothing, accessories and 2D ’stickers’ on top to make it their own. Unlike other customization-focused games the process is not an exact science, there’s no viewable X/Y-axis coordinates or any measurable level of precision which means players will have to rely much more on their eye than theory to make something look good.

Track editing can get very detailed

The same is mostly true for track creation, a majority of top creations are heavily inspired by the courses from other games. It’s very impressive to see the level of accuracy these are designed with, but at the same time disheartening to know that the best the top of the community can produce are replications of greater designs. It’s still a great way of getting lots of good tracks in to the game, which shouldn’t be discounted, but considering the immensely powerful tools put at players’ disposal it would be nice to see more unique content.

Destroying your enemies with traps is satisfying

What makes the campaign more fun than most kart-racers is the inclusion of additional objectives within each race. Be it collecting enough drift points or finding all the jumps within your 3 laps every track comes with 2 additional mini-missions to complete while you try and come in first. Completing these unlocks additional items to customize your character and vehicle with and provides you with an opportunity to duel one of the pre-created characters to add them to your collection. It’s not a huge incentive to go out of your way while racing, but it’s more than most offer and the additional gameplay keeps the game from getting dull.

Solid drift mechanics keep the game from stagnating

One of the biggest additions, but simplest executions, is the inclusion of a shield. Players can activate it any time, provided they have sufficient boost and it protects them from whatever implements come flying their way. It’s an easy solve to the problem of cheap-feeling homing attacks and simultaneously adds a greater level of skill and balance to the game. Players in the lead also receive a small boon thanks to United Front’s clever design. Any weapon can be turned in to a mine, giving players in front of the pack an opportunity to do something rather than just waiting for their opponents to catch up or kill them.

ModNation Racers may not seem it, but it’s controls are deftly simple yet hard to master. The controller layout is in such a way that only experienced players will be able to wrap their fingers around the controller to simultaneously boost, shield and drift which makes maximum performance a skill earned.

Look mom, I can fly!

In addition, load times are far too long and with no install to hard drive option for the game it’s unlikely to get fixed any time soon. It makes sense that a game with this much custom content would take longer, but if it weren’t for the visible indicator showing how far-along the race has loaded most would assume their PS3 had frozen. United Front Games needs to patch this title badly and fix this issue in particular, it’s the biggest thing keeping it from being flawless.

On the whole though, the experience is really solid. ModNation Racers delivers an experience that beats the best in the genre. It’s customization features and infinite replayability make it a great value, even if you’ll have a hard time sitting through some of the loading. Expertly crafted game design and a real focus on balance within multiplayer makes this game a must-play for PS3 owners who are looking for a kart experience.

ModNation Racers was released on May 25 2010 for Playstation 3.

By now everyone knows the biggest games of E3. Anticipated months before announcement and showcased on the grandest of stages there’s an undeniable pizazz to gaming’s giants. We all expected them to show up and they all did, but what about the little guys? Those few smaller games that get tucked away in the secret corners of the convention floor like a treasure waiting to be found? After crawling through a book’s worth of press releases I’ve found you five games I consider the hidden gems of E3 2010.

Rock of Ages:
Brazillian developer ACE Team may not be the most well known, but those who played their caveman-fantasy first-person brawler, Zeno Clash, know few can match their creepy-cool art style. Their newest game, Rock of Ages, looks nothing like Zeno Clash, but proves that they’ve got what it takes to deliver artistically on a variety of themes. In addition to the art, the Odama-esque gameplay that has players smashing their way through enemy troops and barricades looks like a lot of fun.

Journey:
thatgamecompany made a bold statement about games last year when they released Fl0wer on the PS3. It questioned the very essence of interactive media and tried to offer an experience more poetic than challenging. Not a lot is known about their newly announced title, Journey, but from the little art we’ve seen and developer-superstar Jenova Chen filling the role of creative director it’s more than likely this game will also redefine the limits of what games can be.

Swarm
Modern gaming’s needed a Lemmings revival for a while now and Swarm’s giving us heavy indications it might be it. Hothead Games, the Vancouver studio responsible for the Penny Arcade video games, have created some adorably expendable creatures with a level of artistic proficiency on-par with Twisted Pixel. As of yet we haven’t seen a whole ton of gameplay, but if the trailer is any indication there will be more than enough hurdles for your swarmites to mangle themselves on.

Dust: An Elysian Tail:
It’s not often you find an XBLA title with animation as fluid and polished as this. Dust: An Elysian Tail is an anime-style side-scrolling action-RPG game that takes place in a beautiful fantasy world. Both the characters and the environments are drawn with the most meticulous care and attention to detail. Watching the preview, it looks more like a cartoon short than a game trailer. What makes this even more impressive is that the game is crafted by a single man, Dean Dodrill.

Dudebro II:
If the Clockwork Orange inspired trailer wasn’t enough to get your blood pumping the fact that this game is coming out of the NeoGAF community should. If you’re looking for a smarter, more clever level of gaming commentary you’ll be hard-pressed to beat the folks over at the forum. It only makes sense that the title is intended to parody the over-the-top nature of most modern games. The actual game will be a top-down 3rd person shooter, but the gameplay isn’t what you should look forward to. You should play Dudebro II for the community-created script.

To win one, leave a comment below telling us what your gang name would be. The codes can only be used to Saturday, so hurry and get your entries in fast! Don’t forget to leave your email address so we can contact you if you win.

As always, good luck and have fun!

Earthworm Jim crawls back in to gaming for an XBLA revamp

Earthworm Jim is one of those properties you either love or have no idea what to think of it. Between the gross-out humour, bizarre characters and some unique platforming mechanics, Earthworm Jim is a cult classic that defined the SNES/Genesis generation for many. Now, Gameloft has revived the extraterrestrial (or is that extra-terrestrial?) hero in full HD for the Xbox Live Arcade.

Yes, that boss is mucus

Every level has been beautifully redrawn and reanimated without losing it’s charm. Some aspects of the character design also fulfill the original concepts better than the source too; the cartoon-like animation breathes much better and feels more alive than the original sometimes-blocky sprites. The options don’t allow you to switch back and forth between new and classic like some revamp titles so it might not be appreciated by all, but the graphical update is definitely an upgrade.

Audio design has stayed relatively the same, the catchy tunes by Mark Miller and Tommy Tallarico are still present and still carry the zany-action vibe they were written with. The voice-over work by Scott Shaw has also stayed intact, providing plenty of opportunities to hear the iconic catchphrases. A better remastering of the audio tracks or even a few playful remixes would have been nice to include, but Earthworm Jim HD is an experience that stays the course of authenticity over adaptation.

Redone art pops better than original

4-Player co-op is a welcome addition

One new addition that’s a complete distraction is the addition of ridiculous overt hints on how to beat enemy bosses. These screen-filling cheat sheets take a lot of the magic away from these previously epic fights, reducing them to a line dance with repeating steps. Of course this can been turned off, and could be useful to those that want their game experience reduced to 2 or 3 hours, but the default should never have been ‘on’.

Earthworm Jim HD offers a fair amount of additional content for existing fans to chew on, and the HD revamp conveys to new players why so many people fell in love with the dirt-eater way back when. It’s not a perfectly polished game, but it’s being true to it’s source. Earthworm Jim HD is a worthwhile revamp for anyone with an affinity for the character, and those curious about him. Anyone expecting a rock-solid gameplay experience should still enter, but temper their expectations and brace for some janky ‘classic’ gameplay.

Earthworm Jim HD was released on June 9 2010 for Xbox 360 via Xbox Live Arcade.

The XBLA title jumps off the screen and in to your hands

At first glance the printed versions of Magic: The Gathering’s Duels of the Planeswalkers decks look like a cheap cash-in on the recently broken gamers stumbling in to the game for the first time. Bloated with basic lands, cheap rares and vanilla cards it’s hard to understand why anyone other than an absolute neophyte would find any of the 5 decks worthwhile. However, in their simplicity there’s a relaxed sort of play that carves away most of the meta game without sacrificing what makes Magic: The Gathering fun.

The packaging is rather misleading

There’s a remarkable balance between the five decks. Each has a few ups and downs due to the rock-paper-scissors nature of mono-colour decks, but overall they provide a level playing field for all players. Because the cards are so simple and use only the most basic of abilities it bottlenecks player skill providing newcomers an opportunity to play against veteran friends, provided they all play the new decks.

The decks themselves are well plotted to represent the core elements of Magic: The Gathering. Each deck highlights it’s given colour in the most traditional way possible (Blue counters, Red burns, etc). Oddly, White is missing from the mix either in preparation for the upcoming Espeleth versus Tezzeret duel deck or some malicious anti-white conspiracy. In it’s place is a single tribal Elf deck that stands out as the most cohesively designed of the bunch. Overall though the decks focus on the simplest of themes and go from there creating experiences that remind you what Magic is really all about.

Espleth (and white in general) get completely snubbed

Unlike a majority of starter decks these don’t really focus on any set-specific mechanics, which means it’s unlikely you’ll be able to pull them apart later and get use out of them. These decks are meant to stay together as-is without addition or subtraction because at the end of the day, they’re only fun against each other the way they were delivered in the box.

Magic: The Gathering’s Duels of the Planeswalkers decks are a little misleading in that there are no actual planeswalkers held within. What players will find is a very simple set of decks that focus more on balance than power and provide something unique in that. Veteran and tournament players who don’t want to waste their time with easy casual gameplay should avoid these entirely, there’s no value in these for you. However, for new players or those looking for a break from the intense these decks can offer a great casual experience with friends.

Magic: The Gathering’s Duels of the Planeswalkers decks were released on June 4 2010.

Things on Wheels, this year's contender for worst downloadable game

Wonky race car driving has been a staple of gaming since MarioKart paved the way for arcade-style racing to go crazy. Things On Wheels is an XBLA title similar in vein to ReVolt, Micro Machines, or Mad Tracks. It offers up plenty of power-ups and kooky courses to get players interested, but sloppy level design and poor handling make the game a sub-par mess.

If the game has anything going for it, Things on Wheels offers up a lot of choice. Players have complete control over the style and colour of their vehicle before each race. They’re also given the ability to customize rules, AI opponents and more to suit their fancy. There’s a fair amount of variety in vehicle choices, but most cars are locked until a decent way in to the campaign.

Structured around four 5-mission episodes, Things On Wheels is not a long experience, but it is one players will labour through to finish. Each mission is a race variation on one of the game’s handful of sloppily designed tracks, extending the game’s life longer than necessary like a botox-injected octogenarian.

It is impossible to drive properly in ToW

Visually the game is as simple as you can get; textures are flat and uninteresting, geometry is plain and boxy, and every shiny surface radiates with a nuclear glow. There’s a lack of skill here that’s so amateur it falls below expectations for most first-year student projects. Audio is no better; a generic funk soundtrack courses throughout the game, interrupted only by the clip-art of sound effects.

What makes the game so unbearable is the ridiculous handling of the cars, they turn super fast and there’s no feeling of weight or stability to the vehicles. Regardless of the individual car’s stats they’ll flail wildly about the course no matter how hard you try and control it. It doesn’t help that every level is filled with holes and cracks that players can easily slip through and get trapped in. The game has a respawn button to make things easier, but it’s a dollar store bandage to fix a gaping chest wound.

Things on Wheels is a mess, not a hot mess, just a mess. It’s got some good ideas behind it, but those ideas are executed 10,000 fold better in other games. Sloppy controls and lousy course design set the game apart as the new gold-standard in careless development. Avoid Things on Wheels like the plague, the only people who will get satisfaction out of it are those who have no idea what a good (or even mediocre) racing game looks like.

Things on Wheels was released on May 12 2010 for Xbox 360 via Xbox Live Arcade.

Atlus expands the DS cult-classic and gives it a full cast to play with

Recently, a scientific study was published showing that surgeons who had played video games 3 hours a week performed surgery faster and with fewer errors than their non-gaming counterparts.  While Trauma Team will probably not make players better surgeons, it will definitely help them experience the thrill of those working the knives.

Some proceedures can be downright cringe-worthy

Mysterious inmate CR-S01, exceptionally voiced by veteran voice actor Nolan North, is a young surgeon with no memory of the crime he committed. Players spend plenty of time in the protagonist’s shoes performing emergency surgeries similar in vein to the DS games. The expected tools are all present and require a quick, but steady hand to successfully complete operations.

First Response missions put the player in control of Dr. Maria Torres, a paramedic for Resurgam Medical.  Emergency situations handled by Torres generally happen outside of the hospital, providing a look at the world beyond the operating table unseen in the series’ past.  Torres’ job is to treat and stabilize multiple victims for transport to hospital while incurring minimal losses.  There’s a crudeness to the methodology and less precision is required, but her missions are fast-paced and not for the weak of heart.

Endoscopy is clumsy and poorly designed

When a problem lies below the surface, in areas inaccessible to normal surgical procedures, Dr. Tomoe Tachibana and her endoscope are brought in for those hard to reach places.  Tachibana has a strong sense of honour and duty but is also easily the game’s most annoying character with the most complicated toolset.  Handled entirely in the first-person, the limitations of endoscopic procedures are presented most readily when Tachibana uses her equipment to dig into a pile of rubble in search of survivors (No, really. That happens).  The motion controls in these missions are clumsy and make players feel frustration more than failure as they jab around aimlessly in their patient’s colon.

Rounding out the Trauma Team are Dr. Gabriel “Gabe” Cunningham, the hospital’s diagnostician, and Dr. Naomi Kimishima.  Cunningham’s missions involve new admissions to the hospital.  He employs traditional tools such as stethoscopes, x-rays and CT scans to determine exactly what ails.  Kimishima, previously seen in Trauma Center: Second Opinion, has left the world of surgery behind and now deals with the newly departed, using clues and forensic science to reveal the truth behind their ghastly murders.  Both characters’ missions are lengthy and contain a great amount of voice work.  Travis Willingham (Cunningham) and Kristen Potter (Kimishima) both bring unexpected depth and emotion to their performances, grounding their characters and making them worth spending time with.

Cutscenes round-out the presentation nicely, even if they get melodramatic at tiems

Trauma Center veterans will find familiarity with the control scheme, utilizing the nunchuk for tool selection and the Wii Remote to control the various surgical tools. Players will be required to twist, turn, push, pull and smack various items in unique combinations whilst performing surgery.  The controls can become erratic at times due to well-known Wii hardware limitations, which is a shame in a game that relies so heavily on precision.  Thankfully, the addition of an intern level of difficulty makes room for errors caused by faulty sensor readings but it’s only a Band-Aid on a systemic problem.

Initial missions progress slowly and act mainly as tutorial levels.  There is a story involved, broken up in a timeline over the various characters, but it’s not an engaging one.  The main story kicks in about halfway through and acts as a catalyst that brings the characters together.  From that point forward, missions become more exciting, dangerous, and engrossing.  The story also starts to flow in a more direct nature, opposing the early missions that let players choose where in the timeline they want to play. Trauma Team is a game that gets better over time, which can be hard for players with short attention spans.

Trauma Team pushes it's T rating hard

Surgeons in need of assistance during their procedures can take advantage of Trauma Team’s co-op mode for most of the missions.  In some cases, players share the various surgical tools, while in other cases the patients are divided amongst the players. Good communication plays a large role in succeeding during these missions with quality pairs easily working synchronously. In the orthopedic and endoscopic missions control flips between the two players on a timer, often leading to frantic movements and mistakes.  It’s a sloppy way of handling the co-op and far less enjoyable than the surgical and first response missions. Technical issues aside, the co-operative missions provide players with a solid experience that exceeds the single player at certain points.

Although it may have its faults, Trauma Team is over 30 hours of engaging casual game play.  The co-operative experience alone is worth the time investment but the serialized story and clever gameplay deliver on above expectations too. If you’re the type of player who skips every cutscene it may be hard to get the full value of the game, but for everyone else there’s a worthwhile story told between patients. Those who’ve enjoyed the Trauma Center games on the DS, or have been interested in the doctor-simulator but never played, should absolutely consider Trauma Team.

Trauma Team was released on May 18 2010 for Nintendo Wii.

It's WWI and Snoopy has a target in sight

Charles Schultz’ Peanuts may not be the first franchise you associate with a high-altitude dogfight to the death aerial combat game, but Snoopy Flying Ace delivers just that. Cast in a pseud-steampunk WWI universe, Charlie Brown’s beagle chases down the infamous Red Baron in one of the best aerial warfare games the XBLA has to offer.

Environments are well fleshed-out

Through this transformation, the characters fit fantastically in the high-action cutthroat environment the dogfighting mechanics present. As players soar through the skies and blast each other out of the air it’s very easy to forget that this is a franchise synonymous with Christmas specials. There’s a rush that comes from being in control of your plane and tearing through your enemies that calls you back, round after round for more.

Players are given the option to customize their aircraft for an added touch of personality. They can choose different models and paint jobs, even different weapon load outs. Avatars can even be selected as pilots so there’s a personal investment in the game beyond what it delivers at face value. All of the characters are unlocked right at the start, and a few straggling weapons and planes can be accessed by playing through the campaign.

Tearing down your enemies is a thrill

Unlike a majority of games in the genre, Snoopy Flying Ace handles all weapons, health and boost via a recharge mechanic. This keeps the game playing faster and more focused than if they had opted for the traditional floating crates option. Simple, forward thinking like this can be found all over the game. Small touches like the ability to change weapon load-outs mid-game or providing visual notice when players need to barrel roll make the game very simple and fluid to play.

Narrow misses make you sweat

One small touch the campaign gets right is pitting the player against the Red Baron in a majority of matches. In fact, in the first non-tutorial level you face him down. This does an excellent job of building the villain and really lets players feel a rivalry with the character better than if they had saved him for a boss at the end. The actual fights are no more or less spectacular than an average plane, but there’s an added little sting whenever you get shot down by the enemy that hurts more than others.

Snoopy Flying Ace is a delightful surprise. Most will pass the game simply because of the license attached to it, but because of the fresh take on the characters, unique universe and absolutely fantastic controls most would also be remiss in doing so. Snoopy Flying Ace delivers an incredibly tight package that understands the fun elements of aerial combat better than every entry in the genre since Crimson Skies. If you have any interest at all in taking to the skies, this game is an absolute must-play. The only people who won’t be able to enjoy it are those who refuse to overlook the ‘kiddie’ elements and those who suffer from extreme vertigo.

Snoopy Flying Ace was released on June 3 2010 for Xbox 360 via Xbox Live Arcade.

Contest:
Smart Bomb Interactive have been gracious enough to give us 2 extra XBLA codes for Snoopy Flying Ace and we’re going to give them away to our beloved readers. To enter the random draw leave a comment below telling us what other real-world villains Snoopy could face through history in addition to The Red Baron. We’ll announce the winners in an upcoming post, so keep your eyes on the site. As always, good luck and don’t forget to leave your email!

Fat Princess: Fistful of Cake delivers a second serving of a delectable main course

Fat Princess had an awkward time squeezing through the PSN’s door. The single-player experience was overshadowed by the multiplayer and the multiplayer suffered from the usual ailments most downloadable titles on the PSN suffer from. However, despite a lack of people playing and a few server issues the game was an absolute darling. Adorable art, combined with a cute premise and solid execution, the game should have been a runaway hit. Sony’s coming back for seconds this time with a snack-sized edition available for the Playstation Portable and this time it’s got legs.

Cartoony textures pop on the PSP

Fat Princess serves up a variety of different gametypes, from capture or rescue the princess, to defense, to a worker-focused arms race there is a decent amount of variety in the story mode. There’s plenty of room to explore the different classes and find the best fit for each job, as well as a personal favourite. Conflicts are dynamic and an element of strategy comes in to play when choosing how to confront different enemy types keeping the game at a constantly evolving pace.

Individual campaign missions are a little long for short-burst gameplay, but are perfect length for an average commute. Players are able to jump in and get playing even quicker with the arena mode that pits them against waves of enemies in a duel to the death. This means that regardless of how much time you have to spend, there’s a fulfilling experience to be had with Fistful of Cake.

Inter-class combat is very dynamic

What makes the PSP version of Fat Princess more playable than the original is the portability without sacrificing anything. The game looks just as good and plays just as well, but without the required commitment of booting up the PS3 and HDTV just for a quick round. The ease of entry does wonders for the game’s overall playability and will call players back more frequently than it’s predecessor.

Fat Princess: Fistful of Cake is a wonderful translation of the Playstation 3’s critical darling. It carries well on the handheld and offers a rather meaty experience despite it’s lean appearance. Fat Princess: Fistful of Cake delivers more per serving than is expected of the average budget priced title and doesn’t disappoint visually. If you tried the original and outright didn’t like it there’s nothing new to sway you here. However, if you missed out when Fat Princess hit the PSN this is a perfect opportunity to play the best version of the game yet.

Fat Princess: Fistful of Cake was released on April 27 2010 for Playstation Portable on UMD and via PSN.

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Hand-to-hand combat in a bizarre fantasy world.

Zeno Clash looks like a first-person shooter, but most of the time you don’t have a gun. Everything around you seems so weird; deranged fey-like humanoids, a twisted landscape that’s both off-putting in it’s oddity but draws you closer regardless, and an overwhelming sense of mystery and perplexity that surrounds the experience leaving you feeling both wondrous and a little frightened.

Protagonist Ghat and companion Deadra.

Conflicts in Zeno Clash arise in closed-off arena-like segments that not only limit the effectiveness of the ranged weapons due to limited range, but also force the enemies unto the player with little room for escape. This builds a frenzied feral-like experience to the fighting. The enemies are in your face, and despite some rather clumsy ragdoll physics at times, the combat feels brutal and personal.

The Xbox 360 controller is a fantastic interface for this system and the recently added animations flesh out the range of motion in a far more dynamic way than the original. In addition, the game also benefits from the a slower rate of motion and feels more natural, allowing the player to enjoy the violence their actions unleashes in a more visceral way. There isn’t a whole ton different on the XBLA rendition, but in terms of control it’s a clear improvement.

What draws you in to Zeno Clash isn’t the difference in combat, but the overall look and feel of the world itself. Edmundo Bordeu’s art direction pulls from a variety of sources but only vaguely, lending the game to feel both very familiar in it’s overall presence, but very fresh at the same time. The world in which Ace Team describes as Fantasy-Punk is filled with strange architecture, landscapes, flora and fauna. The character animations by Gabriel Garcia really enhance the sensation of being comfortably creeped-out, especially with the lead antagonist Father-Mother who’s slow but directed gestures make you instantly aware somethings not right.

The persistantly creepy Father-Mother.

It’s a shame then that the story experience is rather harshly interrupted by some of the poor voice acting. Don’t mistake, not all of the voice acting is bad. The voicework for Father-Mother and Golem is really high-quality work which is surprising considering it was done in-house by Ace Team co-founder Edumundo Bordeau. It’s unfortunate then that Deadra, your female companion for a large majority of the game, sucks you right out of the game world every time her lips move. That performance, along with the halfhearted reading of made-up curse words is unshakably distracting.

Ghat fighting one of his vengeful 'siblings'.

It’s hard not to get pulled in to it’s expertly crafted world and while a rather short experience, it never feels stale or rehashed from other games. Zeno Clash is a marvel in this regard. The hand-to-hand combat takes some time to get used to, but is an enjoyable change of pace and the game is worth checking out even if only to see the unique art direction.

Zeno Clash: Ultimate Edition was released on May 11 2010 for Xbox 360 via Xbox Live Arcade.

The XBLA hit comes to the PC for all your clicking pleasure

Magic Online has existed for 8 years now and has provided players of the collectible card game a near-perfect virtual version of their favourite game. It’s ironic then that Duels of the Planeswalkers, an XBLA title that sacrifices substance for style surpassed Magic Online as the most popular online card game. Now Wizards of the Coast is bringing an updated version of the XBLA hit to the PC via Steam download, complete with the entire first expansion pack but faces the challenge of offering a simpler experience to those who already have an online option.

Far easier to read cards on the PC

The presentation is just as attractive as the Xbox 360 version, but includes higher-resolution options for those with powerful monitors. Cards are easier to read on a monitor than a television, so the overall process is less strenuous on the eyes. The overal polish is on-par with the Xbox 360 version, which unfortunately means that only a notebook with some (not a lot) of juice can handle it, most netbooks need not apply.

One of the biggest frustrations with the original Duels of the Planeswalkers game was the controls and interface. Designed specifically for the limited Xbox 360 controls maneuvering focus around cards was doable, but far from perfect. The PC edition however, with the full range of motion provided by the mouse is a much smoother interface for handling cards. No longer are players forced to tap left a dozen times before finally being able to look at the card they want, now it’s a matter of point and click.

Still no ability to create decks

Despite missing the opportunity to let players take charge of their own decks, the game is still a fun experience. It loses the customizability, but gains back some traction in the balance. Most decks fair equally well online and those that take the time to unlock the more powerful cards do have a small advantage. Nothing really tips the scales in to unfair territory, but the game does do a good job of keeping the rock-paper-scissors elements of the traditional mana wheel in focus. It’s a very playable game for all skill levels.

Magic the Gathering: Duels of the Planeswalkers on the PC may not be the visual refresh Magic Online players have been asking for, but it’s still a great game. It’s not a replacement, or even a competitor to it’s online ancestor, but rather something different altogether. Duels of the Planeswalkers is a great casual experience that compliments the current hardcore online title well and will satisfy any new or recently introduced players to the game. Duels of the Planeswalkers can easily be a CCG fan’s PC getaway if you walk in with the right expectations.

Magic the Gathering: Duels of the Planeswalkers PC was released on June 15 2010 for PC via Steam.

Don't worry, you've got friends

Like fighting huge monsters, explosions, piloting big robots and thinly veiled political commentary on the failings of the industrial military complex? Then you’ll love Capcom’s latest third-person shooter, Lost Planet 2. The game takes place on the planet E.D.N. III, perhaps one of the most poorly named planets in videogame history. It’s just emerging from an ice age, is populated by bands of gun toting mercenaries, a giant military conglomerate and colossal, murderous insects all of which are constantly at each other’s throats. It may not sound like somewhere you’d want to be but in Lost Planet 2, you absolutely do.

It's a cold, cold world

The audio in the game is not bad. It features a sufficiently epic orchestral score, the type seemingly now standard for mid-to-high budgeted games. The voice acting is a mixed bag of mostly vanilla and inoffensive offerings with a couple notable exceptions. The voice acting for two of the factions is horribly stereotypical. The Carpetbaggers (the Asian faction), all have fairly predictable accents, almost reminiscent of the Chinese guards in the Lee Hong Assassination level from the first Hitman game (“Alarm, alarm!”). The second, and slightly more offensive of the two, are the Hispanic sounding Desert Pirates. Although not quite as bad as those Squirrels from those Sony PSP commercials (you remember those), they are portrayed as being quite dimwitted, impulsive and prone to hooting and hollering. As a result, some of the voiceovers come across as a little silly.

Friends make the game worthwhile

The quality of the controls is a little uneven. The gunplay is tight and predictable, but the default button layout is terrible. I’d recommend switching it to one of the alternate configurations. In general, it feels vaguely similar to Gears of War, with its sprint and heavy-footed movement. Playing for the first time can feel awkward due to some of the unintuitive aspects of the controls, like your inability to jump while sprinting, but with a little time you’ll discover that they’re more than adequate.

In terms of gameplay, it’s a real blend of traditional with the unorthodox. At its core, it’s a traditional third-person shooter. You point your gun at things; they die. Big things, and there will be many of them, require you to shoot the glowing bits. Boss fights play out in ways gamers are very familiar with. The enemy has a discrete set of attacks, visual and auditory cues to their actions and weaknesses. They may seem intimidating and wickedly powerful at first, but it’s just a matter of finding the optimal strategy making them challenging but not impossible.

Thrown into the mixture are some rather unique mechanics. Firstly there’s the grappling hook, which allows you to scale or repel down structures quickly, but don’t expect to be swinging around like Bionic Commando, its uses are limited. You’re unfortunately not able to swing, jump or even re-deploy the hook while hanging. But in spite of its narrow implementation, it’s still quite useful. With some practice, you’ll be able to use it to traverse the environment easily.

Environments are very detailed

Lastly, the game uses scale and numbers to ensure you are always up against overwhelming odds. While the general design of each level is on the small side, most are swarming with enemies. You’ll find yourself constantly facing hoards of soldiers, throngs of Akrid or on of the game’s many oversized bosses. The result is constant, frenetic, adrenaline pumping combat.

Playing the game it quickly becomes apparent that this game was designed for multiplay from the ground up. The campaign mode supports two-player local split screen and up to 4 players online or via system-link throughout. Even when you play offline, by yourself, there are AI player that fill the empty player slots, complete with gamer tags and emotes. And this perhaps is where this game shines. Co-op is easily one of the most satisfying parts of the game; tearing through masses of enemies, crushing gargantuan foes with 3 friends or strangers is oddly rewarding.

Is this wasteland worth the trouble?

Lost Planet 2, developed and published by Capcom, is a solid and exciting third person shooter. It’s a little rough around the edges but gets the fundamentals right. The graphics are great in 1080p with only the rare slowdown. The controls are off-putting at first but with patience, they’re superb. At its root, the game is a refined third-person shooter with some interesting elements built up around it, including a grappling hook for more mobility and an exaggerated sense of scale and number of foes.

Multiplayer is also a large component of just about every aspect of the game. Every game mode supports multiple players through some combination of split-screen, online or system-link. There’s also mechanics that enhance online play such as a plethora of unlockable emotes, weapons, titles and customizable characters.

In the end, its game that is difficult to describe because experiencing it as whole is far greater than the sum of its parts. While not the most elegantly designed game, it consistently provides thrilling action complete with giant bosses, swarms of foes, explosive combat and powerful vehicles.

Lost Planet 2 was released on May 11 2010 for Xbox 360 and Playstation 3.

[This article was originally written by Ian Yuan of LeftStickRight.com and reposted with permission.]

Add some new cards to your arsenal

Being a collectible card game Magic the Gathering is all about getting new cards to add to your arsenal. Duels of the Planeswalkers would not be a complete MTG experience without the ability to grow your collection. Enter the second downloadable expansion, bringing new decks and challenges to the game.

Sorin Markov's vampires rule

Heat of Battle, a mono-red burn deck makes the original Hands of Flame deck completely obsolete with the inclusion of simply better cards. It has a slower mana ramp than the original, but that trade-off in speed pays back in overall firepower. Eons of Evil is a blue/black/red that focuses on zombies and carries a noticeable control undertone. It’s a well built deck, but doesn’t bring any real new or exciting mechanics to play with.

The highlight of the three is Heart of Worlds for sure. Based on the Landfall mechanic (originally released with Zendikar) the deck is far more combo-oriented and requires a little more strategy than most of the “play what you can” style mono-colour decks. This is also the only deck to use the new full-card art lands, giving it a very unique visual style while playing. It’s a well built deck, much better than most in the game, and with the right hand can easily have an enemy reeling by turn 3 or dead by 4.

There is one more deck present in the game, but in Duels of the Planeswalkers traditional cruel fashion, you don’t get to play it. The final boss of the game, Sorin Markov and his vampire themed deck give hints that the next expansion will include a lot more combo plays and urges players to look forward to it, if only to get the deck. It’s a bit cheesy not getting to play one of the coolest decks in the game, but it does make for an interesting distinction for the final fight.

Avatar awards are a nice bonus for those who care

There are also 2 more challenge mode puzzles than the previous expansion, but it’s never enough. These are easily the highlight of the game overall, putting players’ mentality to the test in a way only Magic: the Gathering can deliver. Some of the puzzles do stray from actual Magic strategy, requiring players to understand what they’ll draw next or what cards their opponents will play taking some of the realism out in place for trial and error. It’s a bad trade off, but one that would be worthwhile for more content.

One small bonus to note; added achievements and avatar awards make for a little extra incentive, even if they do take a while to earn. Players can earn an avatar t-shirt (male or female) by unlocking all the cards in 3 decks, or a deck of cards prop by fully unlocking 6 decks. The achievements offer an additional 50 gamerscore and tie-in with the new decks well.

Duels of the Planeswalkers second expansion pack is not a cheap addition, costing half as much as the game itself. It’s hard to justify if you’re just a casual Magic the Gathering player, but for those who’ve invested a lot of time in to the game and want to keep playing it’s a great addition. There’s value in the new decks from a power perspective, even if you don’t approve of the power creep, and they’re fully workable online with the free patches. Pick up expansion 2 if you adore the game and just want more, but there’s no harm in passing it over if you’re only a casual fan.

Magic the Gathering: Duels of the Planeswalkers – Expansion 2 was released on May 23rd 2010 for Xbox 360 via Xbox Live Arcade