The Lair of the Monkey

Yes, that’s Tanooki Mario.  Perhaps we should just take this back to the idea that this is, in fact, Mario.  See the title above?  Gaming has changed so much compared to the ‘good old days’ and it’s this gaming blogger’s take that the good old days weren’t in fact that good - if that’s what we had to interact with.  So, this is why gaming is better:

1. These days, gaming is much more sophisticated
2. This graphical representation, this avatar, isn’t self-depreciating or self-referencing - it’s merely silly
3. Gaming isn’t just about a quick moment of fun any more, it’s moved into the realm of art.  So much so, that we now have games like Silent Hill, Shadow of the Colossus and Brothers In Arms
4. If gaming never tried to reach out and be more than this, we’d have very little today
5. Would you play games if you were controlling him?  I doubt it, you’ve been fed way too much GTA

Ultimately, gaming has moved on an incredible amount since these early beginnings, which really makes me wonder why Nintendo hasn’t followed suit.  Instead, it has found a formula that has worked - in the form of the Wii and DS.  However, that means it has left many of us behind.  Nintendo, I salute you - but as long as you insist on using these caricatures then I’m afraid I won’t be having fun with your franchises in the future.  Let’s let Mario et al go to pasture for a while eh?

The long awaited sequel to the popular first-person shooter Far Cry is now available from all good games stores.

More than just a visual and technological achievement, Far Cry 2 immerses players in an entirely new kind of gaming experience, featuring a custom-made video game engine built from the ground up. Players will discover a true open world gameplay set in one of the most beautiful environments in the world, Africa, brought to life by high-definition next-gen technology.  Once again, you have superior, free roaming first person gameplay elements with a ton of cool weapons and vehicles to play with.
Make sure to look out for it - PC, Xbox 360 and PS3.  Full review coming soon.

In what could be one of the most long-awaited titles (simply because there are a ton of fans out there who can’t wait to get their hands on the game) of this year for Xbox360, Alan Wake now has a new video - visit Kotaku to see it.

Not to be the bearer of bad news, but sources now suggest this third person action/scare title is due now for 01/05/09 - so we’ve got a while longer to go yet…

It’s a debate that still rages - should you be ashamed of the hobby that you’ve harboured since - well, a long time now… Or should other people be educated in the fact that games are actually mature?

Games Radar has an absolutely fantastic take on this whole idea - completely subverting what others may consider mature and how the themes of games actually deal with the ‘real’ adult issues that other media such as books and films tackle.  Unfortunately, it’s this sort of coverage that is rarely offered in the press.

Originally when I received my Nokia N95, I saw that it could run Java applications etc, so I was expecting it to handle some very simple games.  However, I’ve had some fun with Orcs & Elves (a roleplayer in a similar graphical style to the original Doom) and Burnout - which was by far and away the most fun I’ve had on a mobile platform in some significant time.  Not since Tetris did I feel this grabbed - except for the controls.  It just doesn’t feel up to the mark, with cars more akin to trucks in their handling.  Nonetheless, the game remains a lot of fun.

Will mobile phones ever be a real, viable gaming platform or will they continue to serve up fodder that’s too slow, too demanding on the processor or simply ill-thought out for the medium?  I’m not sure I know the answer here, but I do know that there are a wealth of older genres (such as puzzlers like Myst) that could work really, really well.

Expect some coverage of Fallout 3 by Bethesda Softworks (PC and maybe Xbox 360) near time of release, as I’ve had it confirmed that a review copy is coming my way.  In the meantime, enjoy these pictures whilst I go back to reminiscing about how I never managed to save the Vault in the first game (just how the hell did you get that water there anyway?!).

You’ll be wanting one of those mean power suits in the game - I’m convinced of it.

Real locations appear in the game and how amazing does that look!

Overall, this could well be one of the games of this year, if not THE game.  Come back again nearer time of release for my opinion on the game.

It’s about time too!  If you’re excited about this game then fear not - you can now grab it.  Batman returns in what should be his coolest outing ever (after all, he’s been in a few stinker video games in his time).  Here’s the skinny:

• Fight for justice as Batman and Robin or create chaos as The Joker, Catwoman and other villains, as you save or destroy Gotham City.
• Rocket through sewers and bound across rooftops as you take the fight to the criminals across classic locations in Gotham City.
• Fight on land, sea and in the air using a number of powerful Batman, Robin and villain-controlled vehicles, including the rocket-powered Batmobile, sleek Batboat and stealthy Batwing.
• Enhance the abilities of the Dynamic Duo with all new power suits, including the Magnetic Suit.
• Play through the game in Story Mode from both the hero and villain sides.
• Replay any level in Freeplay Mode with any characters you’ve unlocked. Access previously hidden areas to find additional rewards and bonus content.
• Collect LEGO studs and special LEGO bricks throughout the game to unlock tons of extra content including special power-ups and bonus levels.
• LEGO Batman: The Video Game also features Danny Elfman’s iconic The Batman (1989) musical score.
• The PlayStation 3 system version offers 720p/1080p display support.

Who is this guy?  No idea, but apparently it’s first gen gaming meets next-gen - whatever that means.  Here’s what they had to say officially:

An action hero emerges from the pixels as D3Publisher (D3P), a publisher and developer of interactive entertainment software, today announced plans for Eat Lead: The Return of Matt Hazard™, a third-person shooter with a sense of humor for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system. Offering an original storyline and an off-the-wall cast of characters, Eat Lead is written by 2008 Writer’s Guild Award winning writer Dave Ellis and features the return of classic 80’s videogame action hero, Matt Hazard, and parodies some of the most beloved genres of games and pop culture. Eat Lead: The Return of Matt Hazard is anticipated for release in Q1 2009.

In Eat Lead: The Return of Matt Hazard, videogame action hero Matt Hazard gets his chance to prove once and for all that he is the king of shooters when the new owner of mega game publisher, Marathon Megasoft, gives Matt his comeback role starring in a new title for next-gen consoles that pits him against all of his memorable foes from videogames past. In the world of Eat Lead, however, everything stops being a game and becomes reality when it is clear that someone is using the new game to bring about Matt’s death once and for all. With only the mysterious “QA” to help him, Matt must fight against a legion of Marathon Megasoft catalogue of videogame characters to keep it from being “Game Over” forever.

“Eat Lead parodies some of our fondest memories in classic gaming and pop culture, so gamers will have a laugh out loud experience everytime they pick-up the controller,” said Pete Andrew, vice president, product development, North America, D3P. “With an original storyline, Eat Lead perfectly blends action and humor with rock solid gameplay for an experience like no other.”

Eat Lead pays homage to the games of yesteryear with a menagerie of classic enemies such as zombies, space marines, cowboys, genetically mutated super snipers, and more and an expansive level environment design that reflects videogame history in a next-gen package. The game fires on all cylinders with explosive artillery and combat moves to help gamers escape from a variety of predicaments including radically-changing environments during gameplay via “hack effects” Hazard’s nemesis uses by altering the game’s code on the fly. Throughout the adventure, players will utilize a strategic cover system dubbed “point and cover,” upgradeable weapons and different interactive melee moves to attack and outsmart foes.

Developed by Vicious Cycle Software, Inc., Eat Lead will feature its new game development engine, Vicious Engine 2 (Ve2) and is currently rated “RP” (Rating Pending) by the ESRB. For more information on Eat Lead, please visit www.EatLeadVideoGame.com.
The teaser trailer for Eat Lead: The Return of Matt Hazard will premiere, Saturday, October 4th at 1:00 a.m. EDT/PDT exclusively on Spike TV’s “GameTrailers TV.” Players can catch the full HD Episodes at GameTrailers.com and on Xbox LIVE Marketplace for Xbox 360!

Here’s the lowdown first of all on what to expect from PURE (a Disney – don’t let that put you off – quad based racing game):

* Choose among a variety of male and female character riders
* Race against deft A.I. opponents or online players (up to 16-player multiplayer)
* Take part in frenetic races and freestyle competitions all over the world
* Developed by award winning development team Black Rock
* Pro-rider Wes Miller, founder of H-Bomb Films, known for showcasing his team’s incredible stunts is adviser to the development team to assure the game adheres to the sport’s culture and authenticity but still allows creative liberties
Now, here’s how I found it:

PURE is a good game.  A very good game.  In fact, I’d say it turned out that I was more than pleasantly surprised.  Quite often games dedicated to a rather niche sport will either go balls-to-the-wall with tricks such as SSX or will have some annoying celeb endorsement thrown in your face, such as Tony Hawks.  However, by and large, Pure manages to avoid this (barring the annoying voice-overs).

There are a variety of game modes to choose from, ranging from the World Tour (more on that later) to the usual race-and-practice sessions that you get.  The pace of the game is what is noticeable, along with damn good scenery and rider details.  You’ll find that whatever mode that you’re in, the action will come fast and frenetic.

Returning to the World Tour mode, this is where you unlock stuff such as new courses to race on, better equipment for your quad bike (which you can actually build from scratch, paint, stick decals on etc) and of course compete in order to become world number one.  Generally speaking, there’ll be 15 other racers on there too, all battling to beat you to the finish line, pull off more stunts or zip around the short courses faster than you can sneeze.

So, what’s not so good about PURE.  Well, you might find that after a while it may get a little repetitive.  Granted, the racing and stunts are both fun, but you may feel that it is lacking in a little depth after a while – given you’ll start to see some of the courses repeat on you.  Not only that, but didn’t find a difference in the riders – though that may be more down to my playing style than anything else.

The bottom line with PURE is that it is a genuinely fun racing experience that offers something different compared to say, Project Gotham Racing 3.  Whilst you shouldn’t buy it expecting Forza-like levels of involvement, you will be pleasantly surprised at the detail level, speed of the action and all round fun that you’ll have with this title.  I can certainly recommend it.

8/10