Now playing:

Zywiec (Pol 360) - fantastic playability but unfortunately very limited lastability....

Vanquish (PS3)

I think deep down i was always going to get a raging sem-on for this game, it's directed by Shinji Mikami - a man who has either directed or had a hand in many of my favourite games of all time which meant i've had my eye on it ever since the first details were announced.

As it happens Vanquish is actually a 3rd person shooter with a cover mechanic, and has been compared by misinformed hacks and gamers to Gears Of War. To look at a screenshot you can see why, the use of cover is familiar and the design of the LT Col Robert Burns character is very similar to that of the "Gears" (something which i believe was done on prupose to poke fun).
This is where the similarities end however, and if you try and play Vanquish the same way as something like Gears Of War you will get raped on Normal difficulty and above.













What Vanquish does is take the general blueprint of a cover shooter and fill it full of amphetamines. This is mainly down to the moves that your characters suit can perform. The suit allows you to boost along the gound at high speed and also go into a "bullet time" style slow motion mode, both for only a limited time before the suit overheats leaving you exposed and very vunerable to enemy attack.













These two moves completely change the game, the boost is so intuative you will find yourself using it as your default way of getting around even when no enemies are present. The slow motion "ARS" mode allows you to pick off multiple enemies with ease and is absolutely essential to taking down the bosses.
This mode also allows you to pick off missiles that are fired towards you, the likes of which have never been seen in a game of this type before, they are more akin to the kind of flak you have to avoid in a modern day shmup to be honest!













Vanquish throws numerous set pieces at you and moves at a frantic pace, much like Resident Evil 4 felt the first time i played it. Not suprising really when they share the same director.
Unfortunately even though Vanquish has received good reviews in this specialist media it's chances of selling in large numbers seems quite remote, much like Bayonetta i belive the price will fall quite quickly which is a shame as it deserves more sales!

Now playing:

Call Of Duty: Black Ops (360) - Multiplayer

Top 5: Arcade racers

5. F Zero GX (Gamecube)















Blindingly fast and un-relentlessly challenging or the harder difficulties, Nintendo definately picked the right people to develop this game in Sega's Amusement Vision studio.



4. Burnout 2 (Gamecube)















Probably the last "pure" title in Criterions excellent series before EA diluted the franchise with "EA Trax" and "DJ Wankstain". A much more traditional racer than Takedown and showing it's age a bit but an exhilarating experience nevertheless.



3. Ridge Racer 6 (360)












Regardless of being released very early on in the 360's life i still think RR6 looks and plays fantastic to this day. It's also huge and very challenging in the later stages which add to the games lastability.



2. Outrun 2 (Xbox)















A fantastic sequel to a classic racer. Wonderful home conversion by Sumo Digital as well, especially when you consider most people thought that the Lindberg powered arcade game was too powerful to bring to home consoles.



1. Burnout 3: Takedown (PS2)















I really expected EA to ruin the franchise with this game, especially after the classic that was Burnout 2. Luckily developers Criterion pulled a masterstroke and gave us a top drawer title which bests the second game and everything else out there. Unfortunately they peaked with this game in my opinion as i don't find any of the follow ups as good. The graphics are also fantastic for a last gen title.

Now playing:

Vanquish (PS3)


And it's fooking marvelous!

Batman: Arkham Asylum (360)

Despite being released in 2009 i have only recently played through this great game. Having ignored it at release thinking it would be a very generic title (much as i did with the equally wonderful Dead Space)

Arkham Asylum certainly made me eat my words however. Aside from some slightly ropey combat in places and some rather uninspiring boss encounters it's a superbly crafted, atmospheric title and actually does deserve the majority of the praise that's been heaped upon it.












Having read the first play thread over at NTSC-UK to wet my appetite before playing the game one comment had stuck in my head, a comment that likened Arkham Asylum to Bioshock.
At the time i couldn't quite fathom what the poster meant but now having finished the game i can completely see what he was getting at, the graphics and the general atmosphere of the game definitely remind me of Bioshock.












Arkham Asylum also benefits from having fantastic voice acting and music, both of which enhance the experience and add to the feeling of "being Batman"

What i actually loved the most about Arkham Asylum was the hidden Riddler challenges. To begin with i didn't pay much attention but as the game progressed finding them all took over and i was consumed with the need to find them all! That's how collecting stuff in games should be, actually interesting and intriguing rather than just the standard "collect 100 flags etc" found in other games.

Much like Dead Space and Skate this is an unexpected classic that everyone should sample.

Alan Wake (360)

After being in development for what seems like an age Alan Wake was finally released in the UK on 14th May 2010. Over the years Remedy had at one point billed the game as an open world survival horror where the protagonist Alan Wake is searching the fictional town of Bright Falls for his lost wife - plot sound familiar? Yes it's Silent Hill 2 basically, and much like that series it takes many pointers from David Lynch.

Somewhere along the way the open world aspect was dropped and Alan Wake became a very linear action orientated horror game in the vein of Resident Evil 4. A great game to reference and Alan Wake does it quite well i just can't help wondering how the game would've been if they'd kept the open world aspect they originally touted.

The driving sections are obviously a carry over from when it was originally planned this way and did make me wonder what it would've been like to be able to go about Wake's investigating at my own pace, nipping in cars to drive to different areas etc.











The tight linear structure however does allow Alan Wake to focus more on a structured narrative, and this is both a strength and a weakness of the game. The story is presented in a superbly cinematic way and does draw you in however it's conclusion is so confusing and unsatisfying it leaves you a bit pissed off at the game really. The story is a bit unitelligent compared to something like Silent Hill 2 and feels poorly written in places, it's a shame as this could have been something really special.












It's a similar story technically, the graphics in places can look fantastic, some of the best i've ever seen in fact. Then in other places it can look absolutely terrible.
Facial animations are poor as are the actual animations of Wake himself in places. The game also suffers from terrible screen tearing which wouldn't normally concern me but in this example is really quite excessive!

Soundtrack is fantastic and one of the areas i truly love about Alan Wake. Roy Orbison!

The combat can also be fiddly and frustrating, but on other occasions very satisfying. It's obviously trying to be Resident Evil 4 in these sections and it does have a couple of decent set pieces but overall it is a bit second rate and again inconsistent.

If i sound disappointed that's because i am, this could have been an absolute classic with a bit more care and attention. Instead it's a just a good game.