The Nintendo Effect

So, it's out. With surprisingly little hype (at least in my current gaming circles), the Nintendo 3DS is here.

Initial impressions have been mixed. First I was tempted, then I wasn't, but now I find myself tempted again. The launch line-up isn't exactly mind blowing, but then, when is a launch line-up amazing? Pretty rare I'd say. There are a couple of highlights though, Street Fighter IV looks great and Ghost Recon is apparently a rather good game. PES is also there, and whilst I know most people prefer FIFA these days, personally I prefer Konami's efforts, and this plays as well as the rest. The lukewarm line-up aside, my urge to indulge in the 3D side of gaming is luring me more and more. So that's it, I'm inevitably going to buy one aren't I? Well..........

The trouble is I have a bit of a dilemma about purchasing so soon after launch. Don't get me wrong, I'm certainly no stranger to buying consoles early on. I had the PS2 on launch day, and had the Wii about a month after its release. But it's the Wii and the DS that are causing the problem for me. Y'see, I've been burnt a little by Nintendo and now I'm wary. Let me explain...

Cast you mind back to late 2006. The Wii was almost upon us and we were being tantalised by trailers of people acting out their gaming moves. I watched (whilst salivating) at that Red Steel trailer. The guy sat in a comfy chair in his swanky lounge whilst pointing his virtual gun at the screen. So immersed was the gentlemen that he was actually dodging the virtual bullets in real life. "That's it" I thought to myself, "I may not be able to afford a PS3 when it comes out, but this looks like the future". The idea of playing the kind of games I know and love but in a completely new way sucked me in hook, line and sinker. Things looked good at the start. Red Steel was great fun although not perfect by any means, and whilst pointing a Wiimote at the screen seemed a little strange, it offered the new experience that I'd hoped for. Then it happened...

The party game market took hold. The non-gaming fraternity started seeing the potential fun in owning the little white box of tricks for the odd game here and there. The 'casual gamer' market was well and truly at full pace and the developers saw the opportunity to make a quick buck. "Why make an effort with the games when the Wii owning public don't read reviews, aren't particularly knowledgeable and will buy anything as long as it has the words 'sports' or 'party' in the title" I can imagine the devs saying. The market got drowned in shovelware, I got bored of sifting through the junk, desperately trying to find a decent game, and my love affair with the Wii was over.

Nintendo loved it though, sales were through the roof and it appears that they really had tapped into a niche market. The same strategy was applied to the DS. Brain Training games and puzzle games were made in abundance, and with advertising campaigns showing that the older generation can indeed own a handheld gaming without looking a bit odd, the DS's success had been laid out.

The thing is, I hate those types of games. I wasn't brought up on a diet of crap games like Beach Brain Sports Training Party 5: Extra Party Edition! I don't want an f'ing party, I just want a deep and fulfilling game!!!

Now the 3DS looks like it holds loads of potential. The list of games in development looks promising. Along with the already released SFIV etc there are games such as Metal Gear Solid: Snake Eater and the Resi games. It all looks good, and if they keep this trend of software up then I reckon the DS could be part of my gaming future. But a part of my brain thinks "hang on, wait for the shovelware". If DS owners choose to upgrade to the 3DS, then surely a lot of those won't want to blast zombies, they'll want a puzzle instead.

If this happens will the 3DS start to go down the same road as the old DS? £180 for a big 3D producing paperweight doesn't float my boat.

It'll be interesting, that's for sure.

Acid for Mud! "Cat Astro Phi" a Gameboy Space adventure

Photon Storm have created a faux Gameboy game created in Flash.... It's actually quite authentic - proper Gameboy resolution (although x2 scaled), only 4 colours used for everything, fixed 8x8 tiles/sprites, and a real Gameboy soundtrack.

Planet exploring, robot shooting, bomb exploding, laser wall hacking, sentry gun evading, cat finding fun to be had :)

Don't think it's just a hard-to-control asteroids game! That is just the story sequence :)

Visit the developer >> HERE
Play >> HERE

And, if the 8-bit chip soundtrack is your sort of thing you can get it from HERE

I've asked the dev if there will be a downloadable version... here's hoping!!

Shoot 1up

Following on from Decimation X it's another Indie Shmup on XBLA. "Shoot 1Up is a vertical scrolling shoot 'em up for everyone." And the developer does mean everyone! Put it on easy and you can joyously waltz your way to the end of game boss seen in the image atop this blog entry. Your eyes do not deceive you. The end of game baddie really is a chick with metal breasts that fire homing rockets in your general direction whilst wearing a smile. If that's too easy then there's more challenge from the Normal setting and if you prefer something more like bullet hell then there's a Serious setting just for you.

Straight into the action and you'll discover that your ship's main weapon is a rapid fire laser. A laser that you can't upgrade. In fact there aren't any weapon upgrades as such. There's something a little different at work here. The trick is to acquire extra lives as you progress! Now that might not sound like the ground breaking game mechanic you were looking for but the difference here is that as soon as you get an extra ship it immediately joins the ones you already have in the battle adding to your on-screen potency. Once you have more than one ship you then have the choice of deploying the extra ships around your central ship to give you a wider and more powerful spread of fire power or being extremely compact so as to sneak through congested areas. It's a nice mechanic that gives a decent level of strategy.

Shoot 1up is an excellent indie game. There are XBLA titles that would be too embarrassed to be seen out with Shoot 1Up on a Saturday evening without an hour or two of cosmetic surgery before hand.

Shoot 1up is another 80 MS point bargain that should not be missed.

Decimation X

Appearances aren't always what they seem and while it might appear to be just another Space Invaders clone Decimation X has character all of it's own.

The most important distinction is that the enemy firepower has been ramped up to truly intense levels and the player or players are issued with an assortment of power ups to even things up.

Once you've collected a few of these power ups the screen becomes awash with player bullets and it's a delight to behold. This might initially sound easy, but factor in defensive shields that don't regenerate between stages and you have a new problem to tackle. Thankfully there are collectables to manage this cover destroying curse but strategies will have to be worked out if you're to defend yourself and reach respectable scores.

Don't be put off by the apparent simplicity as there's a degree of subtlety to be found here. Decimation X is an enjoyable shmup and the perfect game to have a quick play to see if you can beat your previous high score. Apparently online leader boards are on the way. Until then the cock waving will have to wait. Oh and this is only 80MS points. That's 69p in real money. The price of a Mars bar or a packet of Polos if you live in London or the outer Hebrides.

Let the motion gaming battle commence

Motion gaming is hardly a new development. Give Nintendo the credit it deserves. The Wii was very much the Last Chance Saloon for Nintendo, at least as far as releasing full blown consoles go. The company knew that it simply couldn't compete on the same technical level as the other consoles on the market, and Nintendo had to think laterally about where to take their new console.

Behold, one motion controller later and a massive new casual gaming audience tapped into, the rest as they say is history.

Inevitably, Sony and Microsoft have now decided that they fancy a slice of the casual gaming pie. This move will always prompt the familiar fanboy reactions from all camps. Trawling through the numerous gaming forums on the internet shows all of the usual responses to the decision. Wii owners shouting "Sony and Microsoft can't think of anything new", or "they've already chosen which direction to take their console, they should stick with it". The level of anger never ceases to amaze me when gamers try to defend their beloved console.

In truth I find these reactions somewhat bizarre. Why do they feel the need to defend their chosen consoles so vigorously? I can only deduce that it's because they find the other machines as some kind of threat, or are they in denial? On a subconscious level do they actually think that the Wii isn't quite as good as they want to believe? Or maybe it's simply because they've seen the tech that Sony and Microsoft are developing and they're scared that Wii owners are suddenly going to say "wow, Sony have motion controls now and it's in HD!!!! Quick love, get on the internet and bring up eBay, I'm going to sell this bad boy!!". Hardly a realistic assumption is it? On the other hand 360 and PS3 owners alike look down on Wii and try to claim that it's not a real console. It must be hard for these people knowing that the Wii has outsold them all despite it's last generation 480p resolution graphics. Just try claiming to them that graphics aren't everything. WOW!! You'll be shot down in flames in an instant as a "poor, can't afford a real console, casual gaming" moron who doesn't know anything about gaming. Well, I've only been playing for 25 years, what would I know eh?

So what about this new motion controller tech? Well, Sony have the Playstation Move. Initial impressions of the device for me are mixed. Let's make one thing clear, it's a bit of a Wiimote clone. They can spin the details as much as they like, they can claim it's "more than a Wiimote", but sticking a couple of glowing balls on the top doesn't make it brand spanking new. An Ann Summers 'toy' yes, but new? Okay, it does feature some enhancements over the Wiimote such as use of the coloured globes to help track movement and height rather than the Wiimotes old fashioned infra-red method. The globes also change colour depending on player's surroundings to ensure that the PS Move is easily seen. This new technology also means that the movement won't be lost should someone walk in front of the TV. Very nice. And from the demos that have been shown so far it looks as though it does transfer player movements brilliantly, but it IS still a Wiimote with some new technology thrown in. Don't get me wrong, I'm not knocking it, the Wiimote works well and is proven. Fair play to Sony for following suit, just don't dress it up as some sort of revolutionary gaming device because the gaming public aren't stupid, they can see through the PR bulls**t.

Microsoft have taken a rather different approach to the motion gaming/family ethos. Project Natal as it is known doesn't feature a controller at all. "You are the controller" the trailer says. Initial impressions are very impressive with a Natal version of Burnout getting a very positive response, Natal seemingly being able to track even the finest movements. So that's it then, Microsoft have managed the holy grail that is full body motion capture. The gaming world has no limits. Freedom in gaming it seems is a reality. Hold on though, let's take a step back for a second and take a long hard look. There are no buttons on Natal and this surely has to cause some issues. Let's take the game of football as an example. The trailer touches on this genre of game with a penalty shootout. Fair enough, but what happens if you want to play a conventional football game? How do you control it? In a third person view? How do you run? Jogging around your lounge can't be right surely, especially as you will need to be looking at the TV at all times. FPS games are another difficult genre. You can point your imaginary gun at the TV, turn on the spot and shoot (ala Wii), but how do you walk? Stamping your feet? No thanks. It seems to me that whilst Natal seems to offer new found freedom, it also seems to be marred by a new found restriction. It's obviously too early to tell how Microsoft are proposing to overcome such issues and I have no doubt they have something planned. Maybe they are choosing to ignore these genres altogether, instead opting for the conventional controller should a player want to indulge in that kind of game.

Those that know me will also know that I am a 360 and Wii owner and don't really have a bias towards any one console. A good game is a good game, a good peripheral is a good peripheral regardless of the system it is on. To me the PS Move is showing the most potential for the new motion controllers. Rip off or no rip off, the PS Move seems to offer the most flexibility with a balance of motion controls if you want to get active, or the buttons for the times when you want to be a couch potato.

Truth is nobody really knows what impact the new motion controllers will have for the future of all three consoles. God knows, the Wii and it's family friendly nature has made it damn difficult to predict. One thing is for certain though, it's certainly going to be interesting watching it all unfold this Autumn at the proposed release dates.

Just please don't let us drown in games like 'Family House Babysitting Party 13'......please!!

Hell yeah I wanna level up my dolphin!

While I've been suffering from the cold that is doing the rounds in these parts I've also been playing on the second incarnation of Endless Ocean from Arika. The first game had a very low key release two years ago but quickly gained a positive reputation among fans of swim 'em ups. The simple yet effective control system returns for this second outing but instead of another almost plot-free environment this time there is a much greater sense of involvement and theatre as you chase around the globe trying to solve the mystery behind the Song of Dragons.

The improvements over the original release are many. The graphics are slightly more polished, the variety of diving locations has increased, the partners you find along the way to dive with are greater in number (and you no longer have to decide which animal partner to keep if you befriend another), the underwater communication when diving with a friend is vastly superior, the list is a long one.

Unlike the first instalment of the series, which was much more free roaming, the single player game has many different tasks for you to complete to unlock new features, more tasks, and rewards. One of them is to meet, befriend, and then train nearly a dozen dolphins.



There are a wide range of animals for you to see on your journey. As well as the dolphins there are sharks, whales, rays, sea cucumbers, starfish, seals, penguins, crabs, and unsurprisingly a wide variety of fish. The marine encyclopaedia which stores all of the information on the species you see runs to 81 pages. I'm off to find the last few elusive coral reef dwellers so that I can complete that task and gain a new title.

A new title? Oh yes. There are 155 titles by which you can choose to be known in the game. Each one is awarded for completing an achievement. Some achievements like, for example, diving at night are easier to complete than others such as swim 1000km. When you reach 60,90,120 and 150 titles you unlock a special gift. So far I've received the first three of them and they are quite nice additions to my underwater attire .. .. ..

Be prepared for a million comparisons to MK!

Mario Kart is a strange phenomenon to me. It's quite hard to put into words. I would probably say that it's the most annoying and frustrating game I have ever played, no really! Trouble is, I can be quite irritable when I play a game. Just witnessing me playing CoD online is an eye opening experience with foul language and anger bursting from every conceivable pore.

Now imagine me taking that anger and transferring it to Mario Kart. Picture the scenario, I'm in the lead for the entire race until I reach approximately three corners from the end. Now I get hit by a blue shell and stop dead. I immediately get hit again by a red shell. Then I get immediately hit again by a POW block before finally being smacked into next week by some gimp on a Bullet Bill!! I'm at an unavoidable standstill during this whole episode until I finally manage to get my speed back up. I pass the finish line....LAST!! From 1st place to last in approximately 10 seconds. That is what Mario Kart is all about and that is what sends my 'rage'ometer off the scale. I end up punching my leg in sheer anger!!

This episode is what finally caused me to sell Mario Kart. I wanted to love it I really did, but there's only so many self inflicted dead legs I can take. Yet strangely, I still feel fairly affectionate towards MK but I'm not sure why.

So along comes Sega and Sonic with their offering for some karting madness. I was all ready to rubbish the game without a second thought, "pah, it's just a crappy MK clone" I'd say.

So is it a crappy clone? Well, it's a clone alright, that can't be denied, but crappy? No, far from it!!

I was in the fortunate position of being able to download this game on my 360 to get a feel for it without having to spend my hard earned (well, 'earned' at least) money on it. I was pleasantly surprised. The game is a sight faster than MK that's for sure and the art style is colourful and bold. Although I took a shine to the 360 version it somehow didn't feel quite right on that console. It was the potential of the Wii version that got me excited and it is this version that I decided to purchase.

Let's get this out of the way first, Sumo Digital have blatantly copied many aspects of MK. All the weapons from MK are there, only with a different skin. Instead of red shells you have red rockets, instead of green shells you have green boxing gloves, instead of banana skins you have traffic cones, instead of the ink squid thingy you have a dazzling rainbow.........you get the idea. So there we are, Sonic & Sega All Stars Racing (or S&SASR as the kids are calling it on the streets) has almost no original ideas, at least as far as weaponry goes.

But to be honest I couldn't care less because one thing I did initially notice from the demo was that although the weapons do come into play, they are nowhere near as punishing as they are in MK. Getting hit by a weapon will usually cost you a position or two and once you've been hit you are made invincible for a few seconds allowing you to regain your momentum. Now that I have played the full game I can confirm that my initial observations about the weapons are accurate. They are tuned enough to be a factor in a race, but never to a devastating level. It's this momentum in a race that starts to separate this it from its MK counterpart.

The emphasis with this game is focused very much on speed as opposed to MK's slower weapon heavy gameplay. If I was to make a comparison on track design I certainly wouldn't compare it to MK, I'd say it has more in common with Wipeout or F-Zero with tracks twisting like a corkscrew, turning upside down, loop de looping and more. Speed burst pads are available throughout every course (as you would expect) and are positioned in such a way that you can do almost an entire lap without slowing down. If you miss that vital speed burst have no fear, the familiar drift system from MK has made it into this game also. Simply turn into the bend, hit the drift button and build up your boost. The longer the drift the better the boost, but hey, you've played MK, you know how it works!!

Graphically the game is pretty, but is a slightly mixed bag. The visuals are much busier than MK with so much stuff happening beyond the confines of the track it's unreal!! Take the Roulette Road track. As the name suggests it's based on a casino. This means that you have a giant roulette wheel spinning underneath a transparent section of track, lottery balls rolling down a metal chute, giant fruit machine wheels spinning. It's truly manic. Unfortunately it can be argued that whilst all this very pleasing to watch, it can make the visuals look cluttered and a little 'unclean' when compared to MK's more simple design method. All this graphical content comes at a price when it comes to framerate also. It's certainly not as smooth as MK but it is a consistent framerate without any slowdown and is certainly not an issue during play. I don't really notice it now to be honest.

The audio is nice with some catchy music, decent engine effects that are different depending on which vehicle and character you're using. The only thing may be the commentator, he can be a little irritating at times, but not to worry, you can turn him off if you wish.

The game also supports online play. Whilst it is fairly basic it is at least solid. I have yet to play a race that has lag and the framerate stays consistent all the way through. One feature I do like is the way that it will fill the remaining grid with AI cars if there aren't enough players in the room. This ensures a nice busy race every time.

Whether you're racing offline or online you will accumulate 'Sega Miles'. These are credits that can be used to purchase other characters, music and courses. Whilst this is really a simple 'unlock stuff as you play' mechanic, it does at least feel like you have a choice in what you unlock first. Do you choose to save up your miles to unlock that expensive character first or do you purchase the cheap stuff early on?

It's a sad thing that this game gets caught in MK's shadow. I honestly believe the mixed reviews this game has received is due to the "it's not MK so why bother trying" mindset. If you take a step back and try to judge the game on its own merits it does a fine job and is up to the task. Yes the controls are the same, most of the weapons are the same and the drift mechanic is the same, but it's the courses and the speed that makes this game feel different. I just hope more people buy it because I believe this game can sit proudly alongside Mario Kart in anyone's collection as the other "great karting game" for the Wii.

Overall score: 90%