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 .. .. ..

Water Warfare

Water Warfare is a different beast to Onslaught. They might both be FPS Wiiware downloads released by Hudson and their controls are very similar, they may even use a great deal of the same code for all I know, but the tactics of the game are very different indeed.

Where to start?

Before you can begin you have to create your own avatar by selecting, gender, hair styles, clothes and facial expressions from the selection on offer and then on to the tutorial levels which are reasonably simple to complete. Learn how to jump (Z), shoot (B), use an item (C), pick up new weapons (B), run around (nunchuk), use the rifle zoom (A) in a safe learning zone before going out into the one player game.

The one player options are mission, where you have to complete set tasks against the clock, or battle royale which can be either a single player deathmatch or a team deathmatch. The reviews I've read suggest that completing the missions unlocks new items for your avatar, a subtle way to brag of your achievements. But all of this is really just a warm up for the main reason you spent 800 Wii Points on this game - the online battles. Compete in either single player deathmatches or team events (CTF or Deathmatch) against random other players or, if you've exchanged friend codes, a room full of your mates. Up to 8 people at any time can play in each of the 4 different arenas and in the few games I played online so far that had up to 6 players the smaller maps can feel quite crowded and frenetic.

Graphically Water Warfare is worlds apart from Onslaught. No grim barren alien biosphere for this game; instead a cutesy playpark and a Delfino Square style harbour area are joined by two others to make up the different play areas. But don't be fooled into thinking this is a shovelware title because of it's appearance. Underneath the childish graphics lies a competent game that rewards the brave and tactically astute and punishes the timid or foolish player. The controls are well executed and the frame rate didn't falter even in the most frantic moments online. If I was being picky then the camera angle is a little too high but not so much that it spoils the game.

The weapons are scattered around the area and you pick them up by pointing your target at them and pressing B. Each one has it's own characteristics from the basic water pistol that you start with through to the water bazooka and sniper rifle. You can even, by finding a second identical weapon to the one that you are using, double up and have two water pistols at the same time! Each weapon has a water gauge that is displayed at the bottom right of the screen. When it is empty you need to find a new weapon or fill up the one you are holding from one of the water sources that are scattered around. Filling your weapon takes time so keep an eye out for other players who might ambush you while you do it! I lost track of the number of times I tried to refill my weapons by shaking the wiimote. At the top of the screen you have a t-shirt that gets wetter when other players squirt you. If it is totally soaked you lose a life and respawn although in most games you are limited to 2 respawns and then when you get soaked the third time you are out.

Here's a video of the game to help you visualise the action



Overall then?

I like this game. It might be cutesy but it's tough because of the way that the weapons are designed. Just like in a real water fight you are constantly thinking about where the next refill will come from as someone bears down on you trying to soak you to the core. Mirroring my performance with Onslaught I've already hit the top 20 ranked players in the country (top 500 in the world) because of the low uptake of this title. I think that many people won't buy into it as they wait for The Conduit to be released which is a shame because this is a lot of fun for £5.60

If you like the look of the game why not come and splash around on the Gameov3r Forum

MKWii Battle Tips

I've been discussing with other forum members how to improve their skills in the Mario Kart Wii battles. Sometimes a picture can express a thousand words far more clearly. Hopefully it will make the regular Monday night session even more exciting than it already is.

Want to burst our bubble? Head over to the Gameov3r Forum

Battalion Wars II

A few nights ago I met up with another forum member for some post work online fun with the Wiiware game Onslaught but it was not to be. It felt like the Nintendo server was making horn shapes with its thumbs in its ears and a loud raspberry emanating from its tongue, not allowing us to connect together for a game. Instead we decided, and I can’t remember whether it was Myrrhman or myself who suggested it, that we should try Battalion Wars 2 instead. We’ve played the game many times together across Nintendo’s Wifi but the last time was over a year ago.


BW2 has three different online options – co-op, assault and skirmish – and as we had been looking forward to the cooperative action in Onslaught that is what we chose.
I think the point that I realised just how rusty we both were came as my units got caught in the crossfire between an enemy light tank and helicopter gunship. I have no idea what my team mate was up to but I assume that it was similar to my pitiful experience.

How do I?

aaarrrggghh

NO I don’t want you to attack

erm

I want to control that unit

what’s the right button?

By the third attempt at the mission the old familiarity was back again and we cruised through, attaining an ‘S’ Rank for a perfect 100% score. On then to the next co-op mission and another ‘S’ rank, this time at the first attempt!


Have you ever assumed that you’ve remembered the controls for a game only to realise too late that you haven’t?



If you need to confess you should visit the Gameov3r Forum

Onslaught Wii

Onslaught Wii was released on the Virtual Console on the 13th Feb 2009. Being hugely indifferent to the whole FPS genre I wasn’t really bothered about it but I had 1000 Wii Points doing nothing and, with the temptation of 4 player online gaming making the decision easier, so I downloaded it. I've played for a couple of hours now (on easy mode .. .. .. don't laugh!) so my initial reactions to the game are thus:

You are part of a research team stranded on an alien planet when your ship crash lands and your first task is to make your way to a known base. Using the nunchuk to move and the wiimote to point and shoot you make your way through the dingy caverns, punctuated by the bright green of alien slime. From the outset you have a choice of weapons including a rocket launcher which can be selected by each direction on the d-pad so pick your favourite and off you go. The map in the top left of the screen lets you see where the next group of bugs are so you can decide your route from what you haven't already killed. Complete the mission and you then can progress to the next group of missions. Fairly early into the game you can ride a vehicle and inflict twin cannon destruction on the enemy.

I should probably say at this point that I've enjoyed playing the game so far and for £7 it seems like relatively good value to me. I'm going to focus on the negatives as I perceive thm for a while although I have no real idea of the standards that have been set in this genre apart from a 2 week flirtation with MOHH2 (before the frustration of not being able to reliably connect online boiled over).

1. The scenery isn't hugely detailed, is fairly repetitive and the colour palette is limited. This may just be setting the scene for the alien environment or lack of memory to be able to add more detail. It hasn't detracted from my enjoyment though.
2. There are a limited number of enemy types. Each type behaves, as you would expect from a bug, in a pre-defined manner with little deviation. The difficulty comes from the weight of numbers of these things that can, at times, come at you from all angles.
3. Map layout. One level in particular has had my screaming in rage as I can't find the way to get through to the part where I need to be. I've tried going quickly, slowly, searching every possible route but I can't find how to get to the centre of the level (where I need to be). I might be missing something .. .. .. .. on other levels the path you need to take may as well have flashing arrows pointing the route. This might just be my inexperience shining through.

The positives then?
1.If you liked the movie Starship Troupers and wanted, like every Citizen should, to fight the menace of the bugs then this game allows you to do that!
2.The basic controls are smooth and accurate.
3.There are some nice touches included too. If you get too close to a bug when you shoot it you will get splattered with green goo which needs to be wiped off by swiping the nunchuk. Look up and you can see a dark sky with a beautiful starfield.
4. There are a mix of level objectives including 'reach this point' and 'defend this point' so there is some variety of challenge.


Overall .. .. .. .. so far .. .. .. .. I'm still not a convert to FPS but I will be playing this some more.


Any questions? Ask them on the Gameov3r Forum

Nearly a year old and

It’s been 10 months since Mario Kart Wii was released in Europe and I thought I’d get in a personal early first birthday retrospective. One of the first major titles to hit shelves in Europe before North America there was much comment, much excitement, and much trepidation from the gaming community prior to release. After the success of MKDS, which has just passed 14 million sales, many found it hard to see how Nintendo could improve on the franchise.

I was one of the many that descended on the 24-hour supermarkets to pick up a copy at midnight, driving furiously home so that I could play the game while most gamers were in bed dreaming of red shells. I got home, unpacked my wheel and began to re-learn how to play Mario Kart. Since then it has barely left my Wii.

Many people couldn’t adjust to the updated control scheme. I recall one blogger likening the Wii Wheel to “strapping a biscuit tin to your wiimote”; many complained about a lack of accuracy. Me? I just plugged away at it getting better with every hour of track time.

Then there were, and still are, those who complain “it isn’t fair” or that the game is “a whole lot of luck and very little skill”. These whining voices are from a generation of gamers who want instant gratification, easy wins and no learning curve. They aren’t prepared to accept that their shortcomings as gamers are to blame as it must be the game’s fault.

Then there are those, like myself, who aren’t naturally brilliant but have learned how to play the game; learned the tricks, the techniques that allow us to improve our scores. We’ve played endlessly online (which is by far the best Nintendo online interface) and been beaten by some of the best out there, but always learning and always getting that little bit better.

I’ve set myself the challenge of hitting a ** rating by the end of the month, a step up from my current * rating. So far out of the 5 revisited Grand Prix I have achieved my goal on the first attempt. Only 8 more to go until that second star is mine!

Mario Kart Wii. You have provided me with many laughs, many tears and more than the occasional swear word. Nearly Happy First Birthday to you.

Why not join in the regular races arranged on the Gameov3r FORUM

Error Code 85010

There are threads on the Gameov3r forum that goes something like this....

"XBox online = YAY!!!"

"Nintendo online = aaaaaaaarghhh!"

Wait! If you're a Nintendo fan sit back down. Put down that large, blunt and heavy object too and let me qualify those statements. The Gameov3r forum is far from biased. But if it is, just a little bit, it leans toward the Wii and the DS more than any other consoles. The “aaaaaaaarghhh!” is an honest “aaaaaaaarghhh!”

The Monday night online DS sessions have caused a headache or two for Gameov3r forumites. Disconnects, not being able to find any friends online and server errors all conspire to spoil the fun. The Wii hasn't faired much better with many gamers experiencing connection problems. Mario Strikers initially had connection issues, so much so that I stopped playing it along with most of Gameov3r. Geometry Wars: Galaxies has the poorest online capabilities I have seen so far. I actually have to go to the trouble of uploading my scores manually! Even then I can’t see my friends in a leaderboard. Medal of Honour Heroes 2 had online teething problems despite EA using their own servers. How simple it would be if I could just look up a friend in my friends list and click to join the game they’re playing. But no, it seems that online play is still included reluctantly, is not given the time or effort needed to make it easy and intuitive to use and more importantly work properly.

The UK doesn’t have Smash Bros Brawl yet but the word from USA based forum member the_corn is not good. Last I heard was he couldn’t get online. At all. He did say that Brawl was awesome nonetheless.

MK Wii is approaching the penultimate hairpin and will soon ripping past the UK release date. With my pessimistic socks pulled right up to my knees, I fully expect to be playing MK Wii on my own when it does.

Online issues have plagued Nintendo forever. From their “we’re not interested in online gaming” stance, to their current, seemingly, incompetent stance. Surely by now Nintendo realise the importance of online gaming and that they must start getting it right.

This is not the first time I’ve moaned about Nintendo online but these issues just won’t go away. Sounds to me like Gameov3r is struggling to make something go away too. I count 4 flushes already. Avoid trap 2 in the cellar on the Gameov3r FORUM

Thank You For Playing!!

It seems Square Enix is trying to crack down on devices such as the M3 and R4 for the Nintendo DS. Their recent release of Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles in the US contains a new copy protection method that allows you to play completely normally for around 20 minutes and then you're greeted with a "Thank you for playing!!" screen and the game than quits. No doubt the pirates will only be one step behind but interesting all the same.

In not so good news for Nintendo, complaints are rolling in after the US release of Smash Bros. Brawl. It seems Nintendo Wifi is proving to be as reliable as ever at giving you a decent online experience. So what's Nintendos response? Well, they are looking into it but it seems the solution currently on offer is to wait until less people want to play online or just give up trying, whichever comes first. Still haven't quite got this online thing have you Nintendo?

Massive GTA 4 news just in!... apart from a slightly warmer colour pallet the game will look and run identically on the PS3 and Xbox 360! Anyone care about GTA anymore? Anyone still reading more to the point? It's a game that's being put forward as crucial to the console sales war with Microsoft splashing out huge sums of money to secure exclusive downloadable content, but I'm strangely about as interested in this game as I am in the slight colour difference between the two.

After that slightly warmer feeling on a forum? Gameov3r awaits...

Nintendo Why? Fi

As people should be aware it is illegal to use your mobile phone while driving. That's no talking and certainly no texting at the wheel. Nintendo being the law abiding citizens that they are have implemented this into the forth coming Mario Kart Wii. There will be no texting and most definately no chatting during races, but you can text your friends before the race using either a USB keyboard or the Wii remote. If you opt for the latter the race may well be over before you can type 'I'll pwn your face at this noob!' however.

Nintendo say they did toy with the idea of not only including a plastic wheel with the game but also a small bundle of sticks. Using these, players could rub them together vigorously to create smoke signals to organise online matches and chat to friends in a more reliable way than the Nintendo Wifi connection. The only reason these were removed from the final boxed version was that sending friend codes via this method proved even more time consuming than using the Wii remote. Well, that and the fact that players were winning races in a very real 'blaze' of glory!

So here's a plea to Nintendo. If you really are serious about charging to play certain games online, sort out the basics first. You only have to scan through the forum quickly to see the constant problems people are having trying to play any DS or Wii game online. The Geometry Wars online scoreboard is still an annoyance for me too, being something close to useless. Extensive was the word used on the box I believe, so why can't I choose to see my friends scores? And isn't it called Wii Connect 24? I assumed this meant 24hr and not the average number of times I would have to connect and disconnect from Nintendo Wifi to upload and view the scores. Still a great game though.

Update: Reading through a preview from people who have played the actual game it's said that the chat feature is even more limited than originally thought, consisting of a few preset phrases you can send to each other. The preview rated the game extremely highly but did say the plastic wheel control was rubbish and to stick with the other methods available.

Burning to get something off your chest? Come and tell us on the GAMEOV3R Forum