esistance: Fall of Man is a fantastic first person shooter that every PS3 owner should own. Out of all the games available for the PS3 at launch, it wasn't very difficult to figure out which one was the star of the show. With an interesting story, immersive gameplay and mind-bending weapon choices, Resistance: Fall of Man clearly stands out from the crowd for the foreseeable future on the PS3.

You start the game as an American soldier named Nathan Hale. The Chimera, a race of unknown origin whom were first found in Siberia, conquered Russia during the mid 1930's in the lead up to World War II. At the time, it wasn't apparent what exactly had happened. Russia was silent; nothing about the country was known to the outside world. As such, the world was oblivious to the threat of the Chimera -- until they launched a serious Resistance: Fall of Man Review 1assault on Europe, at least. They targetted the continent's weak points and left the British Isles isolated. After a few years the Chimera make their way to the British Isles by tunneling under the English channel. Though the British government had prepared for such an invasion, the Chimera were too numerous and it isn't long before the people and government are forced into hiding.

The Americans, in their (historically accurate) mentality of isolation, have set up an exchange with the now in hiding British government: they give America their "secret weapon", (anymore detail here would constitute a spoiler), in exchange for American support via vehicles and logistics. You are part of the assault team which lands in a rendezvous gone terribly wrong, and leave the only survivor.

Throughout the game, the characters and story continue to grow on you, providing impetus to continue with your genocide of anything Chimera.

Insomniac is well known for their quirky and unique games, including Ratchet & Clank and Spyro the Dragon. This vein of creativity and variety shines through in this addition to the First Person Shooter genre. The weapons in this game really make it enjoyable. Sniping in this game is far more satisfying than in any other First Person Shooter I have ever played, due to their unique implementation of the "focus" ability. You simply hold down the secondary fire button, and you focus your shot for a short period of time, turning the screen slightly monochromatic, and slowing down time to allow you to better judge your shot. Hailstorm is another unique addition. It fires subsonic bullets, allowing them to ricochet off hard surfaces instead of penetrating them. The Auger, which tunnels through solid objects and increases in power the more solid matter it passes through, is a weapon that will make you swear like a sailor when you run into a Chimera fielding this gun.

You will never get very far in this game if you don't learn to wield the unique variety of grenades which the game has. There are many points in the game in which a grenade tossed properly will save you over half your health.

Another fun addition to the game is the achievements built into the single-player experience. In each level there are a few achievements which will award you with varying amount of skill points. Once you accumulate enough Resistance: Fall of Man skill points, you can get rewards which will help you through the game. These achievements are simply titled "Skill Points", and unlike XBox 360 games, you will not be able to share achievements online across the Playstation Network. Getting them does directly help you however, and let's be honest, who isn't entertained by trying to kill three Chimera with one grenade, or taking on a boss with nothing but the default rifle?

The game also has a great co-op mode, however, disappointingly, you may only play co-op on split screen; there is no online co-op option.

Online multiplayer play in Resistance offers something that is truly stunning for the infancy of the Playstation Network though. The map designs are excellent, there is a ranking system built in to the game, similar to Battlefield 2, and your customization options when creating a game are excellent. You can scale maps for numbers of player, limit who can join, or choose your game type.

Speaking of game types, that's another huge win for Resistance. While online play includes the standard Deathmatch type of games, you also get to enjoy Breach (where you destroy the opposing base), Capture he Flag, Conversion (kind of like a "king of the hill"), Team Deathmatch and Meltdown (think Battlefield 2 base control). And if you've run out of fun fooling around with the game types you can always play with more (up to 40) or less (as few as 16) players, change up the weapon choice, or even join a clan with support of up to 200 players. The game is challenging to be sure, but not unbreakable for new gamers. I myself admire the XBox 360 controller for First Person Shooters, however, the PS3 controller genuinely surprised me with its ease of use in the game. The L and R buttons are dramatically more helpful and useful, and this game shows that in a commanding way. With ease you can do things such as shake of Chimera who have grabbed a hold of you by intuitively shaking the controller, or bring up the multiplayer rankings menu by tilting your controller to the right.

The game has a fairly gentle learning curve if you utilize the difficulty settings properly. Anyone should be able to complete easy without too much trouble, and hard will challenge you to make every bullet and side-step count. Don't expect constant action though. This game thrives on setting an eerie mood fit for the story line, and part of that is that there will be times where there are no enemies anywhere nearby. The first time I played through this kept me very tense -- I was expecting to by ambushed by gigantic aliens around every blind corner, and there were several times I just plain didn't want to venture inside a building because it felt creepy. The single player mode could have been slightly longer, however if you attempt to "complete" the game by picking up all of the hidden pieces of intelligence (which will reveal aspects of the story you otherwise couldn't gather) you will easily spend over 20 hours on this game in single player mode alone. The vehicles in the game are fun to use, but nearly invulnerable. The only time I ever died inside a vehicle was when I was using one of the enemies vehicles. Fortunately, the vehicles in this game are not freely available, and very little of the game is spent commanding anything motorized.

Overall, the game is excellent for a first generation game, and stellar for a launch title. This is not a game I would go out and buy a PS3 just to play, however, anyone who does have a PS3 should seriously consider this as a future purchase. The game is rated M for Mature, and due to the excellent job that Insomniac did on the ambiance and animations, they aren't kidding. No one prone to nightmares should pick up this game unless you are with others and the lights are turned on. Additionally, the British soldiers have somewhat dirty mouths. Go figure. All in all, this is one of the only games available at launch that I can look at and say, "Alright, I'll buy that while it's still $60 USD."

Pogledajte i...

Gran Turismo. It's a big deal. You may be part of the vocal minority who disagree, and you're entitled to do so, but the numbers just don't lie. We're talking more than 47 million units sold over the past decade. We're talking about a series that has moved PlayStation consoles off shelves like no other. We're talking about a videogame whose creator, Kazunori Yamauchi, made Motor Trend's 2007 Power List of those who make a significant impact on the automotive world – ahead of the CEOs of Honda and Ferrari. We're talking about games that have directly influenced many a car customer's purchasing decisions across the globe. The original Gran Turismo, still the best-reviewed racing game since 1995, was the bestselling game for the PlayStation, bar none. GT2 was third. The only titles that outsold GT3 on PS2 were Rockstar's all-conquering GTA games, with GT4 close behind. It's the business. It's the boss. It's the big wheel down at the cracker factory. And it's finally back.

Kinda.

What's perhaps most important we express early on is that Gran Turismo 5 Prologue is, admittedly, a far less cynical exercise than Gran Turismo 4 Prologue ever was. The latter was little more than a series of increasingly more frustrating license tests to introduce you to GT4's refined handling model. To its credit, Gran Turismo 5 Prologue is somewhat more than that. There really is more of a game here than we were expecting and, while it's only a thin slice of what we anticipate the final product will offer, at AU$59.95 we can't really begrudge it. Think of it like GT Lite. We've paid more for less.

GT5 Prologue ships with a fraction over 70 cars, six tracks (plus some alternate variations) and a smattering of modes. The single-player experience is by far-and-away the most robust part of the package, where the usual GT career progression is condensed down into 30 events over three classes (plus a further 10 upon completion). As in the past, you'll be rewarded for your performance with cash, and you'll be required to use it to fill your personal garage full of suitable rides. The events are generally races, although they're broken up by the occasional time trial (with a full field of AI opponents in a wide range of vehicles doing the same thing) and overtaking challenges (where you'll be required to move from last to first in the space of one lap). We found the time trials, no longer solo exercises, quite tough. You can, of course, utilise faster cars than your own to draft behind down straights (should they present themselves at the precise time) but you'll also find passing slower traffic can hamper your efforts. Still, it's a satisfying challenge. There are also one-make manufacturer races to be found at most of the dealers, as well as a standalone arcade mode which includes the drift trials introduced in GTHD.

The rides themselves, naturally, are the stars – and the Australian release of GT5 Prologue is buoyed by around 30 addition vehicles not seen in the Japanese release. The range is quite vast although, to be expected, it lacks the breadth of full titles like Forza Motorsports 2 at this point. Fans of the prancing horse ought to be stoked; expect to see quite a few Ferraris for the first time in the series. The 599 from GTHD is joined by the F430, the F40, the '76 512BB and even Formula One champion Kimi Räikkönen's official Ferrari F2007. There's plenty of other automotive goodness to be had, and most tastes are catered for. Euro thoroughbreds like the Aston Martin DB9, Audi R8 and Jaguar XK Coupe line up against contemporary US grunt like the Dodge Viper SRT10 and '07 Ford Mustang GT. Rice rockets like the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X, Subaru Impreza WRX STI and the all conquering brand-new Nissan GT-R take on hot hatches like the Renault Clio, '05 Volkswagen Golf V GTI and the Ford Focus ST.


There's a noticeable lack of much classic US muscle to speak of, save for the 1960 Art Morrison-tuned Corvette. Some of the 60s/70s hulks that were well represented in GT4 would have added a little more spice to the otherwise varied roster. It's also a fraction disappointing a little thunder from down under didn't make the cut for this GT5 entrée either. Local fans will no doubt recall GT4 was bolstered by some homegrown muscle from Holden and Ford Australia and, particularly with Codemasters giving Aussie V8s the flick for Race Driver: GRID, it would've been nice to have been assured they'll make a reappearance in GT5.

Criticism aside, though, the cars look absolutely remarkable. We have it on good authority the average car in Gran Turismo contained around 4,000 polygons. The figure for GT5 Prologue apparently exceeds 200,000 – and, in some cases, there are over twice as many cars on track as in the past. We always felt a little lonely on track in past GT games – six cars doesn't really cut it. Forza Motorsports 2's eight was a bit paltry too, but GT5 Prologue can accommodate double that (although not on all tracks). All at a silky smooth 60 frames per second and a blisteringly sharp 1080p, mind you. The amount of detail in the cars themselves is mind-boggling, and the attention to detail unparalleled. We started our GT5 Prologue campaign in the latest in a long line of fast Fords, an electric orange Focus ST – which most canny Australian readers may recognise as the XR5 Turbo, albeit in two-door form. Activate the all-new cabin view and you're treated to a meticulously modelled and eerily authentic recreation of the Focus' cockpit – from the additional gauges mounted on the dash down to the orange and graphite Reccaro seats. The exhaust note is spot on too, the distinctive rumble of the Volvo-sourced five-pot under the hood turns into a spirited growl as you push it through the rev range (that reminds us – turn off the music). Listen closely and you can hear the subtle whine of the turbo winding up, and back off the throttle and the hearty roar pops into a subdued hum as you downshift.


We chose to describe the ST specifically because this writer has thrashed the hell out of a real one and can honestly attest to the accuracy. It looks perfect, it sounds perfect, and there are another 70 cars in GT5 Prologue that we don't doubt are just as steeped in real-world detail. Unfortunately, but not entirely unexpectedly, real-time damage does not feature and the cars remain as invulnerable as ever. As a result, shunting opponents to 'supplement' your braking is still a tactic the unscrupulous can employ – although there are penalties to prevent this as you reach the business end of the game. This is one of the two areas where the almighty GT has been left wanting by the likes of Forza Motorsports 2 (the other is visual customisation). The damage in Microsoft's premier racing sim was a tad superficial compared to the brutal and unforgiving terminal damage system in the likes of, say, V8 Supercars 3 – but it was welcome. The trade off, of course, is visuals that completely bury Turn 10's admirable effort, and magnificent interiors that, in our experience, car nuts go positively stiff in the pants for.




The tracks themselves don't disappoint either, although we do have our favourites. Daytona is surprisingly cool when the exceedingly narrow and twisted infield segment is added to the more familiar oval, and London is a triumph. It's not only incredibly fun (and hard to master) it looks unreal. You'll probably be going too fast to appreciate how each building is lovingly pieced together, although you'll be hard pressed not to gawk at the fantastic lighting effects as you whip through the shadows cast by trackside architecture and the sunlight piercing the gaps quickly slides across the dash. GTHD's Eiger Nordwand gets another run, as does the High Speed Ring – a series stalwart. Real-world circuits Fuji and Suzuka round out the six.

Of course, GT5 Prologue's ace-in-the-hole, so to speak, is its online mode. Unfortunately, it was also the area in which we were least impressed. Head online and the already slick interface is augmented with a nifty calendar world map, complete with rotating weather details around the world (so, you know, you can be in the loop when it's a bit chilly at Le Mans). You're also able to access one of (at this stage) 33 online events, most of which are races, and you'll earn credits from these races that can be used offline. Unfortunately, with no real matchmaking options to speak of it's all a little arbitrary and impersonal – you just pick one of the pre-set tasks and wait for the game to link you up with other players.


We can't speak definitively until we get a chance to go up against local competitors, but our time with the game online was a tad patchy. The experience was silky smooth for us, but opponent cars always seemed to be a bit jerky around bends and occasionally flittered disorientatingly about. Pile into the hairpin at the end of Fuji's main straight at the same time as five other cars and things disintegrate quickly, although the game generally makes a good show of temporarily disabling the collision judgement for sudden, erratic attacks on other cars to prevent unfair play. You'll get a nudge here and there, but hurtling around Daytona one opponent tried to sideswipe us off the track as we attempted to slingshot past him (or her) only to be rendered transparent, pass through us and spin out on the infield. It's not realistic but it keeps things civil. We also liked the online time trial functionality – hop in your favourite car and hit the track and you'll be updated every lap how you stack up against the rest of the world. It's neat, and keeps you coming back. Still, next to the far more robust online offering of a racer like Forza Motorsports 2, GT5 Prologue's is quite rudimentary. We do imagine, however, Polyphony will learn a lot for the real deal when Gran Turismo 5 releases in 2009. In the meantime, we feel we might get more mileage out of the two-player split-screen mode, new to the local version of GT5 Prologue.

Closing Comments
Gran Turismo 5 Prologue, really, is the biggest demo you'll ever play. There honestly is more to do here than in many full-price titles, despite the fact it's merely a teaser. It's barn-stormingly beautiful and feels sublime, and even though the online racing seems like a bit of a dud, we're sure Polyphony can update and improve it. Honestly, GT die-hards (and there are millions of them) should lap this up.

Rating	Description
out of 10	click here for ratings guide
8.0	Presentation Slick interface and easy to navigate, although there's a little too much to-and fro through menus to get some stuff done.
9.5	Graphics We don't really have qualms saying GT5 Prologue is the best looking racing sim we've ever laid eyes on. Super crispy car models, hyper-detailed interiors... it's gorgeous.
8.5	Sound The menu music is typically Gran Turismo - a dire concoction of splashy cymbals and Casio keyboards, and the race tunes are forgettable. But the engine notes? Best in the business.
8.5	Gameplay Two levels of handling physics (standard and professional) plus a slate of driving aids makes GT5 as challenging as you want it to be. It's a finesse racer. Very civilised.
7.0	Lasting Appeal You'll tire of the tracks before you tire of the cars, but there is more here to do than in many full-priced games. Should keep you busy for many hours, and will definitely entertain GT devotees.
8.3 Impressive	OVERALL (out of 10 / not an average)

March 20, 2008 - If it came down to it, would you be willing to rip your toilet seat off of its hinges to beat down a frenzied meth addict? You'd better be prepared to answer 'yes' to that question if you're going to take a swing at Condemned 2: Bloodshot. The sequel to Monolith and SEGA's Xbox 360 launch title returns to the seedy underworld for more first-person melee combat with a hint of horror. Ok, it's more than a hint. Condemned 2 offers up the same formula that made the first game a success and tackles every criticism levelled at the franchise with success in most areas. It's not the perfect sequel, but it'll do for those of us that found the first a refreshing alternative to the standard first-person formula.

Condemned 2 picks up several months after the first game ended. Ethan Thomas, our unlikely hero, has fallen on hard times since leaving his job as an SCU agent. The alcoholic stupor he lives in has taken its toll and this game finds him battling demons both real and imaginary. Things are bad for Mr. Thomas. Not quite Leaving Las Vegas bad, but the sauce has become such a part of his life that he can't hold a gun steady without first downing a bottle. It's a sad state of affairs, but an interesting gameplay mechanic to be sure.


Against Ethan's will, Condemned 2 drags the protagonist back into action. Things start with a search for the missing Van Horn, an old friend of Ethan's. As a survival horror game, it should come as no surprise that things get crazy fast and the story quickly diverts down a supernatural path. The narrative of Condemned: Criminal Origins imploded towards the end of the game, leaving many confused as to what the ending meant. You won't have that problem with the sequel. Of course, the first game was never released on PS3 so comparisons are a bit moot. The sequel can stand on its own but it certainly is more enjoyable if you have the first game under your belt. Regardless, the story here is presented in a more focused manner with cutscenes book ending each chapter and an easy to follow tale that continues to unfold as you play.

A focused story is not always a better one. While Condemned 2 starts off with a bang, the story is oddly unsatisfying by the end. Perhaps this is because Monolith had to at once tie up all of the loose ends (of which there were many) of the first game and create a stand alone story for new initiates. Or it may be because some parts of Condemned 2 appear written into the story simply because the level designers had a good idea. I'm looking at you Magicman. Whatever the reason may be, Condemned 2 doesn't have the sense of urgency or power that the first game did.

Even so, the tale does have its high points. There are moments you'll never see coming that are very cool and memorable in all the right ways. I'll keep this review as spoiler free as possible, but know that Condemned 2 takes Ethan beyond the city limits into a number of attractive and twisted environments.

Or course, the first Condemned didn't become a moderate hit because of the story. It was the unique first-person melee take on the survival horror genre that caused it to make a splash. Monolith has taken this concept and run with it. The combat system is fleshed out with combos, environmental finishers, brutal quick time event special attacks and good old fashioned fisticuffs. This is a huge leap up from the first game and continues to be a great alternative to traditional first-person shooters.

Like the story, the combat loses its way a tad as the game moves along. By the end, you'll have been tossed into a number of situations where gunplay takes on too much significance for a game that supposedly isn't about shooting. If guns are your thing, you can even unlock a first-person shooter mode by completing the game once. Still, nothing beats the grotesque satisfaction Condemned 2 provides with its weapons of convenience. Toilet seats, bowling balls, broadswords and more are all in play and all a great deal of fun to wield or hurl at an oncoming lunatic.

Another area of success is the improved forensics. The crime scene investigations are an involved process in the sequel -- you won't simply point a tool at a dead body and learn its mysteries. Condemned 2 requires you to use your noggin. You won't have to pull any Law and Order knowledge out (unless you consider Ice-T's character the brains of the operation), but you will be graded on your ability to make observations and simple inferences. Occasionally you'll be given a list of questions to ask with a somewhat arbitrary "perfect" answer, but on the whole this is a great game mechanic and adds to the immersion level quite well. There's a bonus to doing well here, too. These investigations, along with meeting bonus objectives and finding all of the collectibles in a stage, are summed up into one grade that determines how good of an upgrade you receive for your job well done.

A game like Condemned 2 lives and dies on its level of immersion, so the new investigative sequences are a nice touch. There are a few small things in the game that can bring you out of the creepy spell Condemned 2 casts. The framerate drops occasionally, though not drastically. This problem is a bit more noticeable on PS3 than Xbox 360, but not game killing in either case. Object physics also sometimes felt a bit off, or were broken. We saw a few weapons and objects hovering impossibly in the air a couple times and we're pretty sure that an empty cardboard box on the ground should not impede our progress until being swatted out of the way. The animations of other people, particularly SCU agents, leave something to be desired as well and the load times in between deaths are a little too long to keep you engrossed in the dark world. These are small gripes though and mostly fade into the background when compared to the good things Monolith has done.



With all that has been updated, changed and improved in Condemned 2, there are some things that haven't changed. That's a good thing since the first game had a lot going for it. The sound is as impressive as ever. The game makes full use of your 5.1 surround system to keep you on the edge of your seat. It should go without saying that the fright effects sound great, but Monolith went the extra step here. A simple fistfight becomes so much more as the game adds aural effects to the soundtrack to complement your actions.

The graphics look good, particularly the artistic direction, and do great service towards creating an aura of fear. And there are many genuinely creepy moments in the game. The designers have a fantastic grasp of what can, and should, be done with a horror videogame. The atmosphere is there with troubling graffiti, oil seeping from the walls and ceiling and splashes of strange reddish liquids that can only be fluids meant to be kept inside the human body. The goal was to make a world gone awry and success was had. I mean, you go to a bowling alley in Trenton at one point. Case closed.

The experience doesn't end when the campaign is over, though the extras aren't nearly as strong. First is the Bloodshot Fight Club. These small missions are a quick way to hop into some psycho-slaughtering action. Each has a specific goal for you to tackle and see how you stack up against the online leaderboards. These little arena brawls are a nice distraction, but little more than that in the long run.

There's also a multiplayer game for up to 8 people online or through system link. We experienced some mild lag in a few games that we played on PS3. A first-person melee-centric multiplayer game might sound fun, but it isn't all that hot. The deathmatch modes are a confused cluster-fudge. There's really only one game type worth playing. It's called Crime Scene and it pits a team of crazies against some SCU agents. The goal of the afflicted is to prevent the SCU from finding a box with a head in it, which they can do by moving the box at any time or putting down emitters to mess with the SCU's equipment. Even with this fun idea, I can't see the Condemned 2 multiplayer community really taking off.
Closing Comments
Condemned 2 doesn't make as big of a splash as its predecessor, but it does everything necessary to make a quality sequel. There are more features, fan complaints are addressed and it's still as spine tingling as ever. The story, though less akin to Swiss cheese than the first one was, is not as gripping and the game feels as if it lost its focus in the latter stages. As a sequel, the game doesn't have the originality the first had going for it and, as such, the shortcomings are more noticeable. The gameplay improvements are strong enough to overshadow these for the most part and you're still left with a wild ride.

Rating	Description
out of 10	click here for ratings guide
8.0	Presentation The story isn't too satisfying, but the atmosphere is excellent.
8.0	Graphics The artistic direction and clever use of filters keep this game appealing from start to finish.
9.0	Sound Turn up the volume and play the game alone for maximum effect.
8.0	Gameplay The improvements are exactly what was expected out of a sequel. The core concept feels a bit diluted by the end.
6.5	Lasting Appeal Most of the new features outside of the main game are throw aways.
8.0 Impressive	OVERALL (out of 10 / not an average)

February 4, 2008 - Devil May Cry fans know what they expect from the action series: they look for fast paced action sequences that require solid timing instead of button mashing. They expect large scale battles with insane bosses and hordes of monsters that barely give the player a second to breath. They also expect characters to take the dangerous settings lightly, with a large dose of sarcasm and a snarky outlook towards the supernatural surroundings they find themselves in. Well, DMC fans, take heart: Devil May Cry 4, the latest chapter in the series and the first true sequel in the Devil May Cry chronology maintains all of these trademarks while showcasing the power of the PS3 fairly well.

That is, for the most part.

See, Dante fans may find themselves a bit disappointed in their favorite character's new role within the series: instead of taking over the spotlight as he has in the previous three games, the anti-hero takes on a secondary position to franchise newcomer Nero. DMC4 is really more of his story and his coming of age within the Sparda-influenced universe than a tale that picks up after the events of DMC1. Is this a bad turn of events? No, not really, although some of the hardcore might wonder if the game could've had a different title with a Dante cameo instead of a Devil May Cry chapter.



The story of Devil May Cry 4 is set in and around the coastal town of Fortuna, which has an interesting tale by itself: it's governed by a militant theocracy known as The Order of the Sword, and protected by a group of Holy Knights. The people of the town worship the demon knight Sparda as a god and savior. During a ceremony in honor of their deity, Nero, a young knight, sees Dante crash through a window and slaughter the leader of the Order, as well as many of his friends. While he doesn't know who Dante is or why he's attacking them, Nero wants revenge for Dante's actions. What follows over the course of 20 missions is a quest of revenge and betrayal, as well as salvation and sacrifice, as Nero hunts Dante down across the land.

Apathetic and dismissive of authority, Nero is a younger, more angst-filled character than Dante's older, wiser and more sarcastic outlook on the world. However, he's just as skilled as the Son of Sparda, with a wide range of abilities to support him in combat. The first, and perhaps most obvious element, is the Devil Bringer, his demonically-enhanced right arm that allows him to project an energy arm ahead of him. This allows Nero to grasp distant objects, which he'll use to reach new areas or scale heights, as well as grab, throw and punch opponents. While this can be used to start or extend obvious combos, perhaps one of the most intriguing elements is that the arm responds differently when used against each opponent in the game. For example, players will grip and throw some creatures by their tails, while others may be pulled apart or even used as weapons against their allies. This can be factored into players' plans when using Nero's primary attacks in battle.

Nero has access to both projectile and melee strikes thanks to his unique weaponry, the Blue Rose and the Red Queen. The Blue Rose is a double-barreled pistol that allows Nero to fire powerful blasts at distant opponents. While slow to fire, the power of these blasts is quite strong, and can eventually be charged-up to provide even more punch. His more devastating attacks come in the form of the Red Queen, a motorcycle throttled, gas-infused sword that can be revved-up to add additional strength behind each combo or blow inflicted on an enemy. This boosting of the sword is known as the Exceed system, and allows Nero to charge the sword up three times, turning the blade red hot with energy and lashing out with fiery blows.

The Exceed system is one that can take a little getting used to. Continually pulling the trigger to rev the sword doesn't work nearly as well as slow, consistent pulls, which boosts the gears of the blade more. It also drops Nero to a slow walk as he reaches behind him and revs the motor of the Red Queen, which can be tricky to pull off consistently in the midst of battle, particularly because it leaves you open to attacks. While you can work on your timing after an attack to instantly charge up the blade, you won't always nail it, so the difficulty of this move is rather high. However, there's another, more pressing issue with the Exceed system, which is that you don't need to use it at all to quickly and efficiently eliminate the monsters within the game. Thanks to the strength and power of Nero's various combat skills and combos, you're better off eliminating your opponents with standard attacks than spending the time to charge up your blade

What's more, Nero will eventually gain access to a Devil Trigger, which allows him to project the demonic entity that inhabits his arm behind him. Not only will you regenerate lost health, you'll significantly strengthen sword strikes and gunshots. While the duration of the devil trigger is limited by the amount of magic power that you have available, the attacks that you can make are much stronger than anything that the Exceed system can provide, which makes the optional battle tactic somewhat useless by comparison. This is exacerbated when you realize that you can purchase additional magic power and decrease the speed of the magic drain by purchasing enhancements.

Just like other DMC titles, you'll be evaluated at the end of every single mission on how quickly you complete the stage, the number of red orbs that you collect, and how stylishly you eliminated demons in the game. Style, of course, is the most important of the three, since you'll continually be evaluated in battle on the variety of your attacks. This ranges from D (for Deadly) to SSS (for Smokin' Sick Style), and are only mildly degraded if you rely upon the same strike or are hit in the course of battle. These three classifications provide you with a final grade for that mission, which translates into proud souls. These can be redeemed for new abilities and skills, just as red orbs can be redeemed for new items at Divinity Statues.

There are two cool aspects to this system. The first is that while you can quit a mission at any time, you'll still receive a certain amount of orbs and proud souls for your progress. Like previous DMC titles, orb farming is a key facet of the game, and you'll wind up constantly trying to amass as much as possible to help you along your way. This could be either through playing secret missions, or playing a stage over and over to just collect what you can. The second feature is that you can always return any skill or ability that you don't use, receiving a return on your investment towards something that you will want to use. Obviously, this encourages a significant amount of replay of missions and levels to collect as many abilities and items as possible, especially to make the game easier to fight through with either Nero or Dante.

Yep, Dante eventually does make an appearance within the title as much more than a plot device. He does take over as a playable character, and brings with him some of his considerable talents from DMC3. Dante wouldn't be caught dead without Rebellion, his large sword, and Ebony and Ivory, his twin pistols. Ebony and Ivory are much faster than Nero's Blue Rose, and lets you blast away with quick bursts of gunfire at enemies, and they allow you to charge up their blasts for stronger shots. For harder shots, Dante can use Coyote, his sawed-off shotgun to knock monsters down. However, while these weapons are particularly strong in battle, it's their use within Dante's weapon styles that helps define his combos and his battle abilities.

Dante retains his four styles from DMC3: Trickster, Royal Guard, Sword Master and Gun Slinger. Unlike the previous title, you can choose to switch between styles on the fly instead of having to select one at the start of a mission. For example, you can start one combo in Sword Master, switch to Trickster and evade an attack, and finish off a monster with Gun Slinger. This allows you to string together some stylish attacks, particularly if you get the timing down on each style's moves. Dante also has access to his Devil Trigger as well, so you can quickly eliminate monsters or bosses with a concentrated use of this spiritual energy.

However, there are a couple of downsides that you'll find when it comes to Dante. The first is that he doesn't have nearly the same kind of focus that he's had in previous games. His play time isn't nearly as long as that of Nero's - it's more like 30% compared to Nero's 70%, which is somewhat disappointing. (Before you ask, no, you can't take him through Nero's sections of the game.) This disappointment extends to other characters, like Lady and Trish, who feel like more of an afterthought than an addition to the game itself. What's more, the change almost feels abrupt; you'll be relatively used to playing as Nero after a while, and suddenly find yourself switching over to Dante, which will force you to readjust your tactics and moves. It doesn't hamper or wreck the gameplay by any means (and I'm not saying that one of the characters is better than the other; I'm sure players will quickly establish their own favorites), but it is a significantly noticeable change in the way that you approach battle.


Related to this diminished role is that Dante simply doesn't have nearly as many weapons as he did in DMC3. Instead of managing to acquire five guns and five Devil Arms, you'll only have the opportunity to acquire three different weapons within the game. They do have an impressive amount of strength, and fit in quite nicely within the tone of the series. Whether it's the striking power of Gilgamesh, the explosive blasts of Lucifer or the over the top nature of Pandora, the three weapons can all be powered-up and used by Dante's various styles to help him through the various battles. However, if you've fought your way through the fierce difficulty of DMC3, you may feel shortchanged in the equipment department.

What's more, the amount of backtracking and repetition makes the game feel somewhat half-heartedly finished in the design department. Don't get me wrong - I know that there's a certain amount of backtracking that you are going to do within a DMC title; it's almost inherent to the series. But the way in which it's handled in DMC4 is practically a travesty. Without revealing any plot details, I'll just say this: instead of taking Dante and his part of the adventure through new areas, or even forging radically different paths, you'll find yourself trekking back through extremely familiar territory with minimal changes made. This is pretty sad, especially when combined with this reduced role for Dante in the game. It merely serves to highlight the larger role that Nero plays in the game. Then again, Nero doesn't escape repetition that drags out gameplay meaninglessly, either. Believe me: you'll know it when you see it, but you'll gain a new hatred for board games.



Repetitive level design aside, you will want to stick your way through these elements, partially because you'll unlock harder difficulty levels. Initially, the game starts with two levels available: Human and Devil Hunter. It could be me, but after surviving titles like DMC3 and Ninja Gaiden, playing through these two levels weren't particularly difficult at all. However, DMC4 has multiple difficulty levels, six in all, which are only fully unlocked after you complete the game five times. One of the cool parts about these additional difficulty levels is that the game does vary up the gameplay in stages as you climb up in difficulty. The position of monsters or other demons will change, puzzles will get harder and enemies will get access to different weapons or abilities, which help to keep the game fresh.

Personally, I found four of the levels to be a piece of cake, but Dante Must Die mode is much harder in this game than it ever was in DMC3, and will probably result in numerous controllers being shattered in frustration. Seriously, this mode will kick you when you're down and laugh at you mercilessly. The fact that there is another level beyond it that is much harder just mystifies me, and it will take incredible skill and possibly superhuman reflexes to beat it.

Regardless of the level you wind up playing the game on, you and your progress will be recorded on the game's leaderboards, which will rank every mission that you've played and the rating you receive. Not only can you check to see how you did across the various difficulty ratings, but you can also check to see how your score stacks up against the world's best as well as against those of your friends. Apart from these bragging rights, successive playthroughs will unlock the Story Theater, which will allow you to watch any cutscene within the game individually or together in one continuous movie, a gallery with bonus art and character info, and a game library that provides information on every element of the game. Players will also unlock the Bloody Palace, a survival mode where stylish hits add time to a steadily-decreasing clock, giving you another option to farm orbs and souls.

Like most multi-console games, any review would inevitably have to come down to which system is better, and for this instance, the PS3 winds up winning out just slightly. It's not in the gameplay department, because DMC4 plays the same regardless of which system that you play on. Nor is it in the visual department, because visual issues are virtually negligible. For example, the 360 has some harder edges to some characters during cutscenes, and a little more screen tearing than the PS3 at times. The PS3 can be a wee bit darker during some scenes, though. Both systems show off a certain amount of render passing that pops into focus on sweeping vista shots, but they occur at the same time on each system and are quickly dismissed. However, observing these differences will only come via frame-by-frame analysis of each game side-by-side. Even then, you're still receiving an incredible visual experience.

No, the edge comes in the fact that the PS3 installs a large amount of game files to the hard drive, dramatically reducing load times between stages and cinematics. I've timed the game on both systems numerous times, and each time has been consistently in the PS3's favor. Transitions to gameplay from starting menus are relatively close, frequently within half a second or so of each other, but when you're loading up a cutscene or having another pause in the action, the 360's times are easily three times that of the PS3.

However, even with the load time discrepancy, the presentation of the game is phenomenal, from the incredible character models to the beautiful environments that you'll fight your way through. This is visually arresting work, and Capcom is to be applauded for its efforts. I know that every time I've had the game on in the office, people have stopped and remarked on how amazing the title looks, and it's definitely a showcase for what each system can do. Very little needs to be said about how striking it is -- simply look at the dozens of pictures or watch one of our many videos on the game and you'll see how outstanding the graphics are.

The lone downside comes with the camera angles, which can be somewhat iffy. Sure, you can readjust the camera with the right analog stick, but part of the problem is that there are some places where the game will initially frame the action poorly. For example, you can be running along a path and find that because the camera angle has changed, you suddenly are running in the opposite direction. Another reason why this is bad is that some monsters phase their way through walls or floors, or are hidden by environmental objects for a few seconds, making it harder to see who you're attacking.

Apart from the visual presentation, you'll find that the sound is, for the most part, top notch. There are a few lines that are delivered somewhat weakly, but overall, the dialogue is excellently done. Dante and Nero manage to strike the right tone of gravity and sarcasm, and the other characters are performed well. The music features the classic electrometal sound that the series has become known for, which is strikingly contrasted with choral arrangements upon menu screens and certain poignant moments. Closing Comments
Though the focus might be more on Nero than Dante, and could've been named something else with a Dante cameo, DMC4 still has everything that fans expect of the game – over the top fight sequences, tons of replayability and an experience with an excellent production value. Whether it's on the PS3 or the 360, action fans are going to get one incredible experience with this game, and if you own either system, you'll have a great time.

Rating	Description
out of 10	click here for ratings guide
8.5	Presentation While this is more Nero's story than Dante's, this chapter of the DMC franchise maintains just about every facet of the series fans have come to know and love.
9.0	Graphics Visually arresting and vibrantly depicted, this is one of those games that showcases the power of your system.
9.0	Sound From sarcasm to apathy, the dialogue is almost perfectly delivered. Mixed with the trademark electrometal soundtrack, this is DMC through and through.
8.5	Gameplay Dante feels more like an afterthought than a real addition, the Exceed system is a bit weak, and the repetitive level design is particularly dismaying.
9.0	Lasting Appeal Six difficulty levels, survival modes and other extras will keep you playing for a long time.
8.7 Great	OVERALL (out of 10 / not an average)

Eighteen months have gone by since the original Vegas and the world of geeks and nerds has been waiting with baited breath wondering whether or not Ubisoft Montreal would give them the sequel that they so desperately wanted. To be a true success in the eyes of many faithful fans, Vegas 2 must offer a fitting conclusion to the cliffhanger storyline, revamped gameplay and the most fleshed out multiplayer mode the world has ever seen. Rainbow Six Vegas 2, while a worthy follow-up, doesn't meet such lofty expectations.


Let's start with the good. There's an all-new perpetual character system that allows for experience points as well as the new ACES (Advanced Combat Enhancement and Specialization) points to be carried over across all of the modes in Vegas 2. That means that if you kill a baddy and earn three points to your Assault category in single-player, those points will then make their way over to your next multiplayer or co-op game as well. Each of the ACES categories has 20 levels that can be unlocked, and each level has different rewards such as weapons or a big XP bonus. None of the rewards are as gratifying – neither in their graphical display or in the reward itself – as in Call of Duty 4, but the fact that you can carry them through to different modes is a definite plus.

The next addition to the Vegas family is the ability to run. The left shoulder button now governs sprinting and it's extremely useful for getting between points of cover or to escape the blast radius of a grenade. Being able to run might sound a bit odd for a Rainbow Six game and diehards might not be able to accept its existence, but once you see it in use it all makes sense. Throw in the fact that this game has a higher difficulty level and is actually more grounded in tactical gameplay than the first and running will feel natural when used properly.


Vegas 2 is designed to be more tactical, but no one told your two AI teammates. Too often that you'll be skillfully maneuvering through pieces of cover, picking off hapless enemies, only to have these two nimrods wander out into the open and get gunned down. Granted sometimes they're actual assets in battle, but the AI is usually more of a headache than a help. The same goes for enemy intelligence which, for whatever reason, can't recognize when my character is sitting four feet to the left with my crosshairs placed squarely on his noggin. Oh, and for those that are wondering, the same tactical map exploit of being able to scan deeper into the environment than should be possible is still in the game.

As anyone who played through the first Vegas knows, the storyline left a bit to be desired. Ubisoft spun a fairly interesting tale but then left players hanging in a mean way at the end with one of the worst cliffhanger endings we've seen in some time. Luckily Vegas 2 ties up all of the loose ends from the first and even fleshes out a few of the characters by providing motivations for their actions. You won't be confusing Vegas 2 with an actual Tom Clancy theatrical release, but the story does enough to keep things interesting.

Having said all that, the single-player campaign was never the star of Vegas. Multiplayer and co-op are where the fun really lies and the same is true in the sequel. Multiplayer is once again the real Belle of the ball with 12 maps and two new adversarial modes. Several of the maps were ripped from Raven Shield on PC and retooled to fit Vegas 2's play style. Each of the maps performs well. Maps are well balanced and feature the requisite number of alternate paths to keep things fresh. My only real gripes with the multiplayer are that you can't set up your own 16-player game without being relegated to using your console as a dedicated server. It's also a bit disconcerting that the game doesn't hand out a few experience points for capturing points in Total Conquest or when your team rescues a hostage. Where's my experience or ACES point incentive?


Co-op, on the other hand, is another ball of wax. Ubisoft Montreal did some good. It put in the cutscenes, mission briefings, and tutorials that were missing in the first game. It's all downhill from there. The changes made to the co-op gameplay were poorly implemented. Campaign co-op was shrunk from four players down to two. But you are still joined by two AI teammates. Only the host player is able to issue commands, leaving the second player as nothing more than a hired gun. Player two is instead forced to sit idly by as the first player orders teammates around and completes objectives in the level. And if the host goes down, your AI teammates have no one to tell them what to do until he respawns. Why in the hell can't the second player feel like more of a part of the storyline? And why only two players for campaign when you can still have four-player co-op in Terrorist Hunt?

The gameplay in Rainbow Six Vegas 2 is awesome; it just isn't as awesome as it was 18 months ago. The main complaint that most gamers are sure to have with RSV2 is that it's simply too similar to the game that we played late in 2006. The ability to sprint is the only change to the core gameplay with the rest feeling like minor tweaks. The core is still great and will be a blast for anyone who hasn't played through the original (though the lack of synopsis of the events in Vegas 1 makes it a bit tough), but those who have been down the strip before might be less enthused.


Aesthetically Vegas 2 is similar to its gameplay in that not a whole lot has changed. Unreal Engine 3 still shines through in the detailed character models but the environments are less flashy overall, mainly because you spend the majority of your time away from the bright lights of Las Vegas. There also seem to be more instances of the framerate slowing down, sometimes to a crawl. A symptom that is exacerbated on the PS3 where textures and effects are already not up to the 360's standard. One feather that can be placed in the hat of Vegas 2 is that the environments are more interactive than they were before. Glass can be blown out of entire floors of buildings and certain environment set pieces can be impressively blown to bits. Closing Comments
As I said previously, the biggest problem that most will have with Vegas 2 is that it doesn’t differentiate itself enough from the first. It doesn’t feel like an expansion pack exactly--it’s more than that--but it doesn’t feel like a full-fledged sequel either. For those who haven’t taken a stroll down the streets of Sin City than you needn’t look any further than Rainbow Six Vegas 2, but those looking for a sequel that surpasses the original in everyway imaginable will be disappointed.

Rating	Description
out of 10	click here for ratings guide
9.0	Presentation Menu systems are the same as before but everything moves a bit better than before, especially online.
7.5	Graphics PS3 owners get even more slowdown than on 360 and some lackluster texture work to boot.
8.0	Sound Identical to what was in the first game in terms of music. Voice acting is definitely improved, especially on the enemies.
8.5	Gameplay Same mechanics as in the first, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing when they’re this good. Sprinting is a plus. The co-op is not.
8.5	Lasting Appeal Plenty of maps and modes will keep players busy, just so long as they realize that they’ve been playing this game for awhile.
8.2 Impressive	OVERALL (out of 10 / not an average)

March 24, 2008 - No game is perfect. Some have iffy controls, others have lame stories, and a few just have weak enemies, but even with these natural foibles, glitches and hang-ups, a videogame can transcend its limitations and be heralded as a title where the sum is greater than the parts.

That isn't the case with Viking: Battle for Asgard.

Set in the time when the Norse Gods ruled and people hid gold in glowing urns for some inexplicable reason, Viking, the latest from SEGA and Creative Assembly, tosses you into the massive boots of Skarin, a shirtless warrior who packs a sword and battleaxe. The game opens with Skarin mortally wounded and about to take a one-way trip to Valhalla, but Freya -- Odin's daughter -- steps in to save the Schwarzenegger-like brute as long as he pledges allegiance to her and promises to go after Hel, queen of the Underworld. Skarin agrees, gets this glowing amulet from Freya, and we're off!


Now, taking on the queen of the damned isn't a one-man gig. The problem is, Hel's Legion -- an army of blue-skinned, undead bad guys -- is roaming the countryside and has imprisoned the very Vikings who would be willing to fight alongside Skarin. This means that the majority of your time in Viking is spent scouring the mountain tops and grassy plains looking for men who are usually locked in giant ribcage prisons or tethered to skull poles. Find the camps, kill the Legion, and free the men. From there, the troops usually give you some task to complete such as gathering a healing honey or eliminating a traitor, and once the odd job is complete, they join your team.

See, you're freeing all of these soldiers for the massive battles that Viking revolves around. When you tap Select and bring up your map, you'll find it covered with various icons indicating enemy encampments, friendly bases and more. Of the enemy kind, you'll see some that have conditions -- free X number of troops, find the battle horn, etc. -- that must be met before you can complete the task. Usually, these are the massive battles that act as a middle and end to the level.

Once you meet the battle conditions, you can select the icon on the map and jump straight into the war. Here's where all of the troops you've saved march into battle with you. If you haven't seen these skirmishes in action, they can be pretty impressive. Each one starts with a cutscene depicting a sea of your men marching toward a sea of enemies. Dragons fly overhead, Shaman are casting ominous spells in the distance, and giants wait at the ready. When the scene ends, you're thrust into the battle the imagery just set up. You and hundreds of your men move towards hundreds of enemies.

Although there's no way to control what your men are doing, they're generally pretty good about following you and helping the best they can -- that is by beating the living hell out of all the blue-skinned freaks that get in their way. While your boys on the ground tend to the Legion horde, you're pretty much on your own as far as ending the battle. Each scenario has win conditions such as eliminating two of the three Shamans or taking care of a few giants. Once you've completed the tasks, your troops can move deeper into the base, you'll get a new set of objectives, and the beat goes on. In the end, you have to call your Shaman to the base's heart and have her switch it to good.

And just like that, I've explained Viking. Crisscrossing the map as you free troops and take on the occasional task that ends with you freeing troops is what this game is all about. The troop gathering and massive battles take place on three maps that feature towering mountains for you to figure out how to climb, flowing streams and plenty of red hot lava. When you enter bad guy turf, the sky will darken and rain will fall, and once you've liberated the space from evil's grasp, the sun pops out and the birds begin to sing.

If it sounds like a shallow experience …well, it kind of is a shallow experience, but that doesn't mean it's not fun. On the surface, fighting camp after camp of evil monsters sounds a repetitive bore -- and it is toward the end -- but Viking actually did do a good job of keeping me entertained. Aside from the different ranks of beast each map dot holds -- there are archers, swordsmen, wooden shields, steel shields, double-sword wielders, and more -- there's the constant question of how to infiltrate their ranks. In the beginning, it's easy (just run in there and hack away with the weak strike button before letting off a heavy attack), but by the third island, I found myself standing back and scoping out all of the different entry points and options.

One base had my men and the aforementioned ribcage structure in the middle of the encampment. After a while of watching troop patterns and locations, I crept up on the base -- Skarin drops to a tip-toe crouch when he can see enemies but they haven't seen him -- and took out the one guard at the southeast entrance. After that, I waited for a patrol to pass, ran into the camp, freed my men, and let them help me with the murder of every creature in the place.

Now, if there were just a few of the low-level Legion in there, I probably would've run in and just waxed them all without worrying. If there were some monsters off in the distance, I would've had to have been careful that a horn blower wasn't hanging near the prisoners -- if he sees me before I get the chance to kill him, he can alert every enemy nearby to come kick my ass. These little touches of stealth, problem solving and planning are a nice touch that actually keeps the hack-and-slash gameplay from getting too stale … at least for a while.

Want to know what else helps? Insane levels of violence. We're talking Rob Zombie levels here. Remember how I said I iced that lonely guard a few paragraphs back? That was a lot cooler than I initially let on. As you run around Midgard and gather gold, you can take it and buy new moves from this Viking ghost. One of those moves allows for instant kills if you sneak up on a foe. You'll be creeping up, square will appear above his head, you'll tap the button, and Skarin will cut the bastard in half with one strike.

Blood will gush everywhere and entrails will be visible.

These bloody, grotesque deaths aren't limited to stealth kills. Once you've whittled away the life -- and usually an arm -- of an opponent, square will pop up over the bad guy. Tap it and Skarin will launch into a slow-motion dismembering attack that will spray red goo everywhere. He'll lop off their heads, cut them in half remove their limbs, and more.

It's awesome, and the finishers usually give off more magic-meter filling red orbs than the normal kill would've.


Sadly though, fun tidbits get lost in a sea of mediocrity when it comes to Viking. To begin with, the game can get extremely frustrating -- and I'm talking beyond the fact that you're just alternating between two attack buttons for the entire thing. There's a mission early on in your quest when you have to sneak into an enemy's base and power a sacred stone at their portal. The way the task is set up, you have to crawl into the camp and walk around the entire perimeter to get from Point A to Point B. If you're spotted, there are way too many people to fight and survive so you must run. However, there's no run button, so Skarin just jogs at his normal pace while enemies leap and stab him in the back, which completely halts your getaway. When you get to the energy your stone needs, you have to tap the circle button to power up, however the bad guys who were chasing you are now on top of you and each time one of their blows connects, you stop powering up the stone.

Grr.

Of course, if I thought that was bad, the assault on Hel's fortress showed that I hadn't seen anything yet. With the final big battle behind me, I was now sent out on my own to best the queen once and for all. However, first I had to climb a seemingly never-ending staircase that was filled with enemies. Did I mention that Viking's combat is incredibly hit-or-miss when combatants are going at it on different levels?

Argh.

Once I wasted all of my health potions and throwing axes on the villains who insisted on blocking everything, I climbed into the final battle with Hel. Now, for the few of you who don't become incredibly bored with Viking and actually make it to the end, I won't ruin the final boss fight for you, but I will tell you that not only is it absurd and anti-climatic but it is also one of the most annoying fights I've had in quite sometime. When you're waiting and waiting and waiting to move to the next area, you'll see what I mean.

The story of Skarin seems like it could've been an interesting one, but you'll never get it from Viking. The game opens with some colorful artwork and an over-the-top voiceover that works, but the story is quickly forgotten. Skarin never really speaks and just turns into Freya's errand boy. Toward the end, there's some info announced about Skarin's past, but he doesn't even react to the news and we have no idea why this would matter or who the players are. In fact, the only person I ever felt like I knew a lot about was Drakan, Hel's harbinger. We get a nifty little bit of VO and artwork exploring his love for Freya and his turn to the dark side, which made me feel for the character. It's a shame that care was never given to any of the characters that mattered.

Another huge drawback of the game is sound. Your entire time in Viking is spent traversing this open world, but the place seems dead. Ambient noise seems limited to Skarin's footsteps and the pitter-patter of raindrops, but even those can only be heard when the volume is cranked up on your TV. There were times when Skarin would cut someone down and there'd be no noise, times when a cutscene would play and in-game action would return with no sound, and when you release a group of troops, they give off a pitiful cry of celebration. There's no option to raise or lower the individual volume levels for music and special effects; there's just one "volume" setting that governs both poorly.

Still, the biggest drawback to Viking has to be the slow down when it comes to massive battles. Way back when we saw this game in Germany, the creators pitched Viking as being all about those massive battles I spent a few paragraphs talking about a while ago. Sadly, when you get to those parts in the game, the framerate drops and the action chugs along. It's not unplayable, just extremely disappointing. By the time you get to these wars -- my game was fine until I got to the first big battle of the second map -- you'll be quite familiar with how Skarin and company are supposed to move and act. So, when you get to watch a cutscene setting up the huge attack and are then greeted by Skarin slowly running into the fray as everything around him acts slower as well, you'll be pretty let down.

When it comes to graphics, Viking continues its standard of being a mixed bag. At times, the game looks great as Skarin slices enemies into lunch bag-sized pieces or runs through the grassy environments collecting gold, which he can exchange for health bar upgrades or fire bombs, but then there are the times when those grass textures will pop-in as the camera pans, when the dragons you command show up and look like cardboard, when you realize the game's using the same handful of NPCs for your men over and over, when you'll get caught in a wall or forced through a closed door, when Skarin will catch the light off of his amulet and look like a jaggy, washed-out mess, and the list goes on.

For the fanboys out there, comparing the PlayStation 3 version of Viking to the 360 version will only fuel the ever-raging fire. The slow-down is a bit worse on the PS3 but still present on the 360, and the issues with graphics remain but are lessened on the Microsoft console thanks to a better use of light and color. Closing Comments
Short and sweet: Viking could've been great. The massive battles are a neat idea, the world can seem huge, and while simplistic, the hack-and-slash gameplay is fun for a while. Sadly, the problems in the game make sure that none of those good things can standout too proudly. The battles stumble thanks to chug, the worlds get repetitive, and when you're not really interested in the story or your ultimate goal, hack-and-slash gets on your nerves no matter how many times you cut a guy in two.

There's still content here to like and enjoy, but I'd suggest sifting through it on the weekend as a rental.

Rating	Description
out of 10	click here for ratings guide
5.5	Presentation The colored cutscenes look nice, but the story is never really explored. Navigating the map can be tricky because you can't pick out elevations all that well.
6.5	Graphics Viking does have moments -- such as the first time Skarin cuts a dude in half -- where it looks really good, but those are outweighed by the overall washed-out look, bad lighting and other problems.
4.5	Sound Even when the sound is cranked, there's nothing to hear. The islands seem dead.
6.5	Gameplay It's simplistic but fun to run all over the place killing bad guys and pulling off errands, but eventually that luster wears thin when you've attacked an untold number of enemy camps.
6.5	Lasting Appeal The game's close to the 10-hour neighborhood, but there's no replay value to it since you complete all the tasks your first time through.
6.3 Passable	OVERALL (out of 10 / not an average)

November 10, 2006 - Owners of some gaming systems have to wait years before they get a true "killer app," but PlayStation 3 users get theirs on day one. Insomniac's Resistance: Fall of Man is far and away the most impressive title on the console -- delivering on everything that it promised with a strong single-player experience, plenty of kick-ass multiplayer options, and stellar gameplay mechanics that equal those found in other elite shooters. But being like "other elite shooters" isn't what makes Resistance so compelling... it's what separates it from competitors that does.

On the exterior, Fall of Man doesn't look all that different. Take a few steps away from your television with squinted eyes and you could mistake it for Call of Duty or Medal of Honor. But do yourself a favor, open those peepers up and step towards the screen because Resistance doesn't pay homage to World War II... it attempts something on a scale of much larger proportions.

It's July 1951, and the mysterious "Chimera" has overrun Europe. Originally having conquered Russia in the '30s, the bizarre alien race has moved westward to infect the entire European continent with a virus that transforms its people into ugly gun-wielding monsters. Sure World War II never happened, but humanity's cities still fell -- replaced by the rubble of what came before it and giant tower-like structures of unknown origin. In the midst of this mess players assume the role of Sergeant Nathan Hale, a tough-as-nails American soldier that joined Britain's final defense effort. But what secrets is Hale hiding and more importantly, what Chimeran secrets will he help the British uncover?

And so begins Fall of Man's overarching storyline; a narrative that benefits from talented voice actors, multiple in-game cutscenes, and a series of old-school "freeze frame" transitions. Though there aren't too many surprises to be found across the game's 20-plus chapters, the plot still plays out well and has interesting, albeit few, main characters. It's likely that by the time you get to the end of this 12-15 hour experience, it was because you were compelled to find out what Hale and the Chimera were really all about... even if the story's ending is a little unclear and open-ended.

One of the primary reasons' that Resistance's plot works so well is because of how effective its atmosphere is. The game is surprisingly creepy and has a decent portion of cheap scares and explorations of dark, winding corridors. Walking through a wasteland of human bodies, avoiding super-fast crawler-things, and reacting to hidden snipers keeps you on your toes at all times... as does the realization that the farther into the game you get, the less human the world becomes.

Further enhancing the atmosphere are the visuals themselves. Though they're certainly not the most impressive we've ever seen, they're still pretty powerful and accomplish a number of remarkable technical feats. The framerate is locked at 30 the whole way through and doesn't falter anywhere... ever. In fact, regardless of how many enemies and moving objects were on the screen at one time, there wasn't a single frame hitch the entire way through. Oh, and since we're talking about enemies and objects, there are scores of them -- Chimera, British soldiers, tanks, VTOLs, debris, tracers, explosions, and plenty of other moving and stationary are everywhere with alarming frequency. Each and every environment is noticeably different from one another as well, and while the texture work isn't overly detailed, it still looks pretty good. Of course, being that Fall of Man is a first-person shooter, it's the gameplay that matters most and thankfully, Resistance has that in spades.
At its heart, Fall of Man feels a lot like TimeSplitters -- offering quick, twitchy movement and high-speed targets that test your defensive reactions as often as they test your trigger finger. The default control configuration and its sensitivity work great too, and Insomniac has done a stellar job of encapsulating the feeling of wielding heavy and light weapons via onscreen responses. Part of the success here can also be attributed to the sheer number of options that the developers have assigned to the SIXAXIS without the need for menus. Switching weapons is a breeze (just tap R2), as is bringing up the map (tilt the controller to the left) or checking the multiplayer stat screen (tilt right). You can even rid yourself of targeting tags, fan out fires that have caught your back, or wrestle yourself loose from the grip of enemies by shaking the SIXAXIS like a maniac.

The real stars of the show, however, are the weapons. As Insomniac has proven before with its Ratchet and Clank series, this team knows how to design varied and interesting instruments of destruction and have done so again here. Whether you're wielding the game's first weapon or its last, there's always a new gun to shoot or a new tactic to try out (it's likely impossible to finish the game using only one or two selections, you'll have to use most if not all weapons at multiple points). Just a few examples of what players can expect: A sniper rifle that can slow down time (L23 Fareye), cannons that shoot needle-like subsonic bolts which bounce off surfaces (XR-005 Hailstorm), and a mine-launcher that shoots organic slime bombs that can be detonated remotely as makeshift plastic explosives. There are more than a dozen different weapons like these in all, including a hidden assortment that won't unlock until you've beaten the game.

As great as the weapons are, they wouldn't matter much if the enemies you faced off against didn't provide any kind of resistance (ahem). The good news is that the enemies ARE tough. In fact, the AI in Resistance is pretty decent and it makes for quite a challenging time. Some Chimeran soldiers, for example, are smart enough to take cover, change strategic positions, or team up with other monsters in an effort to kill you dead. Granted, their level of intelligence isn't going to blow you away (a large portion of the "first half" enemies dawdle about just waiting to be shot after ambushing you), but it's still good enough to offer surprises and should give even veterans of the genre a thumb workout. Oh, and there's a huge variety of enemies too -- from low-level grunts and Ghostbuster-like demon dogs to enormous cannon-wielding giants and towering spider-creatures.

As strong as everything in Resistance is, the real standout factor in the experience is its multiplayer. Simply put, it's incredible. Jacked in from multiple locations (via broadband Internet connection) we were consistently able to enjoy 30-40 player games with no noticeable lag whatsoever (Insomniac did a fantastic job of hiding what little latency there appears to be). And while all these opponents made for crazy all-out wars, the multiplayer options are flexible enough to allow users to scale maps downward to accommodate smaller parties (40, 32, 24, 16 map types), choose Chimeran or Human sides (complete with unique abilities), and alter the rules to allow for a multitude of possibilities.

But match customization and excellent 40-person play isn't the only thing that Resistance has going for it -- it also has strongly-designed maps, a countless number of trackable stats, a Battlefield-like ranking system (60 ranks in total), clan creation support for up to 200 members, and several different modes that include standard Deathmatch, Meltdown (aka "Battle of the Node Control"), Breach ("Destroy your opponent's Base"), Capture the Flag, Team Deathmatch, and Conversion ("Last Man Standing"). Buddies can even team up on the same machine and play through the single-player game via split-screen, or go head to head with three other users for four-player versions of the online features.


As you can tell, we found Resistance to be a heck of a good time, but it did offer up a few disappointing moments. For example, players can and will find several areas in the game that consist of just walking -- a sort of "do nothing" jaunt to the next big action sequence. These are meant to be breathers, sure, but midway through the story it comes across as an unnecessary way to extend stage time longer than it had to be. It's also disappointing that most user-controlled vehicles (which include tanks, jeeps, and a few other surprises) are so incredibly powerful that, unless you're playing on hard, will totally dominate an otherwise-challenging enemy. Throw in the fact that co-op can only be enjoyed offline (online co-op is becoming more and more common these days) and the ending disappointment I mentioned earlier, and you have a less than perfect game.



Closing Comments
But let's be honest, Resistance doesn't have to be perfect to be fun, and fun is exactly what it is. From start to finish, Fall of Man is one hell of an outstanding roller coaster ride that every last PS3 owner needs for day one. Epic boss battles (the final few are crazy!), ever-changing scenery, addictive weaponry, and a unique thematic are just a few of the reasons Resistance stands out. But above all else, it's the multiplayer elements that truly ascend this one to the next level. It's a must have for sure.

Rating	Description
out of 10	click here for ratings guide
9.0	Presentation Insomniac has created a compelling mythos and the unique blend of World War II-level battles with alien technology is a great mix. Expect load times only at the beginning of stages.
8.5	Graphics A mix of 20th century war machines and intergalactic alien hordes makes for quite the interesting art style. A solid 30fps framerate and plenty of bells and whistles easily impress.
8.5	Sound When connected to a capable speaker, Resistance will blow your speakers to kingdom come with great audio effects and stellar voice acting. Don't expect to hear much musically, though.
9.0	Gameplay Experience the best weapons to come along in a shooter for quite some time united with challenging enemies, tight control, smooth online play, and insane boss battles. Seriously fun.
9.5	Lasting Appeal Between 12-15 hours of single-player action, multiple (and very challenging) difficulty levels, four hidden weapons, unlockable secrets and skill points, and a ton of multiplayer options. Hot!
9.1 Outstanding	OVERALL (out of 10 / not an average)

Svi znamo da u konkurenciji nogometnih igara postoje isključivo dva imena: PES te FIFA. Jedna od stvari zašto većina igrača favorizira PES je veoma jednostavna: igrivost. PES, pa barem do ovog nastavka, nikad nije obraćao pozornost na soundtrack, grafiku, sponzore itd, za razliku od ušminkane fifice. No jedan pogled na novi PES je dovoljan: stvari se mijenjaju.

Prošlo je mnogo vremena otkad je PES stvarno unio nešto novo u simulaciju nogometa. Tamo negdje oko trećeg ili četvrtog nastavka, i napravio pravi boom. Glupo bi bilo reći da se igrivost nije poboljšavala, da animacija nije postajala bolja, no ona toliko čekana promjena (barem s moje strane) nije se dogodila. Konami taj trend nastavlja sa novim nastavkom, iako ta situacija nije vidljiva odmah iz prve.


Svima vama koji ste razvaljivali, i u šestici igrali napadački nogomet sa mnogo brzih dodavanja, novi PES neće dati mnogo razloga za veselje. Dodavanja su spora i neprecizna, igrači slabo pronalaze prostor i općenito je teško napraviti atraktivnu akciju bez vrhunskih igrača. Takve stvari veoma otežavaju napadačku igru. Morati ćete strpljivo graditi napad, ići metar po metar i napredovati.... Osim ako nemate Kaku i Ronaldinha. Onda je sve lakše, te one-man-show može započeti. Naime, nekoliko igrača očito ima nekakav «superstar bonus» ili nešto. Teško je shvatiti zašto su oni toliko bolji od svih drugih. Iako nema balance ni blizu kao Adriano, ni dribling kao Ronaldo, Kaka savršeno prolazi kroz gustu šumu obrambenih, puca, nabacuje i što sve ne. Isto tako i Ronaldinho, Messi, Henry i još par igrača. I tu dolazimo do najveće gluposti novog PESa; ljudima jednostavno dosadi, uzmu jednog igrača i trče. Ono što je u šestici bilo veoma rijetko tu je konstantno. Začuđuje zašto su se dizajneri odlučili na ovakav pristup i zanemarili nogometnu igru. Sa skromnijim klubovima muke će biti velike, ambiciozni pasevi sasječeni su u korijenu, a ni dribling nije preporučljiv bez neke zvijezde. Ako uživate igrati protiv kompa, on se pokazuje kao sve veći izazov. Gluposti sa A.I.-em iz prošlih nastavaka su riješene, tako da je sada komp maksimalno opasan u mat situacijama. Najavljeni Teamvision postoji, no reakcije su većinom skriptirane. Ako vam je obrana slaba, radit će vam pressing, ako napadate sa lijevog krila premjestit će igru na lijevo i tako dalje. Ništa genijalno, ali ipak veseli, pošto igra protiv kompa više nije dječja igra, pogotovo na većim težinama.

Loš dio A.I.-a su golmani. Iako su u 1na1 situaciji sada mnogo bolji, rupe se vide u drugim situacijama. Iz nekog razloga vole izlaziti čim se približite šesnaestercu, iako ispred vas ima nekoliko obrambenih. Golovi kroz noge/ruke/odbijanci mnogo su češći, a njihovo ponašanje kod prekida je većinom kriminalno. U mnogim situacijama korner će odbiti u gol, ili će im lopta pasti pred noge napadača ili nešto treće. Slobodnjake da ne spominjemo. Naime, pucanje je u odnosu na šesticu iznimno olakšano, i sada gol možete zabiti doslovno u svaki dio mreže. Ako pucate točno u golmana, vjerojatnost da si je odbije u gol raste smanjivanjem udaljenosti. Moguće je također zabiti u golmanov kut, što je u šestici bilo nezamislivo. Uglavnom, kod prekida uvijek treba računati na golmanovu glupost. Pucanje iz velikih daljina je otežano, te osim ako nemate nekog vrhunskog pucača, udarci će vam biti prilično mlaki i neprecizni. Nabacivanja su posebna priča; iz nekog razloga kvalitetno nabaciti je moguće jedino ako igrač nije u punoj brzini. A ako je, nagledat ćete se svakakvih komedija. U sekciji trikovi i finte nema nekih unaprjeđenja. Jedan do dva nova, ne posebno atraktivna trika, i nekoliko random driblinga koje C.Ronaldo izvodi po svojoj volji. Uglavnom - ništa posebno.


Jedna od čudnijih stvari je činjenica da u igri postoji samo jedan sudac (ili sam ja to samo zamislio?). Rezultat toga je da je kriterij suđenja na svakoj utakmici isti, što je pomalo retardirano iz činjenice da je kriterij užasan. Naime, učinilo mi se da je sudac prilično neobjektivan i da sudi prekršaje isključivo za komp. Ono klasično; vama se sudi svako guranje, dok komp prolazi bez faula za start s leđa. Zatim sam provjerio statistike: u 50 utakmica ja sam načinio 230, a komp samo 88 prekršaja. Hm. U svakom slučaju tijekom igre je sudac prilično aktivan i razbija igru.

Većina momčadi iz šestice su tu i sad, uz izostanak nekih kojima su druge zauzele mjesta. Petica opet ne postoji, već dvije godine PES nema njemačke lige iz nepoznatih razloga. U dodatnim momčadima možete izabrati Bayern, no to je, nažalost, sve. Igranje s Olićem, � imunićem, Rakitićem i ostalima možete zaboraviti. Dodan je Dinamo, a mislim da će statistike igračina poput Modrića ili Balabana potpuno razočarati. Licencirana je cijela francuska, nizozemska, talijanska i španjolska liga. Engleska zasad, ostaje tek na Tottenhamu i Newcastleu. No imena svih igrača su pravilna. Od nacionalnih ekipa dodan je Izrael umjesto Latvije, a većina ostalih zemalja je licencirano; iznimke su, od poznatijih, Njemačka i Srbija. Broj stadiona stao je na 15, za razliku od prošlog nastavka gdje ih je bilo 30ak. Prepoznatljivost većine igrača je na visokom nivou. To vrijedi isključivo za repke. Naime, tehnikom skeniranja napravljeni su isključivo igrači koji igraju u svojoj reprezentaciji. Pa je tako Modrić jedini igrač kojega ćete prepoznati u Dinamu.


Iako je cover igre sa Ronaldom dosta gej, uvodna animacija je još više gej. Tj. loša. I kopira uvodnu iz FIFE 99 što uopće nije kul. Reklame su još uvijek tu i više ih je nego ikad. Myspace, IGN, Reebok i još mnoge druge često ćete viđati tijekom igre. Još malo gej poteza Konamija. Neki modovi su bezrazložno maknuti. Random selection match te International challenge više nećete moći igrati. Broj kupova je ostao na istom, kao i liga. Trening je opasno degradiran te vam se od opcija nude samo normalan trening ili trening slobodnjaka/kornera. Time smo počeli listu bezrazložno maknutih stvari. Sljedeći je PES-shop. Više ne možete kupovati razne gluposti, xtra frizure, proslave i slično. Classic igrače i momčadi morate osvajati igranjem liga i kupova. � to se mene tiče bespotreban način da se produži vijek igre koji je ionako visok. Post-match opcije su potpuno zanemarene. Sve što možete pogledat su strijelci, ocjene te posjed lopte tijekom meča. Razni dijagrami, statistike i slično više ne postoje, što indirektno ukazuje na smjer novog PESa. No nešto je ipak novo; igra vam, kada napravite profil, čuva razne statistike o učinku, golovima, kupovima, raznim detaljima po utakmici i tako dalje.

Glavni mod ostala je još uvijek Master liga. Za neupućene, to je natjecanje gdje razvijate igrače te se kroz sezone pkušavate probiti sa klubom iz druge lige do vrha. Cijeli sustav je opet nepromjenjen, a i neke usputne stvari su maknute bez nekog razloga. Dodan je sustav popularnosti momčadi i igrača; što vam je momčad popularnija, lakše ćete pregovarati s klubovima ili igračima iste kategorije. Isto vrijedi i za igrače, samo što u njihovom slučaju njihova popularnost omogućuje da ih veliki klubovi uoče.


Što se prezentacije tiče, PES2008 je prava šminka. Grafika je vrhunska, od igrača, njihovih facijalnih ekspresija i vrhunskih modela, pa do predivnih stadiona i raznih efekata. Dodana je nova vrsta replaya, tzv «motion replay» koji izgleda odlično i pokazuje igru iz fiksnih kuteva. Ako ste gledali neka izdanja emisije o Ligi prvaka znate na što se misli. Animacija je ponovno fantastična. Razni pokreti, trikovi, udarci izgledaju vrlo živahno. Jedino što malo odudara je pomalo drveno trčanje igrača. Zvuk tijekom utakmice je zadovoljavajući, stalno ćete, uz navijanje publike, čuti igrače koji se deru ili trenere kako izvikuju naredbe. Komentator je promijenjen ali ga neću komentirati pošto sam ga odmah isključio. Mjuza je klasična pesovska, uz razliku što ovdje možete uređivati svoju plejlistu od 70ak pjesama koje se nalaze unutar igre. Većina mjuze je prilično low budget iliti prilično loša, no nađe se i tu pokoji biser ili neka phunky stvar iz starijih nastavaka.

Iako će vas vjerojatno na početku ugodno iznenaditi prezentacijom, novi PES nije ništa posebno drukčiji od prijašnjih nastavaka. Nekih velikih poboljšanja, osim grafičkih, nema. S druge strane neki izostanci su teško objašnjivi kao i poneke živcirajuće stvari u gameplayu. Zamjeriti mu se mogu i gomile reklama, ušminkanost i posvemašnja orijentiranost na prezentaciju nauštrb igrivosti. No i takav će ipak uživati popularnost svojih dugogodišnjih fanova kojih je zaista mnogo. Nažalost, sve mi pomalo vuče na to da je serijal u prošlom nastavku dotaknuo vrhunac što znači da je potrebna temeljna promjena da bi živnuo. Ali hej, ipak je to PES.

Ekskluzivni PS3 naslov MotorStorm osvojiti će igrače prelijepom grafikom, odlično modeliranim vozilima i slobodi utrka po raznolim stazama. Nemojte se previše brinuti za fiziku i ostale zakone jer ovdje to nije tema i zato je MotorStorm odličan arkadni naslov koji će pružiti sate i sate zabave.

Veliki plus ovog naslova predstavljaju vozila koja su detaljno modelirana, a osim samih utrka tijekom same igre imati ćete želju odraditi što više sudara jer su sudari zaštitni znak MotorStorma.
Osim utrka i vozila, staze su poseban dio ove igre. Rijetko viđene staze prepune su raznolikim prirodnim preprekama, visečim motovima, usjecima, liticama, a jedna od najboljih fora je grananje staze u više smjerova. Kada povežete sve ovo dobijete hrpu mogućnosti u kojoj se možete pronaći čak i pomalo izgubljenim na tren. Neki dijelovi staze nisu na istoj visinskoj razlici što izgleda odlično kada vidite suparnike ispod sebe gledajući preko ruba u ponor.Što se tiče samih utrka, igra je podjeljena na nekoliko pojedinačnih izazova (tickets) koji se sastoje od jedene do četiri zasebne utrke različite po tipu staze i vrsti vozila, a dizajneri su polako uvodili sve teže i teže staze kako bi se igrači lakše naviknuli na kontrole.
Uspješan završetak utrke uvelike će ovisiti o tome kakvu vožnju preferirati. Pošto su staze ispunjene prirodnim ulegnučima, mokrim i blatnim dijelovima, biti će dobro pažljivo odabrati vrsu vozila. Kamioni će vam dobro doći u kontaktu sa ostalim vozilima ali su u zavojima loše upravljivi dok su biciki i buggi vozila okretna i brza dok ne naiđete na kamen ili dodira sa drugim vozilima što će uzrokovati totalni raspad sistema. Zlatnu sredinu predstavljaju rally automobili sa kojima ćete dobiti na okretnosti, a i nisu baš tako lagani za razbiti. Kada pričamo o razbijanju, moramo spomenuti odličan IA koji imaju automobili. Ako vam je super gurati protivnike sa staze, imajte na umu to da će se oni vratiti luđi nego ikak te se zabitjati u vas dok jedno vozilo ne ispari. Ne treba pretjerivati iako će biti teško izbjegavati sudare jer stvarno odlično izgledaju pa čak i po cijenu pobjede. Kako igra napreduje ovakvih će sudara biti sve više, a protivnici neće popustiti ni malo pa se nemorate bojati da su oni pametniji vozači od vas. U stvari kako igra napreduje, vješto izbjegavanje sudara i izgurivanje sa staze biti će jedan od glavnih aduta za pojedu. Jedno od najboljih mogućnosti vještog izbjegavanje je da usavršite korištenje boost efekta no ovu opciju treba koristiti pažljivo jer se dugotrajni boost brzo pretvori u to vam vozilo eksplodira. Sve ove finese znače to da MotorStorm nije baš ni lagana igra, pogotovo kasnije, a iako je po prirodii arkada, trebati će vam vremena da postanete vrlo vješti u MotorStormu zbog specifičnih staza, vozila i ponašanja protivničkih vozača. Sve je ovo, naravno, pozitivna strana MotorStorma.

Multiplayer opcija ima iste osobine kao i SP. Utrke će biti ispunjene istom napetošću, pogotovo sa vas 11 na stazi tako da će ljubitelji online igranja imati odlične karakteristike igre kao i kod singeplayer kampanje. Velika zamjerka MotorStormu ide zbog činjenice da nema podršku za offline mtrežno igranje

Zaključak:
MotorStorm je grafički izuzetan naslov off-road utrka koji svojim žestokim kontakt prisupom i odlično dizajniranim stazama nudi vrhunsku zabavu, bilo u SP ili MP modu. Iako bi SP mod trebao biti malo duži tj. imati više sadržaja, ostajemo na tome da sa mnogobrojnim sitnim detaljima i odličnim grafičkim prikazom, MotorStorm predstavlja odličan izbor prepun napetih off-road utrka sa puno sati zabave.

Assassins Creed

Iz Ubisofta nam napokon dolazi igra o kojoj svi vjerojatno sve već znate osim kakva je. A kakva je? Pa, jeste li se ikada zapitali kako bi izgledala kombinacija Spidermana, GTA i Princa od Perzije?


Više se neću smijati naizgled besmislenim kombinacijama. Ma znate, Batman i Robin, Lolek i Bolek, Krcko i Tvrtko... U velikoj većini slučaja, namjerno ili ne, ispadnu jednostavno smiješne – pogotovo u igrama. No, Assassin's Creed nikako nije obična igra i daleko je od navedene skupine. U to nas je od prve najave igre uvjeravala prelijepa Jade Raymond, kao i ostatak ekipe iz Ubisofta, koji su informacije o igri davali na kapaljku, a gameri su definitivno bili žedni. Dobili smo zabavnu igru, no nije baš sve tako savršeno...


Preuzet ćete ulogu Desmonda Milesa, naizgled običnog konobara. Zanimljivo, Desmond nije glani lik u igri. Nejasno? OK. Desmond i jest običan konobar, no njegove pretke nikako ne bismo mogli nazvati običnima. Naime, on dolazi iz porodice ubojica. Desmond živi u 2012. godini, kada je već otkriveno da se genima prenose i sjećanja predaka. To čini našeg Desmonda savršenim za dobivanje željenih informacija. Pomoću Animusa, računala koje mu omogućuje „surfanje“ po sjećanjima svojih predaka, uskočit će u cipele Altaïra, ubojice koji je djelovao u vrijeme Trećeg križarskog rata. Točnije, 1191. godine. No, kako to obično biva, sjećanju na ubojstvo kojeg se treba prisjetiti nije moguće tako lako pristupiti, pa će se prvo morati prisjetiti nekih starijih ubojstava. Kojih će ukupno biti 9. Priča definitivno nije tu samo da postoji, već je očito bila temelj stvaranja igre. Jedna misija se ipak neće sastojati samo od pretrčavanja grada u potrazi za metom i samog ubojstva, već će tu biti i zanimljivih, no ne i dovoljno raznolikih mini-misija koje ćete morati obaviti da biste mogli izvršiti ubojstvo.


Sve mini-misije se izvršavaju u svrhu informacija o meti ili samom gradu, tako da ćete prisluškivati doušnike, krasti planove ili se penjati na visoke točke u gradu da biste bolje upoznali grad. Pronaći metu i ubiti je možda je i najlakši dio svake misije, a onaj poslije toga, bježanje od stražara, vjerojatno je i najzabavniji. Naime, tu se otvara nekoliko opcija. Ako ste prije samog ubojstva, švrljajući po gradu, pomagali ljudima ( tako da ih oslobodite stražara koji ih gnjave ), određeni stanovnici radit će u vašu korist. Primjerice, ako bježite od stražara i na raskrižju pobjegnete lijevo, a u blizini se nalazi grupa ljudi koja vam je prijateljski nastrojena, oni će stražarima reći da ste pobjegli desno i tako vam olakšati bijeg. Možete i pobjeći stražarima iz vidokruga te se sakriti među redovnike, što će smanjiti sumnju sa vas. No, u slučaju da ste ignorirali pozive u pomoć ili, još gore, bili nasilni prema građanima, oni će se prikloniti stražarima i ometati vas u bijegu. Ako vam se sve to čini dosadno i tražite više akcije, možete ići i najzabavnijim putem – bijegom u visinu. Naime, gradovi u Assassin's Creedu nisu plošni, a krovovi su gotovo jednako važni kao i same ulice grada. Jer, kada vas stražari počnu naganjati, možete se dati u bijeg preko krovova u stilu Princa ili Spideya. Stražari su u to vrijeme očito bili atletičari, pa iste vratolomije mogu izvoditi i oni. I tu počinje prava zabava.


Altaïrova snaga prikazana je u obliku stupnja sinkronizacije Desmonda i sjećanja. Ako Altaïr prima udarce, stupanj sinkronizacije se smanjuje, a ako padne na nulu, sjećanje se nastavlja od posljednjeg checkpointa. A kada je stupanj sinkronizacije maksimalan, otvara se opcija „eagle visiona“, kojom možemo utvrditi koja nam je osoba prijateljski nastrojena, koja malo manje, a koja ima važne informacije koje trebamo. Tijekom animacija pojavljivati će se greške u sjećanju, koje će nam omogućiti da akciju sagledamo iz drugog kuta.


Kad smo već kod gameplay-a, moram priznati da ima i nekoliko razočaravajućih grešaka. Kao što sam već rekao, mini-misije koje izvršavamo u igri su zabavne, no trebalo bi ih biti više, jer ovako se javlja zamor i monotonost nakon nekoliko misija. Umanjit ću kritiku utoliko što ću reći da se time nije izgubio preveliki dio zabave. Nadalje, borba izgleda vrlo efektno i zanimljivo, no u praksi se često svodi na lupanje jedne tipke – što će opet donijeti isti efekt kao i neke naprednije tehnike u borbi. Ni AI nije kompleksan. Stražari imaju nekoliko parametara po kojima procjenjuju situaciju, no ne pružaju prevelik izazov, što se najviše primjeti u borbi – gdje će vas napasti jedan po jedan, dok će drugi samo gledati kako im dekapitirate „kolege“. Na svu sreću, potjere su uvijek zanimljive i ponekad ćete se zbilja oznojiti dok im ne pobjegnete. Pri kretanju gradom koristit ćete dva načina kretanja: high profile i low profile. Low profile omogućuje vam stapanje u gomilu, neupadljivo kretanje među tom istom gomilom i sve ostale akcije zbog kojih vas stražari neće hebati ni dva posto. S druge strane, high profile radnje uključuju trčanje, skakanje, tuču – dakle, cijeli tulum nosite sa sobom. No, na tulum će doći i stražari.


S tehničkog aspekta nemam zamjerke. Grafika je odlična i svojom lepezom boja, oštrim teksturama, velikim brojem detaljnih likova na ekranu definitivno dokazuje da se iz NG konzola može izvući još mnogo toga. I izvodi se glatko. Zvuk je također na razini, a voice-acting je odrađen odlično, pogotovo uzevši u obzir da se igra ne može pohvaliti nekim velikim holivudskim facama iza mikrofona. I napokon jedna igra u kojoj naš lik nije samo blentava marioneta koja zna jedino promrmljati nešto sebi u bradu – naprotiv, i Altaïr i Desmond prirodni su vođe i izborit će se za sebe. Naravno, to neće uvijek biti dobro, a Altaïrova jezičavost često će vas dovesti u probleme.


Sveukupni dojam je vrlo pozitivan. Zanimljiva priča, odlična grafika i parkour po srednjovjekovnom Bliskom Istoku zadržat će vas pred ekranom sve do odjavne špice, ali vjerojatno će vas zasmetati prilično prosječan AI, ponekad zamorne borbe i repetitivnost. Igra neosporno ima kvalitetu, no trenutno je tržište krcato AAA naslovima, a Assassin's Creed-u nedostaje tako malo da bi ušao u prestižno društvo i da bismo ga bezrezervno preporučili. Igra koju smo čekali tako dugo definitivno nije razočarala, no sad znamo da sljedeći put nećemo slijepo vjerovati svemu što Jade kaže u vezi igre. Ili možda nismo pozorno slušali. Pitam se zašto...

Još od doba djetinjstva, svatko je od nas definitivno uživao u maštanju o gusarskim pričama, potrazi za izgubljenim blagom koje leži možda baš tu, u blizini, ili o tajnim gradovima, ruševinama i skrivenim tunelima u obližnjoj šumi. Naravno ako ste ju imali u blizini.
Ako ne, sigurno ste uživali u vječnim avanturističkim klasicima kao što je to serijal Indiana Jones ili Lara Croft, bilo na filmu ili u virtualnoj verziji.

No vratimo se u tehnološki naprednu stvarnost punu elektroničkih pomagala i sredstava za zabavu koja nam danas omogućuju da interaktivno doživimo svoje maštarije iz djetinjstva. Sigurno, PS3 je jedan od takvih uređaja koji iz dana u dan pokazuje svoju moć, upravo kroz igre kakva je i Uncharted: Drake's Fortune, avanturistički naslov od razvojnog studija Naughty Dog.
Prilično zapanjujući, Unchated nas sa glavnim likom Nathanom Drakeom vodi na fenomenalno putovanje u potrazi za izgubljenim gradom El Doradom sa svim svojim pripadajućim blagom uz česta prekidanja i ometanja, bilo da se radi izuzetno neprijateljski nastrojenim gusarima ili o preprekama prirodnog porijekla.
Naughty Dog se vraški potrudio u igru unijeti ne samo tehničke stvarčice nego i dušu kroz brojne preokrete, zaplete i nevjerojatan odnos između likova koji raste svakim korakom. Ova priča igrače jednostavno uvuče u sebe što je izuzetna odlika rijetkih naslova.  


Rijetko da se u igrama sretnemo sa likovima koji su toliko prirasli priči iz igre, a takav je i Nathan Drake koji pronalaskom i uz pomoć dragocijenog dnevnika svoga ujaka, Sir Francis Drake, kreće za izgubljenim gradom i naravno blagom. Na putu ga prati njegov vjerni prijatelj Sullivan i željna dobre priče, TV reporterka Elena koja financira projekt.
Nevjerojatna je postepena povezanost ova tri lika koji uz mnogobrojne simpatične i jednostavne dijaloge, zajedničke borbe i međusobna pomaganja razvijaju svoj odnos zajedno sa igrom.

Nathan Drake, simpatični i jednostavni pustolov i tragač za izgubljenim blagom sa svojom će se pratnjom uskoro naći na tropskom otoku na kojem se odmah primjećuje poseban trud koji je Naughty Dog uložio. Cijelo područje je napućeno gustom vegetacijom, brojnim strmim liticama, drevnim kulama, visećim mostovima, tunelima, ruševinama pa čak i napuštenim podmornicama koji su kao stvoreni za priču ovakog karaktera. Probijajući se kroz taj splet do izražaja odmah dolaze prilično dobre kontrole kao i vizualno privlačne akrobacijske sposobnosti koje Nathan ima. Sa puno penjanja uz strme litice, preskakanja ponora i balansiranja na korak do smrti, Nathan vješto savladava teren zadržavajući svoj prirodni cool izraz.
Sva ova kretanja sadržavaju brojne animacije što cijeloj priči daje izuzetan grafički efekt.

Naravno, cijela bi ova potraga ubrzo postala prilično dosadna da se u igru od početka nisu umješali gramzljivi španjolski gusari koji pošto-poto žele prisvojiti blago i eleiminirati ekipu. Eddy Raja i njegovi gusarski vojnici prilično su samouvjerena i sposobna grupa koja će igračima mnogo puta dići živac, a Nathana doći glave. Prilično pametni AI koji ih vodi vješto koristi vojnu taktiku sličnu onom iz WW2 BiA igara. Takvi su i česti oružani okršaji između glavne trojke i gusara koji vješto traže zaklon i okolnim putevima polako stežu obruč oko vas. Za tu taktiku ne vrijedi plan herojskog izletanja sa gomilom potrošenih metaka nego često mjenjanje položaja uz skrivanje, precizno ciljanje u glavu i povremeno izvirivanje kada je neprijatelj u pokretu. Hvala Bogu, kontrole su uz nišanjenje prilično dobre, a Nathanova mogućnost izvirivanja i pucanja na slijepo će biti od velike pomoći. No uz sve to ipak mislimo da su ovi dugački sukobi nekada dosta teški uz mnogobrojna ponavljanja koja uvijek počinju od početka sukoba te uz samu veliku količinu gusara. Da nema vaših AI upravljanih kompanjona, Victora i Elene, koji vješto sudjeluju u okršajima, situacija bi postala bezizlaznom.
Uz naoružanje klasičnog tipa (pištolji, sačarke, AK-47...) Nathan se vješto koristi rukama u efektnim i lijepo animiranim potezima kojima neprijatelju zadaje razne udarce rukom, nogom te im lomi vrat, a igrači će imati prilike sjesti na jet-ski i u brzoj vožnji ubijati gusare. Ipak, prava zanimacija je definitivno na čvrstom tlu.

 



Uz dugotrajne borbe i probiljenje kroz prašumu, igračima se kroz priču u par navrata nude sitni zadaci tipa Indiana Jones. Nažalost, riješavanje ovih zadataka nikada ne zahtjeva veliku količinu preciznosti niti koncentracije kao npr. hakiranje aparata u Boshocku. Uz to, samo riješenje ne vodi ničem spektakularnom, što je prilična šteta zbog pustolovnog karaktera igre. Ipak, pustolovi neće ostati razočarani jer igra obiluje istraživačkim dijelovima od pronalaska alternativnih putova do penjanja i prelaska nepristupačnog terena, pa iako Uncharted nije dovoljno nelinearan, sigurno je kako je Naughty Dog u velikoj mjeri uspio igračima isporučiti jako avanturističko iskustvo.

Grafika i zvuk:

Sve je sjelo na svoje mjesto, što se vizualnog i audio iskustva tiče. Uncharted: Drake's Fortune je igra puna zadivljujućih dijelova, većinom zbog gustog, nejednoličnog okoliša punog raznih boja. Bogati interijer obiluje drevnim gradovima, strmim liticama, prekrasnim pogledom, a ista se stvar odnosi i na prekrasnu mističnost unutrašnjosti objekata. Bogati se život okoline odnosi i na likove koji uz gomilu animacija na sebi djeluju, komuniciranju i izgledaju kao realne osobe, odlično uklopljenje u trenutnu situaciju. Sa prekrasnom slikom, Uncharted se može pohvaliti i izvrsnim zvukom dinamične glazbe, odličnim zvukom oružja te brojnim zanimljivim dijalozima prepunim sitnih detalja. Neizmjerno dobro je Naughty Dog pogodio ove stvari koje odnosu između likova daju jednu posebnu dimenziju.
Uz sitne tehničke greške i sitne promjenje frame-ratea, možemo reći da je Uncharted prekrasno vizualno i zvučno iskustvo.

Zaključak:

Uz nevjerovatan trud razvojnog studija Noughty Dog, Sony je igračima još jednom dokazao postojanje vrhunskih igara za PS3 konzolu. Iako ne pretjerano dugotrajan (8-10 sati), Uncharted: Drake's Fortune je naslov pun sadržaja, malo bogatstvo za ljubitelje avantura te igra izuzetno privlačne i kvalitetne grafike. Da su oružani obračuni kraći i manje zahtjevniji te da su zadaci ponekad teži i više potrebniji, cijela bi priča možda bila predobra. Glavni likovi u igri nisu samo likovi nego se doimaju kao stvarne osobe zbog nevjerojatne povezanosti i odnosa među njima.
Ukratko, vlasnici PS3 konzole ne bi trebali ispustiti ovaj naslov iz ruku jer bi Uncharted zbog svoje kvalitete svakako trebao biti član svake PS3 kolekcije.  Uncharted Drakes fortune trailer