Staff Writer – Ready Up

Name: Danny Russell

Age: 26

Current Location: Kuwana-shi, Mie-ken, Japan. Living in pretty much the centre of Japan makes it handy to get around, especially with Nagoya right next-door.

First gaming memory: Playing my Donkey Kong Jr. Game & Watch. If not that, then it was receiving a Korean Game Boy from a family friend with Super Mario Land, Tetris, Nemesis and Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure and playing until I had a very bad neck ache.

Longest gaming session: Probably when I had the flu shortly after Fallout: New Vegas came out. My body is always devising ways for me to play more games. For some reason the doctors here give a whole bunch of meds for the flu, and I’m not one to turn a good thing down, so I soldiered on playing through New Vegas non-stop in a drug-fuelled feverish haze.

There’s a lot to choose from, but I think the limited Deadly Premonition tee I received from SWERY in return for a small pot of Marmite.

Least favourite genre: Sports (snooker being the exception, of course).

Favourite gaming snack: Pizzaaaaa. Unless white russians count as snacks.

Reaction to dying in-game: “Meh.”

Favourite game character: Francis “York” Morgan (Deadly Premonition) is the first character who comes to mind. Sharp, knowing and witty, with a smirk that can’t be beat.

Most hated game character: Joey (Pokémon Gold Version). I couldn’t care less about your bloody Rattata.

Favourite game EVER!: The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask. There’s much more at play in this game than any other Zelda title; it’s dark and the game itself is essentially a ton of sidequests.

Sarah-Lou asks: What is your favourite dish?

Danny: Anything from the Capcom Bar in Tokyo!

Tony asks: Are there any Western games that you really like that you just can’t get in Japan, or are they all freely available? If not, what game are you missing the most?

Danny: Some second-hand stores here do deal in PS3 and 360 titles, but buying online is a necessity when I’m after something as close to the release date as possible. The main gripe I have over here is having to buy access to a VPN every month for a fiver just so I can buy games off Steam with a British IP address.

Lauren asks: What has been your best experience in Japan so far?

Danny: I’ve loved going to TGS each year, but the best experience was probably my first Ready Up gig – Video Games Live Tokyo. Being escorted by the very trendy Akira Yamaoka to a room full of videogame music legends (Koji Kondo, Yasunori Mitsuda, Takenobu Mitsuyoshi, Kō Ōtani, Michiru Yamane, Kinuyo Yamashita, Yuji Takenouchi, Norihiko Hibino, Jack Wall and Tommy Tallarico) and somehow ending up sitting next to Jun Senoue for the show itself beggars belief.

Welcome to your bank holiday Monday Character Select Picks. Take a look at this selection of some of our favourite articles from our pals, chosen especially for you. Because here at Ready Up, we want to be there for you when your May Day barbecues or seaside picnics get rained on.

A favourite of a few of the Ready Up staff, Costume Quest is the subject of one of last month’s Quick Rinses by Darren Gargette.

Quick Rinse: Costume Quest

“Darren Gargette explores Double Fine’s downloadable title. Costume Quest is an RPG-lite with a charming Halloween environment and children who turn into robots (PC version shown).”

Issue twenty-eight of the Cane and Rinse Podcast is a look back to the first Metal Gear Solid, with Leon, Tony, James and Ready Up’s very own Paul.

Issue Twenty-Eight: Metal Gear Solid

“In the second of six planned Metal Gear specials, Leon, Tony, James and Ready-Up’s Paul Rooney go large on the series’ 1998 32-bit début. In a self-imposed-length-limitation-defying podcast, we get deep into Solid Snake’s island adventure and revisit just what made it so remarkable back in the late 1990′s.”

Over on Console Arcade Robin Smith reviews the wonderful, mind-bending indie platformer Fez.

Fez Review

“It’s important to point out that Fez is a title that comes with a little more coverage and anticipation than most Arcade titles, having been awarded many plaudits and high praise even before its release. It is, at its most basic level, a platform puzzler set in a expansive world that encourages you to seek out items. In turn these items allow you to open up previously inaccessible areas and locations.”

Matt Ingrey reviews Trials Evolution. Another game popular with the team here, as they aim to beat, no, destroy each other’s leaderboard scores.

Trials Evolution Review

“There’s a fun thing you can try at home with your new copy of Trials Evolution. Play it for a few hours, fight through the frustration at how much you suck, then go back to the tracks at the start and gaze in wonder at how much your times improve. Then, hand the controller to someone new to Trials. Watch them play it, see their frustration at how much they suck – that used to be you.”

Check out Delb2k’s L.A.Noire retrospective over on GamerDork. An interesting look at what the game got right and wrong.

L.A.Noire Retrospective

“There comes a point in LA Noire where everything falls neatly into place. The criminal is squirming in the interview room, shifting uneasily as a barrage of proof is plastered in front of him, revealing their misdemeanours and guilt. At this point the player feels all powerful, the epitome of the hard nosed cop sticking it to the man and keeping the streets safe for its citizens.”

Pete Boyle and Matt Ramsey play some classics in DorkTunes  09 with their special guest, Journey composer Austin Wintory.

DorkTunes 09: Wintory Atmosphere

“Pete and Matt return, this time with very special guest Austin Wintory, the composer for recent PSN exclusive “Journey.” In addition to talking to Austin, they play some tracks from the game, along with some other classic video game cuts.”

Once that’s out of the way it’s time to get choosing. You have your standard Story, Arcade and Versus modes and you can pick one to three out of the eight available characters. Yes… eight. As fighting games go these days, eight is laughably stingy, but it’s been said that future downloadable characters will be available in the future as paid DLC. The current eight characters are all female, mostly teenagers, and pretty messed up in one way or another. For example: Filia has no memory and a demon parasite for hair, Cerebella kills for the mafia to gain a father figure’s affection, and Painwheel is an… experiment (*shudder*). They are not Skullgirls, though, they’re searching for a Skullgirl. The Skullgirls were once regular girls that tried to obtain the Skull Heart, an object so powerful it can grant a woman anything she desires, if she’s pure of heart. If her wish is deemed unworthy, she will become a Skullgirl: a powerful being of evil and destruction, and more of a bitch to beat than Street Fighter V’s Seth.

With most of the cast being so very god-damned cute and sexy, complete with extremely violent move sets, you could be forgiven for thinking that bouncy boobies and making a bloody mess are all this game is about. But underneath all the shiny packaging is a solid fighting game that has been carefully designed with tournament play in mind. Skullgirls boasts the most frames of any fighting game ever, infinite combos are detected and can be broken with a single button push, and it uses GGPO netcode to combat online lag.  Combos and special moves aren’t difficult to pull off once you’ve figured out the timing and are varied and imaginative, keeping in theme with the characters’ back stories and parasitical demons/psychotic tendencies.

On paper, Skullgirls is very impressive. Reverge labs, headed by tournament champion Mike Zaimont, combines the talents of Scott Pilgrim artist Alex Ahad and Castlevania composer Michiru Yamane. These creative and experienced minds’ input works together superbly to bring an extremely fun, challenging, gorgeous looking and sounding little arcade game that will hopefully grow in popularity and expand as a whole. Where the game lets itself down, though, is with user interface niggles, and missing options, such as an auto-block on training dummys and the lack of a move command list, which can currently only be found on the internet. But some of these things can, and will, we’re assured, be patched.

Editor ‒ Ready Up

Name: Kirsten Kearney

Age: 36

Current Location: Glasgow, Scotland.

First gaming memory: Playing Pong on Christmas day in the living room, sitting on the floor. I remember the teak effect on the console and the little controllers and the rounded glassy front of the television, which was probably tiny. I must have been about eight. This means I’m not quite old enough for the wood veneer Atari 2600 to have been new. I suspect my Mum got it out of Paddy’s Market.

Paddy's Market

Longest gaming session: Unlike most people I can give an exact time, which is 24 hours exactly. I’ve set two Guinness World Records playing 24-hour marathons for games. The first was on Rainbow Six Vegas 2 with the Frag Dolls and the second on Burnout Paradise with Ready Up. I remember the events fondly but the reality is that these kinda things take months to set up properly and by the end of the actual session you feel like you’re going to die.

Least favourite genre: Football games. I don’t understand football at all. Its appeal as a sport and a game is completely beyond me.

Favourite gaming snack: I was going to say crisps but that’s just because I love crisps and hasn’t anything to do with gaming. I think in terms of being tasty and specifically good for gaming I’d go for something like Jelly Tots; small, sweet and infinitely nom-ible.

I’m super lucky because I get sent a ton of games merch as a journalist much of which is exclusively for the press. I’ve had so many cool things sent to me it’s hard to pick just one. For the moment I think my fave has to be this cryptex I was sent before the release of Batman Arkham City. In order to get the Catwoman DLC I had to answer a riddle and open the cryptex with the answer. I was the second person in the UK to get it open!

Reaction to dying in-game: Terrible. My behaviour is absolutely disgraceful; I’m so ashamed just thinking about it. My reaction has evolved, though. I used to shout and scream, then it became a sort of touretic exclamation accompanied by the thigh slap. Now it’s a sort of beseeching to the developers out loud as to why they would do such a thing as to have this difficulty spike / sudden change in game mechanics / break in the flow of the story. I berate them for not thoroughly testing the game or for including enemy moves that appear to be one hit kills. I shake my head and say that this sort of thing will lose them points in reviews, that they aren’t tuned in to the audience’s needs or the modern gaming world. Of course if every game was seamless and I never missed a step I’d say they were boring, diluted and too formulaic. You can’t win with me.

Favourite game character: For so long it was Lara. She was just so awesome and her movement when controlling her felt so sophisticated and I think that’s where the bond with her comes from. The rest of the gaming world, though, has long since caught up. Without her gaming wouldn’t have had an incredible benchmark to live up to so all the characters that I now love are born of her brilliance so I suppose my answer is still Lara Croft but John Marston, Altair, GLaDOS, Big Daddy and of course my own Shepard are all brilliant.

Most hated game character: This isn’t going to go down well… Nathan Drake. I’m sorry but the Uncharted games are just slightly inferior Tomb Raider games with a character that moves like a constipated bear while swearing and grunting. I am genuinely shocked by how seldom Tomb Raider is mentioned when people talk about Uncharted. It’s like they recreated Tomb Raider (in some levels almost exactly), swapped out a strong, smart British woman for a smart mouthed, boorish American dick, added boring and excessive combat and then everyone pretended they’d never heard of Tomb Raider. Fuck Nathan Drake.

Here’s a pic of a few of my Xbox 360s. I know, I know, how many can I play at once, right? They just piled up over the years. My favourite faceplate is the Trusty Bell one on the left. It cost me a small fortune but it’s very rare. I miss faceplates so much. :(

Favourite game EVER! Tomb Raider 2, no explanation required.

Anthony asks: What surprises you most about the Ready Up community?

Kirsten: How little our differences matter to one another.

Ben asks: Can you review a Marshmallow in 50 words?

Kirsten: The ultimate campsite snack, the humble marshmallow offers us a pink gooey pillow of sweet delight. Whilst not as popular as it once was this traditional foam-textured candy has found a new home bobbing along the surface of hot chocolate drinks in popular café chains across the land.

7/10

Celeste asks: What’s the most embarrassing thing you’ve ever done for money?

Kirsten: I did this DVD for Stuff Magazine… or maybe T3 I can’t remember, I’ve blocked it out of my mind. Anyway, I was talking through the various current-gen consoles, which were new at the time. My hair was a fucking state and I kept pulling up the waistband of my jeans because they were a bit big. This was on a DVD that also had those Amazonian models on it, holding a gadget while wearing a bikini and shoving the latest mobile phone up their pie or whatever. I just looked like this little… hobbit creature. I phoned my manager and asked how many copies went out with the magazine and if I could buy them all. He said “Umm… like three million or something?” I just wanted to crawl under a rock and die.

Oh yeah, there was that time I had to talk about masturbation on telly… but my hair looked fine in that so that wasn’t too bad.

Who’s off work then? Most of you until Tuesday at least, I bet. Check you out! Aren’t you lucky. Us student types get two weeks off. Just saying.

The bank holiday weekend is the perfect time to get some gaming in. The weather hasn’t got a clue what it’s doing lately, so I say the only plans that need to be made this weekend are which games to play, and how many chocolate eggs to eat. I’ve already planned out the articles and podcasts you should read and listen to, so don’t worry about that.

Console Arcade are the place to go if you want to know what’s happening on XBLA and PSN. They’ll keep you up to date on news, upcoming releases and their prices, and reviews. Check out Jamie Davies’ Shoot Many Robots review. Probably one of the best game titles of all time!

Shoot Many Robots Review

“There aren’t many games with titles that tell you exactly what you’ll be getting. But the title of Demiurge and Ubisoft’s latest, Shoot Many Robots, couldn’t be any more self-explanatory.

Main character P. Walter Tugnut (a name straight out of Mystery Science Theater 3000) is a little bit miffed when the nearby factory starts churning out murderous robots. The final straw being when one of them tries to steal his car and another dry humps his beloved RV. There’s a line that’s definitely been crossed, so Walter takes up arms to put an end to the problem the best way he knows how and paving the way for a some side scrolling shooting. Lots of it.”

PSN’s Journey has sparked much debate around the internet. With its simple yet elegant look and in some cases overwhelmingly emotional moments, it is a truly unique experience.  Have a read through Keith Murray’s review and then buy it.

Journey Review

“Journey, the latest title from thatgamecompany, starts with a baking hot sun, the heat radiating from it shimmering on the sand below. A cloaked figure, very reminiscent in style to a Bedouin, sits deep in apparent contemplation, awaiting the player to flick the controller into life and traverse this harsh terrain towards it’s final destination – a far away mountain. If any other title out there attempted to present such vague notions to a would-be players they would probably fail miserably, but the world in which Journey is set makes this an inviting and intriguing proposition.”

Pete Boyle and Matt Ramsey host an episode of Dork Tunes with a difference. Each track played is a classic gaming tune that has been covered by special guest, the very talented Jamie Maxwell.

Dork Tunes 007

“Noob and Matt present some more gaming classics, this time re-imagined by Jamie Maxwell (Unlikely Melody on Twitter). They also have a chat with Jamie, and get his views on video game music.”

If you’re still undecided on the PS Vita, why not take a look at Delb2K’s write up on the system and its features, it might help you make your mind up.

PlayStation Vita – The Verdict

“If the PSP was one thing, it was a very attractive piece of technology. Maybe not a massively successful software platform in the west but in terms of what ended up in gamers hands there could be few complaints (bar that horrendous analogue nub).  So its recently released successor, the Vita, has one aspect to emulate and another to improve upon. The first is to retain that badge of perceived quality, the overall sheen and shine of a product that wants whoever is using it to know the equipment is a class above.”

I want one so very much.

Over on Cane and Rinse, Darren Gargette talks about how he decided not to pay for Xbox LIVE when his Gold subscription ran out, and his experience of the free service that Xbox offers.

Going Silver

“At the time of writing this, Microsoft no longer consider the phrase “Silver” acceptable for non-paying members of Xbox Live. “Free” is the term and after seven years I have decided to go “Free”, and I am hopeful that this will be without regret.”

Issue Twenty-Four of the Cane and Rinse Podcast looks back at the haunting, challenging, downloadable hit LIMBO.

Issue Twenty-Four: LIMBO

“Multiple sinners Leon, Tony, Josh and Sean journey into the afterlife to revisit Playdead’s 2010 début, Limbo. We proffer some theories as to what the Hell is going on in the game, discuss our own experiences as well of those of our forumites and burn through a pyre of your Twitter Three Word Reviews.”

The spider... you never forget the part with the spider...

]]> http://ready-up.net/2012/04/06/character-select-network-ready-ups-march-picks/feed/ 0 http://ready-up.net/reviews/rayman-3-hd/ http://ready-up.net/reviews/rayman-3-hd/#comments Tue, 27 Mar 2012 11:00:15 +0000 Laura http://ready-up.net/?page_id=50346 Rayman 3: Hoodlum Havoc was released back in March 2003, and although it wasn’t quite as well received as its predecessor, it was still a shed load of fun. Taking on a slightly darker tone and look than the first two Rayman games, Hoodlum Havoc was still quirky and innovative enough to deserve to wear the Rayman name, and has now been deemed worthy of a HD release on XBLA and PSN, under the title of Rayman 3 HD.

Rayman 3 sees Rayman taking on a black Lum, made of pure evil, who has managed to get himself swallowed by Rayman’s good friend Globox. The black Lum, Andre, has transformed usually peaceful, health-giving red lums into his own army of minions, called Hoodlums (Lums in hoods. Damned hoodies!) and has a plan to turn the heart of the world evil. Guided by Murfy from the Fairy Council, Rayman sets off to get Andre out of Globox so he can stop his plans, cause Rayman’s just cool like that.

As well as his standard abilities like his fist attack and helicopter hair, Rayman can collect various power up cans throughout the game that grant him extra abilities, such as more powerful fists, a guided rocket, and a claw that can be used to swing over gaps, or attack Hoodlums. These powers only last a short amount of time, so figuring out the most efficient way to use them is essential, because if your power up runs out, and you still need to use the ability it grants, you’ll have to backtrack to the place you originally picked it up from. The power ups are used to solve puzzles to progress through the game by destroying locked doors, lowering platforms, or swinging across gaps, and can also be used to dispose of enemies more easily than Rayman’s fists can. Sometimes the power ups are placed in plain sight, other times Rayman must rescue a Teensie who will grant him the power up he needs.

As much fun as Rayman 3 is, underneath all that pretty H and the D is an almost ten year old 3D platformer that will of course inflict upon the player an annoying camera, frustratingly placed checkpoints, and many many falls to the death, or just the bottom of a room that took five minutes to climb, jump, and glide up.  But for all the controller-throwing rage there is fifty times the amount of charm, shiny collectables and annoying yet adorable characters that regularly poke fun at each other and the game in general ‒ just be sure to turn the dialogue volume up if you actually want to hear what they’re saying.

If you fancy playing a Rayman game right now then get Origins (duh!) but if you’ve played Origins and fancy a wander back through the older games out of curiosity or nostalgia then you can’t go far wrong with this prettied up version of Hoodlum Havoc. It’s everything a Rayman game should be: fun, colourful, loveable, and a bit of a bastard.

Editor in Chief – Ready Up

Name: Dan Bendon

Age: 33

Current Location: At my desk in Glasgow, looking out over a dreary day. The sounds of Final Fantasy XIII-2 and Minecraft can be heard coming from behind me.

First gaming memory: Playing a pretty bad platform game called Wee Shuggy on my uncle’s BBC B Micro. He’d copied the code from a BBC magazine and saved it to a tape. My sister and I played the crap out of that stupid little game.

Longest gaming session: A full 25 hours playing Burnout Paradise in 2009 with Kirsten, Simes, Fran, Martin & Shaz to set the world record for “Longest Marathon Playing a Racing Game”. It was amazing fun but I don’t think I’d want to do it again!

A small plastic blue chaos emerald that Kirsten gave to me shortly after we first met.

Least favourite genre: It’s a cop out answer but since I don’t like the sport in the slightest it would have to be football games. Other than that I’ll play pretty much anything. I’ve even been know to enjoy some of the less serious football games such as Mario Striker and FIFA Street on occasion, I’ll also note that I will happily watch people play a football game and enjoy that more than watching the real sport.

Favourite gaming snack: I went through a phase of eating Twiglets while playing but you get all the Marmite coating all over you pad, they are the snack of the gods though but as with most great things in life there was a high price to play. I ended up settling on eating popcorn, not as mighty as Twiglets but much cleaner.

Reaction to dying in-game: I very rarely get angry playing games, at most it’ll be a sigh. I did once bang my arcade stick on my desk during my preview of  Street Fighter IV after repeadidly getting smashed by the boss Seth while trying to unlock all the characters. It was just a small bang, dropping the stick from about an inch off the desk, then I switched it off. Kirsten commented that it was the most angry she’s ever seen me get while playing any game.

I'm afraid it's the same as my usual face.

Favourite game character: Ryu is, and always will be, the most iconic video game character of all time in my book. Yes, he’s fairly expressionless and generic but he embodies everything I like about fighting games, he’s accessible but capable of some amazing things in the right hands. Everyone knows (or should know) how to throw a fireball and everyone can appreciate… well, this video sums it up.

Most hated game character: I don’t hold a grudge but of recent times it’s either Hope or Vanille from Final Fantasy XIII. Hope is such an unbelievably wet fish and Vanille talks such nonsense she sounds like a critically damaged computer running a Turing test.

Favourite game EVER! It has to be Super Mario Bros 3, it’s just about perfect and I could play it over and over. In more recent times every single Lumines games has taken a hold on me in such a way that I couldn’t call it a favourite, it’s more like a problem I have. Recently, in preperation fo rthe Vita launch, I played the XBLA version for the first time in ages and right away got a message from Tony that read “I thought you were clean?”, says it all really.

Mark asks: Would you eat a physical copy of your favourite video game for a million quid?

Dan: Oh yeah, no problem. I’d even eat a copy of Kane & Lynch 2 for £20.

Fran asks: If you would like to answer any question in an interview, what would it be and why?

Dan: I would like to be asked the following – “Do you happen to know anything about the specifics regarding the traditional rotational direction of spiral staircases in castles?” I would like to be asked this because I do know about the specifics regarding the traditional rotational direction of spiral staircases in castles. I encourage anyone that meets me to ask me about it.

Carly asks: As a cosplayer I gotta ask: if time and budget were no issue, which fighting game character would you cosplay as and why?

Dan: As budget is no option I’d go for a fully working suit based on the Lost Planet mech from Tatsunoko Vs Capcom, because then I’d have a huge working robot suit.

The special edition features:

To be in with a chance of winning, just answer this simple question:

What is the name of the town that Alan Wake is set in?

A) Bright Falls

B) Light Walls

C) Quite Talls

A trailer was released for I Am Alive years ago. It was pretty interesting. Displaying a post-apocalyptic world with a protagonist who saved himself from a kicking by throwing a bottle of water at the gang of angry people chasing him through ruined buildings. I made a mental note to keep an eye on this game. A few years later and news of I Am Alive as a downloadable title surfaced. The atmospheric, intense, full retail title that was expected was to be ‘condensed’ into an XBLA and PSN game. Not necessarily a bad thing, but mildly disappointing all the same.

Which is almost how the whole game can be described, except that it’s still interesting. It’s not great or horrible, it’s not exciting or annoying, it just kind of exists. Moving through the game is a mostly quiet experience. The story is standard, unimaginative, safe; combat is simple, hanging on from being boring by the skin of its teeth, and the game has an underlying, feeling of solitude without the despair.

With much of the area filled with dust that chokes you and massively impairs visibility, large cracks in the ground, and a lot of rubble blocking paths, climbing is a necessary part of  getting from one objective to the other. Climbing burns stamina and running out of stamina while climbing will decrease your stamina capacity until it runs out and you lose your grip. Once stamina capacity has been lost it must be replenished by consuming items otherwise, once resting, stamina will only fill up as far as the capacity will let it. Finding the best route, and calculating how much stamina you can risk to leave the most direct path to collect supplies adds a slight challenge, but you will hardly be tearing your hair out over it.

Some of the people you encounter along your way are out to get you, and some will ask you for help. The more notable ones are the ones who just want you to get the hell away from them and will threaten you but leave you alone if you don’t come too close. Ammo is scarce so conservation is an absolute must. Most fights play out the same way with a group of attackers slowly walking towards you so you can ’surprise kill’  one before dealing with the others. Drawing your pistol, whether loaded or not, will intimidate attackers, and some will even back down completely, allowing you to knock them out.

The people that you help will either need an item or an assist with an attacker. These are nowhere near side quests or missions, though. If you have the item, or gun down the attacker, they will be over with and the person you have aided will then say a little about The Event, and you’ll be awarded with a Retry. Retries allow you to try checkpoints again. Once all your Retries are used, you’ll have to restart the chapter. It may seem strangely old-fashioned and unfair to some to have to start a level again these days, but this will give you the chance to play the section more precisely and efficiently.

I like games. You like games. There are lots of gaming things to read and listen to on the Character Select Network. Below are some that we have picked out for you because we think you’d like them. We’re nice like that. Take a look. There are no Mass Effect 3 spoilers. Promise.

With the gaming calendar looking a little bare recently, Delb2k takes a look back to this time last year and some of the best games of 2011.

2011 – Anyone Fancy A Sequel?

Well, it’s February and it’s bloody cold. Love it or hate it, everyone’s talking about the snow. Except me: I’m undecided. Yes it’s a nuisance, but saying I hate the snow makes me feel so terribly old, and saying I love it means I end up making snow angels in the garden while wishing I was inside with dry feet and a huge mug of hot chocolate, reading something informative and entertaining, like, ohhh… I dunno… the best Character Select picks of last month, maybe…

Issue 16 of the Cane and Rinse podcast features an interview with Adam Capone, aka @petermolydeux.

Issue Sixteen: An interview with Adam Capone

“This week Leon and Tony interview the internet enigma that is Adam Capone, starting with his transatlantic career within the games industry and then about his extracurricular activities such as his Joypod shenanigans and the infamous @petermolydeux.”

In Darren’s Starcraft II Quick Rinse he takes a look at the game’s campaign and shows us there’s a lot more to Starcraft II than a daunting multiplayer mode.

Quick Rinse: Starcraft II

“Episode 9: Darren tries to put your fears at bay with a less intimidating view of Starcraft II, the worlds finest Real Time Strategy game.”

Undoubtedly the biggest fail of the year so far was the XBLA/PSN title Amy. Check out Console Arcade’s review if you want to see it get another well-deserved bashing.

Amy review

“VectorCell’s release of Amy for PSN and XBLA is a good reminder of just how far, in a technical sense, the download services have come in such a short space of time. It may not be the first time we’ve said this but it bears repeating,simply  because it’s incredible to think that on the services that started out giving us ports of Joust! and simple remakes of Marble Madness, we’re now seeing titles which are similar in scope to last generation retail titles. And just like last gen, VectorCell seem keen to keep the survival horror genre going.”

Jamie Davis writes about the announcement of Phoenix Wright 5 and the HD releases of the older games on iPad and iPhone, and asks why they aren’t also coming to consoles.

Why Capcom need to bring Phoenix Wright to XBLA and PSN

“Today Capcom made a little announcement that we’re finally getting Phoenix Wright: Ace Attourney 5. No more messing about playing Miles Edgeworth. No messing about with wannabe Apollo Justice. And no special guest starring from Professor Layton. They’re actually releasing an honest to goodness new adventure featuring everyone’s favourite shouty lawyer, Phoenix Wright. Hooray!”

GamerDork’s Onyersix has written an interesting blog on how the demands of gamers have changed over the years.

The Changing Demands of Gamers

“Try to imagine the life of a time gone by.  It was a time of people reading games magazines, sitting in their bedrooms watching loading screens, and hearing the screeching noise of cassette-tape decks playing code that would result in a race for the mute button.  These were the days before the behemoth publishers such as EA and Valve became commonly known.  Yes, the late 80s and early 90s are fondly remembered by some of us due to the simplicity of life, and generally low expectations of games.”

Ragman_KD’s blog gives an insight into board gaming; a world that can sometimes seem overwhelming to newcomers.

How To Rule the World from Your Kitchen Table

“As I’ve been told I’m the board game go-to guy for GamerDork, I thought I should write a kind of introduction to the world of gaming without electricity for anyone who’s interested in trying this type of game. Now I’m not saying I’m a guru on all things board games related, or know the answer to every question you may have.  Sorry — I’m not, and I don’t. What I am saying is I’m the dumb git who said he would write some articles about this strange world.”

At the beginning of the game we’re introduced to Amy and her apparent guardian Lana. There’s an awkward few moments with a ticket collector, a phone call with a bit of talk about a ‘center’ and how Amy is sick, and the impression is given that Lana has apparently ‘rescued’ Amy from this mysterious center. Amy draws a picture that hints at precognition and there’s suddenly an explosion in the distance that causes the train to crash. One blackout later and you, as Lana, wake up alone in a carriage rather worse for wear, step over a few gory dead bodies, and set out in search of Amy.

It’s acceptable. Mildly amusing. It makes you wonder what’s actually going on. The train station is dark, dirty and completely trashed, and mutated zombie-like creatures are roaming around trying to make you dead. The controls instantly feel clunky and combat is very basic but this is a survival horror stealth game and less responsive controls can add to panic levels and direct combat is less likely than sneaking and hiding. Always the optimist, me.

But optimism, and a ‘give it a chance’ attitude can only get you so far. Facial animation is poor, the voice acting kills any atmosphere the game could have had, the checkpoints are frustratingly far apart, puzzles are flat out boring and the one hit kills get old, fast, especially when they boot you back to one of the frustratingly far away checkpoints and you have to push all the buttons you just pushed, hide in all the cupboards you just hid in and collect all the key cards you just collected.

It seems like a good idea on the surface. The relationship between Lana and Amy had potential. Amy’s psychic abilities grow as glyphs are discovered on the walls and she gains powers that could add an element of fun were they not ridiculously irritating to select and aim. If Lana leaves Amy’s side she starts to become infected by the contaminated air and gets sick. Returning to Amy heals her completely. Interaction between the two seems genuinely caring at times and the chance for an absorbing, heartfelt story has unfortunately been crushed by flat, unimaginative gameplay, and repetitive dialogue and actions. Sitting and watching Lana slowly ‘click clack’ up a ladder or shimmy across a narrow ledge for what seems like the hundredth time is somehow mind-numbing and stressful all at once.

Head over to GamerDork to check out Dezm0nd’s fun interview with Croteam, the developers of Serious Sam.

Q&A with Serious Sam’s Croteam

Delb2k’s latest blog talks about game environments, and how they can be so very effective in helping to create atmosphere or interest in a game’s backstory, allowing players to become more immersed in the worlds they’re playing in.

Location, Location, Location

“Resistance 3 may not be the cleverest shooter to have appeared this year, but it is one that managed to create environments that succeeded in not only immersing the player, but also in adding to the fiction the game was trying to present. At various points of the adventure, there are deliberate pauses for thought, letting the player explore the remnants of humanity and see first-hand what impact this triple-title war has had on the USA and the characters within it.”

If you’re at all excited about the console version of Counter Strike being released soon you’ll want to check out Darren Garret’s ‘Quick Rinse’ gameplay video of the recent beta.

Quick Rinse: Counter-Strike: Global Offensive

An interesting article on eSports, originally written by Scott Eunson a.k.a. Darth Cuddles and posted on the Character Select Network forum, was re-posted on Cane & Rinse (with permission) by Jay Taylor, and is a great read for anyone interested in competitive gaming.

eSports in Gaming

“People talk about furthering video games as a medium, But what do they mean by this? Better stories? More immersion? photorealistic graphics? How about the ability to fill a stadium with screaming fans cheering for their favourite player or team? Over the last year or so, I’ve gotten deeply immersed in the Starcraft II community and competitive scene. If you follow me on twitter you will often see me spamming my feed with my opinions on the latest events that are happening, or getting angry because of a certain thing I find imbalanced.”

Make sure you check in on Console Arcade to find out the latest news on VectorCell / Lexis Numérique’s survival horror title, Amy.

Amy coming to PSN and XBLA next week

Available now on PSN and XBLA, Trine 2 looks absolutely gorgeous. Take a look  at Jamie Davies’ full review.

Trine 2 review

“Just two short years after the launch of the original Trine on the PSN (and PC) back in 2009, Frozenbyte certainly aren’t ready to put the series to bed. In what seems like no time at all, they’ve returned with a sequel which, after consternation from XBLA users who missed out on a release of the first title, means this time they also get a piece of the fantasy-adventure action.”

Issue ten of the Cane and Rinse Podcast is up and features Leon, Jay, Josh and Sean who are joined by our editor in chief Dan. This issue focuses on Bastion, one of the highest rated downloadable titles of this year.

The Cane and Rinse Podcast: Issue ten

In James Carter’s feature ‘Slow and Steady Wins the Day’ he talks about how some of his favourite games have given him many, many hours of playtime because of his desire to explore every last inch of them.

Slow and Steady Wins the Day

“How do you play games? It’s an interesting question, isn’t it? The most facetious of answers I can think of is “With a controller, idiot!”. Moving swiftly along, let us also side-step any discussions about Harcore versus Casual; so often these terms are used to separate “real” partakers of digital, interactive & computerised knick-knacks (we’ll need an acronym for the sake of brevity and ease of categorisation) from the… imaginary gamers?”

Console Arcade’s latest reviews are Trouble Witches Neo, an SNK shmup on XBLA, by Keith Murray, and Okabu, an environmentally focused title on PSN, by Jamie Davies.

Trouble Witches Neo!

“The last time SNK Playmore released a shmup on Xbox Live Arcade, it was the abysmal King of Fighters: sky Stage, a game that provoked an outpouring of abuse in the comments thread of this very site. While those comments never saw the light of day, it did serve to illustrate just (and how can we put this delicately) `fanatical` some Shmup fans seem to be about the genre.”

Okabu

“At a time when we’re constantly being reminded how everything we do is seemingly destroying our environment, Okabu isn’t the first (and certainly won’t be the last) title to build on that theme.”

In Mattharrier’s latest blog he describes how in games where the characters he plays aren’t created by him, he still finds it possible to bring an element of his own personal choice and reasoning to the things they do.

Red Dead RPG

“Role Playing Games. RPGs. Games in which you develop a character over the course of the game, increasing attributes, learning new skills, and shaping the nature of your character. In many games, however, that character is, due to the open-ended nature that is required, often a mute, practically faceless person, with very little in the way of personality – otherwise, it would prove difficult to conform to one’s personal image of what that character should be.”

Cassandra “Sassy” Corgard has written up a rather entertaining piece on her experiences at a Skyrim midnight launch.

Skyrim Midnight Release – A Night to Remember

“It was around noon on Thursday that I started seeing tweets from Brits who had received their copies of Skyrim. I sat at work as the clock ticked by the time at a pace that would make a turtle seem like a speed demon. Seeing those tweets was not helping, but I couldn’t stop myself from reading them. I was actually enjoying the build up of anticipation.”

Thought I'd leave you with a Skyrim screenshot. Just because.

BOOM! ASPLOSION!

But now everything is calm and still. There’s music in the air. Fires crackle and winds rush over the mountains. Even the distant roar of a frost-breathing dragon is as soothing as the glow of a restoration spell being cast.

The nights are drawing in. It’s that time of year. The dark and and cold outside means there’s more of an excuse to stay in and play games. It feels ever so… cosy, and a little bit lazy, but in a good way; a very good way.

Notifications off. Slippers on. Blanket wrapped around me. I throw myself into Skyrim alongside the rest of my friends list. We’re all wandering the same world at the same time but we’ll never cross paths. We’re fighting the same battles using our own combat styles. We’re learning and training and crafting the things that are interesting to us. We’re warriors, thieves and mages; Elves, Nords and Kahjit; all on a unique journey to the same destination. My friends can’t assist me, they can’t tell me there’s a bear behind me, they can’t trade weapons with me or offer me a ballistic vest. Just like them, I’m on my own, and that’s the way I want it. The burdens are my own. The glory is my own. This story is my own.

GamerDork’s Delb2k has written a very interesting piece on superhero video games and discusses the ways the recent Batman titles got it right when so many others get it very wrong.

From Hero to Zero

“This October two superheroes have specific games being released in their name. One of those is Spiderman in the Beenox-developed Spiderman: Edge of Time the other is Rocksteady’s Batman: Arkham City. One of these has a Metacritic score of 59, is criticized for its blandness, and shares many of the disappointing traits synonymous with attempts to adapt different media into a videogame format. The other sits higher up at a rating of 95, and has been declared as the greatest superhero game of all time by some journalists. As a hint, the good one has wings…”

Console Arcade’s most recent downloadable game review is Playbrain’s 2D platformer Sideway: New York for the PSN, by Keith Murray.

Sideway: New York Review

“There’s something incredibly heartening about the re-emergence of the 2D platformer, a genre that seemed doomed to obsolescence with the advent of polygonal 3D. The likes of Super Meat Boy and others have allowed the genre to reassert itself of late and now another fine example of this revival has appeared with PlayBrains’ PlayStation Network title, Sideway: New York.”

After the much hyped GTA V trailer was finally revealed, Thumb Culture’s Paul Collet put together a collection of all the previous games’s reveal trailers. Ahh memories.

Get in the mood for GTA V

“Unless you had been car jacked and left for dead, you’ll all know that today (around 4pm our time) is the day that Rockstar break the internet with their reveal trailer for Grand Theft Auto V. I don’t know about you guys, but I’m a little excited (despite my loathing for the fourth game). With all the rumours abound that the game could be set in Los Angeles again, got me giddy with excitement of revisiting my favorite game of all time (San Andreas) with a nice lick of HD paint.”

And finally, a big warm welcome the newest member of the Character Select Network: Cane and Rinse. Check out the site for reviews, features and podcasts, and while you’re there, be sure to give James Carter’s feature on Japanese games a look!

How the East was Won

““Oh, Japan!” is a phrase that I hear far too often around the gaming industry, but it’s also one that I can sympathise with entirely. It wasn’t terribly long ago that Japanese game development and I eyed one-another from afar with an apprehension verging on disdain. 2011 has been a milestone in my relationship with all things Japan and gaming, and it has been a revelation.”

All this time I thought you weren’t for me. I thought you were too old. I presumed I wouldn’t enjoy you. I ignored you. I was uninspired by your existence. I heard people saying how great you were and thought little of it. I casually brushed you aside because you didn’t look like this:

I assumed I’d get bored of you because I’d be using one of these:

Instead of one of these:

Even after downloading you, you sat on my hard drive patiently as I ran through streets and buildings night after night with a blood-thirst only quenched by frequent killing. I’d try to spend time with you but it was always so forced. My heart was never in it. Your ways were not my ways, I told myself. I believed that because I had missed out on being able to play you at the right point in time, I couldn’t possibly appreciate you.

But then something changed. I don’t exactly know why, but I gave you a chance. A real one. Not a courtesy play before switching back to the mindless chaos but a proper sit down let’s see what you have to offer actual try. And then this happened:

Hmmm...

And I unlocked some of these:

Ooooooh...

And the whole time, stuff like this was playing:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Again; I’m sorry. I was wrong. Thanks for waiting.

Remember when the bathysphere first clunked to a stop and you peered out into the darkness wondering what the hell was going on? And while guided through the perilous, leaking, splicer-infested city by a stranger over the radio, the answers you received only provoked more questions. If, like me, you explored every inch of Rapture, opened every safe, every trash can, listened to every radio log, and still wanted to know more then you’d be pretty excited to hear about a prequel book that tells the story of the city as it changes from an idea into a reality, and even more excited about the fact that this book is being released today.

Andrew Ryan. One of the most memorable video game characters of recent years. Superbly scripted and voice-acted, his words can send shivers down the spine of anyone that cares enough to truly listen to them. Barely seen in person on screen, he manages to be a continuous presence throughout Rapture. A man with an empowering resolve and commitment to his ideals. So dedicated to his belief in a free-thinking, unrestricted, yet hard-working way of life that he creates his own city at the bottom of the ocean. Villain or hero. Crackpot or genius. You decide. BioShock: Rapture gives details on Ryan’s childhood, the moment the decision to build Rapture was made, and how it all went terribly wrong.

Written by Bram Stoker award winner, John Shirley, the book is not too heavy and not too simple. Definitely one of the better videogame novels I have read. BioShock: Rapture is a must read for anyone that was left intrigued by the game and curious about the story behind the story of BioShock.

Hugs!

I was also looking forward to the release of Chime Super Deluxe. I love Chime. I remember first hearing about it last year, and it being special because over half of the proceeds from each sale would be going to charity. As soon as I saw the trailer, I was intrigued and once downloaded, I fell in love with it almost instantly. I’ve probably played the XBLA version far too much and have attempted the Steam version, but that only served to remind me just how shite my laptop is as it runs frustratingly slowly on there. One day I will own a decent P.C. One day.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Probably the best part of the Steam version. If only I could run it…

Part of the reason I love Chime so much is that I can get very satisfying scores on there; I am pretty sure that the reason I’m 35th or thereabouts on some of the XBLA leaderboards is that not enough people are playing Chime.  More people should be playing Chime. If you’re not playing Chime, you’ll never know if you can beat my scores. And if you don’t try, I’ve beaten you by default, and I get to make an annoying smug face.

The other thing I love about Chime is that it gives me a chance to think. Yes I’m having to put pieces in the right places to make them disappear and score points but there’s something special about the way Chime plays – it’s all very relaxing. It’s pretty, and bright, and the music is trancey. It reminds me of being younger and out in clubs, where I’d get so into the music that I’d ignore what my body was doing and my mind could freely wander and wonder.

It’s not often in day to day life that one gets to truly detach from the physical world and become immersed in thought, but Chime allows me get very close to that feeling. I hadn’t even realised ’til recently how often I simply switch off and just think while playing it. From the weekly shopping list to life and the universe, there’s no telling what could run through my mind as I try to beat my high scores. Five tracks that accompany five levels have kept me happy for over a year, with me maybe playing a few hours once every couple of weeks. With Super Deluxe bringing five new tracks and a four-player versus mode, when PSN gets sorted, I think I’ll be busy for quite a while.

Tick tock, tick tock...

Right now it’s 11AM on Tuesday the 29th of March. I’m sat at my computer trying to waste away some time by reading random top ten articles, checking Facebook, and chatting shite on MSN. I’m barely concentrating; I keep getting distracted by Twitter. Each time I hear TweetDeck chirp my eyes flit instantly across to the message box. If it’s not AceyBongos announcing that Mass Effect 2: The Arrival is ready for download from Xbox LIVE marketplace I’m not interested one bit.

I heard about the last Mass Effect 2 DLC instalment months ago, and I squealed and clapped my hands with excitement. The Mass Effect games are some of my favourites of all time and each add-on I’ve bought, with the exception of Pinnacle Station, has managed to add to my Shepard’s story and universe in a way I’m very pleased with.

Thing is, all the love I have for Mass Effect didn’t stop me from actually forgetting all about the DLC ’til yesterday morning when I read an article about it. My face lit up as I grinned stupidly; it was almost as though it was a surprise release, with only one day to go before I got to jump back on the Normandy for a brand new adventure.

In the Arrival DLC the mystery of who shrunk Tali is solved

This never happens to me. I pine after games that aren’t finished all the time. In the back of my mind even now is the fact that Battlefield 3 isn’t out ’til autumn, Gears of War 3 has been delayed ’til next year, and Half-Life 2: Episode 3… well… :’(

New games in the works get announcements, teasers, trailers, and previews. They also get official and unofficial websites full of news and discussions from gamers hoping and speculating about something that they can only hope and speculate about. And while finding information about new features or storylines is more than interesting, it just makes the time ’til release day seem even longer! I am terrible for getting caught up in hype and love the thought that the next game I play could be something incredible, so I’m like a kid at Christmas when I finally get my hands on it. But the delight I felt at realising I wasn’t going to have to wait very long to play The Arrival makes me wish I could forget these things more often. It’s likely that the only way I could ensure I have this experience again would be to never look on the internet or T.V, stop talking to people, and stay out of any shops for as long as I live. No shopping; it just ain’t gonna happen.

There’s the tweet! Right, I’m off. No more waiting for me. Woo hoo!

Damn...

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