Lost

Lost was and is a massive television show revolving around the survivors of a plane crash on a desert island. The plot has more turns in it than Hockenheim, and trying to explain it would take longer than having Rebecca from Big Brother read you a Jean Paul Satre novel. However, having watched quite a fair amount of the TV show, I slotted into the game relatively easy.

The game however relies too heavily on prior knowledge of the show. Had I not seen the show before, I would have been as lost as a Universty of Manchester student without Wikipedia.

The gameplay is interesting though, and playing the part of a photographer you are subject to various flashbacks detailing your history as you attempt to discover more about the island you are marooned on, and yourself. After some getting used to, the camera controls are easy to get to grips with, but can be a challenge to master. The game is as forgiving as Jeremy Clarkson is about pollution though, and all key pictures must be perfectly focused and aimed. Another large part of the game is puzzle solving – which starts off as hard as it finishes. This will probably require a lot of guess work at first, or a handy prompt from the internet, but once you get the hang of it, its not too bad. In the way that should you be allergic to fish, having a goldfish swimming in your mouth wouldn’t be too bad – you put up with it.

The game is short though. 5 hours and 32minutes short in my case. Plus, after this, I had no real desire to play it again. Apart from of course, the fact I almost had 100% of the achievement points and it was rude not to finish it off. So, silly to buy it? Yes really. Feel free to rent it though, especially should you be a fan of the show. Plus, in that time you should be easily able to complete it.

Just to end, the graphics and the game look superb. The fact that you see little apart from jungle didn’t deter me much either, but this may because I have been stuck in a lift for a longer period of time.

New Game Scores, 1 word sum up and buy or not to buy..

Lost : Via Domus (Xbox, Ps3, PC) - 6/10 – short-flight – Don’t Buy (Rent)

Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Las Vegas 2

When starting to play Rainbow 6 Vegas 1, I was instantly disappointed. O, another desert type level. Sand and broken houses in a country that is blatantly Iraq. In fact, I really had to dig in to get through this, till I actually got to Vegas.

I found the controls easy to get to grips with, and the gadgets were actually used throughout the game which made it useful.

At this point you may be wondering why exactly I’m talking about Rainbow 6 Vegas 1, and not 2.. Well, the games are incredibly similar. Whilst this was going to be expected – RSLV2 is of course the sequel, this does seem to be a Vegas 1.5 type game. It doesn’t feel like a whole new game. How to explain.. its like, eating a Big Mac, then getting another one, but this one has got angus beef in it, instead of whatever it is that goes into the normal one. It’s the same burger, but a slight difference allows it to come under a separate title. Sorry, im hungry.

However, the gameplay again is almost spot on. The story is fun and keeps your interest, and the levels have a pleasing learning curve – a concept a lot of other games seem to miss. Although sometimes the game can be too dark – (as in, the screen too dark, not too dark as in, having to kill a rabbit and eat it in front of a little girl) the graphics were very good overall. But, the tactical shooter tag has sort of died on this title. More often than not, you can achieve the same outcome by shooting the funk out of everything than you can from the sneaky shooting action that made LV1 such a good game.

The story is basic, but lets face it, its realistic – well, realistic for a game anyway. Anyway, at the end of the day, I enjoyed the game. It was fun, and the Co-op and multiplayer modes were brilliant – but as mentioned, it didn’t seem that it was whole new game.

New Game Scores, 1 word sum up and buy or not to buy..

Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Las Vegas 2 (Xbox, Ps3, PC) - 7/10 – Similar – Buy

Nascar 08

Fast, dangerous, glamorous, and in serious need of an occasional right corner.

It was always likely that a non Nascar fan (me), would find it hard to enjoy a game that always seemed limited from the start. However, the start of the game showed promise. Well designed mini games help you get to grips with the game, and at first, the game is entertaining. Then your digits get tired of holding down accelerate, and moving the analogue stick from slightly left to slightly more left.

This is where I run out of things to say for the game play. The graphics are alright, the menus are great, and the story mode of the game is fresh and entertaining. But the problem is, by your 4^th or 5^th race, you are bored. O, another circle type circuit. There is also a huge gap in difficulties – beginner is far too easy, but progressing up a level makes you feel like you’ve never played a game before.

There is little variation between races, and the feeling of each car and driver being different has backtracked to F1 97 days, where all cars followed an exact line, were impossible to knock off of it, and only overtook at certain places. One final dig is the inconsistency of cautions given – gently nudge a car in front and you’ll receive a caution or pit penalty, but when you are taken out by a t-bone manoeuvre you see on Bravo 50 times a day, causing you to roll and ruin your car – your opponent is apparently invisible, and you receive a caution for unnecessary roughness – and while I was apologetic for getting my teeth all over the track, I did feel it was a little unfair.

Whilst I may be a little biased, I just find it a little hard to see how well this game will keep you interested past the first hour.

New Game Scores, 1 word sum up and buy or not to buy..

Nascar 08 (Xbox, Ps3) - 4/10 – circles – Don’t Buy

NFL Tour

Having played, loved, beaten and replayed the past few Madden games, I was slightly dubious about how good the spin off, NFL Tour could be. This was of course not eased by the sheer monstrosity that was Fifa Street 3 – with its bendy players, awful controls, and game play that has been bettered by a drunk Cuban blacksmith called Eduardo.

However, I was pleasantly surprised. Considering I picked up this game for just over a tenner, within minutes I was happy with the financial risk. The game oozes playability. For non long term American Football/ Madden series fans, the game can be controlled easily and effectively, and new controls are easier to pick up than a girl if you were David Beckham.

The game is simple, and the street feel of it, along with new little tricks and skills to master gives you a whole new sensation than of Madden. The game modes are a little limited, mini games are few, but the brilliant way the game is set up, the main game mode is fast enough to keep your attention, whilst keeping you attention for more. The “create-a-player” is back as well, admittedly very much shrunken, but still always a welcome addition.

The worst part of the game by far is the commentary. After 5 minutes, you may well be laughing at the commentator as he makes fun of himself. Saying phrases such as “don’t you hate how video game commentators always repeat themselves”, or “I’m sure I just said that”, but the novelty quickly wears off. In a roughly 8 minute game, I heard “Repetitive line coming up”, a piss-taking 12 times. I mean common, even Jamie Carragher has more to say than that.

Aside from that though, the game is a rare spin off gem.

New Game Scores, 1 word sum up and buy or not to buy..

NFL Tour (Xbox, Ps3) - 9/10 – Touchdown – Bargain, Buy

Super Smash Bros. Brawl (Wii)

Where to start. I loved Super Smash Bros Melee for the GameCube in 2002. It was imaginative, easy to get to grips with, a good party game and with a large cast of characters to choose from, there was plenty of playability. This time around though.. well it’s the same. But its aged. There is nothing new this time, and the controls are suddenly impossible. Like waking up, getting your hands cut off, then being told to do a Rubiks cube. Infact I dug up my old GameCube controller, and this was marginally easier, but stil not great.

Apart from the fact the controls are hard anyway, the actions and moves are awful. There is no distinction between them, and there are only a few for each character on the game, half of which send you hurling yourself off the edge, killing yourself in the process. You can play the game as your usual Nintendo favourites, Mario, Peach, Yoshi, Kirby, and the occasional Pokemon. This time, Sega has got involved, sending Sonic into the game.
The game still is fun, but you sometimes feel that the game is trying too hard. In the way the Jordan, o I’m sorry, she’s grown up now – “Katie Price” tries too hard to be attractive. The 1 Player mode is monotonous, with little difference to the original mode. It is enjoyable, but like too many games released recently, the game is designed around a multiplayer and or online style of play, which is fine, if you’re alright at the game. Instead, you can find yourself in a game, dead and back in the lobby within seconds. “fun”.

New Game Scores, 1 word sum up and buy or not to buy..

Super Smash Bros. Brawl (Wii) – 5/10 – Expired – Don’t Buy