Resident Evil 5 – PS3

Building upon such a genre-defining game as Resident Evil 4 was never going to be easy. It broke the mould in terms of third-person action games and veered the ailing survival horror franchise into new territory to the acclaim of both critics and fans. What could be added to this successful formula that wouldn’t pollute it? Co-operative play and a radically different setting says Capcom!

If the shooting mechanics of RE4 took franchise fans by surprise the partner dynamic is set to do the same. Not being alone in a survival horror is strange at first – not having to constantly check behind you and the regular conversations to break the silence feel odd to begin with. Partners and squadmates are usually an irritating burden when they try to join in on the action but Sheva, for the most part, does a fairly stand-up job of thinning out the zombie hordes. The AI is particularly robust and will even collect goodies and supply you with ammo when needed!


The sections designed specifically for teamwork (usually meaning splitting you up) aren’t exactly groundbreaking with only a couple of decent “cover me” moments and the rest just plain old lever pulling. The system comes into its own, however, when playing with a human partner (although preferably not in the eye-straining split-screen mode) as you can really improvise your own rules of engagement and tactically work yr way through the masses.

Having a partner bends the difficulty curve quite a bit too. I found with an AI partner the game seemed a tad easy to begin with as trusty old Sheva does quite a bit of the work for you if you let her but conversely she becomes less useful as the game gets harder. With a human by your side its obviously going to be an easier task with Normal mode being a breeze in 2-player.

Difficulty in general is quite lenient with little need to be resourceful with your ammo or health supplies even on Veteran. The ability of your partner to give you an instant health top-up (regardless of supplies) in your “hour of need” only exacerbates this leniency.

The other major change, the change of location to rural Africa, is also largely a success. The initial shanty town locale with its sun-soaked dirt paths and contrastingly dark and grimy alleys is a graphical tour de force and equal to anything on the PS3. The unnerving feeling of being an unwanted outsider is also played upon to great success in these early levels and adds immeasurably to the tension. The developers do their best to vary things with swamps, caves, industrial sections etc. and to their credit it certainly breaks things up.


But, and this is a big but, its not as spine-tinglingly chilling as a haunted mansion, a dilapidated city or an ancient castle as seen in previous games. It does try to echo some of the franchise’s classic imagery with the likes of abandoned laboratories but they only serve as a reminder of previous successes. I suppose there are only so many times you can re-visit such themes before they become tired and Capcom can only be praised for trying something different and maybe we should be careful what we wish for (I’ve no doubt that Capcom will have us revisit the Arklay Mansion or RPD Headquarters one day!)

Gameplay-wise very little has changed from the predecessor – crowd control, a few simple puzzles and some gigantic boss fights. The latter being slightly disappointing with some very samey bosses and reliance on using prescribed super-weapons. A minor departure in general gun-play is seen towards the end of the game with the use of cover becoming more prevalent and a more “military shooter” feel to proceedings as you regularly come up against AK-47 and RPG toting zombies. This is handled well though and feels as solid as the rest. The less said about the on-rails shooting level the better!

Overall this is an excellent shooter with a reasonably long campaign and plenty of replay value (an extended Mercenaries mode returns, as well as the usual plethora of hidden stuff). The co-operative play is a great feature and with upgradeable weapons its always asking to be played again on a higher difficulty setting. It mightn’t tick all the boxes as far as survival horror is concerned but there’s enough of the classic Resident Evil themes of evil corporations and maniacal enemies, silly plot twists (with some nice surprises and tie-ups of old stories) and the essential cheesy dialogue to keep fans happy.

Resistance 2 (PS3)

The original Resistance had an even share of fans and critics but most would have agreed that it laid a solid foundation for the franchise to expand and, with some polishing, a top class sequel to be built upon. Fall of Man’s major triumphs came from it’s intriguing scenario supported by it’s atmosphere, detailed environments and compelling plot. So one would imagine that these, at the very least, would be the backbone of the sequel….

The game begins badly, in a generic “facility” with the same old pipe and crate filled corridors seen in countless FPS games (largely ones from the previous console generation it has to be said). Unfortunately it takes a long time before you encounter anything close to the quality of the first game’s environments as you are dragged through a dull canyon, another facility and an uninspiring alien vessel, before finally getting to experience a bit of post-war Americana.

All of the early levels (well most of the game actually) begin and end the same – dropped off and collected by helicopter – as you are given your next target and move on with scant regard for plot progression. Being pushed from pillar to post in such a manner is a real momentum killer. In R:FOM, the gradual build-up of information on the Chimeran invasion coupled with the sombre narration between missions was a real boon in terms of atmosphere and this lacks such a device to drive the story. (One could probably argue that there isn’t much of a story to drive in the first place!)

Environments and plot aside, there is something rotten at the core of the game. The balance to the gunplay, the cornerstone of any FPS, is badly askew. The waves of bog-standard Chimeran fighters are easier to brush aside than they should be but the real deal-breaker are the bigger, less-frequent foes who rely on weaponry and endurance from an unfathomable rule-set. This leads to many choke-points and, worse still, a sense of unfairness.

The clever and varied weapon-set is intact from the first game. The new additions aren’t as inventive and are rarely incorporated. The choice to make most of the enemy not relinquish their guns upon death seems at first to be a bug but later you discover that the developers like to prescribe guns to each situation, denying the player the chance to utilise their favourite weapon-set in any situation which again seems like a bad move.

The online modes offer variety, with the co-op missions providing some genuine entertainment, but there’s nothing spectacular on offer and certainly nothing to rival the best in the genre.

So with the epic feel and intriguing narrative all but gone there really is nothing left to recommend this over, or even to supplement, the best PS3 shooters out there. And with Killzone 2 looming on the horizon this maybe pushed even further down the pecking order.

Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn (Wii)

This may be the eleventh title in the series but not an awful lot has changed since it’s beginnings on the NES in 1990. There are some minor tweaks over the Gamecube prequel, to which this continues the story, but really this isn’t going to attract any of the new audience the Wii has so successfully courted.

The most immediate and glaring lack of innovation is the decision not to use the Wii’s motion sensing capabilities. One might’ve thought that for a grid-based strategy title the use of a mouse-like cursor might be ideal but instead you are forced to use the Wiimote as an NES pad! In hindsight this mightn’t have been a bad choice as the switching between the small tiles could become quite fiddly and the fatigue factor during a 2 hour long level might be crippling.

The graphics have received a welcome update (if not as much as some might’ve expected) with some nice spot effects for the magical attacks being the highlight. The anime cut-scenes are superb its just a shame there’s so few of them.

The freshest part of Radiant Dawn comes in the alternating use of multiple armies - levelling up, recruiting and arming 3 entirely separate groups of characters. This greatly helps to maintain your interest over what is a very long game(60 hours+) as you are effectively playing 3 instances of the game. Strangely, however, you are given charge of the weakest army first and are asked to negotiate 10 gruelling levels at the beginning. This then serves to render the subsequent chapters as quite an anticlimax seeing you breeze past the enemy with a new, and much more powerful, army at your disposal. Overall the approach does work and throws up some interesting twists towards the end of the game.

Continuing on the plot of the 2005 Gamecube game is handled with the story-telling skill one would expect from Intelligent Systems with the bold issues of prejudice, racism and the horrors of war smoothly transferred into a new context with original topics of hero worship and religion also being broached admirably. This is aided by the superior dialogue and scripting that doesn’t have you skipping though the endless juvenile nonsense contained in most text heavy games. Regrettably the narrative is let down at times by some unsophisticated changes in direction that helps break the predictable flow of events but could surely be accomplished by some subtler means.

As strategy games go this is up there with the best of them, it requires solid planning and tactics whilst bound by a logical and consistent rule-set. Its difficulty, although being steep, never leaves the player feeling cheated and always leaves the opportunity for a new approach. If the genre isn’t your “cup-of-tea” then this will do little to persuade you otherwise – especially with its sink or swim initiation, functional graphics and general lack of Wii-ness.

Call of Duty 4 (PS3)

I was very wary of the hype surrounding this game as my previous experiences with the COD series have been less than favourable. I’m more of an old school FPS person and would lean more towards the pure gaming dynamics of Quake or HALO over realistic battlefield engagements. The difficulty in picking out targets, the whole long-ranged approach to gunfighting (as well as them dodgy WW2 guns!) and the heavily scripted nature of proceedings hamper my enjoyment. However, I was more than pleasantly surprised by this offering from Infinity Ward.

To begin with I got a feeling of “here we go again” whilst playing the first couple of missions. The level of freedom afforded the player is negligible as you follow your team-mates around with little impact on what is happening. But as you begin to progress through the levels you gradually get more responsibility and the maps begin to open up allowing for various angles of approach. Its during the scripted moments that you begin to appreciate the level of sophistication of the AI. Their use of the cover and group tactics aren’t the best you’ve ever seen but the overarching strategy of each situation tests your wits as well as you reflexes, they really do make you work hard!

The variety of the levels is fantastic, both in terms of location and operation. You could be sniping in a Russian backwater, running and gunning in a nuclear bunker, slowly infiltrating an Islamic TV station or making a night-vision guided bombing raid. Throughout the atmosphere is spot on. The graphics are always full of detail and lighting effects but it’s the sounds of the soldiers, both your teammates and the enemy, and the flying ordinance buzzing past your head that really makes you feel like you’re in the maelstrom of battle.

The single player campaign is only about 6-8 hours long (at the most) but it does offer plenty of replayibility with a high-score driven arcade mode and unlockables. Really though, it’s the multiplayer that offers the endless hours of gaming that will prevent you from trading this in. Everything about the online mode reeks of class. The sleek interface, easy set-up and countless options have set the bar for the PS3 online experience. The level of customization you can carry out is truly awe inspiring from the umpteen different game modes to the uber-tweakable character classes. The gradual way all of this unlocks gives great incentive to keep playing and improving as every few experience points earned brings you one step closer to a new gun or ability. Challenges are there for each weapon to upgrade them (eg get 25kills to add a red-laser sight) as well as more general challenges that earn bonus experience points (and unlock further challenges!). Such distractions are very welcome as you learn the unforgiving online game but once you get your skills up to scratch you can begin to appreciate all of the customizations and tweaks that are there for you. Coupled with the depth and variety of the maps available theres enough to keep you going for a very long time.

Overall it’s hard to fault the game. Yes, the single player is short but it’s a case of the wheat being cut from the chaff as theres little or no repetition or padding in the missions. If you want an online FPS for your PS3, this is the one.

Grand Theft Auto IV (PS3)

GTA4 is easily the most anticipated game of 2008, but is it worthy of the hype? The answer is that most people don’t really care, as long as it delivers what they expect from a GTA title – great characters, crass humour, clever incidental moments and, of course, plenty of violence. Personally I’m more concerned with whether it’s a decent game or not, but more of that later.

GTA fans will be more than happy as Rockstar once again delivers a host of foul-mouthed caricatures spouting machismo monosylabics through to quirky, albeit humourous, nonsense with a plot that’s an enjoyable mish-mash of clichéd themes and over-the-top dramatics. The real highlights of the script are delivered by the bit-part players - the satirical ramblings of the radio DJs, the lampooning advertisements for ridiculous products and the everyday back-chat from passers by, taxi drivers etc.

However, such entertainment is marred by the low-brow nature of the humour on display – every single piece of word-play is either a sexual double-entendre or a toilet-related innuendo. In small doses (for instance a bill board for a haulage company called “R S Haul – We’ll dump your load”) its quite amusing but when its so prevalent and often unnecessary (in the case of the internet café called T.W.@ - the hilarious joke being that it’s a “rude” word! That’s it!) it really begins to feel juvenile and grating.

I wouldn’t want to be accused of not seeing the wood for the trees, as no amount of cosmetic annoyances can take away from the achievement that is Liberty City itself. The busy streets, the traffic systems, the feel to the different boroughs – the sheer amount of things happening at once really makes it a compelling environment to explore and experience and a real technical accomplishment. The scale of it all and the seamless transition from area to area more than makes up for the aesthetically (but certainly not technically) underwhelming nature of the graphics.

So what does it play like then? Well they’ve refined the aiming and made the driving more fun but basically it’s the same old GTA – “Great!”, scream the converted but I for one am not so sure.

The number one fall-down of the previous games, the shooting/aiming, has been given an overhaul with the addition of a functional cover system and semi-manual aiming but whereas this improves the feel of gunplay it still isn’t as good as it should be. There’s never that real excitement to the gun battles with the poor AI simply meaning the enemies play pop-up target and present no challenge other than their increasing numbers as the game progresses. At that stage gunning them all down becomes an attritional chore.

Another chore, the long haul drives from A to B, have been improved with the addition of public transport. Just hail a cab or get on the subway and you can be at your goal is seconds! This is a genuine progression for the series and is much welcomed.

An aspect that is still sorely in need of such forward thinking is the save/checkpoint system. You may be able to get a cab to take the sting out of transport but if you hit one of the many difficulty spikes (another bugbear) you could be getting that same cab over and over again thanks to a checkpoint system that throws you back to the beginning of even the longest of missions. And by beginning I don’t mean when the action starts, I mean the drive over to the mission! Worst of all any cash/bullets/armour you expended on the last run aren’t refunded upon restart!

The nature of the missions is also a source of disappointment both in their variety and deficiency of innovation. Very few deviate from the pre-established and most are merely re-hashed from previous games. There’s also a distinct lack of freedom or choice within missions which (coupled with the dull shooting) can see the player slip into auto-pilot merely following the prompts at the bottom of the screen.

The whole choices/consequences dynamic was readily touted by Rockstar before release but bar a few contrived scenarios this is never really in evidence. Any hopes for a subtle and ubiquitous system of decisions and outcomes are long forgotten when after hearing a reasonable plea for mercy from a target only to be followed by the prompt to “Kill Him” at the bottom of the screen.

The proposed levels of interaction are also a lot less than expected. The reactions of most random objects are fine but there just isn’t enough of a variety to make things interesting. A few cardboard boxes and rubbish bins here and there but nothing to really spark the imagination. Its hard to believe the bar set by Deus Ex in 2000 has rarely been met. The amount of shops and buildings in general that can be entered is extremely limited and really takes away from the immersion or “sandbox” feel. The lacklustre mini-games (bowling, darts etc) are atrocious, playing worse than a homemade flash game.

Overall there isn’t a true next-gen feel to the game with some of the aforementioned flaws (gunplay, checkpoints, mission structure etc) beginning to seem antiquated. I can’t help thinking this isn’t much more than a PS2 game with better graphics and a few bells and whistles thrown in.

Having said all that its still a good game, containing a lot of the entertainment value and addictiveness you’d come to expect, it just hasn’t evolved to keep up with some modern standards and is thus a disappointment.

In my opinion Rockstar have come to the place Capcom were with Resident Evil before they evolved the game to something fresh and new but yet true to the originals. Its tempting to keep giving their hordes of fans more of the same but there’s only so long before clunky control systems and archaic game mechanics begin to feel their age. Next time around we can only hope for the gameplay that can match the experience.

Assassin’s Creed (PS3)

This is a game which constantly frustrates but not for the reasons most videogames might. There are so many well intended innovations and noble ideas which just don’t work out and jar with you, as with superior execution or just a bit more thought they could’ve been fantastic.

The control system is one such example. The 4 fascia buttons representing actions for your head, weapon hand, free hand and legs with the R button putting you in conspicuous mode and changing the actions of all four. Nice idea, but the controls don’t have the tightness of the genre frontrunners and interaction with the environment is often fiddly and inconsistent.
The brave narrative that tries so hard to explain away any purely videogame elements (the HUD, collectibles, visual cues etc) as part of the story is admirable but ultimately confusing, often feeling unwarranted.

The stealth dynamics are shoddy, lacking the sturdiness of the Metal Gear model and more resembling the Hitman games (but lacking their variety which often lead to humorous situations amidst the brokenness).
Stealth in games requires a rigid rule-set that’s both consistent and easily understood. This has neither, with enemy soldiers barely batting an eye as you stroll around brandishing a blood soaked sword one minute but other times easily alarmed for next to nothing! The escape dynamic is also horribly unbalanced with it often being far easier to simply dispatch your pursuers rather than being constantly spotted by new sentries (seemingly as if all connected by 1000AD walkie-talkies!) as you search for a hiding place.

Combat is kept simple, although enjoyably visceral, and quite easy (especially once you’re given the counter move) meaning it can be repetitive and soon becomes laborious.

With all of it’s faults though, Assassin’s Creed is still strangely compulsive. The much lauded graphics are brilliant with amazing lighting effects that really bring the dusty, sun drenched cities to life and immeasurably add to the feeling of immersion. It’s this feeling of walking (and climbing) around a living, breathing city that is the games main draw. Like GTA, if you take the game as more of an experience and ignore the nuts and bolts issues there’s plenty of fun to be had scaling to the steeple tops and just admiring the view.

Unfortunately this too becomes repetitive as the 3 cities don’t offer much in the way of variety and the immersion factor begins to creak when you here the same tired sound bites emitted on every second street. The missions contained within don’t change as the game progresses and can become a chore with the pace decidedly slow throughout.

Ultimately, it’s a flawed, repetitive game that that will probably have you losing the will to complete it long before the end. Here’s hoping for a much improved sequel.

Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune (PS3)

This is truly a next-gen title, the jaw-dropping graphics coupled with its proper cinematic feel make for an experience which feels altogether different.
The gameplay, though, is a familiar mix of Prince of Persia-esque platform action and Resident Evil 4 style shooting which works well together, although the two elements are usually separated by well defined areas of the environments.
Speaking of the environments, they’re unbelievable – lush and dense and brimming with colour and light in the jungle settings and eerily dark and full of shadows and torchlight in other areas. The graphics throughout are of the highest standard, from the fluid animation of the facial features and exaggerated actions of Mr. Drake to the incidental spot effects of smoke and light, all produced through truly state of the art techniques.
The sound too deserves special mention. The orchestra of tribal beats that keeps the momentum up and the blood flowing truly adds to the movie-like quality of the game. It’s actually tough to find an area of the game that isn’t highly polished and credit must go to Naughty Dog for the love and attention that was so obviously poured into it.
The controls are tight and responsive and they need to be as the enemy AI is progressive and rarely spoils the suspension of disbelief. You will be often flanked and surrounded as the enemies constantly look for better cover and angles. The realism is let down by the enemies high damage thresholds and at times only a few well placed head shots will stop you from being swamped by the lead-absorbing hordes. This is counter-balanced by Drake’s equally resilient flesh which recharges health fairly quickly compared to most other titles. The lack of any onscreen indication of health is off-putting to begin with but the quick recovery rate makes it easy to adapt (the lack of any in-game life “top-ups” is also made welcomely redundant)
This generous approach to damage makes for easy progress through the game, especially once the more powerful weapons become available. The puzzle and platform elements aren’t the most taxing either meaning the whole game only takes about 10 hours to complete making this a typical next-gen title that is meant for everyone not just the hardcore.
There are some aspects to the game that aren’t so modern though. Its rigidly linear and is riddled with old-school inconsistencies relating to your interactions with the environment. For example Drake will easily leap 15 feet when required but some 3 foot high rocks can’t be scaled. There’s a disappointing lack of destroyable scenery (especially windows!?).
Minor niggles aside, this is a thoroughly absorbing game with brilliant characters and a decent storyline to keep you interested in between shoot-outs. A must buy for PS3 owners.

Resistance: Fall of Man (PS3)

Some 16 months after R:FOM’s release and it’s demotion from an essential “early adopter” purchase to somewhat less than a killer ap, it’s a good time to assess how Sony’s HALO-contender stands up in the cold light of day.
Although it may have been surpassed in recent times by the likes of Call of Duty 4 and Half Life 2, I was surprised by how this first generation title has stood the test of time. The graphics are still of a very high calibre, albeit a bit drab at time, but the attention to detail and the robust physics engine still stand out.
The first level is probably the worst of the game. Its very linear, dull and uninspiring. Thankfully, what follows are a much better example of a modern FPS as it throws some large battlefields at you with both enemy and allied AI keeping a reasonable status quo for you to attempt to swing in the humans favour.
The mix of levels and the pacing are generally good. Having broken through the frontlines in a siege one minute you’ll be promptly treated to some more claustrophobic, corridor action the next. Whilst the AI is hardly revolutionary, it seems perfectly at home in either arena and gives as good as it gets.
As you feel your getting to grips with things, gradually the complications of an increasing arsenal of some very imaginative weaponry really adds an extra dimension to things. You’ll have to learn how to, both, utilise and avoid guns which can either fire around corners, through walls, bounce off things, stick to things etc etc.
Its with this great play-set of armaments that the most joy is to be had as some of the missions can fall a bit flat with decent set-pieces sometimes few and far between. The vehicle based levels (which there are thankfully only a handful) are mostly dull and of little challenge.
The Normal difficulty level is probably a bit forgiving for most seasoned FPS fans with only the last couple of levels proving any challenge. But there are two further difficulty levels (one unlockable) to test those who are so inclined and there are a host of mini-rewards for doing various actions on each level to enhance replay ability. The recharging energy bar only charges back up to the nearest quarter but the amount of health distributed in game (and the fact that you restart a checkpoint with full health) means that even the stickiest of sticking points is always passable.
The online mode is quite comprehensive with a good selection of game types and a ranking mode all easily and, more importantly, quickly accessible.
Overall R:FOM is an accomplished, if not spectacular, title that will keep FPS fans happy its beautiful (and often surreal) environments , messing about with some great guns with a respectable storyline holding it all together.

Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles (Wii)

I love Resident Evil. The dilapidated locations, the cheesy dialogue, the huge plot holes and the whole B-Movie feeling to everything. All of these elements are present in this latest version but these alone do not a good game make.

It comes as a relief when first playing that it really does feel like a Resident Evil game as it so easily could’ve been a cobbled-together exploitation of a successful series with some new Wii controls tagged on.

Said controls are soundly calibrated and, as you would hope from a pseudo light-gun game, provide a sufficient degree of accuracy to make the game both accessible and also challenging. Although getting head shots (or “Critical Hits”) proves quite tricky to begin with it, it’s a skill that does come after practice. These critical hits become increasingly necessary as the game progresses in order to preserve ammo whilst dealing with the hordes of undead that are thrown at you. The aiming reticules are particularly large though and it can become confusing in 2-player which is who’s as they change colour but this is only a minor bugbear.

As a gun game it’s quite a long one with 12 levels pulled from the featured games of the series (RE0,1,2 and 3) and plenty of unlockable side-missions on top of that (detailing sub-plots and missing links from the games) which adds up to 20+ levels.

Adding to its longevity is a rating system which rewards skilful play with the ability to upgrade the familiar arsenal of guns ala RE4. There is also a full list of token unlockables for the die hard completists.

The graphics and sound mightn’t really push the Wii to its limits (they are of similar quality to the Gamecube remake) but they are of a familiar high-standard design and evoke the type of atmosphere needed.

Overall it’s a quality game, especially in 2-player, and an essential for fans of the series. Although with the dearth of good Wii games around it’s a worthwhile addition to anyone’s collection (especially if you have a Zapper!)