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CONTENTSIN THIS ISSUE

ZEE-GIEF- Don’t make me angry or I’ll beat the crap out of you!- Next time we meet, I’m gonna break your arms!- Wow! You make me feel so powerful!

BLANK-PLAY- Seeing you in action is a joke.- Now you realize the powers I possess.- Do you want to be friends!?

DINO-KEN- I need a better workout than this...where’s Eliza?- Now you really know how it feels to be a loser!- Shoryureppa!... Shinryuken!... Feel my burning vigor!

18 STREET FIGHTER IV CHARACTER BIOS24 DRAGONICA LOVE DRAGONICA28 NEW YORK COMIC CON HIGHLIGHTS

30 FIFA ONLINE 2 EA SPORTS FIFA ONLINE 2

FEATURES

PREVIEWS

18STREET FIGHTER IV

REVIEWS

34 RESIDENT EVIL 5 ZOMBIES WHO THROW PARANGS? S**T!36 TOM CLANCY’S H.A.W.X. FINALLY, THE SKY’S THE LIMIT38 MADWORLD WHERE’S JACK THOMPSON NOW, HUH?40 EMPIRE: TOTAL WAR BRINGING THE FIGHT FOR INDEPENDENCE TO EVERYONE

42 GRAND THEFT AUTO: CHINATOWN WARS CHINA SMALL, SMALL43 GUITAR HERO: METALLICA NEVERSOFT GOOD, NAPSTER BAD44 THIS IS VEGAS BETTING ON THE HIGHWAY45 EAT LEAD: THE RETURN OF MATT HAZARD IT’S TIME TO KICK FPS ASS

52 HALO WARS THE CHIEF AIN’T IN IT54 NINJA BLADE NINJA GAIDEN’S YOUNGER BROTHER56 F.E.A.R. 2 PROJECT ORIGIN ALMA’S BACK!58 STREET FIGHTER IV SIMPLY COMPLEX60 GTA IV: THE LOST & DAMNED PEACE AND PROSPERITY BE DAMNED62 THE HOUSE OF THE DEAD: OVERKILL NO MORE WHINING ABOUT KIDDY GAMES64 DEADLY CREATURES IT AIN’T A BUG’S LIFE65 WARHAMMER 40,000: DAWN OF WAR II WAR LIKE YOU’VE NEVER EXPERIENCED IT

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SAG-KHOO- Your weakness will not satisfy my vengeful rage!- Fatuous fool. Challenging me with such puny strength.- Had enough, have you? This makes you now one of life’s losers.

CHUN-BONER- I’m the strongest woman in the world?- Ha, ha, ha, ha!” Yatta!- Whew! That was a gas... It looks like I’ll never be an ordinary woman again!

GER-GUILE- Go home and be a family man.- That was a Sonic Boom that hit you, not a tank!- Too easy...

Hello,You know, I’m not a Singaporean. But I was here for a while way back in 1992 and 1993. I still remember how Street Fighter II fever was sweeping across the arcades. Being from a third world country, and a gamer, I was going ga-ga and happily engulfing myself in the madness.

I wasn’t (still am not) a good Street Fighter II player but it was awesome to play with other people and kick ass (mostly, it was me getting my ass whooped). There’s always one guy who is ridiculously good with Dhalsim. Seriously, who plays with Dhalsim? But still, there’s always one random guy who’s unbeatable with Dhalsim and I’m always on the receiving end of a beatdown.

Fast-forward to last month. Street Fighter IV came out and offices were missing people in the mornings, especially the offices in the gaming industry. We had MCs, leaves, unofficial office tournaments (and some official ones) and it was pretty hectic and fun.

The cool thing about today’s consoles is that you can go online and play with other people. That brings back memories of the arcades, especially with Street Fighter IV and not to ruin my childhood memories, I’m still getting my ass whooped by some random guy on Xbox live using Dhalsim. My hatred for all things yoga has blossomed newfound motivations.

Anyway, for all you Street Fighter IV fanatics, we’ve got a special on the character bios. Do you know why Blanka, who is essentially a human, has green skin? You will after reading the feature. If you do know already, you’re an overly-obsessed fan and we recommend you some fresh air and socializing, in real life.

Enjoy the rest of the mag with our usual gaming geek goodness. We won’t mention the word “recession” much this issue. We (touchwood) apparently still have our jobs. Send us congratulatory words or snide remarks at [email protected].

Oh, and if you happen to be someone who uses Dhalsim in Street Fighter IV, don’t play with us on Xbox Live.

Thank you very much.

Hating people who play with Dhalsim,Adam Tun-AungEditor

EDITOR’S NOTE MARCH MADNESS

PUBLISHERJacky Choo [email protected]

EDITOR-IN-CHIEFAdam Tun-Aung [email protected]

WRITERSAaron [email protected] “Swordplay” [email protected]

CONTRIBUTORSEugene Neubronner, Jared Tay, Carlo Coloma, Mariel Wong, Luisa Lai, Alden Tan CREATIVE DESIGNERMarcus Greiert [email protected]

DESIGN CONTRIBUTORSElaine [email protected] [email protected]

COMMUNITY & PROMOTIONSMohd [email protected]

ADVERTISING SALES AND MARKETINGEmail: [email protected] Manager Aaron [email protected] & Content Manager Shawn [email protected] Development Executive Melodie [email protected]

PRINTINGPrinter Regent Printing (S) Pte Ltd521 Bukit Batok St 23 Level 5 Singapore 659544

PLAYWORKS is a monthly publication of Playworks Pte Ltd, 11 Stamford Rd #02-04 Capitol Building S(178884)Email: [email protected]

Copyright© 2009, Playworks Pte Ltd. All rights reserved. No part of this publication shall be reproduced, stored in, or introduced to a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means without the prior consent of Playworks Pte Ltd. and © for all other products, characters and its graphical depictions contained therein are properties of their respective trademark and copyright owners.

PLAYWORKS PTE LTD 11 STAMFORD ROAD #02-04 CAPITOL BUILDINGSINGAPORE 178884 Tel: +65 6339 3083 Fax: +65 6339 3079

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REGULARS04 INBOX LETTER OF THE MONTH06 NEWS THE LATEST HOT TOPICS10 GAMER GIRL STACY14 GRANADO ESPADA OCCULTA FORTRESS16 RANKINGS OFFICE TOP 5

TM

Great job! Love your mag. Anyway, I realize that games are have been evolving a lot, particularly how most games today are going multiplatform. I’ve been a PC gamer almost my whole life, and I know some of the games on the consoles really rock. Question is, should I bother getting one? I am sorry, I think PC is the way to go. I mean, playing FPS games on the consoles just isn’t the same. Mouse and keyboard works so smoothly. It’s such a pain to twiddle my thumbs and fingers just to look around in a game. Another thing which doesn’t translate well over to consoles is the RTS genre. No way could consoles produce the same seamless gameplay should they have say, Warcraft, Red Alert or Warhammer.

And multiplayer rocks more with the wider network we got. The PC can handle graphics better too! Nuff said. The PC is and always will be stronger in terms of technical capabilities. I mean, consoles didn’t even get Crysis, and that is one heck of a resource-intensive game.

What do you guys think?

Thanks! Mouse+keyboard FTW!

Regards,Allergic Tan

Letter of the Month writer will walk away with Midnight Club: Los Angeles for the Xbox 360! so keep writing to [email protected]

OUR REPLY

004 PLAYWORKS MAR 2009 www.playworksonline.com

LETTEROF THE MONTH

MID

NIG

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INBOX >>ALL LETTERS ARE ANSWERED BY THE PLAYWORKS TEAM

Hey Playworks,

NEXT ISSUE’S

Dear Allergic,What’s up Ally. Can we call you Ally? Of course we can. Thanks for writing in. Well, we acknowledge the power of the PC ourselves. We love games, be it for consoles or for the PC. We know (with a powerful PC), graphics are better than their console counterparts, but hey, console graphics are really good too. Unless you are very nit-picky about it, it wouldn’t disappoint.

Also, the consoles are way more stable and reliable. Just pop in the disc, and you’re on your way. We think it’s a major plus not having to worry about ram, disk space, graphics card and what have you. You may have bought the latest graphic card, but if it’s not compatible with your motherboard, boom. That’s the end. Our new intern can testify to that since he tried to upgrade his now-defunct desktop and ended up buying a laptop instead.

Relax Ally. We strongly recommend a console. Sure, the PC may be able to handle certain games well, but what about the other way around? It’s highly unlikely you can enjoy an RPG as much as one does on a console. Take for example the first Fable. While a great game on its own, it just didn’t feel the same.

As for Crysis, well, erm, the PC doesn’t have Gears Of War 2 or Killzone 2. So, take that!

Cheers,Playworks

Capcom recently announced the sequel to its violent zombie slaying action game Dead Rising. While the first game was an Xbox 360 exclusive, the 2nd game, Dead Rising 2, will be also be available for the PS3 and the PC.

Dead Rising 2 takes place several years after the first game. It appears that after the events of the first game, the zombie epidemic failed to be contained and spread across the country. It might be bad news for the characters in-game but it means more zombies to chop up. Capcom has told

gamers to expect to take on tens of thousands of zombies.

The game will take place in a new location, Fortune City, a casino. The new location will provide a whole new bunch of ways to slay and destroy the undead hordes. Also, from the screenshots that have been released, it seems that a new blonde male will be the protagonist. No information regarding release dates has been released, so we’ll just have to sit tight and wait.

Quake Live, the browser based first person shooter, is now in open beta! Quake Live is an internet browser based version of Quake III Arena, allowing Quake players to play from anywhere as long as they have an internet connection and a compatible internet browser.

All you have to do to join in on the carnage is to visit the Quake Live website at www.quakelive.com and register for an account. After verifying your e-mail address for your account, head back to the website, download and install the plug-in, restart your browser and you are ready to go.

There is a brief tutorial that calculates your skill level, allowing you to look for other similarly-skilled players when you play online. There is also a Practice mode, allowing you to play against bots, all for free currently. For more info, head on over to www.quakelive.com.

IAHGames is hosting a series of tournaments for its newly launched free-to-play online football title, FIFA Online 2. The game allows players to create their own customized team of players which they can train and personalize. They can then face friends or foes in online matches across the internet. The game offers both 1v1 and 2v2 game modes so that up to four players can play together.

The first tournament took place on the 28th of February and was the kick off to more tournaments to come. The series of tournaments have a total of $5,000 worth of prizes up for grabs. At the recent tournament, which took place at Game Haven, players were able to win cash prizes on the spot. So, if you’re interested in football or winning some cash, look out for the next tournament in the series. For more information head on over to www.EAsportsFIFAonline2.com.

Earlier in February, Capcom teased gamers with an announcement that a top-secret game trailer for a yet announced game would be heading to Xbox Live on the 23rd. On the 23rd of February, it was revealed that the unannounced project was the sequel to Lost Planet.

Producer Jun Takeuchi introduced the new title and explained some of the new features that would be included in the upcoming title. According to Takeuchi, Capcom received a lot of feedback regarding the game’s multiplayer aspect and demand for a co-op multiplayer experience. He was

pleased to announce that in response to these demands, Lost Planet 2 would feature a rich co-op experience.

Lost Planet 2 ditches the old Arctic environments of the first game in favour of new lush jungle environments. The video trailer which was composed of mostly in-game footage showcased Capcom’s impressive proprietary graphic engine and team-based gameplay. Takeuchi was unable to release any information regarding the game’s release date but told gamers to keep an eye out for more news on the game soon.

NEWSREGULARS NEWS

THE LATEST HOT TOPICS


THE DEAD RISE AGAIN

Quake Live is LIVE!

FIFA Online Tournaments

LOST PLANET 2 FOUND

www.playworksonline.com MAR 2009 PLAYWORKS 007

REGULARS NEWS

EA has been proving that it is willing to take a risk with its radical new IPs Dead Space and Mirror’s Edge. Once again, EA shows that it won’t just sit on its laurels milking its franchises with its new title Dante’s Inferno.

Based on the famous poem by Dante Alighieri, albeit with quite a few creative liberties taken, Dante’s Inferno puts you in the shoes of the poet himself. This time though, Dante is not a simple poet but instead a veteran warrior returning from the Crusades. Upon his return, he finds his fiancée

murdered and her soul being lured into the depths of hell by Satan. From then onwards, he makes it his quest to find out what is going on and rescue his beloved.

While the poem may not have been packed with action, the developers, who happen to be the same people behind Dead Space, have stated that the game will be filled with intense combat. No release date has been revealed but the developers stated that the game will take at the very least a year more to complete.

This March on the 3rd, Asiasoft’s Sudden Attack will be opening its doors to the public with the start of its Open Beta Test. Sudden Attack is an intense first-person shooter which pits two opposing teams against each other in various game modes similar to Counter-Strike. Players are able to upgrade their characters with various weapons and equipments as they battle it out in a wide range of exciting maps.

In lieu with the OBT, Asiasoft will be giving out RM$10,000 to the best players in Singapore and Malaysia. Prizes will be given out through an in-game event conducted over a period of five weeks. The top five players who have accumulated the most in-game experience each week will be rewarded RM$400. The contest period begins on the 3rd of March and ends on the 6th of April.

In addition to this, two new weapons, as well as a brand new map titled “Mad Cage”, will be introduced to the game. The two new weapons include the Gurkha knife and the AKS-74U. Find out more at the official site suddenattack.asiasoftsea.net.

IAHGames is offering an exclusive Limited Edition Bonus Pack for its award winning title Granado Espada. The special bonus pack is limited to 1000 sets in Singapore only.

Within the GE Limited Edition Bonus Pack, players will find the following items:- 170,000 G-Points- 100 Adelina Booty Searches- 1 x Impervium +5: Veteran- 1 x Impervium +6: Veteran- 1 x Crystal Wings (exclusive, specially designed back costume)

The items within the set are valued at over $200 but the promotion which is exclusive to SingTel Mobile Postpaid customers is available for just $120. Also, players can now choose to have the GE client delivered directly to their homes by simply sending an SMS. For more information on these offers visit ge.iahgames.com.

Your chance to attack suddenly!

Granado Espada deals

FUN IN HELL

To usher in the arrival of the next big anticipated game of the year, Resident Evil 5, Microsoft will be releasing the RE5 Xbox360 Special Edition Bundle.

At just $590, you will get a copy of Resident Evil 5, an Xbox 360 wireless controller, a wired headset, an exclusive premium Resident Evil 5 theme for your Xbox, a making-of RE5 DVD, a 3-month Xbox live GOLD subscription, an exclusive tin case and finally, a bonus card to download the hit Arcade title Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix.

If that long list of goodies doesn’t tantalize you, then we seriously don’t know what will. Resident Evil 5 continues the story of the long standing Capcom

franchise which has received much critical acclaim for its solid gameplay, stunning graphics and scary atmosphere. RE5 features an all-new two-player co-op experience where gamers can choose to play together online or through split-screen.

RESIDENT EVIL 5 BUNDLE

REGULARS NEWS

NEWSTHE LATEST HOT TOPICS

On the 21st of February, iAM Interactive, official distributor of Lineage 2, hosted its first Singapore Lineage 2 community event. At the event, players were invited to participate in several events including a raffle and various tournaments. Participants were able to win various in-game prizes as well as Lineage 2 merchandise.

We got the chance to speak to Kit Dela Cruz, Head of Business Development at iAM Interactive, about the event, iAM Interactive itself and their future prospects.

iAM Interactive was the result of a recent re-branding of AMDG. The new iAM Interactive is the online banner of AMDG and acts as a hub for all iAM Interactive’s games which include Lineage 2 and Guild Wars. Also launched with iAM Interactive was the iAM wallet which provides a universal game account management system that allows users to manage all their accounts through a single tool.

We asked Kit about why the decision to host the event in Singapore was made. According to her, iAM Interactive received many requests for Singapore community events and in response, they decided to host the event as a reward to their loyal Lineage 2 fans. She told us that iAM Interactive is focused on rewarding its community and bringing value to its users. When asked about future events, she told us that we can expect more local events in addition to the already successful online events that have been held. She also told us of plans to create

a Singapore team for the upcoming SEA battle tournament.

Kit was also able to share with us some of the products that iAM Interactive will be launching in the near future, both of which are free-to-play. One of these was Exteel, a futuristic, arcade-style mechanoid game. Exteel focuses on fast-paced, action-packed gameplay that offers instant gratification. Players can customize their robots with a host of special weapons and abilities to increase their effectiveness on the battlefield. As always, players can expect constant updates to the game to improve its quality including new maps which will be released every month. Exteel also offers strong community features for clans, which include clan territories and rankings. Closed Beta for the game is expected to start this March.

The other title that iAM Interactive will be introducing is Go Go Racer, a cute kart-racing game targeted at the casual audience. What sets apart Go Go Racer from other kart racers is its deep crafting and customization which allows each player to create their own unique kart. Players can expect plenty of tracks, special items and a multitude of cute avatars to suit their liking.

iAM Interactive’s recent efforts have shown that it is dedicated to providing the best services and value to its customers. Local support for the gaming community is a great thing and we hope that we’ll be seeing more of it.

As of February 23rd 2009, Xbox Live Gold members will be able to enjoy new and special deals every week. Some of these deals include discounts on Arcade titles, Game add-ons, Xbox Originals and other exciting content.

To kick off this new promo, the critically acclaimed Braid, which has won several awards for its platforming/puzzle-solving action, is now selling at a discounted rate of 800 MS points instead of 1200 MS points. The offer gives gamers a 33% discount off the original price. The deals seem to follow Valve’s weekly Steam offers. Valve recently released news that its offer of Left 4 Dead at a 50% discount resulted in higher sales than the game’s retail opening sales, a huge shock for the industry.

Later this month, gamers can expect discounts for additional game content for Ninja Gaiden II, Project Gotham Racing 4 and Fable. Keep track of our DLC feature to keep up with just what’s happening on Xbox Live.

It seems the PSP rumour mill has been hard at work as of late. Quite recently, we’ve been hearing a lot about what is suspected to either be a new PSP model or the PSP 2.

If the rumours are true, the new PSP will be a complete redesign of the old one and according to a recent article on VG247, it will feature a sliding screen. David Perry, who founded Shiny Entertainment in 1993, stated in a recent twitter, “I hear Sony FINALLY has the PSP 2. And thank goodness, they’ve removed the stupid battery-sucking UMD disc drive,”

As of now, Sony has declined to comment on the rumours. Whether or not the new development will turn out to be a new PSP model or the PSP 2 is unclear. What you can probably bet on though is that we can expect some announcements from Sony later this year.

LINEAGE II COMMUNITY EVENT

Xbox Live deals

New PSP rumours



STAC

YGAMERGIRL STACY

Hey ladies, if you happen to know the difference between Grand Theft Auto IV and Gran Turismo 5, or you’ve a high level 70 World of Warcraft character, then we want you as our next Gamer Girl. Send us an image of yourself and a brief email on why we should pick you to [email protected], and if we choose you for next month’s gamer girl feature, you stand to win some great prizes and a shot at the Gamer Girl of the Year crown!

BE THE NEXT GAMER GIRL!

After a game at my friend’s place, it was C.S, I got hooked!SO, WHAT GOT YOU STARTED IN GAMING?WORDS & PHOTOGRAPHY ADAM

PersonalName: Stacy Wee

Nicknames: Silhouette Serenade

Age: 23Occupation: Business Executive

Status: Single

GamingFavourite Genre: Flash Games, FPS

Favourite Game(s): Diner Dash, Counter-Strike, Guitar Hero series

Consoles Owned: PC, Nintendo Wii

Started Gaming at: 14, I think.

OthersHobbies: Shopping, dinner with my girls and of course, games!

GAMERGIRL OF THE YEAR

Congratulations to Kason Tay, aka Valkyrie, on winning our Gamer Girl Of The Year! She was featured in our July issue of last year and emerged with the most votes. Thanks to everyone who voted and amongst those who voted for Valkyrie, here is one lucky winner who would walk away with some goodies.

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GAMER GirlOF THE YEAR

2008

KASON


Name: Siow Wei JianNRIC: SXXX1725B

It’s the month of March and the school holidays are here again. It’s time to share some quality time with your family, friends and loved ones. How about snuggling up together on a couch for some good time fun with some free games from the Marketplace? The economy is still gloomy but that doesn’t mean our spirits should stay down.

While you’re watching your budget, it does not mean that your gaming hobby should suffer. Now is the perfect time to relook at your games collection and replay those which you have ignored, played halfway, or simply revisit to uncover the extra goodies.

Looking for something new to play? How would you like to win a mystery game? Send an email to [email protected] with your name, age and the type of console you own and we’ll contact you if you’ve been selected to win something from us!

THE MAWMaw is a cowardly fat blob concerned mostly with snacking and lounging. He can, however, absorb the traits of anything he eats, is virtually indestructible, and can grow to unlimited size. In this action/adventure game, he’s the best friend of our hero Frank, and only by working together can the two of them eat their way to freedom (actually Maw’s doing the eating, Frank is just leading).

RESIDENT EVIL 5Here’s your chance to experience one of the highly-anticipated games for 2009 that is scheduled to be released this month. Play by yourself in a single player campaign or with a partner in co-op mode. This can be done online, offline or local (with a split-screen).

XBOX LIVE ARCADEAll Arcade games come with a trial version which you can download for free. If the game is to your liking, download the full version using Microsoft points. Our picks this month:

XBOX LIVE DEMOS (FREE) Our pick this month is:

XBOX LIVE DOWNLOADABLE CONTENT Our pick this month is:

XBOX LIVE DEMOS (FREE) Our pick this month is:

FUNTOWN MAHJONGA rare release of the traditional Chinese title game in full English! The full version allows you to pit your skills against other opponents on Xbox Live and enjoy tons of exciting Mahjong variations.

TOM CLANCY’S H.A.W.X.f you’re craving for some combat in the sky, try out UbiSoft’s latest Tom Clancy’s franchise. Fly through the breathtaking landscape of Rio De Janeiro and feast your eyes on the lifelike rendition of Christ The Redeemer, one of the magnificent structures on Earth. H.A.W.X is also scheduled for release this month.

GRAND THEFT AUTO IV: THE LOST & DAMNEDThe first of two Xbox 360 exclusive expansion packs is finally here. For 1600 MS points, you are treated to at least ten hours of game time with a new character, a fresh storyline, new weapons and vehicles and cool multiplayer modes. Check out our review on Page 58.

GUITAR HERO WORLD TOURThere’s a whole list of tracks for download from the marketplace, ranging from Wings, Acoustic Track Pack, Oasis, the Grateful Dead and many more. Time to call in your friends to rock the (recession) blues away.

DEE-EL-CEE with EMENZEE!REGULARS DEE-EL-CEE SPACE

…we scan PlayStationNetwork, Xbox LIVE, and WiiWare Channel for COOL stuff!


Welcome back to the DEE-EL-CEE!

Downloadable GamesDemos are available for free, and the full games can be purchased for a small fee. Our pick this month is:

Wii Ware Channel Our pick this month is:

DEMOS (FREE) Our pick this month is:

For regular updates, visit our forums and blog:Brotherhood of the Box: www.bob.com.sg/forumPlayWorks Blog: www.playworksonline.comMy Blog: http://xboxnizam.spaces.live.com

Modes of Transaction:Xbox LIVE Marketplace:Retail – 1600 MS points ($33.00)Credit Card – (various denominations available)PlayStation Network:Credit Card only(content priced in local currency)WiiWare Channel:Retail – 2000 points ($39.90)Credit card - (various denominations available)

STREET FIGHTER 4 BRAWLER COSTUME PACKThe Brawler Costume Pack includes all-new alternate costumes for Street Fighter IV’s hand-to-hand high-powered combatants: Abel, E.Honda, El Fuerte, Rufus, and Zangief. More than just colour changes, these five costumes allow you to dress up and customize your fighters for all to see. See El Fuerte in a chef’s outfit, E.Honda in classic attire and Zangief in a truly Capcom classic outfit.

REGULARS DEE-EL-CEE SPACE

NOBY NOBY BOYPush the boundaries of your imagination in the latest game from the creator of the Katamari Damacy series! Control the main character, BOY, to play, stretch and interact with objects and characters in surreal worlds!

AFRO SAMURAIDiscover why Blood is Beautiful in this demo. Take control of Afro as he searches for Justice, his Father’s killer. Break your enemy’s guard with the brute force of the combo system, and then learn to focus, and send them to the grave with precision and style. Take an arm, take a leg or take a life; the choice is yours.

ADD-ON GAME CONTENT Our pick this month is

NARUTO: ULTIMATE NINJA STORM PACK 9 (FREE)Download Storm Pack 7 and unleash the legendary Sound Ninja Jirobo as your support character in battle. The Storm Pack 7 also contains new Ultimate Mission to engage!

LITDark creatures have taken over Jake’s high school, and it’s up to you to guide him through each classroom in order to be reunited with his girlfriend Rachael. Existing light sources must be used smartly to create bridges of light for Jake to cross. LIT is a horror/puzzle game that requires the Wii Remote and Nunchuk controllers. It contains 30 levels, five boss battles, replay modes, and several unlockables including multiple endings, Dark Mode timed challenges, and an unlockable character.

LONPOSLooking for a puzzle game that anyone can play, but still offers plenty to master? Here it is. Each puzzle revolves around a rectangular playing field of 55 spaces. Using a set of twelve pieces, the goal is to place every piece into the playing field, filling it completely. The higher the level, the more pieces need to be fit into the playing field correctly. Challenge yourself with two single-player modes or bring a friend into the game and choose from more modes which allow you to compete against or cooperate with the other person.

PreParation for your adventure: ColleCt the runes!To enter the Occulta Fortress, collect 5 Ancient Runes – either Ti or Te. These ancient runes can be found at either the Meridian of Zeia or the Twilight of Zeia.

doorway: unraveling the sundial…The mysterious sundials are located at the Meridian of Zeia and the Twilight of Zeia. The sundial at Meridian of Zeia will requires 5 Ancient Runes

– Ti while the sundial at the Twilight of Zeia map will require 5 Ancient Runes – Te.

hallway of headless guardsUpon entering the fortress, you will be presented with rows of headless guards on either side of the hallway trying to deter you from entering. Beware though - These headless armors will come to life and attack you to defend their fortress!

If you manage to make it pass these headless warriors, good luck in dealing with the kobold warriors who are out for your blood!


REGULARS GRANADO ESPADA

With the recent opening of the mystical mayan temple, the occulta fortress, comes your opportunity to be the next indiana Jones!

TEXT HRIN, Regional Community Manager -- http://ge.iahgames.com

OCCULTA FORTRESSARE YOU THE NEXT INDIANA JONES?

ARE YOU THE NEXT INDIANA JONES?

the Blender room: Care to Be juiCed?After escaping the claws of the kobolds, your next nightmare begins. Get to know what life must be like as a fruit before it gets juiced by the blender, as you struggle to make it out alive from the rows of rotating blades covering the entire room with turrets at the sides.

Here’s a tip on how to resolve this little dilemma. Use an expert level ‘Nar’ character to talk to the sundial right outside the room.

If you have the Ancient Rune - Ar required by the sundial, it will shine brightly and voila! The trap would have been disabled.

goodBye Blender!

a seemingly harmless Corridor?After leaving the Blender Room, you will arrive at a “seemingly harmless corridor”.

However, once you start moving forward…

… spikes on the floor pop up which will instantly kill your characters. Unfortunately, the traps in this room cannot be disabled, so strategy and teamwork is required for this.

The safest way to get across would be to walk along the sides of the room but beware of the turrets there.

meet Boss, neCro shamanThe boss in this room, Necro Shaman, is located in the middle of the room which will drop a ‘Key to Occulta, General’s Room’. You will require this to face the last boss in the zone. Nerco Shaman will cast ‘Dark Explosion’ which will inflict ‘Enervation’ on players reducing ATK, ATK Speed, Movement Speed by 50% and reduce HP by 30% and halt HP regeneration.

The only way out of this room would be to use an expert Nar and follow the green arrow at the end of the room.

deCisions, deCisionsUpon entering the room, there will be 3 warp gates inside. One of the warp gates inside is the correct warp gate which will create a warp gate in the previous room which will allow players to advance further into the dungeon. If the wrong warp gate is selected, players will be teleported back to the previous room and monsters will be spawned.

When you reach the end of the map, there will be another sundial which requires 10 of each Ancient Runes before it will summon the warp gate to the last room in the Occulta Fortress.

a dead end?Inside the last room of Occulta Fortress, there will be a door at each of the 3 corners of the room which will require a ‘Key to Occulta, General’s Room’ obtained from the Necro Shaman to open. If the wrong door is opened, monsters will flood into the room. However, if the correct door is opened, a mission lobby to the ‘General’s Room’ will be opened at the location of the correct door.

final stoP: mufasa Upon entering the mission room, there will be a dialogue by Ania before she summons the boss ‘Mufasa’.

Mufasa uses the following skill Armageddon that will cause confusion that halts SP regeneration and disables all skill. The Wall of Fire he casts causes burn that restricts all attacks and skills and reduces max HP by 25%. His last skill, Frost Hand, causes cold wave that reduces attack and movement speed. His random punches will reduce the DEF of the targeted character to 0.

So, now that you know all about what lies ahead in the Occulta Fortress, are you ready to be the next Indiana Jones?


MEDIA TOP GAMES

Games

The day after the game came out, half of the office went missing, or on MC, or on leave. The next day, they all came in really late. The day after, the boss had to make really strict rules about coming in on time. Then we all setup the projector in the meeting room with a 360 and had ourselves an office tournament. Yes, this game is bad… for work.

It’s been a while since we’ve cruised down the streets in Liberty City, listening to Russian songs and shooting random pedestrians. But we’re raising hell once again with the release of this 4-moths-delayed-but-damn-well-worth-the-wait Xbox 360 exclusive expansion. New character, new storyline, some new weapons and rides, oh, hell yeah.

This one, it’s for the PC guys in the office, namely Khoo and Swordplay. They’ve been really raving about it before the release and once they got their crummy little hands on the game, they’ve been playing it almost nonstop. Heck, they even missed a bit of our Street Fighter IV tournament in the conference room. PC geeks.

This one, the PC geeks didn’t like much. Khoo was acting all pompous and criticizing how it is just a mediocre RTS game and citing examples like his Dawn of War II and whatnot as the real good RTS titles. Come on, it’s an original RTS title on a console. And it’s quite polished. Appreciated it, you snobs! Stop being so righteous and PC (pun).

Our dear intern Alden and Khoo were fighting and bitching over a few lunches over this title. No, they weren’t arguing whether it’s good or not. They’re arguing who’s getting in the way of the other. Co-op gameplay, apparently, is not very suitable for these two. The German and Adam tried a bit as well but since it’s on the Wii, they didn’t like it much.

1. Halo Wars (Xbox 360)

2. Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II (PC)3. Street Fighter IV (PS3) 4. Street Fighter IV (Xbox 360)5. Mass Effect 2 (Xbox 360)

6. Resident Evil 5 (Xbox 360)7. Necrovision (PC)8. Killzone 2 (PS3)

9. Resident Evil 5 (PS3)10. Fallout 3 (Xbox 360)

OFFICE TOP 5REGULARS RANKINGS

FIGHTING ON THE STREETS


1

2

3

4

5

STREET FIGHTER IV

GTA IV: THE LOST & DAMNED

WARHAMMER 40,000: DAWN OF WAR 2

HALO WARS

THE HOUSE OF THE DEAD: OVERKILL

TOP 10 GAMES

COVER STORY STREET FIGHTER IV


While the Street Fighter series has always been known for its superb gameplay and general mastery of the genre, the same cannot really be said of its story. As a matter of fact, most fighting games tend to shy away from any sort of coherent, comprehensive plot, preferring instead to focus on the action while leaving any semblance of a storyline to rot in some deep, dark dungeon.

That said however, while Street Fighter IV chooses to eschew story-telling in favour of instant action, there is actually a pretty rich background behind each character in the series. It’s hard to grasp the background story of every fighter by simply playing the game so we’ve come up with a detailed feature that we hope will help shed some light on your favourite brawlers.

Character Bios


Background: Life hasn’t always been easy for Street Fighter’s most recognized fighter. Ryu, an orphan, was found and raised by martial arts master Gouken. Even at an

early age, Ryu displayed a remarkable talent for martial arts which prompted Gouken to train him.

Ryu is constantly striving to improve his martial skill, travelling around the globe in search of opponents who can test his true strength. In Street Fighter IV, Ryu once again joins the Street Fighter Tournament to test his mettle and also for a chance to spar with his old friend, Ken.

“While the Street Fighter SerieS haS alWayS been knoWn For itS Superb gameplay and general maStery oF the genre, the Same cannot really be Said oF itS Story”

Nationality: JapaneseFighting Style: Martial Arts rooted in the Assassination Arts Super Combo: Shinkuu Hadouken Ultra Combo: Metsu Hadouken

Background: Before his career at Shadaloo, Balrog was a heavyweight boxing champion. Unfortunately though, his uncontrollable temper and violence led to him being banned from the ring for life. Looking for a way to

support his lavish lifestyle, Balrog turned to illegal means. He worked his way up from the bottom of the Shadaloo organization, impressing M. Bison so much that he was promoted to one of the Four Lords of the Shadaloo.

In Street Fighter IV, Balrog is called to duty once again by an unknown employer whose intentions are left hidden.



Nationality: FrenchFighting Style: Mixed Martial Arts Super Combo: Mushin Ultra Combo: Muga

Background: Abel was discovered in an abandoned lab without any memories by the leader of a small band of mercenaries. He was taken care of by this leader who treated him as family. After the leader died in an accident, Abel

was left once again with no family and memories. The only thing he remembered was that his “father” always warned him to stay away from Shadaloo. Tt turned out the lab he was found in belonged to them.

Chun Li, who knew Abel, took pity on him and informed him about the tournament implying that he could seek out more of his past there.

Nationality: JapaneseFighting Style: Surge of Murderous Intent Super Combo: Shun Goku Satsu Ultra Combo: Shun Goku Satsu

Background: Akuma and Gouken both trained under the same master, Goutetsu. Through that, they learned a fighting style made for assassination. While Gouken chose to remove the murderous intent of the style, Akuma chose to focus on it.

His anger and violence ultimately led to him killing his own master.

Akuma is constantly training, awaiting the arrival of a suitable challenger to unleash his wrath upon. In Street Fighter IV, he goes out in search of Ryu to test his mettle against his brother’s student.

Nationality: AmericanFighting Style: BoxingSuper Combo: Crazy Buffalo Ultra Combo: Violent Buffalo

Nationality: AmericanFighting Style: Battlesuit Augmented StyleSuper Combo: Emergency Combination Ultra Combo: Burst Time

Background: Not much is known about the American secret agent Crimson Viper. All that has been revealed is that she works for S.I.N. and uses a prototype Battlesuit to aid her in fights. The suit is produced by S.I.N. but has not been

perfected, thus only Viper has been able to use it to its full potential.

As a result of her mastery of the Battlesuit, Viper has been tasked to test the limits of the Battlesuit in the coming tournament. In return for her services, she has been promised ownership of the mysterious BLECE project.

Nationality: BrazilianFighting Style: Self-taughtSuper Combo: Grand Shave Rolling Ultra Combo: Lightning Cannonball

Background: At the age of six, Blanka, then known as Jimmy, was a lucky survivor of a plane crash in the Amazon rainforest. Growing up in the wild, Blanka developed his own unique fighting techniques. His

repeated use of chlorophyll to camouflage himself in the forest left his skin permanently coloured.

Prior to Street Fighter IV, Blanka was able to reunite with his mother after she recognized him in the newspaper reports of the Street Fighter Tournament. Blanka rejoins the tournament in order to relieve his mother of the constant ostracism she suffers because of his appearance.

Nationality: ChineseFighting Style: Chinese Martial Arts Super Combo: Senretsu Kyaku Ultra Combo: Housenka

Background: At a young age, Chun Li’s father disappeared while investigating M. Bison’s secret organization, Shadaloo. After his death, Chun Li began training in order to take revenge on her

father’s killer. Thanks to her father’s training, she was easily able to become one of the most skilled female martial artists in the world.

As part of her path to dismantling Shadaloo, Chun Li joined the International Criminal Police Organization (ICPO). After M. Bison’s defeat, Chun Li returned to her civilian life.

Background: Since childhood, Edmund Honda was trained by the world’s most famous sumo wrestling coaches. Early in his career, E. Honda was shocked to find out that outside Japan, few knew or even considered

sumo wrestling to be a true sport.

After this epiphany, E. Honda made it his goal to introduce the world to the power and strength of sumo wrestling. In Street Fighter IV, E. Honda returns once again to prove his skill and show the world the glory of sumo wrestling.

Background: Dhalsim was educated by the greatest Yoga masters. Dhalsim gained the ability to extend his limbs to extreme lengths to strike distant foes. Although he is a master of combat, Dhalsim only uses his abilities to

defend himself or the weak. During his earlier years, a famine in his village led to death of several children whose skulls he now wears around his neck in reverent remembrance.

The recent criminal events of an unknown organization have caused a drought in Dhalsim’s village, forcing him to take up arms and enter the tournament to uncover the source of the drought.


Nationality: ChineseFighting Style: Saikyo style KarateSuper Combo: Hissho Buraiken Ultra Combo: Shisso Buraiken

Background: Dan originally began his training under his father Go Hibiki but he was never able to realize his potential because of his recklessness. Believing he could learn more under another teacher, Dan left his father in

search of a new master. During this time, his father was killed by the fearsome fighter Sagat. On his travels, Dan enrolled under Gouken but was soon expelled when Gouken found out he was training to gain revenge on Sagat.

After being expelled, Dan began to develop a style of his own called Saikyo-Ryu. He enters the tournament to prove to those who criticised him and the strength of Saikyo-Ryu.

Nationality: IndianFighting Style: YogaSuper Combo: Yoga Inferno Ultra Combo: Yoga Catastrophe

Nationality: JapaneseFighting Style: Sumo WrestlingSuper Combo: Onimusou Ultra Combo: Super Onimusou

Background: One of the odder fighters, El Fuerte’s skills are not only limited to the arena. El Fuerte has a successful career as a luchador but also has a great love for the culinary arts. His goal in

life is to become one of the best chefs in the world.

The recent tournament has given him the opportunity of a lifetime. He decides to join not only to prove his fighting skills but also to find out what the strongest fighters in the world eat to keep themselves in tip-top shape.

Nationality: MexicanFighting Style: Lucha LibreSuper Combo: El Fuerte Dynamite Ultra Combo: El Fuerte Flying Gigabuster

Nationality: ChineseFighting Style: Jeet Kune DoSuper Combo: Rekka Shin Ken Ultra Combo: Rekka Shin Geki

Background: Following in the foot steps of his role model Bruce Lee, Fei Long is an avid practitioner of Jeet Kune Do and a famous actor. He was able to spar with Ryu once and lost, leaving him disgraced in front of his fans. Since then he has strived to improve his

fighting skills and reclaim his pride.

Fei Long recently began filming a new movie that focuses on an evil terrorist organization. That very organization later launched several attacks on his film crew, forcing Fei Long to set out and discover the root of the issue.

Background: While Gen may seem like a harmless old man, his beginnings could not be any further from that. In his early years, he was an assassin and good friends of Goutetsu, the famous teacher of Gouken and Akuma. After

finding out about Goutetsu’s death, he went into hiding while training students, fearing that Akuma would come after him.

One of Gen’s students was Chun Li’s father. After his death, Gen has kept a watchful eye on Chun Li. Chun Li’s return to law enforcement has prompted him to leave the shadows and protect his pupil’s daughter.

Nationality: ChineseFighting Style: “Mourning Style” and “Hateful Style” Super Combo: Jyakoha Ultra Combo: Ryukoha



Nationality: JapaneseFighting Style: Martial Arts rooted in the Assassination Arts Super Combo: Forbidden Shoryuken Ultra Combo: Shin Shoryuken

Background: No one other than Gouken has trained more martial artists from the Street Fighter series. Among his more prominent students are the likes of Ryu, Ken and Dan. Gouken himself trained under the legendary master Goutetsu alongside his brother Akuma.

After Akuma murdered their teacher, Gouken continued to perfect his art.

As of the events before Street Fighter IV, Gouken was presumed to be dead after engaging in a battle with Akuma. It is revealed however, that he was only in a coma and he has reawakened to unite with his students.

Nationality: AmericanFighting Style: Full-Contact Martial Arts and Pro Wrestling TechniquesSuper Combo: Double Somersault Ultra Combo: Somersault Explosion

Background: During his service as a major in the U.S. Air Force, Guile lost a close friend named Charlie. After returning from an unsuccessful investigation, Guile got news that his best friend Charlie had been sent to track M. Bison. After almost a year, there was no word from Charlie and he was presumed dead. Since then,

Guile has been on a mission to find his lost comrade.

Much to Guile’s dismay, his superiors gave up searching for Charlie. Guile threatened to resign and continue his search personally but a new threat from an unknown organization has forced him to once again join the Street Fighter Tournament.

Nationality: AmericanFighting Style: Martial Arts rooted in the Assassination Arts Super Combo: Shoryureppa Ultra Combo: Shinryuken

Background: Unlike his good friend Ryu, Ken’s earlier life wasn’t filled with hardship. He was born the son of a wealthy family but was sent to study under Gouken because of his reckless behaviour. While Gouken had no connection to

Ken or his family, he decided to train Ken because of his latent potential.

At the time of Street Fighter IV, Ken is married to his long time girl friend Eliza who is expecting their first child. Ken decides to join the tournament after receiving an invitation from Ryu who wishes to spar once again with his friendly rival.

Nationality: Secret Society of Shadaloo Fighting Style: Psycho Power Super Combo: Knee Press Nightmare Ultra Combo: Nightmare Booster Background: The history of Street Fighter’s most famous villain has always been shrouded in mystery. Few know exactly how he rose to power but there have been many rumours. Bison is the leader of the massive

Shadaloo criminal organization. He utilizes the organization to further his plans of world domination.

The Street Fighter Tournaments are usually hosted by Bison who usually uses them to lure out the world’s greatest fighters for his own nefarious purposes. This latest tournament however, is not hosted by Bison who only recently recovered from grievous wounds.

Nationality: ItalianFighting Style: Soul PowerSuper Combo: Aura Soul Spark Ultra Combo: Illusion Spark

Background: Rose’s birth was the result of M. Bison’s attempts to master his Psycho Power. In doing so, he chose to discard what he considered to be the “weak” parts of his soul. It was these very parts that reformed into Rose, making her his polar opposite.

Her nature led her to hunt down the evil M. Bison at the Street Fighter Tournaments. It was during the end of the second tournament that she witnessed what she thought was the death of Bison at the hands of Akuma. Rumours of Bison’s return have made her question that death.

Nationality: AmericanFighting Style: Kung FuSuper Combo: Spectacular Romance Ultra Combo: Space Opera Symphony

Background: It would be hard to convince anyone that Rufus is a master of Kung Fu but under his rotund bulk lies a martial artist. At least that is what Rufus thinks. Rufus believes that he is America’s

greatest martial artist and will go to any end to prove this.

Rufus finds himself in the shadow of Ken’s popularity and decides to join the tournament to defeat Ken, whom he has labelled as his rival, to prove that he is indeed America’s greatest fighter.

Background: In his youth, Sagat received grievous damage to his eye during a vicious battle. Soon after, he was forced to defend this title from Go Hibiki (Dan’s father) who took advantage of Sagat’s weak eye to bypass his defences. Recognizing his weakness, Sagat chose to stop defending his eye and retaliate as Hibiki lashed out. Sagat’s

move granted him victory cost him his eye and Hibiki’s life.

In the first Street Fighter game, Ryu confronted Sagat and defeated him in single combat, leaving Sagat with his trademark scar. Ever since then, Sagat has held a deep hatred for Ryu and has spent all his time training for his next chance to defeat his rival.


Nationality: ThaiFighting Style: Muay ThaiSuper Combo: Tiger Genocide Ultra Combo: Tiger Destruction

Nationality: EnglishFighting Style: Shadaloo assassination techniques & Special forces training Super Combo: Spin Drive Smasher Ultra Combo: Gyro Drive Smasher Background: Cammy wasn’t always on the side of the good guys. For a long time, she served M. Bison, who had brainwashed her, killing his enemies with violent efficiency. On her last mission for Bison,

her incomplete brainwashing caused her to question her actions and abandon her mission.

The events that followed were vague but some time later, Cammy was found by Colonel Wolfman of MI6 who trained her and led her to join Delta Red. The recent tournament’s mysterious background has Cammy sent on another mission to investigate its origins.

Nationality: RussianFighting Style: Sambo and American Pro WrestlingSuper Combo: Final Atomic Buster Ultra Combo: Ultimate Atomic Buster

Background: Zangief began his career in the Russian Wrestling Federation but he soon found his foes there lacking any real challenge. In order to better himself, Zangief

began learning new techniques and moves while developing some of his own, the most famous of these being the spinning piledriver. During his training, he was known to have wrestled bears which left him scars that he proudly wears.

Zangief’s reason for joining the latest Street Fighter Tournament is simply to prove himself to his fans and critics who think that wrestling is staged.

Background: Sakura’s life wasn’t always filled with drama. For 15 years, she lived a normal life just like any other girl. One day however, after witnessing Ryu in a fight, she became obsessed with his skill. She began to teach herself his techniques while seeking him out. When she

finally found him, he was impressed by her but refused to take her as a student feeling he lacked the experience to be a teacher.

Saddened by the rejection, she unwillingly enrolled as a student under Dan. The upcoming tournament has given her an opportunity to once again ask Ryu to be her master.

Nationality: JapaneseFighting Style: Imitation of Ryu’s styleSuper Combo: Karu Ichiban Ultra Combo: Haru Ranman

Background: Descended from Spanish nobility, Vega was raised in a life of wealth. In his early years, he studied the Spanish tradition of bullfighting and later travelled to Japan, studying Ninjitsu. When his father murdered his

mother for not showing him respect, Vega sought vengeance and killed his own father. The event left him traumatized for life and caused him to develop a split personality.

Vega fights with a mask to protect his “beautiful” face from any scars during combat. Like Balrog, Vega is summoned by an unknown employer to participate in the tournament.

Nationality: SpanishFighting Style: Spanish NinjitsuSuper Combo: Flying Barcelona Special & Rolling Izuna Drop Ultra Combo: Bloody High Claw

Background: Seth, the new final boss of Street Fighter IV is the CEO of S.I.N., the weapons manufacturing division of Shadaloo. He was created to provide M. Bison a new body that could properly utilize Bison’s psycho power.

When Bison disappeared, Seth took the opportunity to overthrow Bison’s reign.

Seth is able to absorb the techniques of other fighters and has used this ability to hone his fighting skills to extreme levels. He decides to host the tournament to gather the best fighters from around the globe and steal their skills.

Nationality: UnknownFighting Style: UnknownSuper Combo: Tandem Storm Ultra Combo: Tandem Stream

FEATURES DRAGONICA


ven before the Dragonica servers were opened at 3pm (GMT +8) on an off-peak weekday afternoon this

past 13th February, thousands of gamers were preparing to pull all-nighters for the 27-hour Valentine’s Preview of the new CBT build.

For the special event, gamers were allowed to retain their characters permanently upon hitting Level 10. 10,000 cash points were also given free to all those who had signed up with a CBT registration code obtained from various game sites.

The goodies didn’t stop coming. By the second Session beginning on 20th February, Level 15-19s were also automatically leveled to 20, and those already 20 and above were provided with 3

free Skill Reset Scrolls to truly customize their character builds and try out different skills. Even for returning gamers, it was a brand new adventure, with new skill-trees, new equipment and item-enhancement systems, new maps like Steven Trading Port and the four mysterious Sanctuaries, new enemies like the fiery Sparks, odd-looking Shrooms and Mini-boss Mambo Raccoon Atoo, as well as completely reworked Area- and Continent-boss dungeons.

For many though, this was their first time in Dragonica after a long wait. Gamers showed their enthusiasm by taking work leaves, rescheduling appointments and counting down the minutes to server opening time on the forum, just so they could lose themselves in the lands of El Grego undisturbed for a brief period of fast-paced fun.

Whether they were questing, exploring new areas, PVP-ing, racing through maze-like obstacle maps, or just hanging out in beautiful Port of Winds, the newly-recruited Dragonians did not forget to explore new interactive systems like Guild leveling quests, the new Player Market, and go on an in-game date or two with fellow-gamers!

The event came to a close on 21st February amid a cacophony of Megaphone protests and pleas for an extension.

We’re sad to say goodbye, but then a bigger event is in the works.

Sign up at http://dragonica.iahgames.com and we’ll see you during the CBT!


FEATURES NEW YORK COMIC CON


WOLFENSTIENThe new Wolfenstien just keeps looking prettier and prettier. Back in the classic shoes of B. J. Blaskowicz, Activision revealed some new details, including a “Veil stone” – the game’s way of upgrading itself to things like bullet time – and some reveals on the plot.

The Nazi’s are looking for “Geist energy”, a supernatural pool of matter that’s ridiculously powerful. For starters, those heavily-armored Nazi’s shooting what we thought were tesla coiled lightning? Yeah, Geist-guns of laser doom.

OVERLORD 2Pure evil for evil’s sake makes for a fun distraction, and Overlord was an excellent example of it. As a new evil mastermind leading his armies of minions to overtake the world, this new game appears to be giving us more of the same, with minor upgrades.

These upgrades include vastly different powers depending on your choices, more pronounced than the first game, the ability to have minions ride mounts, and more personalized troops – think the jester in the castle of the first title.

TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES: SMASH IT UPDebuting the trailer at New York comes a blast from the past. The green reptilian dudes’ Smash Up is a 3D brawler, looking to mix in different fighting styles such as bare-handed and weapons-drawn, alongside a comic-style “Wham! Bam!”. It shouldn’t be a surprise, coming from the developers of

perfect-10 scoring Super Smash Brothers Brawl, which is why we have high hopes that the production and realization of classic turtle action will be a good one.

BATTLE FORGEHere’s an interesting little title – an online-only RTS, with card-based elements. While developers Phenomic were quick to stress that the “cards” you play only create the army and then it’s back to traditional RTS, the game looks absolutely stunning already.

With four factions, a micro-transaction model to purchase booster packs of eight cards (USD$2.50 is the developer’s going rate for now) and a storyline meant for co-op, here’s a game you should be keeping an eye on. Oh, and did we mention your cards can get upgraded when you replay old maps? Yeah, we like it too.

MARVEL: ULTIMATE ALLIANCE2 : FUSIONFor those who don’t follow Marvel, the Civil War arc was possibly one of the most epic ones conceived. Following a botched take-down of a super-villain and the subsequent deaths of hundreds of Americans and several heroes, the USA has passed an act requiring all masked crusaders to register themselves and publicly reveal their identities. Battle lines are drawn when heroes disagree, creating the biggest hero versus hero showdown ever.

And in Ultimate Alliance 2, you can take part in that showdown. This time around, new fusion powers – combinations of different heroes’ abilities – will be

available. For instance, Iron Man shoots a concentrated beam of energy at Wolverine, who uses his adamantine claws to disperse it against every enemy surrounding them. Cool.

THE CONDUITAn under-the-radar indie title that’s hit the bigtime, The Conduit is a traditional FPS in every sense of the word. While it’s hitting the PS3, 360 and Wii, it’s the Wii version that has us enamored. This game looks good – like a solid next-gen title should be. Its usage of the nunchuk and Wiimote to aim and move around also feel solid, instead of the wiggly overcompensations found on other titles.

This is done by being integrated with the upcoming Wii MotionPlus, which was Nintendo’s way of saying “Yes, we know some of you prefer pinpoint control, here’s the answer”. This only fills us with hope that The Conduit will be one of those rare titles on the Wii whose FPS controls will be tight and responsive. - Neubronner Eugene

New York Comic Con recently wrapped up in early February. While it’s more famous for its American comics, game developers were out in force to pimp some of the latest titles before the groundswell that is E3. Here’re the highlights of the show.

HIGHLIGHTS

ree to download and free to play, EA SPORTS FIFA Online 2 (FOL2) brings you the quality and goodness you have come to

expect from their EA SPORTS FIFA games without needing to pay a single cent.

FOL2 is a fully-featured, free-to-play game, consisting of a robust single player League game system and a multiplayer system that allows players to play in ranked matches, solo matches, 2-on-2 team matches and even a tournament style game of 4 or 8 players.

The best part about FOL2 unlike other Massively Multiplayer Online Games (MMOGs) is that even if you are the only player awake in the game server, you can totally enjoy and entertain yourself with the single player League game while waiting for other players to wake up or come online.

The FOL2 League Play features a variety of different leagues ranging from the well-known Barclays Premier League which features teams like Manchester United, Liverpool and Chelsea to the Serie A Italia which has teams like Juventus, Roma and Inter. There are also other leagues which the average soccer fan has probably not heard of, but can try their hand at mastering for some bonus in-game currency called LP.

Whenever you feel up to the challenge, you can head on over to the multiplayer lobby at anytime. If you are playing in a non-ranked match like the 1-on-1 or 2-on-2 or a tournament of 4 or 8 players, you can choose to use your own team or choose

from any of the other teams from any of the league to represent you. Choosing your own team has the benefits of levelling up your players at the cost of tiring them out. Choosing from any other team allows you to choose a more powerful team.

For ranked matches, FOL2 features a World Tour mode where you will be auto-matched with another player who is online of a similar skill level. In World Tour mode, you cannot choose any other team except the one you are currently managing. So, having a good team with star players is an advantage.

When you start off with any of the teams from any of the leagues, the players will only start off at a percentage of their full potential. You will have to keep playing with the same players over and over to level them up to their full potential. You can also acquire random uniform cards as rewards after every match or head over to the player auction to buy uniform cards.

FOL2 uses 2 types of currencies. There is LP, the in-game currency which you will need to extend contracts of players you own or buy items like energy drinks or health kits to replenish their energy or heal up injured players instantly. You can save up LP if you have plenty of substitute players, allowing you to sub out tired or injured players who will recover their energy or from their injuries after a few matches sitting on the sidelines.

The other currency is cash points, which will allow you to purchase premium in-game items granting

you advantages when playing FOL2. With cash points, you will be able to purchase extra LP, purchase trainers that will grant players in certain positions on your team extra experience points and also buy 10 blue uniform cards which can be opened to reveal random players of varying skill levels.

If you want more of an unfair advantage, GXCredits is now offering SingTel Mobile customers a 10% bonus when purchasing EA SPORTS FIFA Online 2 Game Value Codes, giving you more purchasing power in the cash item shop.

So, why not try it out yourself? EA SPORTS FIFA Online 2 is totally free to download and play. Head on over to www.easportsfifaonline2.com and try it out yourself. And if you are a SingTel Mobile customer and want an unfair advantage, head on over to www.gxcredits.com to take a look at the 10% unfair advantage you will be getting if you purchase game value codes from them.

EA SPORTS

FEATURES FIFA ONLINE 2


ZOMBIES WHO THROW PARANGS? S**T!

urvival horror prides itself on the darkness, on the unknown, on scaring the living hell out of you. Resident Evil 5 (RE5) is looking to

bring you for another round of that, with a little bit of “so much more”.

Set in the fictional African town of Kijuju, RE5 covers the following ten years since the first Resident Evil, showing what former STARS officer Chris Redfield has been up to.

It also sets the stage with little details that become clear in later (earlier?) parts of the timeline, such as how Tricell Industries and Umbrella Corp are linked together.

THE DARK HEART OF AFRICA?The story sees Chris arriving in the town as part of a new anti-terror unit called the BSAA (Bioterrorism Security Assessment Alliance) and hooking up with new character and partner, Sheva Alomar. It’s all fine, at first. The villagers are going about their work, even if they do sport leering scowls at the foreigners. But then suddenly, everyone just disappears. It’s like they vanished.

Then the zombies start comin’.

The Resident Evil series seems to be straying from its roots these days, though. Both RE4 and RE5 feature hordes of zombies attacking, when it originally tried to capture more “Holy s**t!” scare moments in the first few titles.

Much like RE4’s “Las Plagas” set of plague hosts, these zombies are more intelligent than other forms of undead. They can run, use cover, wield weapons, flank and follow through doors and other means.

Later zombies will morph, such as dogs who can split their heads in half to form a much larger gaping mouth.

And in another departure, a good portion of RE5 will feature daytime combat. Zombies? Daytime? Not so scary, right? Maybe. But in the confines of the claustrophobic narrow alleyways of Kijuju’s shantytown or an industrial facility, even daylight won’t save you from hearing their moans.

I CAN SAY LEH-ZER SIGHTS?Some of the notable improvements which have finally made their way to the series are the ability to peek and fire from cover – around walls, for instance – and a quick-dodge movement. Quick-dodging will utilize the right analog stick, and we’ve already seen in trailers how it would be necessary with the hordes of enemies approaching.

Unfortunately, the control scheme is still as finicky as ever. Beyond the addition of the quick-dodge, the various control schemes from RE4 have been ported right over. That’s fine for those who’ve played the game, but not being able to run and shoot (even if wildly inaccurate) strikes us as a real bummer.

When you do run though, you’ll notice how the graphical enhancements to the game aren’t just

being used to give great details and variety to zombies and landscape alike. Capcom went wild with the budget, so things like ripples from bullet shells, full face motion-captures for perfect synchronization between speech and in-game faces, and a “shaky camera” effect have all gone into a subtle but effective looking work.

IT’S JUST THE TWO OF USCo-op mode is making its expanded way from RE4 here. The mercenaries challenge mode that was available there is back, but alongside that, joining the ranks of games like Gears Of War and Halo games, players can now finish the entire game as two players.

Co-op allows for jump-in, jump-out action if you so choose, allowing one person to go grab the zhi char downstairs when dinner time rolls around, and doesn’t give significant differences to other characters. Both Sheva and Chris play like mirror images of each other.But emphasizing how much co-op is going to be important is the way the story will play out. The first boss, who we’ve been privy to, requires one player to distract it to reveal its vulnerable back to the other player. Who gets to do what switches back and forth of course.RE5 is full of such moments, such as another later level where both have to make their way through an abandoned mine. Abandoned mines without a whit of power that is. One player will thus have to carry the cumbersomely large flood light to illuminate the way, which can make for some

RESIDENT EVIL 5PLATFORM XBOX 360, PS3, PC -- GENRE SURVIVAL HORROR -- PUBLISHER CAPCOM -- DEVELOPER CAPCOM -- RELEASE MAR 2009

PREVIEWS RESIDENT EVIL 5


“Much like Re4’s “las Plagas” set of Plague hosts, these zoMbies aRe MoRe intelligent than otheR foRMs of undead.”

frightened screaming when the light turns left and suddenly spots a zombie who has crept up behind you.

In some parts of the game, players will split up, or have to boost each other, making it feel like co-op wasn’t a bullet-point tacked on near the end of the game’s development cycle.

If you don’t have said buddies to play with (either online or off), Capcom’s AI directors have worked on making partner Sheva seem as life-like as possible. She’ll automatically try to punch her way through to you when you go down to revive you, shout for assistance, or can be directed to pick up weapons and ammo. While we’re not sure how exactly the contextual commands will be relayed (D-pad simple commands sounds like our best bet), Sheva’s aggressive AI suggests we won’t fee like we’re being tethered to an anchor.

STARS AND GARTERSWith the release of Resident Evil: Degeneration helping to fill in what happens a year after Resident Evil 4, we’ve been stoked to know what exactly went down in the ten years between RE1 and RE5. RE5 looks to give even more hocus-pocus backstory, and carve out a new chapter in daytime scares.

We’ve stocked up the diapers for when the game hits us. Watch for the review next issue. - Neubronner Eugene

ZOMBIE PROOF YOUR... BUTT?

If you haven’t already, make your way down to the local bookstore and pick up “The Zombie Survival Guide: Complete protection from the Living Dead” by Max Brooks. While the book focuses on more traditional, slower, zombies, its list of how to zombie proof your flat (near impossible) and how to get out of town make for valuable reading in our opinion.

If you’ve played Left 4 Dead or watched 28 Days Later, you’ll know that sadly, the zombies have decided it’s fun to mutate into faster, more intelligent forms who know how to break down doors or worse, wield weapons against you. Surviving those will require more serious help. Like getting fit.

Yes, we know it’s a pain. Gaming and chilling out or working up a sweat and coming back tired? Sounds like a no-brainer (Hah! – Ed) but did you know you could work out while playing games?

Try squeezing and holding your butt in for about ten seconds while sitting on the couch, before slowly releasing. Repeat ten times. You’ll begin noticing a tighter ass – which helps support the spine and allow for better running – in no time.

(We don’t know what Eugene was on when he wrote this sidebar but just to assure you, we at Playworks DO NOT squeeze our butts in like that to exercise. We go out for a few drinks and smoke. Hey, that’s getting out of the house for some activity, right? – Ed)

“in soMe PaRts of the gaMe, PlayeRs will sPlit uP, oR have to boost each otheR, Making it feel like co-oP wasn’t a bullet-Point tacked on neaR the end of the gaMe’s develoPMent cycle.”

FINALLY, THE SKY’S THE LIMIT

om Clancy returns with his newest offering this time in H.A.W.X., or High Altitude Warfare eXperimental (because

H.A.W.E. is not as cool) squadron, taking place circa 2021. For those counting, it’s some time after the events of Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2.

You’re David Crinshaw, a former H.A.W.X. pilot who was retrenched and left for a private military corporation. But that’s changed now, when the corp decides to attack America for profit.

Ubisoft knows one thing, and it’s that flight sims tend to be very user-unfriendly. Enter the ERS (Enhanced Reality System) which will give players’ HUD information, while also automatically pulling players out of dangerous crash dives or stalls.

The ERS is thus a drastic handholder for those of us who get confused with the 3D realm that comes from fighting in the air. Missiles fired on you and coming in fast? Flick the d-pad panic button, and then steer your plane through the “air tunnels” and glowing HUD arrows to evade it. As

the game progresses, these tunnels become harder and harder to maneuver through, so don’t count on it to help you forever.

If you’re a veteran flight sim player, or (think) you know what you’re doing, you can always turn it off. Doing so results in much greater options for movement and quick turns, and the current understanding is that ERS gets you to the location, sometimes gets you out of sticky ones, and otherwise takes a back seat.

H.A.W.X. will offer co-op, allowing players to hop in together online to take on missions. If, however, you don’t have the numbers, players will find AI buddies to take to the skies alongside them.

These buddies utilize the same system that Endwar does – responding both to button pressed commands or specific terse orders that you can bark into headsets.

Ubisoft is capitalizing on a winning formula – one which combines our love for the mythos of Tom Clancy’s current universe as well as their previous game’s technology to build a solid base. While we’ve never been flight fans, H.A.W.X. is now firmly on the radar. -Neubronner Eugene

PLATFORM XBOX 360, PS3, PC, WII -- GENRE FLIGHT SIM/ACTION -- PUBLISHER UBISOFT -- DEVELOPER UBISOFT -- RELEASE MAR 2009

PREVIEWS TOM CLANCY’S H.A.W.X.


“The eRS iS ThuS a dRaSTic handholdeR foR ThoSe of uS who geT confuSed wiTh The 3d Realm ThaT comeS fRom fighTing in The aiR.”

TOM CLANCY’S H.A.W.X.

At the rate the story is progressing, we’ll reach Endwar’s “endgame” faster than we think. What’s going to happen then? Endwar 2 is already in the planning stages that we know of, but will it mean the end of all the various franchises? Ghost Recon, Splinter Cell, Rainbow Six? Hard to say.

TOM

CLA

NC

Y’S

H.A

.W.X

.THE END OF THE END?

WHERE’S JACK THOMPSON NOW, HUH ?

he words “Mad World” generally remind gamers of Gears Of War’s use of Gary Jule’s excellent rendition in the trailers.

Platinum Games are hoping to introduce you to another “mad world” that has nothing to do with quiet musings and everything to do with old fashioned violence.

MadWorld’s third-person world is stark. The game is a monochromatic, black and white world, with the only additional colour coming from copious amounts of blood spurting everywhere.

For a monochrome game, and one running on the lower graphical prowess of the Wii, it already looks fantastic. The dark, gritty buildings loom out, from which vibrant white slashes of white etch out details like an illuminated window. If you’ve seen Frank Miller’s Sin City, that’s the exact sort of style MadWorld’s developers are gunning for.

MAN DARTS?All the blood has to come from somewhere, and it’s explained in the Orwellian storyline of

MadWorld. You’re Jack, and for reasons unknown you’ve been thrust into the famous and wildly popular “Death Watch” reality TV show. Here, you’ll have to follow a goodly set of rules to win your right to live.

Mostly by killing plenty of other people in as stylistic a way you can.

And we do mean stylistic. Shown so far as just tip of the iceberg examples include ripping out a road sign (which read “Caution” in a subtly sarcastic nod to how little of it there is in the game), impaling an enemy’s eye with it, (yes, eye), and then dragging them around as they scream in pain.

Or grabbing a particularly tough, armor-clad man, and then repeatedly ramming him into a convenient bed of spikes to crack the armoured eggshell. Watch the blood spurting everywhere, before it slowly drips off you.

Most of the weapons available to Jack will be melee-based to fit in with the stylistic setting of the game show he’s on. We think it’s just an excuse to,

MADWORLDPLATFORM WII -- GENRE ACTION -- PUBLISHER SEGA -- DEVELOPER PLATINUM GAMES -- RELEASE MAR 2009

PREVIEWS MADWORLD


“For a monochrome game, and one running on the lower graphical prowess oF the wii, it already looks Fantastic.”

A BANNED WII TITLE?

in another particularly gruesome moment, line a dumpster with razers, chuck an enemy into it and then use it as a makeshift guillotine, slicing the body in half.

But don’t think that the game is doing violence for its own sake. The developers were quick to point out that everything is being deliberately over-the-top not so much to generate controversy (see Sidebar) as it is about explaining how the dystopian story will play out.

CHAINSAW MASSACREAs if to emphasize this, out-from-left-field mini-games will pop up as Jack fights. Players can opt for basic combos like classic punch-punch-punch, or use the Wii’s nunchuk to waggle for certain death combos that trigger said mini-games.

These combos become contextual moments where anything goes. So far, we’ve seen “Man Darts”, which requires players to thrust with their nunchuks similar to real darts throwing. The difference is, every time you connect the thrust with an enemy, said enemy will go flying, impaled, onto a gigantic darts board that pops out of nowhere. Do well, score points, earn the popularity of the crowd, and unlock stuff.

What still surprises us that the game is coming out exclusively for the Wii, which is sure to give those parents who believe the Wii to be the more kid-friendly console a heart attack. When IGN asked why, developer Atsushi Inaba gave a frank reply, “On the PS3 and 360, there are a lot of action games, but on the Wii, we felt we could make a difference in the lineup and provide something unique.”

Unique it certainly is, and if anyone has the credentials to make a game like this, it’s Platinum Games. We’ll be keeping an eye on this piece of insanity. - Neubronner Eugene

“the game is coming out exclusively For the wii, which is sure to give those parents who believe the wii to be the more kid-Friendly console a heart attack.”

As can be expected, an ultra-violent game that revels in pinning people to gigantic dart boards was sure to attract controversy. Mediwatch.UK, a British media watchdog group, has already begun lobbying the British Board of Film Classification to refuse to classify the game – which would effectively ban the game in Britain.

We’re pretty sure other countries famous for simply refusing to classify and thus banning games such as Australia (it refused to classify Fallout 3 due to its substance abuse) will follow suit as well. Whether the game will make it here is a question we’d like to find out. The MDA’s stand with the new games classification system is to wait for a game to be brought in and reviewed instead of simply banning it outright.

The funny thing is, tech site Ars Technica pointed out in their own coverage of the complaints something interesting: That the lobbyists seem more intent on the fact that the Wii platform seems primarily aimed at a family-friendly environment than the more violent regimes of the PlayStation 3 or Xbox 360.

While this, of course, in no way means the Wii is non-mature inclined, it does mean that such games tend to stick out from the Harvest Moons and (marginally less violent?) fair like Call Of Duty.

Is this a fair assessment? Quite possibly. Nintendo, no matter what its claims to be all-inclusive, has been marketing the Wii as a family-inclusive system with “kid” games. Part of the shock factor of MadWorld is that it’s an ultra-violent game on a system which doesn’t have many of those.

If MadWorld came out on the PS3 or 360, it probably wouldn’t garner as much interest as it does right now.

BRINGING THE FIGHT FOR INDEPENDENCE TO EVERYONE

mpire: Total War is the fifth in the Total War series. It has a venerable pedigree now, having carved its name out as THE

turn-based/real-time hybrid game for those with a more strategic bent to their thinking.

The game will feature some fifty factions for players to fight with and against. Most will be locked at the start of the game – current numbers stand at around twelve being unlocked at the start. The time period of the 18th century means players can expect some famous factions such as the Ottoman Empire, Prussia, and America to be in the running.

THE CODE OF GEASSFor those unfamiliar with the Total War series, here’s the low down. You take control of one of the numerous factions during the 18th to 19th century. Each faction comes with its various pros and cons. The Red Indians, for instance, will have greater mobility on land due to their keen understanding of nature, but are almost worthless on water, since they never historically developed a navy.

Depending on which faction you choose, the difficulty

and style of game can also be vastly different. The Red Indians will start off controlling vast areas of North America but will quickly begin losing ground to the European colonists. Britain, on the other hand, will have a solid, firm base in their country. Determined enemies will have to force a battle at one of the few coastal cities in 18th century Britain if they wish to invade. And don’t forget airplanes haven’t been invented yet.

After picking a faction, you’re given the lay of the visible world – rough markings indicating unexplored parts of the world. During your turn, you can strategize, slowly pondering how to build up your cities, conduct diplomacy, move armies or send out settlers. When you’re done, any battles lined up will offer you the choice of a quick-resolve key or letting you dive into the RTS section of the game. More on that in a bit.

Total War is renowned partly because it brings the often arcane and esoteric application of diplomacy used by other games into a lean, clean and mean form. You can choose to be nice, forging trade treaties. You can choose to dispatch assassins to

eliminate leaders who have been giving you trouble – a new one gets voted in! You can pressure leaders to accept religious envoys, who will then spread your preferred religion into the towns of the enemy. If they’re sufficiently pious, they may convert to your side.

Empire is streamlining this aspect of diplomacy by reducing the diplomatic units to gentlemen and rakes. The former will be your primary diplomats, and can earn your faction standing if they successfully challenge enemy gentlemen to duels and win. Rakes, obviously, are your assassins/burglars/spies rolled into one.

CRUSH THY ENEMIESSooner or later, diplomacy will fail and it’ll be time to turn your choice to that of war and glory. Empire: Total War is intending to recreate the rough times of the period, when gunpowder was just beginning to find its way into wide usage. Expect random occurrences such as explosions that kill the wielder, or which barely work at all when it rains.

PLATFORM PC -- GENRE REAL-TIME-STRATEGY -- PUBLISHER SEGA -- DEVELOPER THE CREATIVE ASSEMBLY -- RELEASE MAR 2009

PREVIEWS EMPIRE: TOTAL WAR


“EmpirE: ToTal War is inTEnding To rEcrEaTE ThE rough TimEs of ThE pEriod, WhEn gunpoWdEr Was jusT bEginning To find iTs Way inTo WidE usagE.”

EMPIRE: TOTAL WAR

If you intend to buy this game, you’d better brush up on your history. Empire will focus primarily on 18th century tactics such as the slow advance-and-fire movement, which allowed for reloading musketeers to “fall back” behind their allies to reload. Naval battles will revolve around having to turn your ships at the right time to allow them to fire their broadsides before the enemy can – and even includes authentic ammunition options such as grape shot, chain shot and round shots.

HISTORY LESSON

Total War works by being at once historically accurate and taking liberties with the genre. Shogun: Total War, for instance, had players paying for their armies in rice. This was traditionally one of the main ways that

the Japanese recompensed their conscripts – at least, that’s what we think from watching too much of Akira Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai.

EMPI

RE:

TO

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BY THE BOOKS

Close-in fighting is also being introduced, with sieges on cities resulting in block-to-block fighting and close-in fights. Holding the city centre for a certain amount of time wins the fight, though the older victory conditions such as routing the enemy or capturing their forces are still around. Certain units can now also take shelter in buildings or use cover for effective defense, creating new tactical locations to hold on to.

This time round, naval battles – which were previously automatically resolved – can be fought in real time should players choose to do so.

One complaint of previous versions is how difficult it was to really play the sneaky bastard. With a central settlement controlling all aspects of a province’s production – be it military, trade or what not, it became difficult to effectively disrupt the enemy without throwing a large army at it.

Since this isn’t always viable, it unnecessarily drew out matches. Empire, however, will see different parts of a province focusing on different aspects of the settlement – which makes it far easier to attack an outlying village and disrupt its weaker forces compared to the main settlement.

YOU AGAINST THE WORLDSo far, the single-player campaign, titled “Road to Independence”, that has been revealed will focus on the colonization of America. Split between three chapters, the first will focus on Britain sending its first expeditions to the New Land. The second on the French-Red Indian-British three way war, and the final between American colonists and the British in the fight for America’s independence.

Empire was delayed for three months of production, and the biggest reason was found here. Multiplayer has been expanded to allow for a full campaign game to take place. While the released game will see a two-player-only battle, Creative Assembly’s developers are expecting to release a finished version that allows for greater numbers to play at once.

It’s fun to note that if you decide to play sandbox, different factions may only show up if certain conditions are met. The United States, for instance, may never have been if you as the British can successfully keep peace and the colonists happy. The French Revolution may spring up if their Dauphin mucks up his rule of them. This fluidity by the game helps to keep things fresh – sometimes

the AI will successfully keep their large empire. Sometimes it’ll fragment right under them.

Empire: Total War is edging closer to modern day warfare, but if it delivers us as great an experience as Sid Meir’s Colonization, we can’t complain. - Neubronner Eugene

“mulTiplayEr has bEEn ExpandEd To alloW for a full campaign gamE To TakE placE.”

Nintendo is famous for loading real-time clock features into their games, the last being Animal Crossing. It appears that this game will also feature real-time weather effects and a 24-hour day/night cycle. Imagine the player stealing some time during the lunch hour to monitor and attend to some drug-peddling business in the game.

f you followed through Nintendo’s E3 briefing last year, the announcement for a DS-exclusive Grand Theft Auto game would have caught your

attention. Entitled Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars, it stood out as one of the highlights of the show then.

Due for release later this month, this is the thirteenth game in the Grand Theft Auto series and a fourth release on a Nintendo console. Previous titles were Grand Theft Auto and Grand Theft Auto 2 for the Game Boy Colour and Grand Theft Auto Advance for Game Boy Advance.

Players will assume the role of a 25-year old Huang Lee who is a member of the triads. He is tasked to deliver Yu Jian, a family heirloom and sword, from his recently-assassinated father to his uncle Wu Lee. Along the way, Huang was ambushed. So, he attempts to recover the sword, while also avenging his father’s death.

Chinatown Wars takes place in its own rendition of Liberty City from Grand Theft Auto IV, and centres on Alderney. However, instead of a ground-level view behind the protagonist as seen on the Xbox 360 and the PS3, or a top-down perspective as employed in the early series, the game puts you in the perspective of a rotate-able and angled aerial camera.

Chinatown Wars will feature cel-shaded polygons with black outlines, giving it a comic book-like aesthetic – a first look for the series.

Chinatown Wars will offer a few unique gameplay options. The player will be able to recruit Triad members from the streets, and these members are initiated through tattooing their bodies on the touch screen. To escape from the police, the player will have to disable as many cop cars instead of the familiar “leaving a wanted zone”.

Based on reports, the top screen will show to the player the game’s surroundings, while the bottom screen provides access to the PDA, GPS, access to people and map and for using hand-thrown weapons. There is a radio feature but it is said to feature a mix of instrumental and regular music. Hidden packages are represented by the shoot-able CCTV cameras, and would contribute to a decrease in drug prices when they are destroyed.

Weapons are ordered through an in-game website of Ammu-Nation, a familiar weapons store from past titles, and these will be shipped to the safehouse.

The user interface is designed like a user interface of a PDA. Rockstar continues to push the envelope, this time by incorporating a mini-game that allows players to peddle six types of drugs around the city. This is not like those simple delivery missions seen on previous releases as players will be rewarded with a profit if they recognise the market conditions and demands based on geography. It is said that the DS will be a useful tool for the player to share favourite locations, chat live through in-game instant messaging and trade in-game items. It will also upload your stats to Rockstar’s Social Club site.

Some new features will be supported, such as its next-gen HUD and hailing taxis by whistling through the DS microphone. To hijack a vehicle, the player must use their stylus as a screwdriver in the key slot to hotwire it, upon which the alarm system can be turned off. Different cars need different tools for hotwiring.

According to Official Nintendo Magazine, this game was described as “one of the largest and most complex DS games” with 800,000 lines of code.- Mohd Nizam

PLATFORM DS -- GENRE ACTION -- PUBLISHER ROCKSTAR GAMES -- DEVELOPER ROCKSTAR LEEDS/ ROCKSTAR NORTH -- RELEASE MAR 2009

PREVIEWS GTA: CHINATOWN WARS REAL TIME TO DEAL


GRAND THEFT AUTO: CHINATOWN WARSCHINA SMALL, SMALL

GTA

: CH

INAT

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AR

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“the DS will be a uSeful tool for the player to Share favourite locationS, chat live through in-game inStant meSSaging anD traDe in-game itemS.”

Guitar Hero: Metallica will offer a solid selection of 49 songs, 28 of which will be from Metallica. Almost all of the band’s most famous hits have made it in. A sample of what to expect includes Enter Sandman, Fade To Black, One, Master Of Puppets, Sad But True, and basically, every song a Metallica fan could want.

t seems like the rhythm genre is here to stay, or at least that’s what Activision thinks. Yet another Guitar Hero expansion is set to hit store shelves

next month in March. Apparently, some people still have not had their Guitar Hero cravings met. (Remember Drew? – Ed)

Guitar Hero: Metallica will be the first expansion that will feature songs with tracks for the entire band. While Activision could have simply released the game with songs alone, they have decided to make several changes to improve the gameplay. In order to cater to the more “hardcore” crowd, the game will be much more difficult than its predecessors. I think this move will please a lot of fans who have mastered the previous games. As part of the increase in difficulty, Guitar Hero: Metallica will allow players to attach a second drum pedal for use in a new “Expert Plus” mode.

Unlike in World Tour, songs will be presented in a linear series of sets as opposed to the gig

progression method. To move on to the next set of songs, you’ll have to earn a certain number of stars based on your performance of songs within a certain set. Songs are generally unlocked in chronological order, so you can expect what you will unlock as you play through.

As usual, the game will have a slight bit of story where you play as a band, following in the footsteps of Metallica. As you progress through the game, your band will ultimately get to play as the leading act for Metallica themselves. Just like in Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, you’ll be able to visit a wide range of real-life locations that include the Hammersmith Odeon, The Forum in Los Angeles and several other famous locales.

The music creation mode that was first made available in World Tour will be back with some new additions. Some of these include new guitar, bass and drum sounds. A new “Drum Over” mode will allow you to play drum tracks over any song you’ve

selected, a big draw from anyone who loves drumming. Battle mode will also be receiving some new Metallica-themed power-ups.

Overall, it looks like the developers have been putting some effort into ensuring that Guitar Hero: Metallica isn’t just another song pack. If you haven’t had your fill of Guitar Hero, or you’re a big Metallica fan, look out for this one next month. - Aaron Khoo

PLATFORM XBOX 360, PS3, PS2, WII -- GENRE RHYTHM -- PUBLISHER ACTIVISION -- DEVELOPER NEVERSOFT, VICARIOUS VISIONS -- RELEASE MAR 2009

PREVIEWS GUITAR HERO: METALLICASONGS OF METALLICA

GUITAR HERO: METALLICANEVERSOFT GOOD, NAPSTER BAD

GU

ITA

R H

ERO

: MET

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ICA

“The music creaTion mode ThaT was firsT made available in world Tour will be back wiTh some new addiTions.”


We don’t really recommend drinking, gambling, and high-speed underground racing. They’re all deadly to you to one extent or another. That said, This Is Vegas offers a remarkably real version of the sins of Vice City.

e should preface this article with a warning. If you go online to look for more information on this game, you

could come across an adult porn site. We’re not kidding. Hit the regular gamer websites if you have to, but Google at your peril.

But you’re here for the game, right? This Is Vegas is the latest in open-world sandbox titles ala the Grand Theft Auto series. It’s just set in, hey-whaddayaknow, Las Vegas! While it won’t be a direct replica of the area, anyone with a modicum of knowledge can see parallels between buildings like Circus Circus and in-game Big Top.

The plot is decidedly pedestrian. A savvy businessman by the name of Preston Boyer is buying up the place, and stripping the strippers from the land. The result – family-friendly tourist trap that sucks the adults-only soul of Vegas right out. You can’t have that, so you’re out to build your own empire and take back the city.

Even in the opening moments, we can tell why this game is attracting its own series of controversy. With strong language, regular violence, and a distinct disregard for respecting woman, we wonder if it may even pass the censors here.

As an open-world game, This Is Vegas offers players various ways to earn the cash and credibility to fight. You can take part in old fashioned gambling, for instance, and cheat at it too. Midway said they want you to feel very much a part of the game, so instead of merely loading you into a

mini-game, players will see their character sitting down at the table. As the cards are dealt, you can look around at others walking by or actively watching you. Get spotted by the pit boss who oversees the grounds while cheating and you could get tossed out (or even attacked and killed).

Other options include going for underground races that raise your street cred, giving you the reputation to accept new missions from the “old school” proponents of Vegas, as well as hitting a dance club. Now dance clubs sound like just an excuse to include a dancing mini-game, but surprisingly, Midway punched in quite a bit of content into that.

For starters, you can get onto the dance floor and begin dancing, creating buzz and popularity for the place (which again, drives your reputation up). You can go behind the bar and become a bartender in a Diner Dash styled game to keep as many patrons as possible happy. Drinking yourself, of course, can land you drunk, vision blurred, and puking all over the place. And to end it all off, there’s wet T-Shirt contests. Wet. T-Shirt. Contests. In a game. (No, we checked, this is not a porn game – Ed).

Midway is also trying to one-up the competition with the digs that your character will stay in. At the start, you’re stuck in a cheap, run down motel. As you earn more money, street cred and better cars, you’ll eventually move up to the penthouses in the glitziest hotels. - Neubronner Eugene

PLATFORM XBOX 360, PS3, PC -- GENRE ACTION -- PUBLISHER MIDWAY -- DEVELOPER SURREAL SOFTWARE -- RELEASE MAR 2009

PREVIEWS THIS IS VEGAS

THE SINS OF THE CITY


THIS IS VEGASBETTING ON THE HIGHWAY

THIS

IS V

EGA

S

“EvEn in thE opEning momEnts, wE can tEll why this gamE is attracting its own sEriEs of controvErsy”

If the final game doesn’t give as good as the stuff that’s been pumped out, we will be sorely disappointed. For a taste of the goodness, check out sites such as www.doyouremembermatthazard.com, www.hazardfan.com, and even, we kid you not, www.therealmatthazard.wordpress.com.

e like humour in our games, and those which poke fun at the genre it sits in are pretty rare (barring standouts such

as Sam And Max). Which is why we’re looking with interest at Eat Lead: The Return Of Matt Hazard.

Based off an imaginary hero who – through mismanagement of the development team – sank into obscurity, you take on the one last redeeming chance of Matt Hazard. This third person action game pokes fun at all the staples of the various stereotypes the genre offers, which is a good thing.

We really shouldn’t have been surprised. After all, Eat Lead’s developers are Vicious Cycle, who brought us the excellently deadpan Dead Head Fred some time back. If anyone can make a witty game, it’s them.

Eat Lead takes its mockery pretty seriously. We’ve watched as Matt takes on an old Japan RPG boss – complete with multiple forms, oversized sword… and a small little box displaying his stats and attack/defend options. We’ve seen Mario Brothers lookalikes. We’ve seen 8-bit Nazi soldiers, comically codenamed the “Wafferthinn” who, by turning right or left, become “invisible”, since 2D characters don’t have a plane for you to shoot on.

Power ups are also suitably biting in their mockery. The Master Shield makes you impervious, while the Maximum Hazard gives you supersized muscles for uber melee attacks. All these little jokes add up to a solid look at the state of the action game industry, and it may come at a good time.

But even though Matt’s here to mock everything, that doesn’t mean the game skips over itself. Small touches include the fact that Matt can slide around cover, which is a subtle, but very nifty, innovation. How many times have we been annoyed that we have to press a button to get out of cover just so we can duck right back around its next corner?

Because Matt’s enemies are downloads of all his previous games, they can actually show up anywhere in a level – sort of like random spawns. And when they die, they turn into pixilated bits, ripe for the upgrade system harvesting. Players can pick and choose which guns to upgrade, giving them the option to fire fire or ice bullets say, which allows for some flexibility.

Eat Lead’s appeal is clear – it’s for those of us who lived in the transitional times of 8-bit graphics to today’s 3D world. It’s for those who are hungering for a good look back on “the good old days” but remember how bad it was too. It’s also a not-so-subtle nod at another washed up hero we dearly miss and love: Duke Nuke’em. With all the big guns, bad attitude, and hot babes a-plenty, we’re hard pressed to see why we’d hate this winning formula.

What worries us is though, is that the underground hype for the game may not result in a satisfactory title. The high quality productions gone into building up the metagame (see Sidebar) may create expectations it can’t match – if Matt can’t hack enough funny, it may well be his final game.

This isn’t helped by word on the street that Eat Lead

feels and plays rather generically. Whether or not that’s intentional, we don’t know. But we do know that just because a developer is making a statement about the state of a genre, that doesn’t excuse shoddy gameplay. - Neubronner Eugene

PLATFORM XBOX 360, PS3 -- GENRE ACTION -- PUBLISHER D3 PUBLISHING -- DEVELOPER VICIOUS CYCLE SOFTWARE -- RELEASE MAR 2009

PREVIEWS EAT LEAD

HAZARD MANIA

EAT LEAD: THE RETURN OF MATT HAZARDIT’S TIME TO KICK FPS ASS

EAT

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“Eat LEad’s appEaL is cLEar – it’s for thosE of us who LivEd in thE transitionaL timEs of 8-bit graphics to today’s 3d worLd”


Ready 2 Rumble is a pretty venerable title. While most gamers would point to more well-known Punch Out! series as THE cartoon caricature boxing title of all time (with significant good reason too), Ready 2 Rumble came out as a title that utilized features like taunting to whip out flashy moves. It’s best remembered for Afro Thunder.

hile we found Facebreaker to be a perfectly acceptable cartoon take on the boxing genre, nothing beats one of

the bigger originals like Ready 2 Rumble, which was last seen on the Nintendo 64 after its heyday on the Dreamcast. The franchise is back with Revolution, and promises more over-the-top battles in and out of the ring. And yes, Michael Buffer, ringside announcer extraordinaire, is back to lend his voicing talent too.

Part of the appeal of the Ready 2 Rumble (R2R) series is its diverse cast that relies heavily on stereotypes. Like Syphon Cruel, whose wit is matched only by his blows, or Kaiser Kong, an Arnold Schwarzenegger lookalike. The different casts come with their own unique move lists, ranging from chucking car tires to skating attacks.

Each brawler has different stats in speed, strength and defense, and with some 20-odd characters, there should be a good enough spread between them. If you prefer though, there is a create-a-brawler mode where players can partake in the various career modes to unlock body parts for your own unique character.

Completing matches will also unlock various mini-games utilizing the Wiimote, like the Jump Rope, where players will keep twirling the Wiimotes while moving them in various directions to keep their character training hard. Finishing these properly gives minor bonuses and rewards. On the flip side, do badly, and your stats may plummet. The developers hinted that depending on what you train on, some stats may rise while others fall, so you won’t be able to create a super-demi-god character. Sounds fair to us.

Something worth noting is that the developers currently don’t have any plans to utilize the classic controllers – so if you’re the type who bought a Wii hoping to exercise and then got lazy, there’s no excuse now. It’s not like the controls are hard. They feel tight and responsive, and are pretty intuitive with the nunchuks.

If you’ve ever played the addictive WiiBoxing title, you’ll know roughly how to play already. The C button changes swings aimed at the face to ones aimed at the body, while the Z button blocks. Depending on how you swing, uppercuts, jabs and hooks will try to connect with the enemy.

And what kind of cartoon game is complete without something zany? Every character will get their own RUMBLE KO finisher. By landing combos of blows on enemies, you’ll slowly build up a meter, which can be unleashed for either devastating damage or a potent finisher. Connect with the on-screen prompts and hits, and watch the opponent go flying off into space.

Graphically, if you haven’t figured it out by now, the game is aiming for an over-the-top zany look, with resulting graphical touches to match. The Impersonator, an Elvis-lookalike, will have his toupee fly off as he takes damage for instance, while others will bruise and balloon up as they take more damage. - Neubronner Eugene

PLATFORM WII -- GENRE SPORTS -- PUBLISHER ATARI -- DEVELOPER AKI -- RELEASE MAR 2009

PREVIEWS READY 2 RUMBLE REVOLUTION BOX THIS


READY 2 RUMBLE: REVOLUTIONBOXING DAY PRESENTS...

REA

DY 2

RU

MB

LE

“If you’ve ever played the addIctIve WIIBoxIng tItle, you’ll knoW roughly hoW to play already.”

Fun fact:1 Stephen Colbert actually did try to run for the US 2008 presidency. The well-known comedian’s rise to popularity for his deadpan and often spot-on jokes on the US political scene meant many felt he could have been a potential contender. Unfortunately, he was ousted in a 13-3 vote for whether he could run on the Democrat (Read: Obama’s party) ticket.

Fun fact 2: Each monster is based off a homage to old movie monster flicks, all of them seminal hits in the day. If you’ve never seen these flicks, you should.

Susan is from Attack Of The Fifty Foot Woman, a what-if on cosmic rays supersizing a woman;

The Missing Link is from Creature From The Black Lagoon; Insectosaurus is typical Godzilla fare; B.O.B. whose full name is Bicarbonate Ostylzene Benzoate, is a combination of excellent B-flick Attack Of The Killer Tomatoes and The Blob; while Dr. Cockroach is from the scary-movie The Fly.

reamworks Theatre’s latest cartoon will hit us only in May, but you could get a taste of this lovable looking title as early as March

(all the legal wrangling for movies doesn’t get in the way of a good parallel import).

Based off the topsy-turvey storyline of aliens invading Earth, our planet’s small cadre of accidental monsters are all that stands in the way. Which really doesn’t fill us with confidence, but certainly has its charm.

After all, our heroes are a 50-foot-tall woman, an even bigger 350-foot… bug, a blob (created from the nuclear reaction of genetically altered tomatoes and genetically altered ranch dressing. Our fears come true at last!), a prehistoric fishman, and a mad scientist with the head of a cockroach.

As a kid-friendly game, it follows in LEGO’s recent forays by allowing jump-in, jump-out co-operative action. Players utilize the different powers of the monsters to advance. Ginormica, the 50-foot woman, for instance, uses her towering body to race from location to location by nabbing any car

available as useful roller skates. Big, set-piece battles against the robot armies of General Gallaxhar will have Godzilla-crossbreed Insectosaurus in a simplistic brawler. B.O.B. the blob’s sticky goo can be used to walk on ceilings or slip through cracks under doors (Mr. Fantastic, anyone?).

Most of the game will feature The Missing Link though, the oversized fishman who is the archtypical warrior who’ll take down the hordes of mindless robots. Co-op comes in the form of the final monster/hero, Dr Cockroach. While he’ll usually follow quietly behind (or on!) other monsters, a second player can pick up the controller and jump in as a helping hand. He’ll be able to slow down enemies.

Again, due to its kid-friendliness, we aren’t going to expect a difficult – or long – ride through. What’s been revealed so far is a beautiful-looking game that’s colourful and seems to capture the style of the 3D-movie flick well.

Seeing as the movie has big names such as

Stephen Colbert (of The Colbert Report) and Reese Witherspoon voicing it, we’re really hoping the game will nab their respective voice talent as well. At press time, whether the actors will be in the game as well was not answered. - Neubronner Eugene

PLATFORM XBOX 360, PS3, PS2, WII -- GENRE ACTION -- PUBLISHER AMAZE ENTERTAINMENT -- DEVELOPER ACTIVISION -- RELEASE MAR 2009

PREVIEWS MONSTERS VS ALIENSFUN FACTS

MONSTERS VS ALIENSBECAUSE IT HAD TO HAPPEN EVENTUALLY

MO

NST

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VS

ALI

ENS

“As A kid-friendly gAme, it follows in lego’s recent forAys by Allowing jump-in, jump-out co-operAtive Action.”


rthurian swords and knights don’t seem to mix with the words “Sonic The Hedgehog”. But that’s what players get in this next

chapter of the Sonic Storybook’s series. (The first one of the series, Sonic And The Hidden Rings, was based off the Arabian nights series of tales).

So, here’s the story – Sonic’s been whisked away by Merlina after King Arthur has fallen to a dark curse. It’s now up to Sonic and his new talking sword Caliburn to make matters right. In a fun twist, the various characters we either hate or love such as Tails, Shadow and Amy take the place of the various knights and villagers players can fight against or rescue.

At first blush, using the Wii controls for a sword to attack with sounds suspiciously like the (really bad) moments of Sonic Unleashed’s werewolf form. The good news is unlike the slow and methodical sections of Unleashed, The Black Knight focuses almost exclusively on speed.

There are some interesting gimmicks we’ve seen so

far, including using shafts of light to blow up crystals and grinding on rails. Players can use their sword to rappel up or slow their descent down walls.

Most levels are “on rails”, with a straight path from the entrance to the exit. This gave developers the chance to create beautiful and, more importantly, smooth playing levels. The game slows down only when enemies show up to give players time to switch to the new sword-fighting styles.

The Wii controls are basic – waggling and waving swings the sword around. This lets players spin and smash with their sword at the same time, keeping Sonic’s trademark hectic speed even during boss fights. Do well and a Surge meter will build up, allowing for devastating homing attacks that chain up combos.

The hokey storyline gives players an overworld to explore, with various environments ranging from King Arthur’s castle to the forests and caves surrounding it. Players will be looking for items to either equip or help Sonic advance, or saving villagers.

Confused how it’ll fit in with the “naked” look of Sonic? Players can equip two different items – there are over 200 to collect and identify – which boost different stats. Yes, stats. Black Knight isn’t going to be one of those “one hit kill” games.

Players can revisit levels to complete missions in them, and while one can ignore that to blast through the main story – estimated at around eight hours –

the additional content is said to be in to the tune of a hundred extra missions. These range from simply snagging enough rings to satisfy the ungrateful villagers to fighting enemies such as Knuckles and Shadow. Beating them nets players these optional characters with different moves. Knuckles comes with dual swords, Tails is the local blacksmith.

Interestingly, there’s multiplayer available (yes, you still have to use the awful Friends Codes system) where up to four players can battle it out with each other or do a small arena-styled fight-off with enemies.

By the time you read this, the game should be out, and we’ll hopefully have a review up next month on it. - Neubronner Eugene

PLATFORM WII -- GENRE PLATFORM/ACTION -- PUBLISHER SEGA -- DEVELOPER SEGA -- RELEASE MAR 2009

PREVIEWS SONIC AND THE BLACK KNIGHT

A HEDGHOG OF MANY LOOKS


SONIC AND THE BLACK KNIGHT AS LONG AS HE DOESN’T TURN INTO THAT WEREWOLF...

SON

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“Players can use their sword to raPPel uP or slow their descent down walls.”

With all the different styles of Sonic coming out lately, it’s been really hit and miss. Unleashed, which we looked at recently, had amazing racing sequences which captured quintessential speed but had terrible werewolf platforming sections. There have been terrible spinoffs like Dr Robotnik’s Mean Bean Machine, Sonic Spinball, and good ones like the Sonic RPG series.

We’re hoping that Black Knight will do well, especially since it’s aimed at a younger audience.

WWE LEGENDSAndre The Giant, Jimmy “Superfly” Snuka, Animal, Junk Yard Dog, Arn Anderson, Kamala, Bam Bam Bigelow, King Kong Bundy, Big Bossman, Koko B. Ware, Big John Studd, Michael Hayes, Bret Hart, Mr. Perfect, British Bulldog, Nikolai Volkoff, Brutus “The Barber” Beefcake, Ravishing Rick Rude, Dusty Rhodes, Ric Flair, Greg “The Hammer” Valentine, Rowdy Roddy Piper, Hacksaw Jim Duggan, Sgt. Slaughter, Hawk, Shawn Michaels, Honky Tonk Man, Stone Cold Steve Austin, Hulk Hogan, The Million Dollar Man Ted Dibiase, Hunter Hearst Helmsley, The Rock, Iron Sheik, Ultimate Warrior, Jake The Snake, Undertaker, Jim “The Anvil” Neidhart, YokozunaMANAGERSBobby “The Brain” Heenan, Mr. Fuji, Jimmy Hart, Paul Bearer

ven if you were not an avid fan of wrestling, you must have at least heard of the biggest, baddest annual wrestling event that is

Wrestlemania, the Superbowl of wrestling it’s called. Remember the classic match between Andre the Giant and Hulk Hogan and how history was written when Hogan body-slammed the giant? If you do remember going ape @#$% crazy over Hulkamania, prepare to relive it, and take control, literally. Welcome to Legends Of Wrestlemania.

Not to be confused with the less-than-stellar Legends Of Wrestling series by Acclaim, Legends Of Wrestlemania is being developed by YUKES, the same folks who brought you the Smackdown Vs. Raw series. So, take that sigh of relief and read on about how YUKES is your ticket to Wrestlemania.

Legends Of Wrestlemania features a different control scheme that is said to be more accessible, so even non-veterans can enjoy. There won’t be any of that complicated Ultimate Control Grapples or analog stick grappling from the SVR games. Instead, the controls of different moves, from grabs to punches, are simply mapped out on the controller, so pulling them off will not be a daunting task. We won’t know whether this new simplicity would work until we get the final game, but hey, seems like a fun arcade experience in the works.

On top of the (many) legendary wrestlers along with their entrance music are the new modes: Relive, Rewrite and Redefine. The name alone says it all. Relive allows a player to play as a wrestler and play the matches which the wrestler has won. So, if you

have never watched the above Hogan vs. Andre match, here’s your chance. What’s cool is that in Relive, you have to perform specific in-game objectives during the matches to actually progress. And the even cooler thing? These objectives were the actual events that happened during the real match years ago. For example, in the Hogan/Andre match, you have to break the giant’s bear hug, just like how it happened.

Okay, so you managed to leg drop Andre, just like how it happened. Is that all? Nope. If you want, you can Rewrite. If you hate that yellow-spandex-wearing Hogan and his Real American theme, shift it over. Become Andre, whoop his butt, and sit on him. In Redefine mode, you get to choose any wrestler and change the match type. Other cool additional features include managers playing a role in the game. Don’t be surprised then, to have your wrestler thwarted as Jimmy Hart grabs your leg from outside the ring. There will also be online play and a create-a-legend mode.

From what we have seen of the game, Legends Of Wrestlemania looks great. However, unlike the SVR series, the character models in the game have a cartoon-ish tinge to them. And they look seriously beefed up.

Legends Of Wrestlemania looks like it’s shaping up to be a great wrestling game. Will the tradeoff of gameplay for accessibility and simplicity actually be worthwhile? We hope so. If anything, reliving every Wrestlemania is going to rock. Check out the full roster in our Sidebar! Hopefully that would be enough to appease before the game is released. - Alden Tan

PLATFORM XBOX 360, PS3 -- GENRE SPORTS -- PUBLISHER THQ -- DEVELOPER YUKES -- RELEASE MAR 2009

PREVIEWS LEGENDS OF WRESTLEMANIA

LEGENDARY ROSTER


LEGENDS OF WRESTLEMANIATHE BIG BOYS ARE BACK

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“If you hate that yellow-spandex-wearIng hogan and hIs real amerIcan theme, shIft It over. Become andre, whoop hIs Butt, and sIt on hIm.”

While Halo Wars has some beautiful cut-scenes, they are unfortunately filled with some of the most boring, typical characters in the video game world. Sgt. John Forge, one

of the main characters, is yet another gruff military-type that we’ve seen countless times before. We need more interesting characters here!

he Halo series is arguably the most recognized Xbox series. The sheer popularity of the Halo franchise leaves

Ensemble Studio’s swan song project, Halo Wars, with some ridiculously large shoes to fill. At the same time though, the fact that it has the Halo name attached to it will have Halo fans running to it like moths to a flame.

RTS games on consoles haven’t exactly always been a pretty affair. One of the major problems that have plagued the genre on consoles is poor controls. Most of the console RTS games, thus far, have been ports, causing many to suffer from badly-translated control schemes. Halo Wars, however, was built from the ground up to be a console RTS, meaning that Ensemble Studios was able to design a more suitable control scheme from the get-go. Moving units in groups and moving across the maps is considerably easier but still far below PC standards of control. You won’t be pulling off any quick micro or coordinating two pronged attacks with ease unless you have insane finger dexterity.

To make up for the loss in precision control, Halo Wars is simplified in several areas. Base-building is

limited to set locations, so you won’t have to worry about where you place your buildings. Bases also only have limited slots for buildings, so you’ll have to decide carefully what to fill them with. Units only have one ability each, or none at all, giving you less to worry about on the battlefield. Even the game’s tech trees are less complex, allowing you to focus on other things. None of these changes are particularly groundbreaking but they help a little in streamlining the game’s experience.

The single player campaign consists of 15 missions which don’t really stand out from the typical RTS fare. It’s very possible to just move your units as a giant blob of carnage while mowing down the opposition with superior numbers. Each mission is accompanied by well-animated cut-scenes but the plot and characters are clichéd. Overall, the campaign is rather short and stale.

The multiplayer portion of the game provides a slightly more interesting experience. You’ll be able to choose from two factions – the UNSC and the Covenant. Both of these factions have 3 selectable heroes that provide some diversity

within the factions. The two factions offer different play-styles, so they aren’t simply mirrored armies with a different look.

Halo Wars is one of the better looking RTS games out there and features colourful, imaginative environments. Units from the Halo franchise are faithfully recreated though some seem to have been rescaled. Units look good from afar but start to look less appealing up close. Sound effects are spot-on and the game has an excellent score produced by Stephen Rippy who makes use of the original Halo theme to great effect.

Halo Wars has quite a lot going for it slick graphics, awesome soundtrack, diverse armies and more but it all feels held back by the control scheme. It’s like trying to play Halo 3 with your hands tied behind your back. It may be a superb game but you can’t enjoy it to the max. Halo fans, however, will definitely appreciate the expansion of the Halo universe. For first time RTS gamers, Halo Wars serves as a nice entry point to the genre with its well-known material but serious RTS gamers can probably find a host of better titles on the PC. - Aaron Khoo

HALO WARSGENRE REAL-TIME STRATEGY -- PUBLISHER MICROSOFT -- DEVELOPER ENSEMBLE STUDIOS/BUNGIE SOFTWARE -- PLAYERS 1-6

REVIEWS HALO WARS

BELIEVE, BELIEVE, BELIEVE!

FORGETTABLE CASTVERDICT

7.0 GOODA decent RtS.

HA

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“HAlo WARS HAS quite A lot going foR it Slick gRApHicS, AWeSome SoundtRAck, diveRSe ARmieS And moRe but it All feelS Held bAck by tHe contRol ScHeme.”


eXcluSively on

gRApHicS 8

Sound 8.5

gAmeplAy 6

ReplAy vAlue 8

Just like the doll, you get to play dress up with Ken! Between each mission, you can choose to alternate between different costumes or

simply customize the colour. So, go ahead and be as grandiose as possible, it’s your best shot at being a ninja turtle.

t’s hard not to compare From Software’s Ninja Blade with the acclaimed Ninja Gaiden series which has set the bar for fast-paced ninja action,

so let’s just get that out of the way first. To put it bluntly, well, Ninja Blade’s blade is blunt, from its clichéd story to the tedious gameplay and so-so graphics. It’s hard to imagine why From Software would attempt to feed off the pie of the ninja action genre, especially with such an unoriginal title. It is FAR from the standard achieved by Ninja Gaiden, falling short in almost every category, but it does have some sparks of brilliance.

Ninja Blade puts you in control of Ken (What the, and Ryu’s in Ninja Gaiden?), a bilingual ninja set on ridding Tokyo of the infected. The infected are, you guessed it, a bunch of zombie-like creatures called “carriers” and were once human, but got infected by a parasitic disease. Without spoiling the story too much, Ken sets out to solve the infected problem before they bomb Tokyo to bits. As far as story development goes, it is not bad for an action game given the cut-scenes in between levels provide a little background and some twists to the plot.

The gameplay is where Ninja Blade shines most. Like all ninjas, Ken can fight, scale walls, dodge attacks, unleash ninjutsu, and unique to him, execute ninja vision. Ken has a normal plus a heavy attack, which can be stringed into different combos.

The game gives you 3 different weapons at your disposal – the Oni Blade, Stonerender and the Twin Falcons, each of which handles differently. Ninjutsu is basically your AOE attack of different elements like fire or lightning. It is indeed quite satisfying to slice your way through the infected, resulting in a bloody mess of gore and the reward of blood and health orbs. Blood orbs allow you to upgrade your weapons or ninjutsu, so as you progress through the game, you will find yourself unleashing new devastating combos. Ninja Vision is a fine addition to the library of ninja moves. It basically slows down time for more attacks, better dodging or revealing secrets in the area.

Ninja Blade focuses on cinematic action, and that’s what you will be seeing a lot. Throughout the game, you will be encountering many quick-time events which require you to press buttons on time when alerted dramatically by zooming into Ken’s eye. It is a visual feat as these events seamlessly flow into the middle of the action at anytime, so you always have to be on your toes and be prepared to jump from building to building, dodge and toss gigantic monsters or even ride motorbikes... mid-air on broken debris.

While all that seems like the ingredients of a great action game, Ninja Blade doesn’t exactly deliver them well. The action doesn’t have that solid feel

and tends to get very repetitive. All of the enemies and bosses lack variety, the latter mostly being huge insects which you destroy in parts. The platforming elements of the game aren’t really challenging either. As for the quick-time events, well, they get really old quick. Each mission has as many as five quick-time sequences, and really, it’s excessively overdone and extremely cheesy. I mean, there’s a quick-time event to everything including jumping, landing or riding a missile. You just know the aforementioned zooming of the eye is Ken’s excuse to act cool. Plus, it’s extremely easy and forgiving. If you fail one, it simply jumps back a bit for you. The game is also plagued with some bugs, so don’t be surprised if you find yourself stuck on a wall or encounter dumb enemy AI which try to attack you too early from a hidden spot.

As far as graphics and sound go, the game is decent at best. Graphics are sharp, but the textures can be a little marred at times. The level designs are uninspired as you basically romp through different parts of Tokyo. While the sound effects are alright, the music consists of mainly generic rock which is forgettable.

Ninja Blade may not appeal to everyone, but anyone looking for some decent action and a few hours of fun wouldn’t be disappointed. - Alden Tan

GENRE ACTION -- PUBLISHER MICROSOFT -- DEVELOPER FROM SOFTWARE -- PLAYERS 1 -- RATINGS AGE ADVISORY

REVIEWS NINJA BLADE

NINJA BARBIEVERDICT

6.5 DECENTBlade ain’t all that sharp.

NIN

JA B

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“ninja Blade focuses on cinematic action, and that’s what you will Be seeing a lot.”


eXclusiVely on

graphics 7

sound 6

gameplay 7

replay Value 6

NINJA BLADE NINJA GAIDEN’S YOUNGER BROTHER

New to the series are a couple of mech-sequences. So prepare to jump into gigantic, armoured exoskeleton suits and crush your enemies. A good way to scream bloody revenge and release those scared emotions indeed.

onolith returns with solid, fast-paced shooting action induced with horror elements in F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin. Fans of the

game would remember Alma, the creepy little long-haired girl who was subjected to different, torturing experiments by the ATC, Armacham Technology Corporation. And now, she’s back. While a great game on its own, Project Origin doesn’t break any new ground like its predecessor as everything from the gameplay to the scary atmosphere seems all too familiar.

Project Origin puts you in control of a new protagonist named Michael Beckatt of Delta Force. The story picks up where the first F.E.A.R. left off. The city is in complete ruins and your first mission is to capture the elusive Geneieve Aristide. Going into detail would just spoil the story, but players would not be disappointed to find that it packs a decent punch as it delves into character development, digs into dark history and provides a good, albeit predictable, save-the-world plot. The presentation is also done nicely, as you experience cut-scenes in the form of flashbacks. Also, being in control of someone completely new provides a refreshing perspective to the story, so even though Alma with her scary face is out in the open, it doesn’t feel all that stale.

Gameplay is one of the main attractions of the world of F.E.A.R.. The gunplay feels as solid as any great FPS would be. The arsenal in the game comes with

your standard issued rifles, pistols, shotguns and returning with a bang is the hammerhead, a gun which allows you to stick enemies against the wall with neon barbs. Enemy AI in the game provides a decent challenge at default difficulty. They shoot and throw grenades at will, and new to the game, even topple over furniture or debris for cover, like you can. The ability to turn over things seems rather redundant though, as there is no proper cover system in the game. Returning in the game is reflex time which allows you to slow the action down. This is where the real thrill comes in as you indulge in a matrix-like experience as you make waste of your foes.

The original F.E.A.R. was known for its creepy atmosphere and Project Origin tries to continue that trend. Project Origin unleashes its horror through a variety of ways. Expect dark corridors, flickering lights, doors opening and closing on its own and most of all, hallucinations of Alma and ghastly figures appearing right before you. While all that sounds about right for the element of horror, it is heavily clichéd and tends to get old fast. We don’t really fault this on Monolith as F.E.A.R. is a shooter game at heart, but it feels like there’s a lack of creativity and research here, as if Monolith depended solely on the player’s courage and capacity to take scares, especially from the tired, iconic Asian film horror figure of a long-haired female.

Multiplayer is fun to play with lots of people, although it feels like another run-of-the-mill component which was added just because it’s expected. You have your standard serving of Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch, Conquest, Capture the Flag and Failsafe. A cool addition to the list of modes is Armoured Front, in which a player from each team hops into a mech while the others capture points. Sad to say, the slow-motion modes that made the first F.E.A.R. multiplayer so engaging have been omitted.

The game both looks and sounds great. Graphics are clean and sharp. However, the level designs aren’t very inspiring as you trot your way through narrow corridors and control rooms in hospitals and underground facilities. Project Origin shows off itself mostly from the action, especially during reflex time where you can view a grenade going off in slow-mo, distorting the air like how bullets fly with an airstream behind. The sound effects are spot-on with realistic voice-acting and battles sound as great as it can be. Furthermore, the little sound effects in the game such as noises from the background to objects falling helps add to the atmosphere.

Project Origin is a great game on its own. It may not be as innovative as the first one, but with a good story which ties loose ends and solid gameplay, it wouldn’t fail to disappoint anyone looking for some action along with a few moments of the jitters. - Alden Tan

F.E.A.R. 2 PROJECT ORIGINGENRE FIRST-PERSON SHOOTER -- PUBLISHER WARNER BROS. INTERACTIVE ENTERTAINMENT -- DEVELOPER MONOLITH -- PLAYERS 1 - (16 ONLINE)

REVIEWS F.E.A.R. 2 PROJECT ORIGIN

ALMA’S BACK

ARMOURED F.E.A.R.VERDICT

7.5 GOODNoT so scary This Time arouNd, buT sTill, eNjoyable.

F.E.

A.R

. 2

“expecT dark corridors, flickeriNg lighTs, doors opeNiNg aNd closiNg oN iTs owN aNd mosT of all, halluciNaTioNs of alma aNd ghasTly figures appeariNg righT before you.”


aVailable oN

graphics 8

souNd 8

gameplay 8

replay Value 7

If you’re an Xbox 360 owner, you probably know that it has a terrible D-pad. It’s inaccurate and clunky, making it a hassle to use. Even PS3 owners should look into purchasing an arcade stick. Quite a few were released in

conjunction with the game and having one makes the game infinitely more entertaining. Not to mention the addictive clicking and clacking of the buttons/joystick (or am I the only one who enjoys that?).

here’s been a huge Street Fighter craze growing in the past month but has it been warranted or was it simply over-hyped

nonsense? Street Fighter IV follows closely in footsteps of its predecessor Street Fighter II. That isn’t to say however that it’s the same old game with a graphical update. Street Fighter IV may stick to its core mechanics but it makes many tiny tweaks that result in a vastly different game experience that is more fun and beginner-friendly.

The first thing you might notice if you’re a veteran of the series is that Street Fighter IV is a little more lenient when it comes to command inputs. Basically, you no longer have to perform absolutely perfect inputs to pull of special moves. You still have to execute the requisite actions but it doesn’t feel as nitpicky as it did before. Combos receive similar treatment and generally, the timing required to pull them off is more forgiving. It’s a subtle change but it allows you to focus more on the combat and less on performing a perfect quarter circle forward. Not to mention those who had trouble executing moves on a certain side of the screen will now be able to do so more consistently.

The first change I mentioned caters more to the

“casual” crowd but Capcom has not forgotten its “hardcore” gamers. While Street Fighter IV is more accessible than any of its predecessors, it does so at no cost to its depth. One of the new additions to the game is the focus attack which replaces the parry system. Focus attacks allow you to charge up and absorb a single attack, you can then choose when to release it, the longer the charge the more powerful the counter-attack which, at full power, leaves opponents stunned. It’s an excellent way to begin a combo and a very useful tool for those who wish to practice its intricacies.

The other new addition is the ultra combo which utilizes a charge meter that fills up when you take damage. Ultra combos are a large part of what makes Street Fighter IV so accessible, they allow players who are losing a match badly to make a comeback without being too overwhelmingly powerful.

Older techniques like EX moves which modify special attacks with various properties (extra damage, faster animations, etc...), attack cancelling and super combos are still part of the game and provide the extra depth that sets the

more “hardcore” players apart from the rest. New players shouldn’t fret however as Street Fighter IV includes an excellent training mode that will help beginners and even veterans practice combos and techniques of all levels.

Street Fighter IV is no slouch in the graphics department either. I can, without a doubt, say that this is the most visually-stunning game in the series. Character models are beautiful, bold and distinct, thanks to the very unique style utilized throughout. The characters are vibrantly detailed and look like something out of an art book. Music and sound effects are served up equally well-polished and there’s even an unlockable option to select between English or Japanese dialogue.

I’ve been complaining a lot lately about games catering to the “casual” crowd and ending up “dumbed down” but Street Fighter IV proves that it is possible to be accessible without sacrificing any depth. Whether or not you choose to master all the hidden techniques and complexities of the game, you can still enjoy the game to its fullest. That’s what makes Street Fighter IV the undisputed leader of its genre. - Aaron Khoo

GENRE FIGHTING -- PUBLISHER CAPCOM -- DEVELOPER DIMPS/CAPCOM -- PLAYERS 1-2

REVIEWS STREET FIGHTER IV

SIMPLY COMPLEX

JOYSTICKS. THEY MAKE YOU HAPPIER & DEADLIERVERDICT

9.5 GREATThe revival of a genre.

STR

EET

FIG

HTE

R IV

“While STreeT fighTer iv iS more acceSSible Than any of iTS predeceSSorS, iT doeS So aT no coST To iTS depTh.”


available on

graphicS 9.5

SoUnd 9

gameplay 9.5

replay valUe 10

STREET FIGHTER IV

Pay special attention to Clay and Terry. Clay brings you a new bike and Terry grants you access to the gang’s armoury. Look after them during every

shootout and get them “battle hardened” to 100% for a cool achievement. Be warned that if they die, they’re lost forever (no pun intended).

cheduled to be out last October, the four months delay is worth the wait. The expansion pack can be purchased directly

from Xbox LIVE for 1600 Microsoft points, but if you want something physical to hold, keep and show off, the retail version comes with a download code, a double sided poster of yet another mysterious lady character, a slightly updated map of Liberty City, stored within a compact box, all for about the same price.

For less than 2 GB of space, you are treated to a storyline that puts you in the boots of Johnny, the Vice President of Lost MC, a Biker gang. Johnny is more interested in looking after the well-being of its members while Billy, their recently returned incarcerated leader is only motivated with leading through violence and mayhem that is drug-influenced. The story unfolds through the characters you meet and it takes about eight hours to plough through it. That is unless you die a lot during missions, and you will if you’re careless. The Lost & Damned seems to cater for advanced players of Liberty City, and most of the missions adopt the same fashion as the bank heist episode in the GTA IV main story, so expect to take on waves of enemies.

However there is one frustration from the main game that has been removed in The Lost & Damned. Each mission is now imbued with sub-checkpoints that are cloaked within cut-scenes. Every time you encounter one, rest assured that if you perish, you can restart from that last point. This makes it more tolerable and players who jumped in into the expansion without much experience from the main game would appreciate this feature very much.

Apart from the story, there are a couple of substantial additions. Players will have access to new arsenal – a sawed off shotgun, a grenade launcher, pipe bombs and an automatic pistol, new vehicles and bikes. New mini-games include air hockey, high-low card guessing game and arm wrestling. Then there are 54 new tracks and new dialogue spread across the 19 radio stations, and a new TV show.

Riding along with your biker gang also incorporates a new ‘brotherhood’ gameplay mechanic. Staying within formation allows you to hear additional dialogue that adds depth to the story and affords you with a free recharge of body armour. You are also rewarded with a cheaper access to weaponry if you purchase from the gang’s armoury instead of from the weapon store.

Another upgrade is in the multiplayer, which contains six new modes albeit, variants of those from the main game. We recommend that you try Chopper vs. Chopper - a straightforward one-on-one high speed chase between a helicopter and a motorcycle.

The expansion is not without its flaws. There is a grainy feature known as noise effect applied to the camera but it can be turned off. The cover and targeting system remains the same and feels outdated. You do not have access to all the facilities you discovered in the main game and certain mini-games curiously disappear after completing the story. Perhaps the most glaring flaw is that Johnny has no option to a change of wardrobe, no matter how cool his biker jacket is.

For S$30, there is substantial content and ten hours’ worth of gameplay is a decent time-span. If you want a short vacation back in Liberty City, we recommend going for this download and return as Johnny of the Lost MC brotherhood. -Mohd Nizam

GENRE ACTION -- PUBLISHER ROCKSTAR GAMES -- DEVELOPER ROCKSTAR NORTH -- PLAYERS 1

REVIEWS GTA IV: THE LOST & DAMNED

RELIABLE BROTHERSVERDICT

9.0 GREATA jAm-pAcked content thAt is worth s$30.

THE

LOST

& D

AM

NED

“For s$30, there is substAntiAl content And ten hours’ worth oF gAmeplAy is A decent time-spAn.”


eXclusiVely on

grAphics 8

sound 9.5

gAmeplAy 9.5

replAy VAlue 8.5

GTA IV: THE LOST & DAMNED PEACE AND PROSPERITY BE DAMNED, MY BROTHER

Each level of Overkill has its own snazzy movie poster that emphasizes the game’s grindhouse film nature. It’s a nice touch and

little details like these are what makes Overkill’s atmosphere so convincing and awesome.

tylish, that’s the first thing that comes to mind when you load up The House Of The Dead: Overkill. Everything from the game’s

opening menu to its cut-scenes has been soaked in generous buckets of, you guessed it, style.

Overkill’s art style is based on a grindhouse theme which it uses to great effect. The game simply oozes high production values. The opening menu is decked with awesome art and some freaky sound effects that immediately get you into the mood. When you start up the first level of the game, you’ll notice the game’s film-based theme as the level is introduced in a purposely campy fashion accompanied by some hilariously corny dialogue (which can get a little too vulgar at times) and narrative.

The Wii may not be a graphic powerhouse but Overkill makes sure to push its hardware to the limits, making it one good-looking game. Character models brim with details and visual flair that graphically set Overkill one step above its Wii brethren. The game’s environments are similarly creative and each serves as a perfect backdrop to

the zombie-killing action. Tying together all these elements is a slick use of grain filters that smartly links the game back to its grindhouse film motif. While Overkill is a splendid treat for the eyes, it isn’t without fault. The beautiful graphics come at the cost of slight stuttering during the game’s more intense moments. Honestly speaking, it can be annoying at times, but ultimately, it doesn’t take away from the game’s graphic wonder or hamper gameplay.

Overkill might be a looker but without any gameplay to support its façade, it would just be a pretty husk. Thankfully though, the game plays just as good as it looks. There is a well-paced constant flow of enemies throughout each level that keeps you on your toes. Taking them out is extremely satisfying thanks to the game’s gratuitous violence and gruesome physics. Limbs fly and heads explode in a wonderful orchestra of death that frankly, the Wii has been lacking.

Every level ends with a boss fight that sadly can be a bit anti-climatic. Each of these bosses is introduced with a suitably grand cut-scene but when

it comes down to the battle itself, the bosses seem a little too simplistic. Boss weak-points are outlined and painfully obvious, making it feel as though the game is holding your hand throughout these sequences. The ease of boss battles is an issue that plagues other parts of the game. If you’ve played any other House Of The Dead games, you’ll find Overkill surprisingly easy. This isn’t as big of an issue as it seems however, since Overkill is all about scoring points and while it may be easy to beat the game, getting the top score isn’t quite as painless. The bulk of Overkill’s replayability comes from trying to achieve high scores, unlocking stuff and upgradeable weapons, all of which are great fun thanks to the solid combo scoring system.

Overkill’s controls are tight, the moment you get your hands on the Wiimote and start blasting away at zombies, you’ll notice that aiming is a breeze. You can even choose to calibrate the Wiimote so that it can be used like a real light gun, provided you remain at the same distance from the screen while playing.

Overkill has it all, gorgeous graphics, groovy music, campy dialogue and addictive gameplay. If you’re above 18 and you like blowing things to bits, this game is for you. A word of warning though, this title is definitely not for the light-hearted or the squeamish. It bleeds not only style but guts, gore and loads (LOADS!) of profanity. - Aaron Khoo

THE HOUSE OF THE

GENRE SHOOTER -- PUBLISHER SEGA -- DEVELOPER HEADSTRONG GAMES -- PLAYERS 1-4

REVIEWS THE HOUSE OF THE DEAD: OVERKILL

NO MORE WHINING ABOUT KIDDY GAMES

AT THE MOVIESVERDICT

8.5 GOODDripping guts anD style.

HO

USE

OF

THE

DEA

D

“limbs fly anD heaDs exploDe in a wonDerful orchestra of Death that frankly, the wii has been lacking.”


exclusiVely on

graphics 8

sounD 9

gameplay 8

replay Value 8

DEAD: OVERKILL

Deadly Creatures features an impressive cast of two. Nope, I’m not being sarcastic. The two humans in the game are played by

Billy Bob Thornton and Dennis Hopper who both offer gripping performances in their respective roles.

ating grubs and crickets, battling rats, lizards and snakes, it’s not something you do everyday but in Deadly Creatures, you’ll

find that all these are just the run-of-the-mill encounters you’ll face. In the game, you play as a fearsome little spider and a, for lack of a better word, deadly scorpion. It’s a refreshing new setting for the action genre and the novelty never gets old thanks to the imaginative settings you make your way through.

Deadly Creatures tells an interesting tale of two humans on a hunt for treasure. You don’t get to play as these humans but rather, you see the events of their story unfold through the eyes of the two insects you play. The first encounter with the humans is an epic event as you see them towering above your tiny stature, the earth rumbling with every step they take. It isn’t a complex tale but it serves as a compelling backdrop to the action.

As I stated before, you get to play as a spider and a scorpion, each chapter, you’ll rotate between the two unique protagonists. The spider offers a faster style of combat and some nifty abilities like shooting web, pouncing long distances and travelling around with the help of its web. The scorpion, on the other

hand, is a slower tank with the ability to block and pull of brutal finishers. The finishers involve quick time events with the Wiimote, resulting is satisfyingly violent combos. Watching the scorpion jab its stinger straight into the mouth of a lizard is as awesome as it sounds.

A lot of the focus in Deadly Creatures is on combat. You’ll constantly find yourself in mortal combat with the other denizens of the desert. These range from beetles to hornets and all sorts of other vicious creatures. Given the focus on combat, it is a good thing that the game has an entertaining combat system. The combat system smartly makes use of a combination of button presses and Wiimote gestures, allowing you to pull off a variety moves and combos, which you acquire as you kill enemies. There are, however, some flaws in the game that affect the combat, most notably the camera, which can create some blind spots and the poor collision-detection, which can leave enemies clipping through walls and becoming invulnerable.

Deadly Creatures manages to replicate the look and feel of all its deadly creatures (pun woefully intended) brilliantly. Both protagonists animate

beautifully with fluid attack animations and movements. All of the game’s creatures resemble their real life counterparts and might even freak out people who hate bugs. The game’s environments are just as captivating. Though the game takes place in a desert, it never feels empty or dull. Every level is filled with lots of little trinkets and items that make the setting more believable. Some of the more memorable moments include watching a pair of venomous spiders climbing out of a friendly garden gnome and traversing across the leg of dead body. The game’s sound effects are ingenious, rendered to make you feel like an insect. Human footsteps send loud booming tremors and venomous spiders hiss fiercely.

Deadly Creatures would have been a great game if not for one fatal flaw. The game suffers from being abysmally short. Consisting of only 10 short chapters, I was able to finish the game within 4 hours and most will be able to do so in far less than 10 hours. The only replayability is offered by unlockables which aren’t very interesting and the game is largely the same the second round through. If not for its length, Deadly Creatures would have been a must buy. - Aaron Khoo

DEADLY CREATURESGENRE ACTION -- PUBLISHER THQ -- DEVELOPER RAINBOW STUDIOS -- PLAYERS 1

REVIEWS DEADLY CREATURES

IT AIN’T A BUG’S LIFE

A CAST OF TWOVERDICT

7.5 GOODSweet but Short.

DEA

DLY

CR

EATU

RES

“watching the Scorpion jab itS Stinger Straight into the mouth of a lizard iS aS aweSome aS it SoundS.”


eXcluSiVelY on

graphicS 8

Sound 8

gameplaY 7.5

replaY Value 4

The Tyranids are the newcomers to the Dawn Of War franchise. Their only goal is to consume all life. Tyranid strategy involves swarming the enemy with hordes of mindless, lesser creatures

supported by larger, more intelligent synapse creatures that provide passive bonuses. The combination of these allow for some intricate strategies that make the Tyranids a blast to play.

nnovation in gaming has always been a point of contention. Some gamers enjoy experiencing new gameplay, others prefer to stick by the old idiom “if

it ain’t broke don’t fix it”. Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War 2 decides to follow the prior, bringing a whole lot of change to the genre that you’ll either love or hate upon first impression.

One of the most recognizable and controversial changes in DoW 2 is the removal of base building. Many complain that it removes a layer of strategic depth but when you think about it, was there anything strategic about memorizing a set build order? The omission of traditional base building allows you to focus on the battlefield where all the action is. Meaning, more time is spent micromanaging your squads and making tactical decisions rather than deciding where to place your power-plants.

Another big change is in the main game mode for ranked play. While most traditional RTS games force you to destroy your opponent’s base to win, this isn’t the case in DoW 2. Instead, you’ll have to capture and hold key victory points for a set amount of time. This makes battles infinitely more dynamic and intense as players are forced to move around the

map fighting for key locations instead of just holing up in their base.

Target priority, flanking, cover and a myriad of other tactical decisions become more accessible and important than ever in DoW 2 since you can focus entirely on your army. Every unit is carefully tailored to a certain task, so you’ll have to direct them in unison to maximize their strengths. Master this and you’ll find yourself coordinating a symphony of death. Pulling of an organized tactical assault in DoW 2 leaves you with a warm fuzzy feeling that is part of what makes the game so great.

DoW 2’s single player campaign is another massive departure from the traditional RTS. There is no unit building at all and every squad you control is led by a “hero” that can be upgraded and equipped with a whole range of gear. The customization of equipment and skills offers a RPG-esque element that will have you caring dearly for your tooled-out squads. Missions are short and sweet but at times a little repetitive. Overall though, the change in single player is a welcome enhancement that I hope to see in other games.

Multiplayer is where DoW 2 really shines. Executing calculated tactical manoeuvres becomes infinitely more complex and rewarding against living, breathing human opponents. Each of the game’s four races is unique, catering to a wide range of play styles and strategies. The only thing lacking is a large selection of maps but it’s a paltry issue compared to the solid multiplayer experience.

Graphically and aurally, DoW 2 is amazing, period. No other RTS comes close to looking as good. Squads are chock-full of details that stand up incredibly well to proximate scrutiny and environments bristle with life. The din of battle and accompanying music provide a strong, powerful atmosphere that accentuates the chaos of war.

I said at the start that you’d either love or hate DoW 2 on your first impression but that’s not all there is to it. As you continue playing and become accustomed to its changes, many who hated it on first impression will begin to see the brilliant masterpiece that is Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War 2. - Aaron Khoo

GENRE REAL-TIME-STRATEGY -- PUBLISHER THQ -- DEVELOPER RELIC ENTERTAINMENT -- PLAYERS 1-6

REVIEWS DAWN OF WAR II

WAR LIKE YOU’VE NEVER EXPERIENCED IT

INVASION OF THE SWARMVERDICT

9.5 GREATThe new benchmark for The rTS genre.

DAW

N O

F W

AR

II

“Dawn of war 2 DeciDeS To bring a whole loT of change To The genre ThaT you’ll eiTher love or haTe upon firST impreSSion.”

eXcluSively on

graphicS 9.5

SounD 9

gameplay 9.5

replay value 10

WARHAMMER 40,000:DAWN OF WAR II


tools to help locate items and corpses to help you scrounge and salvage. You can also move the camera to almost any perspective and zoom in and out at will.

If you love gritty, realistic World War II real time strategy games that will test your skill in tactics, Men Of War is the game for you. - Marcus “Swordplay” Soh

GENRE ACTION-ADVENTURE -- PUBLISHER GAIJIN ENTERTAINMENT -- DEVELOPER SOUTHPEAK INTERACTIVE -- PLAYERS 1

VERDICT

6.5 DECENTKeep your pants on.

GrapHICs 7

sounD 6

GaMepLay 6

repLay VaLue 5

“CLaD In a reVeaLInG bIKInI top anD tHe worLD’s Most reVeaLInG pants, ayuMI HeaDs out In searCH of two powerfuL anCIent reLICs.”

aVaILabLe onX-BLADESSAVE THE WORLD BOTTOMLESS

real time strategy game set in Europe and North Africa during World War II, Men Of War (MoW) is the third game in a series of

real-time strategy games after Soldiers: Heroes Of World War II and Faces Of War.

Unlike most other real-time strategy games which focuses on base-building, resource-collecting or the building of units from structures, MoW focuses more on your men, resources, your tactics and the ability to juggle them all at the same time.

MoW attempts to be semi-realistic in that everything, from guns, explosives, stamina and fuel are not unlimited. Each of your soldiers has an inventory which must be filled by scrounging for ammo and equipment on the battlefield. Run out of

ammo and your soldiers are pretty much useless. Soldiers also have stamina, allowing them to sprint only short distances before needing rest. In the same way, vehicles require ammo and fuel to function, run out of fuel and you are basically a sitting duck. You have an incredible level of control over your soldiers and vehicles, from being able to change their stance, to allowing them to move to cover on their own and also their rules of engagement. There is even a feature where you can take direct control of a single unit, allowing you greater control in aiming or movement when engaging enemies.

The graphics are really good and it is quite easy to get lost in all the detail and chaos happening on the battlefield. Fortunately, there are some easy overlay

Combat is tedious and Ayumi doesn’t move as fluidly as you would like. Visuals are forgettable and audio is generic. It’s hard to recommend it unless you’re really hard up for some hack-and-slash action. - Aaron Khoo

he developers of X-Blades are clearly believers of the age-old adage “sex sells”. In X-Blades, you play as Ayumi who would be

just another forgettable female treasure-seeker if not for her outfit or rather near lack thereof. Clad in a revealing bikini top and the world’s most revealing pants, Ayumi heads out in search of two powerful ancient relics.

Predictably, you’ll be forced to do battle with an army of foes who stand in your way. X-Blades is a hack-and-slash game at its heart, so you’ll find yourself constantly hacking your way through the many fights Ayumi encounters during her journey. Ayumi comes equipped with a pair of gun-blades as well as several magic powers that can be unlocked throughout the game. Most of the combat involves repeatedly mashing the attack button to pull off strings of combos. You will hardly be challenged to do more than this.

Once in a while, you’ll use one her magic abilities which can be mapped to four buttons which seems to be enough, but later on you’ll have way more abilities than button slots. Some enemies are vulnerable to certain types of magic, so you’ll often find yourself swapping out different spells to counter various enemies. Unfortunately, swapping out spells is a cumbersome process that involves pausing the game.

X-Blades is a pretty decent-looking game but the stages and enemies aren’t very exciting or interesting. Add to that the limited selection of both and X-Blades becomes a rather bland event. Probably the only thing that stands out graphically is Ayumi’s provocative attire.

All in all, X-Blades is a painfully-average hack-and-slash game that lacks a certain polish.

GENRE REAL-TIME STRATEGY -- PUBLISHER 1C PUBLISHING -- DEVELOPER BEST WAY -- PLAYERS 1 (16 MULTIPLAYER)

REVIEWS MEN OF WAR

VERDICT

7.5 GOODGrItty anD reaLIstIC wwII reaL tIMe taCtICs GaMe.

“Mow atteMpts to be seMI-reaLIstIC In tHat eVerytHInG, froM Guns, expLosIVes, staMIna anD fueL are not unLIMIteD.”


exCLusIVeLy on

GrapHICs 8

sounD 7

GaMepLay 8

repLay VaLue 7

REVIEWS X-BLADES

MEN OF WARWAR NEVER CHANGES...

DIY MANUALTHE ULTIMATE MONEY-ON-THE-BANK GAMING RIG

hese days, with the economic downturn and all, one simply can’t just buy a computer off the rack without getting the best value for

money. Especially with so many parts available on the market now, it can be quite difficult to know how to stretch your dollar.

That’s where we come in.

Knowing full well just how far a budget often needs to stretch, we’ve decided to create a little guide on how to build a computer that has the power to run the latest games and applications with ease.

Oh, and before we forget: this is a machine that will cost less than S$2000.


GADGETS & GEAR BUILDING A PC

Now, let’s focus on the four most important pieces of a gaming rig: the motherboard, processor, RAM and graphics processing unit (GPU). As many of you would know, these pieces would form the backbone of your latest computer, and these are definitely the parts that one must be careful buying.

To begin, we chose to base our computer on the AMD 790GX motherboard; one built for gaming that is more than ready to handle any overclocking or multi-GPU usage that users may want to tinker with.

We then chose to go with a Phenom 2GHz Quad-Core processor, the 9350e, which would be more than ready to handle any grueling calculation that applications may require. Trust us when we say that it’s more than enough.

Of course, we can’t forget our GPU. To this end, we chose to power our computer with the ATI Radeon 4870 (512mb) video card. A giant red hulk of a card, it not only looks impressive, but is capable of delivering excellent framerates for games like Crysis and Call of Duty 4.

Ah, but what good would these parts be without RAM? Well, not much. However, while the AMD 790GX shows support for 8GB of RAM, one need not go overboard. 4GB of RAM will suffice, and the trick is getting good value for money. To this end, we decided to purchase two sets of Kingston 2GB (2x2) RAM sticks, which provide more than enough memory for any games. You could go with cheaper memory, but it won’t perform quite as well.

Oh, and before we forget: you’re going to need a lot of power to run this system! Knowing this, we chose to power our computer with the ASUS U-65GA 650W power supply. It should provide more than enough electricity for the computer and should still be enough to take advantage of ATI’s Crossfire and for us to add an extra GPU in the future.

As for storage, we went with a 320GB SATA drive from Western Digital, which should provide more than enough space for games, videos and everything else. If this is not enough, one could always go for a 500GB hard disk or even a second hard drive, seeing as they’re quite cheap.

The DVD drive was the easiest to choose out of all these parts. This is mainly due to the fact that almost all DVD writers can now be bought for less than S$50, and users can choose with what brand makes them feel most comfortable. For us, we decided to go with the LG GH22NS40 (22x) drive, which has served its purpose well.

Now that the interior has been taken care of, let’s talk about its casing. There are many cases out there, and prices can range from anywhere between S$50 to almost S$300. To house our wonderful beast, we decided to go with the Cooler Master RC-333 case. Coming in a grey and black finish with a side window, the RC-333 is an unbelievable steal at $59, and is able to accommodate all your needs, including very large third party processor fans that some users may opt to buy.

Now, these goodies wouldn’t be much fun if we didn’t have a screen to view our games on. Fortunately, there are many good LCD monitors available out there. We decided to go with the Samsung SyncMaster 2033SW wide 20-inch LCD monitor (with a native resolution of 1600x900), and to be honest, we haven’t been disappointed yet. However, as we said, there are many choices out there, and one would be spoiled for choice when it comes to hi-quality, affordable monitors.

We hope this little guide helps you in your quest for a great gaming rig!

Oh, and if you’re not good with machinery… just remember that you can simply pick out the parts at a number of stores (such as those found in Sim Lim Square), and they can do the assembly for you.

Good Luck!- Carlos Reyes Coloma

Phenom X4 9350e 2GHz Processor - ~S$ 259.50 (USD173)

AMD 790GX Motherboard Chipset - From S$150

ATI Radeon 4870 (512mb) video card - From S$339

Kingston 4GB RAM - S$102

Western Digital 320GB Hard Drive - S$75

LG (22X +/-) DVD Writer - S$36

Cooler Master RC-333 Casing - S$59

Samsung SyncMaster 2033SW Monitor - S$228

ASUS U-65GA 650W Power Supply - S$179

Xigmatek Red Scorpion RS-S1283 Processor Cooler- S$69

CREATIVE SoundBlaster X-Fi Xtreme Audio- S$119

Razer Copperhead Gaming Mouse- From S$99

Razer Tarantula Gaming Keyboard- From S$170

Total cost for Core System - S$1,427.50

PARTS TO THE PUZZLE

SYSTEM COSTS - CORE PARTS

Since you’ve got the whole setup going, why not splurge on the cash to add onto your Ultimate Rig? We do like spiffy-looking well-designed accessories, and these did the trick by our books.


GADGETS & GEAR BUILDING A PC

ho watches the Watchmen? Most people would, apparently. One person for sure that wouldn’t would be Alan

Moore himself because he has long-ago made it official that he’s against any and all adaptations of his comics. Actually, he’s against comic-to-movie adaptations in general. He even bashed Zack Snyder’s brilliant adaptation of Frank Miller’s 300. Well, Moore can blame 300 because it was that film that impressed the studio and that was how Zack Snyder was approached to direct this long-delayed adaptation of arguably the most prestigious comic book in history.

The film is getting quite some hype and those who haven’t read the 12-issue comic are also getting on the bandwagon. We hear that Zack Snyder made the film to be as faithful to the comic as possible, so those people who haven’t read the comic and are expecting your typical superhero movie with a lot of big explosions, well, they might get a tad disappointed. Sure, there are some explosions in the story (and one big mother of an explosion you wouldn’t want to miss) but Watchmen is a different kind of a superhero story.

We won’t spoil it for you but here’s what the story is about. Set in 1985, the story is about a group of superheroes (some retired, some working for the government, some still being vigilantes) being killed off one by one. All this is happening while the whole world is on the brink of another world war with the United States and the Soviet Union tensing up. And to add more to all this drama, there’s something

else bigger and more threatening to the world being cooked up and it’s up to our heroes to figure it out before it’s too late.

This adaptation had been in development hell since before Singapore was found and had been through a lot of hands like this certain young lady that I know. The casting for the various characters had gone through several changes with big names like Jude Law and Keanu “Whoa” Reeves attached. Well, the final casting turned out to be more low-key with no big name dominating. We’re not quite sure with the slightly young (compared to the characters’ age and status) cast but we believe Snyder knows what he’s doing.

One worrying thing for fans of the comic is that the film’s previous scripts changed quite a few things, including the ending and though Snyder’s keeping it really faithful to the comic, we heard that the ending is different. Gasp! Okay, don’t you all start hyperventilating… yet.

Whatever it may be, by the time you’re reading this, the movie would have opened already. And fans would have found out whether the film does the comic book justice. One thing’s for sure, Alan Moore would still hate movie-adaptations of his comics and Adam would still look weird. (What does that have to do with anything? – Ed). - Luisa Lai

GENRE ActionDIRECTOR Zack SnyderCAST Jackie Earl Haley, Patrick Wilson, Billy Crudup, Jeffery Dean Morgan, Matthew Goode, Malin AkermanRELEASE DATE Out NowDISTRIBUTOR United International Pictures

MOVIE STATS


WATCHMENWHO WATCHES THEM?

“there are some explosions in the story (and one big mother of an explosion you wouldn’t want to miss) but watchmen is a different kind of a superhero story.”

MOVIE FEATURE WATCHMEN

No, not really. Not yet anyway. In the comic book, there was a comic inside the comic where one of the side characters was reading a comic book called Tales Of The Black Freighter and the whole story was fleshed out. It’s already a daunting task to compress the entire comic into a movie so Snyder decided to do an animated version of Tales Of the Black Freighter with the voice talent of none other than Gerard “King Leonidas” Butler. That, along with a pseudo documentary called Under The Hood, which was an essay in the comics, will be released on DVD and Blu-Ray. And here’s the best news, an extended version of the film with Tales Of The Black Freighter interspersed through the main story is reportedly coming.

MOVIES IN A MOVIE?

GENRE Animation/AdventureDIRECTOR Sam Fell, Robert StevenhagenCAST Matthew Broderick, Emma Watson, Dustin Hoffman, Sigourney WeaverRELEASE DATE 12th MarchDISTRIBUTOR United International Picture

GENRE Action/AdventureDIRECTOR James WongCAST Justin Chatwin, James Marsters, Chow Yun-FatRELEASE DATE 13th MarchDISTRIBUTOR 20th Century Fox

GENRE ComedyDIRECTOR Kyle NewmanCAST Sam Huntington, Chris Marquette, Dan Fogler, Jay BaruchelRELEASE DATE 19th MarchDISTRIBUTOR Golden Village

GENRE AdventureDIRECTOR Andy FickmanCAST Dwayne Johnson, Carla Gugino, AnnaSophia Robb, Alexander LudwigRELEASE DATE 12th MarchDISTRIBUTOR Buena Vista


MOVIE PREVIEWS

KAME-HAME-WHITE?

Based on the Newbery Medal-winning children’s book by author Kate DiCamillo, this here is another animated film by another company that is trying to dethrone the mighty Pixar. Well, it ain’t going to be easy. This was released in the states back in December of last year and only now, it’s making its way here.

The story is about a little mouse named Despereaux (voiced by Matthew Broderick) who is born with

For most of us, Dragonball was one of the first mangas and animes that planted a craze inside our heads. Most of us still remember the time when Goku died, saving the world in Dragonball Z. And of course, the almost-universal sound of a Kamehameha was epic in our playgrounds back then. Since then, the animes and mangas have released so many episodes and volumes and there were a few animated films and countless video games. There was

FANBOYSTHE FORCE IS STRONG, OH YEAH

This comedy film has a long history of development. It is set in 1998 where a bunch of Star Wars fans are waiting for Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace. But one of them is suffering from caner and wishes to see the film before he dies. So, the four friends decide to break into George Lucas’ Skywalker Ranch and steal the early print of the film to watch. They travel across the country and various wacky things happen like running into William Shatner (The Shat!).

RUN, ROCKY, RUN!

There’s no doubt that Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is the most successful actor who has crossed over from professional wrestling. He’s not only done roles as the typical action hero, he’s done comedies and even serious dramas, and he’s pulled it all off brilliantly with his charisma. And women go ga-ga over him.

This here is his new film, again for Walt Disney, and it’s apparently a remake of a 1975 film called Escape

huge ears. But that’s not all that is peculiar about him. He happens to not fear most mice fear, like cats or humans. And so goes his big adventure when he even tries to befriend a human princess (voiced by Emma Watson). As with most animated features these days, the film has a lot of star power on its voice actors, like Sigourney Weaver as the narrator, Dustin Hoffman as the rat, Kevin Kline as a human chef, and more.

even a life-action film done some time back.

Now, the film is getting the Hollywood treatment. Our gripe is that the protagonist Goku will be played by a Caucasian, Justin Chatwin. You may remember him as Tom Cruise’s son in War Of The Worlds. There are a few big names like Chow Yun-Fat and James “Spike” Marsters involved. The film is helmed by James Wong and one of the producers is Stephen Chow.

The development story was that the film was shot and shown to a few people and was given positive feedbacks from Star Wars fan/film director Kevin Smith and even George Lucas himself. But a later cut of the film took out the cancer plot but after some fans who have seen the early cut started protesting, the cancer plot was restored in the final cut.

To Witch Mountain, which itself is based on a 1968 novel by Alexander Key. The Rock plays a Las Vegas cab driver who comes across a discredited astrophysicist (played by Carla Gugino) and a pair of orphans (AnnaSphia Robb and Alexander Ludwig) who apparently are paranormal little beings. And they’re all being chased by some baddies and they have to, you’ve guessed it, race to Witch Mountain.

Looks like it’ll be a fun family-friendly adventure.

Funny guy Seth Rogan has been pretty busy and doing pretty well for himself since making his mark in The 40-Year-Old Virgin. He has since written and starred in good films, especially recently seen in Kevin Smith’s touching comedy Zack & Miri Make A Porno. This new film is about a bi-polar mall security guard who starts acting out when a flasher started harassing customers, especially when a hot girl he’s been eyeing on becomes one of the victims. There seems to be some slightly disturbing underlying tone but it should be a funny film. And the side characters look to steal the show.

TRAILER OF THE MONTH OBSERVE AND REPORT

DRAGONBALLEVOLUTION

RACE TO WITCHMOUNTAIN

THE TALE OFDESPEREAUXMIGHTY MOUSE

RANDOM GREAT DVD

GENRE Drama/ComedyDIRECTOR VariousCAST Johnny Lee Miller, Natasha Henstridge, Loretta DevineRATING M18DISTRIBUTOR Scorpio East

GENRE Drama/ComedyDIRECTOR Bharat NalluriCAST Frances McDormand, Amy Adams, Ciaran HindsRATING PGDISTRIBUTOR Alliance

GENRE ComedyDIRECTOR Roger KumbleCAST Martin Lawrence, Raven-Symone, Donny OsmondRATING PGDISTRIBUTOR Scorpio East

GENRE ComedyDIRECTOR Adam RifkinCAST Edward Furlong, Sam Huntington, Giuseppe Andrews, James DeBelloYEAR 1999

GENRE HorrorDIRECTOR Alexandre AjaCAST Kiefer Sutherland, Paula Patton, Amy SmartRATING M18DISTRIBUTOR Alliance


MOVIE DVDS

MIRROR, MIRROR ON THE WALLMIRRORS

Ah, good ol’ Kiefer Sutherland. These days, he’s more known as Jack Bauer rather than his real name. All you 24-loving people, you. For some of us, we know him as the face of The Lost Boys, as David, the uber-cool leader of the vampires. He recently lent his voice for Call of Duty: World At War as Sgt. Roebuck. This here is a horror film that he starred in last year. The film is supposedly based on a Korean movie titled Into The Mirror but there are a few arguments regarding this accusation.

In the film, Bauer, I mean, Sutherland, plays a suspended undercover police detective who goes for his first day on the job as a

ELI STONE (SEASON 1)

Imagine having an inoperable brain aneurysm. The good news is, it’s not killing you, yet. The bad news is, or the better news if you will, the aneurysm is giving you weird hallucinations, like seeing a fire-breathing dragon out of your office window. That’s the story with Eli Stone (Johnny Lee Miller) but when some of his hallucinations turn out to be predictions for the future, things get intriguing and complicated. Might he be more than just a victim of a disease? Like say, a modern prophet? The episodes are funny, quirky and has a lot of George Michael references (he even guest-stars in a few episodes).

night security guard. The place he’s working at is an old department store that has been burned down and closed down for nearly a decade. Of course, weird things start to happen. We also find out that the department store used to be a psychiatric hospital and there was a mass killing before it closed down. No wonder the place is creeper. So, our dear protagonist runs into freaky things and tries to figure out a way to not just keep his job but also his life.

Ah, a period piece that’s not necessarily depressing or boring. This is the story about Guinevere Pettigrew (Frances McDormand), a down-and-out governess from London who somehow runs into the world of high society through an American singer/actress Delysia Lafosse (Amy Adams). Miss Pettigrew finds out that Delysia is involved with three men and tries to help her out while she herself (after a makeover by Delysia) become involved with a lingerie designer Joe Blomfield (Ciaran Hinds). It’s a little feel-good film and Frances McDormand’s lively performance is thoroughly entertaining. Amy Adams is also gorgeous and fits her role rather well.

Martin Lawrence’s films are entertaining, especially his older ones like Blue Streak and the really touching Nothing To Lose, not to mention the Bad Boys movies. But this here is a Disney flick, and he’s starring next to Raven-Symone from That’s So Raven. Argh, don’t like her much. Her smile’s too big. Anyway, the film is about Melanie Porter (Raven-Symone) who goes on a college road trip with her dad (Martin Lawrence) along with Melanie’s friends. They get into all sorts of mishaps before they eventually arrive at their destination. It’s just a formulaic family flick. But Donny Osmond got a role in it. Can’t be that bad.

DETRIOT ROCK CITY

After surviving through the family-friendly College Road Trip, you need something not so –family-friendly, like this great road trip film from 1999. My, that was ten years ago. Based on a song by the rock band KISS, this film, set in 1978, is about a bunch of young guys from KISS cover band in Cleveland making their way down to Detroit to see their idols in concert. Of course, as usual, they get into all sorts of mishaps and learn more about themselves and about growing up along the way. It’s a true rock ‘n’ roll film and real rocking road trip. No PG here!

MISS PETTIGREW COLLEGE ROAD TRIPLIVES FOR A DAY

MUSIC ROCK BYTES


People know Pearl Jam, right? Some slightly older people know them for Jeremy, Evenflow and perhaps even Daughter and some slightly younger people (or kids) know them for Last Kiss (which, even though very touching, was not their own song and was overly covered by bar bands all over the world). But real fans know them for Black, Better Man, Given To Fly, Yellow Ledbetter and as arguably the greatest long-standing rock band in the world.

Pearl Jam came into the public’s eye way back in 1991 (just close to two decades ago) with their debut album Ten. Since then, they have been releasing records over the years and refusing to burn out or fade away like most of their contemporaries from back in the day. Their longevity is one of the reasons why they’re considered as one of the best of all time.

No, I’m not doing a feature on them because they have a new album coming out. (They do have one but they’re still working on it and we can probably expect it sometime later this year). No, the reason for this feature is that the band’s reissuing Ten, their debut album this month.

What’s so special about the re-release? Well, it’s going to be released in four editions. There will be extras in them and they come in the form of such goodies like a remastered and remix of the whole album by producer extraordinaire Brendan O’Brien, six bonus tracks (Brother, Just A Girl, State Of Love And Trust, Breath And A Scream, 2,000 Mile Blues and Evil Little Goat), re-designed packaging, a DVD of their 1992 MTV Unplugged appearance, an LP of their 1992 gig ay Magnuson Park in Seattle, a replica of the original Mamasan demo cassette (read up on the story online) and a replica of frontman Eddie Vedder’s composition notebook.

That’s a whole lot of goodies. And the good news is that this is the first of the planned re-release of the band’s entire catalogue to lead up to the band’s 20th anniversary in 2011.

But even if there aren’t any new goodies, if you’re a fan of good, no, great rock music and haven’t heard Ten before, you really need to go get a copy. From the hits like Even Flow and Jeremy to fan favourites Black and the epic Alive, this is a classic album in all sense of the term. Heck, it’s better than Nevermind.

PEARL JAM

RAPHAEL SAADIQ - THE WAY I SEE ITI hate most of today’s hip-hop and R&B music. Why? Because of the lyrics. It’s all about women shaking their tushies and men showing off how big their bling is. Call me old-fashioned or just plain old, but I like my music with a touch of decency. And to my pleasant surprise, Raphael Saadiq (former singer or Tony! Toni! Tone`!) has released a very classy album that goes back to the good ol’ days of Motown Gold. You young kids need to try this.

VIDEO OF THE MONTH

BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN - WORKING ON A DREAMThe Boss is back! He got snubbed for the Oscars for his song The Wrestler from the film of the same name starring Mickey Rourke (though he won a Golden Globe for the track), but he seems happier with life these days (perhaps Obama winning the election might have something to do with it) and this new album is chock-full of optimistic tracks. From the first single My Lucky Day to the political title track, you get happy Brucie. And all is well.

A.R. RAHMAN - SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE (OST)A.R. Rahman has been a legend in Bollywood for a long, long time now but with the soundtrack for Danny Boyle’s brilliant film, he’s taken on the world’s stage. The reason I love Rahman’s music is that though it has that Bollywood/Indian flavor, it also incorporates a lot of other genres and his melodies have that somewhat New Age feel. Though most of the tracks are not in English, you can definitely feel the emotions. Great stuff.

GLASVEGAS - GLASVEGASThis new band from, you’ve guessed it, Glasgow has been making waves in their native Scotland and the UK with their debut self-titled album. Their brand of melodic European rock is catchy and all but I have some issues. Namely, frontman James Allan sings in a really thick Scottish accent… and he looks uncannily like funny man Ricky Gervais, albeit a thinner version, especially with his trademark sunglasses. Yeah, I’m mean.

JEFF BUCKLEY - EVERYBODY HERE WANTS YOUI’m a fan of Jeff Buckley but I have to shamefully admit that only recently have I come across this official music video for this lovely little number from his second, unfinished studio album Sketches For My Sweetheart The Drunk. The track is very lounge-y and the lyrics are deep and sensual. But the video is quite well-done with some old footage of Buckley being used rather nicely inside the story of the video. We miss you Jeff.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4DwhPufaAzs

MARILYN MANSON - MECHANICAL ANIMALSMarilyn Manson, love him or hate him, is one heck of an artist and he knows what he’s doing. From cock-rocker to shock-rocker to cyberpunk-androgynous… thing to vaudeville-ringmaster to emo-vampire, he’s been doing his own thing. Personally, I think his 1998 album Mechanical Animals is his best work with many great tracks like Great Big White World, Speed Of Pain, The Last Day On Earth, I Don’t Like The Drugs (But The Drugs Like Me) and the rather over-used (back then on MTV) Rock Is Dead.

RANDOM GREAT CD

- By Adam Tun-Aung

BACK TO TEN

FEAT

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THE INK ZONE

What you might call a “legacy hero”, DC Comics’ mantle of the Scarlet Speedster have been taken up by 4 different men since Jay Garrick’s (the original Flash) 1st appearance in Flash Comics #1 in 1940.

Here’s the quick rundown; Garrick is currently a member of the Justice Society of America. Barry Allen the 2nd Flash, caught up in 1956 and garnered his own 1990s live-action TV series starring John Wesley Shipp. His nephew-sidekick, Wally West, took up the mantle when Barry died saving the universe but don’t worry, he’s slated to return this year in The Flash: Rebirth. Wally’s the guy you’ve been watching in the Justice League Unlimited animated series and currently in the comics. Barry’s grandson from the future (it’s complicated) Bart Allen, became the 4th Flash when Wally disappeared for a year. In addition, many heroes will also join in the dash to take up the name in the far-flung future.

While Flash producer, Chuck Roven, would not confirm which secret identity was in the running for the 2010 film, he did mention that growing up, he was always a huge fan of Flashes 1 through 3 and is excited to have the opportunity to try and see if he could actually translate those characters to the screen. The sciences of Relativity and Physics are also going to be explored in the movie. Casting has been unconfirmed with Ryan Rynolds and Adam Brody in the running so far.



With those very words, Prince Adam of Eternia became He-Man; The most powerful man in the universe and heralds in one of the most iconic animated series/toy franchises in the ‘80s created by Mattel, Masters Of The Universe (MOTU). Aside from various toylines, animated series and comics published by Marvel and Image, Dolph Lundgren picked up the power sword at the peak of its popularity in a 1987 live-action movie which also starred a young Courtney Cox. The franchise is honestly that popular that it even spun out to include the female demograph with She-Ra, He-Man’s sister, who got her own toyline and animated series too!

He-fans around the world may have grown up with extremely fond memories of the heroic brawny warrior who lives on Eternia (a planet where sword and sorcery co-exists with futuristic technology) and defends the mysterious secrets of Castle Greyskull from falling into the evil forces of Skeletor. In 2002, a new animated series which further explored the world and made the original mythos more cohesive, garnered a new generation of fans and attracted members of the old guard (now with added spending power!) back into Mattel’s fold. Guilty as charged. If anyone out there has a complete Battlecat in good condition, kindly write in. PLEASE!

Right now, you can also get your hands on an even newer toyline called MOTU Classics which was just released last month. Sculpted

by The Four Horsemen, who designed the 2002 resurgence, the Classics line offers a modern take on the original toys just the way you remember them. And there’s even more good news! The buzz was out since the late ‘90s that MOTU was getting a possible movie with John Woo attached but just recently, Warner Bros. and producer Joel Silver have set John Stevenson (Kung Fu Panda) to make his live-action directing debut on a new Masters film! Silver is producing through his Silver Pictures and Mattel’s Barry Waldo will be executive producer. WB acquired the property in 2007, and Justin Marks wrote the first draft of the script based on a story he wrote with Neil Ellice. Stevenson said he made up his mind when he went to Mattel headquarters and was shown into a secret lair that contained the visuals created by the toymaker staff.

“There was this locked bunker that you had to be escorted into,” Stevenson said. “It was filled with art, some generated by the Mattel artists, and I looked around, and said, ‘I get it.’ We started formulating a specific vision for costumes, creatures, architecture, and the creation of a mythology and look for a whole world we’ll create.”

I hope the M.A.S.K. and Silverhawks guys are paying attention.

MTV News has confirmed with Brian Michael Bendis, currently one of the primary architects of the Marvel universe and writer of probably almost every Marvel comic you pick up, that an upcoming television adaptation of Powers will be piloted for FX Network.

First published in 2000, Powers is a comic book series created by Bendis and Michael Avon Oeming that explores a superhero-populated world via the conventions of police procedural drama. “Powers is in active development as a pilot at FX,” Bendis told MTV. “I just handed in a draft to the network and we’re getting our notes from the network as soon as this thing is over. So next week I’ll get the notes, and as long as they don’t involve sock puppets and some sort of orgy scene that I’m not interested in, then hopefully it will go in the right direction.”

Bendis went on to describe some of the trials and tribulations of bringing the series, which began as an independently published project

and was eventually brought under Marvel’s publishing imprint Icon, to the small screen. Powers was optioned as a feature film in 2001, but the project never came to fruition. “When we first sold it as a feature, we were lucky to get it optioned right away by Sony,” said Bendis. “We had to sit through waves of screenplays that were just inappropriate for the product, and for fans of the book. There were whole drafts of the screenplay without Deena Pilgrim (one of the series’ two main characters) in them. They’d hand me the screenplay and go, “What’s wrong with this?” and I’d go “He has no one to talk to!”

Sounds like Bendis’ the man with the plan. With any luck, this could be one of the better adaptations coming your way soon.

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February was a month that was a tad too short and a tad too hectic with us recovering from the fallout of the Chinese New Year holidays and surviving through Valentine’s Day and of course, working on our magazine deadlines. Then of course, we took a handful of wacky pictures over the month. Enjoy.

Irem is still kicking around, and its elaborate April Fools jokes often revolve around creating silly nods to its major series. Instances include R-Type candy (comes in three flavors, Standard, Tentacle, and Anchor!), cars (again regular, sports or convertible) and even a phony game console called the EXIDNA.

SENSE OF HUMOUR

SUPE

R R

-TY

PE

RETRO FLASHBACK SUPER R-TYPE

“Super r-Type made Sure you goT your money’S worTh by being ridiculouSly difficulT.”


he villainous Bydo Empire is attacking with its aliens, mutagents and world-consuming ways. The Force is the only capable thing

to stop them. No, not that Force. The Force, a little orb of power that your R-Type fighter picks up along the way to killing everything.

R-Type is a classic side-scrolling shooter, with the deceivingly simple premise of shooting everything that shows up as you head to the boss. Super R-Type, however, like many other “Super whatever” titles of the time, made sure you got your money’s worth by being ridiculously difficult.

Difficult how? For starters, hit detection was often wonky, so while you could sometimes just scrape past a bullet, explosions that shouldn’t have hit you often do. That’d be fine, but the game also features a lack of checkpoints and doesn’t simply shoot out another fighter at the spot you died.

No, you restart the level from the beginning, with your fighter back to square one and looking for aforementioned orb of The Force.

The Force is the great gimmick of the game. Once you blow up a powerup alien ship and pick it up, it’ll stick to either the front or back side of the ship. From there, you can hit a button to send it with smashing force in the same direction, where it’ll slowly make its way back to you firing bullets.

Careful management of when to fire off The Force and when to hang on to it for increased firepower becomes critical to winning the game, as its indestructible nature allows you to use it as a shield in narrow corridors as well.

In fact, several bosses’ weak spots were based off intentional usage of The Force. Stage one’s boss

(!), for instance, was a sphere with its vulnerable spot in the middle. Impossible to hit with regular bullets, you had to send the Force smashing into it.

You could also charge up the beam to two different levels, resulting in a spread shot, or a penetrating blast.

Part of the anger/difficulty of the game also stems from its regular slowdowns. Like many third-party games for the Super Nintendo’s early life, developers weren’t able to write proper codes that could handle large amounts of things happening on screen at once.

Since the game regularly threw large numbers of enemies and bullets your way (just barely pushing the differential limits of shooters and bullet-hell genres), the game slowed to a virtual crawl. Whether intentional or not, this allowed Irem to ramp up the difficulty, already infamous in its series, to new heights.

Masters of the game like our resident German Marcus, utilized this slowdown to carefully dodge bullets and throw out The Force. But once things begin to disappear, the game speeds up again, which means lightning quick reflexes are required to prevent yourself from overcompensating the lag and slamming into a hazard.

Super R-Type is essentially a port of parts of R-Type 1 and 2, the former also being available on the Virtual Console. If you’re wondering whether to plonk down the 800 Wii points on it, R-Type III is also on the system, and works a hell lot better. Of course, if you crave old school danger and like the idea of using slowdowns to get your way, here’s your chance. - Neubronner Eugene

VITAL STATSreleaSed 1991

plaTform SneS/ wii Virtual console

genre ShooTer

deVeloper irem

playerS Single

noTe: we Know ThaT Some of TheSe imageS are noT from Super r-Type, buT ThiS iS whaT we had To worK wiTh. cheerS ;)

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