We start off this month with the new budget range of titles soon to be released on the PS2. Whilst many of these low-priced lines feature games well past their sell-by-date, this is a truly inspiring move. Although only two titles have been confirmed at present, the series is aimed at the younger gamers. But judging by the quality of the games it could suck in a few adult gamers too.
First up on the catwalk is Seek and Destroy. Here players select a war machine from over 100 tanks modelled on real vehicles of the dark ends of the world. Having clambered in you and three friends (though unconfirmed it is highly likely the games will be four player) wreck havoc in a city.
Buildings collapse and tanks explode as these cool machines go about their business. Just watching the early footage made me cringe with excitement proving we don't all need involving story lines, hi-tech gizmos and the latest footy kit to be having fun.
Seek and Destroy is an interesting mix of RPG elements combined with a great combat engine. Add to that the ability to personalise your tank and it's a great reason to fork out for a multitap.
Next on the list is the cute and quirky Road Trip. Based on past titles such as Penny Racers, this is a localised version of the Japanese Koraku series. Featuring super-deformed and talking cars with bizarre handling physics set to drive Gran Turismo fans round the bend. With 100 different quests to complete this is no walk in the park, and once you get into the RPG side of things there's no coming back. You can fully customise your cars with stickers, body shapes and horns to stand out from the crowd.
Above all this is some very entertaining racing that will have you and your mates hollering as you bash each other across the tarmac and cheat at corners on plenty of crazy tracks.
At just £9.99 each these could be bargain of the century and there is no reason why you can't add these to your gaming collection. Gems.
As the football season ends and summer holidays approach we are ready to be showered with sports games, many of them tennis. So when Tennis Masters Series 2003 came knocking at the door I was all geared up for a below-par ball smacking title.
However, as early views suggest this may well be what PS2 tennis fans have been craving for since the disappointing arrival of Virtua Tennis 2. When you see the players on court it immediately looks like a chart topper. Bright surfaces, officials who's heads follow the ball, player shadows and great crowd effects are all here.
As the action kicks off players swing at the ball convincingly and characters dive around trying to keep the yellow blur in play. Doubles matches are a truly remarkable experience as the game gets fast paced and players and falling over themselves to get to the ball. Its early days, but first impressions are very good indeed.
After 16 years of different settings, characters and quests, we are finally, finally getting a sequel to a Final Fantasy game! The title in question is the latest PAL release, FFX.
Two years on since Yuna, Tidus and Co released the world from the clutches of Sin; the eternal calm is in place. The people have since turned away from the religion of Yevon and embraced the once hated Al Bhed and their Machina.
Technology has increased and the world is experiencing the Machina Revolution. The whole place is at peace and the future is bright (and orange!) for everyone. All except pop star Yuna, that is. Despite being the Kylie Minogue-style pop princess, the cute girl from last time is lonely. She is missing Tidus and soon learns that he is being held captive by an un-seen force. It is here that we begin our quest. Determined to find her lost love (sniff, sniff) she rounds up her cousin Rikku and a new lady called Pine to help her battle the underworld and find Tidus.
Progressing through the adventure reveals spheres that slowly uncovers the fate of Tidus, as well as finding new and interesting characters. FFX-2 has a job transformation system nicked from FF tactics. Its here that you select different outfits and powers to give you that edge in the many battles. Choosing between gunners, knights, white mages and dark mages as well as the more exotic gamblers, mascots and pop stars.
Including the best graphics ever (remember that scene when Tidus and Yuna kiss in the pool?) as well as incredible sound effects and involving storyline this is a contender for game of the year. Not forgetting the many mini games and sidequests locked away in there either. Final Fantasy X-2 introduces lots of new elements and features to keep the series fresh and treads on old ground a few times to keep those FFX fans happy.
Out later this month is The Matrix on all formats. This lucky reviewer got some early footage as well as a little play. Following is a preview.
Unlike the bloke in The Matrix, I liked the girl in the red dress. Stuff the matrix, I wanted to know more about her. Remember that you can't be told what it is, you have to see it. And that's why I wanted more of her. 'Where do I find the clitoris?' I cried out, only for a black guy in an apron to step out and start singing about his chocolate salty balls.
ANYWAY, Enter The Matrix is nearly ready for release, and this lucky person has had a sneak preview, as well as an hour of playing it. First impressions bring about the thought of 'The Getaway'. No, I'm not sure either but I'm guessing it's the foggy atmosphere that Sony's blockbuster implemented to hide pop up.
However, as you progress though the game comparisons to Max Payne are inevitable. Not just because of the bullet time effect but the way the scenery is set out and the characters move when fighting, shooting, talking, moving etc. Another good comparison to Hitman 2 wouldn't be sneered at as the characters and scenery do look like they have all been borrowed from the snipe-em-up.
So the first thing we have learnt then is Enter The Matrix is like a combination of some good PS2 titles. Question is (almost as tense as the blue or red pill scene) how well does TM put them together and give us the experience we have all craved since the movie took over our lives?
From the word go the emphasis is on action. Action action action bloody action. The first clip I saw was a woman thundering down a tight corridor at lightning pace. She then ran up the wall and hit a bloke straight in the mush with a roundhouse kick, before rolling through a door beside her victim and blasting away with her pistols. Excuse me while I pull my face from the floor.
The bullet time effect is well at home here (as you'd expect) and is so satisfying kicking someone in the face in slow motion. It can also be used in defence as you swerve to avoid incoming lead and flying fists. Perhaps the most satisfying part of the game though is the fight scenes. Punches and kicks are all timed to perfection and every bout looks convincing. The attention to detail here is immense as foes buckle and strain, as they are sliced 'n' diced by your slow-motion moving limbs. A memorable experience from my preview was a lone girl taking on two agents. After punching one in the face (at which point he fell to the ground in a clump) she beat the shite out the second, with backhands and knees to his mid section. When he decided enough was enough, she ducked under the recovered first thugs drunken swing and took his legs away. As she got up the second thug tried to grab her, so she took his weight and tossed him over her shoulder. Sweet.
Running around levels and during fights produces that over-the-top arm swinging full leg sprint that we all know and love. Best combined with a jump and kick into an opponent with the bullet time button held, of course. Annoyingly, the scenes that link together the action-packed levels are in game-graphics and not cinema-quality shots from the film. So where this keeps the mind focused on the game and not just the cut-scenes it falls at the poorly animated characters attempting to re-create a famous movie plot.
The way enemies react to being fired upon is poorly illustrated too. Rather than sprinting for cover they run up to you. It's as if they have been taught in villain school that the best way to disarm a good-guy is to try and hug him. Yuck. Graphically the game could be better too. It's more of a jammy dodger than bourbon, the biscuit being spruced up Max Payne and the jam Buffy on Xbox.
As movie tie-ins go, this is one that will be successful. It has shed loads of action, varied levels and awesome fight scenes. Gun battles are a sight to behold as you dive around in slow-mo dodging bullets. It's the dodgy computer opponents and less-than-eye watering graphics that at the moment are dragging the game down.
Of course, it doesn't matter if the game is good or not. All the developers had to do was put in a Fighting Force clone with bullet time and the game would have sold millions anyway. But something tells me to keep a close eye on this one, for this could either be game of the year or just another average movie tie-in. stay tuned for the review soon.
I, in the meantime, am off to inspect this lady with the red dress. I suspect that she may be hiding weapons of mass destruction beneath that rather enticing item of clothing she is wearing.
But before I do that (damn!) we move onto the Xbox scene.
News this month has reached Thunderbolt that the highly anticipated cel-shaded FPS XIII is heading to Billy G's machine.
Some footage shot for E3 was leaked out and shows the game in its full beauty. The most outstanding scene is when the character is crouching behind a crate in the darkness and starts to look around with his flashlight. The effects are reminiscent of Halo as the light bends and leaves some areas half-lit. The graphics have a much sharper edge to them than the sub-standard PS2 version, with cel-shaded moths floating around flood lights and explosions looking more real than ever.
Unfortunately we don't know if the gameplay is any good, yet by watching our character throwing knives at baddies and breaking their necks, I am pretty confident that it should work out fine.
By far the biggest news of the month though is The Great Escape is being developed for our beast.Instead of trying to put over in words what it's like, let me explain exactly what I saw, scene from scene. The video shown to journo's was mixed in with the infamous movie to show its close ties.
We start off by watching an animated convoy of trucks working their way up a country road to the tune of TGE. The camera is set looking through the grass in which you can see every blade. Mixed in are poppies and daises with the butterfly (it was in the film!) fluttering across screen. Next the prisoners jump out of the trucks at Stalag Luft and we are shown a clip from the film of Steve McQueen finding the blind spot between the guard towers.
What happens next shocked us all - we see a computer generated Steve McQueen walking towards us with glove and ball in hand, and later see him approaching one of the higher members of the escape committee. The attention to detail really is amazing. The wooden panels on the huts look real, as do the locks on the doors and the brick pillars holding the huts above the ground.
Next the camera switches behind McQueen (who is throwing his ball into his glove) and rises to show the washing bay compete with guards and exercising prisoners. Scenes with the German General are also included, with the Chief Commanding British Officer having a briefing with the General on their first day.
Landscapes and fences all compare with Prisoner OF War, of which The Great Escape borrows from a lot. And remember the Cooler? Here we see McQueen (in computer form) throwing his ball against the wall and catching it with his glove. Outstanding.
The next few minutes of our film are filled with scenes of fighting guards and film material such as cutting the wire. Towards the end we gaze in awe, as the action outside the camp is also included. And yes, we did get to tie the wire between the two posts to knock the German off his bike!
Lastly, as we all expected, we gather round excitedly to watch the big jump. First the shots from the film, and then from the game. Once again- outstanding. It doesn't matter what the game is like. The short film we saw should win an award itself.
Away from film references is a new game called N.U.D.E. Now don't go getting excited because it stands for Natural Ultimate Digital Experiment. No doubt it'll sell tons thanks to the thick people who don't understand. or was that the point of the title? Answers on a postcard.
The game in question is a beefed up Tamagochi-type interaction in which you nurture a newly created robot lifeform, teaching it how to behave, interact and express emotions. This robot just happens to be a stunning young girl (hmmm, girl and NUDE- it should sell!) and her name is Pass, which stands for Personal Assistant Secretary System.
She starts off as a blank slate, and you talk to her using the Xbox Communicator Headset. After a while she will start to repeat them back to you, but by evolving she will start conversations, develop humour and various other mannerisms. This is until she can finally fit in and appear totally human.
Behavior is dependant on how you raise her, allowing you to experiment on how do develop different personalities, entirely unique to your own game. Problem is, how many of us care about basic words such as 'hello' and 'thank you' before we get her to talk dirty? 'Lick my anus'. Yeah, you like that don't you *****. [careful! - Ed]
My final contribution to the Xbox this week comes as a sneak preview of O. TO GI. For those of you who haven't heard or seen this title yet, it's the Xbox version of Devil May Cry. Whether it will get a crap sequel too remains to be seen. For those of us who can get our mitts on imports, this should be available now.
You control Ryko, an ex-government 'hitman' who has lost favour with Emperor after refusing to kill his father. Now condemned to a life between living and dead, he needs a constant source of power to survive.
As a helping hand, the Princess of the land has given Ryko the chance to return to his past, but only if he ca rid the world of monsters. So we join our sword-slashing, magic-spelling hero in his quest for freedom. The game environments are huge and have a real dark feeling to them. Not to mention the Geo-mod engine, too.
Working our way through these huge and gorgeous levels full up to the eyeball with monsters isn't easy, however. You have to be on your toes with lightning reflexes to dodge attacks and get the odd hit in. Luckily this dude has a few moves up his sleeve to make your job a tad bit easier. When you slay a few foes though, you get experience points that can be spent on bigger and darker weapons and magic spheres.
As I mentioned earlier, there is a Geo-mod engine here but is kind of to the side of things rather than being the main selling point (unlike Red Faction where it was shoved in your face). Just about everything can be brought down with satisfying devastation and noise.
The downside? Unlike Devil May Cry (the original, not the crummy sequel) this game gets repetitive fast. Find monster. Kill monster. Collect items. Move on. However the constant need of power moves you along quickly and the bonus of smashing down everything in sight does a good job of hiding the shallow gameplay.
And seeing as fighting monsters is all there is, it's a shame that they aren't a bit harder. Fast reflexes they have, but it's oh-so easy to just jump and slash away on your decent. As a spectator, O. TO. GI wins awards for technical excellence and amazing addictiveness. But players may be left with wanting more.
Meanwhile, over at Nintendo, they seem to be uncertain with the Gamecube. After being over-taken in Japan by the Xbox for a short period and sales dropping worldwide, its time to release the hounds.
One hound in this case if F-Zero GC. Think Trevor Brooking and West Ham and you might get the picture. Like Metroid Prime, Nintendo has given the work to an external company, in this case AV. Sphere-encased simians aside; this is promising to be an exhilarating experience.
Like its previous titles, this is all about extreme racing- the kind that need a sick bucket at hand as you travel at intense speeds that will make your gut churn.
At 60 frames per second the graphics look pretty slick with gorgeous texturing and fast tracks. This time the tracks are set in bustling cities rather than barren spaces. Look out for the odd spaceship and giant futuristic billboard as you whoosh around the circuit. Rumours are also ripe that some of Nintendo's back catalogue will make brief appearances.
We can't wait to go racing at bursting speeds with 29 other contenders, but the gameplay doesn't seem to have changed much from the N64 days. Whether this is a bad thing remains to be seen.
Additional game modes over the arcade version are scarce at the moment but it is hoped that these will enhance the longetivity. After all, we are talking about the company that took four monkeys and created the best multiplayer game for the Cube.
Confirmed extras are the inclusion of a first-person view for those who like to turn the scenery into a sickening blur of nausea-inducing colour, five unique worlds to race through and possibly a two player co-operative mode. With both Nintendo and Sega at the head of things you can expect some impressive results.
Fans of nature can rejoice as Ubi Soft have confirmed that they will be releasing two Harvest Moon titles, one for the Gamcube and the other for the GBA.
Following the previous titles in terms of story, like running the farm and taking care of the animals, these two will link up together to trade items, reveal special events and other goodies.
Burnout 2: Point of Impact is nearing completion and will be released soon say Acclaim. This at last gives GameCube owners a taste of real arcade action since the original stumbled on a year ago. It's as if a blue moon is coming or something.
And the last piece of gaming news for the week is of a crowd favourite. Advance Wars 2 is nearing its US release on 23rd June and European shipping is expected to follow shortly after.
Fans can expect more of the same strategy-based action but with more levels, characters and vehicles. But perhaps the best news is of the 'four players, one cartridge' link-up mode included, making this the best game of the summer.
Bye for now, see you all next week.
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