What I Liked:
My Move is my brush, my TV is my canvas, and my possibilities are limitless
Great for casual and hardcore artists alike
Painting the screen is unbelievably fun
Easy YouTube uploading

What I Disliked:
No custom soundtracks
Not all modes can be recorded/uploaded

Beat Sketcher is a very interesting release. I hesitate to use the word ‘game’ because much of the content offered in Beat Sketcher isn’t really what you’d expect in a traditional game. This isn’t a negative criticism by any means, as the title provides a creative outlet for both casual and hardcore artists alike. The variety of different drawing options rests Beat Sketcher somewhere in between MS Paint and Adobe Photoshop. What Beat Sketcher brings to the table that these programs can’t reproduce is a unique musical twist and precise PlayStation Move support. Let’s take a look at what this title has to offer.

The closest Beat Sketcher gets to being a game is in its single player Challenge Mode, something all of the trailers and the demo fail to showcase or even mention. It’s a shame, since the Challenge Mode is the title’s most drawing aspect. The way Challenge Mode works is you choose a picture, then have to follow the game as it draws the picture line by line. Each line is scored – from bad to cool – according to how accurate you are in drawing to the beat of the song. It’s rather difficult to explain, so Chris and I uploaded videos of us completing a couple of challenges, which can be found in our preview. Each picture features a different catchy electronica/pop song that accompanies it. The level of complexity and, thus, difficulty increases as you sketch your way through all 12 of these challenges. When you clear all 12 pictures, a mirror mode unlocks that flips the pictures horizontally. This is where I spent most of my time playing Beat Sketcher. It’s a stretch to make comparisons to other games, but the Challenge Mode reminded me somewhat of Gitaroo Man, a PS2 rhythm game that perhaps doesn’t get as much praise as it should (gameplay video). The obvious difference here is that in Beat Sketcher, you’re using the PlayStation Move to trace lines rather than rotating the analogue stick and pressing buttons.

The Move implementation in Beat Sketcher is impressive. The entire game is controlled using the Move controller as your pointer, pen, brush, etc. The other major mode in the game is Create mode. This is the side of the game that Sony seems to be pushing more. Basically, you can open either a blank canvas, a preloaded image, or an image on your HDD, and start drawing. There are a variety of tools to be selected, ranging from pens and brushes to spraypaint and blenders. The rest is up to you. What’s cool about Beat Sketcher is that every stroke you draw has sounds that accompany it. You’re able to choose your sound pack at the beginning of the drawing, and you can go as far as selecting specific sounds for your strokes. The game keeps time in the upper-left corner and loops music according to what you’ve drawn in the past 8 beats or so. It sounds simple, but there’s an unexplainable delight in essentially drawing sound. The camera is constantly showing you what it’s seeing, meaning it’s possible to doodle around yourself and your friends. A slight drawback is that the PS Eye isn’t the greatest camera out there, so the streaming image quality isn’t great. The result of such doodling is often silly, but nonetheless fun, especially since there’s music accompanying it. I just wish there was some kind of custom music support. I think the game would be especially interesting if there was some way to manipulate your own music by drawing with the Move. What Beat Sketcher does utilize, however, is functional YouTube uploading.

In Challenge Mode, you have the option before starting of recording the entire challenge. At the end, you can either save the video to the game’s gallery or trash it. In Create Mode, you can begin recording at any time in ten minute intervals. At the end of ten minutes, you can save the recorded video to the game’s gallery. Screenshots are automatically taken during challenges. They, too, are saved to the gallery. From the gallery, you can view all of your screenshots and videos. The screenshots can be downloaded to your PS3′s HDD, and the coolest feature here is that you can upload videos directly to YouTube. It’s not the fastest process (my Critter Crunch video was a 350MB file that took about 15 minutes to upload), but it is extremely convenient. It’s nice to be able to record challenges and creations, but being able to record Match Mode sessions would be awesome.

Match Mode is playable (with one Move controller) by one to four people. The single player Match Mode features three game types: Paint Challenge, Line Challenge, and Rainbow Challenge. In Paint Challenge, you have 15 seconds to paint as much of the screen as possible. In Line Challenge, you have 15 seconds to draw the longest line without touching an added border or your own line. Rainbow Challenge sets an increasing number of colorless objects on the screen that you must dodge in order to connect the colored ones. All three of these challenges are surprisingly fun. Line Challenge would possibly be improved if there were different types of borders instead of just the one rectangle. As it stands, though ,it’s rather fun, especially with more people. In the two to 4 player modes, the Paint and Line challenges are supplemented by Theme Battle (a theme is provided and players take turns drawing the theme), Sketch in Battle (an object is provided and players take turns adding onto that object), One-Stroke Relay (players work together to draw a given theme one stroke at a time), and 4-Frame Relay (players take turns drawing a sketch, trying to complete a given story theme). To be honest, the Paint and Line challenges provided by far the most fun of all of the options. The others seem to be more suited for family play than for a bunch of 23-year-olds hanging out with a few drinks.

Beat Sketcher makes a creative statement: Using the PlayStation Eye and Move technologies, we’d like to provide players the ability to artistically express themselves. By and large, it succeeds in this task. The game’s Create Mode is adequate enough to allow for casual doodles and masterful sketches. Challenge Mode supplies the scoring feedback required by most players to engage with Beat Sketcher as a game. Its easy-to-use image saving and video uploading tools make sharing your creations a breeze, and the Match Mode is fun enough to provide hours of wand-waggling entertainment. At $9.99, you’re not getting a MS Paint application on your PS3. You’re getting a rhythm drawing game that provides you with the tools to make something special. I’m looking forward to seeing the impressive pieces that people create with Beat Sketcher.

Click Here to purchase Beat Sketcher from Amazon.com

Turn off the sound.

What I Liked:
Nostalgia
720p Widescreen updated graphics
Custom soundtrack support

What I Disliked:
Some graphical problems from the game, not the port, remain

Crazy Taxi is an iconic game, one that was a staple title in the Dreamcast’s library. It brought the frantic fun of racking up exorbitant fares from arcades into living rooms. The digital release of Crazy Taxi is essentially repeating this step by increasing the availability of an extremely fun game. I was hesitant to jump back into Axel’s driver’s seat, given that the last Dreamcast port was basically a bust. What I was met with instead was a fine port of most of a great game.

Let’s get this out of the way early on: The Offspring and Bad Religion are not included on this version’s soundtrack. Pizza Hut has become The Pizza Parlour, and KFC is now FCS: Fried Chicken Shack. The game does, however, support custom soundtracks, which means it took me all of 10 minutes to find the original playlist and copy it onto my PS3. You’re not going to hear the beginning of Bad Religion’s “Hear it” looped while you’re browsing the menus, as the songs aren’t synced up to cues as they were in the old days. This isn’t a game breaker, though. Crazy Taxi features 720p widescreen HD graphics, something that Sonic Adventure’s rerelease glaringly lacked. It also supports global Leaderboards and Trophies. The loading screens are near non-existent, and the controls are tight. The only graphical problems come in the form of those present in the original game. This means that there are some draw-in and clipping issues, but again, it’s nothing that stopped me from enjoying Crazy Taxi years ago. So let’s go make some crazy money, are ya ready?

Here we go. Crazy Taxi has three main modes: Arcade, Original, and Crazy Box. Arcade and Original are basically the same game set in two different cities. Each city is sprawling enough to provide tons of replayability, and they’re varied enough to require different playstyles. Crazy Box is a challenge mode that offers 16 different driving tests. I recommend playing through some or all of this mode first, as it will definitely prepare you for driving in the big cities. The challenges range from speeding down a ramp to make a long jump to dropping off 6 elderly women while drifting around tight turns. Knowledge of both the Crazy Dash and Crazy Drift are required to tackle all of these tests. To perform a Crazy Dash, switch the car from reverse to drive, then immediately press the gas. The Drift is performed in the same way, except you’re going to want to turn after hitting the gas. To me, a longtime Dreamcast owner (it still works) who spent countless hours playing Crazy Taxi back in 2000, these techniques are second nature. I Crazy Dashed and Drifted my way through all of the Crazy Box challenges in one play session. Granted, the play session was about 4-5 hours long and filled with frustrating retries. I slept well afterwards, though, knowing that the game hadn’t lost its addictive charm (and that Sega didn’t mar another classic in porting it to the PS3).

Crazy Taxi is a fine score attack racing game. It was a must-have game back in 2000, and I’m glad to say that it hasn’t lost much of its flare in a decade. The licenses have expired, which is a shame, but it doesn’t take away enough to warrant missing out on an opportunity to replay a classic. My Dreamcast still works, and I own Crazy Taxi for it, but the convenience of playing it on my PS3 in HD is much nicer than popping in the GD-Rom and playing in stunted SD. Plus, if I get bored of The Offspring, I can always switch to something else. In the end, Crazy Taxi is worth $9.99. Its improvements and additions far outweigh its shortcomings. Plus, if you’re a PS Plus member, you can buy it for 20% off until the end of the month.

For more info on our review policy click here.

What I Liked:
Precision hitting with the Move controller
Challenges don’t need to be beaten in order for them to be completed

What I Disliked:
Challenges need to be completed to play the game
Sub-par presentation
John Daly

John Daly’s ProStroke Golf is a golf sim, which means it’s entering a genre that has been dominated by EA Sports’s Tiger Woods franchise for the past decade. John Daly’s ProStroke Golf has one thing going for it: precision Move support. Where Tiger Woods’s Move implementation is novel at best, John Daly’s is an accurate golf swinging simulation. The problem with John Daly’s ProStroke Golf, however, is the hassles you’ll have to tackle in order to get to the green.

The overall presentation in JDPSG is sub-par, to say the least. The graphics are passable, I guess. Every loading screen and menu, including the XMB splash screen, contains the same picture you’ll find on the cover of the game. Unless you particularly enjoy seeing John Daly’s face as he’s unleashing the lion, you’ll quickly become bored of his mug plastered all over your television. Practically every menu and literally every billboard on every course has an advertisement for the HBO show The Pacific. I don’t know if the ad will change in the future by releasing patches, but I do know that The Pacific is the winner of 8 Emmys. If you’re playing with the Move, good luck navigating any of the menus. It took me a bunch of misclicks to finally get into the tournament mode. The cursor on the screen is hyper sensitive and constantly shaking. This problem is compounded in-game, when the only menu options are displayed on a thin horizontal line at the bottom of the screen. Sure, it looks sort of slick, but it’s near-impossible to select anything if you’re using the Move controller. After I had finally made it to the tournament screen, I found that all of the tournaments were locked. In order to play in a tournament (what one would think the core gameplay consists of), you must first defeat John Daly in a series of challenges on that course. That’s a pretty ass-backwards approach, in my opinion.

There are four different challenges for each course. In the Driving Test challenge, you’ll have to drive your ball farther than John Daly in a series of holes. In Approach Ordeal, you have to hit closer to the pin using wedges and irons. In The Hole is the putting challenge. Finally, after beating John Daly at separate parts of his game on 18-27 holes, you are required to combine the skills you’ve honed and beat Daly in match play. After all of this, the course you played on for the last hour or so is unlocked and available for tournament play. Great.

Unless you want a good laugh after reading this review, I suggest you turn off the commentary in JDPSG. Every time you hit the ball, either John Daly or one of the two commentators will say something about it. The problem here is that the comments come mid-shot, while the ball is in mid-air. Therefore, you’ll know how awful your drive was before seeing it land in the water, or how far you are from the pin seconds after pitching it from the rough. When you’re playing through the one-on-one challenges, the comments are aggravating, to say the least. John Daly will all but berate your shots left and right. “That’s just not a very good shot at all.” “Pretty good, but I can do better.” “Good luck; you’ll need it.” The worst part about it is the limited number of phrases in Daly’s vocabulary, meaning you’re going to hear “driving is my specialty; maybe I can help you” a dozen times before you start talking smack back at the screen.

The gameplay is where this game redeems itself. While I couldn’t even come close to beating Daly in any of the challenges while using the Move, my uncle, who plays golf regularly, was often neck and neck with the lion. He was really impressed with how accurate the swinging motion was. It took him a while to get through the menus and into a match, but once he started swinging away, he had a ball with the game. Granted, after just a few swings against JD, he was cursing in response to the arrogant, repetitive comments. At one point, he lost one of the challenges against Daly by a slim margin. The message “You lost, but your efforts have been recognized. The challenge will be marked as complete anyways” popped up, and he was that much closer to unlocking the tournament. I think that’s a pretty cool feature.

John Daly’s ProStroke Golf offers an unequaled experience in the way of golf simulation. Its first-person ProStroke hitting mode is perfect for play with the Move controller. Unfortunately, there are a few things that land this game in the bunker. The presentation is lacking and, in some sense, outright shameless. On some holes, your character is surrounded by six billboards advertising The Pacific. The commentary is obnoxious, and the game is basically silent when it’s turned off. If you can make it through the challenges (a relatively easy task when using the Dualshock3), there are twelve tournaments to compete in. The game recently saw a price drop to $29.99, which is great. If you’re any good at golf, want to improve your game, or know somebody who would love to grip it and rip it against The Lion, I can recommend this game. If you’re looking for a more casual, video-game golf experience, however, you may want to check out the Tiger instead.

Click Here to purchase John Daly’s ProStroke Golf from Amazon.com

For more info on our review policy click here.

What I Liked:
Same kind of self aware humor.
Expansive and varied over-world
Steve

What I Disliked:
Healing
Inventory system
Graphics still lend to crowding

I played through the first DeathSpank a few months ago and had a good time with it. I was treated to bright visuals, funny dialogue, and ridiculous quests. When I found out that a “sequel” was releasing so soon after, I was worried that the series might get stale. Luckily, I was mistaken.

Deathspank: ToV picks up with our titular hero locked in a PoW camp. After escaping you’ll meet Sandy, your red haired vixen from the first game. She tasks you with collecting the Thongs of Virtue; ancient thongs of immense power that corrupts the user. From there, you’re off on your way to collect the Thong of Generosity, the Thong of Cuisine, and the Thong of Compassion. Over the course of your 8-10 hour adventure, you’ll cross into a warzone, the wild west, a jungle, the high seas, and the north pole… to only name a few. I really liked this mix up in locales compared to the last game. It has more of a ridiculous feel to it.

The music and graphics are just like the previous outing. Tunes are a mix of catchy guitar licks that accompany you on your journey. I love it. The voice acting is also superb with constant ridiculous bits of dialogue, “DIE MINOR CHARACTER!” The pop-up-book appeal is maintained, but with the twist in environments, things never get old. The game still has a tendency to have a cluttered screen. One too many times I was in the thick of a battle and was suddenly struck down, only to be left wondering what had happened.

Gameplay is the same affair, but this time, our dispenser of justice actually gets Guns! I’ll take them over the crossbow. They added a varied component that wasn’t there last game. Beware of the bazooka, save that only for long range attacks or you’ll end up blowing yourself up. Quests are still the same system, go fetch this, go kill that. While doing the quests you find yourself adventuring further in the over-world and unlocking new areas. I felt like the other game had you stuck in the same place longer than this one. The same level-up system, HUD, and inventory system are present as well. Inventory was still a pain to manage, but I just accepted it and with every level gained, I would grind up my previous gear. Multiplayer exists in the same capacity as well, though with added characters. DLC character Tankko wasn’t that fun to use, but my buddy loved Steve. Steve is an all around nice guy… he’s also a midget that rides a tiny unicorn.

A quick note on the DLC. Though it’s only 3 bucks, it doesn’t tack on much to the game. Tankko the sidekick isn’t as good as the free multiplayer options and the Snowy Mountain Dungeon can be tackled in about half an hour. It also loads you with the best gear that can be found in the game, which feels lame because if you do the dungeon before you finish the last boss, you miss out on using some pretty funny gear later on. Only buy it if you really want that one trophy it comes with and feel the need to dispense a tiny bit more justice.

I’m surprised I’ve played through two of these games without getting sick of them. This one definitely improved a couple things from the first, and only a few things hold it back. If you liked this the first one, definitely pick this one up.

For more info on our review policy click here.

What I liked:
Western setting with good graphics
Mobile spawn point flag
Auras promote synergy

What I disliked:
Not many maps
It gets repetitive after a while

When Lead and Gold: Gangs of the Wild West released back in May, it got my attention. I played a bit of Team Fortress 2, enjoyed it, but liked spending time on my PlayStation 3 much more. From the previews, the game looked to bring that sort of class-based multiplayer shooter experience to the PlayStation Network. I’m a fan of Western films and thought the game captured that feeling quite nicely, so I purchased it. Instead of Team Fortress 2 PSN, I got Lead and Gold, a shooter with its own identity. The game implements several gameplay features in an attempt to promote teamwork. These include passive auras which can be shared to nearby teammates, the ability to become a mobile spawn point, and the ability to revive fallen comrades.

The graphics in Lead and Gold are very good. The character models are smooth, the animations are fluid, and hats can be shot off of heads, which is damn cool. The map designs are on point, featuring several different paths (some hidden) to get to where you’re going. There’s very little graphical popping in the distance, which is nice. The drawback here is that there are only 6 maps. Though they all look great, you’ll soon grow tired of the limited lot.

What is also limited is the number of character classes. There are 4 in total: Gunslinger, Trapper, Deputy, and Blaster. The small number of classes isn’t much of a problem since each of them emits its own aura and has its own special ability. The Gunslinger (my personal favorite) emits an accuracy aura and has the ability to ‘fan the hammer’, shooting rapidly with decreased accuracy. The Trapper emits a critical hit percentage bonus aura and has the ability to drop traps on the map. The Deputy emits a damage-boosting aura and has the ability to tag enemies. Finally, the Blaster class emits a defense-boosting and can throw dynamite (grenades). The classes play differently, and you’re able to choose your class each time you respawn.

There are six game modes to choose from. These modes include Deathmatch and Team Deathmatch modes, Conquest tasks players to conquer waypoints in order, Powder Keg is a destroy/defend objectives mode, Robbery is a destroy/defend the bank mode, and Greed – a team-based capture the randomly generated sack of gold. I had a good time playing DM, TDM, and Greed. Conquest is okay, but the other game modes aren’t too much fun.

In modern shooter fashion, experience points are a part of Lead and Gold. Each player starts off each round at rank 0 and can gain experience to level up within that round. At first I wasn’t too fond of my gained experience points fizzling after each match, but it seems like a simple and effective means of balancing the game. Since the game is keen on team play, experience points can be gained by reviving teammates, tagging enemies, untagging teammates, and picking up spawn flags. The spawn flag starts in your base at the beginning of the match and can be held by one member of the team. That person becomes a mobile spawn point. Death results in dropping the flag, which can then be picked up by a teammate or returned by an enemy. It’s a cool mechanic that works well in this game.

Lead and Gold is fun. I played many hours of this game back when it released. My roommate and I had a good time passing the controller back and forth after every couple of deaths. There is no option for cooperative play, though, and the only option for single player is a useless training mode. Also, you can’t choose your team, which makes playing with friends a coin toss of an ordeal. The game’s presentation is its strong suit, along with its unique synergy mechanic. To my surprise, in brushing up on the game to write this review, I found a game of Lead and Gold a couple of nights ago. If there were more maps, the game would be a lot better. In its current state, it’s a fun ride for a short while. Get it if you like fanning the hammer as much as I do.

What I liked:
Leaderboard support (sort of)
Good production values
Solitaire is still solitaire

What I disliked:
Some games aren’t very fun
Two-player Pool is bugged
Music is annoying

You’d only recognize the five games included in this mini as “hits” if you’ve spent an inordinate amount of time playing bar-top arcade machines. What you have here is an okay collection of said bar-top games (sans nudity) wrapped up in a well-presented package. The menus are basic and there is nothing resembling a tutorial or instructions for any of the games, but the interface is at least pretty and crisp. In fact, the overall graphic design of the package is one of this minis’ strong suits. The game manages to support leaderboards in spite of having no online functionality: the game generates a code to enter on the developer’s website, where you can register and have your score ranked against the rest of the world.

Of the five included games, Pairs and 15Puzzle are the most forgettable. They are a card-matching game and a picture shuffle game respectively; unless you really have an urge to flip over cards until you find a pair, I doubt anyone will find more than an hour’s worth of entertainment out of these modes. Tetroid is the only game with any semblance of originality, but even then it’s just a horizontal Arkanoid variant. In single-player the blocks “descend” towards the paddle steadily, making it slightly more challenging than your average brickbreaker. The two-player mode is like Pong, but with bricks in the middle. The challenge in this mode rarely comes from the other player, but from one’s own ball rebounding off the center obstacles.

There is a decent version of Solitaire in this package, with controls that fit the PSP d-pad and buttons (or DualShock 3, if you play this mini on your PS3). You can choose between one or three card draws, and the game scores you on how fact you complete a game. There’s even an undo move feature. It plays very well, but I can’t help but feel that there are versions of Solitaire that are just as good on dozens of other platforms, such as PCs and mobile phones, that cost next to nothing.

Pool is the standout game in this package, but I am sorry to say that the two-player hotseat game of Eight-ball appears to be bugged. The game displays no indication of score for each player, and it will declare a winner seemingly at random, while there are still balls in play. It’s disappointing, because the Pool mode has great physics and functional controls. It’s very fun to play alone for high score, but I cannot recommend the multiplayer. Overall, I can’t say the package is worthwhile unless you really want Solitaire on your PSP.

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What I liked:
Clean graphics (most of the time)
Fitting music
Solid Interface

What I disliked:
Unintuitive control scheme
Intensely frustrating if you’ve never played Catan before
Broken netcode (most of the time)
Awful tutorials

A surprise release on the UK PSN Store, Catan has been out in the Asian territories for a while now. After playing it, I kind of wish that it had stayed there. With it’s low price, and attractive feature set, Catan seemed like a sure bet for fans of board games. I’ve never had the opportunity to play Catan before, so I was more than eager to give the game a try. However, what I ended up being faced with was a game that is far too faithful to the board game it is based on, with a rather Spartan set of ideals regarding the rest of the package.

Having never played Catan, my experience with it started with the tutorial. I spent an hour here, and finished the entire thing. One I had finished it, I realised I still had absolutely no idea how to play the game, so I went on the official Catan web site, which proved slightly more useful in actually explaining the principles of the game to me, far more so than the actual tutorial ended up being.

Once I’d finished figuring out how to play the game, I hopped right in to a single player match. The game features a large amount of customisation options, and allows you to change a number of details about how the game will play out. Having set the AI difficulty to easy, as that is what the game recommended for first time players such as myself, I wandered in to my first game. It was then that the key problems with Catan reared their ugly head. Firstly, the controls are pretty unintuitive. Good luck placing pieces of walls if they aren’t diagonal, as the game makes it almost impossible to place said pieces in any direction other than diagonal. Its frustrating beyond belief, and makes me wonder why they didn’t notice it.

The game also includes an online mode, with support for up to 4 players to enjoy torturing themselves together. However, I was not able to enjoy this mode, as the netcode kicked me out of any game I joined, which got extremely annoying after my 5^th try. However, I was eventually able to get a game, which ended in me losing, but at least I was able to get into a working game, which is no mean feat.

The bottom line is that Catan is a terrible version of what sounds like a fantastic board game. The premise held so much promise, but the game deflates itself at every possible opportunity, with bad controls proving to be the real undoing of the experience. The game paints a pretty picture, but the canvas is all wrong. I can’t even recommend this to fans of Catan, though I’m sure that they’d much rather play the actual board game with their friends sitting next to them. Or at least playing with them online, though I can’t guarantee that you’ll have a fun experience that way either

For more information on our reviews, read our Review Policy.

What I Liked:
Wide variety of multiplayer match types
Hyper Reality Visor is great
Weapon customization

What I Disliked:
Little single player appeal

The wait is over. Last week marked the long-awaited release of Zombie Studios’ Blacklight: Tango Down on the PlayStation Network. The game had released on the XBLA back in July, and PSN users have been bitching about its delayed release since. To be honest, when we heard that the game will be releasing on October 26th, I wasn’t the slightest bit thrilled. I threw myself at the opportunity to review it, though, because I wanted to know what a highly acclaimed digitally distributed FPS brought to the table. I’m happy to say that Blacklight: Tango Down is a solid FPS, and provides more bang for your buck than most disc-based games.

I didn’t have the best first impressions of BTD. When I started up the game, I skipped past all of the menus and joined a quick Deathmatch game. I quickly found a game and played a few rounds. Okay, I thought, it’s your run-of-the-mill futuristic FPS. Leveling up is cool, but what else does the game have to offer? The next time I played, I skipped the field locker, options, and controls menus again. It’s an FPS; I know how the controls work in an FPS. After playing for a while, I decided to check out the control scheme. The loading screens keep using the acronym “HRV,” and it’s probably about time I found out what that was.

The Hyper Reality Visor is mapped to the up button on the D-Pad. When you activate the HRV, buildings and other obstructions become transparent and important things are highlighted. This includes health stations, ammo caches, objectives, and, most importantly, enemies. The HRV is what makes BTD a unique FPS (acronym-overload, BSoD initiated). It’s an alternative to the often-used mini-map radar system, and I’ve got to say, it’s a very impressive feature. It will take a bit of time (and several in-HRV deaths) to figure out when it’s appropriate to activate the HRV. It may seem like a control scheme mishap to have the HRV mapped to the D-Pad, but it isn’t. You have to surrender your ability to move for a second to activate it, but what you’re getting in return is a full-on recon of the entire map. Plus, you can deactivate it by pressing the fire button, something your index finger should never be out of touch with. The HRV has a cooldown that’s based on how long you keep it activated (the less time it’s on, the less time it takes to recharge) and what your weapon loadout is.

The weapon loadout system is highly customizable. There are four loadout options that are selectable in-game. If you’re getting taken to school using the SMG loadout, for instance, you can switch to your Sniper presets and camp to your heart’s delight. Within the loadout, in between matches, you’re able to mix and match gun parts that you unlock through leveling up in the main game. Each part affects your character’s attributes, including speed and health. This allows you to play the game how you want to play it. There is also an option to add one of over 100 weapon tags to your gun. I didn’t realize it at first, but the tags (which look like cellphone charms) also affect your overall stats. Some charms boost max health, others decrease HRV cooldown, and the list goes on. On the other hand, your character isn’t nearly as customizable. There are a handful of armor unlocks to obtain, but besides for that you can’t change the way you look. That’s a minor complaint, though, since the game moves so quickly that you hardly even see your own avatar.

Blacklight: Tango Down is a very fast-paced FPS. When you’re downed, respawning takes all of 3 seconds. When the match ends, the leaderboard is posted for 10 seconds, then everyone in the match is transported to an intermission lobby. Intermission lasts 2 minutes, which is just enough time to edit loadouts, take a bio break, or respond to that PSN message you received mid-match. Also, the HRV cuts down on any campers delaying the game in certain game types. There are several different game modes. Most of them are familiar, if only their names are foreign. Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch, Last Man Standing, and Last Team Standing are all self-explanatory. Retrieval is a CTF game type with a canister in the place of a flag. Detonate is a reverse CTF game type in which both teams try to set a bomb in the opposing team’s base. There’s only one bomb here, and either team can pick it up, so the rounds take a bit of time to conclude. They’re also quite a bit of fun. Domination is probably the most popular game type besides for Deathmatch. In Domination, there are a set number of computers (usually 3) on the map. Each of these points can be captured by either standing in the vicinity of the computer or hacking it. The hacking minigame consists of playing Simon Says. You wait for the computer to show you a four-button pattern, then repeat the pattern as quickly as possible. This results in an instant takeover of the point. (An alternative of the hacking minigame is used to set bombs in Detonate.) The ability to hack the computers in order to take over points adds a great deal of intensity to the game type, as you’ll likely be under fire while trying to cap a point.

All of the game types are played on the same dozen (baker’s dozen for PSN users) maps. I’m not sure if that’s a good or bad thing. On the good side, it doesn’t take too long to get familiar with all of the maps, which cuts down on the time it takes to become a legitimate competitor. It also encourages you to try different game types in order to vary your experience with the game. On the bad side, things may get a bit stale after a while. The maps are very well designed, though, so I’m not worried about the whole experience getting boring. One map, Derailer, has multiple levels; one of which is an underground train station. In Domination, I was constantly dodging oncoming trains underground and hacking the other team’s main computer.

All in all, Blacklight: Tango Down is an excellent FPS that benefits from the fact that it’s a downloadable title. There are only a couple of drawbacks I found in playing the game all week. The first is that the game gets mighty lonely when playing alone. There are a handful of missions that can be played solo, but they are a lot more fun when played with a few buddies. My only other concern is that BTD relies heavily on its community. Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch, and Domination games are easy enough to find at most hours, but you’ll have to play at the busiest times to play a full game of some of the other modes. I can only imagine the community will thin after CoD-Day, which is a shame. If the game had released earlier, it would undoubtedly have been enough to hold over CoD players until November. As it stands, Blacklight: Tango Down is a great alternative FPS experience for a quarter of the big boys’ prices.

Click Here to purchase Blacklight: Tango Down from Amazon.com

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What I Liked:
It’s Worms.

What I Disliked:
It’s the same old Worms.

We’ve all played the classic artillery game Worms.  Lots of wacky weapons, catchphrases, crazy level designs, etc etc.  What’s this one bring to the table?  Well… lots of the same old wacky weapons, catchphrases, and crazy level designs, etc etc.

I’ve always played worms on the PC, so I wasn’t sure if I’d like it on a console.  For the most part, I had no problem adjusting, albeit I think I still feel like I can be a little more precise with a mouse and keyboard.  Some of my PC only gamer buddies knocked it more than me, but after a couple multiplayer rounds, the only thing they were bitching about was losing.

The graphics are bright and cartoony, but nothing extravagant.  I can’t really knock it, but I’m not applauding it either.  Music on the other hand is a missed opportunity.  Why am I not allowed a custom playlist?  I’ve played this on PC for years with WMP on in the background.  What really got to me was the SFX.  Every time a worm takes its turn, it will say one of its one programmed catch phrase.  Some of the comments seem like they…could…be funny, but after a round with a team of worms saying the same exact stupid high-pitched catchphrase everytime…”Well Just say hi, because hello is complicated enough.”  I found myself muting the SFX after the first game.  The only team I got a kick out of was Team Full Fat, and even that got old after awhile.

In terms of content, this game is packed.  It has both local and online multiplayer, as well as online leaderboards.  The game has a shop where you can spend your in game currency earned through single player to unlock customizables, like hats, gravestones, different landscapes, weapons (Yes you have to buy the banana bomb and holy hand grenade) and 5 bonus campaigns.  If you’re in a Worms playing mood, this one is packed to keep you there for awhile.  My biggest gripe…what’s new?  This is literally the same game I played on Windows ME.  Same assortment of weapons, same graphics, same gameplay.  While Worms 2 Armageddon certainly isn’t anything new, it doesn’t mean it isn’t a good time.

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What I Liked:
Solid collection of tracks
Clean, smooth menus
Colorful visuals that match the music

What I Disliked:
Songs are short, and this hampers the length of the game

While Gamelion’s first mini, Block Cascade Fusion, wasn’t classified as a mini due to problems with the PS3 emulation of the title, they’ve since come back with Boom Beats their latest title, which takes the form of a rhythm game that, while it doesn’t surprise you in any way, provides more than enough fun for the price, with a soundtrack that you rarely hear in rhythm games.

Boom Beats features a selection of 14 electronic dance tracks, and, with 3 selectable difficulty levels, provides more than enough challenge for the average player. I found myself really having to focus when playing on harder difficulties, as the gems just kept coming faster and faster. Of course, higher difficulties are unlocked as your progress through the set list, providing ample finger busting material. However, the songs themselves seemed a little bit on the short side, clocking it at less than 2 minutes, and some seemed to go by extremely quickly. Also, if you don’t have a penchant for electronica, I really wouldn’t recommend this one.

Boom Beats’ visuals are a real strong point of the title, with vibrant colours and clean, easy to navigate menus making the game a breeze to pick up and play. When you really get into the groove, the exploding colours all around the screen only serve to further your desire to keep going. The buttons in the game are colour coded, so you likely won’t need to worry about getting them mixed up, and the colours seemed distinct enough for colour-blind players to enjoy the game without much hassle.

Boom Beats is a load of fun, with a low price, smooth visuals and great replay value serving only to further my desire to play more of it. It’s an extremely engaging package, and I highly recommend you pick it up if you’re a fan of the music it puts forward.

For more information on our reviews, read our Review Policy.

What I Liked:
Decent Graphics and Sound
The controls are at least responsive

What I Disliked:
The controls are frustrating, and the guitar controls only make them even worse.
The gameplay is boring and uninspired.
Level progression is locked behind unlocking a certain number of medals. This is never a good idea.

Fret Nice is a great game in video form. The Art Style looks good, the music is nice and upbeat, and seeing somebody breeze through the levels, picking off enemies with relative ease looked like an extraordinarily fun time. Playing Fret Nice, however, is an entirely different experience, with bad controls making an already uninspired game even more frustrating.

Taking the role of “The Vibrant Chordblasters”, you are tasked with ridding the land of the black… gunk brought about by a group of… things. I don’t really know how to properly explain the story, as it is told so nonchalantly in the opening cutscene that I honestly didn’t care by the end of the game, or even by the end of the opening cutscene. All I knew was that I needed to get through an indiscriminate number of levels, and defeat some kind of evil force with the power of song.

Fret Nice looks pretty, with a cardboard cut out aesthetic and peppy songs at least making the game easy on both the eyes and ears. Where the game really comes apart is the controls. While the core running and jumping feels responsive enough, it’s how you defeat enemies that truly serves as Fret Nice’s biggest misstep. In order to properly vanquish your foes, you have to play a number of frets at the same time, a number that should correspond with the number of facial features on an enemy. However, this is quickly made more and more exasperating by the fact that multiple foes tend to come towards you at once, and some have more than one of each feature. While the game would have you playing epic guitar solos in order to dispatch all of these foes, the reality is something closer to having a seizure on the shoulder buttons. Don’t even think about using Fret Nice’s most keenly hyped feature, the ability to play the game with a guitar controller, as this just makes the game even more frustrating to play. Whoever thought that tilting the controller to jump was a good idea needs to be thoroughly examined, as they may very well be inflicted with a severe case of the crazies.

Fret Nice just isn’t fun, with poor controls marring an already uninspired experience. While some stages break up the monotony with clever boss battles and segments with a jet pack, these aren’t enough to propel the game towards mediocrity.  The game has some interesting ideas, but seems intent on sabotaging its own stage show with dodgy pyrotechnics.

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What I Liked:
Charming presentation
Simple, fun gameplay
Variety of modes and ways to play

What I Disliked:
Very little depth
Incredibly hard at points. Make sure you turn the difficulty down

Sky Fighter feels like a game from a time long since passed. Creat Studios’ 11^th PSN title brings with is a charming set of ideas, and tight core gameplay, making Sky Fighter the most fun I’ve had with an air combat game for quite some time.

The game takes place in an “alternate universe”, where a mysterious empire wants to take over the world. You are of course tasked with saving said world, and making it back to base in time for tea and biscuits. Sky Fighter’s controls are elegant, without becoming overwhelming, and the core game itself is solid, and at times unforgiving. You’ll know that you messed up when you take a nosedive into the ground, and you’ll feel sheer joy when you down 10 fighters in a row in an impressive feat of aerial acrobatics.  The fact that the entire game plays out on a 2D backdrop helps too, as it is extremely easy to perform complex manoeuvres when you only have 2 dimensions to worry about.

Sky Fighter gives you a respectable amount of content to play with too, with a decent number of missions, air combat drills, and an 8-player dogfight mode, which will certainly keep a number of players busy for quite some time. It is worth mentioning that the game contains a variety of difficulty levels, but I found myself dropping down to the easiest one, as it was the only one that provided what I would class as a fun experience (i.e. not being shot out of the sky every few minutes), so bear that in mind. You’ll certainly get a challenge from the other difficulty options though, so be sure of that, if you’re up for a challenge.

However, if there is one area where Sky Fighter truly soars, it’s the presentation. With an assortment of melodies that sound like they were ripped from a World War 2 propaganda film, and bright, clean graphics, Sky Fighter really is a joy to behold.

If I were to sum up Sky Fighter is 3 words, they would be “Good, Honest Fun.” The game knows exactly what it wants to be, and succeeds admirably in doing so. If you’re up for a challenge, and love your aerial combat, then you can’t go wrong with Sky Fighter.

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What I Liked:
Deadstorm Pirates
Three games on one disc

What I Disliked:
Time Crisis 4 split-screen
Calibration issues

To begin this review I would just like to say that upon purchasing my Move controllers on September 17th, I reserved Time Crisis: Razing Storm. I am a huge fan of the Time Crisis series. I’ve beaten every game in the arcades several times. I knew before the cashier started his normal “would you like to reserve CoD, MoH, Halo 13, etc.” rant that I wanted nothing more than to ensure that a copy of Time Crisis had my name on it and that on October 19th, I could walk in, buy it, walk out, and play it until my arm ached and my Move controllers no longer lit up. To my disappointment, my arm is fine and my Moves are still glowing.

Time Crisis: Razing Storm is a hefty package. For $49.99, you’ll be able to play Deadstorm Pirates, Time Crisis 4, and Time Crisis: Razing Storm. All three of the games have leaderboard support, which is nice. Razing Storm has a lot of content, including a couple of off-the-rails FPS-esque modes. The major problem with Razing Storm, and the entire package as a whole, is that you’re not going to want to play much of it.

Time Crisis 4 released for the PS3 three years ago with Guncon 3 support. Well, it’s back again, only this time it adds Move support for those without Guncons. The first thing I noticed when playing Time Crisis 4 is the crosshair. I had never seen a crosshair in a Time Crisis game before, so this was a bit unsettling. After getting over that minor issue, I delved into its awful, awful, practically unplayable split-screen mode. Since the two player controlled characters shoot from different locations, splitting the screen is necessary; I understand that. To maintain a consistent aspect ratio, the two screens are small squares set side-by-side, something akin to RE5 or Lost Planet 2′s co-op modes. On my 42″ TV, I didn’t want to play more than ten minutes with my roommate. Well, I didn’t want to play more than five minutes, but at about the two minute mark, both of us had to recalibrate our Move controllers. The crosshair, it seemed, had slid out of place. At first I thought that maybe it was an issue with where I was sitting or if I wasn’t remaining stationary. This problem popped up several more times in the next few days. I went out, bought velcro, and mounted my PS Eye to the top of my TV. This helped a little bit, but even earlier today I spent an unforgivable amount of time in the calibration screen. In playing through the game on Single Player (it clocks in at about a half hour, max), I realized that Time Crisis 4 just isn’t that good of a game. Captain Rush is unbelievably annoying since he spends most of the game in front of you begging to get shot. There’s a section in the second area where he’s literally swinging from a tree in front of you. Luckily the game doesn’t penalize you life for shooting allies. Time Crisis 4 is fun in the arcade, with its dual screens and its force-feedback guns. It translates poorly to the home setup.

Deadstorm Pirates

In Deadstorm Pirates, there is no ammo, which means no reloading, which means no ducking for cover. This was initially off-putting to me since I favor arcade shooters like Time Crisis over games like Gunblade N.Y. I quickly acclimated to the non-stop shooting and proceeded to play Deadstorm Pirates for an hour or so. My roommates and I swapped in and out upon deaths and, though it was present, the sliding crosshair problem wasn’t too evident. Deadstorm Pirates may not look as good as Razing Storm or even Time Crisis 4, but it’s so much more fun to play than either of the two. The game promotes cooperative play by creating a power shot when the two players’ crosshairs are close to each other. The voice acting is so bad that it’s funny, and the steering minigames are pretty fun. The way you steer with the Move controller is by guiding the crosshair around an on-screen wheel. At several points throughout the game, you’ll be prompted to either dodge enemy attacks or steer your vehicle accordingly. The game is split up into four different areas, each with its own boss, as well as a final area that contains a multi-staged boss battle. Aside from the special shot that appears at certain points, there is only one gun to be shot, but that’s not a major problem. The whole game will take less than an hour to beat, but you’ll likely revisit this one several times.

Which brings us to Razing Storm. Time Crisis: Razing Storm is essentially Time Crisis 4 meets Deadstorm Pirates. In Arcade Mode, you have a shield to duck behind when enemies fire at you, but you won’t need to reload since you’ll be continuously shooting. The game switches weapons for you at different points throughout the story, keeping the action fast-paced. It’s so fast-paced, in fact, that the Arcade Mode lasts only about twenty some-odd minutes. The other modes included in Razing Storm are Story, Online Battle, and Sentry. In the Story and Online Battle modes, you’ll be able to move your character using either a Dualshock or Navigation controller. You could then use the Move controller to turn and shoot, but I highly advise against doing that. (To turn using the Move controller, you aim off the side of the screen.) When I first played online, one of my friends held the Dualshock controller and I shot with the Move. It’s a somewhat novel experience for sure, but that doesn’t make it a good one. I soon ended up switching to using the Dualshock for both moving and shooting. By positioning the crosshair at the center of the screen, I had successfully transformed Time Crisis into a run-of-the-mill FPS. The level designs aren’t bad, but unless you’re playing in a full game you’ll be doing a lot of wandering. At the corners of buildings and behind sandbags there are green arrows that indicate a “G Action” spot. To perform G Action, stand on the green arrow and point the Move controller up off of the screen (or tilt the Dualshock upwards). You’ll enter cover, like in the arcade version of the game. The problem with G Action is that it’s unreliable and largely unnecessary. There are experience points and support items to be gained, but nothing really stands out about the online battle mode once you drop the Move controller. The same can be said about the Story mode. I played through two very lengthy levels before deciding to return to the title screen. In Sentry Mode, you play as a stationary guard who must snipe prisoners while they’re trying to escape. It’s a fun mode that supports up to 4 players taking turns.

So, there you have it. Razing Storm is three games in one. My major problem with the package is the inaccuracy of the gun calibration. I’m not sure if the Eye is trying to track the Move and dynamically calibrate while you’re playing, but the fact of the matter is that pressing start to recalibrate your gun all but ruins the fun of playing. There’s no option to turn off the crosshair, probably because if you lost the crosshair you’d have no idea where you were shooting. I think the fact that you’re continually shooting helps to mask the calibration issues in Deadstorm Pirates and Razing Storm. To be honest, those two games are fun to play, even with a friend. Unless you have a very large television and nerves of steel, skip Time Crisis 4′s co-op. Overall, my expectations for this game were largely unmet, but if you like Time Crisis, it’s worth checking out. Two out of three ain’t bad.

Click Here to purchase Time Crisis: Razing Storm from Amazon.com

What I Liked:
The Price (Free if you Pre-order Dead Space 2)
The voice acting
The fact that you can rotate the playing field with the right analogue stick (yeah, I’m clutching at straws here.)

What I Disliked:
The art
The gameplay
Everything else.

Dead Space Ignition’s main purpose was to get people excited for Dead Space 2. After playing Dead Space Ignition, I have to say that it has fulfilled its purpose in a magnificent way, as I am positively desperate to play a real Dead Space game. As a Pre-order bonus, Dead Space Ignition is fine, with an unlockable suit in Dead Space 2 being rewarded upon completion, and the game setting up the story of the sequel. However, It certainly isn’t worth any sort of currency, as the game itself is entirely without merit.

Ignition takes the form of a motion comic, with the player taking the role of a handyman, tasked with fixing various things on “The Sprawl”, a massive ship. The fixing itself takes the form of 3 different mini games, one being a game in which you guide a line through some obstacles, a game where you essentially play the enemies in a tower defence game, and finally, a couple of sequences which amount to mirror puzzles, with the player tasked with guiding some beams of light into certain spots on a board. Suffice to say, these mini games are repeated ad infinitum throughout the course of your mercifully short quest, and by the end of the game, I was certain that the game was just piling on mechanics for the sake of it.

The fact that the fastest time on the leader boards for Dead Space Ignition clocks in at less than 20 minutes should tell you all you need to know about the amount of gameplay the game actually contains. The rest of my 1 and a half hour playthrough was taken up entirely by cut scenes, and they are by far and wide the best and worst thing about Dead Space Ignition. They verge so far into the realm of bad, that they almost swing around and become fantastic. This is in a large part due to the art. Now, I don’t claim to be an artist, but Ignition contains some of the most horrifying contortions of the human face that I have laid eyes on in quite some time. You’ll see faces that look like they’ve melted in the sun, and faces that belong on the canvas of a grand master, all of them are horrifying. For a game that I can only assume sees itself as scary, Dead Space Ignition is one of the funniest games I’ve played all year.

Don’t buy Dead Space Ignition. There’s little gameplay to speak of, and the story itself is told through grotesque caricatures, masquerading as people. If you pre-order Dead Space 2, then you’ll likely get Ignition for free, and even then, I’d recommend playing it in one sitting, getting your Dead Space 2 armour and story details from it, and staying far away after that. It’s just not worth the pain.

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What I liked:

• Graphically impressive

• Top notch level design
• The homing double jump works, trust me
• The right amount of nostalgic elements

What I disliked:

• Essentially only one play mode

• A bit too easy

Yes, SEGA hears the ravenous Sonic fanboy rants. A retro-styled 2D Sonic game has been in high demand ever since the blue blur made his 3D debut on the Dreamcast back in 1999. Before that, even, as many fans were disappointed with Sonic 3D Blast for the Genesis. With the release of Sonic 4, SEGA hopes to silence at least some of these forum sirens. As the first SEGA Sonic title to revisit the run-real-fast-from-left-to-right model, Sonic 4 will undoubtedly be put under the microscope. Even more skepticism will likely surround the title because of its episodic release structure. So, what’s the verdict of episode one?

It’s good. Sonic 4 does so many things right that only under extreme scrutiny fueled by purist fanboy whining was I able to find any faults in the game. The first episode is broken up into four zones, each with three acts and a unique boss fight. The first noticeable change in the game is its 2.5D graphics. Rather than reuse the 16-bit graphical style of the original title (as Capcom did with its 8-bit Mega Man 9 and 10), SEGA opted to toss a fresh coat of paint on the entire project. This decision worked out for the very best, because in short, the game looks outstanding. I was wowed on several occasions regardless of if I was playing or watching. The biggest gameplay departure from the early games is the implementation of a homing double jump. More on this later, as I will defend this mechanic with my biggest, best words. Mix in just the right amount of nostalgic solvent and you’ve got a serum worthy of curing Sonic stigma syndrome.

Upon highlighting the game on the XMB, you’ll be treated to a bright screen and an upbeat, Sonic-y jingle (complete with 4 ring get sound effects and those iconic snare drums). Starting up the game will send you back to the early 90s when the old-school SEGA screen flashes and that classic voice announces, “SEGAHHH!” The options menu contains a “How to Play” tutorial which is at once laughable and extremely helpful for the first time Sonic player (whoever you are). “New Game” brings you to an overworld, a first in the Sonic series if memory serves me correctly. From the overworld, you can choose to begin playing in any of four familiar zones: Splash Hill Zone, Casino Street Zone, Lost Labyrinth Zone, and Mad Gear Zone. The upstanding Sonic player will start where he’s supposed to, on Green Hi… err, Splash Hill Zone, Act 1.

What initially blew my mind is how good the game looks. Chris and I checked it out at PAX Prime back in September, and I don’t remember it looking half as good. On an HD TV, Sonic 4 impresses on all fronts. Besides for a negligible amount of slowdown during the final boss fight, all of the animations are fluid. Sonic’s dreads blow behind him as dust rises from his footsteps and a blue tinted blur trails him at high speeds. The foregrounds and backgrounds both pop. The background in Casino Street Zone, for example, is packed with skyscrapers and search lights swaying back and forth. Its foreground is bright and bustling, and features magic cardpet riding sequences that are pretty cool to watch. In the Lost Labyrinth levels, the detailed cryptic backgrounds give the sense that you’re actually racing through a vast underground catacomb. What makes these graphics increasingly enjoyable to watch is how the game plays.

Enter the homing double jump. We editors at PSNStores have been playing and talking about Sonic 4 a lot, and I think Chris put it best when he said the game would be unplayable if it weren’t for the double jump. The way it works is if you press the jump button while in midair and near an enemy, Sonic shoots forth and pops him. If there’s no enemy in site, however, Sonic simply boosts forth. The boost immediately gets you going whereas running on foot is an initially slow ordeal. At PAX I tossed it aside as a dishonorable attempt to attract more customers, but after playing through the game I realize that practically every aspect of it was designed around the double jump. Sonic purists are sure to reject it, but the fact of the matter is that it works. Once you get that through your head, your next task is to find the path that will get you through the acts fastest; aka play Sonic The Hedgehog.

In true Sonic spirit, each act has multiple paths to take in order to complete it. The quickest path will make fast and full use of the double jump, so be ready to homing boost into lines of conveniently placed enemies. I’m really impressed at how differently each one of the zones plays. The Lost Labyrinth Zone, for example, requires a more slow, calculated playstyle than the quick-paced Casino Street acts. The bosses at the end of each zone are equally diverse. There even exists variety within the zones. The second act of Splash Hill Zone plays around vine-swinging while the third act is littered with zip-lines. This is the case for each of the zones; each act will basically be centered around one type of device. The Lost Labyrinth Zone even includes some puzzles (!) and minecart sequences. The first seven acts that you finish with 50 rings or more will send you to a special stage with the opportunity to procure a chaos emerald. The special stages work in the same way that they do in the original game, with a few minor differences. The biggest difference is that there are no (R)’s that reverse the stage when you touch them. Rather, you’re in full control of rotating the stage left and right. There’s even an option to use the DualShock3′s motion controls to move the level. These levels range from easy enough to controller-tossingly tough. As a fail safe, though, and if you’re quick enough to press the start button before you hit those (!)’s, you can at any time restart the special stage from the beginning. That brings up the question of difficulty in the game.

After getting used to the double jump and the newish level designs, the game becomes rather easy. By the end of the first zone, I had 20 lives. By the end of Casino Street (the second zone in order), I had received the trophy for having 99 lives. I currently have over 200 lives, all 7 chaos emeralds, and have beaten the final boss. That being said, I’ve played the game a lot since its release. Running straight through the game won’t get you much play time. Obtaining the emeralds, unlocking Super Sonic, replaying through levels as Super Sonic, and going for high scores/fast times will stretch the game to perhaps 6-8 hours worth of content. Even so, there is essentially only one way to play the game: Single player, zooming through each act as fast as you can while grabbing as many rings as possible. The addition of a 2-player race mode would have substantially boosted this game’s replayability. The bottom line is yes, the addition of a homing double jump changes the game. The ultimate triumph of Sonic 4 is that it manages to make these changes while retaining the Sonic-ness of the series’ original classic titles. There are three more episodes on the horizon. Here’s hoping for online races and a course editor.

Click Here to purchase Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1 from Amazon.com

What I liked:

• Bumping soundtrack

• Focused execution of the ‘evolution’ motif
• Tons of unlocks = tons of content
• RPG elements in a shmup? Yes, please.

What I disliked:

• 3D is sometimes graphically confusing

• Custom Music mode is only one song at a time

Space Invaders is an old name. A few years back, a PSP game was released with the Space Invaders name attached to it. Space Invaders Extreme was a fun portable release that added a strict focus on fast-paced, arcade style shoot-em upping to the series. TAITO and Square Enix partnered up yet again to release a new Space Invaders; a Space Invaders EVOLVED! Space Invaders Infinity Gene (heretofore referred to as SIIG) is a full-fledged downloadable title for the PSN and XBLA (it’s also available on those iThings, I think). SIIG does several things to separate itself from the swarm of other shmups that populate the digital game space.

When you first start it up, you’ll notice that each title screen is crowded with an impressive number of options and ways to play SIIG. Selecting “Start Game” will present you with 5 modes: Normal; Bonus; Challenge; Music; Collection. My advice is to start with Normal, as you’ll unlock upgrades that will be vital to play basically any of the other modes. When you start the game in Normal mode, you’ll play a very brief level based entirely on the original Space Invaders. The screen soon fades to white, and a quote fills the screen:

“It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives.
It is the one that is the most adaptable to change”
Charles Darwin

This is the game’s thesis, and it does everything it can to expand and defend it. Just about every aspect of the game evolves from the start to the end of your time playing it. Not only do the backgrounds sweeping underneath you get more graphically complex, but your ship, your enemies, and even the ways they attack get more and more ‘evolved’ the further you progress. Your enemies aren’t the only ones who get their guns up. You’ll be upgrading and outfitting your ship from stage 0.

The upgrading system is simple: Playing levels nets you gene points, which are equivalent to experience points, which fill up a bar at the end of each level. When the bar fills, the word “EVOLUTION” scrolls across the screen and a new ability is gained. While SIIG isn’t the first shmup to add RPG elements in the mix (Forgotten Worlds for Genesis had stores, and Armada for the Dreamcast had towns, shops, and other RPG elements), it does it well enough. Adding experience points and a level up system is always a plus. I’ve unlocked 8 weapons so far in getting to stage 5-3, and it seems like there are two more weapons slots open. The weapon selection adds some strategic element to the game, making for some fun, if sometimes way too easy, replayability of earlier levels. There are two more difficulty modes to get through: Hard, and Insane. Much to the game’s credit, I haven’t finished the Normal mode yet and I’ve been trying to get through the game all week.

The Music mode allows you to play SIIG to the accompaniment of a song stored on your HD. The level evolves along with the song somehow, in some ways I’m not really sure of. Even if the levels and enemies are completely randomly generated, at least you’re playing to one of your own tunes. That’s not to say, however, that the game’s soundtrack is lacking. To the contrary, SIIG boasts a bumpin’ techno/electronic soundtrack that works well with the old school chiptune sound effects that populate the game. Bonus mode just adds new levels to complete, and Challenge mode has 99 different, randomly generated levels to beat.

Initially, I wasn’t blown away by SIIG’s presentation. The bare-bones graphics (my roommate says the watchability is pretty low) and sound effects were almost enough to make me write it off as a run-of-the-mill shmup. However, the game quickly picks up its pace, granting you movement, weapon, and other upgrades according to how well you play. Most of the strides it takes are in the right direction. The game does misstep every now and again, but you’ll never find it falling flat on its face. The 3D levels and bosses are cool to look at, but playing them takes a bit of getting used to. In the end, SIIG is a game that takes a bit of time to get going, but I’m happy I stuck with it and let it evolve over and around me.