Review Category: Games

Review: Tomb Raider / Developer: Crystal Dynamics / Publisher: Square Enix / Platforms: PC, PS3, 360

As a colleague of mine said, upon completing Crystal Dynamics’ reboot of the iconic adventurer; “The Uncharted/Tomb Raider circle is now complete as I don’t believe either would exist without the other”. It’s a very good point. But is taking cues from Naughty Dog’s franchise a good thing for this reimagining of Lara Croft’s origins? Have Crystal Dynamics finally got a handle on how to deliver Lara to a new generation of gamers?

Tomb Raider is one helluva ride. From the moment Lara and her fellow archaeology graduates crash their ship on the coast of the mysterious island of Yamatai the pacing never lets up. Focusing on how surviving the island and its vicious inhabitants changes the ambitious yet inexperienced Lara into the brave, tomb raiding adventurer we know and love was the developer’s main goal here. The first few minutes of gameplay throw Lara from scenario to grim scenario, featuring kidnap, torture and a chase through a collapsing cave. When she finally breaks free and catches her breath she’s already bruised, battered and covered in blood. Then the opening title credit unfurls onscreen. It’s a stunning moment and drills home that, this time, there will be no punches pulled.

Visually the game is a marvel. Beautifully designed levels and painstaking attention to detail really make you believe in the island you’ll be exploring for the next 10-12 hours. From dank underground caverns to storm battered mountaintops every inch of the island is gorgeously rendered and an absolute pleasure to explore.

And explore you will because, despite the linearity of the game, each section of the island is littered with treasures, tombs, collectibles and secret challenges. You are also free to backtrack at any point to go hunting for anything you may have missed. This is important as every action and collectable will grant you XP and ‘salvage’ (the game’s currency for upgrading). Some parts of the island will be inaccessible until you acquire the right tool for the job. It gives the standard Point A-to-Point B linear genre a wonderful ‘open-world’ feel, further enhancing the sense that the island and its inhabitants actually exist.

But there are some major issues that really let the game down. Crystal Dynamics have been shoving the word ‘survivor’ down our throats from the very first trailer and not just from a narrative standpoint. Survival will be a key mechanic they told us. There’s the threat of substance and meaning to your actions in the very first chapter as you find a makeshift bow and are tasked with hunting a deer for food. But the game immediately drops these ideas the second you spend your first XP. There’s no ‘survival’ here. Blindly upgrading weapons and abilities, regenerative health and an ‘instinct’ mode that is essentially a ‘go here’ button all make a mockery of the word. And while the story is sound and the spectacle top-notch the dialogue is average at best, delivered by archetype characters you just don’t really care for.

At the end of the day it’s simply another thrill ride that delivers all the pulse pounding action and gunplay you’ve come to expect this late in the generation. But it loses points for very little characterisation beyond Lara, a so-so script, for taking too many cues from Uncharted and for Crystal Dynamics not having enough faith in their own property. There’s so much that could have been addressed with this reboot but the developers just seem content to coast by on gorgeous visuals and wave upon wave of enemies. It’s a missed opportunity but, at the same time, it’s still a solid foundation with which to build upon for the sequel.

Review: Aliens – Colonial Marines / Developer: Gearbox / Publisher: Sega / Platform: Xbox 360, PS3, PC, Wii U / Release Date: Out Now

Gearbox Software have been under a lot of pressure these past few years as anticipation has been building for this game, but now they can breathe a collective sigh of relief. Boarding the Sulaco is only the beginning of this sci-fi scarefest. Pulse rifle in one hand, tracker in the other, it is up to you and your team of Marines to battle the Xenomorph threat. It’s true what they say – in space no one can hear you scream…

From the beginning, it’s a fanboy’s delight. Small things like holding the tracker up and hearing it click then ping when enemies are near. The circles on the screen getting closer and strange silhouettes stalking the shadows. It’s then you equip the pulse rifle, red ammo display on the side, finger on the trigger, only firing when necessary. The sound of the guns, the screams of the Xenomorphs – it all makes you believe you’re in the same world Ridley Scott and James Cameron brought to the screen.

Then there is the music. While it’s original in parts, the soundtrack has many nostalgic nods to the films. It reflects well what is happening in the moment, and there are many standout moments in this game. Like being left with no weapons and having to sneak amongst the bodies of Xenomorphs, and while some are dead there are few which are not. It is your wits you have to rely on as one wrong move will have you fall victim. It is these times when playing co-op has its advantages. The quality of the experience when playing this game is indeed due to the co-op campaign. Being able to communicate with your party as to what is happening helps a lot as strategies can be formulated. It is also sadistically satisfying listening to someone screaming in their headset as they are left alone to the mercy of the Aliens.

While the game doesn’t look as good as others of this generation, its authenticity and appreciation of the source material cannot be denied. Being able to control a power loader or seeing the aftermath of Hadley’s Hope’s destruction immerses the player even more in this game. The real highlight, though, is coming face to face with the Queen. The urge to say that line as you begin to battle her becomes all too hard to resist.

This game really is the complete package, with an engaging story and a generous multiplayer element complemented with many game types. Don’t let the minor glitches put you off, as Gearbox has shown they can take an iconic property and create an enjoyable experience.

Review: Star Wars – The Card Game / Designer: Eric M. Lang / Publisher: Fantasy Flight Games / Platform: Card Game / Release Date: Out Now

Fantasy Flight Games have become dab hands at making spin-offs that are both top quality and true to the original franchise. No surprise then that Star Wars: The Card Game evokes the classic movie on which it’s based about as well as a card game possibly could. One player is the Dark Side, and they can choose between being the Imperial Fleet, the Sith or even villainous scum such as Boba Fett. The other player takes up the Light Side and their choices include Jedi, Rebels, Smugglers and Spies. The cards are themed with characters from the original trilogy, but there is a subtle hint of the expanded universe, just enough to keep things interesting.

Both sides have objective cards, and these revolve around things such as Yoda’s home of Dagobah or the Death Star, as well as limiting the amount of cards you can play per turn. Other cards can be used to play characters and events. Obviously, the Dark Side has villains such as Moff Tarkin and Darth Vader, whereas the good guys get Yoda and Luke. Conflicts are resolved by discarding cards from your hand and totalling up their value, and this gives players an excuse to bluff as they pretend to discard valuable cards in order to trick their foe into doing the same.

The Light Side wins by foiling the Dark Side’s objectives (by blowing up the Death Star, for instance), whereas the Dark Side has a doom counter. Provided the Dark Side continues to do evil things, they will keep scoring points. Once they hit 12 points, they win. This means you can’t just attack your foe all out; you need to consider every turn. It’s a fast playing game, a session should entertain two people for about 40 minutes.

SWTCG is a living card game, which is a fancy way of saying that the starter set gives you everything you need, while future expansions come with a fixed selection of cards. (As opposed to random expansions which land you with lots of cards you don’t want.) This makes it ideal for gamers on a strict budget, and it’s also bound to delight Star Wars geeks.

Author: Steve Jackson/ Publisher: Tin Man Games / Format: Android-iOS / Price: £3.99 / Release Date: Out Now

Back in the Eighties, Fighting Fantasy game books were the distraction of choice for the young geek. It was a book that also happened to be a game, and you could dip into a world of fantasy in which you were the hero for a short while. Most of these books were set in fantasy worlds, and tended to be tough but entirely possible. House of Hell stood out amongst the crowd, however. For a start, you weren’t a Conan style superhero swinging a sword and battling orcs, you were just a normal person, and it was set in the modern day. House of Hell is a game inspired by the worlds of Hammer Horror and similar genre classics. It is remembered fondly by the fans, and has returned to haunt the lives of a new generation, this time as a phone app for both Android and iOS formats.

This means that instead of being a book that directs you to turn to certain pages depending on your choices, you simply tap the screen once you’ve decided what you want to do. The app follows the original experience as closely as possible. You can even set the game to make the text look like a yellowing paperback if you want. Challenges are dealt with the same way; by rolling dice. This is handled electronically but a nifty little animation of rolling dice appears every time the text directs you to do so. (You can turn this animation off if you wish, but you may not want to; you can actually interrupt the roll and fudge the dice, the way you would if you were rolling real dice and trying to cheat.)

Set in the modern day, the game begins with your car breaking down and a spooky house in the distance. It is raining of course, and you run to the house, hoping to find a phone and perhaps assistance. Of course, as the tale progresses, you discover that there is something terribly wrong in the house and its people are warped and strange. It swiftly becomes apparent that something horrible is happening, and this is relayed via artwork taken from the original book, colourised for modern audiences. Be warned – House of Hell is notoriously difficult. In addition to tricky combat encounters, characters who lie to you at every turn and logic traps that lead to your doom, the game does a great job of surprising you as you progress. Old hands may well remember some of the twists, but they are so many it’s quite a difficult task. Tin Man’s game engine does help here; you can set the difficulty by playing the game straight (hard mode), playing it with the best possible stats (normal mode) or by skipping pages, healing your character up whenever you fancy and going to pages you haven’t earned the right to get to (easy mode). It’s still very tricky on Easy mode, which means you won’t finish this game before you get your money’s worth.

This is a faithful port to an electronic format, and it is also packed with features. In addition to colourised pictures, it has an achievements page, it tracks your statistics for you and has an interview with the author as well as a feature about the history of Fighting Fantasy. Old fans will love the nostalgia, and those who have never played this sort of thing before are in for a treat.

Review: Spartacus – A Game of Blood & Treachery / Designer: Charles Woods / Publisher: Gale Force Nine / Format: Board Game / Release Date: Out Now

The rebellious gladiator’s current small screen outing being infamous for its violence, scheming and nudity, you might be wondering how all that red-blooded behaviour could possibly translate to a board game.  Well, the nudity is a matter entirely for you (and no, we don’t want to know), but thankfully the other ingredients of the TV show are in rich supply in Spartacus: A Game of Blood & Treachery.

This is one of those games with lots of complex little phases, and it initially looks pretty daunting. Certainly, it requires some patience when setting up and you should at least take a look at the rules before getting all your friends round to play. Each player takes the role of a Dominus, responsible for organising the arena battles. The game is split into multiple phases. First up is intrigue, which gives you special event cards that allow you to backstab other players. Each Dominus then bids for the ownership of slaves, gladiators, equipment and guards. Next, the players via for the honour of hosting the games themselves, the winner getting to pick which of his competitors has to risk their assets in the arena. Gambling on the outcome is then allowed, and the two competitors then play a very elegantly designed skirmish miniatures game to work out who wins. 

Though all of that sounds complicated, once you get into it, it really becomes intuitive and free flowing. There’s a little grind involved when it comes to setting up assets and some of the intrigue cards can be difficult to pull off effectively. However, though an unlucky battle can damage your chances fairly early on, the way you climb the greasy pole is not to win battles but to acquire influence. They are plenty of strategies available in order to achieve this, and smart players will adapt as the game progresses.

As multi-tiered games go, Spartacus: A Game of Blood & Treachery certainly lives up to its name and is extremely replayable. The length of sittings is adjustable (you simply vary the starting influence), but a normal game should take a couple of hours. The components are of a reasonable quality; photos from the show are used liberally, and many of the events and pictures are directly inspired by the TV series. The plastic pieces of the gladiators are rather fun, though they aren’t detailed enough to delight miniature wargamers. There’s enough here for all types of gamer, but due to the strong adult themes, it’s not suitable for children.

Review: The Walking Dead Board Game / Designer: Cory Jones / Publisher: Cryptozoic Entertainment / Release Date: Out Now

Spin-off games tend to go one of two ways. Designers either build a game from the ground up, using the source material as inspiration, or more commonly simply slap a pile of relevant tie-in branding onto a set of existing game mechanics. Sadly, Cryptzoic’s version of The Walking Dead Board Game leans more toward the latter, though there are some sparks of genius here and there.

The components are fairly well laid out. The board is a rubberised roll-out mat, and the counters and cards are printed onto good quality card. Images from the TV show are used liberally and to good effect; the zombies look nicely horrible, the heroes suitably haunted and battered. The basic mechanics are very simple. Players roll dice to navigate around the board, and the aim of the game is reach the four corners of the board and then return to base. Every time a player ends their turn on a normal space, they draw cards representing zombie attacks and equipment that they can salvage. Play pretty much continues until either someone wins or one of the characters dies.

If a character dies, they come back as a zombie, and draw from a special deck of cards that makes it harder for the other players to win the game. This is handy because it keeps all the players involved. If it wasn’t for the gory artwork, this element would make it a great family board game, but alas the board is simply too drenched in blood for it to be safe for young ones.

The game suffers from two main problems; the first is that it is very samey and doesn’t really hold up to multiple plays, as there isn’t any strategy here; it’s all about luck. The other issue is the fact that there are a great deal of more original and better designed zombie-themed games out on the market. Zombies! and Last Night of Earth both evoke the joy of a show such as The Walking Dead better than The Walking Dead Board Game. It isn’t awful, it’s simply very average. This would interest the casual gamer, and may work as a warm-up game for a zombiecentric evening’s play, as it only take 45 minutes or so to get through. However, much better games that do the same job are available right now.

Review: DreadBall / Designer: Jake Thornton / Publisher: Mantic Games / Format: Board Game / Release Date: Out Now

DreadBall is the latest game from a relatively new miniatures company, Mantic, and plays very heavily to that publisher’s strengths, combining the familiar with a fresh perspective to give gamers something new and exciting. Drawing its inspiration from futuristic and hyper-violent sports science-fiction such as Rollerball, 2000AD’s Harlem Heroes or even the classic Amiga game, Speedball, it’s a sports game with violence, and this means it will inevitably get compared to the veteran of that particular subgenre, Blood Bowl.

This isn’t surprising. After all, Mantic are very focused on producing high quality miniatures for the hobbyist to paint, as well as pushing a series of extremely playable and easy-to-pick-up games, so it’s natural to compare its output to that of Games Workshop. However, DreadBall is a faster, smoother game that takes its cue from high-speed and vicious dystopian fiction, rather than being a parody of real world sports. It’s clearly been created with modern innovations in games design in mind and is much better than a 25-year-old game that is barely supported. The only similarity it really has with Blood Bowl is that they’re both violent sports games set in fictional worlds.

Play is fast and smooth, and as this is a sports simulation, the aim of the game is simple: score more points than your foe by slamming the ball into your opponent’s goal (this move is called a strike). Once the strike is made, the ball is shot out onto the board again and the chaos continues. In addition to scoring goals, you can also attempt to flatten your opponent. The game mechanics are quick and simple, and require buckets of six-sided dice. This makes conflict-resolution transparent and straightforward, and the game tends to pick up pace as it continues toward the end. Event cards are used to spice things up, and these help to make each game distinctive and re-playable.

The pieces are nice, if a little samey. We get a referee model and enough miniatures to create two teams, one of regular humans in padded armour and another of orc-like mutants kitted in crude yet practical gear (no clichéd spiky bits to be found here). The board is well made, with an unambiguous, clear and futuristic design. The rulebook is straightforward and fun, with plenty of scope for long-term play. All in all, DreadBall is a great choice for miniature gamers looking for something new that isn’t another skirmish game, and a great way of getting younger gamers into the hobby. Recommended.

Review: Discworld – Ankh-Morpork / Designer: Martin Wallace / Publisher: Treefrog Games / Format: Board Game / Release Date: Out Now

Terry Pratchett’s Discworld has seen a great many spin-off products and games in the past, and one thing they have in common is that they tend to be of very high quality. Discworld: Ankh-Morpork certainly doesn’t break this pattern; it’s a great game, and one that all the family can enjoy.

Imagine Monopoly with personality, engaging mechanics, well thought out complexity and wide variety. Or in other words, a game that’s nothing like Monopoly but is still about becoming in charge of a city through luck and skill. In Discworld: Ankh-Morpork, each player takes control of a character, and this sets their win condition. Everyone has a different way to win, which can make for tense and strategic play.

Each player has multiple options available as part of their bid to gain control of the city. These include assassination, sending in the watch, triggering random events or adding minions or buildings. Cards are drawn, and some these require certain actions to be played to trigger other effects. Cause too much ruckus in an area and the game can end in a sudden riot, play too cautiously and you are guaranteed to lose. Discworld: Ankh-Morpork is easy to master, quick to play and random enough to be different every game whilst still allowing strategy and intelligence to be a real advantage.

The regular edition of the game is very nicely put together, the components beautifully illustrated and the pieces painted and made of wood rather than plastic or resin. Alas, there is a slight problem with some of the cards, as the colour coding used to differentiate them aren’t stark enough to be that noticeable in a quick shuffle. The box also lacks small plastic bags to put the pieces in, which is usually the case. The rules are also printed on thin card, which means they aren’t terribly robust. These, however, are minor niggles; overall a lot of care and attention to detail has gone into the pieces and the artwork evokes the novels splendidly. The game is also reasonably priced and has a broad-based appeal.

Fans of Lords of Waterdeep will find themselves on solid ground with Discworld: Ankh-Morpork. Both are excellent city inspired games filled with politics and chance; however, the Discworld game is more accessible and easier to pick up. Games should take about 40 minutes to an hour, making it an ideal starter for those who like to warm up before playing longer games, or for groups with easily distracted players. This is a great pick for Discworld fans, and though some of the charm will be lost on those who haven’t read the books, it’s still a strong family game and worth a look.

Review: Halo 4 / Developer: 343 Studios / Publisher: Microsoft / Platform: Xbox 360 / Release Date: Out Now

Developed by 343 studios, Halo 4 has you don the Spartan armour once again to fend off an ancient evil. As you awaken from cryogenic stasis it’s safe to say things seem a little hostile, however this is nothing a synthetically enhanced soldier and a failing A.I. can’t sort out. Five years ago Bungie’s Halo 3 had you finish the fight but that was merely the battle, this is war…

There are various abilities, weapons and enhancements to help win this war. Some are subtle such as a hologram of yourself to create a distraction leaving you to flank the enemy, whereas others are effective when engaging the enemy all guns blazing. A nifty enhancement is the ability to summon a flying assault drone which can pick off the smaller pesky enemies while the big brutes are left to you to put down. The enemy variations are impressive as each one provides a unique challenge and requires a different approach to dispatch. This does provide both an unexpected and welcoming challenge but at times it can get downright frustrating. The enemies do not run in fear shouting “Demon!”, they lock their sites on you and attack with relentless ruthlessness. The Covenant, a fanatically religious alien race, does provide a challenge but it’s the mysterious promethean knights that make things hard. They have a savage arsenal of weapons which include the precise Light rifle, the overpowered Incinerator or the face imploding scattershot. The real fun comes when you turn these weapons onto the enemy, as their power exceeds anything from previous Halo games.

The weapons also look very good this time around. In fact the entire game looks impressive! Just when it seems all the juice has been squeezed from the Xbox 360 it’s nice to still be surprised by graphical fidelity. The animations of the characters, the lighting and the atmosphere throughout the game provides for a truly immersive experience. The icing on the sensory cake is the soundtrack. While it is its own animal, there are a few nostalgic nods to the iconic soundtracks of the previous games. Composed by Neil Davidge, it is the music that deserves some accolades as it compliments the gameplay well and never becomes overbearing. The game also has very strong voice performances, with this being the first time Steve Downes (Master Chief) and Jen Taylor (Cortana) have shared the recording booth. This shows as the chemistry between the two characters has never been stronger and works well for the narrative.

This game really is the complete package with an engaging story and a generous multiplayer complimented with many game types. 343 has shown their potential and the future looks very promising for Microsoft’s flagship franchise.

Review: Fighting Fantasy / Author: Ian Livingstone / Publisher: Tin Man Games / Format: iOS (reviewed), Android / Price: £3.99 / Release Date: Out Now

The Fighting Fantasy books get an upgrade, in more ways than one. Ian Livingstone’s Blood of the Zombies marks the series’ 30th anniversary with an all-new adventure. Available in trusty paperback form for the purists, and mobile for the 21st Century Fighting Fantasy fan, Blood of the Zombies may have a little added polish, but it’s essentially the same gamebook experience we all know and love/hate.

Most gamebook fans will have grown up and found other outlets for their sword n’ sorcery flights of fancy, but it’s not quite the same, is it? Even the infamously frustrating videogame Demon’s Souls can’t hope to compete with an Ian Livingstone book in terms of gameplay induced fury. There’s nothing quite as soul-destroying as having your arse kicked by a book. It’s like regular reading, except you probably won’t ever finish it, the narrator is very smug and the protagonist (that’ll be YOU) is an idiot. I picked up most of the 59 books in the series, and finished two of them. Playing a Fighting Fantasy book is the literary equivalent of playing Resident Evil without a memory card. One foul-up, and it’s back to the start for you.

The Fighting Fantasy books can now be found on iOS, and remain as infuriating as ever. The Warlock of Firetop Mountain, Deathtrap Dungeon and City of Thieves (a precursor to Liberty City) are amongst the titles available, built-in die and grisly illustrations included. Blood of the Zombies joins their ranks, shambling to the party with its new toys in tow.

YOU have been kidnapped, chained up and locked away in the basement of Goraya Castle, bullied and abused by a thug named Otto. Should you manage to escape (I fell at that first hurdle) you find yourself under attack from hordes of zombies and the evil henchmen of the villainous Gingrich Yurr. You must find away to escape the castle, survive the zombies and stop Yurr before it’s too late. But this isn’t quite the Fighting Fantasy you remember – this time you have guns. It’s something of a shock to the system to be tackling an Ian Livingstone novel with a flak jacket and pump-action shotgun instead of a sword and shield, but you’ll soon get into the swing of things. It’s a streamlined system, doing away with your SKILL and LUCK, leaving you with only STAMINA to keep the ravenous zombies at bay. That, and the occasional submachine gun. By the later stages of the book, you’ll be battling truly enormous swathes of zombies at once. Best hope your initial STAMINA roll goes well, then.

There are a few nifty tricks to make gameplay less infuriating – three difficulty settings allow the reader an easier ride, while a helpful bookmarking system saves progress at any point. Somehow though, it feels like ‘cheating’ to accept any help. I don’t need your pity, Fighting Fantasy. Well, maybe a little. The story isn’t particularly original and nor is the gameplay (will you turn right or left? Do you wish to open the box? Run away or FIGHT?) but it’s fast paced and fun enough – a page turner in every sense of the word (apart from the fact it literally doesn’t have pages). It looks good too, with some grisly illustrations, dynamic combat mechanics (well, as dynamic as dice can get) and cute sound effects.

Ultimately, fans of the old stories should enjoy Blood of the Zombies. It delivers an authentic Fighting Fantasy experience while updating the gameplay and style in its own way. The older books remain superior, but it’s nice that there’s still a place for a little Choose Your Own Adventure, even in this Next Gen, app obsessed world.