Bit late to the party and I have finally finished the latest Legend of Zelda game Skyward Sword.  After first being disappointed by the cartoon look of the game a few E3’s ago I am pleased to say that the game looks much better.  I really should have trusted Nintendo rather then early concept pictures and videos.
This is the first proper Zelda game made for the Nintendo Wii (Twilight Princess does not count as it was made for the Gamecube than ported across for the release of the Wii).  All your movements use the Wii Motion plus controller which is needed to play this game.  If you don’t own one, you can pick up an attachment, however I would advise against this as I found it hurts my wrist after long gaming sessions.  Failing that you can pick up the game with a special Wii Motion Plus Controller but prices now start around £65.

The control movement actually feels pretty good, as you slowly turn your wrist you can see Link move his sword in the same direction, movements of your sword will help you against some enemies who leave themselves vulnerable points so long as you slash them in the correct direction.  The only problem with this is when you start to swing around quickly, you will find that sometimes there will be a short lag and you will slash a move behind.  Other items and equipment also use the Wiimote, the new beetle for example will be controlled holding the mote in front of you and tilting it left, right, up and down.  This same method will be used to control your bird (Loftwing) however I do have a few minor issues here.  Your Loftwing is use to get you around  the skies and if you have to gain any height you can use tornado’s or a short dive and then climb technique which can become drawn out and tiresome.  The problem occurs when you come up from the clouds you will always start near cloud level and Skyloft itself is quite high up, so you have to always have to use this dive and clime technique to reach Skyloft.  I would have preferred it if you started near the top each time to save time.

This really is my only issue with the game; the graphics look very pleasant on the eyes especially if you are running your wii through a component cable on a HD tv.  The music is as good as any previous Zelda game and you will find yourself knowing some of the tunes they have sneaked in.    Some of the previous enemies are back but there is a twist on how you finish them off.

Gameplay lasts around 30 hours including side-quests which there are plenty and not once will you get bored during your play through.  During your time in the game I guarantee there will be times where you will have to think about what to do to get ahead but a few minutes later you will realize what it is you have to do.  I love these moments because the moment you realize what it is you have to do you get that feeling of achievement.  Skyward Sword has that correct level where you have to think about things but it will come to you eventually.  Other games can find themselves making puzzles too difficult forcing some players to seek out help and this I find can have an effect of the fun level.  I like figuring things out for myself and I don’t want to have to ask someone or look it up.

I am pleased to say there are a couple of new weapons replacing some that appear time and time again in Zelda games.  Bug and item collecting as you progress through the game will allow you to upgrade certain items which are a nice touch and brings something different to the game.  Another nice touch added to Skyward Sword is the ability to dash for short periods of time but be warned; if you run out of stamina you could be left open to attack.
There is an issue I find with bug and item collecting and it’s not the sheer amount you will have by the end of the game but what happens each time you turn the game on.  The very first time you pick up a new item or bug there will be a short cut scene telling you what you have picked up and then it will show you where in the menu it goes.  After this you can pick up as many of the same item without seeing this again.  That is until you turn the game off and back on again, if you then pick up an item you have loads of you will again have to witness this scene and you cannot skip it!  Thanks Nintendo I know what a butterfly is I have 69 of them already!

Taking away the minor issues and they are minor, this is one of my favourite Zelda games and it’s probably the Ocarina of Time of today.  With lots of playtime that doesn’t get boring, a fantastic music score and great graphics It would have been my game of 2011, but I unfortunately I played Xenoblade!

As I dust off my wii I think about the last great RPG that I got excited about on a Nintendo console and I have to think a long way back to Tales of Symphonia which took me 7 years to complete although I wish I never stopped playing it.  Xenoblade sounded amazing and was one of those games that caught my eye the first time I caught wind of it in Japan and then the exciting news that it was being released into the UK.

After over 115 hours of gameplay and 4 replacement batteries later I have to say this is a major contender for my game of the year and that includes Skyrim & Battlefield 3.

The graphics are simply stunning; it’s the best looking game on the Wii console by far, not only is it great to look at on a Nintendo console but it holds up well against some of the HD games on the xbox and PS3 too.  They open world is absolutely massive and reminds me slightly of Final Fantasy 12 apart from the fact you are actually running around a giant Titan.   Not only is the land a joy to look at but it also has its rewards, secret area’s and XP bonuses are given when a new location have been discovered along with hidden and special items.

The music is fantastic and some of the best I have heard on JRPG.  I have found myself at times just walking around for a couple of hours doing nothing but exploring and still humming along with the background music without getting boring once!  It really does suit the game perfectly and that includes the music when fighting which can change tempo depending on how you are doing.

The story is very strong and will draw you in from the very beginning and only gets stronger the more you progress.  There voice acting isn’t too bad, at first it’s a little strange hearing British voices but you will get used to it and failing that you have the option to change it back to Japanese, a nice option Final Fantasy should take on board.

The battle system is a cross between FF12 and 13, you control 1 member of your party which is the lead but this can be changed.  When in battle you will automatically fight with whatever weapon you are equipped with but you have a few extra attacks, guards and spells you can use along the base of the screen, once used these will fill back up in time.  Your other characters will attack or heal on their own and the way they behave can be changed pre battle.  One other way of fighting is the ability to see the future, your main character will see what will happen before it does allowing you to change the future in whatever way you wish to stop the event from happening.  Great trick but can become annoying when viewed 10+ times in one boss battle.

Another thing I love about this world is the way ever level monster is walking around the same area, you could be fighting a level 10 monster one moment and a short walk later and there is a level 80 one just around the corner waiting to ruin your day! Luckily you can see them before they see you and if the game deems them too hard to fight they will be marked in Red! If they are orange then it will be a tough battle but one you should win by a scrape.  This brings me onto another great thing in this game and that’s dying! I know this doesn’t sound like a good thing but when you die in Xenoblade you keep all the items and XP you have gained up until the point you died.  No more wishing you had saved before you took on too many enemies and no more saving after every two or three enemy victory’s, you can go about your business and if you happen to lose against the next enemy you face then maybe a little leveling up wouldn’t go a miss before you face them again.

After you complete the game it allows you to replay the whole game keeping certain items, weapons and your characters XP levels to allow you to go over missed steps.

This has easily been the best game of the year for me and as it’s on the Wii it will unfortunately be one of those games that will remain a hidden gem to many.  If you own a wii and love JRPG’s I promise you that you will not be disappointed.

Arkham Asylum was such a massive game and the best Batman video game since the one on the NES that when I heard they were releasing a sequel in a sandbox city I was dancing with the devil in the Pale moonlight.
I have to say I was not disappointed by the hype when I turned on the game to play as Bruce Wayne who has being thrown into Arkham City boarded off from the outside world holding all of Gotham’s criminal minds in one city which is just perfect.
One little problem was that so much is going on it feels like Rocksteady have tried too hard adding in so many of Batman’s villains in that some of them don’t have the playtime I would have liked and only are involved in small side quests you breeze over.
Once you come into the city for the first time you can pretty much travel wherever you like which can be a little overwhelming at first but as you progress through the game you will manage to get around in no time at all and the map actually doesn’t feel that big. You can attack goons dotted around the city by a full on attack or by stealth which can be just as much fun.

The main story isn’t actually that long and I was amazed to find I had completed the game in no time at all, in fact I didn’t even know I was heading towards the end when I got there and it took me by surprise.
The Riddler is back and so are his trophies which have been dotted around the city along with challenges, places to locate and friendlies to help. Most trophies will require a little thought or upgraded weapons to capture and you will find yourself revisiting area’s time and time again as you locate new trophies in each of the areas. Alongside the trophies there are other things to unlock and Easter egg locations to find.

The game play itself has improved and you can now take on more enemies that AA and the controls still remains simple to pull off. You will get a hit counter and the more you progress and the higher you get your chain you will be rewarded with bonuses during combat.

Voice acting has stepped up a gear and every character brings individuality to the game and as you fly over AC you will hear conversations from Goons who will occasionally drop a few off game comments about LOST and Facebook. The first time you hear them you are not sure if what you heard was correct and it’s a nice touch.

Overall I am very impressed with Arkham City and have played it none stop even continuing after the end to complete all side quests and extras. The Catwoman levels are a nice change and the challenge mode provide a separate after story challenge. If you love Batman or you loved the first game you can’t fail to fall in love with this game.

It’s been a very long time but I have finally sat down and completed this game 7 years after its release and to be honest I am disappointed with myself for leaving it so long.

This has been my 3^rd attempt to play through this game the first two lasting about 20 hours of game play before finishing.  I have no idea why I would have stopped playing as I remember really enjoying the game before suddenly stop playing.  The only thing I can think of is my loyally to Final Fantasy games and I find it difficult to step outside that bubble.

I’ll start as I normally do and list the game flaws and for TOS there really is very little to moan about, more of a nitpick than any problems with the game.  The issues I have are with two sections that are based on puzzles.  The first one involves bringing flowers back to life and killing them so that bursts of air go in certain directions and the other involves moving a piece of fruit through a river using fish! Both puzzles are fun at first but take a while to solve and things get boring the longer you play them.

Apart from that the game is pretty much perfect.  The characters are likeable the enemies are likeable; the game is bundled with optional side quests although most are more towards the end of the game.  The music is brilliant and the Story’s strength and plot twists will keeps you engaged from the very start to the very end.

Like all Tales games you only control one character while the AI controls the others however you can change the way they approach each fight and by using the D-Pad you can give orders during each battle to attack, defend or reserve magic’s.   What I also like about Tales games is the way you can change weapons during each battle and the characters you don’t use still level up!

This has been one of the best games I have ever played that still holds up very well today and I will be playing it again to try and get everything.  If rumours are true I hope to see this game released for the 3DS.

I would love to tell you how great this game is and that I give it full marks but there are just too many little issues to warrant it being a good great game.  I’ll start with my issues as they seem to stick in my head more then the good points.

The sandbox city looks pretty decent enough, hardly anything like Assassins Creed graphics but good enough for this gaming generation.

With your new found powers you can pretty much go anywhere but water (which having an electric charge running through your body is pretty understandable) the major issue is climbing certain buildings.  Not everything you see you can actually climb, certain ledges which look like you can grab you actually can’t and will find yourself sailing straight through them.  The biggest problem when this occurs is actually part of a story mission when climbing a massive tower made of junk.  Even jumping from platform to platform you sometimes fail to grab hold of pipe or billboard and just end up falling to your death (which however is a major contradiction as you can free fall from the highest building without dying during any other part of the game).  Dropping down ledges or free falling in a hurry can also be a problem as your character will just grab things without you wanting to which can lead to you missing time limits or just getting shot at!

The other issues I have are the submissions seem to be much of the same as some of the story missions.  For example one story missions has you destroying oil tanks than you have to repeat in about 3 more sub missions! Pointless and boring!

The levels of hardness during the game seem to jump around a lot, one moment the missions are easy the next you’re on a bus being attacked from all angles and dying easily.

The missions where you have to follow a helicopter by using the rooftops and rails can be a nightmare as you are going in one direction then the chopper changes direction and you find yourself going the wrong way.  If you happen to fall off the rooftop you might as well give up and also there is no onscreen time limit so you don’t know how long you have left to get to the end destination.

The controls can be uncomfortable at times, especially when you are trying to quick fire again and again, I found my fingers started to ache after a while and there are too many button changes during big fights which lead to pressing the wrong buttons.

The good and bad levels of your character really are the worst thing about this game, I have finished both and some of the missions while being bad you act just the same as you do when being good!  One minute you are killing protesters the next you have to save people from being blown up! And your character remains the same only looking gray and out of place to the other people walking around.

Even though I have pointed out the many issues this game has there are moments when this game can actually be quite enjoyable.  The story is pretty good (if acted badly), the fights can be fun and some of the original missions are a joy to play.  But all the issues I have experienced haven’t left me wanting to play the second game.

When one of my favourite games get’s a re-release of course I am going to purchase it for the 3rd time! I tried to resist by telling myself I already own it on the gamecube but just got easily caught up in the hype and believe me I am not disappointed with the new improved port to the 3DS.

This review is more about the changes and my gaming experience rather than the story. If you are new to the game I only have two words for you “Play it”
The things that make this version so special are the improved graphics which look polished and fresh the whole game has pretty much had a makeover while at the same time looking and feeling true to the original. Looking around Hyrule you will be amazed to see light shining out of windows in Kokiri Forest, Link looks better if a little too green, flowers are coming up from the ground and trees look fuller, the moon and sun look stunning as they rise and fall and the shops are full making them seem less empty. Two things I forgot to mention but you already should know; the game is portable which means you can play it at work (I mean on the bus) and it’s in 3 smeging D!

The 3D really is impressive and should be played throughout the story, the depth is amazing to look at and certain areas really do show how good the 3D is on the 3DS. One area especially blew my mind is Kokiri Forest! All the fairy sparkles floating around really do seem to come out at you more than everything else and it really does drag you into what you already know will be an amazing experience.

The changes to the control layout personally for me is for the better, using the bottom touch screen as a map to get around is very handy in dungeons so you know where you have already visited just by a glance of the eyes and the quick change items/weapons come very handy when dealing with tricky enemies. You can now use the touch screen to play the Ocarina which makes following songs easier to remember and there is also a option to see the list of songs as a visual aid you have already learnt.

There is a new control feature that I both love and hate, you can now use the 3DS motion control to look around & also aim certain weapons like the boomerang and bow and arrow. Brilliant idea and really easy to use making aiming quicker than using the control stick. My issues with it are the fact you look a bit silly moving the 3DS around and if you want to look all the way behind you sometimes this isn’t possible. Luckily I played it during my lunch hour at work and I sit on a spin chair although I did get a few odd looks! The other issue is with the 3D on a small screen the slightest movement can cause ghosting and blurriness which can be frustrating when in combat however the laser sighting on the hookshot is a godsend for accuracy!

Everything is there as it was before including all the side quests just be warned that Navi will keep interrupting you every so often to give you a hint where to go next, this can be annoying hearing “hey” every once in a while!
Master Quest is also unlocked and the chance to do Boss Speed runs which will keep you occupied once you have finished the game.

All that said the updates are a huge welcome keeping the game fresh to play but not changing anything we fell in love with on the N64. Despite my minor issues this game gets full marks from me. A classic I will play time and time again.

I bought Epic Mickey over the Christmas period having loved the look of the trailers and watching the opening scene on you tube. First off I love graphic style of this game, for the Wii it really does stand out as one of the best looking 3rd party games. The music is very Disney and so is the story if a little darker than you may be used to.

Watching the opening prologue is essential to understanding the games story, it shows you how Mickey creates the world you eventually play in. Mickey gets captured and finds himself between the wasteland world’s twisted borders and embarks on a mission to get himself out while making amends for what he did.

To get through the game Mickey is armed with a paintbrush which acts as both a Painter and Thinner. You use the paint to paint objects in while using the thinner to remove obstacles in your path, it really is an original idea which is another reason this game stands out. You will learn through your travels that hidden items are hidden throughout the world and thinning as much as possible will allow you to find them.

Throughout the game you will be faced with enemies called blotlings which you can paint to make them friendly then they will turn blue and ignore Mickey and even help him out against other blotlings or you can choose to thin them out which will get rid of them completely. Along with these two options Mickey also have a spin attack which is used much like it is in Mario Galaxy by a quick flick of the Wiimote. Later upgrades will give Mickey TV’s used to distract enemies, an anvil to crush them and get to higher levels and the ability to slow down time for a few crucial seconds which is handy when moving through fast spinning blades and closing walls.
Alongside the main game you can also take part in sub quests by helping out the world’s local folk which earns you extra items and power sparks that are needed to allow you to open up new worlds to progress through the game.

Throughout the game you will be faced with choices which will determined the games ending and mostly consist of finding certain items and painting bosses or thinning them out. There are a few choices that will creep up on you and before you know it you have already made your choice before you realized it which is another reason to reply the game along with the alternative endings this game holds.

You travel between the worlds in the wasteland through a projector screen and enter a 2D sideways scroller. The change is nice at first but doesn’t last long before becoming repetitive especially when you are forced to go back and forth for sub quests. The other annoying part of this game and probably the biggest is the games camera; it’s hard to control what it does sometimes making the easiest jumps difficult and boss fights very frustrating especially when moving around them and the camera is off facing a wall. You can bring the camera back to behind Mickey but when trying to move around a boss it’s not the way you always want to face so sometimes you are not even facing the boss.

On whole Epic Mickey is a very entertaining game which allows multiply playthroughs but sometimes the camera issues can be a game killer!

At the time this game was released I didn’t have the funds to purchase a new copy so I had to wait it out listening to people discussing about how good a game it was which wasn’t nice having loved both AC1 and 2.  As not many people liked the first game because they felt missions and gameplay were repetitive which didn’t bother me as I loved the parts you had to do over and over.  The second game really was an improvement though in both story and game play so it was hard to see how Brotherhood was going to top it being a continuation and not feel like an expansion.

The usual flag collecting, feathers are back and restoration of shops although it’s now throughout Rome rather than one town.   Each shop has certain tasks to complete before they will sell you certain things, this mostly consists of you searching treasure chests dotted around the city and stealing from Guards.

Improvements from the second include the ability to ride your horse anywhere, fast tracking around the city though tunnels you can restore and the ability to replay missions to get 100% Sync completion.  I also love the fact that certain areas are ruled by the Borgia which stops you upgrading shops and landscapes.  To get around this little problem you have to infiltrate their base and kill off the captain than burn down their tower to signal to the area that they are no longer controlled by the Borgia.  It gets pretty easy to do but always a fun satisfaction.

Leonardo is back and wants you to destroy his weapons blueprints and all the weapons as they have fallen into enemy hands.  Doing these sub missions is a nice divert from the main story and a chance to do something different.  First you have to kill of a guard holding the information where the weapon is being held than you have to find and burn the blueprints before stealing the weapon and using it for your escape before destroying the weapon for good.  All the weapons are different types of vehicles and are set in area’s you can’t visit in the city so they provide something unique to the main game.

A major added feature is the brotherhood which allows you to recruit on other assassins and send them out for work so the gain experience and improve your wealth.  The harder the job you send your assassin the more XP and Money you earn although the percentage of your assassin coming back alive changes the harder the work.  You can get around this by sending more than one assassin on the same job although XP is halved between them.

Another good thing about the brotherhood is that you can call them to your aid whenever you need so long as they are not already out on work.  Again the higher the level of your assassins the more chance you have of them surviving.

It really is a great improvement on the series and I look forward to the next installment and continuation of the story.

I thought Little Big Planet would be around forever, with over a million player created level’s to play, I didn’t ever expect to see another game and so soon too.  When LBP2 was announced I couldn’t see how they could ever improve on the first game, I am pleased to announce that I was wrong.

First off, if you have a previous LBP save, you will be asked if you would like to import the original profile over, this will transfer over all your costumes, materials, stickers etc which is very handy to have when creating new levels.

The controls and feel of the game hasn’t really changed, all the buttons still do the same things, customization is the same and there is even a small tutorial at the start like the previous game but without the cute music.

They have now added voices to some of the characters that guide you through each section which I felt was a bad idea and they should have kept things the same, if you complete certain parts of the story you can also unlock the costumes’ of these characters which IMO doesn’t really fit in with the Sackboy look.

The Story mode is much more challenging than the original, bringing in vehicles and games within games (a bit inception I know).   The dynamics of the game have also changed for the better allowing the screen to move around from its classic 2D lock so you can now travel vertical.

Completing a level 100% still requires you to finish it without dying (ace), collecting all items and prize bubbles and obviously to complete the level, this should give you lots of play troughs opening up different areas .  I did find it easy to get through the levels without dying until I got to the final chapter which seemed to step up the difficulty.

Vehicles can be a bit tricky to control at first but like everything in LBP practice makes perfect.  Every level can be played on your own or you could join someone else’s game.  The only problem I found is when you have a person follow you from a level to your pod you have to go into another person’s game to keep them because selecting to play alone will disconnect them.

The music choice is as good if not better than the original game and it really is fitting to the LBP world.  What amazes me is how they manage to find these songs, at a first listen you know it’s a LBP track it just feels right!

This is where I would normally put some bad points but I am struggling to find any, if you play on your own you won’t see many issues but in co op especially 3-4 players you may see some slowdown which can be quite annoying and if you are after 100% you will need 4 players to get to certain areas.  Apart from that I love the new design and game play.

I have yet to create anything but I am told it’s just as easy as the first game but with a lot more options and freedom to create whatever is spinning around that brain of yours.

In summery LBP2 is LBP but with a box full of added extra’s and designs, it will keep you playing and playing as new levels are posted everyday and the only way I can see this game dying is A) Sony Shut off the servers, B) LBP3 is announced or C) The world has run out of idea’s!

I would have loved the Collector’s Edition but there were none around to purchase L

Long live LBP and Sackboy, I always smile when I play it.

The follow on from Dead Space 1 see’s Isaac awake on a space station in a straight jacket.  It really isn’t long before you are in the heat of the moment running down corridors escaping monsters coming at you from all sides.  Here lies my issue with that previous statement, the second Dead Space removes what was so good about the first one and that was surprise and the way it always had you on edge.  DS2 seems to have become more of an action than a horror game, a very good action game but that’s not what it was designed to be.

90% of the game now has music that appears when monsters get close or suddenly turns dramatic and by chapter 3 I already know when I am likely to be attached and where monsters are going to jump out at me from which takes the surprise away.  The story line isn’t very strong and most characters are not around long enough for you to build a relationship with or care about them which is a shame.

The graphics and the games’ sound are brilliant, some new enemies are great fun to kill off but don’t really trouble you as much as they should and after the first encounter you pretty much know how to handle them.  I do love the new stalker’s which are like Velociraptors that peer at you from behind cover distracting you while another attacks you from the side but again after seeing them for the first time you know when they will appear again just by walking into a room with a maze of creates.

The action moments are very impressive and sometimes unexpected which is perfect and a nice addition, they really put you in the heat of the moment forcing you to react quickly in movie style scenes.  Some things from the first game return including your work beach and leaving up weapons with nodes, which still have black slots where you don’t level up anything.  I thought it would be better to have every area covered and just have fewer nodes around; I really don’t understand why you have slots of nothing.

First play through of the game took me 10 hours and that was looking in every possible area for nodes and ammo.  My second took me 5 hours but like the first game you can carry over  your upgraded suit, weapons and ammo which makes the second play through a breeze and also very satisfying.  2^nd time for me was mostly about picking up missing achievements.

I never got around playing the multiplayer so my score excludes that.  The game is fantastic but as an action game with fantastic sound effects.