Games And Glory

Mortal Kombat vs DC Universe

Pros: Surprisingly fun.

Cons: Very shallow gameplay; still quite gory.

The squeaky clean worlds of DC Comic’s Superman and Wonder Woman don’t seem like a natural mesh with the brutal, gory and exploitative world of Midways’ long –running Mortal Kombat (MK) series of fighting games, so a merger between the two would seem like something of a non-starter. Surprisingly, however, the two worlds mesh in quite well. From a plot viewpoint, the simultaneous defeat of DC baddie Darkseid and MK villain Shao Khan see both worlds merging dangerously, sending heroes from both sides to investigate and inevitably clash. Combat is a little toned down in the gore stakes from previous MK games – I couldn’t really see Superman tearing out somebody’s spine in good conscience, although he’s certainly physically capable of it – but it’s still fast, frantic and quite a lot of fun in a very shallow way. It doesn’t trouble the heavy hitters of the fighting game scene – purists will still prefer a Street Fighter or Virtua Fighter fix – but for those wanting some quick, silly arcade-style fun, MK vs DC Universe comes recommended.

Rating: 4/5

Killzone 2

Pros: A great-looking PS3 first-person shooter.

Cons: Very tough in places.

As a sequel to the generally unimpressive PS2 Killzone first-person shooter (FPS), Killzone 2 didn’t have that much to live up to, but Sony’s been giving Killzone 2 plenty of time to develop, and the results are very impressive. You play as Sergeant Tomas Sevchenko, a typically grizzled special forces soldier fighting a galactic war against the evil Helghast – pretty clichéd fare for a science fiction-based first-person shooter, in fact. While the plot is pretty derivative stuff, Killzone 2 acquits itself through the use of some of the best graphics I’ve seen on the PS3 to date, and gameplay that keeps the adrenaline flowing throughout your play time. The immersion factor in Killzone 2 is extremely high, from the cinematic style of the game overall to the way that it virtually never drops you out of the first person aiming sight. It’s also quite tough in places – some may find it overly so – but given the relative dearth of the good PS3-exclusive FPS titles, this is well worth checking out.

Rating: 4.5/5

Midnight Club: LA

Pros: Great-looking car models.

Cons: Can be tough; some obstacles are weird.

Midnight Club: Los Angeles is a racing game with an open world feel and the same basic game engine that powered Rockstar’s all-conquering Grand Theft Auto IV. However, it’s totally built around creating a sensation of speed, whether you’re racing bikes in the game’s solo mode or taking on all comers online. It’s a decent enough simulation of LA itself, and it’s also quite good for fun, although it’s fun with a rather tough edge; in each and every race you’ll spin, crash and fold quite often, and the game’s exaggerated momentum means that getting back up to speed can feel torturously slow at times. With plenty of vehicles to unlock and a ‘reputation’ score that’s not just based around winning races, Midnight Club: LA offers a decent long-term challenge for petrol heads and arcade racing fans alike. For those who like a good challenge in a nearly real-world setting, Midnight Club: Los Angeles is great fun indeed.

Rating: 4/5

Fear 2

Pros: Mix of scares and action; well-paced levels.

Cons: Nothing you haven’t seen before.

The sequel to the horror action first-person shooter FEAR sees you once again taking on the creepy and eerie Alma, a young girl experimented on by unethical scientists, mixed in with what is, essentially, regular first-person-shooter-style action game, you’re able to slow time down for short bursts, giving you a distinct advantage, but then ‘bullet time’ gameplay mechanics are nothing new. Actually, there’s not a whole lot new about FEAR 2, and that’s perhaps its biggest flaw – and not much of a problem at all. The scares are well executed and paced out far enough that they don’t lose their shock value; the action alternates nicely between all-out gunfights and plot developments; and the mix of urban environments – including a very unnerving sequence set in a primary school – is well balanced. FEAR 2 might be a little generic, but it’s still well worth playing – for those old enough to handle it.

Rating: 4/5

Fable II

Pros: Simple yet rewarding gameplay; moral choices are interesting, not forced

Cons: Some tedious game elements; experienced gamers may find it ‘easy’

The original Fable promised a rich fairytale role-playing world where your every moral choice had an effect on your character, but ultimately those effects were rather ephemeral. The sequel is, simply put, better in every respect. You’re still a clichéd urban urchin at the start of the game, but by the time you’ve finished, you’ll have a faithful hound companion, possibly a family, and plenty of battle scars along the way – more if you’re the evil type, but less if you’re a ‘goody to shoes’. You’re still solidly in fairytale territory – you start the game out earning money for a ‘magic box’, and it just goes on from there – but the expanded gameplay (which includes two-player cooperative mode), a much improved script and a wealth of side quests make this an excellent and compelling title that anyone who enjoys a role-playing game should definitely check out.

Overall I score it a 4.5/5.

Saints Row 2

Pros: Lots of silly fun; a huge amount of character customisation

Cons: Weirdly buggy in various places

Speaking of urban urchins, it would be easy to take one look at Saints Row 2’s urban setting and deride it as a cheap Grand Theft Auto (GTA) clone – only one that looked a bit poorer and had a few more weird bugs within it. That’d be a cheap analysis, though, as Saints Row 2 doesn’t take itself anywhere near as seriously as GTA and, as such, it’s a heck of a lot more fun. A lot of that comes down to the character customisation. Sure, you could play as a muscled-up thug or an over enhanced streetwalker, but how many games will easily give you the ability to play as a curiously cockney-accented big fat hairy guy in a dress and top hat? With a start like that, it’s not surprising that Saints Row 2 doesn’t take itself seriously with missions, which range from property devaluation (via sewage truck!) to insurance fraud – using your own body as a missile – and plenty more besides those. Saints Row 2 may borrow from the GTA ‘crime sim’ play book, but it’s definitely its own creature, and a highly enjoyable one at that.

Overall I score it a 4.5/5

Fifa 09

Pros: Good animations

Cons: A new year, a new game…

Fifa 09 is available for just about every platform you’d care to name, although they do vary slightly. EA boasts of a new animation engine with FIFA 09, and certainly the players, stadiums and general animation are of a very high quality, although you’ll typically be too busy playing to take too much notice. As FIFA games tend to, it plays a good, tactical game of soccer – those looking for a quick knockabout game will find all but the game’s lowest difficulty settings just too challenging. As with previous FIFA titles one of the key points of appeal is the vast number of teams, leagues and cups on offer; if you can think of a football competition, it’s almost certainly here. The games console roots definitely shine through in this little number and as always, everything’s more fun with a gamepad.

Overall I score it a 3.5/5.

Far Cry 2

Pros: Looks gorgeous; huge open-ended world

Cons: Some dull missions; a little buggy

The second game in the Far Cry series relocates the action to a grimy African nation torn apart by war – quite a bit of war, as you’ll quickly discover, having taken on the task of hunting down the chap who’s immorally getting rich off the proceeds of selling weapons to both sides. That’s not a recipe for the happiest game, and things don’t look any less bleak when you start the game with a crippling bout of malaria.

In some ways, that should in fact be a recipe for a game that’s a bit too close to reality, but Far Cry 2 manages to pull it off. It’s a first person shooter with some light puzzles and some absolutely stunning visuals within what is a huge game world. Ubisoft claims it’s over 50 square kilometres, and I’m tempted to believe it.

Far Cry 2 has plenty of length, although it does get annoying that some missions are deliberately set miles apart just to make them longer. I also found that the game was full of bugs and loves to crash, especially after a long spell of not saving, oh how fun that can be.

Games that try for ‘realism’ have to be careful to deliver ‘fun’ as well, and for the most part, Far Cry 2 does this reasonably well.

Overall I score it a 3.5/5.