The Christmas Gaming Gift Guide 2009 Part 3: Budget titles

Time is marching on and this third and final part of my Christmas Gaming Gift Guide is going up later than I had originally planned, but I am back at last to hopefully give you 10 more ideas of what to get for the gamer in your life or indeed something to treat yourself to with any money you may receive over the festive period. This time I am looking at budget titles, and as well as boxed retail games I'm also including downloadable titles in this part. My definition of a "budget" game is £20 or less.

Trine - PS3 (PlayStation Network), PC (Steam) - Out Now - £16.99

Trine is a mixture of platformer, RPG and puzzle game with some fantastic graphics, solid physics and plenty of quality gameplay for your money. In single player you can switch between warrior, mage and rogue characters at will, each of which have their own skills and abilities. For example the mage can conjour up a wooden box to climb on, the rogue has a grappling hook she can use to swing around the levels and the warrior uses brute force to tackle the many enemies wandering around. In multi player these roles can be filled by two other human players working in tandem to reach the end of the stage.

Dead Space - Xbox 360 - Out Now - From £10 (best price)

EA's combination of third person shooting and survival horror is a quality title that can now be found for a bargain price. You play the part of Isaac Clarke, sent as part of a team to fix the communications on board a mining station. Soon after docking however, it soon transpires that something terrible has happened to the crew, and armed only with mining equipment you must venture deeper into the darkness before you are able to escape.

Shadow Complex - Xbox 360 (Live Arcade) - Out Now - 1600 points normally, 800 points between December 21st - 27th

Chair, the developers of Shadow Complex, have taken the relatively niche "Metroidvania" genre and brought it right up to date thanks to some clever game design and the Unreal engine. When your girlfriend gets snatched while exploring a cave, it's up to you to investigate the military complex hidden within in an attempt to get her back. Despite offering fantastic 3D graphics, the game actually plays out on a 2D plain and plays much like the classic Metroid or Castlevania games of old, which is a good thing.

MotorStorm Arctic Edge - PSP - Out Now - £17.99

This latest outing for the MotorStorm series is every bit as good as the two games on the PS3, except now of course you can take it on the road and play whenever you have a free moment. Graphically it stands up to its brethren remarkably well, and although there are fewer courses they are all as well designed as ever, with multiple routes and some stunning scenery. If you love arcade driving games then you definitely need to give this a spin.



NyxQuest: Kindred Spirits - Wii (Wiiware) - Out Now - 1000 points

This game has been available for quite some time already but may have been overlooked, which is a shame as it's a fantastic platformer with a unique visual style and some well implemented motion controls. You can point at blocks to lift them up and and assist you in your journey through the game, for example. It's not the longest game in the world by any means but you definitely get your moneys worth

House of the Dead: Overkill - Wii - Out Now - £10.98 (on sale at Gameplay.co.uk)

If you're a fan of the Planet Terror half of Grindhouse then you should definitely take a look at Sega's latest entry to their House of the Dead franchise. This Wii exclusive features plenty of gore, bad taste humour and a character who is obviously based on Samuel L Jackson, constantly dropping F bombs throughout the game. The game can be finished fairly quickly but by doing so you unlock a harder "directors cut" version of the game with slightly different cut scenes and even more zombies to shoot.

Shatter - PS3 (PlayStation Network) - Out Now - £4.79






Shatter is a Breakout/Arkanoid style bat and ball game with cool style, fantastic soundtrack and some clever new ideas for what was a rather tired genre. Levels are orientated both horizontally and vertically, you can suck the ball, power ups and bricks or blow them away from you, and the curved nature of your bat allows you to put spin on the ball, allowing for more precise control. Considering that you get all this for under a fiver, Shatter really is a steal and deserves to be part of every PS3 owners collection.

Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts and Bolts - Xbox 360 - Out Now - From £10 (best price)

Rares third game in the Banjo series is a bit of a departure from the 3D platformers of old, as it focuses more on vehicular challenges. You can either use of the preset blueprints built into the game or construct your own contraption using the various parts that you can earn throughout the game. While I don't think this quite lives up to the first two games, it is a worthwhile purchase for a tenner and a refreshing change from all of the grim first person shooters that are doing the rounds at the moment.

1 vs 100 - Xbox 360 (Live) - Out Now - Free with a gold subscription

Now this might seem a bit of an odd choice, but 1 vs 100 on Xbox Live is extremely good fun (especially with friends) and as long as you have a gold subscription to Xbox Live it won't cost you a penny. Why spend money on quiz games like Buzz or Scene It when this really offers everything that you need? The only downside is that you have to play at certain times of day - i.e. "Primetime" (7pm to 9.30pm).

Scribblenauts - Nintendo DS - Out Now - £14.98 (from Gameplay.co.uk)

Although the promise of Scribblenauts wasn't fully realised (the controls are unfortunately a bit broken) it still offers hours of fun just inputting random words and seeing how they are realised by the game. There are plenty of puzzle and action levels to work your way through (which have to be completed 3 completely different ways to earn a gold star), but I gleaned the most fun from the game just by mucking about on the title screen.

I would also like to give an honourable mention to Torchlight, even though I've already featured in in part 1 - as it offers a huge amount of game for the rather paltry sum of £13. I am hoping to get a review of it posted up over the festive period. I'm also very close to completing Dragon Age for the first time and plan to write a review for it too, so keep checking the blog or sign up to my Facebook or Twitter feeds to be kept up to date with new articles!

The Christmas Gaming Gift Guide 2009 Part 2: Worth a look

Here I am again as promised with part 2 of my Christmas Gaming Gift Guide. This time I'm featuring 10 games that interest me but I still have my doubts about. I would consider purchasing these if I see them in a sale or maybe after renting them first.

Jak and Daxter: The Lost Frontier - PSP - 27/11/09

I loved the original Jak trilogy on the PS2 with it's blend of classic 3D platforming, combat and racing, but I'm always a bit wary about sequels/spin offs that weren't developed by the original team. The game does look good though, but from what I've heard the controls aren't perfect and some of the mini games are repeated slightly too often. This time, Daxter is the one that gets Dark Eco infused super powers - transforming into a giant, damage dealing, lumbering beast.


Brütal Legend - Xbox 360, PS3 - Out Now

Tim Schafer has worked on arguably some of the best and funniest games of all time (The Secret of Monkey Island, Day of the Tentacle, Psychonauts), so you'd think I would be jumping at the chance to play his latest. The reason for my hesitation? Jack Black. OK, he was funny the first time, but he basically just plays himself in everything he works on and that can start to get irritating after a while. I'm also not that into heavy metal, so most of the in jokes and references to the culture will get lost on me. Having said all that, this does look like a decent game, so I will definitely come back to it later.

Batman: Arkham Asylum - Xbox 360, PS3 - Out Now

Now I'm quite fond of old batters but not really keen on the whole Splinter Cell stealth scene, so I'm a bit wary of this game. However, it is my understanding that you don't have to use stealth if you don't want to and can let your fists do the talking instead. It does look like a really well made game though, boasting voice actors who have actually worked on the animated series, and some great graphics. Definitely one to add to the collection eventually (i.e. when it can be found cheap enough).

LittleBigPlanet - PSP - Out Now

Media Molecule have basically taken their critically acclaimed platformer/creation tool and shrunk it down to the PSP, but the included levels are all new and there are new themes to play with too. I never really got into creating my own levels with the original, but I did play plenty of other user created levels for the PS3 version, and some of the things that people have managed to do with the creation tool is amazing. Provided you can download the levels onto the memory stick and take them with you, and not have to be online in order to play them, this could be the perfect game to play on the go.


Risen - Xbox 360 - Out Now

I love a good RPG, I do, and this game could just fit the bill. It has been getting fairly average scores from professional magazines and web sites, yet above average scores and praise from actual gamers, which leads me to believe that it is indeed worth checking out. Risen is an action RPG, in much the same vein as Oblivion and the like, and I think it has something to do with the Gothic series on the PC (you can tell I don't really know much about this game, can't you?). I'm not prepared to spend £45 on it but when the price comes down I'll be sure to pick this one up.

Divinity 2: Ego Draconis - PC, Xbox 360 - Out Now

Yes, another RPG. I loved the original Divine Divinity on the PC a few years ago, but didn't think the sequel (Beyond Divinity) lived up to it. This is in fact the "true" sequel, and takes the series from an isometric Diablo style RPG to a full 3D explorathon. From what I can gather from the trailer, your character turns about to be a Dragon Knight whose powers have lain dormant for quite some time (turning into a dragon, I guess), but they are about to awaken. Looks like it could be good but until I get to read and watch some reviews I will remain undecided on whether to give it a go.

Gran Turismo - PSP - Out Now

As I mentioned in part one, I really think that the Gran Turismo series has been surpassed by the Forza Motorsport series, but I still plan on playing this game eventually. It has taken Polyphony Digital an awful long time to put this one together so there had better be some major improvements over Gran Turismo 4. I have heard that they have made some rather strange design decisions though, like only making certain cars available on certain days. Is the PSP up to the task? In theory it should be, but I'm not so sure.

Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles - Wii - 27/11/09

The Umbrella Chronicles was a pretty good light gun shooter a few years back but fans of the Resident Evil series bemoaned the fact that arguably the best game in the series (Resident Evil 2) wasn't included amongst the various settings. That's because Capcom was saving it for the sequel, which also includes levels based on Code Veronica and Resident Evil 4 (all the games with Leon in them, basically). Wesker is bound to be up to no good again, darn him!

Muramasa: The Demon Blade - Wii - 27/11/09

Muramasa is a kind of follow up to PS2 game Odin Sphere, and features the same blend of sumptuous hand drawn backgrounds and action packed er, action. It blends quick and fast hack and slash action with RPG elements (yay!). It could be a tad on the hardcore side for my tastes (Odin Sphere was rock hard) but I'd like to give it a try.


Kingdom Hearts: 358/2 Days - DS - Out Now

Since completing Kingdom Hearts 2 (review here), I've been looking forward to playing more games in the series. While there's still no sign of Kingdom Hearts 3, the DS and PSP are at least getting spin off games of their own. The downside to this is that the levels are mostly rehashed from previous games, and the games don't focus on main protagonist Sora but rather some of the minor characters from KH2 (Roxas and Axel). Another case of try before I buy for this one then!

OK, one more part to go next week - this time I will be looking at budget titles, and I will be incorporating both full retail boxed games and downloadable games for Xbox Live Arcade, PSN and WiiWare. I also hope to put together some awards this year like I did a few years back, and I'm currently giving some thought as to what should be my winner and runner up for each platform, as well as overall.

The Christmas Gaming Gift Guide 2009 Part 1: Must Have titles

It has become tradition for me to write a little gaming gift guide around this time of year, so here I am again with what I consider my 10 "must have" titles for the 2009 festive season (funds permitting). The list may be a bit RPG heavy because that's by far my favourite genre, and they are perfect for this time of year with the long cold nights and time off from work. Some of these games are already out, and some are released soon. Watch out for part 2 soon which will feature another 10 games that I am interested in, but will likely only pick up if I see them cheap somewhere.

Dragon Age: Origins - Xbox 360, PC - Out Now - PS3 - 20/11/09

Bioware have once again crafted an RPG of truly epic proportions. Choose from one of six completely different origin stories and join the Grey Wardens as they battle to save the land of Ferelden from both the evil hordes of the Darkspawn and political machinations from within. The game should easily last you 50 hours (more if you decide to wander and complete side quests) and is extremely replayable due to the decisions that you have to make and the bearing that they have on the overall storyline. By the time you're done with this, it should be almost time for Mass Effect 2!

Borderlands - Xbox 360 - Xbox 360, PS3, PC - Out Now

Borderlands is a RPG/FPS hybrid, and is incredibly addictive as a result. Choose from one of four classes - Soldier, Hunter, Siren and Beserker, each with their own unique abilities, and venture out into the wastelands of Pandora in attempt to find the legendary vault. If that sounds a bit like Fallout, it's no surprise as this game was inspired by that series. You can play the game on your own if you wish but it really comes alive in the 4 player cooperative mode, where the different classes complement each other (one class has bullets and grenades that actually heal rather than harm allies, for example). There are squillions of different guns to find, a huge world to explore and a dark sense of humour throughout. Where else can you find mobs that go by the name of Midget Psycho or Badass Corrosive Alpha Skag?

New Super Mario Bros. Wii - Wii - 20/11/09

From the videos that I've seen of this game so far, it looks like really good fun in four player mode but the likely source of a lot of arguments this Christmas, as the hectic nature of the game will inevitably lead to someone accidentally causing the death of someone else, which will probably spark a rebellion with all hell breaking loose. Those who fear that the single player mode will suffer as a result of the emphasis on multi player should relax - Nintendo have things well in hand. This could well end up being my game of the year, and I don't have long to wait now!

Forza Motorsport 3 - Xbox 360 - Out Now

In my opinion, the Forza series has been the leader of the "racing simulator" sub genre for some time now, offering quite a bit that the venerable Gran Turismo series doesn't, and it looks like Forza Motorsport 3 will easy outclass Gran Turismo 5. What you have here is an incredibly deep and complex game, yet Turn 10 have manages to streamline the interface and the game to coax in newcomers gradually, giving them as many driving aids as they require yet encouraging them to switch them off in return for bigger rewards at the end of the race. It also features a rewind button, which has become the feature du jour since GRID included it.

Torchlight - PC (download only) - Out Now

If you're one of the many people eagerly awaiting the release of Diablo 3, then you should probably take a look at Torchlight. Many of the developers have worked on the first two Diablo games as well as Fate. This game brings a few new things to the table, such as a pet that you can load up with loot and send back to town for you. You could also equip your moggy or doggy with some powerful spells, or do a spot of fishing and then feed whatever you've caught to them to transform them into a different creature temporarily. At $20 (about £13) this is quite the bargain.

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves - PS3 - Out Now

I have only discovered how great the first Uncharted was fairly recently (check out my review), but the sequel promises to outdo it in every area. It features some of the most breathtaking scenes on any platform, and this time also includes a surprisingly good online multi player mode as well as a selection of cooperative missions. Quite possibly the best game available for the PS3 so far.

The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks - DS - 11/12/09

Like Uncharted, I only got around to playing Phantom Hourglass properly this year. Overall it was great, but the dungeon that you had to keep going back to time and time again was a bit of a pain, so hopefully Nintendo will tone this aspect down for Spirit Tracks. From what I've seen so far, Zelda (or rather Tetra) is killed early on in the adventure and then accompanies Link in spirit form, possessing Phantoms to assist him in solving puzzles. Will he be able to help her return to her corporeal form? I'm guessing yes, but it will be a fun adventure in the meantime. Also - trains!

Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 - Xbox 360, PS3, Wii - Out Now

The first Ultimate Alliance (and the X-Men Legends games before it) were highly enjoyable action RPG's, featuring a ton of famous and not so famous faces from the back catalogue of Marvel Comics. I made the mistake of buying the Wii version of the last game which had horrible controls and no online mode to speak of, so this time I will definitely be going for the 360 or PS3 version. I have had a go at the demo and the graphics have leaped ahead in quality quite significantly, and there are cool new team up moves that you can carry out.

Need for Speed Shift - Xbox 360, PS3 - Out Now

The quality of recent releases in the Need for Speed series has been patchy at best, but this latest entry in the series will hopefully compare favourably do the similar Forza 3 and Gran Turismo 5, and not leave me thinking that perhaps they should have left the f out of the title! It incorporates a stars system for completing certain challenges during each race, such as staying in first place for a whole lap or beating a particular time, and these change depending on whether your play style falls under the category of "aggressive" or "precision".

Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story - DS - Out Now

The Mario RPG's have always been incredibly funny, well written games with some really fun gameplay to back it all up, but the last one (Partners in Time) suffered a bit because of over complicated controls. This time Alphadream have simplified things a bit, and have also apparently been inspired by the classic movie Inner Space, as Mario & Luigi find themselves inhaled by Bowser. You then spend much of the game exploring Bowser's gut, or stomping around the Mushroom Kingdom as the Koopa King himself as he attempts to reclaim his castle from the evil (and hysterically funny) Fawful.

So that's it for part one - I have already bought copies of Dragon Age, Borderlands and Torchlight and will be reviewing each of them over the next month or so, and I'll be picking up New Super Mario Bros. Wii tomorrow! Next week I'll also be posting up part 2 of this guide, looking at 10 also-rans that may just be worth grabbing in the sales!

Uncharted: Drake's Fortune review

Since buying the system a couple of years ago, my PS3 hasn't really been used for playing games much, especially compared to some of my other consoles. It does get turned on quite often to play Blu Rays, but if a game is multi format I usually go with the Xbox 360 version because I have way more people on my friend list and I prefer Achievements to Trophies. When I was about to take a week off from work however I decided I would pick up a few games for Sony's black beast and spend some time with it - namely the new Prince of Persia which I still haven't played very much of, and the subject of this review, Uncharted: Drake's Fortune which I played through to completion by the end of my holiday. The game sees you take control of Nathan Drake, supposedly the long lost relative of explorer and alleged pirate Sir Francis Drake, as he attempts to find the mythical El Dorado. By the time I was done with it I was extremely impressed with the game - read on to find out why.

Format: PS3
Publisher: SCEE
Developer: Naughty Dog
Genre: Action Adventure
Region: PAL
Expect to pay: £8 - £10

Graphics: 9 out of 10
Now you would more or less expect a PS3 game to look great, with HD as standard and all the muscle that the system has, but the graphics of Uncharted: Drake's Fortune are fantastic from a design standpoint as well as a technical one. Through the course of the game you will be taken from dark, atmospheric temples and crypts, to lush green jungles and tropical vistas. The palette is in stark contrast to something like Gears of War with its oppressive tones and fondness of the colour brown - and quite deliberately so as various members of Naughty Dog explain in the bonus documentaries included on the game disc. It's refreshing to play a modern console game that isn't afraid to use vivid colours, although this was also a hallmark of Naughty Dog's previous series Jak and Daxter as well. There are also subtle trails in the level design which manage to subconsciously lead you on the correct path through the level, while at the same time still managing to look natural.

There's no doubt that this game makes good use of the PS3's capabilities, and it still looks great today despite being one of the earliest releases for the console. I should also mention the animation which is both fluid and realistic, giving your the feeling that Nathan Drake has real weight and inertia. As you navigate a tricky series of jumps and climbs, he reaches out towards parts of the environment that can be jumped to, and sometimes manages to save himself from plummeting to his doom by grabbing hold of something with one hand and pulling himself up.

Sound and music: 9 out of 10
Uncharted boasts a musical score composed by Greg Edmonson, who has previously worked on Joss Whedon's tragically short lived Firefly TV series. Fans of the show will definitely find certain instruments and tunes familiar, and his work here definitely helps give the game the gravitas of a big screen blockbuster.

Voice acting is solid as well, comprising of performances by the likes of Nolan North as Drake, Emily Rose as Elena Fisher and Richard McGonagle as Victor Sullivan. I'm not familiar with any of these names, but a quick scan of their CV's shows that Fisher and McGonagle have done a fair amount of TV and voice over work for cartoons, while it appears that the first Uncharted was North's first job. Instead of dubbing over cut scenes that had already been created by animators, the dialogue was recorded at the same time as the action using motion capture suits, which helps keep things feeling natural as the actors were all present at the same time and interacting with each other for real.

The final element of the sound is the effects, and these are very well done too with a variety of different weapons that all sound like they should, supported by a great 5.1 surround sound mix so you can really hear where the bullets are coming from if you have the hardware.

Nathan Drake and Elena Fisher at the start of their epic journey.

Game Mechanics: 9 out of 10
There are several different game play styles that make up the DNA of Uncharted. Let's start with the combat first. It plays very similarly to Gears of War, with an over the shoulder perspective and the stick to cover. Enemies can pour in thick and fast, and it's extremely satisfying to take them down with an expertly placed head shot from your pistol or a well aimed grenade (the Sixaxis controller is also utilised to change the path of your grenade, although personally I would have preferred to use the analogue stick). There are a variety of guns in the game, including various pistols, automatic rifles, machine guns and shotguns. Ammunition levels can pose a problem in protracted gun fights, and you may have to leave the safety of whatever cover you've found in order to retrieve some more ammo clips from the corpses of the slain.

Then you have melee combat, where you can get in close to your enemy and execute a string of buttons presses which if timed correctly can take your opponent down with quiet efficiency. The pirates that you go up against are fairly intelligent - ganging up on you, trying to pin you down and generally trying to outsmart you in every encounter. Thus, you will probably find yourself taking out a few bad guys initially and then have to retreat and heal up before re entering the fray. Healing is much like any other action game of recent times - you just find a quiet spot and rest up for a few seconds and you're magically back to full heath. This makes sense for Halo where the shields of your suit re power after a while, but seems a bit strange when your playing as a regular guy wearing just a T-shirt and trousers.

Aside from fighting, you will spend a considerable amount of your time just navigating the environment - clinging on to crumbling pillars, swinging from vines, shimmying across chasms and the like. This is where Naughty Dog's pedigree as a platform game designer really pays off as the action here is extremely slick and fluid you always feel in control. It's about as far removed as the clunky old Tomb Raider games as possible. Then we have the puzzles, which aren't particularly taxing but are a fun diversion from time to time nevertheless. A little bit of experimentation and studying Francis Drakes journal will usually steer you towards the solution.

There are also a few vehicular sections scattered throughout the game - an on rails section that sees you manning the guns in a jeep, and a couple of jet ski bits through a sunken city and up a river. They don't outstay their welcome and are a fun way to break up the shooting and exploration for a little while.

So then, all of these elements have been done before in other games but seldom have they all been found in one title or executed with such panache. They can also flow from one style of game play directly into the next, so barely seconds after navigating a tricky series of jumps you could be plunged headlong into a lengthy gun battle. Naughty Dog really are in the top league of developers and are a huge asset to Sony, so I hope they manage to keep hold of them for quite some time.

Walking across logs also triggers Sixaxis motion controlled sections.

Innovation and Cleverness: 7 out 10
Like I said above, most of the game play elements of Uncharted have been done elsewhere but not at the same time and not with the same level of execution, so the game scores heavily on the Cleverness score. The production values are also incredibly high, with the cinematic score and solid performances. It manages to make the last Indiana Jones film look decidedly pathetic - George Lucas and Steven Spielberg pay attention, this is how you're supposed to make a story of this nature!

Value and Replayability: 7 out of 10
Uncharted is not a particularly long game - it will only take you about 10 hours to complete - but there is a nice array of bonus materials, such as galleries, making of documentaries and other videos to watch. These have to be unlocked by finding hidden treasures throughout the main game (of which there are 50) and also by completing various achievements. Getting a certain amount of head shots, killing three baddies with one grenade, the usual sort of thing. Then there are three difficulty settings if you decide you want to go through the story again (which you probably will, in time). The game can be purchased for £10 or less these days, and it is well worth that price.

Overall: 9 out 10
Uncharted is an excellent demonstration of what the PS3 is capable of in the right hands - it's fun, exciting, easy to learn, but with plenty to keep you coming back. Uncharted 2 is just around the corner and it looks spectacular, but I would still recommend getting the first game if you haven't yet done so.

RMGB TV - Nintendo Night

Keep checking this YouTube playlist regularly for gameplay videos of NES, SNES, N64 and Wii titles (including WiiWare and Virtual Console).

RMGB TV - The RPG Show Episode 1 - Arc the Lad Collection

Here is the first proper episode of RMGB TV's RPG Show, all about Arc the Lad Collection from Working Designs.

RMGB TV Episode 0: Test Footage and Introduction

Here is the very first episode of RMGB TV, Episode 0, or the pilot if you like. The quality of the video leaves a lot to be desired, I will try and invest in some decent equipment later on, and also write some notes so that I'm not making it up as I go along (resulting in long pauses as I freeze up). Not sure when I'll pluck up the courage to do another one, I may try and hone my skills a bit first.