Enemy Territory: Quake Wars, Xbox 360 - £13 delivered
Bakushow, DS - Review
Bakushow, DS - £24.99 delivered
Review by LewieP
I first booted up Bakushow, and found to great surprise that there is no single player mode. That's fine though, I'm not going to discriminate against a game for being multiplayer only. I will say this though, the packaging should certainly be more explicit in telling you that if you only have access to one DS it is basically just a title screen.
Not that there is much else here even if you do have multiple players.
There is absolutely nothing to Bakushow that could not be done, in many ways better, with Pictochat, or hell, even a pencil and paper. There is essentially no game here whatsoever.
The game, if you can call it that, is that players take turns to write or draw something on the DS, then all players must answer the 'challenge' within a set time period. Then players vote for who answered it best.
Then you do it again.
And again.
That's it. There are no built in challenges, there are no minigames, there is nothing.
If you are playing with just two people, then the voting system is broken, because each player just votes for themselves continually. Resulting in player 1 winning by virtue of being player 1.
I kept searching for an extra mode or something, and found nothing. I genuinely thought I had somehow missed the actual game, but alas, I had just played it all already and not realised.
I am utterly shocked that anyone had the disrespect for their players to put this on a cartridge and charge Twenty Five Pounds for it.
The only thing Bakushow succeeds in is making you wish Nintendo had of put a few more features in Pictochat.
According to the guys who made it - "If you think this game is boring, you are boring." That is not how things work. They do not have the right to say this. I think Bakushow is boring because it is a bad game, no other reason. Since when have developers been able to put out disclaimers regarding your opinion?
Do not buy Bakushow, please. In fact, if you see anyone in GAME (since that's the only retailer that will dare to sell it) pick it up off the shelf, I implore you to tell them not to buy it. Bakushow is contentless shovelware, there is no game there whatsoever.
The SavyGamer Podcast, Episode 4
In this episode we discuss why we've skipped a fortnight, and I get very excited and interrupt Lewie a lot. VGChartz are mainly responsible.
Show notes (Highlight to view):
00:00 Opening
00:36 Welcome
00:45 The Lost Episode
03:12 Contests! [Link]
05:00 I talk about a shame tarp, here. That's a weird reference. [Link]
07:19 Are Harmonix a little insensitive?
08:31 New Rock Band song - Stephen Colbert
[Note: This song is now available on PSN but was not at the time of recording]
11:32 Left 4 Dead demo announced by Gabe Newell - but when?
14:45 Is the New Xbox Experience going to be relaunching the console?
15:45 No. No it isn't. We spend a bit too much time debating why it isn't.
21:32 But when is it coming out?
22:32 Resistance 2 beta [Link]
25:31 Anti-Spore. After recording, it turns out that this was a massive Rick Roll. [Link]
26:23 Fracture demo coming soon
28:50 So there was a Half-Life Episode 4? [Link]
34:18 Tons of bargains this week!
Bargains of the week:
Assassin's Creed, 360 - £7.99
The Darkness, 360 - £4.99
Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood, DS - £17.93
41:50 Playing Rock Band with my family
43:34 Lewie's mummy on Defence Grid: The Awakening
45:32 Pirates vs. Ninjas Dodgeball
47:25 Castle Crashers, poo, and a little clan discussion
50:39 We should have had more 2D games
51:49 BAKUSHOW - the game that would be very boring to play with us
55:53 Contest details
58:55 Something happened here with the audio, not sure what. I should say "We'd done the barrel rolls, but we needed to wait for him to do one degree of flatspin, but he thought we still had to do barrel rolls."
59:46 Rainslick contest
1:01:05 Close
1:01:15 Minute of Silence
Link dump:
SavyGamer Contests
Vault 77: One Man, and a Crate of Puppets
GamerDNA (my page on 360voice)
Battlefield Heroes
SOCOM Confrontation
SupCom
Resistance 2 beta
Anti-Spore (sorry for the above - couldn't resist! :P)
Half-Life Episode 4 Thread
Total Runtime: 1:02:15
Total Filesize: 59MB
Contest info:
For the SOCOM beta, send an email to willeth -at- gmail -dot- com with the subject SOCOM CONTEST and your story.
For the swag, send an email to lewiep -at- savygamer -dot- co -dot- uk with the subject SWAG CONTEST and your justification.
For the Precipice special edition, send an email to willeth -at- gmail -dot- com with the subject PRECIPICE CONTEST and your comic as an attachment.
Got feedback on the show? Post a comment, or email us:
LewieP - lewiep@savygamer.co.uk
Will - willeth@gmail.com
CoD 4 Variety Map Pack, 360 - 400MSP
The Variety Map Pack for Call of Duty 4 is half price until Monday at 8am GMT. These are the maps that are included in the Game of the Year (goatee) edition.
It's been knocked down from 800 points (~£5.32) to 400 points (~£2.66).
All Sterling values in this post are compared to Tesco.com points pricing. If you get your points elsewhere then the equivalent cost will be higher. No word yet on whether this discount is also available on PSN.
Xbox 360 Price Drop
Looks like Woolies is going to be dropping the price of their Xbox 360 consoles.
£129.99 for the Arcade
£169.99 for the Premium (60gb)
£229.99 for the Elite
Here's a photo, supposedly from a Woolies employee. This would be in line with their recent price drops, if you remember they dropped the Wii to £159.99.
Now, I can't guarantee this will work, but if you want to try and trick the system and reserve yourself a console, so you can be sure to have one, this might help.
If you order one over the phone (0844 811 7111) they will hold it for you, so you can just turn up and pay and collect it on a set day. They will hold onto items for some time (if I remember correctly, a week), so if you order one now, they will give you a date for when you can collect it. Then, you can wait for the price drop, and just turn up and ask for it at the lower price when the price drop does happen. If the price drop doesn't happen any time soon (since I can't say when this will happen), no matter, you can just cancel the order, and not have to pay a penny.
Thanks to Engadget for the heads up. Stay tuned for SavyGamer for more on this as it becomes available.
Multiwinia + Darwinia, PC - £13.28
If you pre-purchase Multiwinia on steam, you get the fantastic Darwinia for free. Comes to £13.28 by my maths.
If you haven't already got/played Darwinia, I highly recommend it. It's a wonderful, unique, beautiful game. Very indie, but at the same time, very polished, and it has a great sense of humour (be sure to download the PDF of the manual too).
Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker, DS - £9.43
Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker, DS - £9.43 delivered
Apply code "reward5" for 5% off
Gears of War 2, Xbox 360 - £28.43
Gears of War 2, Xbox 360 - £28.43 delivered
Apply code "reward5" for 5% off
Thanks to John for the tip.
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Clear Sky, PC - Review
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Clear Sky, PC - £15.89 delivered
Apply code "reward5" for 5% off
Review by Rook
Making your way through the driving rain, the remnants of the abandoned town of Limansk stretches out ahead. Somewhere over the other side is the reactor core, the heart of the zone. Shuttered windows, and nailed up doors leave only the streets which look oh so very open. With the warning of an ambush ahead fresh in mind I find myself pressing up against the few ruined cars that have long since been abandoned. A cursory sweep with binoculars doesn't give anything away, but a moment later lightning baths the fronts of the buildings and in a window, for a brief second, a black silhouette is outlined in cold white light. Raising the scope of the silenced rifle, the figure remains a shadow in a patch of gloom, but it's enough. Raising the sights just a little to factor in the bullet drop, the trigger is pulled and the inevitable happens: "This is XRay Engine crash reporting client. To help the development process, please Submit Bug or save report and email it manually".
And it's gone. All the atmosphere, all the tension is converted into petty annoyance. I should be enjoying this game, but it feels as though someone is having fun with a bizarre metagame. Instead of probing for anomalies, your hunting for crash bugs. Which scripted event will trigger it next? The game's story (very much a rehash of the first game) is quickly replaced by trips to the forums, the discovery of an [Unofficial Fix] thread a greater prize than any artefact. Minor bugs abound, the Directx10 graphics corrupt in the rain, the AI occasionally decides not to initialise on loading, the quick save feature doesn't work etc. But these are simply part and parcel of a game, the slight quirks are almost more annoying. It's not that the AI can throw grenades further than Olympians could dream, it's not that they do this with pinpoint accuracy, without being able to see . It's that they do all this without any possible knowledge of where you are.
Getting away from all that, Clear Sky manages to deliver on so much of what was promised with the original Stalker, it's a living breathing world. The fire fights remain amongst the best that any game offers, brutal and unrelenting. Standing out in the open is a sure fire way of needing to hit the reload key, but hunker down in cover and soon you'll be pinned down and surrounded. The faction wars add in friendly squads, and the storyline is often best left forgotten as you join in their patrols. Small skirmishes soon give way to fully fledged battles for territory. Grenades, tracers and screams fill the air, and then as quickly as it starts it dies out again, and the scavenging can begin. The scripted events can be more hit and miss, having played through 8/10ths of the game without limits, it feels odd to be pinned down by a single sniper that can't be killed despite repeated headshots. At other times it's pitch perfect. Making your way through the distorted swirls of radiation pockets and gravity anomalies you swear you can almost see something move ahead. It's not long before the nervous friendly AI notice the same thing and then open fire predator style. By the time you make it to your destination, the rest of the squad lie torn apart, dotted along the route.
As a game it manages to be both beautiful and ugly at the same time. Much like the real 'zone', it's a world you'd hate to visit, but could stare endlessly at pictures of long since forgotten play parks, the abandoned flats and houses slowly being reclaimed by nature, or just the ever changing (and rarely clear) sky. Catch a zone at the wrong time of day then a simple zombie duck hunt turns into another gaming session abandoned until daylight returns both in the real world and in the game world. The voice acting, whilst not brilliant is amiable enough, the minimalist sound track adding just enough to keep things going with the real stars being the guttural sounds, the footsteps, the creaking, or the moans that leave you feeling not quite as alone as you'd like to be.
In the end, I have the feeling that Clear Sky will depend more on the player than anything else. It's a game that won't tell you when you've made a mistake, but just leave you with that sinking feeling halfway through a zone when you realise you really should have bought the more expensive suit of armour, or that might be another, less dangerous way around. It often offers just enough of a hint of what you should be doing, but similarly leaves enough doubt that the less intrepid might miss the cues. Yes, artefacts are hard and dangerous to find, but you're a stalker, it's worth the risk. Yes, bad things happen in the zone, but you're a stalker, you're prepared for them. Yes, scraping together a living in the zone is tough, but you're a stalker, it's what you do.
In the end saying that Stalker epitomises everything in PC gaming is as much of a low blow as it is a compliment. As a game though, it very much takes the highs with the lows. On the one hand it offers something so unique and so hardcore that it'll never appear in this form on a console. On the other, you are paying to beta test a game that may never be finished. GSC Game World could have won a lot of praise by following the path of CD-Project and re-releasing the original game patched up to how they intended. In the end they cashed out with another unfinished product.
Rating – Pineapple (http://xkcd.com/388/)
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Clear Sky, PC - £15.89 delivered
Apply code "reward5" for 5% off
PES 2009, PS3 - £28.43
Pro Evolution Soccer 2009, PS3 - £28.43 delivered
Apply code "reward5" for 5% off
Sonic Chronicles - The Dark Brotherhood, DS - £17.03
Sonic Chronicles - The Dark Brotherhood, DS - £17.03 delivered
Apply code "reward5" for 5% off
Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga, Xbox 360 - £16.99
Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga, Xbox 360 - £16.99 delivered
Dragon Ball Z: Burst Limit, Xbox 360 - £23.99
Dragon Ball Z: Burst Limit, Xbox 360 - £23.99 delivered
Zack & Wiki: Quest For Barbaros' Treasure, Wii - £16.99
Zack & Wiki: Quest For Barbaros' Treasure, Wii - £16.99 delivered
Yakuza, PS2 - £5
Yakuza, PS2 - £5 delivered
Perfect timing for anyone interested in the sequel, that's on the way.
SavyGamer Contests!
These were originally announced in the podcast for last week, but as it snarled itself up and I can't get it together in a timely fashion I'm going to post these here instead.
We have two competitions going this week. One of them is to win a bunch of stuff from Lewie's PAX swag bag! To win, simply fire off an email to him (lewiep -at- savygamer -dot- co -dot- uk) with the subject SWAG CONTEST justifying why you deserve it. Be creative and make us laugh! We'll judge these over the next week or so and announce the winner on Episode 5 of the podcast, available a week on Friday.
The second is for a SOCOM: Confrontation Beta code. The beta lasts until the 5th of October and if you haven't got in on it yet then this could be a rare chance for you. This one also requires a little bit of effort - SOCOM is being bundled with the official PS3 Bluetooth headset. I want you to describe something that happened to you in an online game, either positive or negative, revolving around the use of (or lack of) a headset. Bonus points are given for creativity. Send your entry to my email address (willeth -at- gmail -dot- com) with the subject SOCOM BETA CONTEST. As the beta only lasts until the 5th, I'll decide this one very soon, so get your entries in before Sunday at noon GMT. I'll email the winner their code by Sunday evening and they'll also get a shout-out on the show.
On Friday's episode of the podcast, Episode 4, we'll be giving away a Collector's Edition of the Penny Arcade game - On The Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness, Episode 1. As well as the game (which runs on PC, Mac, and Linux) and a printed manual with the prequel comic within, it contains a keyring, a custom Startling Developments D20, and a Precipice T-shirt. Make sure you listen to Episode 4 on Friday to find out how to enter.
Sorry to anyone who was looking forward to our PAX impressions, but hopefully this week's show will make up for it. See you on Friday!
Halo 3 - Collector's Edition, Xbox 360 - £19.99
Halo 3 - Collector's Edition, Xbox 360 - £19.99 delivered
Sorry about the podcast....
I didn't intentionally mislead you guys. We did record a podcast this week...
..Except technical issues made it completely unlistenable, basically the two sides of the conversation don't match up at all.
So we aren't going to put it up, but we'll record a new one this Friday.
In the meantime, you can listen to the new series of One Life Left, which has just gone live.
If you've not listened to it before, it's really great. The OLL crew definitely don't take themselves to seriously, and it is a lot of fun to listen to. Highly recomended.
If you are a long time fan, or like what you hear just based on episode one of this series, I suggest you vote for them in the GMAs, the game media awards. Just send an email to gma@intentmedia.co.uk explaining that you wish to vote for One Life left in the category of “best broadcast”.
It's technically an industry insider only award, so if you can blag that you are somehow involved in the games industry/media that would help (just say your from a blog if you have one.)
So yeah, thanks for your patience, next 'cast will be up on Friday, technology willing.
Ensemble Studios closing...
I've been a big fan of their games over the years, so it cuts me deep to see Microsoft close Ensemble Studios. They were behind the fantastic Age of Empires and Age of Mythology games, and are currently working on the Xbox 360 exclusive Halo RTS "Halo Wars".
Shacknews reports:
Confirming a story broken by Shacknews, Microsoft now says that it will shut down Halo Wars developer Ensemble Studios following the end of work on the company's upcoming RTS.
Microsoft issued a full statement on the news, which follows:
"Microsoft has decided to close Ensemble Studios following the completion of Halo Wars. After the closure, the Ensemble leadership team will form a new studio and has agreed to provide ongoing support for Halo Wars as well as work on other projects with Microsoft Game Studios.
The team at Ensemble has made invaluable contributions to the games industry with their Age of Empires and Age of Mythology games and with the highly anticipated release of Halo Wars. This decision does not reflect at all on Ensembles talent or the quality of Halo Wars. in fact, many people who have had a chance to test drive Halo Wars agree that it is on track to being a fantastic game.
This was a fiscally-rooted decision that keeps MGS on its growth path. While the decision to dissolve Ensemble was not an easy one, Microsoft is working to place as many Ensemble employees who do not move to the newly formed studio into open positions within Microsoft as possible.
As to our overall strategy at MGS, it remains the same. We are committed to growing MGS with world-class talent both internally and with our external partners around the globe. We have recently added some well-known developers to our team and will continue growing the team. Were particularly excited about the titles we have in the pipeline and continue to evaluate additional opportunities to bring incredible games to life with the industries best. Our investment in games has never been greater than it is today."
RIP Ensemble, and good luck to everyone who is going to be loosing their jobs in finding new, and enriching jobs elsewhere.
Triggers, PS3 - £1.99
Triggers, PS3 - £1.99 delivered
Apply code "E10155087156447930" for £2 off.
You stick these onto the L and R 2 buttons, and they make them into triggers, like the box 360 pad.
Geometry Wars: Galaxies, DS - £7.99
Geometry Wars: Galaxies, DS - £7.99 delivered
Apply code "E10155087156447930" for £2 off.
Jam Sessions, DS - £5.99
Jam Sessions, DS - £5.99 delivered
Apply code "E10155087156447930" for £2 off.
Geometry Wars: Galaxies, Wii - £8.99
Geometry Wars: Galaxies, Wii - £8.99 delivered
Apply code "E10155087156447930" for £2 off.
Nintendo Classic Controller, Wii - £9.99
Nintendo Classic Controller, Wii - £9.99 delivered
Apply code "E10155087156447930" for £2 off.
Odin Sphere, PS2 - £12.99
Odin Sphere, PS2 - £12.99 delivered
Apply code "E10155087156447930" for £2 off.
Update: I've heard that this is £9.99 in store at GAME, so maybe check there first.
Kingdom Hearts 2, PS2 - £6.99
Kingdom Hearts 2, PS2 - £6.99 delivered
Apply code "E10155087156447930" for £2 off.
Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword, DS - £12.99
Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword, DS - £12.99 delivered
Apply code "E10155087156447930" for £2 off.
Okami, Wii - £21.99
Okami, Wii - £21.99 delivered
Apply code "E10155087156447930" for £2 off.
That's with the special edition, extra pretty packaging too.
Football Manager 2009, PC/MAC - £17.43
Football Manager 2009, PC/MAC - £17.43 delivered
Apply code "FOOTY50" for 50p off.
Best pre-order price going.
Viva Pinata: Trouble in Paradise, Xbox 360 - £24
Viva Pinata: Trouble in Paradise, Xbox 360 - £24 delivered
Help me decide
I can probably go to one of the two up and coming UK gaming events, not sure which I should go to.
I will have to pick between Gamecity and the Eurogamer Expo. Not sure which I should go for.
Any suggestions? Anyone going to either of them?
Discounted Xbox Live DLC
I don't know why this hasn't been posted yet - certain Xbox Live content is discounted until the end of October. These are as follows (all prices in MSP. GBP values are when compared to the Tesco.com deal):
Mass Effect
Bring Down The Sky - Was 400, now 300 (~£2.00)
Lost Odyssey
Triple Bonus Pack - Was 200, now 120 (~£0.80)
Forza 2
Motegi Track Pack - Was 400, now 240 (~£1.60)
September Car Pack - Was 400, now 240 (~£1.60)
December Car Pack - Was 400, now 240 (~£1.60)
March Car Pack - Was 400, now 240 (~£1.60)
Oblivion
Shivering Isles - Was 2400, now 1600 (~£10.65)
Guitar Hero 3
Def Leppard - Was 500, now 360 (~£2.40)
Foo Fighters - Was 500, now 360 (~£2.40)
Classic Rock - Was 500, now 360 (~£2.40)
Beautiful Katamari
Accessory Set A - Was 200, now 120 (~£0.80)
Accessory Set B - Was 200, now 120 (~£0.80)
Accessory Set C - Was 200, now 120 (~£0.80)
Accessory Set D - Was 200, now 120 (~£0.80)
Special Accessory - Was 250, now 120 (~£0.80)
Just-size Stage - Was 300, now 210 (~£1.40)
Big-10 Stage - Was 200, now 140 (~£0.93)
Big-11 Stage - Was 200, now 140 (~£0.93)
Final Fantasy XII - Revenant Wings, DS - £9.99
Final Fantasy XII - Revenant Wings, DS - £9.99 delivered
Reconfirming the Morrison's deal
OK guys, I am pretty certain that the Morrison's deal is going to be happening, not only that, but it is going to include Wii and DS games too.
It will be any chart 360 or PS3 game for £25, any chart Wii game for £15 and any chart DS game for £12.
The big titles will probably sell out really fast, so I suggest going first thing on Monday morning to avoid disappointment.
Mass Effect, PC - £12.98
Mass Effect, PC - £12.98 delivered
Great for those who missed out on the Argos deal, and includes the Bring Down The Sky expansion. This is a limited time offer, so grab it if you want it.
Podcast update
We've not forgotten about the podcast, don't worry.
A combination of lack of time and technical barriers at PAX meant we didn't do one live from PAX.
Now that we are back, me being poorly, us both being jetlagged (hense the 4:30am post), other technical barriers and real life stuff have got in the way. Episode 4 should be up in the next 24 hours.
After that, we should hopefully be back to the normal schedule.
Thanks for your patience.
Pure, Xbox 360 - £29.73
Pure, Xbox 360 - £29.73 delivered
Just because there aren't enough 360 racing games with 4 letter names.
The id Superpack - £23.25
The id Superpack - £23.25 (or $34.99 + VAT) on Steam
All id games are half price on Steam this weekend, you can buy them individually, or get the id Superpack for half price too, which includes:
Commander Keen
DOOM 3
DOOM 3 Resurrection of Evil
DOOM II
Final DOOM
HeXen
HeXen II
HeXen: Deathkings of the Dark Citadel
Heretic: Shadow of the Serpent Riders
Master Levels for Doom II
Quake
Quake II
Quake II Mission Pack: Ground Zero
Quake II Mission Pack: The Reckoning
Quake III: Team Arena
Quake Mission Pack 1: Scourge of Armagon
Quake Mission Pack 2: Dissolution of Eternity
Quake III Arena
Return to Castle Wolfenstein
Spear of Destiny
Ultimate DOOM
Wolfenstein 3D
Update:
Apparently, for the purposes of this promotion, Enemy Territory: QUAKE Wars is not considered an id game, and is exempt from the half price promotion. Quake 4 is not even on steam.
Gears Of War 2 [Limited Collector's Edition], Xbox 360 - £39
Gears Of War 2 [Limited Collector's Edition], Xbox 360 - £39 delivered
Seems like a pretty decent package for not much more than the standard edition will set you back.
I Hi5'd Chris Taylor
Mirror's Edge - PAX Writeup
There was a pretty sizeable queue for Mirror's Edge at all time during PAX, but I was lucky enough to catch it as they were rebooting one of the systems, so didn't have to wait long.
Holy crap that game is good.
It is a mostly linear action platformer played from a first person perspective, with parkour gameplay.
It's visually stunning, with incredible lighting and colouring that really goes against the trend of most games these days. It's set in a very clean dystopia where communication is restricted, and you play a "runner" distributing sensitive packages.
As interesting a backdrop for the action that is, the real meat here is the action. It plays exactly like it looks, the controls are tight and responsive, and it is a lot of fun to play around in. It's linear in that there is, from what I have played, one single correct path, but there are branches around this path, like according to the bloke demoing it, there are 4 ways to get from one specific building to another.
Since I have watched the same gameplay videos we have all seen in the months since it's announcement, I tried to experiment a bit more when I had the chance to play it. There are two moments when, in what looks like a set piece that you have to flee from, SWAT team looking guys swarm you, and you are encouraged to run away, I thought I would see what would happen if I took them on instead. I was able to kill all of the guys. It is harder, but entirely possible.
I managed to pull off some awesome stuff just by trying things I'd not seen anyone else try, and there was a chorus of audible gasps from the crowd whenever I did pull off something extra cool, and that's not me being good with it, it's just the type of game where in normal gameplay, a host of really impressive things happen.
My personal pick for game of the show. Hats of DICE, roll on November.
Mirror's Edge, Xbox 360 - £37.99 delivered
Mirror's Edge, PS3 - £37.99 delivered
Mirror's Edge, PC - £21.99 delivered
SOCOM: Confrontation beta keys available today at 4pm
Update: And now they've all gone, hope you didn't miss out.
Head to Eurogamer today at 4pm UK time (10am Central time USA) to register for SOCOM Confrontation beta keys.
SOCOM Confrontation is the PS3 début of the multiplayer tactical shooter series, set for a release next month.
You will need to be a registered member at Eurogamer, and head to this post for details.
There are only 6,000 to go around and they are first come, first served.
Good luck!
Rhythm Heaven - PAX Writeup
I was a huge fan of the import only GBA original Rhythm Tengoku, and was thrilled to hear about the DS sequel, even more so when I heard it was getting localised for at PAL release under the name Rhythm Heaven.
If you never played the original, the easiest way to describe it is somewhere inbetween Elite Beat Agents and Warioware (and indeed is from the same team as Warioware). There are a bunch of microgames thrown at you at an incredible pace, and they all rely on you using your ears, and rhythm skills to play along.
You probably need to play it to fully understand, but it's a really original and entertaining game, and this new entry makes great use of the DS touch screen.
A convention floor is probably the worst setting to play this kind of game, where the sound is the most important feedback you get from the game, but I still really enjoyed it.
Rhythm Heaven, DS - £24.99 delivered
Fallout 3 - PAX Writeup
Did you like oblivion?
Do you like the idea of a witty, post-apocalyptic setting?
Do you like guns?
If the answer to all of the above is yes, then you will no doubt love Fallout 3, since from what I have seen it is basically Oblivion, in a witty, post-apocalyptic setting, with guns.
Not that this is a bad thing by any means, it looks a hell of a lot of fun. I didn't get to play it myself, but I watched Bethesda show it off for about an hour.
It is a pretty cool mash up of realtime and turn based combat, called "Vault-tec Assisted Targeting System" or VATS. There is pretty standard realtime first/third person combat, but within limit, you can cut to a turnbased combat, with really satisfying targeting of specific body parts, and some incredible looking critical hits.
All in all, looking great.
Fallout 3, Xbox 360 - £37.99 delivered
Fallout 3, PS3 - £37.99 delivered
Fallout 3, PC - £21.99 delivered
Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots, PS3 - £24.99
Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots, PS3 - £24.99 delivered
Wario Land: The Shake Dimension - PAX Writeup
I've been a big fan of the Wario platformers ever since Mario Land 3 on the original Gameboy, so the horrific result of Nintendo farming out the DS game "Wario - Master of Disguise" but me pretty deep.
But Nintendo seem really determined to make up for that with "The Shake Dimension" of the Wii.
It's a 2D platformer very much in the vein of Warioland 4, which can only be a good thing. It controls and feels very similarly to Warioland 4, except with added waggle. The Waggle is somewhat redundant for the most part, but certainly not harmful.
This game has some of the best spritework I have ever seen in a platformer, wario's animation is silky smooth, and the backdrops to the levels are beautiful.
I'm mostly just shocked to see a full price 2D platformer coming out of Nintendo in 2008, and I am really excited about playing the final game.
Wario Land: The Shake Dimension, Wii - £26 delivered
P.R.O.J.E.C.T. O.R.I.G.I.N. - PAX Writeup
Ok, the backronym is my doing, but I couldn't help the friendly jab at the stupidly titled first game in this series F.E.A.R. or First Encounter Assault Recon.
Project Origin seems to do everything right that F.E.A.R. did. You get to shoot guys with a nail gun, in slow motion.
You also get to climb into a giant mech, and shoot guys.
The controls aren't bad either.
It's nice and atmospheric. By atmospheric I mean there's a creepy girl, that always follows you, and the music is nice and eerie.
The FPS market is pretty crowded at the moment, and I can't really point anything out about Project Origin that really makes it stand out. But it is certainly not bad.
Project Origin, Xbox 360 - £39.99
Project Origin, PS3 - £39.99
Project Origin, PC - £24.99
Guild Wars - Review
Guild Wars - PC
Review by LewieP
I have never played Guild Wars, or any other NCsoft/ArenaNet game in my entire life.
The nice lady from ArenaNet let me in the PAX party early with the VIPs, and then gave me 8 free drink vouchers.
10/10
Legendary - PAX Writeup
Here is a list with problems that have populated first person shooters for a long time:
Invisible Walls
Unskipable cut scenes
Bad cut scenes
Disparity between what happens in cut scenes and what happens in game
Bad voice acting
Invincible enemies that don't even respond to being attacked
Weird animation
Ugly human models
Awful pedestrian intro sections, where you cannot die or interact with anything in any meaningful way
Long load times
Bits where you have to hold a button for 6/7 seconds to turn a dial
These are all present in Legendary.
Maybe the rest of the game is fantastic, but my time with the first 20 minutes of the game was a waste of my life, and I will never get that time back.
Soundtrack is pretty rocking though.
Legendary, Xbox 360 - £34.98 delivered
Legendary, PS3 - £34.98 delivered
Legendary, PC - £24.98 delivered
Defence Grid: The Awakening - PAX Writeup
My experience with the tower defence genre is limited to a few wasted hours with the odd flash based tower defence game, and some time with Pixeljunk Monsters, but I had a great deal of fun with Defence Grid.
This is the second release from Hidden Path, they put out Wits and Wagers on Xbox live a while back, and are now releasing this tower defence game on the PC.
I was playing the game with Mark Terrano (ex-Ensemble Studios) and Dave McCoy (ex-FASA), who were founders of Hidden Path, and they really love their games, and a really nice guys. Hidden Path are doing a bunch of things differently with this game, and it really shows.
It's the first Tower Defence game, to my (and their) knowledge that has any narrative. A Sci-Fi story, told through short cut scenes before levels and in game audio. It's being made by a relatively small team, about 20, and it's been in development for around a year.
Tower Defence games have you trying to defend a point from waves of enemies by managing gun turrets.
Typically of the genre, it's very simple to play, but complicated to master. There are 10 different types of tower, unlocking as you progress through the game, and three tiers of upgrades for each tower, each tier colour coded. There is also an interest system that means not spending money can lead to having increased resources in the future, but at the cost of reduced capability in the meantime.
There is a really clever AI pathfinding system, whereby enemies will seek out the path of least resistance in regards to the number of force fields (which are generated by two turrets positioned next to each other), but they do not consider the time they are under fire. So by intelligently placing turrets, you can massively increase the total damage they receive, adding another layer of depth to the game.
The controls are really simple, you can play it with just the mouse. The interface is pretty clever, and nicely minimalist, and there are lots of visual indicators in game giving you hints as to what is going on, the three tiers of colour coding are consistent through everything, enemy strength, turret upgrade level, core status.
It's planned for a downloadable PC release, with no distribution service planned as of yet, but I think it would be a perfect fit for consoles in the future too. Currently single player only, but there's support for leaderboards.
Overall I am pretty impressed, and it's not the type of game I would have expected to enjoy. It's lined up for a November release, and I can't wait for the final release.
All chart 360 and PS3 games for £25 each
Not 100% confirmed, but there is a rumour that come Monday, all Chart Xbox 360 and PS3 games will be £25 at Morrison's, for one week only.
Sony PS3 80gb + GTA4 - £309.98
Okami, Wii - £23.99
Okami, Wii - £23.99 delivered
Comes with an HMV exclusive sleeve too, and for those of you with student discount it can be had for £21.59.
MotorStorm: Pacific Rift, PS3 - £29.99
MotorStorm: Pacific Rift, PS3 - £29.99 delivered
Apply code "MTRSTORM" for that price, and get a free T Shirt
Back from PAX
Hey guys, I am officially back from PAX now, I need sleep, but I'll have a bunch of bargains coming up soon, and I'll be writing up a bunch of games that I played there too.
We'll be having a "Win our PAX Swag" competition, but the Airline has lost my luggage, with the swag in it, so I'm not entirely sure when that'll be...
In the meantime:
Forza 2 (bundle copy), Xbox 360 - £6.99 delivered
SEGA Superstars Tennis, Wii - £10.99 delivered
Nintendo Wii Console - £159.99 collect in store
Bioshock, PS3 - £29 delivered
New Xbox Experience from PAX
Major Nelson demoed the New Xbox Experience at 10:30 Pacific today, and I have it all on video. I was watching the screen rather than the camera, so there's a couple of times my aim is off and you end up watching the Ubisoft sign rather than anything else, but all the pertinent info is available. I'll be posting a more in-depth breakdown shortly.
PAX Dump - use at your own risk!
Hey folks - I've managed to get WiFi access and so I'm going to start uploading photos from my journey. You can find the listing at http://www.willeth.com/pax.
Be aware that these photos and videos haven't been edited in any way from when they were first taken, and I'm uploading everything indiscriminately - there may be a few videos that have dodgy sound and last one second, and they may be some that will cause extreme embarrassment to one or more parties involved. But hey, that's all in the spirit of the thing, right?
I'll be posting a PAX Log tomorrow, I think, about the final leg of the trip. The next episode of the podcast may be this week, or it might be recorded when we get back - who knows. You'll definitely be hearing Lewie's dulcet tones shortly, along with our impressions of pretty much anything.
We've lined up a couple of cool interviews and swag too, so keep and eye on SavyGamer. I'll leave you with a bit of a nerdy moment from earlier today when I was rather starstruck.
From left to right: e, Major Nelson, Willeth, litheon
PAX Log 001
I'm on the road to PAX, and I'll be trying to chronicle my journey as I go. The road tends to have sporadic internet access, though, so maybe I'm not going to update as often as I'd like. But hey - here's what I've got so far:
26/8
9:02 AM GMT
I'm sitting in the airport lounge, waiting for the plane to land so I can board. Gate 212. It's a nice symmetrical number, which puts me at ease. It's my first time travelling alone but I feel like I can handle it. Even though I have no reason to, I still feel nervous when the guy in the check-in line asks me all sorts of questions - did you pack your bag yourself, that kind of thing. Perhaps it's just the nervousness brought on by flying by myself - as well as the fact I've never been outside of Europe. All being well, though, I should whizz through and be in Madison in ten hours or so. I'll have to sleep on the plane so that I'm not dead on my feet when I arrive.
Lewie is travelling today, too. He doesn't have such a crazy schedule as I do but he's making a proper holiday out of this. He's headed to Chicago and then Seattle. I'm headed to Chicago too, but via Philadelphia. I'm not entirely sure why I have that extra stop. It would have been nice to have known someone on the journey, but I'm stuck in a cabin for however many hours with strangers, so I'm sure I'll get talking to some of them.
There's a fly buzzing around my feet. I wonder if he went through check-in. "Excuse me sir, was it you who packed your wings? I'm afraid the United States prohibits the import of foodstuffs - even the shit coating your feet."
Apparently there is a flight full of people going to Dalaman whose flight has been delayed until 7pm this evening. I've a feeling something similar happened to us the last time we flew to Dalaman. Maybe it's the same guy holding everything up. I think he just enjoys the power trip of frustrating a hundred-odd people. Apparently they have to head to another gate to be 'decontrolled'. I'm not entirely sure what that means, but I hope they'll be okay afterwards. It sounds invasive.
I've had to fill out a pair of slips for customs and immigration. One of these, I imagine, is the 'greencard' that you hear spoken about. It's definitely green, at least. It's one of those things that's both deadly serious and yet completely ridiculous at the same time. I wonder if anyone has ever answered yes to the question 'Are you a terrorist?' "Well, I was planning on making a covert entry into the country, but dammit, you asked a straight question and you deserve a straight answer." Serious but ridiculous.
This fly's still here. It seems to like landing on my shoes. I wonder if it stays on my clothes and I board the plane if I'll be accused to smuggling illegal immigrants. "Sir, you indicated here on this form that you were not importing any insects, and yet here I find you with our little friend here. And he didnt even pack his wings himself."
26/8
11:49 GMT
We're about an hour into the seven-and-a-half hour flight, and I've had my pre-packed cardboard labelled as poultry. I was a little surprised when that duration was announced - I, of course, had factored in the time difference incorrectly. A quick scan through the entertainment on offer reveals nothing that I am interested in that I haven't seen before, but even if there was it would be in mono sound due to the proprietary headsets they require with two jacks - $5 or £3. Trap you in a cabin and sell you anything they can - sounds like capitalism at its finest to me.
I'm sitting on a row with a man whose name I can neither remember nor pronounce. He's a Jewish Ph. D student from California, who has been studying in England for three months - apparently they had a grant available and he was the ideal candidate. I'd like to fall into one of those cracks some day - one that seems like it was made specifically for me.
I wonder if a kosher cardboard meal tastes any different to a standard one? Hold on - I'll ask.
Oh, he doesn't know. He's never had the other kind. I suppose I should have expected that.
26/8
15:40 GMT
We're just over half-way into the flight, and we've had our refreshments. I wonder if people who travel long-haul flights regularly use food as a measure of time. I certainly am - it's two drinks past dinner and shortly before lunch. I'm not entirely sure why they served the stir fry chicken at 11am and seem to be going backward, meal-wise, but I like to think it's because when we land, a seven-hour flight will have taken about two hours. We're going backward through time, and this is the airline's way of coping.
I heard a steward mutter "about 180, white T-shirt" just after takeoff. I'm not entirely sure why, but looking around there don't seem to be any other people in white T-shirts - just me. I have no idea what I weigh, either. I hope it isn't 180.
I've tried to fool myself into thinking that I can sleep here, but either I've drifted off and not noticed it, or I've simply been lying with my head to one side with my eyes closed. Usually I don't sleep during travel, but I don't know whether this is because I'd rather sleep in a bed or because I can't sleep while in motion. Given my normal sleeping habits I'd like to think that I'd sleep anywhere but as I've just proven to myself, that isn't the case.
I estimate it to be two and a half hours left in the flight, give or take. I've got two hours to make it through Customs when I get to Philadelphia, which according to the clerk at the check-in desk is 'tight'. I actually have no idea how often flights leave from Philadelphia to Chicago. I wonder if I could invoke Rule 240 if I miss my connection. I wonder if it even holds water any more. Worth a shot if I miss it, I guess.
26/8
15:22 EDT (20:22 GMT)
Well, that was smooth. Breezed through customs with only the single bag search. That'll teach me to take about fifteen different bits of electronics with me, but we landed roughly twenty minutes early and it meant that there was plenty of time to wait around and waste a buck forty on Coke. Coke that comes in a much larger bottle than I'm used to and tastes much sweeter. Uri - the bloke on the Manchester to Philadelphia flight - said as much; "We like things big over here."
The announcement's just come on - it's roughly an hour and a half to Chicago. I wonder if he's remembered to factor in the time difference - I know I have trouble with it. I'm sat between two other passengers - passengers who I would call single-serving friends if I wasn't afraid of being too pretentious. It's a little less comfortable than the trans-Atlantic flight, but then again, it's a lot less time in this pencil with wings than in the clanking dart I crossed the ocean in.
We arrived in Philadelphia with a shout of 'Land!' from another traveller, and when I looked out of the window I saw what looked more like a model than a city. Very regimented right-angles for streets, as if God was playing with a Lego set - and a razor-edge of a coastline. We're not in Kansas any more. Or, I guess, we're closer than ever. That's a little odd to grasp.
Some people have some oversize pieces of luggage, and have just been accused of delaying the flight by the announcer. I don't know whether that's standard procedure or if he just wanted to chastise them for rollerboarding. I'd like to think it's both. There's another issue with baggage behind me - someone trying to slam the compartment shut on a slightly larger bag than necessary. I guess Uri was right - everything is just that little bit bigger over here.
26/8
17:35 CST (22:35 GMT)
Navy-blue pleather and open-plan - this is the waiting lounge at Chicago International. There are plenty of seats but everyone seems to be standing, waiting for their flight. One thing I noticed in Philadelphia - I'm resisting the urge to call it 'Philly' - was the lack of queues. Maybe it's a distinctly British thing to notice, but on boarding it was more of a clump than a line. Everything here in Chicago seems much more organised, though. I suppose I'll see when I board.
I tried to phone home but either I chose the wrong type of payphone or I can't figure out the dialling system. 44, pause, area code minus the zero, pause, full number. Robotic voice chastising me. Oh, I need to put a 1 in before dialling. Okay, 1, pause, 44, pause - nope. Robot again. 44, pause, 1 - this time it cuts me off. It's no idea what I'm doing.
My mobile - or, I suppose, my cellphone - can't seem to find a network to attach itself to, either. WiFi access costs ten bucks and for the sake of a couple of hours that's not worth it. I'll fire off an email when I get back to my hosts' house. By that time it'll be past midnight GMT but if I know my mum she'll be waiting for soe form of contact. I'll probably text her as well once I get an American phone. I want to set her at ease - she's more paranoid than I am.
I just checked my watch - I've been up almost seventeen hours as I'm writing this. I don't really feel tired, although I imagine the sun on my back and the extra-large Coke helps that a lot. Maybe it's the excitement of the Land of the Free, who knows.
I just read that last paragraph again. Maybe I am more tired than I thought. Sun on my back? God.
26/8
19:23 CST (27/8 00:23 GMT)
I used the phrase 'pencil with wings' earlier. It's something I picked up from my old German teacher. I think when he said it, he hadn't even imagined the kind of plane that I'm on now. Barely fifty people on board, including the three-man crew, with so little extra space I'm surprised they can fit any fuel on board.
An hour and ten minutes late to take off, which means that I won't see David and Ann until at least an hour after the scheduled flight time. I hope they looked up the flight number on the internet, or they'll have been kept waiting for no reason. Is it weird that I'm looking forward to seeing them even though I've never met them? I imagine Ann to be bubbly and immediately go for a hug, whereas I see David as more of the type to wait in the background and introduce himself stiffly. It would be a ton of fun if it ended up being the other way around.
We were delayed because of delays. At least, that's according to the screen they were displaying above the gate. I wonder how many people were actually appeased by that. Once on the plane there was a miscount - we had a full plane, the boarding cards said we should be short a few people. There were some announcements, a boarding card inspection, and we were ready to take off, when one passenger complained of a fever and headache, asking for medicine, of which there was none on board, but refusing a paramedic. Eventually he decided his illness could wait an hour, and we took off shortly afterward.
I wonder if I would be that guy that everyone is supposed to hate on a movie set on an airplane. The one that tends to die first and no-one really notices, and the audience is actually quite pleased to see go. The reason I wonder this is because I know I would be the guy who would suggest that this sick guy be left behind so that the rest of us could get to our destination on time. I mean, I feel for the guy and everything, but I've got a schedule to meet. People to see, you know? Is what I would say. I wonder if I actually would say that. Probably not, in the end. Is the fact that I thought it bad enough? Is it even a bad thing? Are these just the musings of a tired young man in a foreign country? I'm going to answer 'probably' to all of the above.
According to my neighbour Chicago always has an experience like this in store. I'm stopping through in a week on my way back to Manchester, and that flight's a big one - if that's delayed it'll be much more of a big deal.
26/8
20:13 CST (27/8 02:14 GMT)
This is it! American soil. I'm sitting in the car, being driven around Dane County, Wisconsin and en joying every second of it. It's just a town, I suppose, but it's strangely exotic. Exotic and yet familiar.
I feel out of place but I feel good about it. I know that for the first day I'm probably going to be getting in the wrong side of cars and getting my biscuit, burger and cookie mixed up, but hey - that's what this kind of thing is all about. Adventure and expanding your horizons, and all that nonsense.
All I want now, though, is something familiar - a shower, a shave, and a bit of a rest. Two days of travel coming up!
At the Airport!
Me and my Mummy are sat in terminal 3 of Manchester Airport right now. Got through security just fine, amd now are waiting to board the flight to Seattle via Chicago.
and now I am off to PAX
Hey guys, back from Leeds. I had my face rocked off by RATM (and someone in the crowd decided to rage against my glasses) and had a brilliant time. Cheers to everyone I met there, all a top bunch of people and I hope you do it again next year.
Now I am about to board a plane to go to PAX!!!!
I am excited!!!
SavyGamer Xbox 360 Clan
I've just created a clan tag for SavyGamer. Add yourself as a friend and you can use the friends-of-friends feature to find other people who read SavyGamer, and play with them. The first game that we'll be playing together officially is Castle Crashers, but of course you can use this to play whatever. I'll be checking it regularly and accepting friend requests - it can only hold 100 people, so if you want in, be quick!
The SavyGamer Podcast, Episode 3
Lewie's not here this week, so Will invites a guest host so that he's not talking to himself for an hour. He's foreign, but also... not. There's a run-down of what we learned from Leipzig and all the rest of the content you'd expect from us, as well as some speculation about the future of all three consoles.
Show notes (Highlight to view):
00:00 Opening
00:36 Welcome
01:13 Summer of Arcade - Galaga this week!
03:00 Duke Nukem 3D on XBLA details
04:16 Banjo Kazooie talk
05:26 Fallout 3 - unfinished?
07:14 LBP acts as a launching point for another PS3 rant...
08:44 160GB PS3 announced - is there a reason for it?
11:18 Home
14:05 PSP-3000 - some kind of update, maybe?
17:30 The PS3board - plugs into your controller
20:56 SingStar! Whooo!
24:52 Rock Band in Australia? Maybe not.
26:20 GTA4 - censorship and PC version
31:40 TF2 updates - free weekend this weekend!
32:55 Plastic instrument talk
35:29 A new way to interpret Miis
37:05 Ubi's Monkey Madness
38:32 New 360 controller
42:02 FFXIII demo
43:40 New Prince of Persia gameplay vid
48:16 Next week's show might be later than usual
49:39 What we've been playing
54:33 Bargain of the week - Forza 2 and Viva Pinata
1:02:06 Close
Link dump:
My 360voice page
ZP PoP Retrospective
PAX Scheduler
Total Runtime: 1:02:16
Total Filesize: 57 MB
Got feedback on the show? Post a comment, or email us:
LewieP - lewiep@savygamer.co.uk
Will - willeth@gmail.com
Steam:
Will - Willeth
Lewie - LewieP
Jim - purvis425
Beyond Good and Evil, PS2 - £2.49
Beyond Good and Evil, PS2 - £2.49 delivered
Preowned but a stonker of a deal.
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