JosephBarron's Reviews

Since it was first announced at the 2007 Game Developer's Conference, LittleBigPlanet has become Sony's poster boy for the company's next-gen offerings. Media Molecule's charming creation, Sackboy, has also become Sony's first gaming mascot since the fabled days of Crash Bandicoot and Spyro The Dragon. A lot of hope has been pinned on this title and thankfully it looks like the risks have paid off in spades.

Developer Media Molecule's motto for LBP is "Play, Create, Share" and the game itself is very clearly divided into sections based on this philosophy. But before you even get this far you're treated to one of the most imaginative introductions in game history. The opening credits sees you running through a level as the names and photos of development staff pop up to form the obstacles and background, while the legendary British comedian and intellectual, Stephen Fry, teaches you the basics of control with a sublime voice over.

 

From there you arrive in your "Pod" - a small cardboard room containing only a giant Dual Shock controller. The space, like the rest of the game, is fully customisable with stickers and decorations so you can cater the space to your own style. By pressing the action button near the controller you can access the game's menu which is made up from 3 planets. The middle planet is LittleBigPlanet itself, where you can progress through LBP's 50+ story levels. On the right is "My Moon" where you create your own levels using items unlocked in the story. On the left is "Share" where you can access your PSN friends list in game and play levels that other people have uploaded to the LBP servers.

 

The story mode seems to have been designed with inspiration in mind. All of the levels could be built with the in-game tools available on My Moon and have been created to show players the types of rich and detailed environments they could build themselves. From simple acts like riding physics-enabled skateboards down a hill, the game gradually escalates in difficulty and complexity and eventually reaches a conclusion offering beautiful level design, much of which seems to pay homage to the first Sonic The Hedgehog game, including a boss which is very reminiscent of the "Final Zone" level from Sonic Team's classic. You can also play these levels and every user-created level with 4 players, locally or online.

 

For all of this praise though, LBP is not perfect. The controls can occasionally become infuriating. The jumping in particular is very floaty and the level layouts often demand a level of controlled precision that is very difficult within the restraints of the controls. Add to that the strange checkpoint system which gives you 5 attempts at each section and then makes you restart the whole level and you have a recipe for some serious controller throwing. The other issue is that the game is somewhere between 2D and 3D, meaning that, though it is a side-scroller, there are 3 plains of movement which you can switch between. Most of time the game moves you between the plains when it necessary, but sometimes you will find yourself stuck behind some scenery with no option but to restart the section. Online play also lags gratuitously, despite several upgrades to servers since the game's launch and the camera struggles to frame the action once you have more than 2 players.

 

Luckily, LittleBigPlanet's design flaws are often saved by some of the best presentation the industry has ever seen. The subtle differences between materials will make you want to reach out and grab them. Everything from felt to glass has been painstakingly created and also work just as you'd expect in the robust physics engine. For instance, you can grab onto felt, but not metal, or slide around on glass floors. The level of customisation of Sackboy is great as well. You'll collect hundreds of costume pieces which can be mixed and matched to create a unique look and new costumes can also be downloaded (often for a price, though many are free) from the PlayStation Store to keep your wardrobe expanding.

 

The core of LBP is the My Moon section where you can use any of the assets and tools you have collected in Play to build your own objects and levels and make them as simple or as complicated as you like. This mode very clearly takes its cues from Source Engine sandbox, Garry's Mod, but it has been helped by the inclusion of very detailed tutorials (again voiced by Stephen Fry), which do a great job of reducing the barrier to entry. Once you've spent some time learning the various tools you really are only limited by your own imagination. Or in my case, immaturity, as I spend most of my time in Create mode covering my friends' carefully made masterpieces with ROFL stickers. Most people though will revel in messing around with all the pulleys, switches, objects, emitters, decorations and stickers. Personally though, I've had much more fun with the Share aspect of the game.

 

In "Share," the third planet, you can search for, rate, heart and comment on levels created by other inhabitants of the LBP Community. Many of the levels appearing so far are homages to other classic franchises like Super Mario Bros. and even Mirror's Edge, or levels designed to help players unlock the more difficult trophies. Sharing is what excites me most about LBP. Though I'm sure I will mess around with Create, seeing what kind of crazy business the community will come up with next is always going to be a great voyage into the unknown.

 

Though LBP has its fair share of problems with lag and controls, it is redeemed by the ease of use employed by the creation tools, the gorgeous presentation & sound and even Sackboy himself. It's certainly a contender for game of the year and, with MGS4, is a definite reason to own a PS3. If nothing else, it's a stark reminder of the days when Sony took risks and brought us memorable classic franchises out of obscurity. Great credit must go to them for having the courage to do so once more in an increasingly risky climate.

Another football season has kicked off and the title race for the footie game crown is underway. In the last few years Konami has been making small incremental changes with its Pro Evolution Soccer franchise, while EA have been taking more risks with FIFA. This year those risks are finally paying dividends for the legendary series. There are some bugs and glitches, but FIFA 09 is till the best EA has ever produced.

 

Last year's FIFA was a big step forward for the franchise, while PES had yet another season of only minor alterations. FIFA 09 has changed dramatically this time around. The graphics have become more gritty (read: less "greasy" players) and the pace of the game has become much faster.

 

The major issue with FIFA 08 was the very sluggish nature of the passing. To speed up passing and give the game a more realistic pace EA have introduced a power meter even for basic passes, a feature which they attempted before (disastrously) in FIFA 2002. Thankfully they've pulled it off this time and it works wonderfully well. The range of passing animations means you'll quickly be clipping balls with the outside of your boots and producing all manner of disguised passes with the deft skill of United's Ronaldo.

 

Lobbed passes are now much more effective as well. In previous iterations they would hang in the air for too long, allowing opponents to sneak in and steal possession while you wait for the ball to arrive. The ball now moves faster in the air and lobbed through-balls are more intuitive as well.

 

Somehow they've even managed to improve the presentation. In the last two iterations of the series, your loading screen was a 1-V-1 game against a goalie in a stylised arena. When loading finished you had to press start to begin the match. Now though, the arena fades out and you find yourself playing during a warm-up in the packed stadium. It's a beautiful transition which captures stadium atmosphere like never before.

 

My favourite new feature though, is the ability to control goal celebrations. After you score you maintain control of your player and can use the left stick to run towards your fans while you pull the right stick in different directions (or use the face buttons) to gesture to the crowd. In 10-V-10 online matches this is great fun as you run to the corner flag with your mates.

 

The gameplay in 10-V-10 follows the style of 08's "Be-A-Pro" mode. This is where you play as one player in a team of other AI players. You need to hold position correctly and perform the role assigned by your manager. In 09 this is expanded to a career mode in which you create and develop a single player and it also forms the basis of 10-V-10 online, where you and friends fill out a full squad of players (except for the goalie). This is a great idea, but unfortunately it doesn't always work so well. You'll often find that matches look less Premier League and more Kids' League as players all become desperate for the ball and everyone just follows it around the pitch. Get in a game with more competent footballers though and you'll find an amazing and deep online experience.

 

Other new online features include Adidas Live Season, which is a subscription service allowing you to update player stats based on real-world form. So if Ronaldinho has a bad game for AC Milan in real-life, then he'll become less effective in the game until his real form improves. It's interesting in theory but paying extra for this kind of service is an unnecessary addition that won't add any extra gratification to the game.

 

You'll find the usual versus matches in ranked and unranked flavours too, which work the same as always, though they could do with a patch to cure the lag that blights the occasional game.

 

All of the usual kick-off, tournament and manager modes are in the game, but the final major addition is the custom tactics concept. This works similarly to car-setups in a racing game, allowing you to develop your own formations and tactics and then upload them for other players to try. Like so many of the new features it adds a lot of depth for those who are seeking out an immersive experience, but the majority of players will pass this by.

 

FIFA's core gameplay was made solid in last year's title, but the additions for this year have really made a difference, especially in the online space. Almost every complaint I had about last year's single player game has been addressed as well. With a game this polished and with gameplay that flows so well, both online and off, FIFA 09 is without doubt the best football game of this generation. Now its Pro Evo's turn to take some risks to reach the bar that EA have raised higher than ever before.

Movie games have been on a downhill slide in recent years, but can The Bourne Conspiracy turn this around, just as the film series did for spy thrillers back in 2002?

The Bourne Conspiracy, published by Sierra, follows the plot of hit-movie, The Bourne Identity, and also adds additional flashback levels, based loosely on scenes from the Bourne novels.

Throughout the adventure, you view Bourne from a Gears of War style over-the-shoulder perspective, which works very well running on the same engine as Gears. It's worth noting though at this point that the likeness of Matt Damon, the film's star, is not present in the final game due to what Sierra called "creative differences." This does retract slightly from the sense of being immersed in the Bourne movie, but you'll often find yourself imagining yourself as Bourne, thanks to the character's generic "rugged young hero" appearance.

One of the things you'll notice right from the get-go is the gorgeous environments. Unlike other Unreal 3 games, you won't find everything shining unrealistically here. Instead, you'll see gritty textures and well designed architecture, which are beautifully lit. The attention to detail is great as well. You'll see plenty of NPCs, many of which will behave and respond realistically to your actions. One level takes place during a terrorist attack on an airport in which hundreds of people are panicking and running for their lives. In quieter public areas you can see people going about their daily business, including workmen putting up signs in a town square during the opening level. Admittedly, an awful lot of this stuff is scripted but it's a great step towards getting you immersed in the Bourne universe.

On the other hand, a lot of objects in the world are quite bland, including some of the characters. Most of the film's characters, like Marie and Conklin, look fine, but the vast majority of enemies are grainy by comparison.

Gameplay wise, Bourne is a mixture of Gears-style duck and cover shooting and hand-to-hand combat, with a driving level thrown in for good measure. The shooting is confusing to begin with because you instantly expect it to follow the usual 3rd person control conventions. However, in this game you don't always have to hold the left trigger to go into aim-mode, it depends on what cover (if any) you're behind. It's not terrible; it just takes a short while to settle in with its quirks.

Like the movie, the focus here is unashamedly on the fist fights. Using combinations of X and Y (and A to block) you can come up with a variety of moves to beat down your opponents. Though it isn't the deepest combat system, the blows feel solid enough to make it very satisfying. You also have an adrenaline bar which you build up to perform "takedowns." These are performed simply by pressing B when prompted and usually involve smashing your adversary face first into whatever is nearby, from kitchen sinks to iron railings. Again, this follows the formula of simple, but satisfying. You can also perform more elaborate takedowns on multiple opponents and shooting takedowns with weapons. These require a quick-time-event (QTE) to complete the move. Many of the game's cut-scenes are also heavy on the QTEs, which, while it’s a good way for the player to interact with the film's more elaborate sequences, you can't help but feel there's just a few too many.

Finally there's the solitary driving level, which follows the Paris car-chase from The Bourne Identity. The steering is very loose and it feels quite floaty, but hey, this isn't a sim, it's a Hollywood blockbuster. The main set-pieces from the movie's chase (and a few more) are in there and it's great fun. The only downside is that it doesn't use Paul Oakenfold's "Ready Steady Go" track which was used in the film. Though, I had that playing using custom soundtracks anyway.

This brings me to the music of The Bourne Conspiracy. It's easily the best use of a movie's actual score in-game. All of the film's music is present in all of the right places (except for the Paris chase as mentioned already) and the flashback missions have great music too, which was based on John Powell's movie score and written by Paul Oakenfold.

The music, combined with the cut-scene camera angles, which match the movie shot-for-shot in places, really make this a must have for hardcore fans of the film series. The fights and level designs also feel like they were ripped straight from the big screen and though the game is short, you'll feel like you really are Bourne, all the way through. Finally, the addition of some well thought out achievements and genuine difficulty on Assassin settings, make this one of the most endearing and rewarding film tie-ins that you're ever likely to see.

Over the last twenty years the Metal Gear series has influenced and changed the action / adventure genre with every new entry in the series. Without it, stealth-action would not exist and story-telling in games would not be what it is today. Metal Gear needed a final chapter fitting of its great legacy and that's exactly what Hideo Kojima has given to it.

From the very beginning you get that special atmosphere only a Metal Gear game can create, starting with the familiar gunshot echo upon selecting a new game from the main menu. For me that has always been the moment when all the hype and expectation of the new MGS game finally comes to fruition. That feeling of, "this is it. Metal Gear is here."

After an install period which lasts around 10 minutes it's go time. During the game's installation you're treated to a real visual showcase of the Old Snake character model up-close and in-engine - your first indication that you've got something special in your hands. MGS4's character models are so far beyond any other game that its shocking. You also get some typical Kojima comedy, as smoking warnings scroll by in-between the usual video-game health warnings...while Snake stands by puffing away on his trademark cigarettes.So even while the game is installing you're still being entertained. It's worth mentioning the before each new act in the story a further 2 minute install is necessary. In most games this would be pretty intrusive but in MGS4 you'll be glad of the break to take in and absorb all that's been going on.

The visuals in the environments are just as impressive as the character models. Textures have been produced with great realism and in the larger battles the framerate very rarely dips even slightly. There is the odd flat looking texture but a game of this epic scale can be forgiven for that. The level design is slightly "old-fashioned" but you'll be so engrossed in what's going on that you'll barely notice.

If you've played previous games in the saga you'll notice that the controls have been changed considerably. The new button-layout is much more "western." The shooting and camera controls now evoke those made standard in 3rd person shooters like "Gears of War." Actions like Close-Quarters-Combat (CQC) and taking cover have also been streamlined. This makes them much more user-friendly and encourages more use of what, in previous titles, were often unnecessary and ignored additions to the control of Snake.

Once you've had time to get used to the new and improved controls you'll be introduced to Snake's most important new items, OctoCamo and the Solid Eye. OctoCamo is essentially a high-tech version of MGS3's camouflage mechanics. It allows Snake's sneaking-suit to take on the colour and texture of any surface he presses against, either by going prone or taking cover against an object. It looks great and also removes the biggest issue from MGS3 where you constantly had to pause the game to change camoflages using a menu system. The Solid Eye is an electronic eye-patch, combining binocular, night vision and analytical functions. The last of these allows Snake to see determine the nature of items and enemies in the environment before approaching them.

Determining the nature of enemy soldiers is incredibly important in the new battlefield environments. A key new gameplay mechanic sees Snake infiltrating different areas around the globe in which local militias are battling with Private Military Companies (PMCs). Neither side is truly Snake's enemy as he works towards his own goals in the war-torn regions. However, siding with one or other of the warring factions can help Snake achieve his own objectives. Taking sides is as simple as attacking a PMC or militia soldier during the battles or offering one a useful item to gain their trust. As a result, soldiers who trust Snake will offer him alternative routes and create distractions to aid his progress. It's a mechanic which is very simple to engage with and influence and allows you the freedom to fight in the battles with your chosen side (using the improved shooting controls) or adopt a more traditional stealth-based approach.

If you choose the more "run and gun" style of play you'll find it to be much more accessible than in previous MGS games. Some of this is due to the terrific improvements in control, but it's also down to the in-depth weapons customisation in the game. One character you meet early on acts as a weapons wholesaler, offering new weapons as well as upgrades and ammo, for a price. Most weapons offer at least one upgradable part, with many offering 5 or 6 customisable pieces. Considering that there are around 50 weapons in the game this is quite an achievement, overshadowing some recent FPS games like "Call of Duty 4."

Of course, even with all the amazing new things going on in MGS4 there is always going to be one thing in a Metal Gear game which rises above anything any other game can offer. The story.

Metal Gear Solid 4 is quite simply the best piece of story-telling in video-game history. The quality of the writing and direction is better than most Hollywood blockbusters. Cut-scenes flow seamlessly with the gameplay and run beautifully in real-time inside the game engine. Most importantly though, every loose end in the Metal Gear saga is explained and tied-off. I'm reluctant to say too much about the story in case I spoil it for anyone yet to finish it. Suffice to say though, that its an emotional roller-coaster and I'm certainly not ashamed to say that, as a huge MGS fan, I spent the majority of the finale in tears.

On top of the single-player story you also get "Metal Gear Online," a multiplayer game taking place in the MGS universe. It works well enough and features all the game modes you'd expect. However, the emphasis on premium downloadable content and the fact that so many better and more accessible online games exist will prevent it from being anything more than an also-ran. However, this has no detrimental effect on the overall package whatsoever, because no-one will purchase MGS4 with the online content as a priority over the single-player experience and story.

For years Hideo Kojima has been seeking to create his ultimate masterpiece, to fulfil both his own dreams and those of his fans. I can say, very confidently, that he has achieved not only this, but he has also produced comfortably the greatest video game of all time. Never before and probably never again will story and gameplay be so perfectly in tune with one another.

I realised today that, though I thought I was emotional at the game's end because of the story, deep down I had realised that gaming will never again be as good as this. Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of The Patriots is as close to perfect as we are ever going to see.

"I'm no hero. Never was."
- Solid Snake