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Noby Noby Boy

Noby Noby Boy is a baffling concept with ideals of teamwork and childhood strung together into a neat package. Few will scratch the surface, which considering the microscopic price tag, will suffice. For everyone else, there are hours of playtime to be had.

What’s It All About?

Where to start? Created by Katamari mastermind Keita Takahashi, you play as BOY, a small-worm like creature with four legs who can stretch almost infinitely. His front legs are controlled with the left stick and his back legs with the right.  Essentially pulling the sticks apart will stretch BOY until he reaches the constraints of the randomly generated platform he’s standing on. Which is where the fun starts; Noby Noby Boy is heavily physics based and naturally the longer BOY gets the more difficult he becomes to control, urging you to use the worlds surroundings and your own analogue stick skill in order to keep him growing.

BOY’s growth is recorded all the time and can be sent to GIRL at any point. As a result, GIRL’s total length increases. It is the combination of all the players’ progress that will eventually unlock new levels, the first being the Moon.

Don’t worry if this doesn’t at first make sense. It takes a while to “get” it (and it’s bloody hard to explain — Ed).

What We Liked:

• It’s just so bizarre. You really haven’t ever played anything like Noby Noby Boy. Ever before. It virtually throws all preconceptions, constraints and expectations of video games out of the window and starts fresh. You could say Noby Noby Boy was a “sandbox” game; but that carries the connotations of a GTA or Yakuza, which this isn’t. It’s more of a “pure sandbox”, in that you use the game to create your fun. There’s nothing specific you are asked to do, but through the use of imagination and exploration you’ll find your own amusement. If you allow yourself to switch off.
• Co-op. Noby Noby Boy may be the best co-operative experience we’ve ever had. Even though you’re not interacting directly with others, everyone has a common goal. To ensure the length of GIRL is increased enough that new levels and planets may be discovered. It’s risky to release a game which relies on random map generation with a few assets but the promise of unlocking new worlds with, presumably different physics, is exciting.
• Great visuals and sound. Just like Noby Noby Boy plays like nothing else, it also looks like nothing else. Essentially clean shapes and blocks of colour make up most of the games graphics, with BOY himself just a collection of rainbow stripes and a smiley face. The trees are triangular and the objects disproportionate but it genuinely is a treat for your HDTV thanks to it’s vivid colour and zany style. The sound is a collection of ambient acoustic guitar loops and blips.
• It’s addictive. We stopped playing Noby Noby Boy and then we thought about all the progress we could have made to GIRL’s length if we hadn’t. It sounds ridiculous but, even as we write this we’re fretting over GIRL’s plight: “When will she reach the moon? Shouldn’t we be helping her?”
• Great use of the Playstation 3’s functionality. The use of the PSN to make GIRL’s growth a collaborative effort essentially makes the game what it is. Noby Noby Boy also uses the Playstation 3’s screengrab and YouTube video functions, allowing you to take pictures, record videos and upload them to YouTube on the fly.

• It’s cheap. At just £3.19 few will mind if Noby Noby Boy isn’t exactly what they expected. We recommend you skip lunch today and give this a go instead. Sure you might not like it, much like you might not like the new sandwich filling you bought, but it’s a small price to pay for trying something you might really enjoy.

What We Didn’t Like:

• What the hell is going on? We had a real hard-time explaining Noby Noby Boy for this review. We still don’t know if we got it 100% correct. The game, sadly, does little to point you in the right direction either. It has a cute quiz at the start to teach you the controls, but forces you to figure everything else out for yourself. Which is fine, but many will give up. Thus it’s a big shame more didn’t go into finding a better means of explaining the rough ideas of Noby Noby Boy.
• You don’t do anything. While we think it’s cool Noby Noby Boy is essentially all about nothing, many will question the point of playing. Those questioning the point would never “understand” a game like this anyway but… well, then we’re getting a bit pretentious aren’t we.
• Camera controls aren’t ideal. Due to Noby Noby Boy requing control on both analogue sticks, the controls are somewhat hacked onto L1 and R1. Holding L1 and tilting the controller forwards and backwards changes the zoom. Pressing both L1 and R1 together changes the vertical angle. Pressing either L1 or R1 once changes the horizontal angle. Given the number of button commands to remember it can take a while before you realise how to change views on the fly. Thankfully Noby Noby Boy’s pace is slow so it’s not nearly as crippling as a bad camera is in other games.

Street Fighter IV

For what Street Fighter IV lacks in accessibility it more than makes up for in polish, charm and sheer playability.

What’s It All About?

Street Fighter is, arguably, the most famous beat ‘em up franchise in the world. In its fourth iteration, developers Capcom have dumped new gimmicks in order to create a focused, balanced and competitive experience based on the elements that have made the game a worldwide success.

What We Liked:

• Timeless gameplay. Street Fighter IV is so well balanced, so well thought-out and so downright addictive it’s hard to tell yourself to stop playing and actually get some work done. At times you’re forced to think the game must have been in development for 10 years or more. And then of course you realise it has. It’s essentially Street Fighter II with a lick of paint and rebalanced. The moves remain unchanged. A new focus attack mixes things up on the fighting part, allowing you to charge attacks and unleash them, breaking your opponent’s guard and potentially starting a combo. A revenge meter also allows for the player most taking a beating to dish out a special move and get right back into the fight. They are simple tweaks that greatly improve the dynamic of the gameplay.
• Charm and charisma. Street Fighter has personality in abundance. From the opening theme tune, to the beautifully animated player models and cheesey voice acting. It’s cute and colourful with a hint of Hollywood hardness. All the classic faces are on the roster with a few new ones to keep things fresh. Each arcade run is accompanied with anime segments helping to tell a simple story. All the characters have unique taunts and phrases that they can spout in the heat of battle and the familiar captions return at the end of each fight, this time tuned to the type of fight and character faced. No matter how tough things are getting against either the AI opponents or fellow players online, you can’t help but smile. Capcom absolutely nailed the look and detail you’d expect in a modern Street Fighter game.
• Great online play. One of the neatest things about Street Fighter IV is the ability to play the Arcade Mode against the computer controlled AI and allow challenges from opponents online as you play. Essentially this makes the experience just like in the arcade, with you solely taking on the computer while random opponents waltz in and drop a quarter. The online play is also, on the whole, entirely lag free and extremely competitive. You earn medals from each match (by meeting certain criteria) and also unlock new titles and icons, which can be placed next to your PSN ID in order to show off your personality to other competitors.

• A wealth of content. The arcade, VS (two players on a single console) and online modes would have been enough to earn Street Fighter IV our top rating alone but there are also a variety of survival, challenge and trial modes to complete, aswell as comprehensive score boards and stat tracking. Sadly, there are not a range of different costumes (these are being included as post release DLC) nor nearly enough stages but we hope Capcom use this game as a platform for regular updates. We’ll be there to buy everything they throw at us.

What We Didn’t Like:

• End of level boss Seth. Fighting games are well known for having ridiculously hard bosses. Street Fighter IV’s boss, Seth, is a step too far though. At times, it feels like you can’t move without getting attacked somehow. We understand the final boss is meant to be hard but, Seth is way more frustrating than difficult. We’re not particularly skilled Street Fighter players, but even when playing with our favourite character we can only beat him on 30 second rounds.
• Not very accessible. Street Fighter IV is a difficult, difficult game just like its older siblings. That’s fine. It’s just a shame Capcom didn’t use the latest iteration to include some form of indepth training mode. It’s kind of difficult for new players to understand why they are getting beat by more experienced players and a tutorial could have helped with that.
• Dull music. Aside from the excellent theme song by Exile, the music actually within the game is a little disappointing. There are no memorable tracks like in Street Fighter II and what music there is serves little purpose but to flesh out the soundscape behind the commentator and speech samples.
• Not enough stages. While there are a good few stages in Street Fighter IV, they all start to appear a little too often after a few hours with the game. We’ve no doubt this is an area Capcom will look to flesh out via DLC but we wished there could have been a few more on the disc.

SEGA Mega Drive Ultimate Collection

While SEGA Mega Drive Ultimate Collection doesn’t exactly justify the cost of your expensive next-gen console; oldschool gamers and newcomers alike will be hard pushed to find such a vast collection of quality content at such a low price.

What’s It All About?

SEGA Mega Drive Ultimate Collection is a compilation of over 40 of SEGA’s Mega Drive games. Included are the likes of Sonic The Hedgehog, Streets Of Rage and many more which helped to define not only the Mega Drive, but also the 16-bit era.

A series of interviews are also included alongside some classic arcade emulations to make the package complete.

What We Liked:

• Really great games. Sonic & Knuckles. Streets Of Rage 1, 2 and 3. Ecco The Dolphin. Phantasy Star IV. Columns. If you’re an oldschool gamer you’ll know exactly why these games are great because, chances are you’ve played them before. If you’re a newcomer then it’s time to find out about the titles that paved the way for Killzone and LittleBigPlanet. We can say with ample probability that there will be something on this disc for everyone. SEGA’s support of their Mega Drive console was consistently brilliant all the way through the early-mid ’90s. This collection simply lets you replay all the greats emulated perfectly on your PS3.
• Represents outstanding value for money. By our rough calculations we reckon this little selection of games would have cost you somewhere in the region of £1600 in the ’90s. Even buying them all on the Nintendo Wii’s excellent Virtual Console service would set you back approximately £240. So when you consider SEGA Mega Drive Ultimate Collection weighs in at around £24.99 and provides a selection of interviews and bonus arcade games to boot, it’s really very difficult to fault.
• Good sorting options. Upon loading SMDUC for the first time we were rather impressed with the excellent menu screen. Not only can you order the games by alphabet, genre and date, but you can also rate each game and sort them into your favourite and least favourite. It’s a neat little touch that makes jumping between different games a tad slicker.
• Plenty of unlockables and trophies. SEGA Mega Drive Ultimate Collection rewards you for playing the range of content the disc has to offer. Whether it’s achieving a certain score in Columns or reaching a certain level in Streets Of Rage, there are numerous trophies and incentives to keep playing the variety of games the package has to offer.

• Interesting interviews. For anyone with a slight interest in the history of SEGA, it’s extremely interesting to watch the packaged interviews with the people behind the games. They are well constructed and moderately informative for the fanatic.

What We Didn’t Like:

• Not every game has aged well. As expected given the wealth of content, some games on this compilation may shatter some pairs of rose-tinted glasses. The Golden Axe games verge on the wrong side of unplayable, while others feel too basic and stripped down to appease the needs of modern gamers.
• Not “in HD” as the box claims. While the box claims the games of SMDUC are “now in HD”, the statement should be taken with a massive pinch of salt. Essentially, this comment refers to the “smoothing” option which is available for each game. Turning the option on improves the picture on HD televisions greatly, however, this is at the expense of some retro charm. While it’s not really a problem (games like Comix Zone still look great today) we were worried people might buy the game under the impression this is a Bionic Commando Rearmed type upgrade. It’s not.
• Is this what you want to play on PS3? With a flow of games which constantly test the PS3’s hardware, you have to question if Mega Drive games are what you want to be playing. We can’t compromise the quality and extent of the package, but no matter how good the collection of games are, the fact that they were released sometime in the early 1990’s will not go away.

Killzone 2

Killzone 2 is an audio-visual tour-de-force which defines a saturated genre without ever adding anything new to the recipe.

What’s It All About?

Killzone 2 is the sequel to the ambitious but flawed PS2-shooter Killzone. The game details the events that occur during an ongoing war between the ISA and an extra-terrestrial dictatorship race, the Helghast. You play as Sev, a single member of the ISA Alpha Squad.

What We Liked:

• Fantastic audio-visual feast. Killzone 2 is the best looking console game we’ve ever seen. Everything from the smoke, to the explosions, to the environments are stunning. Levels are littered with smoke and shrapnel which are all carried realistically by the wind. While Killzone 2 is not the most innovative game you’ll ever play, it constantly manages to nail a very visceral and gritty tone throughout. This is perfectly complimented by the epic cinematic music score that rises and falls depending on the on-screen action. The game does stutter at certain loading points but it’s only a minor niggle.
• Really, really satisfying gunplay. The guns in Killzone 2 are awesome. They feel heavy, are enjoyable to fire and there is a good variation all the way through the 8-hour campaign. The weaponry is accompanied with a realistic weight which differs depending on the type. Machine guns flail all around the screen due to the power behind the weapon, whereas shotguns have a heavy kick to them. This is all emphasised by the excellent physics responses of the Helghast. Shooting them will have a perverse effect on their body resulting in some really satisfying gun fights. It has to be mentioned that the contols do have a settling in period; those players used to Call Of Duty or Resistance will at first find the mechanics slow but you learn to love them.
• Well implemented online play. Killzone 2’s multiplayer is quite unique in the way it throws you onto a map and gives you several objectives without ever taking you back to a lobby. In one match you will play variations of Team Deathmatch, Capture The Flag, Assassination and more. It’s not a particularly big touch but it makes the game super competitive. The online also allows you to level up and collect badges, granting you different abilities. For example, you will be able to place turrets as a certain class, which will allow you to protect points of interest from the enemy. It’s this focus on levelling and badge upgrading that gives Killzone both its hook and learning curve. However, it can be a bit of a grind reaching certain levels.

• Fantastic set-pieces. From start to finish Killzone 2 is littered with fantastic set-pieces. We don’t want to go into too much detail for fear of giving too much away but there are some really fantastic explosions, boss fights and objectives in this game. The campaign may well be short and the story dull, but you could never call Killzone 2 boring. It will constantly have you at the edge of your seat, mouth ajar a little.

What We Didn’t Like:

• Generic “Hollywood” story. The story in Killzone 2 (well, what story there is) is not very good. In fact it’s pretty diabolical. Every twist the story takes is perfectly expected; because you’ve seen it all before. The characters are badly developed and impossible to like. In fact the only saving grace of Killzone’s story, the Helghast and leader Visari, are barely touched upon by the games narrative. Apparently the game wants us to believe the enemy are all “bastards” without ever telling us why. If you ask us, we think the macho-induced American stereotypes are the bastards.
• Atrocious voice acting. To further the horrors of Killzone’s non-existent story are the woeful voice actors. The whole of “Team Alpha” are particularly irritating, continuously dropping unjustified F-bombs and generally giving the impression they are not emotionally attached to the incidents happening around them.
• Online play can be a grind. On the whole we think Killzone 2 has an excellent multiplayer component, but it’s sadly let down by its difficult barrier-of-entry. It’s not so much the games difficulty online that causes the problems, more its focus on levelling up before letting you do anything. When you first play multiplayer you’ll have two guns and well, nothing else. Your opponents will be able to place turrets, revive downed team members and create spawn points. It’ll take you 20 hours or more playing the multiplayer before you’re even close to unlocking everything. We’re all for the game rewarding the hours you spend with it but it feels like too much of an uphill struggle at first.

Patapon 2

Thanks to its low price-point, the fact that Patapon 2 feels more like an extension than a sequel is perfectly balanced with the fact that there is plenty of fun to be had, whether you’re a series veteran or a newcomer.

What’s It All About?

Patapon is a rhythm game that combines elements of RPG and strategy with its beat-matching gameplay. You use the face buttons to create a beat, of which certain patterns control the angry-eyed Patapon warriors you oversee. On its surface, Patapon feels like basic rhythm game. But as you progress you’ll find the game has a lot of depth which requires micro-management, levelling and well-developed strategies.

What We Liked:

• Fantastic premise. The idea of controlling an army of vicious looking eyeball warriors with a set of bongo drums, is, well, fantastic really. And even though Patapon 2 is a sequel, it’s just as fresh. The game teaches you certain beats as you progress. For example, Pata-Pata-Pata-Pon (Square-Square-Square-Circle) moves your army forward. Pon-Pon-Pata-Pon (Circle-Circle-Square-Circle) makes your army attack. The combination of well timed beat sequences results in the game going into “Fever” mode, increasing your teams attack, defense and allowing new character, “Hero” to perform a special move.
• Lots of depth. The inclusion of a Hero character and his numerous different types mean you are given a challenge at the start of every battle. Not only do you need to pick the right team for the job but you also need to pick the right type of Hero. Aside from the general 40-plus story driven levels, you are also able to replay each level to unlock extra goodies which can be used for levelling your Patapon. It can become a bit of a grind at first, due to the weak nature of your squad and complex levelling system but after a few hours with the game it all begins to make sense. Seasoned Patapon players will be able to import their save file from the first game and thus have access to all their objects from the first game. This allows quicker levelling and eases you into the new game nicely. The inclusion of an ad-hoc multiplayer co-op mode also allows you to go on looting raids with friends. It’s a fun extra, that thankfully can be played with AI “friends” too, but it’s a little stripped down.
• Cute graphics. There is no doubt Patapon 2 is an artistically striking game. From the cute vibrant colour palette to the excellent character design, Patapon is a game filled with charm that never gets old. While the different levels and enemies don’t differentiate as much as some might like, it’s hard to deny the loving craftsmanship that has gone into this game.
• Catchy sound design. At times verging on irritating and at others genius, Patapon 2 packs an excellent soundtrack that will embed itself into your mind tempting you back for another “quick session”. For music so strict with its beat, it’s devilishly seductive.

• Low price. Weighing in at under £20 if you shop online, Patapon 2 packs more than enough content for the asking price. There is plenty to see and do whether you’re a newcomer or a veteran, and because of that alone it’s hard to not recommend the game.

What We Didn’t Like:

• Unwieldy levelling system. Newcomers entering the Patapon universe for the first time may find the experience a little bit overwhelming when they realise that levelling, grinding and micro-management is essential to succeeding. While the game has done quite a good job of simplifying things like team selection, the levelling process (or evolution) will be far too convoluted for strictly new players.
• Not much new. Despite its low price, if you are the kind of person who didn’t like the original Patapon or got burnt out on it, this title will not change your mind. It is essentially the same game with some minor tweaks and additions.

Reviews of Tom Clancy's HAWX and No Gravity: Plague Of The Mind are set to be published next week.

Watchmen: The End Is Nigh Hands-On Impressions

There is much snobbery throughout the comic book universe that Watchmen shouldn’t even be a movie, let alone a game. Thus, the development of the Watchmen game is one that has been viewed through the squinted eyes of the pretentious speech-bubble faithful. The team burdened with the responsibility, Deadline Games, have crafted a title of mixed success.

Penned by Len Wein, Watchmen: The End Is Nigh is the first of two episodic downloads that tie in with Zack Snyder’s upcoming movie. The game is split into six chapters acting as a prologue to the events of the movie.

Essentially, Watchmen: The End Is Nigh is an old-fashioned brawler. You select either Rorschach or Nite Owl and subsequently beat the crap out of an oncoming slew of stereotype thugs. The game takes you around a prison, docks and sewers. It’s all pretty standard fare stuff.

What is most impressive about Watchmen: The End Is Nigh are the fantastic visuals. As a downloadable game, we were instantly wowed by the truly excellent rain effects. In fact, we’d go as far as saying this game has some of the best looking rain we’ve seen this generation. Puddles gather on the floor, reflecting the urban surroundings and glinting in the light. The character animation is also excellent. Rorschach skulks about the level with his head down and hands in his pockets. The combat genuinely looks brutal too, with a selection of finishers emphasising the dark tones of the Watchmen universe.

Sadly, the combat is somewhat let down by the unresponsive feeling you get from the controls. You learn combos as you progress, which help you to understand the slower-pace of the controls, but at first it feels like there is little response from each button press. The camera is also a little wonky, functioning fine but occasionally not turning the way you’d want it to.

The story is progressed by a series of cutscenes drawn by the original Watchmen artist David Gibbons. These help to move the story along and look rather stylish. The voice acting from the main characters is also excellent throughout, however the enemies repeat the same dialogue far too often.

Watchmen’s biggest problem as a video game is in its premise. The brawling is fine but it is not broken up enough by differing objectives. Essentially, you’ll find yourself beating up thugs, opening doors and repeating all the way through the 3-hour campaign. The inclusion of two-player c0-op fleshes out the package but an online version is sorely missed.

Which brings us to the price. At anywhere around £6, Watchmen: The End Is Nigh would be a highly recommended product. But with the asking price at £12.99, it all seems a little steep. There’s no doubt playing the game will get you in the mood for the movies launch. And if that’s something you’re willing to pay for, then by all means go for it.

Wanted: Weapons Of Fate Hands-On Impressions

After initially being wowed by the stylish opening menu screen of Wanted: Weapons Of Fate, we were a little let down by the subpar graphics and the monotony of the gameplay.

You can curve your bullets, hide behind cover and sneak up on enemies. And well, that’s about all we got to experience really. Hopefully the game picks up a bit in the full version because the dull, corridor based level design didn’t exactly have us chomping at the bit for more.

Developed by GRIN, Wanted: Weapons Of Fate is a spin off of the Angelina Jolie movie setting events after the end of the film.

The game plays in a third-person perspective with pretty standard Uncharted style “snap-to” cover. You can quickly dash from side to side while behind cover and also dash forward. It’s fairly standard fare but the mechanic works well.

The shooting works fine, but feels too much like point-and-click than genuine gunplay. This is not helped by the subpar sound design, which makes the weaponry feel weak to fire.

You can also activate curved bullets just like in the movie and graphic novel the game is based on. It’s a pretty satisfying treat to pull off but it remains to be seen whether this simple mechanic can save the game from mediocrity when we try the package as a whole.

Resistance Retribution Hands-On Impressions

We’re big fans of the Resistance series. We thoroughly enjoyed the slow-paced gameplay of Fall Of Man and loved the scale of Resistance 2. Hearing that the series was making it’s way to the PSP we were mildly excited but somewhat sceptical. How the hell can they port a game like Resistance to the PSP? It’s been done with mixed response.

Resistance Retribution continues the story of Fall Of Man with British protagonist James Grayson. The game plays from a third person perspective and comes from Sony Bend, developers of the PSP’s Syphon Filter games. The lack of a second analogue stick is instantly noticeable when playing the game. It’s obvious the Sony Bend team have spent time trying to develop a formula that works on the PSP but sadly it’s still awkward.

Resistance Retribution ditches the series’ first-person viewpoint and opts for a third-person camera. The left nub moves the player with the face buttons used for aiming (Triangle is up, Square is left, etc). The game compromises accuracy with an aim assist module which works well. When near to objects the player also automatically locks into cover.

We found it all really difficult though. Perhaps it’s just a measure of our short time with the game but the clunky movement and seemingly overpowered enemies made the game extremely difficult. We were thrown into a battle with two Titans almost immediately; each of which took around 4 clips of the standard rifle to take down. While this stays true to that Resistance universe, we feel like the lack of mobility made killing the enemies much harder than it should be.

The graphics are amazing throughout. Really, really amazing. We traversed an underground facility and were blown away by the detail packed into the Chimera, Titans and environments. It’s perfectly true to the Resistance universe Insomniac have developed.

We’ll need more time with the game before we can come to a conclusion on the controls. Initial impressions are tainted by the controls but it may be a case of waiting for the gameplay to gel.

[PushSquare]