Hearts on the line as an Owlboy waits in earnest

Indie developer D-Pad Studios have put their collective hearts on the line with the release of the demo for their upcoming 2D platformer, Owlboy. The meaty trial (available after the jump) lasts over an hour and gives players a pretty good idea of what they can expect when the full game drops at the end of the year: beautiful, pixelated graphics, solid shooting mechanics and array of charming, whimsically-designed foes.

Thanks to Alex for the tip via our Facebook page.

MadWorld Review (Wii) – Black and White Noir at Bargain Bin Prices

Stranded on the desolate Jefferson Island, the chainsaw wielding Jack Cayman must hack, chop, disembowel and dismember the Killseekers as he battles his way through the DeathWatch Games. A violent version of Big Brother, the DeathWatch Games is the most watched series on television, with corporate sponsorship and big money payouts enticing every day citizens to pick up a weapon, find their neighbour and kill them.

To progress through MadWorld you must roam the streets, take out as many people as possible, as quickly as possible, all while earning enough points to fight the boss. Once the boss is done, it’s onto the next level to start your violent rampage again.

The Good

For the most part, MadWorld is fun. It looks and feels like a Frank Miller graphic novel, with the only colours used being red and yellow. All the environments are created in black and white and as you make a noise, the sound bite is displayed on screen. For example when you throw your enemies into the Rose Bush (a big wall of spikes) it displays a very comic book SPLAT and CRUNCH. This mixed with the spray of blood is a very cool aesthetic.

The controls are simple enough, with regular movement of the nunchuck and wiimote required for tasks such as a variety of punches, quick escapes and finishing/special moves. It doesn’t take long to learn how to mix up different attacks and get a high score, with new combinations and unique killing methods regularly presenting themselves.

Creatively killing enemies is another great aspect of this game. As you progress through each stage, more opportunities open up allowing you to expand your killing repertoire. Environmental objects such as meat hooks, circular saws and moving trains create a deadly world for both you and your enemies. Some of the more creative ways to die are shown in the BloodBath Challenge. These generate extra points and a bit of a laugh, with an entertaining pimp named the Black Baron introducing each challenge and falling victim to its trap every time.

Creative killing earns bonus points

The Bad

The voice acting isn’t good and feels like a dodgy anime at times. While most sentences flow, it’s like some were just cut and pasted together to form dialogue, with a number of conversations between characters sounding very choppy. Agent 13 has a dodgy European accent and Jack feels like the producers wanted Hellboy’s Ron Pearlman but settled for someone else. On the flipside, the commentary from the TV presenters is often hilarious although repetitious. There are only so many times that you can throw someone into the Rose Bush or hack someone with a chainsaw and laugh at the same line over and over.

The boss fights are disappointing and varying in difficulty, but not increasingly difficult. The second boss seemed harder than the third and fourth boss and although some are challenging at first, the second you get near to them you have the opportunity to go into close combat (shaking the wiimote/nunchuck then moving as per the onscreen instructions) and then ultimately finish them off. Do this twice and it’s game over for the CPU.

The Ugly

The view is fixed and royally horrible. Positioned above the head and slightly behind the body, you find yourself constantly hitting C to reset your view to see where you are going. Had it been further back and higher to allow greater scope, MadWorld would be easier to play and more enjoyable to watch. The targeting system is also flawed, with the ability to lock your view onto targets difficult due to the fact you can’t look directly at them long enough to make it stick. This is the main difficulty in any boss fight.

Navigation is also frustrating with new bonuses opening up regularly but no real way to find them. Whilst all BloodBath Challenges and Boss Fights are marked on the map, unless I knew the map well, most new weapons, free lives and incentives went to waste.

The Verdict

7.0 Feeling like an early black and white cartoon version of Bulletstorm, MadWorld takes cues from such pop culture icons as Evil Dead, Death Race, The Running Man and Frank Miller’s graphic novels/movies, particularly Sin City. While the black and white visuals mixed with a red arterial spray or comic-esque yellow sound bites are a refreshing change, the repetition of the landscape and audio make it hard to want to pick it up again in the near future. Despite this, MadWorld is one of the Wii’s finest and is an enjoyable game, especially if you’re in the mood for ultra violence, mindless destruction and mayhem for less than $20.

Fruit Ninja Kinect Review (X360) - You'll want a tablet for your back

Available on Android, iOS and Windows Phone 7, Fruit Ninja is a true success story for the Australian games industry and the casual gaming revolution at large. If you've never played an iteration of the game prior to now, it's safe to assume one of two things:

1. You're still packing a Nokia 3320 and are of firm belief that Snake is as good as mobile gaming can get.
2. You've awoken from a coma recently and are still unsure as to why you can't find Game Boy Colour games at your local games retailer. 

Microsoft have opted to include a motion-controlled version of the game as part of its Summer/Winter of Arcade promotion this year with mixed results.

The Good
Bring the family - While I'm not a huge fan of Kinect-powered gaming or motion control in general, Fruit Ninja Kinect will get young and old off their feet and swinging their arms with gay abandon. My wife was more than happy to trial this title with me; something I can't say for any other game I've reviewed this year.

 I am NOT cleaning this up!

Aussie, Aussie, Aussie! - Few would refer to me as patriotic, but I'm still very proud of Brisbane developer Halfbrick's tilt at world domination through casual gaming. To think that this touch and motion-controlled phenomenon was born from developers based in my hometown is enough to warm my cold, black heart.

"Tuck-shop lady arms" be gone! - This an observation from my lovely wife: the frantic flailing of limbs required to succeed in Fruit Ninja Kinect will ensure that excess arm flab becomes a thing of the past. I'm no personal trainer, but my experience with the game produced a few litres of sweat and some sore appendages; but more on that later.

Spirit of competition - Fruit Ninja Kinect employs a leaderboard system that allows for sometimes-spiteful fruit slashing fun. Upon finishing a game, your score will be ranked above or below your friend's best efforts which - in the case of our household - led to many incendiary hand gestures. While the gameplay itself wasn't always satisfying, smashing a friend's score always was.

The Bad
The question of value - Fruit Ninja Kinect is as much as fifteen times more expensive than other versions of the game. Sure, some may not have local multiplayer or properly functioning leaderboards (I'm looking at you, Windows Phone 7 version!), but whether you get more fun out of this exponentially-more expensive version is debatable.

The Ugly
Be sure to stretch - Embarrassing admission: I threw my back out something fierce after my first session with Fruit Ninja Kinect. To be frank, I was about two ibuprofen tablets shy of agony after flinging my arms around in front of my Kinect sensor like a madman. Halfbrick and Microsoft may not have thought to warn you, but I will: stretch, and stretch well before you play this game. You're welcome.

Unfaithful - Fruit Ninja Kinect's gesture-based controls are inaccurate at best, and just plain non-responsive at their worst. Short slicing motions will often fail to register at all; meaning that you'll miss all of those smaller fruits that evade your larger swings. To make matters worse, almost every backswing would get picked up by the Kinect sensor and there was - at times - noticeable lag between a large swinging motions and when they appeared on screen.  I couldn't achieve scores anywhere near those you'd find on my Windows Phone 7 handset. I couldn't even hit triple figures in Classic mode.

Good luck with that errant pear.

Bare bones - Apart from your friends inching ever closer to your high scores, there's very little to bring you back to Fruit Ninja Kinect. If it weren't for the room-hogging local multiplayer (co-op and competitive modes are available) and gesture-based controls, there's very little here that you can't experience on your phone or tablet - and I'm sorry that I can't get away from this - at a considerably-lower price.

The Verdict
Make no mistake, Fruit Ninja Kinect offers fun for the entire family. How much fun however, is dependent on how much time you've spent with the game previously on other platforms. The inaccurate controls and lack of longevity also make this hard to recommend.

Red Faction: Armageddon Review (X360): Of mice and men.... and monsters and magnet guns

Save for this year's horrible downloadable release, Red Faction: Battlegrounds: the Red Faction franchise would have to be one of the most consistent in terms of quality. Not to say that any instalment was worthy of great praise, but each has provided me with a challenging campaign, interesting weapons and an enjoyable multiplayer suite. Never "Game of the Year" contenders, but each with enough redeeming features to warrant a purchase. Red Faction: Armageddon continues the trend; delivering a solid, though unspectacular experience, with a bland story, lengthy campaign and a magnet gun.

The Good
Controlled carnage - The Red Faction series is renowned for the ability to destroy terrain and structures in each instalment. Armageddon turns this trait on its head, allowing players to undo all the damage they've done with the Nano-Forge. Repairing an entire structure from nothing but wreckage can have an almost cathartic effect; particularly when you're almost walking on air as you piece a bridge back together.

The ground beneath your feet - The level of destruction that you can bring to each of Armageddon's environments is at times breathtaking, if not hilarious. In the midst of heated firefights I would use guns and Nano-Forge abilities to literally melt the structures that my enemies were hanging from. Sometimes it was annoying to use "Impact" only to find that I had destroyed the floor I was walking on; but thanks to the ability to repair anything and everything, the frustration I felt was limited.

This could hurt me more than it hurts you.

Animal magnetism - Ammo can be scarce in Armageddon - particularly towards the end - so the magnet gun with its infinite ammo and ability to throw creatures and structures for miles is a master stroke. There are few things more satisfying than sending an entire level of a structure right into an enemy's face.

On rails, in the air and through buildings - Armageddon is chock-full of varied vehicle sequences which are all a great deal of fun. Things start off pretty quietly with the L.E.O exo-skeleton, but by the end of the game you'll have piloted a Marauder Walker (my personal favourite), rode a mine cart and even taken to the air in an Inferno fighter. Each vehicle sequence features responsive controls and an array of powerful weapons which allow you to dismantle the game's environments even quicker than you could if you were on foot.

Quite the looker - Despite some questionable (read: cliched) art direction, Armageddon features technically-impressive visuals with a bright colour palette. Very rarely did I notice the frame rate dip, and some of the environments were truly captivating; particularly when I was in the midst of ripping them apart.

New Game Plus - If you're looking for easy marks from me, add a "New Game Plus" option. Armageddon affords players the ability to carry over their arsenal and ability unlocks to a new game upon finishing the campaign for the first time. Brilliant move, Volition! You also get access to Mr Toots, the most adorable and powerful weapon that Mars has ever seen.

The Bad
Slow start - Despite the combat-heavy opening sequence, Armageddon takes hours to hit its stride. When you do finally get your hands on some of the more devastating weapons and you hit the slew of enjoyable vehicle sequences, the campaign seems to be paced well enough; but it never seems to wash away those first three or so cave-filled hours.

If I die, tell my wife: "Hello." - I didn't care for any of the characters in Armageddon. In more cases than should be allowable, I even forgot the names of some central characters. Every now and then I'd happen upon Chesty Love Interest and Old Army Buddy, but when I did there was no sense of warmth or connection. The anthropomorphised villains were just plain stupid-looking, dressed like bugs and all. There was not a single memorable plot twist or line of dialogue to be found either. Armageddon is about as vanilla as a shooter can get.

Mars survival tip: Cleavage CAN save lives.

The Ugly
Accidental villain - Though not explicitly unlikeable, Darius Mason is somewhat of an irresponsible tool. I'll try not to spoil too much, but the lead character never shows a great deal of remorse and ultimately fails to acknowledge that he is culpable for a great many civilian deaths. As a result, he is never really redeemed in spite of his many victories.

Meh-worthy multiplayer - It seems that Horde mode knock-offs - where players work together against waves of enemies - are the order of the day. There's nothing necessarily broken about it, but Infestation is never taxing - thanks to plenty of ammo pick-ups and quickly regenerating health - and lacks any shred of originality. Multiplayer offerings in the series' previous instalments have always been gimmicky, but they often had enough depth to warrant more than the glance that Armageddon deserves.

Oh, the humanity! - In a lot of the marketing material that I consumed in the lead-up to its release, I somehow got the impression that Armageddon was supposed to be a survival horror game. It is anything but, with colourful monsters and lighting effects, and unconvincing gore. On the topic of monsters, there's not enough variety in them to stave off tedium either.

I'd be scared if it weren't for all the pretty colours. 

The Verdict
While it's lacking personality and any sense of originality, Red Faction: Armageddon still manages to offer hours of fun. The vast arsenal of weapons, upgrades and Nano-Forge abilities should do enough to keep most players happy; and I have no trouble recommending it if you find it at the right price. It doesn't offer much outside of the campaign, but thanks to an unbridled amount of destruction and some quality vehicle sequences, it is another solid entry in the Red Faction franchise.

The Cheevos of Life

There must have been something very good in the water in November/December with a number of people I know either expecting children of their own or becoming an uncle or aunty for the first time.

Personally, I’m expecting my second child in September and I believe Dutch has just become an uncle (or it’s very imminent). When I found out about Dutch, I suggested he come over and learn how to change a nappy, just so he could seem like the uber cool brother who already knew what he was doing, despite not having kids (and without appearing like some kind of child offender…). In true Dutch style, his reply was, “Only if I can earn Cheevos”.

This got me thinking – if life were a game, what would you earn achievements for and what would they be worth?

Games like Guitar Hero reward you for failures (and epic failures at that), while Duke Nukem Forever rewards you for finding a poo, picking it up and throwing it. You don’t get much for these actions but I suspect if it were to happen in the real world you wouldn’t receive much praise either.

PGR4, Burnout and Need For Speed reward you for traveling at high speed and driving dangerously, whether it be a part of the game or an actual XBLA/PSN achievement. Last time I checked, those little yellow pieces of paper from QLD Police, stern conversations from the man in blue starting with "Get off the bike we'll be here for a while" or the photo of your car going sideways through an intersection aren’t achievements. There are points involved but they decrease on your license and make you take the bus to work.

When it comes to families and having kids, game oriented couples should definitely implement a cheevo system, especially if the man of the house would rather play games than wipe a smelly bum.

The content is the same, only the packaging differs...

You could earn points for most consecutive nappy changes, biggest ‘disposal’ of the week or even most times spewed on after a feed with bonus points given if it’s a midnight feed or just before you’re going to work (and therefore need to find a new shirt and iron it before going to work because the same thing happened last week but on a smaller scale and you didn’t notice until lunchtime but wondered what the smell was). Negative cheevos are given if you go to work with spew still on you.

What do you think? Can cheevo’s translate into the real world? What are the points worth and what should you get once you hit a milestone?

Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet Review (X360) – Inviting, Tedious, Short, Pricey.

In the lead-up to its release, many had likened the elaborately-named Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet (ITSP) to classic platformers such as Castlevania: Symphony of the Night and Metroid Fusion. In terms of concept, I believe the comparison to be accurate enough; as the game gradually introduces new weapons and equipment that allow for players to explore parts of the play area that were previously inaccessible. In terms of execution however, there is very little left to go back to, and the expanded arsenal doesn't necessarily need to be implemented in combat. Striking visuals aside, Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet doesn't have the depth to be mentioned in the same breath as a quality "Metroidvania" title.

The Good

Delicious direction - Much like the other releases we've seen in this year's Summer of Arcade promotion, ITSP features striking art direction with wonderfully animated organic and mechanical foes and obstacles set in clean, colourful and varied environments. The game's cut scenes while used sparingly are well produced and beautiful to behold. 

 ...AND THAT is how babies are made!

Sounds evil - The sound design featured in ITSP is sufficiently dark to draw strong contrast to the vibrant visuals. Upon taking damage, players are treated to a Jaws-esque audio cue that creates a real sense of tension. Each of the corrupted planet’s inhabitants are also capable of stirring players to action with a cacophony of screeches and roars to let you know that they mean to do you harm. 

Momentum – There were some parts of the game – particularly early on – where it felt almost whimsical. The colour and weighty movement mechanics made for a genuine sense of discovery.

The Bad

Watch where you point that thing - This is more a quibble than a genuine problem, but on multiple occasions I found some of my weapons getting caught in tight spaces or slowing me down when they brushed against the earth or the planet's florae. The momentum-killing potential that my deadly appendages afforded me was often annoying.

Missed multiplayer potential - Lantern Run is a more visually-appealing take on F.3.A.R's "F$@king Run" mode, with up to four players tasked with escaping death at the hands of a large, tentacled monster in a tunnel punctuated with “arenas”: where groups of smaller creatures must be dealt with quickly to progress. I could never find a full match and connection quality was spotty at best, but working together with complete strangers to escape certain death was fun for a little while. Lantern Run could have been a worthwhile addition to ITSP but ultimately it fails to deliver. 

 Insert Iron Maiden lyrics.

The ends of the earth – After completing the campaign proper – which takes about six hours - there is very little left of the shadow planet for players to explore. I didn’t even really try to find most of the collectable upgrades and artwork scattered throughout the map, and yet there’s still very little for me to find after besting the final boss battle. There just isn’t enough content here to justify the asking price (1200 Microsoft Points).

The Ugly

That's not a weapon! - Most of the unlockable weapons in ITSP have a very specific purpose: generally they're used for puzzles in one of the game's environments. There's no mixing up your arsenal to get the edge in combat: more often than not I would just spam my alien foes with the saw blade appendage. The majority of the nine attachments on offer have some very specific applications that make for cheap and repetitive combat.

How bad is it, Doc? - During several boss fights - and just about any time I found myself in a large, open space - the camera zooms out to a point where it is very hard to discern how much damage your little ship has taken. This was particularly frustrating during the final boss fight, where I was little more than a black blemish compared to the hulking monster below.

Got a light? - The last of the shadow planet’s five zones is played out in a darkened area illuminated only by some bright lines in the background and a lantern that players must carry along with them. This disorienting experience was made even worse by barely visible enemies and a wide camera angle. I could hardly see my ship, I died a lot, and I didn't have much fun.

Stormtrooper syndrome - Aiming in ITSP is inconsistent, often inaccurate and a real blight on the entire experience. In several boss fights a sure hand is required, but the finicky aiming controls had me missing the mark and meeting my demise more times than I could count. This may have been alleviated with an on-screen reticule, but for the majority of the game I was cursing under my breath on account of the loose targeting controls. 

 You'll know what you need to do, but good luck making the shot.

The Verdict

Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet is dripping with charm in terms of presentation, but it’s too shallow and frustrating to justify the steep price of admission. The art direction and sound design are of an equally-high standard to its Summer of Arcade contemporaries, but it doesn’t match them in terms of fun and longevity. Good, but hard to recommend given the cost.

Minus PlayStation Plus

I'm not renewing my PlayStation Plus subscription. A decision I reaffirmed after reading an email from Sony last week, reminding me what PlayStation Plus offered me over the course of a year and a bit: a mass of  (usually dated) content that I couldn't possibly need or find the time to play through.

Ironically enough, that was one of the reasons I championed the service at first. Upon signing up for my first year I was gifted with Little Big Planet and could download a further six games.... that I had previously purchased. I did have better luck with the second month in that I didn't already own most of the content on offer, but it turns out there was a reason for that: it was all shite.

The subsequent monthly offerings rarely impressed. Only once was I genuinely caught off guard, with Stacking made available to subscribers at no cost. Red Faction Battlegrounds was another complimentary title, but let's face it: it is the worst game to be released this year. My Plus subscription also afforded me access to some "exclusive" betas, but few were actually worth the time and bandwidth. I could never find a match during the SOCOM: Special Forces beta. The inFamous 2 User-Generated Content beta was an abject failure in terms of user-friendliness and participation. The Uncharted 3 beta went public before I even got the chance to play it. There were also two Killzone 3 beta trials, but more on that later.

There was one issue however that sealed the fate of my Plus subscription months ago. Believe it or not, it wasn't the whole hacking saga. My personal details being compromised and my privacy being violated was a concern; but by this point, my decision had already been made. That, and Burnout Paradise was the reparation delivered to PlayStation Plus subscribers - which at that point was pretty much anyone who owned a PlayStation before April - which is a game that I had once again previously purchased.

I'm cancelling my PlayStation Plus subscription because of the Killzone 3 closed beta. For those of you who don't know - or have understandably forgotten - participation in the closed beta was afforded to the first ten thousand Plus subscribers who downloaded a Killzone 3 XMB theme. Paying just-under seventy dollars a year wasn't enough to gain access to a multiplayer demo; you had to jump through another little hoop to have the honour.

That just about did it for me. The much-publicized PlayStation Network outage didn't help matters for sure, but I didn't appreciate the audacity of Sony asking me to do even more to get my money's worth.

Funnily enough, I recently extended my Xbox Live subscription even though I rarely play multiplayer games on my 360. Maybe it has something to do with that service being a necessity where PlayStation Plus is a luxury.

A luxury in which I no longer wish to indulge.

No thanks, I'm on a diet.

Links:

1. Welcome Back to PlayStation Plus - EU PlayStation Blog
2. The Killzone 3 Beta Starts On The 25th October (and here is your chance to get in!) - EU PlayStation Blog
3. The PlayStation Network Returns; Normalcy Won't - Kotaku