Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning - First look

We are now into mid-February and new software is coming thick and fast. Over the course of the last few weeks, we've seen Final Fantasy XIII-2, Soul Calibur V, the Metal Gear Solid HD collection, Catherine and The Darkness II launch in Europe. Friday saw RPG Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning launch and I downloaded it via Steam late on Friday evening.

Usually I would have picked up one of the console versions but I'm having a few problems with my TV so I plumped for the PC version instead. My little gaming laptop is hardly a powerhouse, but after trying out the demo I was pleasantly surprised to find my humble box of tricks ran the game surprisingly well.

I've only put around four hours into the experience but even after only a small amount of time, I'm well and truly hooked.

Occupying a space somewhere between the Fable and Elder Scrolls series, developers 38 Studios (the company started by former baseball player Curt Schilling) and Big Huge Games have produced a title which, although not original, does a lot of things incredibly well.

Combat is snappy, with the player fluidly dishing out ranged, melee and magic attacks, while item crafting is flexible and easy to understand.

But the real joy comes from exploring this vast world and the game positively encourages you to go tramping off the beaten path in search of good old-fashioned treasure and unexpected adventure.

The sprawling world map suggests an epic adventure ahead so my paltry four hour effort would appear to be little more than a drop in the ocean. But with its wide range of quests, fabulous soundtrack and intriguing world to explore, I'll be putting a lot more time into Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning over the weeks and months to come.

*The screenshots here were taken by myself and while the settings aren't cranked up, they show that Amalur still looks great on slightly lower settings.

Super Crate Box - iOS

Vlambeer, along with Halfbot, have just released Super Crate Box on iOS and it's a bit of a cracker. Fusing platforming antics with shooting is hardly new, but few games are as frantic as Super Crate Box straight out of the gate.

As the player dashes around the levels snaffling crates containing a fabulous array of weapons, foes rampage across the screen to stop you in your tracks.

Points are awarded for collecting crates rather than how many kills you rack up - a neat twist - but as every wooden crate contains a different weapon, you never know quite what to expect.

Personal stats are kept in neat displays while a running total of crates collected across the world is constantly updated on the main menu. At the time of writing, the figure stands at an impressive 6,718,831.

With delightful chiptunes and retro style visuals, Super Crate Box is fast-paced fun and works splendidly on iPad. For only 69p, it is well worth picking up.

Microsoft Flight - PC

I've been a fan of Microsoft's Flight Simulator series for many years - I cut my teeth on Flight Simulator 2004 and moved up to FSX a couple of years ago.

The default scenery has always been a little rough around the edges - as you would expect considering the series spans the entire globe - so I've previously invested in texture meshes to bring the world to life - in particular the US state of Alaska.

Thanks to Ultimate Alaska, I've explored miles of terrain and flown over forests, rivers, glaciers and small towns in a variety of light aircraft. But just as the thrill of exploring 586 sq miles of Alaskan countryside begins to die down, Microsoft have announced their plans for the next game in the series.

Microsoft Flight will launch later this year via Games For Windows and judging by recent screenshots, it looks as if texture meshes and third party downloads could be a thing of the past.

Not only is the game visually stunning, but it will also be free to play, giving everyone the chance to explore the skies above beautiful Hawaii. Further regions, aircraft and customisation options will be available to buy, while Microsoft have said they will frequently release new content.

Not only that, but virtual pilots will also have their own online pilot profile, while achievement points will be included to boost your Gamerscore.

There have been some grumblings about the fact Microsoft Flight will use the flawed Games For Windows client but I'm still incredibly excited to see the game in action. The only problem is that I might need to upgrade my creaking PC sooner than planned to get the best out of the game.

Alice: Madness Returns - 360/PS3/PC

There's a lot to like about Alice: Madness Returns. From the beautifully presented waif-like protagonist and her constantly changing sense of style, to the cast of grotesque characters who litter a decaying vision of Lewis Carroll's dreamlike Wonderland.

It's a spellbinding visual treat throughout and whether Alice is stumbling through the grimy streets of Victorian London, exploring the clockwork innards of the Mad Hatter's lair or making her way through the faded grandeur of the Queen of Hearts' castle, the art direction is inspired.

But despite the visual flair, Alice's journey through her rotten mind descends into a standard third-person romp, with a raft of gameplay ideas as old as the hills.

Armed with a twisted assortment of weapons - including a chain gun-style pepper grinder, a teapot cannon and white rabbit time bombs - Alice fights, jumps, runs and twirls through long, drawn-out levels in a bid to save her sanity.

The combat is initially a thrill, with Alice cutting a swathe through Studio Ghibli-like enemies. However, respawning gothic creatures and a dodgy in-game camera soon temper that initial rush and these arena style brawls soon become something to be tolerated rather than enjoyed.

The platform-heavy antics are a throwback in many ways. Leaping from invisible platforms, riding on steam vents, trampolining off neon-tinged mushrooms and sliding down Mario 64-inspired chutes is decent enough fun, but we've been here hundreds of times before.

And while the game does its best to mix up gameplay styles with the inclusion of environmental puzzles, 2D papercraft sections and a side-scrolling shooter level, much of Alice's adventure feels hastily pieced together. It's as if developer Spicy Horse couldn't decide on a plain course of action and instead decided to throw everything at the title to see what would stick.

But despite its flaws, I was captivated by the adventure from start to finish. The art direction certainly helped and wanting to know what lay around the next corner kept me ploughing through the madness.

The storyline also does its best to tug the player through the experience and Alice is constantly reminded of the cause of her fading sanity - the house fire which killed her family. As the story plays out, snippets of her memories spring to life in the shape of collectable audio logs, while other hidden treasures await those who wish to scuffle about the darker recesses of Alice's warped mind.

Once Alice's adventure is over, fans can skip back though her painful memories and replay chapters to sweep up missed collectables - and Spicy Horse have added an extra treat for Alice fans.

The original PC title from 11 years ago, American McGee's Alice, is also included on the disc. While this cult classic hasn't aged particularly well, it's a nice bonus and completes the Alice collection.

Spicy Horse have played it safe on many levels and regurgitated tried and tested gameplay ideas throughout in a desperate attempt to make Alice: Madness Returns a macabre masterpiece. But it falls somewhat short of its lofty ambitions, leaving the player wishing for something more.

It can be fun and at times it is a visually splendid experience, but too many quirks and flaws make this trip to Wonderland entirely optional rather than essential.

Let's Go Island 3D - arcade

2011 was predicted to be the year in which 3D games made their big breakthrough. Nintendo launched the 3DS back in March, while several big-name titles on 360 and PS3 also incorporated 3D modes.

But as the year draws to a close, only a couple of titles have really impressed me - Super Mario Land 3D and Pushblox on 3DS - two games which showed how thoughtful use of the new tech can enhance gameplay.

Another game which has piqued my interest is Sega's Let's Go Island - a shooter which features glasses-free 3D on a far bigger scale than Nintendo's hand-held. This arcade game - complete with 52" screen - looks glorious, with bold colours and sumptuous Sega blue skies really catching the eye.

The over-the-top shooting action is frenetic but Sega have also added a generous helping of humour in the shape of lobster golf, high flying stunts, underwater escapades and a section where you are forced to defend yourself from snapping sea creatures with bottles of soda. Even boring old QTE prompts have been given added spice due to the fact the arcade cabinet is mounted on a motion sensitive base.

This is the kind of game I would love to see on home consoles. Let's face it, it would be a significant step-up from the majority of frankly awful software currently available for Move and Kinect.

Yakuza 4 - Tourist snaps

Back in March I blogged about the joys of wandering around Yakuza 4's Kamurocho, taking in the sights and sounds of this fictional Tokyo district. Sadly, a peaceful stroll is something I can only dream about, with the game's roguish cast of characters constantly assaulted by gangs of knuckle dragging goons in puffer jackets.

But when I'm not smashing bikes over heads or battering thugs with huge ice cream cones, I've been taking snaps of the wonderful environment Sega have created on my iPhone. Take the time to look around Kamurocho and you'll be constantly surprised at what's on show. Here are a few of my favourites taken from my most recent late night adventure:

Sakura Wars: So Long, My Love - Wii

This title from the makers of PS3 classic Valkyria Chronicles isn't your typical role-playing game.

Where most Japanese RPGs focus on a po-faced, spiky-haired protagonist suffering from amnesia, this 2010 release takes great delight in dispensing with this tried and tested formula, resulting in a refreshing take on the genre.

Part turn-based strategy game, part social interaction/dating sim, Sakura Wars is full of chirpy anime characters, giant robots, animated cut scenes and a nonsensical plot which twists and turns through an alternative 1920's New York.

Taking control of Shinjiro Taiga, the son of a Japanese general, you are sent to the Big Apple to assist the New York Combat Revue in their battle against an evil force.

The first three hours or so are spent ploughing through a multitude of conversation topics, with only one battle tutorial to break up a slideshow of anime stills and crude 3D free-roaming sections. Persevere, though, and Sakura Wars blossoms into an engaging and highly entertaining game.

The story runs over a series of chapters, which are delivered in a similar style to a TV series. Each chapter throws up the usual assortment of dialogue trees, but Sakura Wars shakes the formula up by giving the player a limited time to make their conversation choice.

This quick-fire approach means you sometimes have to skim over the choices, leading to a variety of outcomes.

Where the system doesn't work so well is when you are tasked with manually twisting the left analogue stick and the D-Pad on the Wiimote within a tight time frame to achieve objectives. The controls here are less than responsive and lead to moments of frustration.

However, despite some control wobbles, underneath the sugary-sweet anime coating lies a robust and enjoyable strategic battle system.

Here, much like Valkyria Chronicles, the player has a limited range of movement before they can choose to attack. It's a deep and absorbing chess-like experience, with each move running the risk of leaving a squad member exposed.

The battles don't occur every five minutes, either. Instead these epic fights end the chapter, meaning if you don't warm to the story or the friendship building, you could find yourself extremely bored.

While each character has their own range of special moves, links can be created between two units, which increases your firepower. These start off relatively weak, but can be beefed up by interacting with your squad mates between skirmishes.

Forging relationships with the rest of your squad echoes Atlus's Persona games, but it never feels quite as complete. It certainly doesn't detract from the experience, but it just fails to match these PS2 classics.

Sakura Wars' visuals are a mixed bag, with the clean-cut character portraits and epic battles taking most of the plaudits. The blurry backgrounds and rough-looking free-roaming sections unfortunately don't fare quite so well, especially as the game doesn't run in progressive scan mode.

The biggest surprise of all, however, is the fact the game has been released in Europe at all. For years, games such as Sakura Wars were destined only for the Japanese market, so it's refreshing to see NIS America take a chance on such a niche title in the West.

You should be able to find Sakura Wars at a low price these days, so if you see it, snap it up.

Legend of Grimrock - update

Back in September, I blogged about Almost Human Ltd's spectacular looking dungeon crawler Legend of Grimrock. The small team have been beavering away over the last few months and have just announced the game has now entered its beta phase.

Everything is now in place and the team will spend the next few months polishing Grimrock and a release is pencilled in for early next year.

They have also released a new video of the beta build and it's looking quite special.

Muramasa: The Demon Blade - a look back

With its bold colours and gorgeous art style, Muramasa was a breath of fresh air when it was released in Europe two years ago today.

A 2D hack and slasher, developer Vanillaware expanded on ideas set out in their previous game, Odin Sphere on PS2 and delivered a wonderful game which remains one of my favourites on Wii.

Taking control of either Momohime - a princess possessed by a malevolent spirit - or Kisuke - a young ninja - the player embarks on a supernatural quest through the heart of feudal Japan.

The gameplay centers on the use of blades - which can be found or forged - and using them to slice your way through groups of enemies and visually splendid bosses.

While the fighting is entertaining, it's not the most refined system in the world. Button mashing can be relied upon during some battles, although diligent use of blocking is vital as the difficulty ramps up.

Muramasa is far from perfect, though and feels a little rushed in places. Bosses can turn into laborious wars of attrition, while the player is forced to backtrack through dozens of empty screens to unlock new areas.

However, despite its shortcomings, the magical art style and sumptuous soundtrack pull you through the 15-hour experience.

While games such as Uncharted 3 and Skyrim have had us gawping at our TVs recently thanks to their incredible level of detail, the hand-painted artwork on display here still manages to delight.

Corn fields gently ripple in the wind, cherry blossom falls from trees, waves crash upon the shore and shadows of clouds drift over sun-drenched fields. It really is a spectacular looking game.

So while Muramasa is rough in places and could have benefited with a little more finesse in the way it plays, it's still well worth a closer look if you haven't played it before.

A Valley Without Wind - Windows/Mac OS

Over the last few days, I've been getting to grips with A Valley Without Wind by the team at Arcen Games and even though it's still in beta, this side-scrolling adventure is shaping up nicely.

The world is procedurally-generated and allows the player to explore the dangerous land of Environ at their leisure, while resource gathering, crafting, spell-slinging, city building and turn-based strategy elements also feature in this ambitious project.

A tutorial guides you through the basics before the game proper starts, but everything is neatly laid out and is streamlined to avoid a slog through long-winded menus.

Once these basics are out of the way, A Valley Without Wind throws the covers back to reveal a huge game with almost endless possibilities.

New regions open up for you to explore as your colony expands, bosses must be vanquished in order to grab valuable supplies and the rising threat of enemy forces must be quelled as you attempt to keep your civilisation safe - and that's just the tip of the iceberg.

It's a huge undertaking by the small team at Arcen but with a bustling community, regular patches adding new content and the promise of multiplayer and co-op play, A Valley Without Wind is definitely one to watch.

You can download the base game or purchase a license key - with 50 per cent off - from the Arcen Games website.

SilverQuest - PC

Although Dark Souls and Skyrim have devoured huge chunks of my life over the last few months, I've also given some of my time over to exploring online multiplayer Roguelike SilverQuest on PC.

Created by Wolfgang Wozniak, this open world romp allows players to team-up with friends, undertake epic quests, explore dungeons for shiny loot, creep through haunted valleys and skewer rats with sharp, pointy sticks.

New armour and weapons can be acquired as you progress and there's a decent selection of characters to interact with as you tramp through the land of Melandor. Unfortunately, as entertaining as SilverQuest is, it desperately needs more players.

Much of my time has been spent adventuring alone which doesn't throw up too many problems, but the game has been designed with an online community in mind. It really would be wonderful to see more people populate the server and give SilverQuest a welcome boost.

Two versions of the game are available via Desura - free and premium. The latter costs £4.49 and includes mod tools, a new graphics pack, development art and unused music. But even if you don't want to throw money at SilverQuest, it's still well worth exploring the brilliant free version to experience a cracking slice of old school action.

8-Bit Halloween - PC

Although dooking for apples, stuffing your cheeks with monkey nuts, carving videogame characters' fizzogs into pumpkins and dressing up in ill-fitting costumes are now a fading memory, there's a spooky little game out which encapsulates Halloween perfectly.

It might not be as terrifying as watching Strictly Come Dancing's cast of hideous characters shuffle about on the night, but a quick dash through Lionsoft's 8-Bit Halloween is a lot more entertaining.

Presented in the style of an old monochrome GameBoy title, this neat little platformer borrows ideas from Mario and Ghosts and Goblins, while throwing a little Green Beret into the mix for good measure.

It's free and you can grab it from Lionsoft's site HERE

Road Rash - PS1/3DO

Since finding an old shoe box full of PS1 games in the back of a cupboard a few weeks ago, much of my recent gaming time has been spent revisiting forgotten classics.

While games such as Lemmings 3D, Tomb Raider, Jumping Flash, Croc 2, Crash Bandicoot and Kula World have been dusted off, I've spent most of my time with Road Rash.

This mid-Nineties port of the wonderful 3DO version has always been one of my favourite games and it's still entertaining 17 years after it was released.

The madcap dashes through The City, Pacific Coast, Napa Valley, Peninsula and Sierra Nevada might be a bit blockier than you remember but the presentation and racing action still holds up.

Sure, the menus are clunky and unresponsive but what makes Road Rash great is the fact that no two races are ever the same.

Other bikers crash into traffic and pedestrians, a swift truncheon to an opponent's head changes the nature of the race, bumps and corners on the road send the player skidding into the unknown, while the appearance of police at unpredictable times leads to tense moments, as one small mistake will see your hapless biker busted by the boys in blue.

The racing action is wonderfully entertaining, but it's the inclusion of acts such as Monster Magnet, Swervedriver and Paw on the soundtrack which adds a huge amount to the experience. Even now, when I hear Rusty Cage by Soundgarden, I immediately think of the game's opening scene - something I doubt will ever go away.

Road Rash also features a hefty chunk of FMV which, although a little cheesy, still raises a smile, while the art style which punctuates the racing action is quite brilliant with an off-beat sense of humour used in every slide.

Since this release, other Road Rash games have taken to the streets but none have come close to matching the brilliance of this great version, with the sloppy Road Rash: Jail Break being a particular low point in the series.

So while I patiently wait for Skyrim to arrive on Friday, I'll be causing chaos on the roads with my fellow bikers on my battered old PlayStation.

Minecraft - Lord of the Rings

I've been playing Minecraft for quite a while now - messing about with fire, carts, boats, ore, glass and getting killed by a variety of creatures of the night.

While I could tweak the settings to make everything lovely and tranquil, I'm always up for a challenge and I like the feeling of blind panic when darkness falls and I'm miles from home.

But while my creative spark is limited to smaller structures, I take inspiration from others and I always love seeing what players are up to. Well this is without doubt the most ambitious project I've come across and I'm eager to get involved.

A group of dedicated Minecrafters are recreating Middle Earth - quite a task, I'm sure you'll agree. I've been trying to join their ranks for a while now but their website won't let me in.

Still, at least they have this jaw-dropping video which is quite incredible. So grab a brew, get a plate of biscuits and watch Middle Earth unfold in all its blocky glory. Oh, and if you think The Shire is impressive, just wait until you see Rivendell and the Mines of Moria!

PS: If anyone can help me get involved, please let me know.

The Gunstringer - 360 Kinect

While it's true The Gunstringer would have been perfectly playable with a standard controller, it definitely wouldn't be as much fun as it is with Kinect.

This on-rails shooter lets you pull the strings of an undead puppet as he sets out on a quest for revenge in the dusty Wild West.

The left hand is used to guide The Gunstringer, while the right hand is used to glide a cursor over enemies before unleashing bullets by flicking your wrist - and it works well for the most part.

While problems do crop up - getting our blue-boned hero back behind cover can be fiddly and boss battles are repetitive - the presentation and humour pull The Gunstringer through.

The decision to present the action as a theatre production - with a real audience and bric-a-brac set - is inspired and adds a unique flavour to the shooting action.

It might be too simplistic for some, but with plenty of unlockables and gold medals to snaffle, The Gunstringer is light-hearted fun with wide appeal.