World of Warcraft - lvl 50

Tonight I hit lvl 50 in World of Warcraft and I'm quite chuffed about it. Yes, I know the level cap has been raised to 80, but it's a landmark level for me - a strictly casual player - so I just wanted to share it.

I took a snap of my Dwarven Hunter to mark the occasion.

Oh well, back to the grind. Only 30 levels to go...

Boom Blox - Wii

It's easy to be cynical when you hear that Hollywood legend Steven Spielberg is behind a videogame. However, you needn't worry, as Boom Blox is one of the most fun and addictive games on the Wii.

Since the sequel was announced this week, I thought I'd take a look back at this modern classic and tell you why Wii owners should pick up a copy.

Boom Blox is a physics-based puzzler and each of its colourful levels features a structure made out of blocks.

Before starting a level, you are given an objective. This could task you with destroying the entire structure with a well placed shot or two, grabbing individual blocks and sliding them out of the pile, taking care not to topple the lot - a bit like Jenga, or taking shots to knock off a series of numbered blocks.

Boom Blox is another game which makes great use of the Wii's unique controller and it really couldn't be done on any other system.

Pointing the Wiimote at the screen brings up a crosshair. By locking on to an area, you then make a throwing motion which sends a ball whizzing towards the target. The same system applies for the Jenga-style levels, with you having to gingerly pull the Wiimote back to remove the targeted block.

Some levels add special blocks to the structure, such as explosive blocks or blocks that vanish as soon as the ball makes contact with them. Another important block is the green chemical block. When two chemical blocks collide, they explode.

Hitting these at the right strength and angle is sometimes key to setting off huge and spectacular chain reactions, and it becomes something of an obsession trying to perfect your angles and throws to send the structure toppling to the ground with one well-placed shot.

Now looking at the screenshots, you're probably wondering why there's a bunch of funny looking animals on the levels. Well, they are just background decoration on some of the 300 levels, however, on some, you have to help them reach their destination safely by removing blocks that stand in their path, or sometimes you'll have to create stairs for them to walk down.

All these different gameplay objectives is what keeps Boom Blox fresh.

Along with main Adventure and Explore modes, there's also an excellent multiplayer mode and you can even create your own levels and share them with friends via Wi-Fi.

From casual players to seasoned gamers, everyone will love Boom Blox. The graphics might be a little cute for some. But don't be put off. The physics engine is spot on and that makes for some real laugh out loud moments.

Boom Blox is innovative,and above all,fun. Check it out.

images courtesy of Electronic Arts

Rise Of The Argonauts - 360 / PS3

Plundering the rich world of Greek mythology for ideas should be a gift for games developers - an epic story, heroes doing great deeds, mighty gods and mythical beasts are, after all, perfect material for a video game.

The God of War series has drawn upon this source material with fantastic results, however, Rise of the Argonauts doesn't fare quite so well.

Following the murder of his wife, King Jason of Iolcos sets out on a quest to find the fabled Golden Fleece, which holds the power to bring his dearly departed back to life. Joining Jason on the journey are a cast of characters which include the hulking brute Hercules, and the pipe-playing Satyr, Pan.

So far so good, but things don't get off to a good start, with the player having to undertake several laborious quests, which involve Jason traipsing back and forth across his island, delivering messages to his subjects - not exactly the actions you'd expect of a king.

While these monotonous errands aren't much fun, things start to pick up slightly when it comes to combat. Jason has the ability to wield a spear, mace and sword and initially it's interesting swapping weapons in and out to figure out opponents' weaknesses - but unfortunately it soon degenerates into mindless button mashing. 

To help flesh out the story, Rise of the Argonauts features dialogue choices which are similar to those used in the excellent 360 title Mass Effect.

Unlike Bioware's engaging sci-fi epic, though, the conversations here tend to drag on a little too long. Add to that the fact you'll end up chatting to identical looking characters, and the whole experience quickly becomes a chore.

Visually, the game is a mixed bag. At times, Rise of the Argonauts certainly looks above average, with some nice graphical effects and interesting locations to explore. However, you'll encounter plenty of restrictive invisible walls on your travels, while Jason's running animation is clunky and looks completely out of place from the rest of the game.

The absence of any sort of HUD or on-screen mini-map doesn't help matters, while framerate issues and graphical glitches plague the adventure. You'll have to pause the game regularly to access the map, which just feels clumsy. 

As you progress, Jason stumbles across new weapons and armour, and you're able to assign abilities that enhance your character's stats. This is a nice touch, but it lacks the depth and range of customisation you could achieve in a game such as Final Fantasy XII. 

Rise of the Argonauts has a strong core concept, but unfortunately the experience as a whole just doesn't tie together. There's a decent game waiting to burst out, and I can't shake the feeling that with a little more time in development this could have been a very good game. But as it stands there are too many flaws to make it a must-have.

Legend of the Princess - PC

If you like old-school 2D action platform games, you might be interested in The Legend of Princess. It's by Joakim Sandberg, the genius behind Noitu Love 1 & 2, and is free to download.

There's no getting away from the fact that the protagonist bears an uncanny resemblance to Zelda hero, Link, and the graphical style is wonderful, while the music is retro cool.

There's only one level, but there's plenty of replay value, with some cracking bosses to take down.

As it's free, you'd be mad to miss it.

Get it from here: http://www.konjak.org/index.htm

Fragile - Wii

Namco released their excellent RPG Eternal Sonata a while ago on 360, and the game is heading to the PS3 later this year.

It was a great looking RPG that featured bright, beautiful visuals, a wonderful musical score and a story that was a refreshing departure from the usual bog standard RPG fare.

It was developed by Tri-Crescendo, the same team behind Fragile, a gorgeous looking game on the Nintendo Wii.

The story centers around a young boy named Seto, who finds himself wandering through seemingly deserted cities in a post-apocalyptic world.

Seto is on the lookout for fellow survivors and trying to understand why the vast majority of people seem to have disappeared.

There is plenty for the player to discover, and as you explore, you'll discover mementos - which hold memories of their owner - and pieces of art and sketches left by the recently departed.

To aid you in the exploration of the city streets and buildings, the Wiimote can be used as a torch, helping to light your path.

As you can see, the graphics are lovely, and the main character looks as if he's been lifted straight out of Eternal Sonata.

There is no word of a European release, but as Namco have released Eternal Sonata over here, hopes are high that Fragile will eventually see the light of day in the UK.

Images courtesy of Namco/Bandai

Audiosurf - PC

Audiosurf is a puzzle game, but the real beauty is that it's different every time you play it, as all the action is generated by your own music.

Dotted across a three-lane track are blocks of colour. By positioning your constantly moving craft in the correct lane, you collect these blocks. Matching three or more of the same colour eliminates them and adds to your points total.

It's similar to the old classic Klax. Unlike Klax though, the blocks are all tied in with the beat of your own music.

Catering for a host of digital music formats, just about any music stored on your PC is available to play through. So you can kick back and chill-out with a bit of ambient electronica, or you could go all out with some rip-roaring heavy metal tracks. It's entirely up to you.

It's an ingenious way of incorporating your music collection in a game and it works incredibly well.

Another worthy inclusion is the presence of online scoreboards, which takes the name of the artist, song, your total score and posts it for all the world to see. As a result, every music track in the world has its own scoreboard. If your are knocked off the top of a song's scoreboard, an email is sent to you letting you know who has overtaken you.

The visuals are crisp, clean and smooth, and you can customise the look by adding a variety of effects. However, similar to games such as Guitar Hero, you won't have much time to admire the distinctive visuals, as you'll be too busy concentrating on collecting blocks of colour and getting maximum points.

The game is available through Valve's Steam network and also available to buy in stores. If you don't have a Steam account, it is very easy to set up and Audiosurf is also nice and cheap.

If you enjoy rhythm action games such as Guitar Hero, PaRappa or Gitaroo Man, you will love this.

Visit www.audio-surf.com for more information and to try the free demo.

Flower (PS3) - it's almost here!

A few months ago, I wrote about Thatgamecompany's forthcoming PS3 title, Flower.

Well news reached me today that this PlayStation network title will be breezing its way to Europe on February 12.

I'm delighted that we're getting it so early, as usually, Europe has to wait considerably longer than the US and Japan to get downloadable titles.

In Flower, the player controls the wind using the Sixaxis. As you breeze across the landscape, you sweep up a solitary flower petal. You then guide the petal across a beautiful landscape and if it comes into contact with other flowers, their petals join yours and are accompanied by a musical note.

It looks gorgeous and could be the ultimate chill-out game. I can't wait.

To whet your appetite, check out the latest video below. Sit back, relax and enjoy

Rez HD - 360

Rez was re-released in full high definition glory on Xbox Live Arcade for the ridiculously low price of 800 points (£6.80) last year. So I'm going to tell you exactly why you should be downloading this modern classic (if you haven't already).

Rez is a shooter, but calling it simply that would be missing the point. The whole journey is more of a visual and audio experience. Rez's creator Tetsuya Mizuguchi, is the genius behind games such as Lumines and Space Channel 5, so you know there will be a strong emphasis on sound and visuals.

Mixing beautiful wireframe and vector graphics, your journey through Rez is strictly on rails. Your ever-changing avatar can lock on to enemies – up to eight at a time – before releasing a string of shots. It's a similar mechanic to that used in the classic Saturn and Xbox series Panzer Dragoon.

When enemies explode, they create a sound effect which blends in with the game's excellent music. The levels start quietly, but gradually build so that by the time you get to the level's boss, the music has been transformed into a rousing crescendo of trance music.

Now, Rez is not a long game. There are four main stages, with an unlockable fifth stage, but there are also various modes which will keep you playing, including Score Attack, Trance Mode, Direct Assault, Boss Rush and the Lost Level. There's even a mode you can play through where you can't die, so you can just sit back, relax and let the experience wash over you.

The game also features the original version so you can see for yourself the stunning changes that have been made to the visuals.

There are also a multitude of settings you can play around with in the options menu. You can change the sounds in the game and also tinker with all of the game's visual effects, giving the graphics blur, glare, sepia tone etc.

The controller's default setting has pad rumble set to 'off'. But to immerse yourself fully in the experience you should really have the rumble feature on, as every beat of the game pulses through your hands.

Although the main game is over quite quickly, I've never found this to be a problem. I've been playing Rez since 2003 and it's a game I go back to time and time again, sometimes just to see the game's fourth boss and the incredible fifth level, which are two of gaming's most incredible sights (and sounds).

Rez is one of my all-time favourites, but many people missed it the first time around. If you haven't experienced Mizuguchi's gem, then as a gamer, you owe it to yourself to play this.

So turn the lights low, crank up the volume and enjoy. It's one of gaming most unforgettable experiences. Absolutely essential.

Zack and Wiki: The Hunt For Barbaros' Treasure - Wii

Zack and Wiki has been out for around a year in the UK, but as people constantly moan that there are no good games on the Wii, I thought I'd dust off my copy and give it a bit of a push.

Since the Wii was launched, we've used the Wiimote in various ingenious ways. However, many developers have failed to make good use of the Wii's unique capabilities, leaving many games feeling as though the motion sensing controls were a last minute addition.

So it's refreshing to play through Zack and Wiki again, a Capcom game which makes great use of the Wii's controller.

You play Zack, a young chocolate bar-loving pirate who, along with his monkey sidekick Wiki, set out looking for adventure, and find it by stumbling across a golden chest hidden deep within a forest.

Inside the chest, Zack finds a skull. However, it's no ordinary skull - it's a talking golden skull which turns out to be that of legendary cursed pirate, Barbaros.

Glad to be out of the gloom of the chest, Barbaros invites the plucky pair to undertake an adventure to find the rest of his golden body, which has been scattered across the land.

Each puzzle-based level tasks the player with finding a golden chest. But to reach the elusive prize, the player will have to utilise the Wiimote in a multitude of ways.

You'll be turning keys in doors, opening umbrellas, sawing through trees, shaking objects, playing musical instruments, sliding puzzle blocks around and you'll even find yourself doing the odd spot of dusting. It all adds up to ingenious use of the Wii's controller but most importantly, it all works perfectly.

In some levels enemies will try and hinder your progress, but with a quick shake of the Wiimote, Wiki turns into a bell which is usually enough to scare them off.

The game also has a tonne of unlockables to discover, and everything you find can be viewed via the Hideout, which includes a library and a world map. It is also the place to go if you need help or if you want to check on your game stats.

Capcom have a rich tradition in producing great looking games, and Zack and Wiki continues this trend. The game's art style is beautiful, featuring bright, colourful cell-shaded graphics, while the music, again in typical Capcom style, rarely disappoints.

For older gamers, this title will bring back memories of old point n' click classics such as Day of the Tentacle and Monkey Island, and like those titles, the humour is firmly to the fore here, with some amusing sights and sounds to be discovered along the way.

Zack and Wiki may well have passed you by on its release last year, but it's a game that is well worth hunting down. You should be able to pick it up for a fairly good price these days and it's a Wii game that is not to be missed.

Line Rider - PC

Everyone knows about Line Rider, right?

Well, if you don't, here's a brief description of this free to play experience.

Using the mouse, players draw lines to create a course on screen. Once they are happy with their design, simply press play and watch as a young lad on a sledge tackles the player made creation.

Everyone usually starts with a simply diagonal line, but members of the Line Rider community have come up with some amazing course designs, which must have taken them hours.

If you want to give it a try, you can play Line Rider here:
http://line-rider.dk/uk/index.php

Here's my favourite Line Rider video. This shows what can be done with a little patience:

Season's greetings

As the year draws to a close, I'd like to thank all the people who have stopped by over the course of the last six months. The blog is just a hobby, but the support I've received has been phenomenal. It's great to know people enjoy the blog and share my passion for gaming.

I'm taking a wee break, but I'll be back in early January with more games related goodness.

So thanks again, folks. I hope you all have an enjoyable and peaceful new year, and I look forward to sharing my gaming experiences with you in 2009.


Cheers

Toro comes to Everybody's Golf

Although there is no sign of Everybody’s Putter Golf with Toro making its way to Europe yet, Toro the cat has appeared on the Euro store this week as a playable character in the full version of Everybody’s Golf: World Tour on PS3.

The download is free and is a welcome addition to the sizeable roster of playable characters, which already includes Kratos from the God of War series.

The Japanese cat is a little short on power, but he’s an ideal character for younger gamers to play with and let’s face it, everyone loves Toro.

Full credit to Clap Hanz for continuing to support their fantastic game on PS3. Let’s hope the new year brings more in the way of downloadable content for their cute and highly playable golf title.

Everybody's Putter Golf with Toro - PS3

Although I enjoy sports games, I never have the time to play through an entire season. NHL 09, MLB 08: The Show and Madden 09 are prime examples. However, I love the Everybody's Golf series, especially the PS3 version World Tour and the latest PSP version. They are perfect to dip in and out of and are extremely addictive.

So I was delighted to find that Everybody's Putter Golf with Toro has been released on the Japanese and Hong Kong PlayStation stores.

Toro the cat is Sony's mascot in the far east, and along with Jasmine from the EG series, he stars in this simple nine-hole putting game.

There are two control methods. The first is the traditional click bar, which has always been used in the Everybody's Golf series. The second makes use of the Sixaxis' motion-sensor. Holding the pad like a club, you have to mimic a real golf swing. It's tricky at first, as it's very easy to be over eager and put too much power behind your shot, but practice makes perfect.

The game's options are a little on the sparse side, but as the game costs less than a fiver, what's on offer is more than adequate.

Single Play is just you against the nine holes, Multi-Play lets two people go head to head, Versus Jasmine pits you against the Everybody's Golf favourite, while Practice gives you unlimited attempts to perfect your approach to the nine holes.

While the holes are pretty straightforward, they are well designed, with the last couple being particularly fiendish. Both feature traps which can see you dropping multiple shots.

The game also has full trophy support, with ten cups to collect. I've only grabbed a handful so far, and they've been dished out for getting holes in one and achieving a high ranking.

I would be very surprised if this made its way to the west, as Toro isn't exactly well known over here. However, if you are thinking of picking this up, get it from the Hong Kong store, as everything is in full English.

I also hope that Sony and Clap Hanz keep adding to this solid base. There's plenty of scope to create all manner of weird and wonderful mini-golf courses, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

No More Heroes - Wii

The man behind No More Heroes, Suda 51, is known to gamers across the world as the guy who brought us the fantastic Killer 7 videogame in 2005.

Earlier this year, the Japanese legend turned his attention to the Wii and brought us one of the finest platform exclusives of the year.

Set in the town of Santa Destroy, you are Travis Touchdown, an Otaku with an unhealthy obsession with trading cards, action figures, anime, and pro-wrestling.



After winning a beam katana from an internet auction site and meeting the beautiful Sylvia Christel, an agent for the United Assassin's Association, you become embroiled in a quest to become the number one assassin in town.

Problem is, there are 10 others ranked above you. So you set out to slice and dice your way to the very top of the city's assassin's league, meeting all sorts of strange and disturbed characters along the way.

However, to get access to the other assassins, you have to pay money - a lot of money - so you'll have to do a bit of work on the side to raise the necessary funds.



Luckily for Travis, there are plenty of jobs needing done around town, everything from collecting coconuts and litter collecting to mowing people's lawns. While these activities could get boring, each mission only takes a matter of minutes, so they never feel like a chore.

The Wii's unique controller has been used to great effect and the battles are great fun. Tilting the Wiimote makes you perform either a high or low attack, while finishing moves are completed by flicking the controller in one of four directions. It works well and is extremely satisfying.

Another nice touch occurs when Travis' mobile phone rings - you have to hold the Wiimote to your ear to hear the conversation, which is another neat touch.



The heart of the game is obviously taking on the other assassins, and it's here where the game really shines.

These missions are great fun and some of them are just plain weird. I don't want to spoil the experience for you if you have yet to play No More Heroes, but let's just say you'll be amazed at some of the characters you'll meet.

When not taking on the other assassins, you are free to travel around Santa Destroy at your leisure. Don't expect a bustling metropolis like Grand Theft Auto's Liberty City, there's not a lot of traffic or pedestrians about, due in part to the Wii's graphical limitations.

Still, it doesn't detract from the experience and it's still fun to drive your fantastic looking bike around the streets.



On your travels you come across T-shirts - usually hidden in bins - and there's a clothes shop where you can buy new gear like shirts, sunglasses, jeans and jackets. You can also upgrade your weapon if you have the funds in place.

After your shopping spree you can head back to your motel, where you can change into your new clothes. You can also watch videos, feed your cat, examine all the cards you've collected and save your game - by sitting on the toilet.

Although you can't freely wander around you motel room, at lot of detail has been included, and the shelves are crammed full of gundam-style robots, a Nintendo 64, and anime figurines.



Suda 51 has not only created a game which plays well, but it also looks and sounds fantastic. Along with the game's great looking main characters, No More Heroes is also peppered with fantastic retro visuals and sound effects.

Surprisingly this fusion of different styles works extremely well and it's fair to say that you'll probably never have seen anything like it before.

No More Heroes has been out in the UK since March and is one of the best Wii games on the market. You should be able to pick it up for a decent price these days, and it really is well worth taking a punt on.

The World Ends With You - DS

I was taking a look back at all the games I've played this year, and realised I hadn't written anything about this cracking DS game. It was released back in May, so I'm sure if you search around you'll get it for a decent price.

Taking control of a spiky-haired dude with a personality problem is nothing new in Japanese video games. Throw is an amnesia-driven storyline and you'd be forgiven in thinking The World Ends With You is just another run of the mill adventure.

However, this Square Enix game is anything but average and is actually one of the most refreshing games I've played in a long time.

Neku, the spiky-haired loner of the piece, wakes up in the middle of the fashionable Tokyo area of Shibuya. He has no idea how he got there and becomes even more confused when he receives a strange text message telling him that unless he plays 'The Game' during the course of the next seven days, he will face dire consequences.

It turns out that a group called the Reapers have roped Neku into their twisted game, and unless he complies with their requests, he will be erased... permanently.

Although the game is set in Shibuya, Neku and the other people embroiled in The Game - the Players - quickly learn they are actually in a ghostly alternate version of the trendy Tokyo district, and are invisible to the outside world.

Neku initially teams up with Shiki, a fashion-conscious teenager, and together they set out to complete their tasks and try and survive until the end of the week.

The first thing to strike you about The World Ends With You is its vibrant visuals and fantastic J-Pop soundtrack. Both elements bring the title to life, separating it from the usual bog standard RPG fare we're used to. The graphical style is also reminiscent of the classic Dreamcast title title, Jet Set Radio.

While the sights and sounds pull you into the game, it's the gameplay which proves to be the adventure's success story.

During battles you control both characters at the same time. Neku fights foes on the bottom screen, and you use swipes of the stylus to input his moves, while your partner fights on the top screen and the d-pad comes into play to input directional combos. This dual screen system is initially bewildering, however perseverance reaps rewards and it's extremely satisfying when everything clicks into place.

By defeating foes, you'll collect Pins - badges which have special powers. There are a jaw-dropping 300 varieties to be discovered, and deciding which set to use takes a bit of thought. It's a great system and only the truly committed will collect them all.

All the badges can be levelled up, and even when your DS is switched off, badges will still rise in experience. It becomes something of an obsession levelling up your favourites and soon you'll have a wide selection to choose between.

As the game is set in Shibuya - the fashion centre of Tokyo, where real life Japanese kids gather to show off their latest look - there are a multitude of clothing stores scattered about the game.

Each store sells a different brand of clothing, and deciding what to buy isn't as easy as it sounds. Each area is colour coded, indicating what fashions are hot. So wearing something that is deemed fashionable in some areas might not go down too well in others.

This can affect your stats when fighting, so it's always best to kit yourself out in what's in fashion in a particular area.

Add to this heady mix of styles the ability to dine in various restaurants - which again affects your stats - and you are left with an incredibly deep game, with a bewildering array of gameplay options.

This title is one of the best games I've ever played on the DS and games as good as this are few and far between. Any gamer who wants a thoroughly entertaining title packed with content should grab this as soon as they can.