Sex, lies, and a lot of stray sheep.

Somewhere in the course of your long and comfortable life you’ve probably caught a glimpse of one or two Japanese game shows, noteworthy for the unusual physical trials they tend to put their all-too-eager contestants through.

CATHERINE, a peculiar puzzle-action horror game developed by Atlus Persona Team, is a bit like that with a supernatural twist to it.

Vincent Brooks is a 30-something computer engineer whose life is running on course for marriage, family, and stability, when a strange encounter one night at a bar results in him waking up in the morning next to someone who is most definitely not his fiancé.

Throughout the duration of a week, Vincent endures tormenting nightmares and the unshakeable feeling that he’s being stalked by something or someone.  During this time it is up to you, the player, to determine how Vincent reacts to his situation and how things ultimately turn out.

This is a hell of a lot simpler than you might think and, in some ways, you could end up disappointed.

You see, whereas most action/consequence games of the recent past have usually mixed the gameplay and story elements together, CATHERINE likes to keep them apart in separate rooms with barely a peephole between them.

There are probably very few games where the use of a controller seems almost superfluous, but CATHERINE must surpass all of them for the amount of time you’ll be watching rather than playing.

When you do – finally – get to do something instead of just sitting there with your unnervingly inactive hands wrapped around a piece of plastic, CATHERINE reveals a puzzle-action scenario the likes of which we’ve never seen before.  And it’s actually rather good in the easy-to-learn and hard-to-master contexts.

The basic upshot is this:

During the day, Vincent goes about his business.  You watch him chatting to his friends, his fiancé, and his new lover, while he tries to think about what he’s going to do about his predicament.  Does he really want the pressure of married life to come crashing down upon him?  Would he prefer the chaotic excitement of fresh romance with this new girl he met?

Gameplay during the day time is limited to what can only be described as the main ‘hub’ area of Vincent’s favourite bar, the Stray Sheep, where a bunch of eclectic individuals come and go and you can interact with pretty much anyone you like.

This will be a familiar point of contact for most gamers.  You know the drill; talk to him, to her, fix this problem, that problem…It’s nothing too difficult to figure out.  You can even have a go on the arcade machine and flip tracks on the jukebox.

Night time gameplay is more interesting, as you take control of Vincent during his recurring nightmares of a giant tower he has to climb in order to reclaim his freedom – the implications being that, should he fall, he will die.

There are hub areas here too, between the various stages of ascent.  Vincent can interact with other lost souls who are enduring the same night terror of being stuck in a life-or-death situation, exchange tactics, and purchase helpful items.

How you choose Vincent’s reactions to dialogue, questions, and hypothetical scenarios will determine how he reacts in future cut scenes.  Does his mind race to how he’s going to explain his actions to his fiancé, or does he think only about how he can dump her and move on to the new lady in his life?  Perhaps he’s not interested in being tied to either one of them?

The choices aren’t always obvious, so you might be in for some surprising outcomes.

We have gotten somewhat distracted from the puzzle-action element of the game, though…

During Vincent’s nightmares, he is thrown into a series of challenges he must complete in order for him to escape.  This is where CATHERINE comes to life in a rather unexpected fashion.

Your path ahead is made up of blocks.  These start off simply enough; they can be pushed, pulled, and mounted.  The goal is to climb all the way to the top of the level.  Later on, the blocks start to change.

Some of them are cracked and will break if you step on them more than a couple of times, some are immovable, some are trapped with death-inducing spikes, and further down the line you have more complicated blocks and items that can have a variety of effects on Vincent, both beneficial and detrimental to your efforts to climb – depending on how you use them.

Not only is your progress ahead limited by an assortment of blocks to navigate, but the blocks beneath you are gradually collapsing into the void.  Worse still, at the final stage in each ‘nightmare’ there’s a grotesque monstrosity chasing you and making life even more difficult.  Needless to say, you are going to die a lot, even on easy mode.

Players who like their games tough will revel in the challenge.  While the action-oriented gameplay portions go some way to justify the amount of time you’ll be watching cutscenes, there’s two rather glaring holes in them that should have been firmly sealed.

This is a 3D puzzle game with an emphasis on speed, where Vincent has an ability to hang off the edge of blocks and dart around the back of them in order to find his way up.  Why is it that the camera is so uncooperative?  It’s like trying to take a magpie’s focus off a shiny object; you aren’t able to swing the perspective around nearly as easily as you can Vincent.  You can hold that right stick all you like, but the view simply refuses to budge any further than the 180 degree limit.

And that brings us to the second problem with the gameplay.  Trying to control Vincent isn’t always as fluid as we’d like it to be.

There are some ascension tactics which involve you moving Vincent around the back of blocks in order for him to find purchase higher up.  If you do this you’ll encounter the camera angle issue, but also the controls decide they’ve had enough excitement for one day and piss off early.

Best of luck trying to get Vincent to move around as you want him to – let alone being able to see him clearly – when he disappears behind a block.  It’s so awful and time-wasting that it’s sometimes best to select the “retry” option from the pause menu.  If Atlus Persona Team couldn’t be bothered to include fully rotational camera angles, a simple translucency effect and control adjustment would have sufficed.

Stick to the front view and you’ll be alright, though it’s still a disappointment to be so restricted within a 3D realm.

The story takes place over nine days, so that’s nine tiers of puzzling action with around thirty stages to complete.  There’s probably three and a half to four hour’s worth of gameplay on your first play through, not counting the time you’ll spend watching cutscenes.

There are a couple of other modes to add to the table once you’ve finished the story.

‘Coliseum Mode’ is the two-player versus of the bunch and it involves you and a friend racing up the various nightmare levels in a frantic effort to reach the top first.  Very nice of Atlus Persona Team to include this, but why are there only two players when we could have four?  Why is it a strictly offline affair when it could have been online?

There is an optional co-op mode of sorts stuffed into CATHERINE with ‘Babel Mode’, a single or two-player affair where the objective is to scale four towers of varying difficulty as high as you can.  With one person it’s difficult; with two it’s interesting and trickier still, as you both progress together or not at all.

The levels in Babel Mode are only unlocked after you’ve won a number of gold trophies in the single player story nightmares, which feels just a little unfair and pointless.

Menu layouts in CATHERINE are most accessible through Vincent’s mobile phone in the daytime hub area.  You can replay any nightmare at any time once you finish it, regardless of what point in the story you’re at.  Accessing anything practical in this game, such as difficulty level and subtitle enablement, is a proper mess and seems to require any number of conditions depending on what you’re after.

CATHERINE feels like it goes to some lengths to conceal the gameplay it contains.  There’s just so much story packed in here it’s hard to find the juicy bits of puzzle-action that could have made it stand out more than it already does.

All things considered, the story elements are presented with startling levels of cinematic magnificence.

There are fully animated sequences mixed with 3D anime character models playing out scenes.  The melodramatic facial expressions utilised by Vincent and his compatriots to express themselves sometimes get a little tiresome, but most of the voice work is great and there are lines that’ll make you laugh.

The best aspect of the script is that most of Vincent’s dialogue with his friends sounds like believable banter – strong language included.  Weaker lines reside in the interactions between our protagonist and his lady friends, who are obvious clichés of women who are controlling and women who are carefree.  Thankfully, there’s much more of the former than there is the latter.

CATHERINE is most assuredly one of the most unique experiences to be found on your Xbox360 and there’s commendable material to be found within.

There are just too many flaws for it to be defined as a complete success.  The puzzle-action gameplay is original, but suffers from poor execution.  Watching Vincent’s story unfold as an anime series might have had promise; doing it in a game feels to some extent wasteful, even if you are in control of whether he ends up happy or broken.

If you’re patient enough or you’re into Japanese-themed interactive entertainment, CATHERINE is worth a look.  The average gamer may wish to look elsewhere for originality, though.

Successes:

-         Unique gameplay.

-         Versus mode is fun.

-         Beautiful HD cutscenes.

-         Script is occasionally funny.

-         Voice acting is well above average.

Failures:

-         Camera angles are restrictive.

-         Script is occasionally clichéd.

-         No online modes.

-         Menu layouts are scatterbrained.

-         Too much watching, not enough playing.

Score:  7/10

- Alex ‘Alaric’ Lemcovich

———-

Developer:  Atlus Persona Team

Publisher:  Atlus / Deep Silver

Players:  1-2 (Offline)

Release Date:  10^th February

By Liam Martin

Syndicate

What is it? A reboot of Bullfrog’s 90s strategy title, Syndicate takes the franchise in a completely new direction. Gone is the isometric view and tactical gameplay, replaced by first-person shooter action.

What’s in the demo? The demo features a level from the game’s co-operative mode. The assassination mission, which is set in some sort of compound in Western Europe, sees four players (via Xbox Live) team up to take down an enemy Colonel, not to mention plenty of low level soldiers and guards.

How is it shaping up? To be honest,we can’t help but think that the Syndicate reboot is going to upset fans of the original games – if the demo is anything to go by, at least. The mission is a straightforward run and gun job from start to finish. Other than taking cover, healing enemies, deciding on weapons and choosing your character type, there is very little strategy involved, leading one to think that the latest Syndicate release is just another shooter in an already overcrowded market.

Having said that, the FPS action can definitely hold its own, feeling like a cross between Crysis 2 and Deus Ex: Human Revolution, with a little Left 4 Dead thrown in for good measure (aka it’s four-player co-op and there are safe rooms of sort). The enemies are tough and plentiful, the gunplay is satisfying, and we really love the futuristic HUD, which is packed with all kinds of info. The LB button is used to perform a variety of actions, such as heal allies, disarm grenades and disable armour, while RB acts as a kind of enemy tracker, making the opposition easier to spot.

We’re hoping to see lots more abilities included in the final release, which should go some way towards adding the strategy element that long-term fans crave. It’s disappointing that the demo didn’t showcase more of the game’s unique features, but we’re still interested in getting our hands on the finished product, so it’s done its job.

When is it released? Syndicate will be released on February 24.

The First Templar

What is it? Released last year, The First Templar is an action adventure title with a hack-and-slash gameplay mechanic. It stars a couple of Templars and their female companion (who is accused of heresy, no less), and follows their quest to uncover the secrets of the Holy Grail and the Templar order.

What’s in the demo? The demo takes place in Cyprus and sees players attempt to find the Templar Grand Master, followed by a mission to rescue King Philip’s messenger. Cue lots of sword fights with ill-prepared goons.

How is it shaping up? The First Templar certainly won’t win any awards for its gameplay, storytelling or visuals – in fact, it probably won’t win any awards at all – but it’s not without its charms. The hack-and-slash gameplay mechanic is pretty basic, but enjoyable none-the-less. Players can switch between characters at the push of a button, unlock new combos via an intuitive skills tree, and perform Assassin’s Creed-style finishers, which are smoothly executed and look great.

Overall, however, the demo reveals a game that is a little sloppy and rough around the edges. The camera isn’t as smooth as it could be, textures are a little off, while cutscenes are poorly animated and slightly confusing. The bright and sunny setting occasionally impresses, as does the combat, so we wouldn’t rule out a rental or picking up the game on the cheap.

When is it released? The First Templar was released last May.

In this video, discover what the story of Ghost Recon Future Soldier is all about.
GRFS will feature intense next-gen warfare action, prototype high-tech weaponry, and state-of-the-art single-player and multiplayer modes.
Ghost Recon Future Soldier will release in May 2012 on Playstation 3 and Xbox 360.

The New Xbox: Wants And Needs

By Liam Martin

We don’t know when it will be announced, we don’t know where it will be announced, but we’re pretty darn sure that we won’t have to wait too much longer for official confirmation regarding the next-generation Xbox. Microsoft is remaining tight-lipped, playing down speculation that it will unveil a new console at this year’s E3 event, and flat out distancing itself from suggestions that we’ll be able to get our hands on one in 2012.

However, despite the denials, the silence and the calls for calm, most of us are expecting something big from Microsoft at this year’s Electronic Entertainment Expo, and will probably leave sunny Los Angeles under a grey cloud if Microsoft’s new machine fails to materialise…hell, even a teaser trailer will do! But this begs the question: what exactly do we want from our new Xbox? And what can we realistically expect to see in the follow up to our beloved 360?

The Rumour Mill

So what do we actually know about the new Xbox? In a word, nothing (nothing concrete, anyhow), but we have heard some pretty interesting rumours. For starters, we might not be saying hello to one new Xbox, but two. A spate of next-gen Xbox rumours surfaced in November, the most interesting of which appeared on GamesIndustry.biz. Here it was suggested that two new Xbox consoles would be released side-by-side. A bare-bones model would be released for the casual gamer, while hardcore gaming enthusiasts would be catered for with a true monster of a machine, featuring an upgraded version of Kinect, and enough processing power to fly a plane.

The former even has a name. Codenamed Loop, Microsoft blogger MS Nerd revealed that it would debut a modified Win9 Core, contain a hardware platform reminiscent of Zune HD, would focus on Kinect, and wouldn’t break the bank. And speaking of processors, you may have seen the recent headlines suggesting that the new Xbox would be six times more powerful than the 360. IGN - backed up by additional bloggers and tech sites – reported that the new Xbox would be equipped with an AMD 6000 series GPU, closely resembling the Radeon HD 6670. This would leave us with a machine capable of six times the processing power of the 360, and the ability to outperform the Wii U by 20% (quite how they concluded the latter we’ll never know).

Finally, despite faint rumours of a cloud-based gaming console similar to OnLive, or a machine that relies purely on digital downloads, the most prominent and believable rumours suggest that Blu-ray discs are the way forward. Sources close to Kotaku made the claims last week, and considering that many high-end releases are already too big for your standard Xbox 360 disc, this makes perfect sense. A slightly more worrying rumour from the same source, points towards a second-hand games lock, effectively signalling the end of the used games market. This would obviously make the publishers happy (maybe leading to a few more exclusives), but is bound to upset the punters.

Wants And Needs

The biggest upgrades will be found under the hood and will undoubtedly have a massive effect on processing power, game speed and graphics; although as we all know, better graphics don’t necessarily equal better gameplay. Having said that, the thought of playing even more realistic and attractive versions of Call Of Duty, Forza Motorsport and Gears Of War is an exciting prospect, and the improved game speed, AI and advancement in physics will bring us some truly magnificent gaming experiences.

Kinect is something that has been popping up in a lot of next-gen Xbox rumours, and considering the amount of units Microsoft has shifted, it’s understandable that they’ll want to further explore this avenue. Regarding a new Xbox, however, Kinect is my biggest concern. Although occasionally impressive, the current version of Kinect simply isn’t good enough. If Microsoft is able to improve and upgrade the technology, then Kinect 2 has the potential to be a real game-changer, possibly striking that balance between attracting new audiences and satisfying the hardcore crowd. They will have to look at the current device’s limitations (space, accuracy etc), if it’s to succeed in the long-term.

Another given is integration with other Microsoft products and services. We’re already seeing it in the current Xbox, with the latest dashboard update adopting a Windows 8-inspired Metro panel. We expect full cross-platform support in the future and even more apps and services cropping up on the new Xbox. One interesting development, which points towards such cross-platform support, concerns the abolition of MS Points. We strongly believe that this will happen, and that it will lead to a Microsoft-style app store, which will be supported across multiple devices.

Of course, this may be stating the obvious, but the most important aspect of any new video game console should be the quality of the games. The biggest concern is that Microsoft’s obsession with multimedia features and its desire to attract the casual crowd will somehow gets in the way of what’s important, an entertaining and well crafted video game – of which there are many on the current Xbox. We’ve seen the importance of a good launch lineup with the Nintendo 3DS, so here’s hoping Microsoft has something pretty special up its sleeves.

In short, we want to see improvements to the machine’s gaming capabilities, with titles that absolutely would not be possible using current Xbox 360 technology. While it’s almost a given that we’ll see a new form of Kinect, we don’t want this shoehorned into the gaming experience, particularly if it proves inferior in any way. Having said that, Kinect has a lot of potential to improve and grow, which is something that we would most certainly welcome.

A free online service would be nice, but we’d happily continue to pay for Xbox Live in order to avoid the kind of server issues that pop up in games like Call Of Duty on the PlayStation 3. Cross-platform support and entertainment apps are also great, but Microsoft needs to be careful not to limit consumer freedom and flexibility – we’d hate to miss out on content because we didn’t own a Windows phone, for example. And last but not least, we want to know when we can play it!

Let us know what would you like to see from the new Xbox?

Dead Block Review

By BrutishBatfink

Z. Side Story

In the fifties, youth culture started to change.  A contrast between parental and youth attitude was exemplified by the exciting new sound of rock and roll.  It was a recurring source of concern for the older generations, who where constantly worried about juvenile delinquency and social rebellion, particularly as rock and roll culture was shared by different racial and social groups to a large extent.

Well, maybe the kids should have listened to their parents because now rock and roll has awoken the undead from their slumber, and they want in on the party and to eat some brains.

Looks like the parents were right all along.  Scary thought.

Dead Block is (deep breath) a zombie survival tower defence game set during a zombie holocaust in the fifties brought on by the rock and roll revolution.

It’s a game in love with its theme and it tries hard to convince us by using a few tricks. The beginning of every level starts like a 1950’s TV show with a snazzy intro and character announcement, which is great and feels suitably authentic.

The in-game music is provided by a real band called Vampyre State Building and they sound a bit like a dark and twisted Elvis Presley, as if the fifties went horribly wrong.  As such it sets the scene perfectly.  Personally, I think using real music in games is great and it would be nice to see more games do this.

Your playable survivors in this freaky TV show are: Jack Foster, a construction worker who likes to scratch his bum if left alone; Foxy Jones, a traffic warden who’s ready to punch the zombies tickets if need be; and Mike Bacon, a fat little boy scout who likes to eat a lot (think the kid from the film Up and you wouldn’t be far off).

Each character fits in well with the fifties theme.  All it needs is the Fonz from Happy Days and then you would’ve had every logical stereotype going.  I mean, how cool would it have been to have Fonzie fighting zombies?

The premise is simple enough: you have to keep the zombies out by smashing or searching various pieces of furniture, fixtures and fittings within your base, to get materials which are used in the construction of barriers and traps that either keep the undead horde out or kill them.  These objects consist of things like record players or badly colored sofas; you know, the sort of thing your granddad probably had in his apartment.

This is where you find the fun as you smash the furniture apart for wood and screws with an ever-constant air of panic as you hear the zombies pull the boards away from your initial hasty defenses.  Trust me, looking for that urgent bit of wood as you are being swarmed by the undead can be an exciting and nerve-wracking experience.

Your characters can construct three unique traps each with these materials.  The traps vary between poo-based traps – where you literally attach a toilet above the door frame to dump on the zombies as they pass underneath – or a disguise-based trap that fools other zombies into attacking their own kind, just by dropping cardboard boxes drawn with human faces on their heads.  They’re all quite nuts in their design and fun to experiment with.

You do have other attacks at your disposal should the zombies get around your defenses and start closing in on your sweet, soft brain.  Each character has a super attack power available to them (nail gun, exploding burger) and if you happen to miss with them then there’s always melee.  Close range attacks aren’t advisable though, as they are very weak and you will not last long against a horde.

The aim of all this is to delay the zombies long enough so that you can find three pieces of a guitar kit that’s hidden at random around the level.  When you have found all 3 pieces you then use them to play a sort of mini Guitar Hero-like section that if played correctly causes all the zombies to do a little dance and then fall to pieces.

Job done, but what time does the cleaning lady show up?

Dead Block has local co-op only, with the lack of a proper online mode feeling like a missed opportunity.  It would have been a lot of fun organizing a three player team against the zombie horde, but the lack of it might have had something to do with an infuriating problem where the game crashes on the reload screen.  It’s annoying after a long round, but at least the issue doesn’t occur during gameplay.

Dead block is a fun game to start with, but it doesn’t take long for you to feel you have already seen all it has to offer.  As fun as it can be initially, I did find myself getting quite bored within a few hours.  There are no extra modes and no real reason to play the same levels again and again because the layout never changes.  Other than leaderboard chasing and going for the gold awards, Dead Block offers little replay value.

To spice things up it would have been a good idea to maybe have some super zombies based around certain 50s icons like a zombie Eisenhower or a zombie Lou Costello, but that’s just wishful thinking.

Even a random level generator or a survival mode would have added some replay value here.  As it stands, what with the crashing issue and all, I wouldn’t waste a lot of time on this. Just like the in-game zombies, this game is basically a shuffling corpse with some faint signs of life.

Overall:

6/10

—

Developer: Candygun Games

Publisher: Digital Reality

Players: 1-4 (Offline only)

Release: 6^th July, 2011

Initial Price: 800 Microsoft Points

Gotham City Impostors is a download only title that will be available for the Xbox 360^®video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PlayStation®3 and Windows PC.  Fans of the game can go to www.GothamCityImpostors.com for the latest updates and news.

Gotham City Impostors is an original first-person shooter where up to 12 players battle for control of an unhinged Gotham City overrun by impostors inspired by the DC Comics characters Batman and The Joker.  Players can engage in deliriously fast paced, uniquely vertical, and completely unconventional urban warfare where progress supports leveling up and access to a mind-boggling array of customization options.  Fans can unlock new Bats or Jokerz  Impostor costumes and build their own specific load-out from a huge assortment of traditional and homebrew weaponry, equipment, and perks. Gadgets such as the Glider Rig, Grappling Hook, and Spring Boots give gamers unprecedented mobility options, while support items like the Bear Trap, Boomerang, and Body Armor open up new tactical options.  The game will feature maps and modes inspired by DC Comics’ Batman license.

The cars being added are:

1. 2010 Alfa Romeo 8C Competition
2. 1993 Lancia Delta HF Integrale Evoluzione
3. 1995 Lamborghini Diablo SV
4. 2010 Lamborghini Gallardo LP 570-4 Superleggera
5. 2012 Maserati GranTurismo Stradale
6. 2005 Maserati MC12
7. 2009 Pagani Zonda R.

Have a look at the screens and trailer below:

“We are absolutely thrilled with the passion and emotion the entire cast brought to their performances in Mass Effect 3,” said Casey Hudson, Executive Producer of the Mass Effect series. “In a story where Earth and the entire galaxy are at war, we needed to take the performances to a level of dramatic power and intensity that we’ve never previously attempted. This extremely talented cast delivered.”

The star-studded cast for Mass Effect 3 includes the return of Golden Globe winner Sheen (“The Departed”, “Apocalypse Now”), Seth Green (“Robot Chicken”, “Family Guy”) as Joker, Tricia Helfer (“Battlestar Galactica”) as the Normandy’s A.I., Yvonne Strahovski (“Chuck”) as Miranda, and Carrie-Anne Moss (“The Matrix”) as Aria T’Loak. Other returning fan favorites include Meer and Hale as Male and Female Shepard, Ali Hillis as Dr. Liara T’Soni, Keith David (“Platoon”) as Captain Anderson and Lance Henriksen (“Aliens”) as Admiral Steven Hackett. Prinze, Jr. (“24”) and Jessica Chobot (G4 TV), as news reporter Diana Allers, are the newcomers to the series.

“I have always loved science fiction and I have always loved games andMass Effect is really the first time both come together successfully,” said Prinze, Jr.- “It is a completely immersive game where you really feel like you’re part of this journey inside this universe. It will make you think, you will care about the character you are playing, and you will care about the characters that you bring into battle with you.”

In Mass Effect 3, players will be thrust into an all-out galactic war to save the galaxy from an ancient alien race known only as the Reapers. Players will assume the role of Commander Shepard, a war-torn veteran who’s willing to do whatever it takes to eliminate this nearly unstoppable foe. With a team of elite, battle-hardened soldiers at your side, each player decides how they will take Earth back, from the weapons and abilities they utilize to the relationships they forge or break. Gamers can get their first taste of the galactic war when the Mass Effect 3 demo launches worldwide on February 14.

Mass Effect 3 arrives on the Xbox 360® videogame and entertainment system, PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system and PC in North America on March 6, 2012 and in Europe on March 9, 2012 and is available for pre-order now at participating retailers. Fans who pre-order* have the opportunity to arm themselves with cutting-edge in-game weapons and armor to prepare for the all-out galactic war.