REVIEW: King of Fighters: The Orochi Saga

Developer: SNK Playmore | Publisher: Ignition | Format: PSP

Reviewer: Craig Jay Gallagher

The psp has seen it’s fair share of gaming collections and given the rich history of SNK it’s not unusual to find that so many of their titles appearing on game sore shelves. The latest series to find it’s self collected for gamers enjoyment is King of Fighters: The Orochi Saga.

The collection brings together the first 5 years of the franchise and while most gamers will find very little difference in the various versions all 5 are well worth playing. The differences from title to title generally involve new characters, moves and the ever evolving graphics.

The first thing that gamers will notice are the extraneous loading times. It takes obscene amounts of time for each of the games to load and you can look forward to further load times. There are even times when you find the game freezing during play as the game continues to loads. The control system is also a little iffy, the psp controls don’t really lend themselves to fighting games and can make the whole thing rather awkward.

It’s always good to get the bad out of the way and concentrate on the positive and when you look at it KoF is a truly fantastic title. The 3v3 game structure and ability to change the order in which fighters take the main stage adds an extra layer of strategy to the endeavour. As you play you discover which fighters best together and you use this to your advantage. The multiplayer contains several challenges which require the gamer to win a series of fights with various constraints on the combat. This adds an extra layer of value to a game all ready overwhelmed in sheer replayability.

For the price King of Fighters is simply put a grade an A plus title which has more bang for your buck than any other title out there at the minute. It’s been a long time since a PSP game entertained as much. Hopefully next time the load times will be sorted and a more

REVIEW: SNK Arcade Classics Vol. 1

Developer: SNK Playmore | Publisher: Ignition | Format: Wii

Capcom and Sega have always been the kings of arcade gaming and while it’s not in the same league as those giants SNK was never far behind. In fact SNK’s biggest title Metal Slug is one of the most famous arcade games in existence. Collected in SNK Vol. 1 are 16 titles from the SNK back catalogue.
Like all compilations the games on offer vary greatly in quality.

As expected the gameplay is all over the place. Some titles such as Metal Slug play amazingly well whereas others are simply playable. Then there are the handful of titles which shoulnotd  be worth more than a cursory glance but become strangely addictive. Playing on the Wii you have a choice of controller to use with the Wii remote making things particularly awkward. Using the classic remote makes things far simpler and makes for a much more satisfying experience.

A number of people have repeatedly complained about the audio not being up to scratch with modern games, which is ridiculous as these are retro games. Anyone expecting polished graphics and Dolby digital sound is best advised to look elsewhere. Taken in the context of their time the graphics stand up extremely well by today standards. Sure, they’re a million miles from Killzone 2 but all the titles available look fantastic.

The most impressive aspect of SNK is the sheer re-playability on offer. No matter what genres you enjoy gamers will discover at least one game which they can happily revisit time and time again. Metal Slug has been completed at least 30 times by this reviewer and the other titles in the collection have all been completed multiple visits.

Retro gamers will no doubt get the most out of this fantastic little collection but younger gamers should at least consider a rent. While it’s not on the same level as the recent Sega Mega Drive collection it’sequally as entertaining. Fingers crossed for Vol 2.

WIN: Tom Clancy’s H.A.W.K.

Ubisoft have released H.A.W.K. (200) on PS3, Xbox 360 and PC. Thanks to the publisher, we have two copies on PS3 to give away. To enter, email win@gamestoaster.com answering the question:

• What does H.A.W.K. mean?

The closing date is this Friday. Please include the answer, your name and address in all entries.

Competition rules: Staff, contributors, writers, reviewers, or employees of this website, its partners or of any companies and/or organizations that are involved with the competition, or their families, may not enter. We (this site, and any companies and/or organizations involved) reserve the right to cancel without notice any competitions if deemed necessary. Entrants must be residents of Republic of Ireland or Northern Ireland. Entrants must give us a valid email address, winners will only be notified by email, and asked for a delivery address — the winners names and general location (ie County, or city) will be also published. Winners will have four working days to reply to our email, after such time a new winner will be selected. No cash alternative is offered for these prizes. In some competitions, we reserved the right to extend the duration of a competition and/or withholding prizes in the case of poor response or an inferior quality of entries, and multiple entries may be disregarded. The closing date will sometimes be on the page of which the competition is on; entries will only be accepted at our decision after such date. The Editors decision is final.

REVIEW: Tom Clancy’s H.A.W.K.

Developer: Ubisoft | Publisher: Ubisoft | Format: PS3

Reviewer: Craig Jay Gallagher

The first thing that most seasoned flight sim fans will notice about H.A.W.X. is just how much like Ace Combat it all is. The control system, the selection of craft and missions are all similar and like Ace Combat this title does the superb juggling act of making the game look like a flight sim but play like an arcade game.

The setting is the near future, a squad of elite fighter pilots all join with a military contractor after finish their careers in the US air force. As the game progress you find yourself engaged in various missions across the world slowly releasing that your new employers have ulterior motives than to simply serve and protect. The way in which all this is neatly wrapped into the epic Tom Clancy mythology evident in all the games to date makes the story far more gratifying.

Lets be hones here, the plot is far from important here, what people want is to fly through cities decimating enemy planes and laying waste to its streets. It’s here that the developers do themselves proud. The missions are generally separated into two categories, bomb runs which involve you escorting bomber planes to their target and dogfights which involve fast, furious aerial combat. Most impressive of all though is the ability to do it all with some friends playing as your wing-men. By simply adding in a friend of three you can turn simple aerial battles into enormous aerial battles involving dozens and dozens of enemy planes as more plans are dispatched for each additional player.

The unique selling point of H.A.W.X. is the ability to turn off the safety locks on all the planes. By simply double tapping one of the triggers you can seriously increase your planes movability and evasiveness. The camera pulls back allowing you a third person view of events. The nail biting close calls from here on are breathtaking. There really is something thrilling about pulling 360 barrel rolls and then watching as your missile fire downs an enemy craft.

Visually H.A.W.K. is simply astounding. Many of the worlds cities such as Washington and Rio De Janeiro have been recreated from satellite photography in amazing crystal clear detail. The same level of detail is applied to all aspects of the game, making for one of the most visually realistic titles on the PS3.

H.A.W.K. is up there with the best of them. It’s easily the best flight sim on any of the consoles and the relatively easy learning curve makes it accessible for all gamers. Anyone with even a passing interest in the genre the game is a must buy and for everyone else well, to be honest it’s an essential addition to any gamers shelf. Put simply it’s one of the few game of the past year which you must own.

REVIEW: Patapon 2

Developer: SCE Japan Studio | Publisher: Sony | Format: PSP

Reviewer: Craig Jay Gallagher

Fans of the original Patapon will more likely than not feel an overwhelming sense of joy as the title menu for Patapon 2 fills their screens. Much like LocoRoco the game is know for it’s fell good factor and the sheer sense of joy it instills in fans.

The basic gameplay remains the same, you command an army of Patapon’s as you make your way through  level after level after level collecting various items, fighting monsters and getting pas obstacles before fighting off a big baddies every now and again.

Like the original the game is instantly infectiously entertaining and instantly grabs the gamer. The developers have wisely decide to change very little from the original. This alone is the games biggest drawback, nothing of any real note has changed. It’s pretty much exactly the same game as before.

The only new addition to the main game is the introduction of the evolution maps. This allows you to create a number of different Patapon’s by trading items that you accumulate during your travels. You can take your basic Patapon and upgrade it into a Buhyokko or Pyopyo. There is also a series of new mini levels which you can play by yourself or in multiplayer. This are all quite fun and offer another layer of playability to a game which desperately needs it.

While the game really hasn’t evolved in any real significant way and while it’s enjoyable the game is far from a must own title. Newcomers will find a lot to enjoy but fans may feel a little short changed given the sense of deja vu. Patapon is the definition of a try before you buy title, while there’s lots to love it may not be everyone’s cup of tea.

Latest from GTA: Chinatown Wars

With only weeks to go till the games launch we’ve been given another look at the game. The above video shows how hacking and sniping missions will be played out and from the looks of it, were in for a treat. Coming to the DS at the end of the month the game. The game follows Huang Lee and his quest to avenge a failed assassination attempt on is life and deliver a family heirloom to his Uncle Kenny.

REVIEW: Halo Wars

Developer: Ensemble Studios | Publisher: Microsoft Games Studios | Format: 360

Reviewer: Craig Jay Gallagher

Microsoft’s decision to shut down legendary strategy developers Ensemble Studios has seen a wave of dismay wash over it’s fans. After delivering classics such as Age of Empires the developers swan song Halo Wars makes the decision to shut them down even more idiotic. In all the years of RTS console titles this marks the first occasion in which the gamer feels like the controller in their hand is all that’s needed.

Simplicity is what the games does well. There are none of the usual modifier keys present, you can’t play around with the AI there’s no need to spend ages collecting resources in a bid to build infrastructure. No, Halo Wars is a streamlined RTS which works so well that it gives one hope for the future of console based RTS gaming, well that is as long as other developers can successfully ape Ensemble Studios format.

The gameplay is quite basic when compared to the PC variants, there is no need for the tedious tasks gamers are usually faced with. Base building, resource gathering, etc are nowhere to be found leaving you instead to concentrate on formulating your strategy. This alone makes Halo Wars the single best RTS available on any of the consoles.

Single player is quite interesting and very re-playable. You can attempt it on a number of difficulty settings, try to collect all the skulls and score higher and higher on the leader board. The 15 missions in total tell a story of Halo 20 years before Master Chief placed that infamous armour on. The AI is slightly disappointing and sours the game when offline skirmishes are rather easy to finish. When played online the game really comes alive. Nothing beats going toe to toe against another human being.

Halo Wars is at times a very basic RTS stripped of most of the features so defined by the genre. But it is this that truly makes the game and as their final game, it really does Ensemble Studios proud.

REVIEW: Killzone 2

Developer: Guerilla Games | Publisher: Sony | Format: PS3

Reviewer: Craig Jay Gallagher

In years to come Killzone 2 will be remembered as a major event in the history of next gen releases. It all began with the unveiling of the trailer back in 2005 and was the first evidence that the PS3 could be superior to the competition.

Nearly 4 years later we finally have Killzone 2 in our greedy little mitts and can decide for ourselves just how it shapes up. First impressions leaves one with their lower jaw resting firmly between their feet. Believe the hype, Killzone 2 really is all that.

The first thing that strike you is just how visually impressive it all is. The game stretches the machines capabilities further than any other title to date. It really does take your breath away.  The level design is simply astounding. Watch as the ground around you trembles and buildings crumble under the onslaught. Random dust clouds and presence of smoke from various burning items all offer hazardous realistic environmental features.

One of the most inventive and  obvious devices the game employs is to make the old red versus blues a lot more interesting. The Helghast forces all have glowing orange eye pieces while the ISA soldiers have a nice blue glow. That such a simple device can make such a difference makes you wonder why all games don’t employ it.

The real stars of the game aren’t the ISA forces you find yourself fighting for but the Helghast who could very well go down in history as the greatest gaming bad guys. They are ferocious, unrelenting and much like the Nazi’s employ propaganda leading to a truly realistic villain.

While the gameplay offers nothing new of note, well bar the nuisance of having to turn the Sixaxis controller to set bombs and turn stuff. The combat is fast, furious and absolutely frightening. The AI is decent and the fact that injured enemy soldiers will limp when shot offers up the possibilities of some brutal melee violence.

When it comes down to it Killzone 2 is one of the greatest shooters ever released on any console and will be seen in years to come as a true classic. If you own a PS3 there is absolutely no excuse not to own it, even if you have to pimp yourself out in order to do so.

REVIEW: Prince of Persia

Developer: Ubisoft | Publisher: Ubisoft | Format: PS3

Reviewer: Craig Jay Gallagher

When deciding to reinvent a franchise, especially one as critically and commercially successful as the Prince of Persia series it’s important not to forget what made the franchise so popular to begin with. The Sands of Time series are some of the finest games ever released om any platform and now we have a whole new series for a new console.
The simply named Prince of Persia is Ubisoft’s attempt at a whole new franchise starring the most famous prince in the gaming world. Removing the old time manipulation aspect of the earlier games and introducing an open world which can be explored at will show makes this title a departure from all that’s come before. The most welcome change for many will be the simplicities of the platforming elements, all you have to do now is simply jump at a wall in order to dun along it or bounce up it to a ledge.

The story follows the Prince and his meeting with Elika a princess attempting to save her kingdom from some evil God after her father lets him loose. Your job is to traverse the kingdom undoing all the corruption and killing various minions of the dark lord.  This is done in quite a simplistic manner. You enter an area, jump from ledge to ledge and then fight a variation on one of the game’s 4 big bosses. Once done you use Elika to clean up before searching for enough light seeds to open up the next area. It’s all rather simply structured and works all the better for it.

Combat has been seriously improved. Rather than the old one versus many, this time combat is a one on one affair and is greatly improved as a result. You can now string together attacks allowing for a much more fluid feel to it. The only real complaint is that you find yourself performing the same moves over and over again. One thing that should be addressed in subsequent games is enemies tendency to resort to guard position during combat which males all attacks bar gauntlet attacks useless. To do this you have to get rather close leaving yourself open to attack.

Prince of Persia is a fantastic game which sets the standard for action games on the PS3. Bar the few small niggles involving the combat system it’s nigh on perfect and given that it’s now available for around 30 euro you rally have no excuse not to own it.