Recent reviews by Methadon3000

Gameplay: 10/10
Storyline: 10/10
Graphics: 9.70/10
SoundTrack: 9.50/10
Overall: 9.80/10 (Very good f**king game, VERY GOOD!!)

X-COM Enemy Within is a throwback to expansion packs, before the days of DLC. Nowadays a few new maps or a couple of new story missions is all a company needs to put out to rinse you of your hard earned cash. But back in the old days, before a sweet internet connection in every home was as commonplace as it is now, developers had to release extra content as an expansion pack. These retail releases cost less than a regular game sure, but they still had to turn up with a damn sight more than a couple of maps if they expected to part you of your hard earned cash. X-COM Enemy Within brought more…a lot more.

Where to start? Well you can now convert your soldiers into either a genetic super soldier or mechanical warrior using two new laboratories: the Genetics Lab and the Cybernetics Lab. The genetic modifications include muscle upgrades that allow your operatives to leap tall buildings in a single bound, or even go Doctor Who Style with a second heart which causes your soldier to be critically wounded rather than killed the first time they go down in a fight.

Not into that GM nonsense? Always wanted to get a pair of robot arms and sunglasses implanted directly into your face? Well then X-COM has you covered too with the addition of MEC soldiers. The soldier’s entire body is replaced by a mechanical version, turning him into a massive hulk of metal and death. MEC soldiers are incredibly powerful; armed with miniguns as standard, they can be upgraded with fusion cannons, grenade launchers and even rocket powered fists. Yes you heard me…rocket powered fists. The downside to being built like an Autobot is that your guy becomes somewhat more conspicuous on the battlefield, so he’ll be attracting a lot of enemy firepower.XCOM Enemy Within MEC

If you want to make yourself some super-human soldiers though, you’re going to need the new resource that Enemy Within adds, a mysterious substance called MELD. MELD is found scattered throughout the map during alien encounters, but here’s the twist. Each canister has a countdown clock tied to it, and if you don’t snag the canister in time it explodes. This forces you out of your comfort zone as you have balance the risks between advancing too quickly and losing the MELD. This extra nuance to the gameplay really spices things up. Finally, Firaxis have rebalanced a lot of the squad promotions to make them more competitive.

Not a big fan of transhumanism? Do you remember the days when wars were won with soldiers and determination, not gene mods and robots? Well then X-COM caters to you too, allowing you to upgrade your soldiers by awarding them service medals. Each medal has one of two perks attached to it, though once you choose one all medals of that type must offer that same perk. There are six medals to be unlocked, all of which can also thankfully be renamed, hence why my Colonel is currently wearing the Medal of Awesome. Medals are unlocked during missions and can be assigned to any soldier you like, creating the interesting dilemma; Do you pile them onto a few super soldiers but risk losing them all, or spread them out amongst the troops to soften the blow of being a man down?

The X-COM chaps don’t get all the new toys with this expansion though, as the aliens have themselves a few new units to throw into the fray. Firstly there is the Seeker. Essentially a floating mechanical squid, the Seeker’s job is to pick off isolated X-COM agents and hit their weak spot for massive damage. They have a few tricks up their sleeves to this end. For one thing, they can turn invisible, allowing them to sneak up on unsuspecting opponents. Once they’re within striking distance they can use a special strangle attack, which damages and incapacitates the targeted soldier. Much like the Smoker in Left 4 Dead, your entangled agent will require a team mate to damage the Seeker before it will let go. The other new enemy is the Mechtoid, a little Sectoid dude strapped into a big old mech walker. Pretty dangerous on its own, the Mechtoid becomes a real beast when another Sectoid psychically links with it to project a force field around it. The new enemies are both welcome additions, but it would have been nice to see one or two more new faces in the extra-terrestrial line up.

XCOM Enemy Within Mechtoid

Bored of shooting aliens? Want to bring some high-tech weaponry down on your fellow man instead? Well then you’re in luck, because Enemy Within is all about the enemy within, a human faction called EXALT. Think Cerberus from Mass Effect but without Martin Sheen running the show (sadly) and with a similar level of technology to X-COM. EXALT are up to no good trying to secure alien technology for their own nefarious purposes, whilst simultaneously throwing spanners into X-COM’s works so you’d do well not to ignore them. To track down EXALT and put an end to their interference, you need to send an agent on a covert operation to steal intel. Once they’ve stolen the intel, you’ll then need to perform a special extraction mission to safely pull them out, fighting off waves of EXALT agents whilst your operative secures the intel before pulling out. These missions give you clues as to the location of EXALT’s main base. Once you’ve figured out where they are hiding, you can launch an assault and give them what for. This new factor adds more depth to the experience, as you have to balance resources between the fight with EXALT and the alien menace.

A lot of new toys then, but what’s the point in having an arsenal to shame the Galactic Empire if you have nowhere cool to show it off? Enemy Within adds 47 new maps as well as offering tweaked versions of older maps with new spawn points which drastically alter how you can tackle a mission. There are also a host of new missions including some which connect together to form a sub-plot, much like the Slingshot DLC missions. There are a couple of standout missions, one of which takes place in an abandoned fishing town which provided some of the most tense X-COM gameplay I’ve experienced to date. Another mission, set a little closer to home, crops up later in the game which I won’t spoil for you, but trust me, you’ll love it.

XCOM Enemy Within Chrysalid

Enemy Within adds a metric ton of new content and it should be congratulated for that, but it’s not without its issues sadly. X-COM has been given some seriously dangerous new toys to play with, but the aliens and EXALT haven’t stepped up their game accordingly. This means that by the time you get Plasma weapons, it’s pretty much game, set and match. This can be countered by cranking up the difficulty or sticking the game on Ironman Mode, but it would have been nice to see our enemies pulling out a few more surprises to keep themselves competitive in the late game.

Overall though X-COM Enemy Within is an absolutely stellar expansion to the already acclaimed Enemy Unknown and should not be missed. Adding a ton of new content and really mixing up the standard X-COM formula, a game of Enemy Within feels like a totally different beast to Enemy Unknown, building on the already great foundation and then adding in a huge variety of new options to keep things fresh.

videogamesuncovered.com

Gameplay: 9.50/10
Storyline: 8.50/10
Graphics: 8.50/10
SoundTrack: 9.50/10
Overall: 9/10

Given the original only came out around eight months ago, Rebellion’s sequel to their supernatural zombie sniper festival is most unexpected, having popped out of cover just in time to cash in on Halloween and no doubt extend the finances of the studio as they work on Sniper Elite 3. Nazi Zombie Army 2 continues the template laid down by the original almost to a tee, offering a series of corridors and open levels in which to snipe and lay down traps for the incoming hordes, wrapping its premise around the loosest and silliest of plots. It’s still basic and slightly awkward, and it’s still 100% more fun when played with other people.

Trading the Nazi soldiers for those of their undead cousins, Zombie Army 2’s combat takes shape as a series of shooting galleries, sometimes confined and sometimes open, often requesting the gang of four combatants to defend a specific location from assault on multiple sides. Physical barriers block progress until each and every last zombie has been dispatched back to the underworld, and a neat scoring mechanic allows for competition between groups as players vie for the highest tally of grenade kills, headshots and long-range bollock-busters (or the space where they used to be, anyway).


My local Tesco has gone downhill
The plot, for those of you that are interested, takes into account Hitler’s plight in the original game, with his ‘Plan Z’ now in full effect and overpowering even his own bunker. In order to put a stop to the undead hordes you’ll need to find three pieces of an ancient artifact stashed away in various hellish locations far removed from the original’s re-used World War II assets, with the majority of the new environments swathed in devilish flames and lit with hues of orange and red.

Just like its predecessor and the original V2 however, the sniping and gunplay mechanics remain largely the same in Zombie Army 2. The go-to weapons are unsurprisingly still a variety of WWII sniper rifles augmented with a steady-aim breathing gauge that recharges during combat, with secondary slots available for a machine gun and pistol. The latter two begin as fairly useless options as each level slowly unfolds, but soon become invaluable for popping groups of zombie heads whenever the shufflers breach defences and begin to swarm your position. A swift kick to the guts will also put them down in a pinch, but that solitary melee attack still lacks the crowd-control utility of alternatives found in the likes of Left 4 Dead, making it a little limp as a last resort.

The planning and trapping aspects of Sniper Elite are also still in full effect here, played up to the maximum in the all-new levels designed specifically for Zombie Army 2. The array of options remain the same, encompassing two types of grenade, trip-wire explosives and dynamite. Working as a team to successfully booby trap a location and take down swathes of shuffling zombies is a satisfying experience when a well-thought-out plan comes together, and the frantic corridor-clearing when things fall apart is just as frustrating or enjoyable depending on your luck. And Rebellion obviously knows its onions regarding the elements players responded to best the first time around, as the level design in the sequel is far more accommodating. Siege locations are more prevalent with numerous cover spots and opportunities for funnelling the undead into carefully-laid traps, whilst machinegun ammo is found with a greater frequency, enabling more of those last-gasp firefights or desperate runs to revive a colleague. The range of special zombies are also augmented by a couple of new additions to the mix, with a fiery, fast-moving variety proving particularly tricky and the “summoner” constantly resurrecting fallen foes unless you take him out.


That’ll be a tricky shot with a sniper rifle
It’s also very much still the case that if you’re playing Nazi Zombie Army 2 alone, then you’re in for a pretty dull experience. Despite the additions, the extended waves of enemies and narrow shooting galleries can still become a frustrating slog in singleplayer. In four-player co-op however, Rebellion’s title sputters to life with a satisfying blend of preparation and on-the-fly tactics, made all the better when you have to backtrack or wade into a crowd in order to help up a tardy or over-confident comrade. Being part of a well-oiled four-player sniping team is a huge amount of fun, and even the chaotic mess of an incompatible unit is good for a giggle while it lasts.

strategyinformer.com

Gameplay: 10/10
Storyline: 10/10
Graphics: 9.50/10
SoundTrack: 9/10
Overall: 9.62/10

Gunpoint is a stealth-based puzzle-platform game from indie developer Tom Francis. It was released earlier this month and in it, players will take on the role of secret agent Conway in his task to be a great spy. Players will be able to infiltrate buildings and retrieve data from mission objects by avoiding guards and other security features using gadgets and Bullfrog pants. The trick with the game is thinking completely outside the box because you get a Crosswire device fairly early in the game and this allows you to make some fun and very interesting things happen.

If you see a light switch on the bottom floor and want it linked to the gun of an agent, then that’s something that you can go ahead and do with the Crosswire. The end result would be that as you turn the light on or off, the agent’s gun starts firing uncontrollably. This is one of the funnier aspects of the game because you can actually do a lot of useful things with the Crosswire. For example, you could wire it so that a light in this room, opens the door in another room and when a guard walks past a certain trigger, it would open the floor beneath him, making him fall to his death. This is the nature of Gunpoint and as you progress through the game, more and more things will crop up for you to do. Thankfully though, a lot of thought has been put into it and you can only Crosswire with the same colour and you will need to progress through stages that way.

What’s awesome about Gunpoint though is not just the way in which the pixelated game plays, it’s the ability to tell jokes and create a story out of almost thin air. The game is funny and has a dark sense of humour about it which appeals to me in a great way. It starts off with you flying out of a window and landing on a floor by complete and utter mistake. A few seconds worth of flashback earlier, you see Conway testing out his new Bullfrog pants which allow him to leap high and walk up and down walls. From there, you can tell that the game is going to be something special and thankfully, it really is.

In and amongst the humour and silly things that go on, Gunpoint is able to tell a story to gamers, one that is engrossing nevertheless. I found myself first skimming through a lot of the conversation but as things progressed, I found it really difficult to formulate a reply in the multiple choices that are given to you.

All in all, Gunpoint is a short, little game and will probably only get you about two or three hours of gameplay.

gaming.do.co.za

Gameplay: 9/10
Storyline: 10/10
Graphics: 9/10
SoundTrack: 7/10
Overall: 8.75/10

Does this one have a soul?

That’s the big question in indie puzzle game The Swapper, among other very deep ones. Do clones – copies of copies as it were – have consciousness? What is death for? Perhaps it’s for avoiding something, for a short time at least…

You don’t see these types of questions in video games all too often and for that, The Swapper immediately gets a strong nod from this writer.

Space Station Theseus is where your character – who has no name, or voice – stumbles upon. She finds an empty station that has been all but completely deserted save one other scientist, who seems busy doing something else, too busy for you at the moment.

The Swapper gun is discovered among the rubble of creepily empty rooms, and this is where the true gameplay starts kicking into gear.

swap4times

There can only be four clones at a time, and you can swap between them all as you wish, provided that blue or red (blue prevents creating clones, red from swapping into them) lights aren’t blocking your way. The puzzles are very Portal-esque and will sometimes bust your brain when you figure out the obvious solution that you had completely overlooked.

As you complete these puzzles and acquire more orbs (which allow you to unlock deeper sections of the station), the story of what happened here starts to become much clearer. You’ll get the chance – if you want – to read up on little holo-terminals about the crew and what it was going through while on their seven year expedition. As the story progresses there are additional dialogues – greatly voiced by the way – from the lone scientist, and you begin to understand more of what she is desperately trying to do.

You see, as you explore the station, you will come across many of these almost-sentient rocks dubbed “The Watchers”, who, when passed by, will have something to say via shaky text pop-ups. The Watchers are critical to what the scientists on board Theseus were trying to accomplish. And the more Watchers you inevitably delve into the thoughts of, the creepier the whole situation gets.

screaminside

I can’t shake off the creepiness after having finished the game. Everything about the station is… not right, and I approached each puzzle with determination to find out more of what had been going on here.

The level of atmosphere in The Swapper is remarkable, astounding even, considering the low-budget small indie developer Facepalm Games and what they had to work with. Similar to the original Star Wars movie though, that budget tightness may have been more a benefit than a flaw. Levels and characters have all been made from real-life clay and other materials that give the game a very realistic and almost touchable quality to them.

As the game ends and you make one of two very difficult choices, you’re left with a deep and hollow cathartic melancholy. Or at least I thought it was. I sort of sat there as the credits rolled and started thinking, sort of pondering questions about life and acknowledging the shakes I was feeling across my chest.

I can’t give this game enough praise, honestly, and for me the only thing holding this back from being perfect is the sheer challenge of the puzzles at times. But I think that more adds to the charm of The Swapper, especially when those puzzles are backed with such a deep and smoothly told story. If you have a spare five hours, and some familiarity with thinking-outside-the-box, do pick this up.

leviathyn.com

Gameplay: 9/10
Storyline: 10/10
Graphics: 9/10
SoundTrack: 6/10
Overall: 8.5/10

Trine 2's fantasy vibe has a fun, unpretentious feel that evokes the loving tongue-in-cheek mannerisms that David Bowie exhibited in Labyrinth. Much like in the original Trine, you command a trio of adventurers who navigate a fantastical world in a classic rightward direction. Each of the three heroes have a distinct playstyle unto themselves: The Knight is adept at combat and can smash through heavy obstacles; the Thief can freeze enemies from a distance and use her grappling hook on certain surfaces; and the Wizard can conjure blocks and interact with the environment via telekinesis. You can switch between the three characters at any time -- and switch you will. This isn't a game where you pick a class and stick with it throughout the duration of the quest, as you'll quickly realize that each member of the fellowship is essential for completing every level. This is most apparent in the great multiplayer mode, which allows three people to roam the world together simultaneously. Gathering a pair of buddies and huddling around the television is a refreshing throwback to the days when single-system multiplayer was a norm in gaming.

The main flow of the game gets broken down into three distinct game types that cater to the abilities of each member of the trine. Combat areas play fairly simple, and can be easily completed by switching to the Knight and just slashing through your enemies. Contrary to this are the platforming segments, which grow more and more deadly as the game progresses. Even with the nimble grace of the Thief, you'll find yourself succumbing to the traps of the world on a fairly regular basis. Thankfully checkpoints are abundant, so you'll never be sent too far back. The final type of play involves using the Wizard to solve various puzzles. These challenges delve a bit deeper than remedial physics by forcing you to use levers, pulleys, and counterweights to unravel some of the more advanced scenarios. The game does a great job of divvying out those "aha!" moments before any fun-destroying frustration sets in.

By defeating enemies and collecting trinkets throughout the world, you gain experience used to level up your characters. Each member of the trinity has their own skill tree that expands upon their inherent abilities. Later on in the game, certain high level skills become necessary to progress -- such as the Wizard's ability to conjure platforms or the Knight's destructive hammer toss. I initially saw this upgrade system as a series of tactical choices worth contemplating, but soon learned that the entire element of strategy was illusory. At any given moment in the game, you can reallocate your skill points to fit the current situation. Max out your Thief to navigate a tricky platforming segment, and then immediately move her points over to the Knight when you go into battle. I understand that the developer's didn't want the player to get stuck at a certain puzzle without the means of acquiring the solution skill, but the whole thing ends up coming off as an amateur cop-out.

Honestly though, seeing the game in motion does a great deal to melt away the any frozen inconsistencies in the fundamentals. I can't stress enough what a joy it is to just explore the lush and imaginative world. While the $15 price tag places it just out of that coveted "impulse buy" range, the game has enough content to warrant the purchase. The consistent rotation of gameplay styles keep the experience energized, and fleshing out your fellowship with two friends makes for some amazing couch co-op. Although the game may be lagging a bit mechanically, the gorgeous wonderment of the world makes Trine 2 an adventure well-worth embarking upon.

1up.com

Gameplay: 9/10
Storyline: 10/10
Graphics: 9/10
SoundTrack: 9/10
Overall: 9.25/10

"I’ve said this before but I must reiterate: although I figured some downloadable games would eventually become good options for casual gamers, they would never be anything I’d purchase. But it didn’t take long for me to eat my words, as the likes of Wipeout HD, echochrome, Shatter, Flower, and even Magic Ball have all surprised me with their wonderful polish, extremely high fun factor and equally high level of playability and accessibility. Now, when I see a game like Trine pop up, I do question the $20 price tag and ask myself, “is it worth it?” Then, I remember the many great games I’ve downloaded off the PSN and immediately become encouraged; I went into this new title with that same optimism and once again, I wasn’t disappointed. For those of you who never played Trine on PC, I’m here to tell you it made the transition very well and without much of a stumble; it’s a beautifully designed side-scrolling action/adventure that will test your wits and your reflexes.

Visually, this is one of the best-looking downloadable games you will ever see. In fact, artistically-speaking, it may be the best, although one could make solid arguments for Wipeout HD and Flower. This beautiful 2D world is alive with vibrant colors, gorgeous lines and environment depictions, and a very impressive level design. Each of the three characters look great as well; they’re nicely detailed and enjoy fluid animations, so Trine is definitely a joy to behold. The only drawback centers on the enemies, which are little more than generic skeletons and a few bats here and there. They don’t appear to be anywhere near as polished and accomplished and in all honesty, I never liked to see the skeletons show up because they’d instantly mar an otherwise pretty graphical presentation. Even the brief cut-scenes that only include still-frame photos look like paintings and blend nicely with the gameplay visuals. Really, I have every confidence you’ll smile when you see Trine.

The sound is good, too, but I once again have to complain about the lack of a stellar soundtrack. The music fits the atmosphere, certainly, but it’s just not brought out enough during our adventure and it’s also far too repetitive, although you probably won’t notice. I say you won’t notice because the gameplay is guaranteed to keep your attention, but we’ll get to that in a moment. The effects are clear and accurate, although there’s a slight balance issue as the Thief’s grappling hook always seems louder and crisper than just about anything the Wizard can do with his magic. These minor complaints aside, the narrator is fantastic and adds to the fantastical, fairytale flavor, the voices for each character are good (although not heard often), and overall, there’s nothing to get into a twist about. Trine sounds almost as good as it looks, and that’s all you really need to know.

At first, if you’re not familiar with the game, you won’t be too enthusiastic by what you first see when you start. You lead three separate characters in the same general direction and while you might correctly surmise that each section is a mini-tutorial of sorts, you might not realize that all three characters will be used at once when the trio comes together. This is the crux of the gameplay: there’s a Knight, Thief, and Wizard, and each character has his or her own special skills and abilities. The Knight has a sword and can easily deal with most enemies, and he can also cut ropes and pick up small objects. The Thief has a grappling hook (uber-helpful throughout) and a bow, which she can aim on the fly in a full 360 radius. The Wizard can use his magic to move objects around and he can even draw boxes in thin air and transform them into solid objects, which is another very useful skill. On the flip side, all three have the exact same platforming/jumping ability; they can all leap the same height and distance.

Well, at least I think they can. I keep thinking the Thief is slightly more agile but I could be wrong. Anyway, each level, which is set up with an old-school, 2D side-scrolling format and you must find a way past the variety of obstacles, puzzles, and foes that lie in your path. The Thief can easily swing across a gap, provided there’s a piece of wood above that can act as an anchor for her grappling hook, or the Wizard can move a box for the Knight to leap atop of and clamber up to the other side. There are any number of ways you can tackle a certain problem, and switching between the characters is as easy as pressing the R1 button. Each character has his or her own health and magic bar so if you get nailed as the Knight, you might want to rely more on the bow of the Thief. The gameplay mechanics are excellent and because you aim the Knight’s shield exactly as you would the Thief’s bow (with the right analog), you can block in any direction. This adds some substance and depth to the battles.

Of course, it’s not really about the combat. You will really only face two large boss-type enemies in the entire game, and neither prove to be much of a challenge for the worthy Knight. This is a bit of a downside, though, as are the spawning skeletons that can prove annoying and tiresome in certain areas. Furthermore, and speaking of those two bosses, I noticed some definite collision detection issues with the giant skeleton; whether or not his big sword actually hit me seemed random (even if I had my shield up).(...) If, on the other hand, you want a great adventure experience that makes you think and rewards you for your ingenuity and dedication, you’ve come to the right place. The levels are so ingeniously designed, you almost never do the same thing twice; the developers definitely take advantage of the three distinct skill sets available to the player. Best of all, it just never seems to get old…the progression is surprisingly addictive.

Your goal will be to nab as many green experience potions as possible. The good news is that it doesn’t matter which of the three characters picks up an experience potion (unlike the health and magic potions; obviously, you’ll want to nab those with the characters that need them). The experience is distributed equally, which means everyone will basically level up at the same time. You will earn new abilities as you go – and enhance them with acquired points – and if you can nab some treasure chests, you’ll be able to equip some nifty accessories, too. In this way, combined with the relevant stats, there are role-playing elements sprinkled in with the side-scrolling adventure/platforming format, and it all gels together very, very well. Oh, and if you lose a character, he or she will automatically come back at the next checkpoint.

Oddly enough, even though three players can team up and go through the adventure cooperatively, it’s actually more rewarding as a single-player experience. This is because that with three players, each one has to work past an obstacle without the help of any other character; so even though the Wizard can’t just swing around like the Thief, he still has to find his way across. This slows things down and makes the game a bit more tedious. Furthermore, I think it takes away from the hidden genius of the game: being able to switch between each of the three characters on the fly and have access to each skill set when attacking obstacles and puzzles is great. It's what makes this game so much fun to play; the options you have and the way your brain works when it considers all three. It’s too bad that the co-op isn’t quite as good but hey, at least the multiplayer option is there if you want to give it a go. But really, you gotta play it through by yourself, even if it’s not very long.(...)"

Ben Dutka - psxextreme.com

Gameplay: 9/10
Storyline: 10/10
Graphics: 8.50/10
SoundTrack: 8/10
Overall: 8.87/10


Doctor Who is without question one of the most influential television series in existence. The show’s nearly fifty years old now and has gone through some radical re-generations in that time. We currently get to watch Matt Smith play Doctor and tell us all about how cool bow-ties and fezzes while abhorring violence, nonchalantly flipping a sonic screwdriver around in his hand and saving the world in less than an hour.

The first spin-off game in 1983 and all subsequent releases since haven’t really let people experience Doctor Who in a truly immersive, interactive environment that does the expansiveness of the show’s as-life universe justice. Most episodes of the television show seem to encapsulate that feeling of infinite exploration even when confined to the smallest budget sets. It’s about time there was a videogame that similarly captures that same wonderment.

Shame that the episodic Adventure Games series released a year or two ago are as close as the BBC have got in reciprocating the show quality in videogame format. While they’re still a far cry from what fans truly want from a Doctor Who videogame tie-in, they’re still better in almost every aspect to the messy, broken puzzle-platformer that the BBC and Supermassive Games have coughed up for us this year. Doctor Who: The Eternity Clock

One afternoon with The Eternity Clock was enough for me. Once the paltry campaign was behind me and thus the entire game’s content was exhausted the disc went straight back into its case. Even if interested in acquiring the few in-game collectibles and trophies left after story completion, there’s little to no incentive to put the disc back in your console and fight your way through the issues for a second time.

The Eternity Clock’s redemptive qualities are not just few and far between but enjoyable only the first time around. A second playthrough will only serve to make the technical issues all the more frustrating to deal with. The faithfulness to the show structure is apparent but Whovians can only appreciate this intermittently as they struggle to overlook the stack of cons that overwhelm, not least in the middling story and sub-par visuals.

At least the pre-chapter TARDIS scenes allow Matt Smith and Alex Kingston to offer up some great vocal work, and the motion capture technology at work can at least attempt to do the exuberant mannerisms of The Doctor some justice. Once you step outside of the ship though, you get to experience drab environments with very quickly tedious puzzles and dull action sequences that strike close to home with the argument that a non-violent protagonist doesn’t work in an action-adventure game. Doctor Who: The Eternity Clock

Actions do speak louder than words with The Eternity Clock and in spite of the zippy, well-scripted dialogue exchanges between The Doctor and River Song the action is a tepid sequence of disenchanting, problem-rife 2.5D platforming schlock. The environmental puzzles are largely uninspiring, failing to strike the balance between accessibility for the young and challenge for the old: some puzzles are insultingly easy while others are infuriatingly punishing. At least the developers had the sense to give River a gun to play with: her ability to stun and the Doctor’s ability to wave a sonic device around to open doors and move platforms adds something to the co-op play at least.

It’s advisable if you do choose to play this through to completion that you rope in someone to play this alongside you since the friendly AI becomes increasingly incompetent and prone to ignorance. Several puzzles will put you up against the metaphorical clock to complete them before being killed by a Cyberman or a Dalek or whatever else is rattling off a short list of menacing one-liners while slowly working their way towards you. A bemusing design choice but one that was perhaps inevitable given that the ‘flight not fight’ ethos of the Doctor creates the need for you to use your mind to defeat enemies: acceptable perhaps, were it not for the lack of puzzle randomization.

There are a few puzzles that you have to solve via terminals and such but once you’ve learnt how to solve them it’s simply a case of remembering what pattern they each follow. Playing through on Hard won’t hide this oversight sadly, since the puzzles just become a little bit more arduous and longer, reducing the amount of margin for error you have. You do a fair bit of running away from enemies before being given the chance to destroy them; the lack of much wiggle room on the hardest difficulty at least keeps the tension felt from racing around going. Doctor Who: The Eternity Clock

What does really take away from the tension and pacing of the game are the persistent glitches and technical problems which plague the experience start to finish. Several restarts were required on my individual playthrough: issues ranging from invisible enemies – not the Silence though, that invisible enemy type is subversively something the game makes surprisingly effective use of – to texture clipping and getting stuck in objects and walls. An almost non-existent checkpoint system meant that on several occasions – either due to forced restarts or poor game design coupled with these glitches – my progress was severely hampered as I’d be forced to redo large chunks of chapters again, compounding the boredom felt solving the puzzles and navigating through the mediocre platforming sections.

What makes things just that extra bit worse is that there’s barely a story to help try to hold this all together. The narrative sees an amalgamation of some of the Doctor’s numerous foes individually trying to take swipes at him while he scampers evasively around the place. Fanciful jargon a-plenty is used to add a little Who-style faux context to the events transpiring but it’s all a little confusing and convenient at times, a story about a device of some kind that records all history and could potentially unravel it if baddies get their grubby mitts on it a scapegoat for famous show foes to appear and say a couple of catchphrases. At least the enemies don’t succumb to the erratic visuals that mess with the faces of The Doctor and River and rough up the environments some; the Daleks in particular remain glossily intact.

Constructed like a one-off webisode and showing a disconcerting lack of care and attention, this is not the Doctor Who game counterpart the television show deserved. If the BBC are serious in wanting to bring this franchise to major consoles they need to try harder because The Eternity Clock is not up to scratch, not by a long shot. This may well be the first of three games in a series: if that’s the case, Supermassive Games and the BBC have a lot of work to do…

onehitpixel.com

Gameplay: 9/10
Storyline: 8/10
Graphics: 8.50/10
SoundTrack: 9.50/10
Overall: 8.75/10

Nazi Zombie Army (NZA) brings a lot to the gory and somewhat blood-soaked table.
NZA is set at the tail end of WWII. Hitler is having a rough go of things; with the writing on the wall he makes a last-ditch effort at world domination by unleashing an army of undead Nazis. Your job is to complete missions by mowing down wave after wave of ill-tempered racist zombies in a dark version of Berlin.

Gameplay: 10/10
Storyline: 10/10
Graphics: 9.50/10
SoundTrack: 9/10
Overall: 9.62/10

I recommend this game for all you zombie lovers and/or zombie haters.

The Walking Dead by Telltale games is a great game showing the true spirit of survival and the people surviving.

A great story that will make many grown-ups cry. Not me... :D
You play as Lee, a man who was a college professor who murdered the person his wife was cheating on him with. A sudden scene happens when the cop car he is being escorted to prison in crashes and the cop becomes a walker. You kill him and the rest of the game is based on your decisions.
The graphics on the other hand, putting aside the pixilated shadows, are awesome! They have the perfect cartoony style, yet a realistic aspect to its blood and gore that kind of makes you want to barf.

Gameplay: 9/10
Storyline: 9/10
Graphics: 8/10
SoundTrack: 9/10
Overall: 8.75/10


The game puts players in the shoes of Quico, a boy whose complex fantasies are loosely tied with the real world. Think the dilapidated, South American version of the Hundred Acre Woods. Quico is looking for a way to cure his monster friend, as every time he eats poison frogs(alcohol), he goes on a rampage, destroying all in his path. Otherwise, the monster is a peaceful being, and even saves your skin if you mess up in certain puzzles. At its core, Papo & Yo has a metaphorical, psuedo-autobiographical story that was inspired by the childhood experiences of Minority’s creative director, Vander Caballero.