Well, another month has gone by and hopefully you have enjoyed playing some of the games mentioned last time. I know that Burnout Paradise has me hooked here in the office and will be a new addition to my personal collection very soon! This month I am again looking at what has got you guys excited; either what you are playing at the moment or are waiting to arrive. Remember, most of the games that I cover have demos available online so if you don’t want to take my word for it, get online and get downloading – researching games has never been so much fun!

Warhawk (PLAYSTATION3)

Exclusive to the PLAYSTATION3, Warhawk is an online-only game. Released some months ago, the title is now beginning to pick-up speed since the system’s increased adoption rate over the Christmas period. There are five different gameplay modes; Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch, Capture the Flag, Zones and Dogfight. The first three are self explanatory, Zones is where you must take over different areas, the more land you occupy, the more points you are awarded, and Dogfight cuts out the land battles altogether and is all about aerial combat.

Warhawk is available to download from the PlayStation Store for £19.99, but if you don’t already have a headset then it is well worth buying a hard copy as these come with a free one. When playing online it is well worth having the headset as it really adds to the experience. It is always great to tell your friend how bad they are once you have blasted them out of the sky!

Turok (PLAYSTATION3, Xbox60)

This is the latest instalment of the First-Person Shooter which planted its roots way back on the Nintendo64. You play as Joseph Turok, and are once again in a land where dinosaurs rule, this time, on a military assignment. As you attempt to land, disaster strikes, resulting in your ship crashing, and your team being separated. You must watch your back at all times, unless you wish to become the main course.

The Single-Player Campaign seems to consist of a fairly basic plot – you have crashed on a planet and need to find your way home whilst tracking down a Company that you once belonged to, and are now a renegade. Online play consists of Death Match, Team Death Match and Capture the Flag and three four-player Co-Operative Maps. What makes this different from other games is the unpredictability when dinosaurs are involved. You may be having a great battle with someone else and not see a Raptor creeping up behind you – or watch one creep up behind your enemy.

Gran Turismo 5 Prologue (PLAYSTATION3)

Rumoured to be released in the UK on the 28^th March, 2008, Gran Turismo 5 Prologue has a lot to live-up to following Gran Turismo 4 (excluding the free Christmas present Gran Turismo HD). This version will have around fifty different vehicles and five tracks with different variations including racing in the reverse direction. Online play is going to be for up to sixteen players and High Scores will be viewable online so finally we can see who the best driver in the world is!

No More Heroes (Wii)

Your name is Travis Touchdown and by either luck or misfortune – depending on your own take on life - you have managed to become involved in a real life assassination competition. In a city called Santa Destroy you must assassinate the competition to become the number one assassin. The combat is orientated around the Wii Remote’s Buttons, while special manoeuvres are executed using the system’s Motion Sensor capabilities. Between Missions you are able to explore the environment as you would in Grand Theft Auto, however there is little to interact with – intentionally, as this would miss the point of the title. You are able to visit different shops for extras and upgrades – go to the gym to beef up, rent a wrestling video to learn more fighting moves and earn money from doing other jobs such as filling cars at the garage.

All in all, this really is a great fun game to play. Many of the titles’ ideals can be compared to the likes of Shen Mue, and much of what it has to offer is unparalleled on Wii. Even once you have finished, it is still fun to complete it again to beat your score or time. Oh yes, and did I mention, your weapon closely resembles a light-sabre? Have fun with this one!

Frontlines: Fuel Of War

Frontlines: Fuel Of War is the next big First-Person Shooter, involving strategies as a major gameplay element. This is the war to end all wars, and involves the whole globe. Single-Player Missions operate where if you advance, your team advances; if you retreat they do the same. You must conquer different territories, moving your alliance forward to take control of more, hopefully dominating the world. Multi-Player Mode online will have up to fifty players battling it out for the land that they stand on taking the First-Person Shooter to a new level. There will be a free-for-all and team-based matches.

Well, that’s all for this month. I shall leave you to continue with some serious gaming. Next time I will take a look at Ninja Gaiden II, and how it compares to previous titles, and also Mario Kart Wii and seeing what Current-Generation really has to offer. You have never had it so good!

Retro Gamer

20/02/08

Return to the Articles Archive 2008 here.

 Each of these articles has been written either independently of Electronic Theatre or by an external viewer. The opinions discussed in these articles in no way reflects the opinions of Electronic Theatre.

If you wish to inquire about pricing of any titles for these formats not listed on this site, drop me a line at kjoyce@electronictheatre.co.uk