Category: Xbox

Coming soon: Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2

18 Jul Xbox 4 comments

I heard rumors that this game was on the drawing board but I had no idea that its development was so far down the track. I loved the first Marvel: Ultimate Alliance game, and if the sequel picks up where that one left off then it should be a cracker.

For comic geeks the first Marvel: Ultimate Alliance game it is a must, and is the only game I own both an Xbox and Xbox 360 version of. Word on the street is that Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2 will be out some time in the third quarter of 2008.

Nice... now I need a cold shower...

Kane and Lynch: Dead Men review

16 Apr Xbox 2 comments

Following my completion of Halo 3, I quickly popped the next game on my 'to do' list into the Xbox 360, Kane and Lynch: Dead Men. Kane and Lynch is an action/shooter style game borrowing some elements from the Hitman games as well as a hint of Gears of War (particularly the crouching behind cover feature).

I've seen it get mixed reviews, and to some extent I can understand why, but Kane and Lynch is not a bad game. No doubt it'll get some people off side thanks to it's liberal use of the "F" bomb, and even the occasional "C" grenade, as well as it's take no prisoners violence and story line, but then, those are probably the things I'd expect to find in a game focused on the exploits of two escaped death row convicts.

Throughout the main 'campaign' you play as Kane. Kane is "a flawed mercenary", on death row, for an unrevealed crime. Kane is busted out of prison by his former employers, a shadowy group called The7. These guys are obviously bad news, and from the beginning it seems Kane screwed them over on a job, leaving them to burn, and taking the loot for himself. He's given an ultimatum, retrieve the contents of a mysterious case, or his wife and daughter will be killed. The7 assign another death row inmate, Lynch, "a medicated psychpath", to monitor Kane in his progress, and help him where necessary. That signals the start of all the hijinks that span missions in the US, Japan and Havana.

Game play wise Kane and Lynch was simple and addictive. While you play as Kane, you are also able to issue orders to Lynch, and any other mercenaries that join you for certain missions. In many respects the game play could be compared to Hitman: Blood Money, if you replaced the 'stealth' aspects of Hitman with the run and gun aspects of Gears of War. If you are familiar with Hitman, this game will take you all of 2 seconds to become accustomed to.

You can't take to many hits before you hit the deck, however, so long as an ally is nearby, that can quickly administer 'first aid' in the form of adrenalin shots. Also, as you take more damage, things start to get a little hazy, which is an interested effect.

I actually found the story line for this game to be quite good, and I'm not surprised that there are rumors of Lionsgate turning the game into a movie, with Bruce Willis and Billy Bob Thorntan were rumored a candidates for the Kane and Lynch roles at one point.

One criticism I have with the game is that it was quite easy in patches. It was a quick game to get through. It probably has the potential for greater replay-ability though as compared to Hitman, which I guess is a positive.

In summary, Kane and Lynch was a decent game, not for the faint hearted or easily offended. I'm docking points because of the ease of completion, but if you can pick this up as a 'platinum edition' game then it'd be worth it. I'll give it 3.5/5.

Halo 3 completed and reviewed

14 Apr Xbox 2 comments

Without too much fuss I finished Halo 3 on the weekend. That's not to say I found it a bad game, I just didn't find that it lived up to the hype and expectation I'd had following Halo 2.

Gameplay wise, Halo 3 is largely the same as Halo 2. Point, shoot, kill, run, point, shoot kill, duck, point shoot kill... etc. It's classic first person shooter stuff, and it's enjoyable. It just didn't rock my world the way I'd hoped. After playing Call of Duty 4 I found Halo 3 to be lacking in style, difficulty and excitement. Weapons and enemies are all largely the same as those from Halo 2. The new addition is the 'equipment' feature, which allows you to pick up things like shields and auto-sentries, to use at your leisure. It's a nice touch.

The game begins with the Master Chief crash landing on earth, to find that the Covenant have all but wiped out the human resistance. The Master Chief is charged to bust the Covenant party up. After notching a number of Covenant kills, the Flood crash land on earth. It's part of some big plan the Flood 'Gravemind' hatched. All going well you jet off to another planet, save the day, and if you stick around until the end of the credits, learn that the Master Chief survives. Halo 4 anyone?

All in all, the plot in Halo 3 becomes "nonsensical". Having just finished the game, I'd struggle to recall any major plot points. I've heard rumours the Halo franchise will be turned into a movie, but based on the last two installments, it's going to be very hard work for the screen writer. One slightly annoying facet of the game is the number of 'false' conclusions. The last 4 or so stages all feel like the end of the game, and it's almost like the plot was stretched out to accommodate more game play.

In summary, while you'd no longer consider it ground breaking Halo 3 is a good enough game. It seems to have been developed using the 'if it aint broke don't fix it' model, which is not necessarily a bad thing, however with games like Gears of War and Call of Duty 4 on the market, you could be forgiven for wanting more.

I'd give it a 3.5 out of 5.

Call of Duty 4 (Xbox 360)

29 Feb Xbox 2 comments

After a quick and deadly little campaign I have finished "Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare" on the Xbox 360. Two aspects of the game really stood out for me. Firstly, it looked awesome, the graphics were detailed and life like. Secondly, moving the Call of Duty series into a modern setting was a very good decision. This allowed you to play through scenarios similar to those you may see occasionally on the world news, as well as the opportunity to give the modern weaponry a run.

The main story takes place in the very near future, during a fictional conflict between the combined forces of the US and England, against Russian Ultranationalists and Middle Eastern rebels. The story itself is an interesting one, and at times takes some unexpected turns.

You play as either a British SAS guy (throughout the European missions) or a US marine (in the Middle East missions).There's also a flashback mission set 15 years prior to the events in the game, played out at Chernobyl.

Gameplay wise, not much has changed compared to previous Call of Duty outings. It's run, aim, shoot, duck, shoot, run, aim, shoot. Lets face it, the Call of Duty franchise is firmly entrenched in the first person shooter (FPS) genre, there's only so much you can do with that set up.


What sets this game apart from countless other FPS games is the attention to detail, the atmosphere it generates, and the "realism". For example, you can't just charge into a room full of bad guys holding down the trigger. You'll last about 10 seconds if that's your strategy. The best way to get through the game is to advance, clearing each area as you go, paying attention to what the rest of your squad is doing.

If I have one complaint with Call of Duty 4 it is that the game itself is a little short. It leaves you wanting more, but then, perhaps, that was the game makers strategy.

Overall, this is the best traditional FPS I have played since I first played Halo 2. I'd rate it on a par with the rock-on awesomeness of Gears of War. Now I'm just saving for Halo 3 to see how that stacks up.

The Xbox360 has arrived…

27 Nov Goals, Xbox 11 comments

Good news, I can finally tick off one goal from my goals project list. That's right, a week ago I picked up an Xbox360! I can't believe I waited so long, that machine is freakin awesome. Hooked into surround sound I was blown away by the details. After a few games I was also glad that I picked up the version with the hard drive. Saved games would have quickly consumed the base level memory.

I've already accumulated a handful of games (largely from the 'Classics' collection) including Gears of War, Dead Rising, Saints Row, Project Gotham Racing 3, Crack Down and Command and Conquer 3. Due to time constraints, I've only had time to play Gears of War, Dead Rising and Saints Row for any length of time. Gears of War is flat out awesome, graphics are detailed, physics and gameplay are as realistic as anything I've come across, and the surround sound really puts you in the middle of the action.

Dead Rising has been a favourite due to it's liberal 'borrowing' of the "Dawn of the Dead" scenario, whereby you are trapped in a shopping mall fighting back hordes of zombies. The difference here is that you are a photo journalist, who, whilst fighting zombies, is also trying to solve the mystery of what has caused the zombie phenomenon in the first place. It leaves you a variety of creative ways through which to dispatch zombies, and you can either try and solve the mystery or just see how many zombies you can destroy. Fun for the whole family!

Saints Row is like Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas on steroids. More action, more crime and far more profanity. I can see was this one scores the MA rating!

All up, the Xbox360 was a good buy, and definitely well worth the wait. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a planet to save...

Xbox 360 arcade edition

29 Oct Xbox No comment

Just read that there will be an Xbox 360 arcade edition released prior Christmas. Herald-Sun listed it as $399, with the key difference to the standard Xbox 360 being that this version doesn't come with the hard drive.

Should I go for the bargain basement version, or save a little more for the real deal?

Anyway, I'm off to play Scarface on my antique Xbox now.

Predator: Concrete Jungle

06 Jun Xbox 1 comment

I picked up Predator: Concrete Jungle on Xbox for $9 on the weekend, and have since built up an addiction to running around as my favorite alien of all time. Any game that has a "flay" option is worth the price.

All the best bits of the Predator movies are included in the game. The camouflage, the wrist blades, the plasma cannon, the "trophy taking" and of course, the flaying. It's gruesome, but that's what the Predator is all about. I'm actually finding the best part of the game to be the story and movie scenes between levels. They should have turned it into a short cartoon/animation.


Perhaps the only let down is the fact that the Governor of California doesn't make an appearance. My recommendation, Concrete Jungle was an under rated game, if you see it for a good price, get it!
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