Title: Dragon Age 2

Publisher: Electronic Arts

Developer: Bioware

Only 2 years after the release of Dragon Age Origins, the release of Dragon Age 2 marks a a rapid turn around for an RPG that brought with it such epic proportions of space to explore, and depth of plot. It is for this reason, that many fans of the Tolkein like storyline and setting of the original, met the release with trepidation. 

Fortunately however, Dragon Age 2 delivers on most fronts. While the game is far from perfect, players once again delve into a brilliant world filled with Elves, Mages and Dragons, asking you to make moral decisions that don’t always have a clear answer.

The game, depending on how much time is spent completing side quests will take around 30 to 40 hours to complete. Once again it is structured around the way the player interacts in the game world, with the aim that the choices made while playing will directly affect the way the story develops, resulting in each player having a unique experience with the game. As is the case with Bioware games, the romance plots are key, which not only adds some spice to the way your personal tale progresses, but adds a kind of emotional attachment to the characters in a way that would be difficult to replicate by other means. The game visuals have been given an overhaul and the varying races in the game have been given distinctive looks that were lacking in the previous game. The gameplay has also been revamped. The developers were clearly targeting the console audience with this release, with the controls keeping the Dragon Age feel, but erring more towards the action side of things. Those put off by the controls of the original title may be won round by this iteration.

Sadly there are some problems. The end of the game is far more uniform than the first, meaning that the choices made by the player have little impact on the end of the game. It is also set largely in one area, so that by time the 40 hours are up, you will be sick of seeing the same caves and streets over and over again.

Overall this game is a must buy for any fans of the first game, and is a brilliant entry point for any new players to the franchise. If you're a fan of RPG games, chances are you will love this. New to the genre? Id suggest trying out the demo before you buy, as it is a heavy time investment, and certainly not for everyone.

3 GOOD POINTS

• Graphical boost from last time around
• New controls, not for everyone but me likey likey.
• Compelling story

3 BAD POINTS

• Poor variation of environments
• Save from last game doesn't carry over well.
• Choices often feel meaningless.

Breakdown	Score
Graphics Big improvement on the last game, but still nothing special to behold	7/10
Gameplay Not going to be everyones taste, but a massive improvement on the last game in my opinion, I suspect PC players will not like.	8/10
Story Good, but I often feel that your choices make no difference, and there are story points that will happen regardless.	8/10
Replayability Definitely, fun to replaying th game with a different class of character dramatically changes the way the game pans out, and plays.	8/10
Value For Money A 40+ hour game that allows different experiences each time you play, just a bit worth the money then. Only problem being your lack of impact through choices.	9/10
Overall Dragon age fans will have a lot to like, but unlikely to win many new fans, even with the shake up of gameplay.	8.5/10

 

Killzone 3

Publisher: Sony

Developer: Guerilla Games 

Lets get the obvious out the way, Killzone 3 is a gorgeous game. By no means is it a step up from the last iteration, but that is no bad thing. Killzone 2 is still one of the best looking games around, and the third game in the series is no different.

In many ways, the developers have upped their game, environments are far more varied. Gone are the monotonous city environments, and the controls have been tightened up, making them more responsive, with the player no longer feeling as if they are moving around in syrup. Thankfully they’ve also taken out the annoying end bosses that plagued the previous title, which will be a welcome decision for all those that struggled for what seemed like an eternity during the infamous boss fight at the end of the last game.

Sadly though, the game is far from perfect. The campaign is only around 5 hours long, and when you’re spending £40.00 on the game, it is a heavy investment. This coupled with the fact that the single player campaign doesn’t really get going until you’re about halfway through, the game quickly begins to feel disappointing. Those who are interested in the Killzone universe will also be left feeling cold, character development is almost non existent, and I was left feeling indifferent as to the fate of my so called friends and allies. Don’t get me wrong, the gameplay has been significantly improved, and is a lot of fun, it just feels like all other aspects of the game have suffered as a result.

Luckily though, most people don’t buy Killzone games for the single player, what people really want to do is jump online, and Killzone does not disappoint in this respect. The tightened controls and varied environments make the online games far more interesting than the last outing.

The Warzone matchmaking mode makes a return, pitting two teams against each other, with varying objectives that include search and destroy, and assassination, which asks players to protect an assassination target from the opposing team.

Overall, Killzone 3 is an enjoyable experience. If you're looking for an immersive storyline, or weren't grabbed by the last game, then it’s unlikely that there is anything in Killzone 3 that will change your opinion. With all that said, those looking for a viable alternative to playing Call of Duty online, will find plenty to like.

3 GOOD POINTS

• Still looks pretty.
• Multiplayer great.
• Tightened controls on the last game

3 BAD POINTS

• Too short
• Poor story
• No improvement on the last game.

BREAKDOWN	SCORE
Graphics This game is goergeous, but Its not a step forward for the last game, much like the game as a whole, the developers seem happy to sit back and rest on their laurels.	8/10
Gameplay Best part about this game, if you can push past the initial repetetive nature of the start, there are some real gems on offer in this game.	8/10
Story Not good basically, the fact that there even is one is the only thing that saved this score from being lower.	3/10
Replayability (Single Player) You wont want to play this game once youve finished it, the score ive given this may even be a bit high, but its short, so if you want to, at least it wont take you long.	5/10
Value For Money The multiplayer in this game is great, making it worth the money if you like online shooters.	7/10
Multiplayer Two words: VERY GOOD.	9/10
Overall Not a bad game just nothing special.	7/10

 

Run Rev Revolution

A British company hopes to revolutionise the mobile app market when it launches it's simple language software across android and Apple devices.

The software created by Edinburgh based company RunRev, now allows developers to design and create  applications, then implement them across iOS and Android devices, without rewriting the programme.

RunRev released the iOS version of LiveCode in December, and recently made a pre release version for Android available with the promise of the final product being released within the next few months.

No date for the final version has yet been set, but the pre release version will allow the final build to have any bugs ironed out so that the final product will integrate seamlessly between devices.

Kevin Millar, founder of RunRev said “We've really been pushing into the mobile space, business has become very mobile centric, that's just where the growth is.

“People last year were thinking about an app, and this year, people are thinking we defiantly need an app, and they would like it to be cross platform. It's a massive opportunity for us, it's a whole new market that's emerging very quickly.”

The integration of the web, and desktop based versions, will also allow the applications to be moved across to desktops with no extra code being written.

Millar said “It's much easier to sell a programming language to a new market because people are writing and developing programmes from scratch. The value proposition from us is that you only have to learn one code, develop that and support both platforms.

“The interest has been non stop. I certainly hope that we add at least a million in sales over the course of the rest of this year, and a great deal more next year.

“We have had no contact yet, but were certainly looking out for opportunities to partner.”

When questioned about company plans to extend the device to work in the console market, Millar was keen to stress that he will not rule it out, but for the moment is concentrating the companies resources into the mobile market, because he feels that this is where the major growth currently lies. Due to the company still being a small outfit, there are only a small amount of resources available to him, and as a result has to prioritise.

Tiny Wings (iPhone)

Mobile games have come a long way and have done so very, very quickly. Developers are begining to understand that when most people start playing a mobile game, whether it be on android or iPhone, they’re looking for a different experience. I think its safe to say that the triple A format that has served home consoles and PC’s so well for so long, don’t tend to transfer well onto the mobile format. Yes, we all know that handheld games have managed to a degree, but the android and iPhone platforms are a very different beast entirely.
With all this in mind, I would like you to consider Tiny Wings for iPhone and all that it brings to the table. On a home console, this game would not stand up, even as a Playstation Mini, I don’t think the game would transfer successfully. The premise of the game takes a small bird with “tiny wings” (shocker) and places him in a bright, colourful world. Sadly for Tiny Wings, his wings prevent him from flying properly, so players are asked to help it travel as far as he can through the day before nightfall inevitably arrives.

Tiny Wings’ gameplay is simple. Touch the screen to make the bird pull in his wings, let go and he will flap his little wings providing a small amount of lift. The terrain is set out in such a way that you use the hills to gain momentum, height and speed to travel along the islands attempting to gain as many points as possible. Timing and precision are key to success within Tiny Wings. Due to this, I picked the game up, and I was addicted. I found myself reaching for my iPhone during TV breaks only to notice that half an hour had passed and so had the show I was watching.
Visually, the best comparison I can make to the title is Rovio’s smash-hit Angry Birds. The colour scheme is very similar, and even the art direction seems to hold something of familiarity towards the leviathan that is Angry Birds. The simplicity of the game is probably its best feature, for as soon as you pick the game up, you know how to play it. In addition, each game, obviously depending on your level of skill, takes less than 10 minutes to complete, thus doing its job as a mobile game by being easy to pick up and play.

Overall, I would recommend this game to anybody who found themselves addicted to games such as Angry Birds, Cut The Rope, or even Peggle. Thanks to the title’s incredible simplicity, it allows skillful players to rack up some truly impressive scores. It is to an extent, however, a very disposable experience. I can see this game forgotten when the next game of similar ilk comes along. Also, if your looking for a deep, engrossing experience, this isn’t the game for you. However, despite being simple and rather throwaway in time, I urge you to give it a try.

BULLETSTORM REVIEW - By Alex

Prepare yourselves for a breath of fresh air and the most original FPS we will see this year. Bulletstorm is a game that has its tongue firmly shotgunned into its cheek and sets out from the get go to provide the player with no frills, all action awesomeness with a devilish dose of hilarity. Make no mistake, Bulletstorm is a hoot; a ridiculous thrill ride that never lets up on action and carnage.

It’s no surprise to see this kind of approach coming from Epic games. Cliff Blezinski really loves his ‘big and badass’ heroes and brutal combat and Bulletstorm, developed by Epic-acquired People Can Fly, has this in spades. Main man Grayson Hunt is a gruff and grizzled son of a gun and is a real joy to take control of as he wrenches enemies’ heads off and kicks them balls-first into cacti.

The game’s story is your typical affair – Hunt and his team of black ops soldiers realise that their boss has betrayed them by ordering them to kill innocent people and the disgruntled killing machines decide to enact some payback. Turning fire on their leader General Sarrano, both Sarrano’s and Hunt’s ships end up crash landing on holiday resort planet Stygia, which isn’t much of a vacation any more. Hunt and surviving crew-member-turned-cyborg Ishi then set about finding Sarrano and escaping the island.

The story features well-voiced dialogue and an element of humour peppered with plenty of dick jokes. It’s reasonably entertaining, but definitely plays second fiddle to the ridiculous chaos brought about via the game’s excellent skillshot reward system. Early in the game, Grayson finds an item called a ‘leash’ that attaches to his arm and serves as both a combat aid and a tool for rating and rewarding your playing style.

On the surface, Bulletstorm is your typical shooter, but it’s the leash and the skillshot reward system that makes the game so much more than that. The leash allows Hunt to ensnare enemies and hurl them across the landscape. Hunt can rip enemies from behind cover, pull them towards him and, if he so chooses, boot them off the edge of a cliff. If the boot isn’t his preferred choice he can simply pump them full of shells from point blank while the hapless goon floats helplessly in slow motion to allow for a few split seconds of decision-making. Or he can use the leash to rip their head off. Ah, choices!

It’s the wealth of decisions that can be made add to the fun of Bulletstorm. The game inspires completely maverick behaviour. Gamer’s thought processes are no longer about popping from behind cover and when to move forward. Now, the player can charge headfirst into a mass of enemies and decide which enemy will get kicked into a cactus and which will have an explosive chain wrapped around his neck.

Killing has never been so much fun, and Bulletstorm adds a tactical approach to the mayhem with the aforementioned skillshot system. Every weapon has a list of different kills a player can perform that come with varying reward bonuses based on the difficulty and originality. Skill points are awarded for the more mayhem you cause and these can be used to maximise the firepower of your weapons or buy new and more ridiculous ones.

Bulletstorm is definitely a game that rewards the player for being creative with their kills. Not more aiming simply for headshots here, and that’s exactly what makes the game so refreshing. FPS games have become so stale recently that it’s such a relief that a developer has finally decided to try something different, arguably with the most success since Half Life 2.

But Bulletstorm is not the finished article at all. The story, while being well voiced, is pretty standard fare and the game isn’t all that long. Once you’re done with the story mode there is little else to keep you going in the long run. The Echoes mode allows players to attack certain 2 or 3 minute sections from the story mode and try to get as high a score as possible. While this is good for leader board lovers, it really doesn’t push the boat out in quality level. Playing a 2 minute section of a level you played 5 hours ago is not that much fun.

Multiplayer is usually a huge staple of Epic games (hey, Unreal Tournament was pretty much just that), but in Bulletstorm is a huge let down. There is no competitive multiplayer at all, which is a huge disappointment as being able to leash your friends and boot them into cacti would be a riot! Instead we are left with essentially a horde mode where four players take on waves of computer-controlled enemies and try to outdo each others’ scores. It doesn’t really work and the game suffers from too many cooks spoiling the broth. Four players going after one enemy just gets messy.

So a let down in the long run, but Bulletstorm still gives such a fantastic core experience that anyone who enjoys playing games to have fun cannot afford to miss this hilariously brutal and fantastically innovative shooter. There won’t be another game out like it until Epic and People Can Fly make the inevitable shooter. And when they do, if they can turn a great idea into the full package we could be looking at one of history’s greatest ever shooters.

3 GOOD POINTS

+          Innovative new score based approach to FPS. Gameplay is fresh 
 and exciting.

+          Tonnes of great, brutal weapons, cool sniping and the awesome 
            leash.

+          Superb voice acting saves an otherwise average story.

3 BAD POINTS

-           Campaign is far too short, rocking in at little over 8 hours.

-           Echoes mode offers nothing new – you’ve seen it all in the 
            campaign.

-           No competitive multiplayer is a huge disappointment – we want to 
  leash our friends!

GRAPHICS The typical quality we’ve come to expect from Epic. Huge muscular characters with masses of blood and explosions. The setting can be slightly repetitive, but looks beautiful all the same.	9/10
GAMEPLAY Like a breath of fresh air with just a hint of splattered brain (whatever that smells like). Scoring system works brilliantly to add new ways to kill – all hilariously brutal. Some of the most fun you’ll have this year.	10/10
STORY It’s a little clichéd but it works for what it needs to be – a reason to mutilate, although it is a little short. The voice acting is excellent with Grayson dishing out the macho quips like a pro and the superbly voiced General Sorano being the perfectly hateable foil.	7/10
REPLAYABILITY The echoes mode adds some replayability but is technically no more than tiny chunks of the story mode you’ve already done sans the story. The echo sections don’t add any extra bits or set pieces, and the multiplayer is little more than echoes mode with 4 people which gets a bit overcrowded at times.	6/10
VALUE FOR MONEY AT In the short term it’s worth whatever the trade in value is. It’s a game big on substance but small on longevity and with no competitive multiplayer to keep it alive, you’ll be handing it back pretty quick. The short story mode makes it perfect for renting.	£25 - £30
OVERALL A real balls-out, fun-focused approach to first person shooting. Bulletstorm is an absolute riot and has tonnes of laugh out loud moments thanks to the brilliant skill shot system. Not much to do after the story’s over, though, and the multiplayer is a real letdown.	8/10

MARVEL Vs. CAPCOM 3: FATE OF TWO WORLDS REVIEW - By Alex

It could be argued that had Capcom not reignited the 2D beat ‘em up scene, by hitting the Street Fighter 4 nail so squarely on the head, we may never have seen this utterly chaotic and thoroughly enjoyable fighter.

Following on from its Dreamcast predecessor that was released over 10 years ago, Marvel vs Capcom 3 (MvC 3) once again does exactly what it says on the tin and pits an assortment of the best Capcom game characters against Marvel’s superheroes. The huge amount of characters on offer provides for any number of dream match-ups and the resulting on-screen fracas does not disappoint.

MvC 3 is without a doubt the most bat-shit crazy, high-octane, visually explosive beat ‘em up since…well, Marvel vs Capcom 2. Fighters swoop and soar all over the screen unleashing insanely over-the-top attacks that fill the screen with enough bright colours and flashing lights to give even a Pokémon cartoon epilepsy. Never has a ‘flashing images’ warning at the start of a videogame been more justified (or exciting).

The characters range from all over both universes with the more widely known Capcom characters like Ryu and Chun-Li from Street Fighter, Dante from Devil May Cry and Resident Evil’s Chris Redfield coming up against lesser known foes like Felicia from the Darkstalkers Franchise and Arthur from Ghosts & Goblins. The Marvel roster is beefed up with blockbuster movie heroes like Spiderman, Wolverine and Iron Man and padded out with fan-service names like Dormammu from Doctor Strange and M.O.D.O.K. from the Avengers.

Each character is superbly well balanced and nuanced, giving the game a roster where every player will have different favourites. The control scheme is also so easy to pick up that players can easily pick fighters they may never have heard of and still unleash all manner of ass kicking, screen filling special moves. It’s a great system that makes the game tonnes of fun to pick up with a friend or two as even beginners can feel like all powerful beat ‘em up behemoths.

The learning curve is, as to be expected, pretty steep though. All moves for all characters are mapped to the familiar three patterns commonly used by all ‘n00b’ Ryu and Ken Street Fighter players, but throw tag team assists and super cancels into the equation and the game becomes exceedingly hard to master. On the flip side, the game’s ease of basic control can lead to even hardened pros becoming victim to the infamous button bashers amongst us, which is a real shame and doesn’t feel like much of a reward for persistence.

MvC 3 is undoubtedly a game that truly excels in local multiplayer and hence, regrettably, falls rather flat as a single player experience. The biggest gripe has to be with the pitifully short arcade mode. You face not even 10 battles before the game is over and, more annoyingly, the arcade mode has absolutely not back story or substance to it.

Despite this being the norm with beat ‘em ups, MvC 3 is a game that houses some of the most richly developed video game and comic book characters in history and to reward a player, upon completion of arcade mode, with no more than 2 still comic book images is pretty pathetic. Why aren’t there any cool cut scenes of Wolverine going berserk on Ryu or Chun-Li kicking ten bells out of Iron Man?

There’s no reason for these enemies to fight each other, no hint of a story mode or even ‘rival’ battles that Street Fighter 4 shoehorned in. A Wolverine vs. Magneto final showdown (yeah I know there’s three characters on a team but the story could at least involve and differ for the team leaders), for example, with some cut scenes and dialogue would provide a fun substance to the fighting and give the fans some awesome service, but sadly we get nothing.

With the arcade mode offering little to single players, the mission mode is all that remains and, again, is a pretty low key offering. Players are given button combinations to mash into their controller and upon completion are given a harder one to complete. And that’s literally it. Nothing along the lines of Soul Calibur’s story modes and a real disappointment when the huge amount of characters means there could have been some really awesome character specific tasks and story branches. Hell, even Street Fighter 2 had that car section!

As long as you have a lot of beat ‘em up hungry friends around most of the time, Marvel vs. Capcom 3 is an absolute blast that will provide you with plenty of frenetic and exhilarating action that is unlikely to be replicated by anything outside of the series. It’s just in the long run and as a single player title that MvC 3 will hardly get a look in and this is down to the game severely lacking any substance or reason for replayability to anyone other than the obsessed combo-aholic perfectionists. Still, as a pick up and play title with mates, you will rarely find a better way to spend half an hour than this.      

3 GOOD POINTS

+          Tonnes of great characters that are all incredibly well balanced.

+          Fast, frantic and flashy action is total chaos and thoroughly entertaining.

+          Simple control system means the game is easy to pick up, but also provides a real challenge for those who want to master all the combos.

3 BAD POINTS

-           All the characters come from rich backgrounds, why is there absolutely no narrative at all here?

-           Simple controls mean the game is widely accessible, but button bashers can score plenty of cheap victories.

-           Very little in the way of different modes – arcade, mission and versus is all we get meaning very little in the way of longevity.

GRAPHICS A visual style sure to be loved and loathed in equal measure, but one that produces big, bright character models and tonnes of high octane epilepsy-inducing carnage. Stages could be better.	8/10
GAMEPLAY A button basher on the surface, but a game that has plenty of depth for the hardcore. Single player lets it down but grab a mate for some one on one local multiplayer and enjoy this insane ride.	7/10
STORY Completely non-existant…obviously. It’s a shame, when you consider the rich backgrounds that almost the entire roster comes from, that there couldn’t be some kind of soul calibur-esque mission mode or at least more than two pictures when arcade mode is completed.	1/10
REPLAYABILITY Purely 50/50. If you want to put the effort into mastering all the characters through mission mode and becoming an almighty champion online then there’s plenty to get through, but casual beat ‘em up fans could soon tire of losing to ‘Johnny press them all’.	5/10
VALUE FOR MONEY AT Not an essential purchase at launch. If you’re totally mad for beat ‘em ups then go for it, but a weekend rent will be enough to satisfy you and your mates until it goes cheap. You’ll break it open for a laugh but it’s unlikely to usurp your usual mainstays.	£20
OVERALL A fast, frantic and fabulous visual overload with easy to pick up controls and plenty of gameplay depth for those who have the patience to master the game, but there’s little replayability beyond that.	7.5/10

DEAD SPACE 2 REVIEW – By Alex

There’s one really noticeable problem with Dead Space 2 that I’m sure almost everyone who plays it will realise. Play for 15-20 minutes, especially for the first half of the game, and you’ll have had all you can handle. The reason, of course, is because Dead Space 2 really is that scary. It’s sheer testament to how superbly well paced the game is that there is very little breathing time at any point, leaving you no option but to switch off the console, turn the lights back on and calm yourself down.

But Dead Space 2 is more than just scares and features some truly innovative (holding off necromorphs while hanging upside down from a train anyone?) and utterly explosive action set pieces. And it’s the combination of nail-shredding terror and gut-busting action that Dead Space 2 gets so right that makes survival horror staples like Resident Evil, itself now much more shifted towards the action genre, look distinctly last gen.

Dead Space 2 is not only a great game in its own right, but as a sequel it ranks among the greatest of this generation of great sequels. It takes the near perfect formula of the first game and improves on almost everything. The scares are more frequent; the setting is more varied and the action is more ambitious. Not to mention the host of new weapons, the new jetpack-like flying sections and the introduction of a voice for our main protagonist Isaac Clarke.

   The choice to give Isaac a voice greatly improves the story-telling and gives gamers a character they can now actually care about

Isaac’s new found, and reasonably well acted, voice helps the story flow a lot better too. The story itself sees Isaac awoken in hospital on the Sprawl, a metropolis built on one of Saturn’s moons, to find himself in amongst yet another necromorph infestation. With no memory of the three years that have passed since the first game, Isaac is told that he is responsible for building a replica of the original marker that has not only caused said infestation, but fills Isaac’s head with horrifying visions of his deceased girlfriend Nicole. Naturally, he sets out to destroy it.

The setting of the Sprawl is a huge improvement on the dank and repetitive corridors of the mining ship Ishimura from the original. The action now takes place in hospitals (in one of the most exhilarating opening acts ever seen in gaming), shopping districts, nursery schools and sports gyms as well as the usual zero-g escapades in space itself, all of which are presented superbly by the games top notch graphics.

The new setting for Dead Space 2, on a moon orbiting Saturn, is another huge improvement on the original game giving much more variety in locations and stunning views such as this

The sequel also takes the player on the obligatory ‘trip down memory lane’ by re-visiting the Ishimura and this provides one of the best examples of the Dead Space 2’s ability to scare the player through sheer dread as well as the usual jumps and shocks.

The psychological scares are excellently provided through the games brilliant use of sound and lighting. Objects fall off shelves creating loud crashes; lights flicker and go out shrouding you in darkness and steam valves randomly go off in your face. Dead Space 2 literally never lets up on the scares even when there are no necromorphs around. It’s the anxiety built up by the game simply messing with you that keeps you on edge throughout. The aforementioned Ishimura section is a prime example of this – keeping you waiting through all the mind games for that inevitable wave of attack. This is immersive horror at its absolute peak.

It’s a shame, then, that the end of the game seems to dial down these brilliant aspects and switches to an all out necromorph onslaught – spewing room after room of enemies at you, much like the end of the original did. Luckily the excellent array of brutal weapons ensures the end of the game is still exhilarating and slicing up enemies never gets boring. The final few chapters also introduce (although it’s also in the first game) the genius idea of un-killable enemies that keeps the pulse racing to the, somewhat disappointing, climax.

The game offers so much more that cannot be done justice enough by simply talking about it – it really has to be experienced. The new zero-g flying sections are a great addition and some of the new enemies add even more terror to make you edge all the more slowly round every corner. Dead Space 2 does so much right and so very little wrong, providing one of the most exciting, frightening and downright brilliant games of this generation and is easily the early front runner for game of the year.   

3 GOOD POINTS

+          Absolutely terrifying in places, completely exhilarating in others. One of the finest survival horror games ever created with incredible tension and dread throughout.

+          Improves on the original in every single aspect, especially in adding a voice to Isaac and expanding the types of location.

+          Addition of multiplayer extends lifespan over previous game and promise of DLC chapters keeps fans hungry for more.

3 BAD POINTS

-           End of the game starts to do away with the suspense and starts to slide into shooting gallery mode and the end boss is slightly disappointing.

-           Hardcore mode is damned near impossible and not fun whatsoever. A real fly in the 1000G ointment.

-           Multiplayer is a cool addition, but not exactly very original *cough* left 4 dead *cough*.

GRAPHICS A truly stunning game with tonnes of gore and an epic sense of scale. Character models and necromorphs looks phenomenal and the game never lags or slows with multiple enemies on screen.	9/10
GAMEPLAY A perfect example of how to mix pant-soiling horror and balls-out action – this is how survival horror is meant to be – the finest example in its genre.	10/10
STORY Helped a lot by a now non-mute protagonist and the hallucination scenes and confrontations with Isaac’s girl frequently disturb. Ellie also provides some classic Alyx Vance style companionship towards the second half.	8/10
REPLAYABILITY You’ll definitely want to re-visit this game to fully upgrade your weapons and suits and the addition of multiplayer definitely adds to long term play. However the lastability is ultimately spoiled by an impossible game mode that will frustrate completionists.	7/10
VALUE FOR MONEY AT Get it while it’s hot; it’s the best game to come out this year so far and the multiplayer probably won’t stick around too long in the face of new games and certain map packs.	£40
OVERALL Stunning. The scariest, and quite probably the best, survival horror game ever made. Simply put - this is how it’s done.	9/10