EyePet Release This Holiday

Sony has confirmed what many retailers have been suggesting of late that EyePet will release this holiday season and not be pushed back to 2010. Considering EyePet is aimed towards youngsters and families it makes perfect sense to release it in time for Christmas. It will be sold as a standalone and as a bundle with the PlayStation Eye.

So keep a PlayStation Eye out this Christmas for EyePet in the US and Europe.

Official MAG Boxart

Just a quick little post. I've been surfing the net and have just found the MAG (Massive Action Game) Offical boxart, which you can see above. Is it just me or does it look a little focused upon the SVER faction?

WipEout HD Fury Review

---WARNING, PLEASE READ---
For those of you that don't know, WipEout HD Fury is an expansions pack to WipEout HD, this means that you cannot use this pack without first buying WipEout HD on the store, anyways, on with the review...
Also, this review is pretty long, if you don't have the time, read the Summary section at the bottom of this post.

---WARNING, PLEASE READ---

Gameplay
As an expansion pack, the amount of gameplay added onto the original game is truly massive. The pack includes a brand new campaign with 80 new cells (the original campaign had 87) which also features all 3 of the new modes (Eliminator, Detonator and Zone Battle - all discussed below - ) as well as all of the old events like Single Races and Speed Laps. This new campaign will probably take you about 15 or so hours to complete, and will provide a much more challenging, strategic and varied game than the original, however once you've finished this great new campaign you can take yourself online to pit your wits against other players in Eliminator or Zone Battle, which will add yet more hours of fun. Not only that, the pack includes revamped versions of all 10 team ships, each with stat improvements over the original versions; all of which can be played on the 12 new tracks (4 Forward, 4 Reverse, and 4 Zone Exclusive). There is only one downfall in this pack which I can see at the moment, and that is the glitches. The new pack can cause the game to crash every so often, as well as cause framerate drops whilst in events (which can be extremely frustrating) but overlooking that the pack is perfect.

Right, on to the new modes. Eliminator is a brand new game mode centred around weapons, you must pick up weapons and fire them at your opponents, when you hit opponents you get points, and the first player to ascertain the target number of points wins. Simple, right? Add the new option to flip your ship to bring the fight to your opponents, as well as eliminations which substansially increase your points, and you get a fun, challenging new game mode which will keep you entertained for hours.

Detonator is another great new game type. Think of Zone mode, then add mines to the track and guns to your ship. your job is to survive as long as you can (up to 14 stages) by shooting the mines that obstruct your paths with you cannons. You have an EMP which can clear a portion of the track (for when you get into really tight spots) however you have to charge the EMP up by driving over pads. Like I said, another interesting mode with the potential to last for hours. Remember though, Detonator mode is Single-Player ONLY... no online for you here.

And last but not least, Zone Battle. Like before, think of Zone, then add up to 7 other players which you have to fight to reach the goal. At the beginning a target zone is set, the first person to reach the target zone wins. Additionally, you have the Zone Bar, this bar is charged up whenever you drive over a Zone pad. Once you charge it up, you can choose whether to absorb this zone energy to increase your ships energy and shield yourself from obstacles for a small period of time; or you can use it to boost your zone to a higher level (thus making you reach your goal quicker). If you choose to boost your zone, you leave behind a zone barrier, which if you crash into, will deplete your zone bar as well as your overall zone.

Sound
The new expansion includes 6 new music tracks which were described as much more moody by Studio Liverpool, and right they were. These new tracks really fit the entirely new game atmosphere you are playing in, and really make you more immersed in the experience.
As always, the sound effects are top notch, new voiceovers have been added to compliment the game modes, and the weapon effects sound just as good as before, no faults here!!!

Graphics
Yes, you are still running in 1080p Fulll HD at 60fps. The framerate does not falter with the massive amounts of action in Eliminator or in the high speeds of Detonator. However at times, the framerate appears to drop for no apparent reason and can make you lose an event which you were otherwise going to win. Yes, it is frustrating, but it happens rarely and will hopefully be patched in the future.

The menu themes have been revamped from the minimalistic white and blue, to the evil black and red. This new theme really fits in with Fury and makes the game look so much cooler, the ships look much more graphically detailed and emit a red trails rather than blue. The HUD has also been revamped in the new modes to accomodate the new features, it does a really good job and is just as easy to read as the original HUD.

Longevity
Like I said before, this pack will add at the very least 15 hours of gameplay to the already massive game, many players will spend even more time mastering the new tracks and beating their friends online.

The trophies are reasonably easy (considering this is WipEout HD we're talking about) all of which are bronze, therefore they should only give a few problems to less experienced players. The Fury expansion makes some of the original trophies easier, namely AG Assassin (eliminate 50 online opponents) which is easily achieved with the help of Eliminator online; and Livery Liberation (unlock all liveries in the game) and wipEout Disciple (obtain 100,000 loyalty points for any team) both of which are made easier by Detonator, which gives you a large amount of points (1000-2500) for only a short playtime.

Conclusion
Like the subject suggests, this is how all game DLC should be. A truly massive expansion which will keep you entertained for hours, it makes the game more varied as well as more challenging and action packed. The game falters slightly with framerate issues, screen tearing and crashes, but these don't ruin the whole experience for you and will probably be fixed in the near future by Studio Liverpool. A must buy if you haven't already gotten WipEout HD (which is also a must buy)

97/100

Summary
This is basically a section for readers who can't be bothered to read that long review I just wrote, so here is the review summarised...

The Good
- A massive expansion which will add at least 15 hours of gameplay to the original game
- Brand new game modes make for a more action packed and strategic game, as well as a more varied one.
- New trophies increase the playtime of this game still, whilst the pack also helps with some of the older trophies
- Fury still maintains highly detailed environments, smooth racing and above all, the great fun that the original game brought to you.
- All this for a meager £7.99, a bargain!

The Bad
- Some minor in-game issues such as framerate drops and screen tearing can interrupt the experience slightly, but it won't ruin the game for you and will probably be patched.

Written by: rymanb

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince Review

Back to school already? Oh wait its Hogwarts. Half Blood Prince is the Sixth book in the Harry Potter series and with the film just been recently released there's a video game. If you've read through the Half Blood Prince should know most of the plots and twist with thrills and chills. In the latest chapter Lord Voldemort carries out orders to his death-eaters. Voldemort has chosen Draco Malfoy to carry out his deeds with Professor Snapes help as well.

Harry, Ron and Hermione are back at Hogwarts once again for another year. A new teacher called Professor Slughorn gets his old job back as Potion master and Professor Snape takes the Defence-against the Dark Arts. Harry and Professor Dumbledore also find out more about Tom Riddle (Voldemorts past). If you've read the book you should probably get the most out of the game more then to the film. But if you've only seen the films you might get a little lost on story if you haven't read the book.

Gameplay: If you've played through Order of the Phoenix on Playstation 2 or 3 the controls feel pretty much the same. You'll be using the analog sticks to cast your spells like Wingardium Leviosa you can make the object float, or casting Expelliarmus during wizarding duels. You can explore Hogwarts without any loading screens at all which is good for most gamers if you've used to free-roming games in the past. If you've played through the Order of the Phoenix you used the mauralders map to know where you need to go and you'll see footprints on the floor telling you which way to go, but this time Nearly-Headless Nick will be your guide person in order to get around Hogwarts. Yes Headless Nick did appear a lot in the books and in the first 3 games as well but I guess that makes most Potter fans happy to see old charcters again.

There are mini games as well, where you can make potions in sessions or in Potion clubs. Each potion you make you would have to get the right colour and mixing to make the potion. If you don't there will be a lot of smoke and you can easily get rid of it by pressing the shoulder buttons L2 and R2, and plus you be timed as well on how quick you make it. Another mini game is Wizarding Duel where you can battle other students and through out the main story as well where you'll be facing some bosses but they can be really easy to beat if you keep firing spells a lot by using the right analog stick. There are 5 spells you can use in duels.

You can also play with a friend if you head to versus mode at the main menu, where you can select your favourite charcters like Ron, or Crabbe or Luna. But I guess that the 2 player wizarding duels kind of make it feel like a fighting game but using wands as weapons. There is no online mode the wizarding duels which is a shame for Hardcore Potter fans out there.

Quidditch makes a return in the Half Blood Prince the last time we saw Quidditch as a mini-game and task mission was back in 2004 which was the Prisoner of Azkaban. Where you will be playing as Harry as he try's and catches the golden snitch (Which is a small golden ball where seekers have to catch it). In order to go faster you have to fly through the coloured stars to go faster but if you miss any your time will run out and you would have to start again. You can't use the sixaxis controls if you're flying a broom, you can only use the left analog stick to move, it's a shame because it would have been a nice idea for the game.


Graphics and Sound: Like I said nothing has changed from the graphics they pretty much feel the same as the Order of the Phoenix was back in 2007 if you've played it that is. But the charcters have minor detailed looks and expressions which are a little rushed trying to release the game at the same time the film is released. The best part for most Potter fans would be exploring Hogwarts and the school grounds as usual seeing Hogwarts for what it is and seeing the world a different place in what you would see in your normal schools.

Sound is pattern of on voicing acting because most movie-based games you would have the main actors from the films doing the voicing for the game. Some main charcters still have the same voicing as what you would hear from the main charcters like Harry, Ron and Hermione but there not 100% perfect. But for charcters like Snape, Dumbledore and Nearly-Headless there a lot different from the movies which a lot of people loved, then again I guess that the game does try it making perfect as what the book was. But the voicing for Crabbe and Goyale are a little funny in the game where they try and block Harry's way and saying stuff like "Well if it isn't the losers from Gryffindor, there …. Losers" it's funny because in the books they were Malfoys bodyguards.

Music has always been the same in the other Potter games with magic and fantasy putted with a bit of John Williams's music composing in the film and games as well.

Overall: Most Potter fans might get the most out of the game, if you've found the film a big disappointment on plots and endings. There are trophies for Half Blood Prince if you want to get 100% but most likely you'll get over 50% once you've beaten the main story which can easily take you up to 4-6 hours to beat.
But there's plenty of things to do before and after you can collect Hogwarts crests at different areas, floors, walls in Hogwarts the more you collect you'll be able to unlock more charcters for wizarding duels, more health and your spells will be more powerful to use.

Some people might feel a little put in of but the game being so short meaning that you might be better of reading the book again or you could rent the game if you can't be bothered paying £30-£40 for the game. But when the next Potter film is made which is Deathly Hallows and which is going to be in 2 parts but how will they make the game for it not being set around Hogwarts? Potter fans will just have to wait and see.
Final Rating: 7/10

Written by: Benleslie5

Prototype Review

Prototype is an open world, free roaming super powered action/adventure game. It is based on the character Alex Mercer, who at the start of the game wakes up about to undergo an autopsy, performed by a few scientists. He then discovers he has control of shapeshifting powers, thus allowing him to regenerate. As you trudge through the city ( without any boundaries) Alex gains new powers and EP (experience points) allowing you to upgrade Alex through the start menu.

Gameplay 8/10
The gameplay is easy to mould to your own style, you can consume people and complete the game through stealth and deception, then there is destruction, absolute destruction, for example once; I grabbed a military trooper in my hand, ran up the side of the empire state building, threw the person at a helicopter, dived at the ground, landed in an alley, transformed into a citizen and walked off. The gameplay is smooth and controls are mastered easily, at the moment you might be thinking, "Oh, so you run around shapeshifting and trashing the Military." No! You also have the infected, a virus which is taking over Manhattan. The Infected slowly take over as the game progresses, and the virus takes new forms, nasty creatures called hunters. They are wolf like creatures which take quite a beating to take down, you just need to stay high and attack it from long range, and when it is heavily bleeding, run in, grab it and consume it for a whopping health boost. A group of them are very frustrating and can kill you easily. In this game you die rarely, but sometimes the action is a bit too much. your getting blown off your feet, and you don't know who is shooting at you. Which is very annoying!

Graphics 7/10
Graphics on this game are very similar to a normal PS3 title, not as good as metal gear solid, but not as bad as Legends of Rock. The Graphics would compare to Assassins Creed, they could improve in places, i haven't found any bugs or glitches yet, and I'm pretty hopeful that there wont be many at all, there aren't any loading levels when you walk around the city, only very rare ones when you start up the game / start a new chapter (going off topic there). And the animations are very smooth and play well.

Story 9/10
The story is very gripping to the player, Alex himself undergoes many challenges which will test your frustration. In one part of the game, you get injected with a serum that wipes all his fighting powers so you can only use his brute strength to take on enemies. the story contains many twists and turns in the plot

Overall
8/10

This Game offers loads of variety for everyone. It gives you massive choice and the power you get from the game is remarcable. Worth the money. For those offline adventurers.

Written by: ArcticRecon_