Score: 11/13

Written by Drunken Gamer

with the beta ending that also meant the characters all got wiped and I found myself back in the character creator; to start again.
When you start your career in The Federation, before you pick your race, you have to choose your speciality. In the beta I had tried both the Tactical Officer and Science Officer, who are the game’s DPS & Support roles respectively. For live I have decided to play an Engineering Officer, who are STO’s tanks. After you have picked your career you are sent to the main creator and made to pick your race.
This time I was planning on going with a human that looked somewhat like myself, but to be honest, knowing the depth of the character creator, the enticement of the race specific traits couldn’t keep me away from creating my own unique race.
For those that missed my hands-on last month: every character gets 4 traits, which are basic gameplay and stat enhancements. Some will be locked racial traits if you play as one of the pre-made races, which you can then compliment with traits from the generic choices.
To make this seem balanced, the predefined racial traits are a touch more focused and favourable than the generic traits. Fair, because they also lose some of their customisability.
After you have selected the traits it’s time to once again lose the next few hours tweaking your character to perfection. Cryptic have had plenty of experience crafting these character creators. All the lessons they have learnt from both City of Heroes/Villains & Champions Online have been applied and polished even further here.
The number of parts that you can apply to your custom race is quite impressive, and that’s before you get to start tweaking them. Almost every element of the character can be tweaked, from obvious items such as height and bulk, down to the slope of your cranium and size of your eyes. After you are finally done with your tweaking you are treated to the games intro CGI. This was not here when I played the beta and does a good job of setting the story of the game world. What makes it even better is that it’s voiced by the legendary Leonard Nimoy! (Look, I’m a trekkie, and he ‘is’ a legend).
Once you are thrown straight into the tutorial, a battle with the Borg in the Vega system ensues. You are guided through your tasks in the tutorial by the Emergency Medical Hologram, or EMH, of the USS Khitomer, who in another nod to the trekkies is voiced by Zachary Quinto. If you want to read a more detailed explanation of the tutorial itself, you can read my walkthrough of it in last month’s issue.


Read More in Issue 23

About the game

RED ALERT!!!
ALL HANDS TO BATTLE STATIONS!!!!
Star Fleet Command, this is Ensign DrunkenGamer of the USS StarBug…. Our ship is under attack from the Borg in the Vega System. The Captain and most of the command staff have been killed, I have assumed temporary command of the vessel and am engaging the enemy….We need assistance…Send the rest of the fleet NOW!!!
RED ALERT!!!
Last month I brought you my opinion of Cryptic studios latest MMO, Star Trek Online. Since then the game has gone live, which allows me to go back and see if the beta period has changed anything. One thing first though; I would like to thank Cryptic for an enjoyable end of beta event. The first stage was a bit unfair on the players that took the option of joining the Klingon fleet – they were badly outnumbered. However the second stage, with the Borg overrunning everything, was a lot of fun, and some of those fights had a true feeling of accomplishment.

Score: 10/13

Written by Scott Malthouse

Fetch your silencer and garrotting wire because it’s time to dive into the grim but glamorous world of the hired gun. Developed by Wizard Productions, a growing creator and host of a number of different MMOs, Hitman’s Life is a game that will keep you satisfied…as long as you haven’t played Mafia Corruption. You see, Hitman’s Life is a blatant reskin of Wizard’s Mafia Corruption, utilizing almost identical menus, stats and design. For Corruption players there will be nothing new here, save some new names and a couple of features, but for those gamers who haven’t tried either, Hitman’s Life contains all the merits of Corruption and is, by itself, a well made game.

The first thing you will notice about Hitman’s Life is the artwork that has been taken from IO Interactive’s Hitman series and the terrible movie it spawned. Clearly they weren’t going for originality here, so it would be nice to get some good artwork in there rather than be content with looking like a rip-off. Seeing the less-than-credible Timothy Olyphant stuck on the page is enough to make you close your browser. That, however, would be a mistake, as you will soon see.

When you register you must choose between two servers. Server one has the most players so it’s recommended you go for that unless you’re a loner who doesn’t want to talk to anyone, in which case you must ask yourself ‘why am I registering for an MMO in the first place’? You’re led to the standard registration form and once you’ve created your account you can jump right in.

After recoiling in terror at the realisation your default avatar is Timothy Olyphant attempting to do his best impression of a slightly threatening towel, you will notice that the design is pretty hot. It’s much like Corruption; mostly black with the navigation panel and stats in the same spot; but this looks marginally better. The sleek orange stat bars at the top are a nice touch and the limited colour palette keeps things looking cool: unlike Olyphant’s hitman.


Read More in Issue 23

About the game

Do you have what it takes to live the dangerous life of a professional killer? No? Well play Hitman’s Life, a much less murderous alternative to taking out real contracts. In this free-to-play browser MMO your aim is to become the best hitman in the game by doing jobs, killing other players and getting filthy rich.

Score: 8.5/13

Written by Scott Malthouse

After his chilling debut, Dark Fall: The Journal, Jonathan Boakes returned with the next title in his horror adventure series – Lights Out. The sequel was a valiant effort that took and ran with the tried and true “creepy place plagued by ghosts” formula and added a time-travel twist to the mix. But whilst Lights Out is both atmospheric and original, the story is fairly uninteresting and the gameplay feels like a powerpoint presentation, albeit one with detailed artwork.

You play as Scottish cartographer, Benjamin Parker, who has been sent to Cornwall on a job that, judging by his diary entries, he is none too pleased about. His lack of enthusiasm isn’t surprising considering that you’re staying in a grimy fishing town that seems to have no more than a handful of residents inhabiting it. What’s more is that three people have mysteriously disappeared from the town’s ominous lighthouse, which will become the focal point of Parker’s adventure. When he does get further into his investigation he will find himself being hurled back and forwards through time, from the Bronze Age to the shiny future, which is one of the cooler aspects of the story.

You navigate your way around the little town through a series of pre-rendered stills with fade transitions as you move. This was a fine method of adventure game movement back when Myst was released and technology had graphical limitations, but Lights Out came out in 2004 so we shouldn’t have to play through a slideshow anymore. Fortunately the images are realistic and the detail on some of the objects is superb, making the town really look lived in.


Read More in Issue 23

About the game

Three men once manned the lighthouse on Fetch Rock, but they vanished without trace on New Year, 1900. No-one knows what really happened to those three poor souls, and no-one is brave enough to stay in the lighthouse…except you. Travel to Fetch Rock Island and discover what really happened…

Score: 6/13

Written by Johnny Clapham

With the deluge of craptacular sequels that have followed it, it’s easy to forget that the original Saw is actually a pretty good thriller with an interesting premise. Despite a decreasing decline in quality, the films show no sign of stopping and now the franchise has leapt into the murky, often disappointing, world of movie tie-ins.
To be fair, with it’s emphasis on twisted mind games and puzzles, the Saw films should make an ideal transition into the gaming world. Unfortunately, thanks to several big flaws, Saw becomes an adequate distraction rather than a decent game.

The game is divided into chapters, each culminating in a deadly puzzle where you must free one of Jigsaw’s victims. The final puzzles are one of the few highlights of the game, but even these become tired after a while, as they’re basically large-scale rehashes smaller puzzles that appear within the levels. But, before they descend into repetition, these mini-games-from-hell are some of the only true moments of tension – something that is sadly lacking from the main portion of Saw’s gameplay.
Survival horror games can almost get away with not being scary if they have some decent game mechanics, or an element of tension. Saw doesn’t have either, thanks to the developers reusing the same ideas over and over again throughout.
At first it’s quite novel that there are lots of smaller traps scattered around the asylum, with the player constantly having to be on the lookout for hidden trip-wires that could trigger a shotgun blast, killing you outright. However, Saw repeats this dozens of times, making the whole process feel tedious and frustrating, especially when you get caught out the one time you forgot to look at the ground. This is not the only instance of repetition – a lot of the time is spent pulling keys out of toilets full of used needles, or rearranging pipes in order to stop gas leaks.

Where the game really falls apart is the combat. Tapp is not the only character trapped in the asylum, and most of the other people you encounter are aggressive and desperate to get the key that will release them from the asylum. Unluckily for you, this key has been placed inside Tapp’s chest. Tapp can arm himself with makeshift weapons found around the asylum; from baseball bats to the occasional gun. Not only that, but there is the ability to make small traps of your own or lure enemies into the ones already set by Jigsaw.


Read More in Issue 22

About the game

The story centers on the kidnapping of Detective Tapp, by his alleged suspect, The Jigsaw Killer. During the first Saw film, Tapp witnessed his long time friend and partner, Detective Steven Sing, fall victim to one of Jigsaw’s traps. This left Tapp mentally unstable and he was soon discharged from the police force. Later, Tapp was shot in the chest by Zep Hindle after chasing him in pursuit of Jigsaw. This caused Jigsaw to get someone to heal him and conceal a key in his chest. Tapp was then placed in an abandoned asylum. When he awakes he soon realises that he is trapped inside one of Jigsaw’s deadly games and must use all of his wits to escape.

Score: 11/13

Written by Turkeysaladboy

You start by registering for free and waiting for your new team to arrive by email – a motley crew of fictional players, each with a random set of statistics. The objective is simple: win matches and earn promotion, even the odd trophy. Battrick really slogs the competition for six, in that a typical season imitates the modern game with fixtures involving orthodox First-Class, limited overs and the circus that is Twenty20 cricket (without the pyjamas). As a result of the busy fixtures, players have to manage their resources both tactically and carefully.
Those with experience of sports management games will appreciate the statistical analysis at the core of Battrick. Your players statistics will determine your match-day selection. From browsing the rules, you should be able to work out which of your squad is best suited to each position. Common sense very much applies – would you field a player with useless stamina, abysmal batting and the concentration level of a goldfish?

Players can be trained in-game with an allocation of 10 net sessions per week. The principal of diminishing returns applies if you put a player through 2 or more sessions of a kind per week, so plan your schedule carefully. Stat updates are delivered weekly and coincide with financial updates – yes, people pay to watch your team perform, regardless of how badly it may be. A word to the wise though; younger players ‘pop’ quicker in their training than older players. Sir Alan Sugar might appreciate the ‘fire’ option here, and it should be considered for weak players who are better suited to completing the scorecard than contributing to one of the columns. You can also change the intensity of the training, which will impact the positive effectiveness but comes with potential injuries and reduced fitness.
The transfer market enables you to buy and sell players. It currently takes 72 hours for a listed player to turn up on the market – to be honest, a local transfer market would reduce the number of cases of insomnia here, since the existing global market often throws up promising stars at crazy times of the day (like 01.43 and 03.26). However, scooping a promising 17 year old for a bargain price is well worth setting the alarm for.
Make a mental note of the prospect’s BT rating. This is an indication of his overall skill level. You can also take advice from experienced managers in the forums, which is handy if you are unsure about whether your prospect is going to make the headlines, or be wrapping them around fish and chips on the Blackpool pier.


Read More in Issue 22

About the game

The web is littered with cricket management games, however there is one game that scores at a higher run-rate than the rest of the pack – Battrick.
While cricket might be considered a pastime enjoyed by public schoolboys, the barriers to entry with Battrick are not a Home Counties post-code or a summer house in Provence. Battrick is free-to-play and works in any browser. In actual fact, Battrick unites enthusiasts for the game of cricket, with its tentacles wrapped around the world in a way that would leave a modern-day charity green with envy.

Score: 6/13

Written by Drunken Gamer

With all the minion control going around this month, I get the impression that the others on the team have given me both Crazy Machines games (1 & 2) in an effort to confuse me. At least long enough to stop barking orders at them. Do my bidding, now!

Right, have you ever heard of a Rube Goldberg machine? Fear not, neither had I, or at least that’s what I thought. If you have ever spent more than 30 minutes watching videos on YouTube, or watched a Wallace & Gromit film, chances are you have seen one without even realising.

A Rube Goldberg machine is all about doing an extremely simple task, such as putting a ball in a cup, and deliberately making the solution as complex and indirect as possible. And that is what crazy machines is all about, making strange and wonderful contraptions to accomplish your goal.

Read More in Issue 16

About the game

Fulfil the inventor in you and create some wacky and exciting Rube Goldberg machines from scratch by using your imagination and creativity.

Turn the crank, rotate the gears, push the levers, use the catapult, explode it, or fly it…From grilling sausages with a pulley, gears, rubberbands and a candle to firing a cannon with a basketball, these wacky brain-teasers will light up your imagination with creative and addictive fun!

Score: 8/13

Written by Gow

I’m sure many will be a little put off by my comparison of a flower-based, asteroid conquering RTS to an illegal substance, however the colours and music blend beautifully to create a game that is perfect to relax and calm you. Yes, it sounds boring, but imagine 600 spaceships blasting lasers at each other whilst orbiting a planet alongside a few defensive drones and heat-seeking missiles. Now, replace the spaceships with petals.
The plot, summarised in a few short lines earlier, is a simple one and doesn’t offer you much. You’re presented with text-based narrative before, during and after each mission to give your campaign some sense of meaning, and for a game of it’s nature it’s perfectly adequate. Like everything else, the gameplay is simple, with you having to conquer the neighbouring asteroids with your petals, or “Dyson”, as they’re called in game – you know, because “petals” are lame. You’ll find yourself pitted against a mixture of different coloured enemies, all intent on stopping you at every turn. This, combined with the sheer volume of Dyson involved in each battle, results in multicoloured mayhem. The initial levels feel a little stale, but train you up for the later levels where tactics can mean the difference between life or flowery death. Despite this, the learning curve is very shallow and you’ll breeze through most missions unhindered. You’ll have the odd setback, but it will be nothing you can’t recover from.
To create more Dyson (petal-like spaceships), you have to plant trees, sacrificing 10 of your Dyson to do so. This is where tactics come in, as you have to make sure you have enough surviving troops to defend yourself whilst the tree grows. You also have the option of planting a defence tree – a tree which can fire seeking missiles that will track down the enemy and detonate. However, each asteroid has a maximum number of trees, so you’ll have to choose carefully whether your asteroid is going to be a defensive planet, a producing planet, or a mixture of both. This is where the tactics come in. There’s no need to flank enemies or plan out every intricate detail of your attack, it comes down to resource management. No two asteroids are alike and will offer different stats. Stats transfer from the asteroid to the tree, so a high-strength, high-speed asteroid will result in high-speed, high-strength Dyson. Good asteroids are hard to find and even harder to keep, so defensive trees are a good option. But if it’s that good, you’re going to want to get as many Dyson as you can from it; the more Dyson trees, the more Dyson you’ll have to overcome the enemies – however you run the risk of losing it all to the enemy if you don’t defend it well. Tricky!

Things become inherently trickier with the introduction of seeds. Seeds grow on fully developed dyson trees, allowing you to boost a tree. If added to a defence tree, you’ll receive a laser mine capable of wiping out most things thrown at it. Laser mines are slow moving, can fire multiple lasers and explode, causing more damage when finally destroyed. They’re very useful in both defence and attack. You can also upgrade a Dyson tree, which results in it creating super-soldiers that fire faster and cause more damage than standard Dyson troops. Cleverly combining an attack with a laser mine almost guarantees success, however they are susceptible to attack from defence trees, so you have to be careful.


Read More in Issue 22

About the game

Euphoria is the feeling of great, exaggerated elation – a heightened state of happiness or well-being. It’s hardly something you’d associate with an RTS game, but Eufloria has taken the genre and twisted it somewhat. Best described as a horticultural RTS..in space, Eufloria offers simple visuals, calming music, flowers, oh, and the domination of the universe.
After the arrival of the grey enemy, you travel into deep space to discover the dark secrets about their arrival, discovering new weapons and tactics, all while being lulled into a state of euphoria usually only ever achieved by opiates.

Score: 11/13

Written by Dyan Terese Sim

First step is to create a character; the process of creating one is so outstandingly detailed you could spend a whole day on it; such as choose every feature of your character from the type of clothes she/he would wear to the shape of its ear and even to the freckles on its face. A wide variety of clothes and colours are also available for your sim; able to alter the sizes and widths of each segment, an excellent piece in Sims and is one that makes this game so memorable. As a challenge to the company they could in future Sims allow the player to design the clothes that the characters would wear.

To add a more lifelike characteristic to your sim traits (personalities) are available, however only 5 can be authorized to each character from a choice of 63, an outstanding amount for a game. Every adult character would also have a lifetime wish and a day wish, these are aims for your Sim’ in which they would strive to achieve. This could be as simple as making a friend to something more challenging; becoming a rock-star. However, in “reality” job for them are required; again would be up to your desires. This would involve your character to search around, newspapers, internet etc.

Read More in Issue 15

About the game

Created by Will Wright Sims 3, the latest from the series, and is by far the greatest yet. This life on screen adventure allows you to create and edit “life” as we know it; clearly being non-fiction. Sims, being a game so undeniably distinguished it’s impossible to ignore, especially with Sims, Sims 2 and their ever escalating expansions. One of the greatest accomplishments; never lacks excitement and adventure which, on the down side, means that to enjoy Sims and everything it has to offer you would have to dedicate a great deal of time.