The Sims 3

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.

Alganon

Score: 9/13

Written by Kieran McSherry

Alganon’s premise is fairly standard, set in a fantasy world in impending peril from roving monsters and various dark prophecies nearing fruition. Players can choose between two opposing factions; Asharr or Kujix.
Asharr represents humankind and all that is righteous in Alganon. They prance down the path of order, hand-in-hand with Sylvain’s (Elves) and the Dronar (Trolls). These mortals have endured hardships over their millennia’s within Ardonya – a region of Alganon’s online world – overcoming demon armies and a giant insect infestation that nearly resulted in their extinction. This brutal history has tempered mankind into a proud and hardened race, both feared and respected throughout Alganon.
The Kujix are the humans warped counterparts, created by a dark and destructive god. Shunned and despised by other races, the Kujix history is steeped in just as much blood as the Humans. However they are also a violent and oppressive force within Alganon, united in a crusade to impose their deity-bestowed perfection upon all other races.
Each faction considers the other to be their fiercest rival and main military threat. It all sounds very gritty, with obvious connotations relating to fascism and world war.
Although PvP (Player versus Player) combat is not present in Alganon, with the back story and clear factional divides, it should be added as the world expands. The mention of other species implies that alternate races will also be affixed, “later.”

A good thing too, as having only two viable race options is enough to make most prospective fantasy MMO fans gag. In fact, the whole character generation process in Alganon seems outrageously restrictive at first glance. Only four classes are present at the moment, each adhering to their RPG cliché: Soldier (warrior/tank), Ranger (archer), Healer (priest) and Magus (duh!). Cosmetics are no help either, as Alganon has only a few visual options to choose from, meaning that most starting characters look very generic and typecast. There is the added element of each players ‘family,’ however this is poorly explained at the beginning and has little effect on the early development of most classes.


Read More in Issue 22

About the game

Yet another fantasy MMORPG release, claiming to rival Blizzard’s beast and contain a host of new features (*Stifled yawn*). This new blood, Alganon is created by Quest Online, the property of cult games developer David Allen, the man responsible for Horizons: Empire of Istaria – an MMO of the previous generation that received little acclaim.
Alganon’s main advertised, and unusual, feature is its player interaction. Alganon takes elements from social networking sites like Bebo & Twitter, allowing players to easily connect, communicate and display their achievements. Just to reiterate, Alganon is the mutated progeny of Facebook and massively multiplayer online role playing games. Did part of you shrivel and die upon reading those words? You are not alone. Naturally it’s the duty of any self respecting games journalist to tear this abomination a new ring piece +1. Right??
Actually, turns out that whole “don’t judge a book by it’s cover” might just be true..

TalesRunner

Score: 11.5/13

Written by Scott Malthouse

Essentially, TalesRunner is Mario Kart on legs, which is a compliment in and of itself, but this game is so much more. You begin by choosing one of four colourful, child-like character with eyes the size of bin lids. There’s Charlie, the most balanced character in the game; Ming Ming, who has less power but superior control; DnD, whose maximum speed is high but acceleration low; and Apollo, who has a ridiculous max speed but terrible acceleration. There are other characters available to purchase with in-game cash or real money later, and there are others currently in the works. The initial selection is somewhat limited and the ability to have complete stat customisation from the beginning would be a welcome feature, but that’s really only a minor quibble.
There is a seven mission tutorial, where each mission teaches you a different ability, from simple dashing and falling to climbing and skiing. This intro does a nice job of easing you into the fairly simple gameplay mechanics, and gets you confident enough to go race a bunch of foreigners in The Park.
The Park is the central hub of the game, allowing you to move your avatar around and chat with other runners and NPCs, play minigames, buy items at the shop and of course find people to race. The vibrant colours on show here are a feast for the eyes, and the ridiculous costumes you’ll see around (a fat kid dressed as a cow, for example) give TalesRunner an instant, quirky charm.
But racing is at the heart of the game, and that’s what TalesRunner does best. There are currently four types of available races: Individual Eight-Player, Team Eight-Player, 30-Player, and Relay. Each race type has its own room that players go to find opponents. Individual Eight-Player pits you against up to seven others, whilst Team Eight-Player allows players to form two teams to go head-to-head. 30-Player chucks you into an insanely fun scenario where you have to run for your life from a creature.. Finally, Relay is between two-teams in, who’d have thunk it, a relay contest. Races are kept lively and frantic with the addition of traps dotted around the tracks, and some of the higher level maps require the reflexes of a jedi to navigate. The tracks themselves, of which there are plenty, are in keeping with the bright aesthetic of the game and there sure is a lot of variety to keep you busy.
Naturally you’re rewarded with experience points throughout, where the amount you receive depends on how high you ranked and how many people you raced against. Unusually though, experience doesn’t directly beef up your stats like it does in most other MMOs. Instead it gives you points to spend on items that can boost your abilities, along with extra items at certain milestones in your character’s progression.


Read More in Issue 22

About the game

Stepping into the shoes of a seven foot warrior who storms around a Tolkienized world ,whacking the gold out of anything that isn’t himself is all well and good, but sometimes it’s nice to put away the Charmed Lance of Uber-Maim™, hang up the Chestplate of Who-Gives-A-Crap™ and play a game where the characters are candy-coated Chibi kids hopped up on golden syrup. Enter TalesRunner.
Developed by South Korean company Rhaon Entertainment, Gala Networks’ “TalesRunner” is a free MMO that isn’t just afraid to break the mould, but is fearless in the act of stomping it down to mere dust. You see, rather than being a bog-standard fantasy grind-a-thon, TalesRunner pits you against people from around the globe to in a variety of races, each requiring you to sprint your little manga heart out in a bid to become the greatest runner ever. And it works too. Quite well actually.

Domain of Heroes

Score: 9/13

Written by Dyan Terese Sim

DoH is a simple, flexible text-and-image based game that doesn’t require any downloads or plug-ins – highlighting the ‘convenience’ factor of the package. Being an MMO, the gameplay is completely logical and as you’d expect – go to an NPC, go to his/her requested places, kill monsters, return with what is required from you. Before you know it, you’re happily and competently playing Domain of Heroes.

Read More in Issue 15

About the game

Domain of Heroes, an MMO browser game from indie studio Tandem Games, is undeniably a comic and mystical marvel. The game offers many adventures, quests and a variety of characters to both play and interact with. Rather than a game to completely immerse you, DoH is ideal for playing as a break from work or school – taking you on a journey through Dohria, where the ever mystical monsters, sages and other dark creatures lay.

Mafia Corruption

Score: 12/13

Written by Scott Malthouse

Let’s face it; the web is drowning in mafia MMOs. Most are played by maybe a handful of people, whilst others, like the net behemoth that is Omerta, entertain millions of wannabe gangsters who are fighting to get to the top of the table. Mafia Corruption may not have as many players as Omerta just yet, but this slick and stylish RPG is a fun, addictive game that definitely has the chops to be one of the best mafia titles out there in internet land.

Mafia Corruption isn’t the most innovative game out there, utilising the tried and tested text-based browser game formula that has served free MMOs so well in the past. There’s a stat box in the corner allowing you to see how much cash you have in pocket, what your level is and your various other stats that determine how many actions you can take. The navigation bar gives links to all the key areas of the game, such as your inbox, inventory, the city hub and the forums. Below this are other links for newbie help, an itempedia, preferences and your profile. The game also has a navigation bar at the top with links to the areas you will be frequently using, like the gym and newspaper. There’s nothing here that immediately stands out as revolutionary, but it means those familiar with browser MMOs can pretty much jump straight in with some idea of how to play it, without being bogged down with a mountain of new information.

But where Mafia Corruption does stand out is on the design front. The interface is clean and simple, with slick typography and bold colours that sets the game apart from hundreds of others on the market. The quality definitely enriches the gameplay experience, especially with the 3D character models and the GTA-like screenshot on the city hub page.


Read More in Issue 22

About the game

If you can’t do the time don’t do the crime. Or at least don’t get caught. Mafia Corruption is a free-to-play browser MMO that puts you in the shoes of a classic 1930s gangster who must work his way to the top by performing crimes, getting a job and hospitalising other gangsters. Do you have what it takes to become the number one mob boss?

Dark Fall: Lost Souls

Score: 11.5/13

Written by Scott Malthouse

Once upon a time people used to go to the cinema to be scared senseless. But in the current market of watered down “horror” films with more loud noises than actual suspense, it seems to be the gaming industry that is setting the standard for frights. Games are scarier than movies for one reason: in a game you’re the person heading off into the dark basement, not some random big-chested blonde teen with as much wit as a boiled potato. Immersion is the key to making the masses soil themselves. This is what Dark Fall: Lost Souls does brilliantly, utilising creepy sound effects and disturbing visuals to create an atmospheric horror experience.

The story puts you in the shoes of a disgraced Police Inspector trying to find a missing girl called Amy Haven, whose disappearance is having weird effects on the community of Dowerton, which has seen a rise in teen crime, drug-use and bizarre ritualistic behaviour. Teenagers have reported seeing little Amy’s ghost wandering around and being creepy (like little girl ghosts always are), and the trail leads you to a train station and hotel that has been abandoned since the Second World War. It’s all common horror story fodder, however it is told very well through the first person adventure game mechanic. As the Inspector you will follow various clues sent to your mobile phone by a mysterious individual called Echo, which give hints as to where you should go. You will also collect diary scrawlings, news articles and other such items as you try to piece together what has happened in this forsaken building.
On the way you will come across a range of chilling characters, including ghosts that speak complete gibberish, Shadowkin who surround you in dark areas and drain your life, and Mr Bones, who has the unique hobby of collecting the bones of road-kill to use in dark rituals. Of all your adversaries, the Shadowkin will make you feel the uneasiest and you will find yourself reaching for the light anytime you find yourself engulfed in darkness. Because of this the game does a great job of making you genuinely fear dark places.

The controls are your simple point-and-click affair, with an inventory that pops up when you run your mouse over the bottom of the screen and a mobile phone icon at the bottom left, where you will receive messages from Echo, use the phone light and save your game. Unfortunately Dark Fall is made up of pre-rendered stills that pan around as you move, which makes it feel fairly dated and inhibited. This isn’t a huge deal though, as the rendered artwork is dripping with an atmospheric murk that is perfectly in keeping with the tone of the game.


Read More in Issue 22

About the game

From the macabre mind of Jonathan Boakes comes the third instalment of the cult Dark Fall series of adventure games. Something evil lurks in the ruined Victorian Station Hotel in the once picturesque rural village of Dowerton. It wants to feed upon your soul, so you will have to use all your wit and cunning to persuade the ghosts of the hotel to become your allies and battle this tormented creature that stalks you in the shadows. But one question remains: will you survive?

Damnation

Score: 2.5/13

Written by Johnny Clapham

Damnation; the clue is in the title. This just might be the worst game of the year so far. Unfortunately, it fails at everything it attempts, as both a third person shooter and a platformer.
It’s actually quite hard to think where to start when the whole game is pretty much just one colossal cock-up. Too harsh? I like to be fair, so read on…

Read More in Issue 15

About the game

Damnation is set in an alternate universe where everything is powered by steam and technology has leapt forward as a result. The American Civil war has taken an unusual turn with a power-mad industrialist named Prescott poised to take over the entire country. You play as former soldier Hamilton Rourke, leading a small band of rebels across the wasteland that was once America, determined to stop Prescott and find your missing fiancée. Damnation combines both the shoot-em-up and the platformer genre in a unique Wild West steampunk world.

Beginning life as a fan made mod for Unreal Tournament 2004; Damnation was bought up and has now been released commercially. It was developed by Blue Omega and published by Codemasters…

Champions Online

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Written by DrunkenGamer

Thanks to our friends in the industry, Paddy the DrunkenGamer gained first access to Cryptic Studios’ Champions Online beta. After running around the office doing his “Zoiberg of excitement” again, he started drawing up designs of ‘Guinness Man’, only to be scuppered by his drunken lack of drawing skills. Never mind, eh?

There are a lot of MMO’s on the way but Champions is one that I have been following very closely.

There are a lot of things that interest me about it, particularly as it’s from the guys behind City of Heroes, so I thought I would try to focus sections of this preview on the various key features.
Read More in Issue 15

Grappling Hook

Score: 12/13

Written by Jack (work Exp!)

This first-person puzzler will have each player coming close to tearing out every shred of hair thats sits on top of their head, but unable to take thier hands away from the tantalising keyboard that beckons the player to keep playing until they reach the teleporter pad, offering safety and a good minutes relief, before they find themselves already half-way through the next level. For the first few levels the game takes you through a short tutorial on how to throw yourself around the levels to collect the access codes needed to activate the teleporters which take you on to the next level. Levels become even more fustratingly challenging as the player proceeds through the game, but at the same time even more enjoyable to play for those players who like to be tested by a game. Players will have to overcome moving blocks trying their best to squash them, pinpoint accurate turrets that try to barbecue the player alive, and heated floors that melt the player faster than Frosty the Snowman being subjected to a flamethrower. The controls to the game are simple enough, with the player needing only to jump, aim, move, and fire the grappling hook. Though there are very little actions for the player, each one is put to the ultimate test. The movement is somewhat like the movement seen in ‘Unreal Tournament’ games, but maybe a little more sharp, adding even more pace to the already hectic game. The player uses the typical arrow keys (or w,a,s,d) to move backwards, forwards, strafe left, and strafe right, then use the mouse aim to direct where their player moves towards. The mouse aim also has a crosshair in the center, which when either of the mouse buttons are clicked, blasts out a grapple pad for the laser of the grapple gun to connect to when the mouse button is held down. The jump button (spacebar) is also used in connection to all of the other actions in the games, with the player being able to bounce off where they’re grappling to, and jump up various objects. At many points in the game each action must be strung together extremely fast to save your character from certain death.

Now we enter the graphics part of the game. The fact that this is an indie game yet still 3D is quite amazing. The game is in no way pixelated like some early 3D games and even some 2D indie games, which personally, i think deserves a round of applause. Luminous orange arrows guide the way through each level, though some parts still take some thinking instead of just following the arrows like a sheep into a pen.


Read More in Issue 21

About the game

Have you ever been lost in space with a laser grappling hook and the odd smiley face here and there being your only condolences? From Speed-Run Games comes one of the most spectacular indy games of many. ‘Grappling Hook’ finds you as a presumably lost, futuristic astronaut trying to find your way back to Earth. With the 1st person camera you see the exactly what your character sees, including the shape of the characters helmet, and the displays seen inside it. Admittingly, not much of the story is revealed to you, but the gameplay sure as hell makes up for it.

Zeno Clash

Score: 10.5/13

Written by Scott Malthouse

The story takes place in Zenozoik, a colourful world dubbed by the developer, ACE Team, as “punk fantasy”. You play as Ghat, who is being hunted by his vengeful siblings for killing their Father-mother (which is exactly what you think) with a bomb. Did you doubt the wackiness of this game? Ghat is joined by his friend Deadra, whose hair is larger than most mammals, as they travel across the forbidden desert towards the end of the world. As the game progresses we are told about Ghat’s life through flashbacks, revealing what possessed him to kill his Father-mother. It’s a strange tale that gets odder and more confusing the further you get. Seriously, this one is difficult to follow, as the out-there dialogue raises more questions than answers, and the flashbacks are equally as puzzling. But at least it’s a fresh and interesting narrative, not falling into the tired beat-em up tradition of bog-standard revenge stories or quests to become the best warrior ever.
But it’s the setting that really carries Zeno Clash: the twisted trees, warped carvings and weird architecture combine to create a place that’s unforgettable. The outstanding visuals are a treat for the eyes and the art is second to none. There’s no doubt that this is a beautiful game. It’s quite an experience travelling from one locale to the next, gawping at the environments as you journey through Zenozoik.
All this prettiness is well and good, but this is a beat-em up, and we’re here to bash things rather than stare at them in wonderment. Combat is simple – perhaps a little too simple. You pull off light punches by holding the left mouse button, and right-click to bring on the pain with a heavy punch. The space bar is used to block and dodge enemy assaults, whilst the ‘E’ key locks onto your assailant so you can circle them and give them the old ‘one-two’. You’re going to be dodging a lot, so get used to hitting the space bar and moving the mouse on a regular basis. Whilst most of the combat is melee, you can pick up an array of funky boomsticks to pick off enemies from afar.
You begin with picking up a couple of weak pistols, but as the game progresses you get access to more powerful weapons, like the skull crossbow and musket. The problem with weapons is that they get smacked out of your hands easily when someone gets too close, so you just resort to fisticuffs once more. As a result, you’ll be relying far more on your hands and feet than bullets.
Although you can pull off a couple of other fun moves, like grabbing someone when they’re stunned and punching them to kingdom come, there isn’t a heck of a lot of variation in combat, which eventually results in lots of mouse-mashing.


Read More in Issue 21

About the game

Zeno Clash is downright bizarre. There aren’t many games out there where a tutorial consists of a guy, sounding like he smokes 60 a day, mentoring you on the intricacies of taking pot-shots at headless chickens running around a freaky alternate plane of existence. This first-person brawler is as entertaining as it is pant-wettingly surreal, with a gorgeously rendered world and some memorable characters to meet. However, the unintelligible story and often monotonous combat mechanics prevents Zeno Clash from being a true classic fighting game.