Jagex suggest that the game is best experience by playing a little bit each day, watching your kingdom gradually build. With this in mind D+PAD’s own wannabe dictator – Charles Etheridge-Nunn – spent some time in the world of 8Realms and kept a diary of his adventures. Read on to find out how his endeavours panned out.

THE DOOMTOPOLIS DIARIES
By Charles Etheridge-Nunn

DAY ONE
I am the mighty “Xiahou Chuck” and I shall bring this world to its knees.

My town is a mere burning patch of land, raided by barbarians. My people are weak, but I shall craft them into a mighty weapon. First I put out their fire. I name this land, “Doomtopolis”. There is one minion called “Gary” who points me through every action. He is very needy.

The interactions with this diagonal grid of a village are limited at first, and you need probably 15 minutes to click past Gary’s tutorial. He points out what you should build to get things started. The game opens up from there, giving you a selection of blank ground, trees and hills to develop.

The citizens of Doomtopolis are doing well. I find out that there are types of buildings to make. They make meat, stone and wood. There is metal, which my people do not yet acknowledge. Maybe metal did something to them. Maybe it evokes a primitive fear in them. I mock my little people. I force them to sacrifice their children in my name. I am a benevolent god.

Apparently simply slaughtering my foes is not enough. I must make a city centre and a library. Books are stupid. You cannot easily kill people with a book.
There is a resource called gems. When I am away on important business (watching television) people normally finish their work and sit around listlessly. These gems can make them do things like know what to build next. I should have them beaten.

Gems, by the way, are the way in which 8Realms uses real-life currency; costing approximately 6 pence each and you generally must buy them in large quantities. If you want to instantly finish a building, for example, that’s 65 gems or £3.90 in real money. You start with a small amount and you occasionally get a handful more. You can speed up your builders or buy a new slot for 42p.

DAY TWO
I force my minions to build barracks. I am a mighty warlord and Doomtopolis needs an army. My barracks do nothing alone, I need to build a parade ground.

The world map shows resources available for you to raid. If you need more meat, raid some cows, who may or may not have barbarians on them.

You can upgrade anything in your city, but you need to dedicate research slots first, to allow you to learn how to improve. Much like with the barracks, the parade ground and the library, each need you to research them first.

DAY FOUR
After a day away from my troops, I return to see my tiny minions miss me. They have filled their warehouses. Against my wishes, they need their library to be improved and, as this will make my soldiers better in the long run, I obey.

It takes incrementally longer to upgrade or research things. That’s fine on a working day, or if you only have a few minutes, but any longer and things start to drag.

I make more soldiers. Doomtopolis always needs soldiers. After sending them them out and to defeat my barbarian foes (which takes minutes), I cannot see any more enemies on the on the map. As I have no more foes to to kill, I decide to spend some time working on my internal problems. A warlord should not have to think about quarries.

The big theme of this game is advancement through society. There’s an egg timer in the shape on an “8” at the top of the screen, indicating how far you are in your society. Once it’s full you progress to the next age with new resources and challenges. It’s a nice idea and while it has been used before, this mechanic helps you start off simply and add complexity as it grows.

DAY FIVE
I stand atop my village hall, looking at my crude world map and there is nothing to murder; having reached the pinnacle of my age and I must wait. Eventually the last quarry is upgraded and now a wonder can be built. The ancient Greeks were manly and tough. They knew all about war, so Delphi will help me war all over my enemies.

When your hourglass is full, you have to make a “wonder” to progress to the next age. The settlement still looks like it belongs in the previous age. That’s because you’ll have to start upgrading things from scratch. From a level 3 quarry (ancient) for instance, to a level 1 quarry (classical). The good news is that if you hadn’t levelled your sites the whole way, you can skip all the in-between stages as no one cares about mud huts any more. It’s all about marble.

Jake the minion has returned. Apparently I am an empire, not just a town. I thought I already was. I shall burn his house for this impunity. I get to pick a policy, in this case “control” as it is the most Doomtopian. I name my empire, “The Empire of Screaming”.

Then I make a thousand troops. They shall be my honour guard.

To Page 2 >>

Abstergo is as it again – using the technical capabilities of the Animus to train their agents to become effective killing machines. You play as one of these Templar agents and are subsequently tasked with hunting down and assassinating the competition. You’ll hone your skills, level up to increase your abilities and have a great time doing it, as long as the multiplayer action of the last game was to your liking. This aspect of the story is all fluff that holds little weight when it comes to the action itself; don’t expect it to impact what you do or how you do it, but it does put context to a mode that would otherwise lose all sense.

In the beta, you can choose from a selection of nine characters to begin with, including The Trickster, wielding a dagger, The Vizier with a sword and The Guardian who comes brandishing a lance. Essentially, these are just irrelevant terms, as they will forever be known as ‘the woman in blue’ or ‘that bald guy’, and that’s exactly what you’ll be looking for when trying to pick them out of a crowd, particularly in the new deathmatch mode. Some are most definitely easier to spot than others, with the character in the white hood serving as an easy target from far away – it makes you wonder how the likes of Altair and Ezio got away with it for as long as they did.

Three maps were available during the Beta; the Knight’s Hospital, Antioch and a small area of Constantinople. They all appeared to invoke the artistry of the original Assassin’s Creed (more specifically in atmosphere and coloured hue), whilst providing winding streets perfect for quiet blending and rooftops from which to scope for signs of the enemy. As stated by Ubisoft, the maps have been designed strategically; making a game-plan essential if you want to emerge victorious on a consistent level. Haystacks, benches and crowds are all present, with glowing gates still serving as the perfect means of escape when breaking the line of sight is required.

The two new modes were Deathmatch – a free-for-all which takes away pedestrian duplicates of each character, making every player unique and much more vulnerable – and Artifact Assault. In the latter, players are split into two teams and tasked with stealing a flag from the opposing base and then bringing it back to a specified location. It’s an interesting twist on the standard ‘capture the flag’ modes we’ve seen so often before, but in this case entering an enemy camp is genuinely unnerving, as you go from having the advantage as pursuer to becoming an immediate target. Once again, risking vulnerability key, but it also makes success feel that much more of an accomplishment.

Beyond the standard killing, a range of abilities become available, with some only unlocked once you have increased your rank and spent Abstergo credits. The smoke bomb is a returning favourite (perhaps frustrating for newbies still learning the ropes) and the disguise proves invaluable during a standard Deathmatch where confounding the pursuer will makes life a whole lot easier for a time. Also promised is a wealth of customization options for your chosen character, as well as online leaderboards and challenges. In this sense, the development team has made sure to build on the foundations of Brotherhood with the intention of creating a more robust multiplayer package this time around.

We wish we could come to you with details of the game’s single player storyline, and to be fair, that’s exactly what most people will be going for. For now, what we can tell you is that the multiplayer shaping up to be fun and functional, yet may not quite go far enough to convert those left cold by the antics of the game’s predecessor as Ubisoft has decided to play it safe by adding to it rather than attempt any kind of revolution. Assassin’s Creed Revelations will be available in just a few short months in time for the Christmas season and we expect it to retain the very charm, atmosphere and absorbing gameplay that have awarded the series such popularity. We look forward to seeing you then, unless of course you happen to be our pursuer.

Sonic Generations 3DS

Whatever you might think of Sonic’s latest adventures on home consoles (thoughts of that werehog still have us cringing), the handheld titles have retained at least some of the hedgehog’s glory by adding a rush of speed, some neat new twists in gameplay and some colourful, if slightly derivative landscapes. As the upcoming console version of generations deals with the Sonic of old as well as his latest adrenaline-fuelled ‘Unleashed’ incarnation, the handheld version suitably sticks to what it does best, in this case handling the Sonic of old, then throwing in the ‘Rush’ version that has proved so popular. Unfortunately, Sonic Generations seems to deliver only on what it preaches, which could be a bad thing given the interesting – if not always successful – shake-up to proceedings that Sonic Colours provided.

Classic Sonic will feel instantly familiar if you’ve played any of the original Mega Drive titles (and with so many re-releases out there, we can’t think of a reason why not) while modern Sonic blasts through the levels at an eye-watering pace. We’re sad to say that although the 3D effect was functional, it added very little at all, even detracting from the experience as the frame rate chugged and the screen began to tear – pretty unforgiveable for a game based around the element of speed. Noticeably, all was well with the slider turned right down. With some nice set-pieces and challenging boss battles, Sonic Generations 3DS could still impress if this graphical kink is ironed out.

Resident Evil Revelations

Following in the footsteps of Resident Evil 4 and 5, Revelations presents a survival horror played from the third-person, over the shoulder perspective. Unlike Chris and Sheva’s console release however, Revelations returns to the series’ roots by offering only scarce amounts of ammo. Walking into a room only to hear a noise and to be rushed from behind by a pair of bladed creatures can be daunting, especially if you only have a handful of bullets left. Critical shots are a must then, which might not always be easy when attempting to get to grips with the controls on the handheld system. It is, however, wholly engaging.

The demo begins with Jill Valentine (complete with sexy battle suit) waking up in a creepy yet richly detailed mansion; this is one game that shows the true horsepower of Nintendo’s little machine. You’re then tasked with examining objects and interacting with them, be it draining a bath tub to find a key to open a locked door, or completing a short mini-game to short-circuit a fuse box. The smaller, closed-in rooms and corridors have afforded a good sense of atmosphere, though we do look forward to seeing what other locales and horrific foes lie in wait as Jill pushes on through the mansion. This should be a much better use of your money than the cash-in that was Resident Evil: The Mercenaries.

Kid Icarus: Uprising

Mario Kart appeared crisp and clean, Revelations showed graphical prowess and Starfox 3D saw the return of a legend, but if there was one game that presented the 3D effect in all its glory, it was Kid Icarus: Uprising. Western gamers may not be too savvy with the character Pit beyond his appearance in Super Smash Bros. Brawl on the Wii, but Ninty looks set to change all that with this quite beautiful offering. Each level we played featured the hero engaged in on-rails combat akin to Fox McCloud, only Pit’s wings are his own. The character himself seems to leap off the screen, revealing the team behind the game as masters of the tech – even the sparkle effects seem to stand out and the softly coloured backgrounds are presented with sufficient depth. Simply put, it’s all very whimsical and shiny.

Kid Icarus stands tall from a gameplay perspective as well, as the first area of the three levels we tried represented on-rails shooting at its best. You tap the L button for repeated blasts, or wait a while to charge up then let go for a more powerful shot. Blue orbs can be used as bombs to clear the screen of enemies while the stylus is used to control Pit’s crosshairs. Accessibility is definitely a strong point here; with simple enjoyment to be had from what is quite a basic style of play, and one that’s well-suited to the nature of the 3DS. On the ground, things are very different. The stylus is used to control the camera while the thumb stick moves Pit. This is where the weapon selected at the start of the level comes into its own, with each described to us as ‘similar yet different’, be it a standard blade, claws or bow and arrow to name a basic few. All enemies must be sliced, diced and exploded before the next room can be entered, with a challenging end-of-level boss waiting to test your combat abilities. It isn’t always easy, but it is at least fair.

And that’s your lot, folks! If the purpose of Nintendo’s London showcase was to put the gaming press (and by extension the masses) at ease regarding the future of their handheld system, then they should, for the most part, consider it a success. Clearly, plans are well underway to win over the hardcore audience, and with the help of some major third-party development teams, the big N looks capable of doing just that. There is still room for improvement however, and we wait with baited breath to see what other surprises will be in store over the coming year.

Mario Kart 3DS

Though Mario Kart‘s classic status is well earned, it hasn’t necessarily had the smoothest of rides; after the first two primarily racing-focussed instalments, purists gasped as Double-Dash squeezed two drivers into a single kart and sighed as Mario Kart Wii saw the series move even deeper into family-friendly territory. The latter proved particularly irksome, with extremely generous (or, annoying) rubber-banding doing much to diminish the importance of driving skill while raising the prominence of the dreaded blue shell.

It was with a certain degree of trepidation then that we approached Mario Kart 3DS – would this be the game to take the series back to its racing roots, or would it mark further adventures into the realm of gimmickry? Thankfully, from the three tracks played, Mario Kart 3DS looks like it may mark the point that the series manages to bring together all its past successes. Most importantly the racing felt very solid bringing the wonderful Mariokart DS to mind, and track design was also strong, with satisfying cornering, and split-route designs that looked likely to serve up the knock-about multiplayer thrills and obsessive time-trialling that fans know and love.

The gimmicks this time around come in the form of customisable karts, hang-gliders that pop out of the back of your kart at specific points during the game and underwater sections. The gliders worked surprisingly well, and for our money is certainly preferable to the ‘hands-off’ jumps and tunnels of previous games that arguably interrupted the experience. Controlling much like the hang-glider in Pilot Wings, mastering the controls for the airborne sections will no-doubt be vital to grabbing the chequered flag. The underwater sections added an interesting dynamic in that it makes it incredibly difficult – or impossible even – to powerslide.

Overall, Mario Kart 3DS is looking to be making the right moves; Nintendo have taken on past criticisms and honed what works well while further expanding the game’s horizons. With the promise of classic tracks and a range of new locales, Mario Kart 3DS is definitely high on our 3DS wish list.

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword

It takes a very cold-hearted gamer to not feel at least a small bit of anticipation at getting their hands on a brand new Legend of Zelda game, but there’s little denying that The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword is facing slightly more of an uphill struggle than previous instalments in this much loved series. For starters, it’s coming out in the twilight years of a console that was already comparatively underpowered when it launched over four years ago. Secondly, its use of Wii Motion Plus – a horrifically underused peripheral – does smack slightly of Nintendo scrabbling to justify the device’s existence.

Hands-on time with Skyward Sword didn’t do a huge amount to dispel these two concerns (the graphics, though expectedly polished and almost Disney-esque, are showing the Wii’s age, and the extra accuracy offered by Wii Motion Plus wasn’t entirely convincing), but it still managed to retain that old Zelda magic. The series has always thrived in exploring the tension between the comfortably familiar and the power of the unknown, and so it is with Skyward Sword. Though the disparate nature of the demo we played made it difficult to get a strong contextual perspective of the overarching plot, the game’s sky-based setting is certainly intriguing.

The demo was split into three sections – a dungeon, a boss fight and air-based pursuit/race. The former was fairly standard Zelda-fare with the added twist of a controllable flying beetle that Link could unleash to hunt down rupees and other hidden treasures and spiders that had to be slashed at certain angles in order to force them to reveal their weak-spot. Similarly, the (surprisingly difficult) boss fight required you to slash in certain angles in order to prevent the pallid-skinned foe from clasping your sword between his fingers, kung-fu style. The biggest disappointment in both these sections was that the swordplay didn’t feel like a huge step on from The Twilight Princess, and definitely felt some way off the 1:1 control long promised by Wii Motion Plus.

Where the game really came to life was in the airborne section. In a scene not dissimilar to that featured in James Cameron’s Avatar, Link leaps off the side of sky-city and free-falls for a short spell before landing plumb on the back of a giant bird. What follows can be best described as Pilotwings-meets-Zelda-meets-Quidditch. Tilting the Wii remote to control your airborne-steed, Link’s goal was to hunt down a golden bird and grab hold of it. Visually, the feeling of swooping through the clouds was convincing, and the wings of your bird ruffled pleasingly in the wind. Though very much a mini-game, the possibility of a sky-based Hyrule Field is an intriguing one and we’re interested to see how this mechanic is further explored when the game finally lands towards the end of the year.

Super Mario

As with Mariokart 3DS, with Super Mario on the 3DS it appears that Nintendo has focussed on taking all the best bits from previous Mario’s and wrapping them up in a single package. To this end, the game occupies the middle-ground between the explosion of concepts that was Super Mario Galaxy and the more traditional New Super Mario Bros.

The four levels available in the demo gave a nice taster of what the full game will have to offer and for the most part it worked well; it feels compact – dinky even – with level and visual design that helps emphasise the feeling of peering through the front-pane of the 3DS screen into the world that lies beyond. The effect is somewhat understated, and the pace of play a little more pedestrian than Mario Galaxy, but it merges the play-styles of Mario’s 2D and 3D adventures impressively well, making use of the benefits that three-dimensions bring while retaining the satisfaction that comes with the precision platforming afforded by two-dimensional play.

The much loved Tanooki (or, racoon) suit makes a return and performs much as you remember it from Super Mario Brothers 3 but in three-dimensional space. In fact, the game’s penchant for riffing on past Mario titles while introducing new concepts (such as toying with depth-perception with 2D, cardboard cut-out Goombas!) suggests that by drilling into Mario lore, Nintendo can find a whole new universe just as it did by exploding the series outwards to the stars with Super Mario Galaxy. While those hoping for a portable Super Mario Galaxy may well be a little disappointed with Super Mario, no one knows their way around a Mario platformer like Nintendo, and the steps taken here are looking as assured as ever.

Make sure you come back for our third and final instalment in which we go hands on with Kid Icarus Uprising, Resident Evil Revalations and Sonic Generations on the 3DS.

Well, as more details about the Wii U trickle out the more it sounds like a genuinely radical new take on hardware (one publication has already called it the most “flexible” console platform ever). That “one last hurrah” for the Wii? Well, it’s only the small matter of Skyward Sword, the first Zelda title designed specifically for Nintendo’s ageing game-changer. And the 3DS? As last week’s showcase set out to prove, the fortunes of Nintendo’s handheld could be about to change very quickly.

Over the coming days, D+PAD Magazine will be feeding back from the showcase with hands-on reports of Nintendo’s upcoming line-up. So, without further ado…here’s the first salvo:

Kirby Wii

You wait ages for a new Kirby game, and then two turn up at once (or three if you count Kirby Mass Attack on DS)! Following the excellent Kirby’s Epic Yarn, the minimally titled Kirby Wii, developed by series creator HAL, plays like a cross between New Super Mario Bros. Wii – it’s a 2D side-scroller that allows for up to four players to play simultaneously, though only one can be Kirby – and Super Smash Bros Brawl – there are regular bursts of bizarre ultraviolence and flashy pyrotechnics. The essence of Kirby is intact, both in terms of the ability-absorbing strength of the main character, and in the game’s accessibility and skewed cuteness; not only is it extremely difficult to die, but the riotous level we played featured a large tree as it’s boss, a lone tear falling from its eyes as we defeated it, with Kirby wielding (and we’re not joking here), a meat cleaver almost as big as the screen. Chaotic and yet so compelling.

Luigi’s Mansion 2

Luigi’s Mansion 2 received an ecstatic response when it was unveiled at E3, and it’s easy to see why. This sequel to the semi-forgotten Gamecube classic makes excellent use of 3D, with one scene in a corridor, eerily stretching out to a closed door in the distance, particularly effective. The atmosphere, a blend of theme park theatrics and subtle ambience, is delightful, as are the vibrant visuals (the lighting deserves a special mention). From our brief hands-on, it appears that gameplay mechanics remain largely the same, with Luigi tasked with busting ghosts using his special backpack vacuum cleaner thing. The developers have seemingly created a world that demands constant engagement, with many inquisitive pursuits reaping rewards, be they an important key or, more likely, a troublesome ghost. Nevermind the headline-grabbing Karts and Super Marios, Luigi’s Mansion 2 could be the 3DS’s surprise trump card.

Starfox 64 3D

Lylat Wars may not have been an era-defining event on the scale of Ocarina Of Time, but after just a few minutes in the company of Starfox 64 3D it’s clear that, in terms of emotionally resonant reminders of a gaming youth, it’s still on a par with galloping across Hyrule Field. Simply put, Starfox 64 3D is a superb conversion of one of the Nintendo 64’s very best games. Controls have translated well, while the use of the 3DS’s gyroscope function feels natural to the swooping and ducking gameplay (though it doesn’t quite feel as integral to the experience in the same way that, say, the Rumble Pak bundled with the original game did). Having not played Lylat Wars since its original release we’re looking forward to taking the peak of Fox McCloud’s adventures through its paces again. Those unfamiliar with the 64-bit original will be merely left with the chance to experience one of gaming’s most exhilarating galactic action space-operas for the first time.

Coming up in Part 2, Super Mario, The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword and Mariokart 3DS.

The Killzone 3 beta serves up plenty to mull over, containing three maps along with three gameplay types. Even from this small slice of the full game, it’s clear that Guerilla Games have been listening to its fans, with the game including numerous tweaks and additions. Firstly the floaty controls of Killzone 2 have been tightened up quite considerably and aiming is much snappier while still retaining a satisfying feeling of weight behind your every move.

It’s obviously a relief that this issue has been dealt with, but the controls are far from the meatiest part of this beta. The most immediately impressive aspect are graphics, and how Guerilla have managed to build even more more detail and character into the decaying environs. In the Frozen Dam map, you can almost feel the chill of the wind wafting from your television as snow swirls around ice encrusted gantries while a rather sinister looking ocean laps at the shoreline.

Going to the opposite extreme, Corinth Crossing SE-6 grand plaza’s look like it has only been a matter of days since they were hit with a nuclear warhead, the air full of falling ash and smoking fires. The sight of gargantuan war machines striding over the land in the distance do much to make you feel like a very small speck in a very large war. Finally, Turbine Concourse SE-6 has a somewhat other-worldly feel to it, with a sickly, pallid colour scheme and a huge turbine looming over you; that this turbine can kick into action and drain the power from most of your equipment adds to the overall feeling of hostility.

As well as being visually arresting, the three maps also demonstrate Guerilla’s ever growing confidence in map design. Frozen Dam is particularly impressive, with many games initially being fought in the tight confines of the south eastern corner before spilling out into the huge wide open space that dominates 80% of the map. The size is definitely impressive, and while not matching the huge arenas of the Battefield series, nevertheless shows that Killzone 3 is looking to be bigger as well as better.

It is in Frozen Dam that we get to play one of the games new modes – Operations. Reminiscent of Battlefield Bad Company 2’s ever popular rush mode, Operations sees two teams squaring off against each other in objective based combat. The blue-eyed heroes of the ISA must assault the base of be-goggled Helghast; take down the first objective (a couple of seal access doors) and the Helghast are pushed back, until the final objective can be take, the dam itself. This mode is looking like it could be something really special, with excellent use of cutscenes to tie all the action together. In another nice tough, thearense cutscenes feature the players themselves which does much to incentivise; you don’t, after all, want to see yourself being smacked around the chops with the butt od a rifle brandished by a gloating Helghan!

Another new entry is Guerilla Warfare, which plays pretty much like a straight forward team deathmatch, with victory being awarded to the team who first reaches a set target score. While not quite as interesting an addition as Operations, this mode showcases the maps well and there’s little doubt that it will go down well with first-person shooter purists. Killzone 2’s Warzone, with rolling, randomly chosen objectives, also makes a return.

We have to admit that, while all the above is all very nice, our priority when first loading the beta was to track down a jet pack and exoskeleton and take them for a spin. The first thing that hits you about both these vehicular additions is that neither feels quite as powerful as you would expect. While a machine gun and rocket laden deathmachine, you remain quite vulnerable in the exoskeleton and can be gunned down almost as quickly as you can on foot. The jet-packs flying abilities are also quite muted, especially in comparison to those featured in Halo: Reach. Leaping into the air and engaging your thrusters results in what would better be described a large jump rather than true flight. In both cases we wouldn’t say that these comments are a criticism as such, and it’s probably a good thing that neither piece of equipment gives you too much of an advantage as it keeps the playing field level.

An area of the beta that genuinely took us by surprise was the audio. Killzone 2 was a fantastic sounding game, with sweeping orchestration and subtle, atmospheric sound effects. Killzone 3 retains these but also manages to make excellent use of sound as a gameplay mechanic. Let us give you an example; you’re playing as a sniper and are hiding under the veil of your active-camouflage. An enemy enters the room, and you begin to sneak up behind them with the hope of pulling off one of the games glorious new one-hit melee kills (throats are slit, eyes are gouged…lovely!). It’s all going smoothly until you foot knocks a scrap of rubbish on the floor, sending it clattering across the room and alerting your foe to you presence. It’s a very small touch, but one that adds much to the overall experience.

In summary then, the Killzone 3’s multiplayer beta has certainly whetted our appetite; it feels more evolutionary than revolutionary but there little here to make us doubt that Guerilla Games will deliver an online experience that builds on its predecessor and further cements Killzone place as one of the most solid and enjoyable online first person shooters on the market. Make sure you check back in February 2011 for our full review.

The game is set fifty years after the events of Fable 2 and the land is now under the thumb of a tyrannical ruler. The first half of the game focuses on your journey, or rather your ascent to dethrone this despot and claim the crown for yourself. It’s at this point that things will supposedly take a different turn, giving you the task of guiding Albion into an era of light or pulling it back into darkness depending on how you wish to play. While we have yet to see this particular mechanic in action, we put in some good questing time with the adventuring portion of the game. It’s classic Fable, so fans will be able to settle in and immediately feel at home with this third instalment.

Combat is just as you might expect, only with a few tweaks here making for a more fluid experience. You have the standard melee attack, ranged attacks via gun or crossbow and – now much more interestingly – magical techniques that can be combined and are generally more useful on the whole. Our ice attack was particularly devastating and when you couple this with the ability to move lithely with a sword then fire over your shoulder, your character should become a real force to be reckoned with. Gamers who absolutely despised the combat system might be disappointed however, as it’s still very similar to before – simple and accessible, yet perhaps not as deep as some might like.

One mission we tried entitled ‘Table Top’, was touted to us as one of the most enjoyable quests in the game. Without giving entirely too much away, we’ll say that our character found himself on a board, completing criteria set by a group of cloaked nerds overhead. It might sound utterly bonkers, but it really was good fun. With mischievous foes, superb pacing and a humorous script, exploring the area was a joy and seemed considerably more varied than what was found in Fable 2. The other mission we tried wasn’t nearly as much fun, but was entertaining all the same; re-enacting scenes from a play by dressing up in ridiculous outfits then selecting the demanded expression, we moved between stages to entertain an audience of spirits. It all seemed a bit too simple, but when the dialogue and voice acting is as strong as it is, you may forgive the occasional turkey.

We only attempted a couple of jobs in the town in which we were placed, hoping for a more entertaining affair than the non-descript button-stopping events of before. What we found were button-pressing mini-games; they were dull, uninspired and thoroughly disappointing. You can mingle with the townsfolk with a variety of actions and expressions like before, complete with cute animations and AI reactions. Some of the more vulgar options should amuse for a while, though given our experience with the game’s predecessor, we expect this to lose its appeal over time.

Presentation is one of Fable 3’s strongest points. The world of Albion is undeniably darker than before, but it’s beautiful all the same. The graphics are a major step up, with that patented fantasy style serving to help set the tone. Environments are lush and detailed and it’s all too easy to go off the beaten path to find any number of the secrets that lay hidden within the land. You can expect to lose many hours just wandering around with your trusty mutt to find that extra item to add to your collection, taking in the sights before deciding to move on to your next mission. The music is every bit as stirring as before, ranging from the subdued calm that punctuates the more welcoming locales to the ominous and creepy score of a tense situation.

As a Lionhead game, you know to expect a high-quality adventure in Fable 3 that is both engaging and replayable. The presentation is much improved and there seems to have been a greater emphasis on diversity this time in the gameplay department, but it seems unlikely to succeed on every front, especially if the rotten jobs are anything to go by. Instead, the greatest leaps forward involve the script, witty and well-performed dialogue as well as the interesting characters littered about the world. Regardless of any niggling issues we might have, we just can’t wait to uncover what the rest of this charming title has to offer and with good reason – roll on the end of October!

As helpful as a PR rep might be as far as posture is concerned, nothing can stop the nervous feeling of stepping in front of Kinect before a large audience knowing from previous footage just how utterly ridiculous you’re about to look. As with anything particularly new, our first few moments were spent fumbling about trying to work out the sensitivity of the system itself, flailing our arms and leaning from left to right in an attempt to get into the swing of things as quickly as possible. Thankfully, it didn’t take long at all to acclimatise– and while you’ll never shake that feeling that you look ridiculous to those around, it shouldn’t matter too much when you’re hopping about in the comfort of your own home.

Placing your hands at a ‘ten and two’ position, the game is controlled entirely by the movements of your upper body. Pulling your fists to your chest causes boost power to build up at the bottom of the screen, which is then released by a quick punch forward with both hands. A bending movement followed by a stand provides your vehicle with a few simple spins and flips, if indeed we were doing it correctly, but the game appeared to be forgiving enough for our inexperience not to be a problem. The controls are simple yet effective, likely representative of what Kinect will have to offer through its initial holiday line-up.

The handling itself is at first jarring, with the first lap coming across as something akin to Bambi’s famous slip on the ice. Eventually, a sort of rhythm begins to set in; with the body movements required for the turnings, as well as the charging and subsequent boost triggers coming together to form a workable whole. That said, fans of serious racers should take note; that deep and rewarding driving game for Kinect may be coming, but Joyride certainly isn’t it, displaying a focus on arcade family fun instead of anything racing pros can happily get lost in. It’s intended to be a good laugh and that’s exactly how it seems, even if our fears regarding the game’s replayability and long-term appeal still stand.

Sporting a bright colour scheme and contrasting palette, Joyride is anything but an ugly game. The overall look is a simple one, preferring an unassuming and family-centric style to anything remotely realistic – it’s all heavily reminiscent of the Wii’s back-catalogue, which may have the unfortunate side effect of alienating members of the Xbox 360’s key install base. The game is pleasant to look at and inoffensive in every way, something that serves to highlight that fact Microsoft’s intentions towards Kinect and the hardcore audience are still unclear at this current point in time, regardless of the inordinate amounts of PR fluff being pelted our way.

Some may argue that Microsoft’s Kinect lacks the precision of the Playstation Move and from what we’ve seen and played that statement is not entirely without merit. What games like Joyride represent is a step in a very interesting direction; driving with the movements of your hands is an idea that will appeal to many racing aficionados, but the technology still has a long way to go before it becomes truly revolutionary. We’re not saying that Kinect is incapable of influencing the industry in such a way – we’re just saying that the true leap forward won’t come with Kinect Joyride, and if we’re completely honest, the fact that this wasn’t bundled with a handful of other simplistic games is downright perplexing. Fun, simple yet still very much a matter of taste, watch out for Kinect Joyride on store shelves this November.

And it works. As the demo’s opening cut scene begins (once the loading screen has neatly portrayed a phone call), the excellent tone becomes immediately clear. It’s something that is expertly transitioned into the third-person, over the shoulder, cover-based action also, where the camera idles from side to side and waves to and fro as quality seeps and loses focus once the game play picks up.

Taking control of Lynch in the sequel, combat feels extremely well handled, from smooth transitions into cover, to the aim assisted shooting mechanics that do well to pick off enemies through the destructible cover. With the opening of the hands-on taking place in a Shanghai restaurant (more on that later), the explosive blend of action movie and grindhouse rough and tumble can be sampled. With sprinting seeing the camera jaunt up and down and side to side in trying to replicate the work of amateur cameramen, action is visceral and brutal with an unforgiving feeling of being a part of the action.

However, the short demo does little to forbid negativity coming its way. I wholeheartedly question the reason for the HUD elements when IO has gone so far in addressing the pervading sense of ‘real’. Why not go all out in having that sense of documentary film making? It seems only a part of the intention has been carried out, since the remainder of the game is still blindingly eager in promoting unrealistic gameplay elements such as relocating weapons after a fire-fight using down on the d-pad highlighting dropped weapons, or choosing to use markers for points of interest. Not that the developer seems keen in becoming lazy in other aspects of the game’s design- the attention to detail within the streets of Shanghai is simply fantastic. Stores are fully stocked (one shop has IO’s previous work on store shelves!), and the shady streets are dirty and populated with well animated characters. The sense of location is further improved with the lights of monumental skyscrapers casting shadows down onto the action.

In addition to the sample of single player campaign, the demo also features a newly introduced single-player ‘Arcade’ mode in which players must accumulate as much stolen money as possible with a team of ragtag NPC criminals against AI police officers within a four minute time period. Working together is the aim of the game if you’re to make the escape vehicle in time. However, with the money being split evenly between surviving members (used for buying additional weapons), you may want to increase your share by killing other members of your team- becoming a “traitor” and a walking target for everyone involved. Fail to escape the heist and you’ll lose a life, with each of the three rounds given getting progressively harder. The multiplayer equivalent to ‘Arcade’ is the returning ‘Fragile Alliance’, whilst ‘Undercover Cop’ selects one player to be “cop”, tasked with stopping the other players from stealing the dough, introducing a dramatic multiplayer mode in which no one can be trusted until the cop is dead. ‘Cops and Robbers’, meanwhile, is Dog Days’ take on team death match in a 6 versus 6 fight between the opposite sides of the law.

Whilst the first game was something of a disappointment, Dog Days looks really quite excellent. The cover system adds weight and refinement to the combat system whilst the presentation and immersive graphical style are well put together (unless you suffer from motion sickness that is!) The main problem I have is the sense of uniqueness- other than the visual flourishes, it offers very little different from the waves of other games already on the shelves; risking a fairly speedy journey to the budget bins.

That’s not to say it’s bad per se, just little beyond competent. EA and Dice have clearly played their cards very close to their chests by making what is, undeniably, a first-person shooter existing in the year 2010. Yet, so far that’s been my biggest issue with the mutliplayer experience. Its controls, design and in-game objectives are the direct result of throwing Modern Warfare 2 and Bad Company 2 into a blender, extracting the juices that trickle out and forcing a desperate attempt at making an old dog seem relevant again.

Shouldn’t that be a great thing, though? During my five or so hours with the beta, the word ‘functional’ repeatedly popped into my head, which I found to be a decidedly definitive way of describing what’s on offer. Between both available maps and game types, there isn’t much more substance to the game than either of the other titles I’ve already mentioned. And the fact that one of them is made by the very same developer makes the situation seem even more weird.

It makes me wonder just who this game is really going to appeal to. MW2 implements the persistent kill-streak system with greater satisfaction and BC2 makes use of large terrain and vehicles more effectively. Maybe the maps they chose to release for the beta are poor representations of the entire package? It’s hard to say. But honestly, I personally can’t envision any of its target audience choosing to spend time with Medal of Honor as their primary shooter, at least not for a long period of time. It just doesn’t seem to have that je ne sais quoi that it needs to have in order to make it the better choice.

From a technical standpoint, the current online infrastructure is also extremely poor, even by the standards of an average beta. Playing on the PS3, I’ve had the displeasure of running into several hard freezes and significant lag issues; as well as a bevy of graphical hiccups. Whilst similar, the expected modern military aesthetic also comes of as way less appealing than its counterparts. Perhaps it’s not worth complaining about that stuff at this stage, but for me it only highlighted the unintentional ‘also-ran’ nature that seems to be the resultant vibe of this series refresh.

My hope is that the single-player campaign of Medal of Honor ends up being fun enough to redeem the lackluster impression the beta’s adversarial modes have left on me, because it’s mechanically sound enough to provide some potentially exciting action set-pieces. Even so, everything at its core feels painfully rote and shamefully devoid of anything new or innovative. It will also be interesting to see how its upcoming competitors – the most prevalent being Call of Duty: Black Ops – plan on maintaining popularity amongst the influx of ‘me-too’ hopefuls on the horizon.

Granted a 30 minute demo with the game, it becomes immediately apparent what the team strive for, in a flash bang of explosive, fast, frenetic action, with the beautiful cel-shaded metropolis of the open world sandbox Pacific City glistening in high def; fantastically realised, superbly composed and rendered. A quick press of the start button unveils the map of the foreboding city, and you’ll begin to admire the enormous play area that will be available to rip through in the main game, only a portion of which is playable here. The cel-shaded feel only diverts your gaze away from similar open-world clones, and yes, it is indeed beautiful.

But suppress premature applauds, since the combat system is where the game can truly be tested. And thus, it’s where the game is perhaps least adequate. The over-the-shoulder third person perspective is underwhelming when ‘firing from the hip’, while the targeting system (a click of LT) does little to alleviate any problems since such lock mechanics are extremely rigid and far from dynamic. Specific targets cannot be targeted, and instead you’ll be hoping that the system correctly guesses your plan of attack in a frustrating display of combative nuance. It’ll certainly take a good deal of your hands-on if you’re to get to grips with the mechanics behind such a system, although thankfully meleeing your way through the AI hordes is satisfying and deadly- going some way to alleviating such problems. It’s a testament to its kinetic design that this is the case, since you’ll most probably wade through the wave of enemies so quickly that such frustrations fail to hinder the impressive weight of the rest of the experience.

The variety in the arsenal of weaponry is certainly pleasing, with the usual shotgun, assault rifles and SMGs all complimented with the more powerful additions of the grenade launcher, rocket launcher and projectiles- cluster grenades and the like. All of these will be unlocked upon further progression in the game, and available to you from calling in weapon and vehicle drops (from a roll-caged buggy to a hefty steel truck) from Agency controlled areas. The demo, in fact, speeds up the rate of upgrades sufficiently in proportion to the limited 30 minutes with the hands-on that there is a smooth sense of progression felt in this half hour. The game’s design is in fact so devoted to the feeling of ever-evolving suit abilities and the like, with the help of the collection of the number of orbs (ability, vehicle, strength etc.) scattered over the city, that soon you’ll be adding verticality to your level of play, jumping from rooftops and over Pacific City’s sprawling urban jungle instead of driving in any of the vehicles on the roads, as an increased skill-set is given, increasing for example your running speed, or the height of jumps.

Of course, with sandbox gaming comes a level of freedom. Whether you choose to take up the Agency’s missions, here in “restoring Agency dominance” or “establishing power networks” with the eradication of Crackdown’s aptly named “freaks”, or choose to quench your unabashed desire for sheer mayhem in choosing to deviate from any required actions. The addition of its side missions are satisfactory and fulfilling in addition to the weight of the main game, whether in checkpoint races through the streets in vehicles, or ‘free-running on steroids’ in the free-running missions, leaping from checkpoint to checkpoint over rooftops. Audio logs can also be picked up in order to flesh out the backstory in regards to the foundations of the city, and handily play over the top of game play.

The demo that is now available on Xbox LIVE is exceptional in delivering key aspects of Crackdown 2’s design. It’s engaging, exciting and not amiss to the odd splashing of claret. Also featuring up to four player co-op and the ability to unlock achievements within the demo, it’ll get no doubt get you revved up for the full package. It’s taken me by surprise, certainly to the extent that I’m now actively awaiting its July 9th release.

With Split/Second, Black Rock Studio look to have captured the essence of everything that is good about big-budget movie blockbusters (just think: Bigger! Louder! More!) and added them to a riotously enjoyable racer. Anyone who has played the recently released single player demo will be aware of the basic premise; drive fantasy supercars around cityscapes that have, literally, been rigged to blow while building up a powerplay metre by drifting round corners and drafting opponents. When this metre is filled you can unleash hell by triggering all manner of explosions, set pieces and, well, sheer destruction to take out other drivers. Though a supremely simple premise, that Black Rock Studio faced a daunting task in attempting to deliver enough BANG! to make you really sit up and take notice is something of an understatement. Has it succeeded? Well let us just say that from what we played, it’s consistently good looking, sounding great and full of surprises…so the signs are all very encouraging.

The biggest question in our minds when approaching the multiplayer for the first time was whether or not Split/Second’s mechanics would be able to offer the tight competitiveness on which racers of this type thrive, or would the carnage created by the powerplays make winning more of a lottery; a battle for survival rather than a battle of driving skill? The answer to this question became apparent fairly quickly; the early stages of races – when powerplay metres have yet to be filled – hold up extremely well as a straight-up race, with tight but accessible controls and well designed tracks with branching routes and corners that beg you to pull off a powerslide.

While it took us no time to get a handle on the driving model, the dynamic nature of the tracks mean that you’re constantly kept on your toes; level 1 powerplays – generally consisting of smaller explosions – rattle your car and force you to grapple for control and Level 2 and 3 powerplays threaten to crush your vehicle out of existence or, if your really unlucky, bring the actual track down around your ears – smoke stacks tumble, airplanes fall from the sky and oil-tankers slide across the track. Though this may sound chaotic (and, in truth, it often is exactly that) Black Rock look to have done an excellent job of retaining control and the powerplays never overshadow the need for driving finesse – yes, you and your opponents can drop dump trucks on each other, but taking that corner just right is still absolutely as important as it should be.

All the elements are coming together to create a rather bombastic multiplayer experience. Black Rock were showing off numerous multiplayer modes with each supporting up to eight racers online along with the option of 2 player split screen (which runs remarkably smoothly). The first mode, Race, is self descriptive. Elimination gradually whittles the pack down as the last racer is eliminated after a countdown until only one driver remains. Survival is a score based mode, with points being earned by dodging barrels that are discharged by a couple of tanker-trucks that charge around the track. Hit a blue barrel and you lose points and get shunted about; hit a red barrel and you explode; extra points are also awarded for overtaking a truck. When the time runs out, players are gradually eliminated until two drivers remain at which point it becomes a game of sudden death. It’s a genius concept that threw up a number of extremely close contests during our test, and we can see Survival becoming something of a favourite.

All the modes held up extremely well with each bringing a nice amount of variety that builds on the dynamic nature of the tracks (powerplays constantly open and close alternative routes and tracks can quickly become strewn with debris). The races we had were tense affairs, with no two competitions feeling the same, and at this stage it looking like it has that ‘just one more go’ factor in spades.

Black Rock are also promising a deep progression system – points that are won (both online and off) can be spent to purchase snazzier cars and in-game achievements are reflected on you car’s paintwork, making it easy to distinguish newcomers from game veterans. We thought this was a rather neat little touch that will undoubtedly contribute to your connection with the game.

Overall, our time with Split/Second’s multiplayer left us extremely impressed – the game itself has the potential to shake up what can be a fairly stale genre, delivering explosive, cutting edge visuals backed up by immensely robust and dynamic gameplay. Sure, it may all prove to be too much for some – it is after all a long way from the obsessive constraint and realism of the Gran Turismo’s of the world – but we can absolutely see the multiplayer getting a lot of attention. Make sure you check back for our full review in the coming weeks.

Samurai Shodown: Sen (to be published by Rising Star Games) marks the series’ first 3D foray on the Xbox 360, and the title has much to prove – the world of the one on one fighter has seen something of a sea-change of late, with former 3D heavy-weights such as Soul Calibur and the Tekken series struggling to get noticed after the return of (arguably) the king of fighters; namely Street Fighter IV. 3D visuals are also no longer the novelty they once were, so the success of any such fighter is reliant on stylish design and (most importantly) robust mechanics.

The time we have spent with Sen has been fairly encouraging. For starters, the package as a whole is very slick, leaning heavily on Japanese history and videogame culture. Menus and character art are presented in rather gorgeous 2D pen and ink reminiscent of Capcom’s Okami and the game itself, while a touch pallid, nevertheless looks attractive and robust, with lushly rendered environments and an interesting cast of characters.

The game is set to offer a full roster of 26 characters, each with their own unique fighting style. Players weaned on Street Fighter may find the game takes some getting used to, as the combat mechanics are fairly different to the Capcom classic, though Soul Calibre veterans will likely feel right at home. Based around four main buttons (horizontal and vertical slashes, kicks and grabs), the system seems relatively flexible and while we’re still learning the ropes, the robust AI controlled fighters we’ve fought have manage to pull off all kinds of tricks, juggles and combos, hinting that there is a deep and challenging combo system to master.

As is now compulsory for any modern day fighter, Samurai Shodown: Sen will offer an online mode with full worldwide rankings as well as single player stories for each of the characters.

There is much talk at the moment of Japanese developers changing their style in an attempt to woo Western audiences, so it’s refreshing to see a game like Samurai Shodown: Sen, that so clearly celebrates and relishes its Japanese origins, on the release schedule . It also seems highly likely that Sen will pluck the heartstrings of anyone with fond memories of crowding around the arcade original in smoke-filled arcades. Make sure you read our full review in the coming weeks.

Amidst the hubbub of a preview event in London organised by Sega, first impressions were good. Granted, terms such as ‘good’ and ‘decent’ hardly get pulses racing and are often indicative of some niggling issues that serve to pull the experience down. Could it be a poor handling of the source material or a simple case of been there, done that? Thankfully neither is a problem here; there’s an impressive level of variety on offer and the intense three-way battles work about as well as you’d hope. Instead, any issues stem from possible inconsistencies in the quality of modes. Where some are sure to become instant favourites due to their adrenaline-pumping, spine-gouging thrills, some fall short of greatness having transitioned from a good idea in theory to a poor one in execution.

Of the three playable classes, the Marine is by far the easiest to get to grips with, making for a good jump-on point for anyone intimidated by the otherwise complex control scheme. You could be forgiven for expecting the humans to put up little resistance against the monstrous hordes, especially given the pasting our guys take in the movies. This time things are a little different as sticking together and working as a team really will pay dividends once the enemies clamber in. Get caught on your own, however, and you’ll likely empty a clip into the air before meeting the business end of a Xenomorph’s extremity. You can pick up weapons littered about the stages and you’ll have access to the trusty radar complete with panic-inducing sound effects. So far, our only complaint is that after years of Modern Warfare, the Marine just doesn’t handle as well as we’re used to, though perhaps such a thing would bestow an unfair advantage on the battlefield.

Survivor is essentially ODST’s Firefight with a Marine taking on increasingly fierce waves of Xenomorphs. In truth this is nothing new to gaming and AVP fails to bring anything fresh to the table. You’ll stand in place, blasting anything in view until succumbing – it’s not much fun, even if it does make you feel like you’re taking part in a hopeless last stand.

Domination is AVP’s answer to Capture the Flag; where two teams must rend flesh from bone, disintegrate, dismember and generally give the opposition a bad time in an attempt to capture their bases. It’s certainly a twist on a multiplayer staple and is likely to give the game legs once players tire of the campaign. Infestation was another of the more successful matches of the night, serving as Rebellion’s take on Halo 3’s Zombie mode. Beginning the round with a randomly chosen Alien, it’s up to the Marines to survive as a team or risk becoming one of the aggressors themselves. As a Marine, this presents the unsettling situation of slowly being outnumbered as your own numbers dwindle, with the resulting species switch generating a feeling of empowerment coupled with an overwhelming sense that you’re now on the winning team.

Taking the reigns of the Xenomorph is an interesting experience once you get to grips with its sheer speed. A light claw attack, a heavy tail whip and a menacing hiss are all available but what makes the gameplay truly unique is the ability to climb a range of surfaces then bound between them. The speed at which you traverse these walls and ceilings can make it disorienting especially when just starting out. To alleviate this problem a simple hold of the trigger buttons will have you drop to the ground, offering time to get your head together or have it removed entirely – a welcome addition either way. Attacking in packs is the key to success and should you get the opportunity for an instant kill, prepare to be treated to some of the most satisfyingly gruesome finishers to date. Performing one of these takes time and seeing as the battle continues to rage around you, opting to play it safe rather than gutting your prey in public will often be the more appropriate strategy.

For us at least, Predator Hunt is a mode with plenty of unrealised potential, where a group of Marines must stand together or risk being picked off by a lone Predator. Unfortunately, most of these matches were spent running around for extensive periods of time, as the designated Predator made its way towards the team in the hopes of picking off a daydreamer. Perhaps the map chosen by the devs failed to showcase this mode’s strengths and it’s certainly possible the atmosphere required just wasn’t present on the busy show floor. In either case the Predator does offer a welcome alternative to controlling the grounded Marine or the close-quarters Alien.

As the Predator, you can fire your shoulder-mounted Plasma Cannon, use devastating blade attacks and select your nifty cloaking device which does exactly as it says on the tin, only revealing your position to the keen-eyed via a telltale shimmer effect. Nimble and unseen, bounding between locations and making use of stealth is key to effectively stalking your prey. It’s all about sneaking up behind a straggler, going in for the kill then taking them out with a bloody finishing move. In a bold design choice to mix things further, the Predator is the only character not to regenerate any health over time, resulting in a mad dash to one of various electrical nodes strategically planted around the maps. These nodes will leave you open to attack if you’ve timed your recharge badly, making tactical thought a must should you wish to become a true master of this legendary hunter.

We can confidently predict that AVP will make for a fine distraction between high profile games this February. The graphics are solid – if sometimes too dark – and boast impressive animations, lighting effects and character models which succeed in evoking memories of the classic films. There are some concerns as to whether it’ll hold its own amongst some of the more hotly anticipated titles this year, though it could very well prove us wrong with a strong campaign and online community. After all, having sat through both appalling Hollywood attempts and suffered a monumental wait for our next AVP fix – we’ve earned it. Check back soon for our full review.

Case in point: on my first ever spawn in MAG I was run over by a fellow teammate. Fair enough, I thought, these things happen. Ten seconds later I popped back to life and was promptly splattered a second time. And then a third.

The prospect of two-hundred and fifty-six rabid lunatics battling away on one map is nothing short of petrifying. MAG bravely attempts to make its open, objective-orientated gameplay tangible by the addition of a visible, discernable leadership system. At the top lies the Office In Charge, and beneath him the infrastructure billows out to include squad and platoon leaders: the logistics of the massive number are diluted by dividing any given team up into smaller, manageable squads of eight working in platoons of four squads.

Players with leadership roles can use the in-game mini-map to paint objectives, most commonly repairing certain areas or attacking others, to sharpen the team’s war efforts into decisive and co-ordinated movements. Leadership roles only come with high ranks, and all positive actions get rewarded with experience points. The team at Zipper believe this to be incentive enough to get everyone working together as a team.

But one of the game’s bigger problems is that experience is doled out in great chunks for killing the opposing team. As logical as that is, it’s also common for incapable leaders to rise up without any respect for the game’s tactical edge, who play MAG like it’s a simple deathmatch, and subsequently doom future teams to certain failure. By dishing out experience solely for following orders and supporting their faction, players who got promoted would, perhaps, be more inclined to play the game by Zipper’s rules. The only other solution I can think of is to make everyone sit a series of tedious and extravagant written exams.

Another concern is the general lack of voice communications. Adoption of Bluetooth headsets seems to be low amongst PS3 users, but it’s a pressing and unavoidable fact that a game like MAG seriously needs the majority of its players to be in frequent communication. This is hardly the fault of Zipper, but for the game to be a success then the final version will need a reasonably priced game-and-headset combination available at retail.

I also question if Zipper aren’t biting off more than they can chew. For instance, why create three unique factions to choose from? The game’s narrative stems from the idea of three Private Military Companies fighting over lucrative contracts, but trying to balance two companies and get the netcode working seems like a daunting enough task – throwing another unique team in the mix only causes inevitable design headaches, as well as adding another layer of complexity on an already demanding game. And matches can only be between two sides anyway – so it makes little sense.

Concessions are made due to the game’s beta state: the test seems to be based more around ascertaining the core multiplayer component rather than polishing the player experience. There’s no tutorial provided in-game, so it’s also understandable how so many people roam around with little to no comprehension of what’s going on.

It’s also worth pointing out that underneath the cynicism exists a functional shooter. The handful of maps included in the beta are understandably gargantuan, although they all sacrifice minute finery for epic scale – indicative of the game as a whole. Weapon options are plentiful, with a myriad of new toys constantly being made available as rewards for progression. It’s also quite pleasant to see that, as the beta progresses, the game’s visual and aural fidelity has been considerably improved.

When two co-ordinated opposing forces are battling over control points, launching targeted strikes and establishing strong, formidable lines of offense and defence, the game is superb. It’s like a bigger, bolder version of Battlefield with frequently enormous, explosive tussles between entire hordes of players. I’ve never played anything quite like it, and in these moments Zipper’s vision becomes lucid, tangible and understandable: this is the future! If the game would always play like this, I’d never want to quit.

It’s a difficult, complicated experience to explain; it’s easier to say MAG is easily one of the most ambitious online titles ever created and that I am cautiously optimistic for the final version. There’s heaps of potential here, but Zipper have to be careful their grand ambitions don’t jeopardise a potentially enjoyable game.