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.

The fourth SOCOM game to hit the PSP, FTB3’s biggest innovation will be the introduction of a 4-player co-op mode, supporting both online and adhoc play. While we weren’t able to test how well this has been implemented, it’s certainly a sensible addition to a series so strongly centred on tactics and team work. Playing solo, you issue orders to three other SEALs while taking direct control of a fourth. The usual competitive modes and full voice chat will also be present.

Even in this incomplete form (cut-scenes are still currently marked with place-holders), it is clear from the crisply designed load-out and character selection screens onwards that Slant Six has put a lot of work into the game’s presentation. Set in snowy Latvia, the mission we played (a fairly straight forward hostage rescue) was wonderfully atmospheric, with swirling snow drifts and a watery moon hanging in the sky, bolstered further by an immersive audio track. It certainly promises to be one of the better looking and sounding games to grace the PSP.

Like previous games in the series, mastering FTB3’s controls requires a fair bit of perseverance, with the PSPs much-maligned lack of a second analogue stick being partially to blame for this. In fairness, while aiming and moving with one stick is not ideal, with practice it becomes a workable albeit compromised set-up. And let’s be honest; SOCOM veterans no doubt got over this shortcoming a long time ago! The generally sedate pace of the game and auto-targeting also helps to further smooth over the cracks.

Once you do get to grips with the controls, peering down your rifle’s scope and squeezing off a shot feels pleasingly authentic. Commanding your squad is also straightforward, with a clear and concise order system. Want your team to bust through door and gun down all and sundry within? Simply place your reticule on a door, bring up the command list and select ‘Bang and Clear’, then watch as your team carry out your instructions. It’s usable, satisfying, elegantly designed and functions well.

We did experience some minor bugs when playing (for example, one enemy got stuck in an animation loop, and was left pacing backwards and forwards like a caged tiger!), but Slant Six have sufficient time left to iron these small flaws before the planned November 2009 launch.

As a series, SOCOM often divides opinion, with many finding its deadly serious, U.S. Navy-advised design a tad dry and unforgiving gameplay a turn off. While FTB3 seems unlikely to dramatically change opinion, the inclusion of online co-op is a welcome and not-insignificant addition. So, while Fire Team Bravo 3 looks likely to mark only a small progression for the series, it at least seems to be heading in the right direction and we’re certainly looking forward to spending some more time with it.

Fat Princess’s core concept is fairly simple: two teams declare war against one another and attempt to rescue their Princess from the clutches of the opposition. But from this, Titan has spun a complex yet hugely accessible game that offers a refreshing respite from the usual online shenanigans. The one map we’ve been able to play (The Black Forest) demonstrates a confident mix of gameplay traits from across a variety of genres, which come together to create a unique and satisfying whole.

Initial impressions are that it’s a game built around chaos. Charging out of your castle gates and leaping into combat with a steady pounding of the buttons, it seems to be nothing more than a pretty team-based reimagining of Atari arcade classic, Gauntlet. However, while it does remain consistently riotous, a far more nuanced game unfolds as you get to grips with the game’s many subtleties.

Fat Princess’s depth undoubtedly lies in its character classes, which you can change on the fly by picking up a corresponding hat. For example, grab a horned helmet and you’ll become a Warrior, a Bishop’s mitre transforms you into a Priest and a natty Robin Hood-esque cap allows you to become a bow and arrow wielding Ranger. In all there are five classes available (Mage, Priest, Warrior, Worker and Ranger), each with their own skills and demanding of a very different approach to play. Each class can also be levelled up with resources which are collected by Workers, fuelling their development. Collect enough resources and the Rangers’ bows, for example, are replaced by more powerful blunderbusses; the Workers gain bombs and the Warriors a devastating lunge attack.

Like the best real-time strategy games, the number of options available to each team is vast: do you focus on collecting resources to build stronger characters, or do you go on the offensive and attempt to overwhelm your enemy? Or, do you simply just embrace the game’s fiendish sense of humour and focus on stuffing cake into your prisoner Princess, making her much more difficult for the opposition to carry should they manage to breach your castle wars? Or, of course, do you pursue a combination of all of these options? The ebb and flow of play and the shifting of tactics can be genuinely enthralling, with the yelps and whoops of the characters adding an irresistible charm to the proceedings.

Of course, unlike the best real-time strategy games, there’s no one person issuing orders, so pursuing any of these tactics to any degree of competency is dependent on working as a team. When everything comes together and your team completes a textbook Princess rescue, a genuine sense of camaraderie can follow, and it’s here that Fat Princess shines.

In its current state, our main criticism is that the combat could feel a little more satisfying, as the connection between your button presses and the ensuing on-screen action can feel a little vague at times. While certainly not game-breaking, with any luck this will be tightened up for launch day.

But needless to say, the sheer amount of time we’ve spent playing just one of Fat Princess’s maps suggests that Titan Studios might have something very special on their hands. Just giving in to the vibrant bloody cartoon carnage is a lot of fun, but the game’s slickly implemented teamwork mechanics and snappy production values should also give it enough depth to gain a considerable following. On this occasion, there’s every possibility that PlayStation 3 owners will be able to have their cake and eat it, after all.

From the very beginning of the four-level GDC demo, it’s clear that Sucker Punch mean business. inFamous isn’t a title merely looking to jump on the open world bandwagon, nor is it a superhero game created simply to profiteer off the back of recent Hollywood successes. Instead it’s a promising mix of Fable and Crackdown; a game that combines the best of both to create a superhero tale with a zesty moral centre. And from what we’ve played of it, it looks like Sucker Punch has delivered; the leap from the confined, cartoon world of Sly Raccoon to the vast open world of inFamous has been pulled off with such aplomb that, come its June release, the game shouldn’t end up being eclipsed by its inspirations.

A lot of inFamous’s success comes down to the remarkable concrete playground at the player’s disposal. Empire City has been designed as one colossal climbing frame primed for the player to exploit, with each of the game’s three different islands (each similar in size to those of Crackdown’s Pacific City) filled with plenty of scope for exploration. Whether it’s window frames, traffic lights or scaffolding, anything within Empire City that looks climbable almost certainly is.

Perhaps most importantly, navigating through Empire City is a joy, complemented by a fantastic animation system similar to that of Assassin’s Creed. When leaping about the rooftops Cole subtly reacts to any nearby objects, delicately shifting his approach to automatically attach him to anything climbable. It means that you’ll never ‘just miss’ that ledge you were aiming for or have a pole slip through your fingers, removing any sense of infuriation without ever making exploration feel overly simplistic.

The system is demonstrated perfectly in the demo’s opening mission, which sees Cole clambering up pipes and across narrow walkways to recover a food drop. It’s in this same mission that you’ll encounter inFamous’s first ‘Karmic Moment’; instances throughout the game where the player is asked to make a moral choice. In this particular instance we were tasked with deciding whether or not to allow citizens to take the food we’d recovered or hoarding it for ourselves, with our decision directly affecting Cole’s ‘Karmic State’. Though our choice didn’t appear to have an effect on the game’s story (we were disappointed that whatever decision we made resulted in the same successive cutscene – a branching storyline, it seems, is out), Cole’s Karmic State does help shape the player’s experience in alternate ways.

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For Elven Legacy, Paradox has taken a sideways step from the historical contexts of their Europa Universalis and Heart of Iron series, and headed into a fantasy world of magic and mystery. The premise is simple; a human has been found using magic, and the elves don’t like it. Magic isn’t safe in the hands of humans apparently (isn’t that always the way?) and said elves set out on a quest to track this mage and uncover the truth behind his magic-based abilities. On the way they encounter ghouls, peasants, giant eagles and of course the traditional orcs. In fact one could be forgiven for accusing Paradox Interactive of using every fantasy cliché in the book, and we were half expecting The One Ring to show up at any time.

The single player campaign plays out over a series of missions chronicling the elves’ journey, during which the player can upgrade and promote units as well as unlock new, more powerful units to take onto the battlefield. Each map has a unit cap, so selecting the correct starting team requires an element of thought. If you do happen to end up with a duff squad, capturing nearby settlements allows you to summon a new unit into the fray, providing you have a free slot/disband an existing unit. Tactics are fairly traditional strategy game fare, with the usual units having the usual strengths and weaknesses.

From our brief hands-on with Elven Legacy, it was fairly clear that strategy aficionados will be instantly at home with the workings of the game. The interface is easy to get to grips with, allowing most commands to be issued solely with a left click, and the HUD is laid out well, with the function of every button made obvious. Couple this with the extremely crisp and bright (yet fairly basic) graphics and you have a game which is designed to appeal to those who are generally put off by the complexity of the genre. There is a danger however, that Elven Legacy might seem a little too familiar to strategy fans and alienate a large percentage of its target audience.

As well as a campaign mode, the full game boasts a ‘Single Mission’ option in which you can replay past levels in order to achieve a higher ranking, or play custom maps. The game includes a map editor which Paradox Interactive has aimed to make as user-friendly as possible. Our preview of the map maker was missing the necessary assets to create full levels, but a brief look around the program showed a simple, self-explanatory interface. Along with single player campaigns, the map maker will allow players to create and share custom multiplayer maps. The multiplayer side of the game allows for LAN, Internet and Hotseat play, the latter being a game hosted on a local computer in which players take turns at the wheel, so to speak. The missions range from simple skirmishes to objective-based gameplay, and the inclusion of the Hotseat mode adds a bit of extra depth to the multiplayer.

Elven Legacy is shaping up to be a solid, accessible turn-based strategy title fighting for its place amongst its heavy-hitting peers. With the focus entirely on the skirmish side of things rather than the resource gathering and construction of games like Civilization, Elven Legacy has the potential to please anyone looking for a fantasy-based tactical strategy experience – as long as Paradox Interactive can ensure their title stands out from the crowd.

This article originally featured in Issue 10 of D+PAD Magazine.

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