Top Five Games of 2010?

Concluding my top 5 lists I present my five most anticipated games of 2010 and my five to watch in 2010.

Most Anticipated Games of 2010

1. Infinite Space (DS)

I have been looking forward to the European release of this Starship-based JRPG for some time. It is my most anticipated game of the year.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Infinite_space

2. Mass Effect 2 (360/PC)

Mass Effect created a world that I really wanted to spend a lot more time in. Thankfully, I now don't have long to wait to don my N7 suit again.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mass_Effect_2

3. Split/Second (360/PS3)

I played Split/Second at Eurogamer and was instantly won over. This could be the best arcade racer since Burnout Paradise.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Split/Second

4. Red Dead Redemption (PS3/360)

If someone could make a decent Wild-West genre game then you would expect it would be Rockstar.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Dead_Redemption

5. Professor Layton & The Final Time Travel (DS)

With two fantastic adventures under his belt surely the Professor can be trusted to give us a third memorable game?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Layton-ky%C5%8Dju_to_Saigo_no_Jikan_Ryok%C5%8D

Five to Watch in 2010

1. Bioshock 2 (360/PC/PS3)

Most people are expecting it to fail to live up to its predecessor, but it could once again be a surprise package?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bioshock_2

2. The Eye of Judgement Legends (PSP)

No fussy camera or fiddly cards necessary in this portable reinterpretation of the game.

3. Tower of Shadow (Wiiware)

A really interesting concept (using shadows) is at the heart of this future Wiiware title.

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/lost-in-shadow-dated-detailed

4. R.U.S.E (360/PC/PS3)

Can an RTS on a console actually work?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R.U.S.E

5. Fallout: New Vegas (360/PC/PS3)

It has yet to build any hype, but if it is as good as Fallout 3 no one will be complaining.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fallout:_New_Vegas

Other games I'm really interested in...

• Lego Harry Potter Years 1-4 (All)
• Dead Space 2 (PS3/360)
• Fat Princess: Fistful of Cake (PSP)
• Hot Shot Tennis (PSP)
• Picross 3D (DS)
• Dragon Quest IX (DS)
• Alan Wake (360)
• Splinter Cell Conviction (360)
• Fable III (360)
• Joe Danger (XBLA)
• Heavy Rain (PS3)
• ModNation Racers (PS3)
• Final Fantasy XIII (PS3/360)
• Sonic & Sega All-Stars (All)

Five Great Games Everybody Played in 2009

Continuing my top 5 games for 2009 I’m moving on to the 5 great games that everybody played: a collection of games that grabbed the headlines as well as being the cream of the crop.

DiRT2

Easily took the crown as the most enjoyable and rewarding racing game of recent years. DiRT 2 is the best pure racer –with focus on racing rather than simulation- since Project Gotham Racing 4, and much more fun than the cold and anaesthetic Forza 3. Amazing graphics, a solid frame-rate and a pumping soundtrack complete the package on one of the games of the year.

Uncharted 2: Among Thieves

The real outstanding feature of Uncharted 2, in addition to the jaw-dropping environments and non-stop action, is the quality of the dialogue, narrative and general writing. It really does raise the bar in interactive character driven story telling: there is little exposition, well rounded and believable characters, and a story that propels itself without the need for clumsy prolonged cut scenes or back-story. At no point do you think “what am I doing?”.

Professor Layton and Pandora’s Box

The Professor and Luke are back again to unravel the mysteries of Pandora’s Box and a train full of crazy characters. Like the previous game in the series the puzzles range from the very easy to the fiendishly hard. In this second outing the puzzles are much better integrated into the main story and its events. With three more Layton games bound for Europe, we can look forward to many more years of intriguing stories and addictive puzzles.

Battlefield 1943

Battlefield 1943 excels as a fun and enjoyable multiplayer first person shooter. Stripped of complexity and perfectly balanced, it proved to be a hit with both shooter aficionados and more laid back players alike. The easy to master controls (with the exception of the plane) and non-stop action mean there is never a dull moment and no frustration. A sub £12 price-point made Battlefield 1943 one of the best value games of the year.

The Beatles: Rockband

I really don't like the Beatles: I don't enjoy their music and I find their whole mythology an irritation. Somehow Harmonix have managed to sell me something I don't like and have a great time playing it? I think it is in no small part to the quality of the production, and the visual flare used in the presentation of many of the songs. It hasn't made me a fan of the band, but I can honestly say I really enjoyed playing their music in the game.

(At the time of writing I have yet to start playing Assassin's Creed 2 or Batman Arkham Asylum in any depth.)

Read part 1 of this series: "5 Great Games Nobody Played"...

Review: Patapon (PSP)

Pros: charming graphics, music and gameplay; original ideas; good value

Cons: repeated backtracking; unnecessary resource management; no in-level save; difficult in parts; occasionally confusing

Patapon follows on from last years quirky PSP title LocoRoco, in offering a fun, stylised and unforgettable experience. Sadly, Patapon is let down by some unwelcome backtracking, resource management and difficulty spikes.

The basic premise of Patapon is to progress your little army of units through a series of battles and boss fights by issuing instructions played out on a drum. Essentially a rhythm action game, you beat out different rhythms using the four face buttons on the PSP. These rhythms instruct the little army to move forward, attack, take cover or fall back.

For example: Square, Square, Circle, Square (pata, pata, pata, pon) sends the units forward; Triangle, Triangle, Square, Circle (chaka, chaka, pata, pon) makes them take cover.

A successfully timed instruction is greeted by singing Patapons, whilst a missed beat will cause them to get confused and expose them to danger. Chaining together successful rhythms will put the army into fever which powers-up their individual attacks.

Each level consists of hunting animals for food, attacking enemy units, or taking on a huge boss. There isn’t a great deal of variety other than in the art and boss attacks. The game feels artificially lengthened as you often have to repeat early levels several times to collect food and items required to continue. The hunting is particularly tedious as soon as you move forward the animals run away (tip: only use ranged units).

To add a little RPG to the mix, you can upgrade your unit’s weapons and armor, and earn new items from a singing tree (a whimsical trumpet playing mini-game). However, the game does a very poor job of explaining all these elements, particularly the backtracking, despite the frequent tips and messages displayed on the loading screens.

Visually Patapon is a treat. It may not push the hardware to the limits, but the abstract silhouettes and cute visual style are charming. Each of the different units is uniquely animated and expressive in their own way. The visuals are complemented by the music and sound effects, which are essential elements in a rhythm action game like this. The Patapon songs are certainly infectious, and you will find yourself humming them long after you have stopped playing.

The frequent backtracking, and often unforgiving difficulty, mean that the game represents good value if you have the patience to stick with it. Sadly it a difficult game to enjoy in a portable environment: there is no save game feature in the levels, and you obviously must have the headphones on. I tend to play the PSP on the train, where the lack of inh-level save means that I must either abandon a level or miss my stop.

There is genuine charm and enjoyment in tapping out the rhythms and watching the cute little army, but the game’s problems do hinder the overall experience. However, it is still a recommended purchase for anyone in the market for an original PSP title, but be aware it is addictive and frustrating in equal measure.

3/5

Review: Football Manager Handheld 2008 (PSP)

FMH 2008 for the PSP contains all the essential elements that make Football Manager such a great game.

Pros: Short load times; large database; less bloat than the PC/Mac version; good user interface

Cons: Can't compare players easily; challenging; buggy loan system

In writing this review, I will assume that the reader has at least played a “Football Manager” iteration before on the PC/Mac, Xbox or PSP.

I have been fan of the Sports Interactive series from the original Championship Manager through to the latest SEGA Football Manager. I purchased the Xbox 360 version last year, and the first PSP version the year before that. Essentially this is the same game again, although the 2008 hand-held edition does introduce some interesting new features as well as an up-to-date database.

The biggest change is the introduction of media handling, from the PC/Mac/Xbox, to the hand-held game. It adds an additional team and player dynamic that you must handle in addition to the formation and team squad management. On the whole it works pretty well, with players responding to media speculation and comments for better or worse.

Other changes include an overall of the user interface, which has resulted in a much more intuitive navigation through the use of the PSP shoulder buttons (back page and forward page). The text and button placement has also been improved for greater clarity on the PSP screen.

The game is as challenging, addictive and satisfying as ever. My success in promoting Darlington through two leagues was really engaging, and I found myself sitting in work meetings, planning the changes I was going to make in the game on the way home. Personally I find the PSP version to be a much leaner and superior game to the PC/Mac edition, which I find has become too complicated and convoluted. FMH 2008 just seems perfectly suited to short gameplay sessions on the train, bus or plane.

FMH 2008 is not without its faults. It would be nice to be able to compare players statistics without having to resort to Stato-like memory or scribbles on paper; the game can occasionally be totally unfair – particularly with injuries or bad luck – and can throw up some crazy results; and the loan system is broken, resulting on players staying on loan indefinitely with the loan recall not working.

If you are a fan of the series, and own a PSP, then you can't go far wrong with FMH 2008. Football Manager in your pocket has never been better.

8/10

Review: Dungeons and Dragons Tactics (PSP)

Dungeons and Dragons Tactics (PSP) is a decent attempt at the full D&D tabletop experience in a video game.

For: Good use of the D&D rule set; nice graphics; quite strategic; great music

Against: very slow gameplay; clunky interface

Gameplay: D&D Tactics successfully blends traditional party based tabletop D&D transposed into a turn-based tactical combat game. The full assortment of D&D skills, modifiers and equipment can be used to influence the battle. In many ways the game is too complicated for non D&D players, but a handy tutorial goes some way to help new players.

Design: In many ways the game is too complicated for non D&D players, but a handy tutorial goes some way to help new players. It is a shame that there is not a “beginners” mode, or an option to allow the CPU to select some of the combat options for you (like Final Fantasy Tactics).

Presentation: The graphics are pretty good, with some nice lighting effects and 3D models. Worth extra praise is the in-game music which is simply fantastic, from the Enya like title track, to the traditional RPG medieval strumming.

Longevity: The main campaign is long and intelligently defined. Provided you can put up with the clunky interface and slow Gameplay there is a good deal of value in the game.

7/10

Review: Final Fantasy Tactics (PSP)

Final Fantasy Tactics (PSP) is an enjoyable turn-based combat game with a bit too much waffle.

For: Classic game given a fresh coat of paint; AI controlled characters; good combat

Against: Far to much chuffing reading; occasional camera issues; Job classes are weird

Gameplay: FF Tactics takes the turn-based combat from the FF series and expands it into a squad-based tactical battle. Each battle takes place on a unique multi-levelled 3D isometric map. The battle tactics themselves are influenced by character classes, called Jobs, which enable the player to balance magic and combat within their party.

Design: The world map contains various towns (with shops & quests) which can be visited as part of the main quest or for the various side quests. It is pretty traditional RPG stuff, further weighed down with far too many long text conversations between characters.

Presentation: The isometric 3D graphics are cute and well drawn, whilst the cut-scenes are rendered in an in interesting 2D graphic novel aesthetic. The music is never irritating and the sound effects are nicely varied. Overall the presentation is pretty slick, especially for what is essentially a 10 year old game.

Longevity: There is plenty to do here, and the long and convoluted story –told through endless conversations- will keep players entertained for many hours.

7/10

Review: Crush (PSP)

Crush (PSP) is a novel concept and ingenious puzzle game but can become quite frustrating

For: Clever “crush” mechanic; loads of puzzles; funky art style

Against: Can sometime make your brain hurt; hints are next to useless

Describing Crush is quite difficult. It is a bit like a cross between Marble Blast, Prince of Persia and Bolderdash. You play Danny, an incurable insomniac, who has entered into a trace inducing machine that will repair his damaged brain - …with me so far?

Gamespot described Crush thus: “The levels in Crush generally look like somewhat abstract 3D platforming levels, and your primary objective in every level is to collect a number of Danny's lost marbles, which will then unlock the level exit. Make your way to the exit, and you're on to the next level. As simple as this sounds, you'll quickly find that Danny's basic jumping ability won't be enough to get you very far, even in the very first level, which is where Danny's ability to crush the level comes into play. By tapping L1, you'll effectively flatten all of the level geometry, turning the action from 3D to 2D.”

Sounds simple doesn’t it? But the change from 3D to 2D is very complex. You can flatten the map from any 3D direction (six axis) and some of the landscape blocks don’t flatten. This can make some of the later puzzles exceedingly difficult to fathom. The actual crush mechanic looks really cool, and the “nutty professor” art style, voice acting and presentation are a nice touch.

The designers have provided a “hints” mechanism but, to be honest, the information is so cryptic that it offers little help. On harder maps you are often left taking a trial and error approach to solve the puzzle, which results in high levels of frustration.

The number of puzzles and variety of maps, not to mention the difficulty, provide crush with a decent longevity. The PSP is starting to build up a nice collection of puzzle games of which Crush is a welcome addition. There are rumours of an XBLA version in the near future too.

3/5

Review: Marvel Trading Card Game (PSP)

Marvel Trading Card Game (PSP) is perfect for TCG fans but a tough prospect for newcomers

For: Ideal portable strategy game; Marvel license; well balanced; Art work

Against: Fiddly user interface; tiny icons; annoying music

Marvel TCG is a good strategy game that anyone familiar with TCG will enjoy. It makes very good use of the Marvel license and includes various team based bonuses: for instance The Fantastic Four and Friends of Spiderman. The gameplay is pretty standard TCG, with cards for characters, locations, equipment and plot-twists (events). Cards are draw from a custom deck, and combat is played out through a card stack.

Enjoyable as the game is, it does suffer from a number of flaws. Firstly, the tutorials, although welcome, are not easy to follow and in fact can be quite confusing for newcomers to TCGs. The user interface is also pretty cluttered, with the cards in play reduced to tiny icons. Thankfully you can highlight cards to view a larger image.

The campaign mode features a story and comic art from Marvel itself, and adds some context for the card battles vs the AI. Marvel TCG also features multiplayer battles via local WiFi or the online gaming service Gamespy. In a novel twist, you can also play PC players via Gamespy

Despite its weaknesses, Marvel TCG is a good game and a perfect title for portable gaming.

3/5