YouTube Motorstorm Arctic Edge review

I’ve never really been into the Motorstorm games which is odd as I much prefer fantasy racing over the more technical simulation games of say Gran Turismo or Project Gotham. I guess it’s because I’d just rather be playing an FPS or something. However, on the PSP it feels different and worthwhile because I don’t necessarily have to be sitting at home while I’m playing it. Motorstorm Arctic Edge takes the high-octane racing to some rocky, snowy mountains and once again you get to race bikes, snowmobiles, quads, trucks and cars over the terrain. Of course, your choice of vehicle means you have to choose your path carefully. You can take to the high ground and thin tracks on a bike or trudge through the deep snow in a truck and barge everyone out of the way in the process.

Festival mode has over 100 races for you to compete in. Some are just first past the post races, others give you bonus points for staying in the lead for a set amount of time or have you go through a series of checkpoints and try to finish with the most time on the clock as it constantly ticks down. The action’s fast and you can now cool down your boost meter by going over water and snow to prevent you from blowing up if you keep it activated for too long. There are only 8 vehicles on the track at once to keep things moving at a fast pace and the game is definitely easier than its console cousins.

The soundtrack is also great with the likes of Pendulum, Prodigy and Queens of the Stone Age providing some tunes you’ll definitely know and maybe like as much as I do. And once you’ve had your fill of the single player mode you can take the game online and play in Wreckreation mode where you can do time trials against developer ghost data or data you’ve downloaded and experiment with tracks and vehicles in free play.

Despite not being as pretty as the console versions, this is definitely my favourite Motorstorm game as the game style fits the PSP perfectly. It gets a very good 7 out of 10.

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Related: Pure review, Project Gotham review, Motorstorm Arctic Edge review

Tags: Motorstorm Arctic Edge, racing, Motorstorm: Arctic Edge, PSP, Motorstorm, PS2, Arctic Edge, Sony, driving

YouTube Up review

I had my first experience of 3D cinema the other day when I watched Up. Once my eyes had adjusted I was initially impressed but then I sort of got used to it. It’s the same with videogames. Next-gen machines come out and everyone goes ‘whooo’ but then the bar has to constantly be raised in order to impress. It’s a pity then that not only does Up have average graphics, but it’s also a very average platform game that’s of little interest to me.

You mainly play the game as Carl and Russell as you move round the 3D platform levels attached to your floating house. Similar to the Lego games, you can play with a friend and must work together to get round the environment. For example, Russell can shimmy along ledges and use Kevin the bird to reach new heights, while Carl can use his cane to climb up ledges and keep wasps and spiders away with the screeching of his faulty hearing aid. In single player mode you hit a button so switch between them which sometimes works and can sometimes be frustrating when the AI takes over and moves characters precisely where you don’t want them.

Most of the time you’re just platforming and collecting coins and artefacts as you go. Combat is extremely limited to swinging your cane at things or picking up items to use against the inhabitants of the forest. Occasionally you also get a boss fight but the action throughout is all rather slow and cumbersome. What do you expect from controlling a geriatric and a boy scout?

To break things up a bit you can also take to the skies and literally dogfight with the talking dogs. For some reason this is also the first thing you do in the game which is odd as it’s set in a scene right near the end of the movie.

Young children may enjoy playing as the characters from the film but this doesn’t offer anything for the older gamer. It’s an average platform game so it gets an average score of 5 out of 10.

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Related: G Force review, Wii Christmas party games, Youtube Up review

Tags: Up, Up, disney, pixar, THQ, platformer, Xbox 360, Wii, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 2, PSP, DS, Mac OS X, Windows, Single player, 2 player, co-op, multiplayer, Youtube Up review

YouTube FIFA 10 review

Once again it’s time for another EA Sports game with a new number on the end. This time it’s the turn of FIFA. When you first look at the game it doesn’t look much different but you’ll soon realise that they’ve ironed out all the things that made 09 great to make this version excellent.

First of all there’s the 360’ movement, meaning you’re no longer running at 45 degree angles. This makes for a more realistic movement of the players and coupled with the improved ball physics, some truly interesting and freakish goals that are sure to make you shout out or hold your head in your hands.

Manager Mode is the main season mode where you play through a number of seasons and make transfer and squad decisions. Be a Pro mode is back where you play as an individual and now you can make your own Virtual Pro. Using EA’s Game Face technology which is currently broken as I review the game due to high demand, you can put your face right into the game and level them up RPG style in custom games and even in the arena.

Following on from the Adidas Live Season comes Live Season 2.0 where you can download the latest games your club’s played and try to replicate or re-write history. It’s a shame you have to pay for this after a 5 game demo but hardcore fans will find it worth the extra spend. There’s also a set piece creator where you can modify and save set pieces for use in games. Again, only the hardcore will probably go this deep into the game but it’s a nice touch.

As ever, presentation is slick with some great player likenesses and some good ad-libbing from Martin Tyler and Andy Gray. I usually say not to bother getting the new version of an EA Sports game if you’re enjoying last year’s, but once again, FIFA’s come up trumps. Over to you Pro Evo. FIFA 10 gets 9 out of 10, if you know what I mean.

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Related: Fifa 09 review, Pro Evolution Soccer 2009 review, FIFA 10 review

Tags: FIFA 10, FIFA, football, soccer, FIFA Soccer 10, EA Sports, Xbox 360, PS3, Wii, PS2, PSP, DS, PC

YouTube Soul Calibur Broken Destiny review

Soul Calibur on the PSP is pretty much what you’d expect from the fighting series. It has the usual roster of characters you know and maybe love including Voldo, Cervantes, Ivy, Kilik etc and this time the guest character is Kratos from God of War which is very in keeping with the series seeing as he has a couple of very big swords and that whip-type thing.

The game’s always had high quality visuals and they’ve done a very good job of keeping things looking great on the handheld. Characters are bright and detailed and environments are equally great to look at as you kick, throw and try to chop each other into itty bitty pieces. When it comes to game modes there is the quick match which puts you straight into a fight, a trials mode which pits you against opponents one after the other until you are defeated and a versus mode where you can play other people in Ad Hoc battles.

The main mode is called The Gauntlet and unfortunately it’s a bit of a let-down. It all feels like just an extended training mode. Battles only last a second or so and most of them just involve you blocking or hitting opponents the way you’re told to. And sometimes you’re not told what to do until after you’re defeated, making the whole thing tedious to play.

You can also create your own character from scratch or fiddle with an existing character to give them different outfits and change their weapons, poses and fighting stances.

This game really comes into its own if you’re playing it with a friend and to be honest, I don’t know that many people who will have a PSP and another copy of Broken Destiny knocking around.

If you already have Soul Calibur 4 or any of the others then it’s not really worth a buy. If, however, you don’t own it and want a good fighting game for the PSP, get this or the outstanding Tekken: Dark Resurrection. Soul Calibur: Broken Destiny gets a good 6 out of 10.

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Related: Soul Calibur IV review, http://gamesweasel.com/blog/news/free-soul-calibur-iv-book/, Youtube Soul Calibur Broken Destiny review

Tags: Soul Calibur Broken Destiny, Soulcalibur, Soul calibur, PSP, Broken Destiny, Playstation Portable, Kratos, God of War, Voldo, Cervantes, Ivy, Kilik

Apple VP Phil Schiller has been attacking the DS and the PSP. He boasts that with over 21,000 games available for the iPhone, it’s the leading handheld gaming device on the market.

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Related: »iPod Touch fire hazard, Sonic The Hedgehog iPod version

Tags: iPhone, iPod, DS, PSP, Phile Schiller, Apple

YouTube Dissidia Final Fantasy review

If you’re a Final Fantasy fan then you’ll be chewing your arm off to play Dissidia: Final Fantasy. Of course, don’t do that because you’ll have trouble playing it on your PSP. In a move similar to Super Smash Bros paying fan service to Nintendo junkies, Square Enix have taken a whole host of characters from most of their Final Fantasy games and put them into a fighting arena where they can battle each other one on one and earn tonnes of collectables. Tidus, Cloud, Cecil, Sephiroth and others all appear in the ultimate battle between good and evil.

It seems the gods of Cosmos and Chaos have had a bit of a falling out and Chaos is winning. So, in story mode you play through a number of ‘levels’ playing as a key Final Fantasy character on a sort of board game, choosing where to go and what to fight. Battles are fought in real-time in 3D arenas as you attempt to steal bravery points from your opponents. The more you steal, the harder your attacks. You can also pick up a special item that lets you do a super move and often it’s a race to who can get to it first.

Combat is fun and slick but sometimes the camera points the wrong way and when you try to lock onto an opponent, sometimes you end up locking onto special items and facing the wrong way instead. The story of each character’s destiny isn’t great either. For a series that prides itself in involving stories, it’s a bit disappointing to have some hammy voice acting and boring plot lines at times.

Still, if you’re into Final Fantasy there’s all the role-playing elements of finding and equipping weapons and items and tonnes and tonnes of collectables from extra playable characters to voice samples. There’s also enough gameplay here and more modes to keep you playing if you’re unfamiliar with the series. Dissidia: Final Fantasy gets an excellent 8 out of 10.

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Related: Final Fantasy VII Crisis Core review, Star Ocean First Departure review, Youtube Dissidia Final Fantasy review

Tags: Dissidia Final Fantasy, Dissidia: Final Fantasy, PSP, Dissidia, Final Fantasy, RPG, playstation portable, Square Enix, Tidus, Cloud, Cecil, Sephiroth, Dissidia Final Fantasy review