Review: God Of War III (PS3)

Review: God Of War III (PS3)

It’s been a long and winding road for Kratos. On his quest to thwart the plans of Zeus, the battle hardened warrior has endured much suffering. From seeing his family die by his own hand to taking out some of the most well known and, let’s be honest, kick-ass Gods and creatures in Greek mythology, he’s undoubtedly had a hard time of it. Now, however, his quest for vengeance comes to an end in the Playstation 3’s first outing for the Santa Monica team and their extremely well loved series.

To say this has a reputation to uphold would be one of those understatements that would stick in folklore, much like saying the sky is blue and the grass is green (unless you’re colour blind, as then it can be any shade you like, I suppose). The first game brought about a high-octane, massively impacting change to the more standard sword hurling genre it tried to re-define. Combos became commonplace and the pace was well met, with some rather meaty boss battles mixed with some rather cunning puzzles to keep the grey cells working, usually to help remind them to pick your jaw up off the floor from how the game looked.

The second God of War took what the first had done and didn’t just enhance it; it honed it to such a precise level in both graphics and structure that it became to many people the game of the Playstation 2’s lifespan. Some battles would last for a long time, running at such a smooth and silky frame rate that it was a joy to behold. It was pushing the hardware so much that 60 frames a second on a constant basis was never going to be possible, but it was never far off, producing an extremely good mid section for this three act play.

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Review: Battlefield: Bad Company 2 (Xbox 360)

Review: Battlefield: Bad Company 2 (Xbox 360)

Destructible scenery is nothing new, many games have used it including the original Bad Company and the Red Faction series, but until now no one has perfected it. What does it bring to a game though, besides looking very nice?

Being able to destroy every wall, building, guard tower, tree, basically everything, makes you play the game completely different to its competition. Is the enemy bombarding you from the upper floor of an apartment building? Then just level the building with a few well placed rockets. Or are they laying down heavy fire over an open area? Don’t slowly charge forward risking life and limb, instead climb into your nearest building and shoot through the wall into the next, slowly creating a tunnel into the enemy stronghold. The sheer carnage at your disposal opens up so many different opportunities, each one great fun to indulge.

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Review: Peggle (PS3)

Review: Peggle (PS3)

Ahh Peggle. What is there left to say about it? It’s a casual gaming phenomenon and rightly so as it’s brilliant fun. The premise is simple as always when it comes to casual puzzle games: fire a ball at orange pegs and try to clear them all within 10 balls. During Peggle’s story mode you come across ten different ‘masters’, colourful animals who can all lend you a hand via the green pegs. Simple yet brilliant.

Admittedly before I first played Peggle, I didn’t understand what the fuss was. It sounded silly and focused on randomness too much. I couldn’t have been more wrong. Propelling your ball to ensure you maximise your efficiency is all down to careful, precise movements. At times you won’t be able to hit an orange peg but you will be able to clear a path by destroying the various blue pegs in the way. Tactical manoeuvres like this are quite useful but it’s all a careful balancing act to make sure you don’t run out of balls.

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