December 2005 Issue

[rsstites]

The writers of the Gaming Chronicle will add their video game impressions, reviews, previews, and general opinion colums below this post. The Chronicle is a monthly item, and each member will write one article a month.

(If you are interested in writing for the Chronicle, then click on the groups link in the header. Then chose the Chronicle usergroup, and then click join.)

[Coolgreen44]

New Reviews

Runescape 2
http://www.heroesofgaming.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=987

Resident Evil 4
http://www.heroesofgaming.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=928

Metal Gear Solid
http://www.heroesofgaming.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=927

Halo: Combat Evolved
http://www.heroesofgaming.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=926

Twisted Metal Black
http://www.heroesofgaming.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=925

[Hockeydude121]

PRICE DROPS:

Here are some price drops in popular gaming:

MIDNIGHT CLUB 3: DUB EDITION
OLD-49.99 NEW-29.99

This game takes it to the max as it includes both nice cars and even nicer racing styles. And now that you save 20 bucks, whats not to like?

BATTLEFIELD 2: MODERN COMBAT
OLD-49.99 NEW-39.99

This highly detailed war strategy including hundreds of different types of weapons, ammo, and planes, how can u lose? Pick it up today for 10 bucks of regular sales

BURNOUT: REVENGE
OLD-49.99 NEW-39.99

Ah can u say sequel to the sequel? I can... this game is like many of the other games in the burnout series.. u race, u destroy, u win, and u gain honor.


NEW GAMES I THINK U SHOULD CHECK OUT!

1.THAW(Tony Hawks American Wasteland)(all systems
or as the box at blockbuster will say, Underground 3
2. Prince of Persia 3:Two Thrones(all systems)
3.Amped 3(Xbox 360 ONLY!)
4.Americas Army:Rise of a soldier(PS2 and Xbox)
5.King Kong(all systems)

[rsstites]

Xbox Games on the Xbox 360:

We've all heard the rumors about Xbox games looking better on the Xbox 360. We were wondered if it is true, or an urban legend. So we did a little experiment, and I wanted to tell you that it is mostly true. The Xbox games do look incredible on the Xbox 360, especially on an HD TV.

Notice that I said "mostly true". The reason for that was because I can't say that all Xbox games look better because not all Xbox games will play on the Xbox 360. You can take a look at Microsoft's compatibility list here.

Now the games that do work on the Xbox 360 such as Halo, Dead or Alive 3 and Fable, to mention a few, do look better. The text is crisp, the graphics are sharp, and in some cases there are even more on-screen items rendered.

Let me tell you about those crisper graphics. I'm sure you have noticed those jagged lines on the borders of people, objects, walls and just about anything else that has an edge. With the power of the Xbox 360, those jagged lines are a thing of the past. Everything renders smoother, sharper, and the way it was meant to.

The best way to describe the difference between playing an Xbox game on the Xbox and playing one on the Xbox 360 is to compare it to your favorite PC game. Go into your favorite PC game, and turn the graphic options down, then turn off antialiasing. Notice all the jaggies? Notice that the objects in the distance are not rendering?

Now turn the antialiasing back on, and bump the graphic options to the limit. Now it is almost like your playing a different game. Everything is smooth, sharp, and just looks a great deal better. That is the difference between playing an Xbox game on the Xbox 360. Halo, and many other recent classics, get a face-lift.



The above picture is a good example of what I'm talking about. The left half of the image was rendered by Rare on an Xbox and the right half was rendered on an Xbox 360.

[danny12]

General Console News


The bookmakers number 1 choice for the game hitting number 1 at christmas is The Chronicles Of Narnia. The bookmakers in an interview said that The Chronicles was a possibilty of getting number one. They also mentioned that another major title that could get number 1 is Prince Of Persia


Games Chart

1. Need For Speed Most Wanted
2. Star Wars Battlefront
3. HP And The GOF
4. Resident Evil 4
5. 50 Cent Bulletproof

[rsstites]

Peter Jackson's King Kong the Official Game Review

Peter Jackson, from the Lord of the Rings trilogy fame, has re-made the 1933 classic King Kong for the big screen. As could be expected, the new King Kong movie has also made into a videogame. Now the big question is, whether the game is worth playing or if it has suffered the movie to game license curse. And to set your fears aside, the game is worth playing. In fact, it’s pretty good, a little short, but still pretty good.

Peter Jackson’s King Kong is a first-person action adventure game part of the time and a third-person beat-em-up the rest of the time. For the first-person elements you take control of screenwriter Jack Driscoll, and you control the big ape himself for the third-person segments. Ubisoft does a good job bringing these two different gameplay styles together seamlessly. Luckily we had as much fun playing the first-person segments as we did playing as King Kong, but I do have to admit that it was more satisfying controlling the big ape than it was his human counterpart.

The game begins with a short introduction to the storyline. You find out that film maker Carl Denham’s (who is voiced by Jack Black) film is about to be dropped by the studio. As sort of a last ditch effort to ignite his film with some momentum and get it back on track, he gets a boat and takes his crew to Skull Island. Skull Island was the abandoned home of a lost civilization that ends up not being so abandoned. Along Denham’s side are the aforementioned screenwriter Jack Driscoll (voiced by Adrien Brody) and a struggling actress Ann Darrow (voiced by Naomi Watts). There seems to be a little more going on that the game doesn’t elaborate on, but we will all soon discover all the truths when the film hits the screens. It is fair to say that the game will pretty much cover the major plot elements. So if you are looking forward to this one on the big screen, you may want to wait until after you see it to play the game.

The actual gameplay begins once you reach Skull Island. You see the world through the eyes of Jack. And of course tragedy strikes once you Ann, and Carl get onto a row-boat to make your way to the island. I don’t want to give everything away, but I will tell you that you are marooned. You spend the first couple of minutes of the game looking around, taking in the rich jungle.

Once the action starts you get a real treat. There is no HUD (heads up display). You don’t have health or ammo gages taking away from the first-person experience. To be honest, you probably won’t even miss them either. They are replaced by verbal and visual clues. When you get hurt the screen flashes red, during this time you need to get away so that you can heal because if you get hit again you will die. And when you are reloading your weapon, Jack says he has plenty of ammo, or tells you that he is running low. All in all, I really enjoyed this, and it made this title stand out from the slew of first-person games I’ve played over the last couple of years.

Another way the game makes you feel like your living Jack’s adventure on Skull Island are the weapons. They just make sense. You find spears and bones lying about, and can use them whenever it is necessary. You find the spears and bones lying in places where it seems you would find them if you were walking around the island. You also have firearms. The guns and ammo are dropped by the captain of the ship from an airplane, while he’s looking for a place to land. You do not find random assault riffles lying on the ground in this game, and that is a good thing. They went out of their way to make you feel like you are living this adventure, not playing it. Also it would be fair to mention that you can only carry one gun at a time. You can put the gun in your pocket, and grab a spear, but if you want to use the gun again you need to drop the spear. This is just another attempt at making the game as realistic as possible.

Okay, we’ve had all this talk about trees and guns, but what about the enemies? Oh, don’t worry; there are some pretty nasty ones. You have hordes of T-Rex’s that you can’t stop with guns or spears (just distract them and run), you have giant bats, millipedes, scorpions, and all sorts of other dinosaurs. Also these animals are smart. They will hunt you in packs. You will have to retreat, and find cover. This isn’t some random shooter; it truly pulls you into its world and makes you fight your way out.

You also will find a few minor puzzles to break things up a little bit. Nothing too intriguing or new, but you get a little of “find this so you can turn that� and other standard puzzles. Don’t get me wrong, the puzzles keep things fresh and without them the game just wouldn’t feel as polished. The puzzles would be a bit more challenging if it were not for the game’s linear design. You spend much of the time led around by computer controlled allies, who seem to know the way.

Now it is time to talk about an 800 pound gorilla that I lovingly refer to as “Swingy�. The rest of you will know him as the mighty King Kong. It is absolutely thrilling playing as King Kong. The camera switches to a third person view, and you swing your way through the jungle and pummel enemies. Playing as King Kong is one of the best parts of the game, but unfortunately it is a little short lived. Most of the game is spent playing as Jack. If I had it my way, there would have been more King Kong. Not necessarily less Jack, just more Kong.

As King Kong your primary mode of transportation is jumping and swinging your way around. This, much like Jack’s missions, is pretty linear. That is not a bad thing though. You get into a couple of chases that can get moving so fast that you are pretty much relying on reaction. So having things laid out for you just helps keep the action going. There are also times when you have Ann, well in hand. You carry the lovely actress around, and when you come to an obstacle you can set her down so she can take care of it for Kong; usually by use of a flaming spear.

Well all that swinging I just mentioned is really just your mode of transportation. It is how you bring Kong to the fight. And he has plenty of fight to bring. You battle T-Rex’s, hordes of natives, and other giant beasts. Unfortunately he does not have a huge array of moves at his disposal. You have some basic punches, throws and combos. You also get a basic finishing move, and even though it’s basic it looks and feels great. There is just something about a giant gorilla snapping a T-Rex’s neck.

Eventually the story-line shifts from Skull Island to New York City. This is a very small portion of the game, maybe ten percent of the total story at most. Also to top it off, Jack completely disappears from the story-line. So you’re left with a big ape making a guided rampage through the streets of New York. For me, the jungle sequences were much better. All and all this game was way too short. Expect this one to last anywhere from six to eight hours depending on how you play.

Graphically this game is absolutely stunning. Of course the Xbox 360 version stands out by far, but it still looks incredible on the PS2, GC and the Xbox. The standard Xbox version has slightly better textures than the Playstation 2 and Gamecube versions do, but overall the three versions are comparable. All console versions of the game suffer from slowdown in certain areas. Yes even the 360 version slows down a little, even though it is not quite as bad as the other three versions. Overall you will be very satisfied with the presentation and graphics of this game.

Adding to the stunning graphics is the detail spent on the games audio tracks. Everything sounds as you would expect it to sound. The dinosaurs roar, the bats screech, and the firearms sound authentic. In addition, the game’s music adds a good level of ambience that could have been sorely missed. Now for me, the voice acting really stood out. You have some high caliber actors adding their voices to the game, and luckily they did not give it a poor effort. They gave it their all, and added even another level of realism to an already polished game.

It seems that I can’t praise the game enough. Unfortunately it does have its faults. The slowdown I mentioned is something I’m never pleased to see, and the game was a little too linear for my taste. But the main problem I had with Peter Jackson’s King Kong was the length. If this game would have been two to three times longer, then it would have been in the top ten action games of the year. Unfortunately the six to ten hour experience just does not hold one’s imagination for long. With all the polish this game had, it is unfortunate to see it end far short of what it should have. Play the game, love the game, but there won’t be many second helpings with this one; and that is a shame.

Peter Jackson’s King Kong has all the thrills and stunning effects that you would expect from a game of this type. Unfortunately the game is a little short lived, and the end is what you would expect, and a little anti-climatic.

From HeroesOfGaming.com, by Richard Stites

[Fine_Rabid_Dog]

Speaks for itself....

Giggidy giggidy giggidy doo

[danny12]

Rumors news

Rumors are starting to go around that Jak and Ratchet are to merge into a game. The rumors also say things like the heroes will mix partners like Jak and Clank and Ratchet and Jak. Also things like Ratchet will be in Jaks worlds but Jak will be in Ratchets worlds. These rumors however could be totally wrong.

[danny12]

GTA San Andreas Review


GTA is part of a legendary series which has been created by Rockstar. GTA 3 was the beginning of the series whilst Vice City was the followup. San Andreas however manages to top all three of those games.


GTA San Andreas is about a man called CJ (Carl Johnson) who finds out that his mom has died and returns home to go to her funeral. But along the way some old "friends" pull up and take him away dumping him in his rivals turf. This is where the game begins.


The games graphics aren't great but because of the sheer size of the game they can be excused for it.


The gameplay is MIND BLOWING with infinte things to do like Taxi, Police , Ambulence, Normal, Quarry, Casino missions and so on. There are three sets of weps 1st set being weakest and 3rd being the best. Almost all weapons have weapons skills that are raised after continued use which will do things like increase firing speed and allow you to shoot while walking.


Replayability would be the best in any game ever because quite frankly the game is so big you would never get everything the first time round.

Overall score for this game is 10/10 but if you really care about the graphics lower it down a point but seriously i wholeheartdley recommend this game.

[Holymonkey]

GUN

There has been a lot of hype for this game and I can see why. The graphics look top notch, the gameplay looks excellent and this game is opening the door to a new genre of gaming, Western.

You play as a cowboy called Colton White who has been betrayed by a lot of people. In this game you must play as Colton to take revenge on the people who betrayed and take bounties in. The aim of the game is to find out who Colton really is and why his life has always been full of mystery.
This adventure is set in Empire New Mexico.

On the adventure you meet many characters such as Jenny who runs a brothel. She is someone you don't want to mess around with unless you want a bullet to the head. She is Coltons link to the bad guys and helps Colton alot when he gets into trouble. Thomas Gruder is another character who used to be in the Confederate Army and is obsessesd with finding an artefact thatcould have turned the war. Hoodoo Brown is the mayor of the town who enforces the law with his deputies. He runs the town more like a kingdom and treats his enemies with no mercy.

This game is well worth getting and is free roaming so like a western version of GTA. I predict this game to be a big hit and recommend you put it on your Christmas list people. I give it a HOlymonkey rating of 9/10.

www.gunthegame.com/

[danny12]

PS2 Review
This game is being discussed on the forums so i'll review it.

My review for this game is split into sections of

Background *pre releases etc.*
Story
Gameplay
Graphics
Replayability
Faults
My Opinion
Final Score


Title: Kingdom Hearts
Released on date: Unknown


Background: The game has no background. It is the first in its series but there is a number 2 on the way.

Story: Kingdom Hearts is about a young boy called Sora who dreams of leaving his island to explore the world with his two friends Riku and Kairi. We also follow the story of Donald Duck and Goofy whos king is missing and they go in search of him. Soras island gets attacked by mysterious beings called Heartless and ends up in a new world. Little does he or Donald and Goofy know that there paths will soon meet............

Gameplay: Some excellent gameplay on this game but i must admit the game is let down badly by its camera system. The camera will often pull away when doing hard jumps or boss battles which is pretty annoying. Controls are pretty basic with X being used to attack and O used to jump. The fighting system is excellent as its in real time mode rather than set places in the RPGs like FF. I can't reveal too much about the fighing as it will ruin the story but i can say that Sora will be able to change his weapons before battles and can also summon beasts to help him and use magic.

Graphics: The graphics in this game are excellent thanks to the combination of Disney and the other developers working together with flush screnery and excellent charecter designs.

Replayability: To be honest not much. Once you have seen the ordinary and secret ending thats basically it.

Faults: Wonky camera and bad replaybility.

My Opinion: Because this is Disneys first attempt at an Action+RPG mix i am very pleased at the result of the combo. I am not angry at all as mistakes are meant to be made so that they can be fixed.

Final Score: The game is excellent but i will take off a point for the camera and replayability. 9/10