Little Big Planet Karting Review: Fasten Your Seatbelts

I never imagined that the iconic Stephen Fry would aid me in learning how to drift my car, until I experienced Little Big Planet Karting that is. Our favourite Sackboy returns armed with a thirst for competitive motor racing. With action-packed racing splendour in abundance, is Little Big Planet Karting simply the PlayStation equivalent to Mario Kart? It’s time to rev up the engines and find out!

Little Big Planet Karting begins by delving into a tutorial, narrated aptly by the magnificent Mr Fry. The tutorial allows you to allocate suitable buttons to accelerate and drift. During the tutorial, demonstrations such as drifting and use of weaponry are provided. Upon viewing the demonstrations, you are required to replicate them, to clarify that you understand the controls. The tutorial allows you to select a difficult for the gameplay. The casual difficulty provides little challenge from the computerised opponents. The normal difficulty sees the computerised opponents providing a challenge and acting competitively.  Utilising a difficulty system is useful, as this allows the game to be accessible for children to play, but challenging enough for adults to enjoy.

Little Big Planet Karting provides a story and multiplayer experience. The focal point of the story is for Sackboy and his Sackbot teammates to rid the kingdom of the Hoarders.  Your Sackboy races alongside the Sackbots to defeat the Hoarders. The story takes place across an eclectic range of themed worlds.  There are seventy one levels included within the game, scattered across the various worlds within Little Big Planet Karting. Alongside the racing levels, the title provides mini-games in which you can partake. Some require you to play cooperatively with an individual. If you proceed and have no friends to play with, the game allocates an individual for you to progress through the level alongside. As you delve into the levels and mini-games, you have the opportunity to unlock stickers and customisation items. Whilst racing, you can also collect prize bubbles which provide you with a score upon completion of the track. Dependant on how many prize bubbles you collect, you are placed within a community leaderboard for that specific track.

The multiplayer experience allows you to search for other budding Sackboy enthusiasts to race against. The game provides a quick search for individuals who wish to delve straight into the action-packed mischief. For those seeking a particular race type or track, you can search manually for the perfect race in which you seek. Upon completing a race, you have the opportunity to vote for the next race type and track, or replay the previous race.

Whether you’ve experienced a Little Big Planet title or not, it’s fair to say the titles are renowned for the customisation capabilities they possess. The title allows you to allocate a unique identity to your Sackboy through thorough customisation. Little Big Planet Karting allows you to customise the vehicle that you utilise to race. The game allows you to adjust an array of parts, a handful of examples are the wheels, seats, engine sounds and kart horns. The quirky customisation options are particularly interesting to observe when you do partake in the multiplayer section of the game. Whilst playing online, I saw an individual’s Sackboy dressed as a bunny rabbit. Looking back, this was probably tactical as it distracted my attention from the racing for a split second. That rabbit was certainly rampant…

Little Big Planet Karting is a title that is extremely easy on the eyes. The colour schemes within the various themed worlds are vibrant and add to the quirkiness of this title. I feel passionately that music plays an integral part within video games and racing games in particular. It would be unusual to find an operatic soundtrack to such a fast-paced title. The music within Little Big Planet Karting is quite wacky and eccentric, which replicates the racing experiences throughout the title. If anything, such a quirky soundtrack lightens the competitive situation before you, and allows you to enjoy the light-heartedness of this title.

With high-speed action and over the top weaponry in abundance, it’s easy to see why people may state that Little Big Planet Karting is simply another Mario Kart. There are obvious similarities between the two titles, but Little Big Planet Karting allows a more personal racing experience. The intricate customisation tools does this title justice and enhances the playability immensely. The various scenarios and tasks involved within the story levels will keep any individual entertained. The game isn’t completely focused around the idea of competitive racing as it allows you to delve into trials and other mini-games. Little Big Planet Karting takes the foundations that Mario Kart unveiled and takes them that one step further. So what are you waiting for? Fasten your seatbelts and propel yourself into the wonders of Little Big Planet Karting. Don’t forget though, drive safely… ;)

Silent Hill: Downpour Review - Unleash The Downpour

Silent Hill: Downpour is a title that immediately captured my attention when it was announced. Following the completion of Silent Hill: Homecoming, I swiftly became engrossed with the series and another installment triggered my interest once more. The revelation that water and weather would play a primary role within the title heightened my curiosity further. So, did Silent Hill: Downpour, conjure the perfect storm or was it simply a wash-out?

The beginning of Silent Hill: Downpour allows you to take control of the protagonist Murphy Pendleton within a federal correctional facility. The story is gradually introduced to us throughout the introduction and integrated tutorial. This allows the player to grasp both the basic controls and narrative present within the title. The introduction reveals that Murphy will be transported to another penitentiary along with some other cellmates. They board the transportation vehicle only for it to detour off-road and inevitably crash owing to treacherous weather conditions and the road mysteriously coming to an end. Murphy regains consciousness to discover that the crash site has been abandoned. Alone, he traverses the desolate environment making his way towards Silent Hill. Murphy innocently explores the eerie town of Silent Hill seeking an escape route. Little does he know, his time in Silent Hill will become a harrowing journey of self-discovery and torment regarding his past.

The protagonist reacts to his surroundings immensely which conjures tension for the player in abundance. His reactions often prompt you to discover things you may not have observed previously. The desolate environment present within the game is extremely effective in keeping an individual on edge. If the town possessed an array of sprawling enemies, the eerie environment would not be so evident. The utilisation of sound when traversing Silent Hill often escalated my fear as opposed to an enemy lunging at me. The weather alerts the player that something dangerous lies ahead. Enemies are also stronger when it begins to rain. The player is then required to either combat the enemies or enter a building until the rain subsides. For your protagonist, Silent Hill: Downpour includes moral choices during certain events within the game. Negative and positive responses to these choices will alter the ending received. There are six endings based on two central narratives within the game.

Silent Hill: Downpour includes an array of side-quests which are scattered throughout the town of Silent Hill. The inclusion of side-quests to this title attracted me immensely, as it provides an optional extension to your experience of Silent Hill. The player will meet a diverse range of people whilst undertaking side-quests within the game. Side-quests and locations throughout may require you to complete puzzles and utilise code inputs. Clues will be present within the environment owing to the difficulty level you select. Along with rewards for completing the side-quests, the player will also gain intricate insight into Murphy and Silent Hill. Finding the side-quests and objectives related can be an arduous task upon occasion. The player may lose their way frequently within Silent Hill owing to waypoints not being included in the game. To traverse the town of Silent Hill, you may find yourself relying on the map within the journal more than you would like to.

Whilst traversing the town, equipping a weapon is vital to survive the enemies that lurk the streets. The town is littered with an array of weapons for the protagonist to utilise. The vast selection of weapons included within the game are crucial as the weapons eventually break and become useless. The elevation in tension when a weapon breaks whilst combating an enemy is immense, as you desperately attempt to flee seeking another weapon. Players have access to an inventory which allows you to store a weapon and items you collect along your travels. Silent Hill: Downpour allows the player to carry one melee weapon and one firearm which adds to the suspense and tension when combating enemies. Various weapons will aid you in bypassing obstacles throughout Silent Hill. A downside to the weaponry within Silent Hill: Downpour is that it can often be lost in various cutscenes and moments within the game. The inventory will store important items you retrieve in relation to the plot and side-quests. Scattered across Silent Hill, the protagonist will discover first aid kits. These are a mandatory item when traversing Silent Hill and infinite amounts can be stored in your inventory.

Silent Hill: Downpour grants the player discretion regarding the method in which they utilise to defeat an enemy. When combating an individual, the player has the ability to incapacitate, kill or flee the enemy. Fleeing is an extremely useful option when a group of enemies pursue the protagonist. The combat system is somewhat flawed when attempting to combat numerous enemies simultaneously. Whilst fleeing, the player is able to glance over the protagonist's shoulder to observe the surroundings behind them. This is especially effective when an enemy is pursuing you as it conjures a high level of tension for the player. Something I observed upon occasion when traversing the town is the frame rates dropping. It was not a regular occurrence but I can understand this revelation being slightly off-putting for a player. I found it tolerable as I became engrossed in the storyline and overall experience the game provides.

Overall, Silent Hill: Downpour provides intricate survival horror experience that on the surface most people could appreciate. Delving into the realms of this eerie title, the way the story is unraveled entices the player to progress. The inclusion of side-quests may broaden the target audience as it allows the players to explore and complete optional challenges/objectives. As with many games, Silent Hill: Downpour possesses some issues such as frame rate drops, but for the most part they can be overlooked owing to the quality of the gameplay and content. Fans of Silent Hill who were apprehensive about this title should at least try it before writing it off. I found that Silent Hill: Downpour was a much more immersive and powerful title as opposed to Homecoming. With a powerful storyline and countless opportunities to explore the desolate town of Silent Hill, what are you waiting for? Unleash the downpour for yourself and immerse yourself in the vapours of Silent Hill and Murphy's troubled past.

8/10

We Built This City On...

Swiftly after successfully mastering Sim City 4, my city building desires became apparent once more. Following numerous hours of gameplay, I began searching for an alternative to Sim City 4. Owing to an advertisment on Steam, I discovered Cities XL 2012. It immediately appealed to me owing to it being a more recent release as opposed to Sim City 4. With a new Sim City being released, will Cities XL ensure that your hunger for sculpting and conjuring cities is appeased?

Upon commencing Cities XL 2012, you are given the opportunity to delve into the tutorial. I recommended playing the tutorial if you are new to the series or the city-building genre itself. The tutorial covers some basic tools that the player will need to utilise to construct their city. It explains how to place roads and zone lots throughout your city. You are given the opportunity to select an area within a region to commence building your city. These regions are displayed on a globe that offers an extensive array of maps. You can filter these maps by their difficulty, region and the resources available. This menu also keeps a list of all your cities allowing you to swap cities as you please. It also tracks the achievements you earn whilst your city grows.

Cities XL 2012 allows you to construct an array of buildings within your city. These buildings are divided into categories. The housing category must be utilised within your city to grant workers a home. The individuals that reside in your city comprise of four categories. These residential categories are unskilled and skilled workers, executives and elites. Each category will possess their own wishes and demands for the city. Unskilled workers are relatively satisfied with minimal services and leisure as opposed to elites who will demand more from your city. As your city expands, you gain access to medium and high density lots.

As individuals flock your city seeking vast opportunities and housing, they will also be seeking employment. A large amount of the population will proceed to work in the industrial field. The industrial category is divided into categories including the food industry, heavy industry, manufacturing industry, high tech industry and offices. Each industrial category will employ individuals from different residential backgrounds. For example, the heavy industry employs primarily unskilled workers. Once again, as the city's growth increases, higher density lots will become available to you.

Another category of lots you have access to within the game is commerce. This includes retail buildings, hotels and leisure facilities. The quality and quantity of the commerce buildings within your city can have a negative or positive impact on the population's overall satisfaction. The commerce buildings also generate numerous jobs for individuals living within your city.

Utilities play a fundamentally important role regarding the progression of your city. People may demand access to certain utilities such as electricity and water. They may become unhappy if the cost of utilities becomes extortionate. City services are crucial in keeping the population of your city satisfied. As the residential categories expand within your city, so will their demands. Executives and elites demand more inclusion of city services such as schools and police stations. Cities XL 2012 allows you to decorate your city to an extent. It allows you to place areas such as plazas and include landmarks within your city. This not only improves the appearance of your city but your population's satisfaction too.

The transportation panel grants you access to an array of tools that make commuting and traversing your city easy for your inhabitants. As the growth of your city increases, the amount of road types will increase. Each road type possesses a unique price and maximum capacity of commuters.

The budget panel is an important tool when attempting to successfully run a city. The general tab highlights the overall income and expenses of the city. The taxes panel allows you to raise and lower the taxes throughout the city. Always keep in mind that this will also have an impending impact upon your population. The third panel provides a breakdown of the most profitable and expensive resources within the city. The loans section grants you access to loans that help you combat debt or improve your city in someway.

Satisfaction is a crucial concept within this title. The population panel provides a breakdown of statistics regarding the circumstances of your inhabitants within the city. It highlights numerous statistics such as the home filling rate, the quantity of jobs available and the amount of citizens that reside within your city. It also highlights unemployment which allows you to act and place suitable career lots for various residential categories. There is a panel that displays the citizens' satisfaction regarding their expenses and how much money they earn from their career. There is also a panel that demonstrates how happy the citizens are regarding the environment and services available within the city. The resource panel provides an intricate look at the usage of freight and transportation. This grants you the opportunity to improve or remove resources where you see fit. The public transport panel highlights the efficiency of public transport such as taking the bus. This allows you to determine if inclusion of more buses is necessary for your city.

The satisfaction panels located in the top right hand corner allow you to hover over a category to reveal their satisfaction levels. These are presented with a percentage and is a swift method of discovering the satisfaction present within your city. If you click an individual category, it grants you access to an intricate breakdown of what that category is pleased with, what they demand and anything they are unhappy about.

The side panel located on the right hand side grants you access to even more panels displaying satisfaction. It's becoming abundantly clear that satisfaction is what allows your city to grow and progress. The population tab locates the four categories individually and pinpoints where they reside within your city.  The satisfaction tab highlights the population's satisfaction with the quality and quantity of services within the city such as schools and hospitals. The economy tab highlights jobs and vacant jobs within the city. Noise and air pollution are exposed in the environment tab. The resources tab locates areas within your city that resources such as oil and water can be retrieved. The transportation tab measures traffic satisfaction within your city and highlights the bus/metro lines utilised.

I approached this game with an open mind, trying extremely hard not to compare it to Sim City 4. It is an extremely enjoyable title which will indeed fill the void for city builders everywhere awaiting the release of Sim City in 2013. The title is extremely in-depth with the statistics and criteria a player may have to meet to keep people happy. Overall, it is an accessible game for someone who may not be familiar with a city-building game. With the range of difficulties available, it provides a challenge for a range of individuals. Cities XL 2012 is no Sim City by any means, but that being said, why would anyone want that? It's a fresh spin to the city-building genre and a title I think everyone should at least try.

Thanks for reading,

Hannah

Final Fantasy XIII-2 Review

Following the release of Final Fantasy XIII, the segregation between Final Fantasy fans has become abundantly clear. Many fans were dissatisfied with the quality of the release and the apprehension regarding the release of Final Fantasy XIII-2 became apparent. I, for one, enjoyed Final Fantasy XIII immensely but still proceeded to approach this release with an unbiased opinion and open mind.

Despite the appearance of this title closely resembling its predecessor, Final Fantasy XIII-2 showcases enhancements to gameplay and an extremely engaging plotline and narrative. Although it is indeed a sequel to Final Fantasy XIII, there are clear examples of alterations throughout this title.

Final Fantasy XIII-2 features random encounters as you traverse a location. This feature allows for bountiful combat opportunities, but can be somewhat frustrating as they appear frequently and can hinder your progress. As these random encounters take place, you are greeted with an encounter circle. If you vacate so that no enemies are present within the circle, you flee the battle and are not required to engage in combat. A mog clock is also displayed upon enemies appearing .The mog clock is a countdown system that represents the opportunity to achieve a pre-emptive strike upon the enemy. The quicker you engage the first strike upon the enemy, the more opportunity there is to successfully administer a pre-emptive strike.

 Paradigms allow you to customise your party’s formation and strategy for battle. Various formations will aid you in combating enemies and bosses. A formation that allows you to defeat one group of enemies may not work on others. Players can now assign monsters to their paradigms within Final Fantasy XIII-2. Upon defeating a specific enemy, you are granted access to allocate them to your paradigm. Each monster possesses unique abilities and attributes, which can be developed within the crystarium. Upon selecting a monster, the formations available to you within the paradigms expand.

Final Fantasy XIII-2 grants you access to a trusty companion known as a Moogle. A Moogle’s bobble will glow when you are within the vicinity of special items and treasures. It may also help you discover artefacts and lead you to locations where live triggers are present. A Moogle also has a unique function known as ‘The Moogle Hunt.’ Treasure sphere and other objects which are out of phase with the current timeline will reside across various locations. These hidden objects will be made noticeable by a shimmering aura. With Moogle’s assistance, the paradox effect is dispelled and will allow access to the now-tangible object.

Final Fantasy XIII-2 places a massive emphasis on conversing with people throughout the various locations. You are able to converse with individuals and discover information that is sometimes helpful regarding the storyline. The characters may also converse amongst themselves, especially during live triggers. These live triggers appear occasionally and are an opportunity to discover more about the character and sometimes topics such as location and history. Upon receiving a question during these live triggers, there are four unique responses present, depending on the nature of the discussion. This directly affects the response of the other character you are conversing with. As you make progress, people may proposition you with missions you may wish to undertake. You are not required to partake in these missions, they are simply side missions. Upon completion, you will receive a reward for your efforts.

During selected parts of the game, you have access to Chocobos. Upon mounting a Chocobo, you may traverse the map freely with no worry of being attacked or having to engage in combat. Chocobo’s also grant you access to locations you may be unable to reach on foot. You must feed a Chocobo a gysahl green before they will allow you to mount them.

Throughout the Final Fantasy XIII-2 experience, you are required to time travel through the Historia Crux. It acts as a compass for navigating time and allows you to select a year and location that you wish to travel to. With each gate successfully unlocked, more locations become available to you. Gate seals allow you to close various locations within the Historia Crux. Upon closing a location, it resets part of their history. It can also be utilised to rewind to a point before an artefact was obtained, allowing you to complete past mysteries again.

Whilst you travel to plentiful locations, you may discover a function known as a temporal rift. To progress further, you must unravel the mystery presented and resolve the anomaly. You may also encounter cinematic actions within Final Fantasy XIII-2. During the cinematic action segment, you will be prompted to complete a button sequence. Upon completing this sequence perfectly, you receive a random bonus. Decision making is a primary feature within Final Fantasy XIII-2. The game will present you with a situation and prompt you to select an action to resolve the predicament.

Owing to the difficulty of individual enemies within Final Fantasy XIII-2, you may find yourself seeking robust weaponry and items to aid you in your quest. Chocolina’s Shop appears in various locations throughout the game. The shop grants you bountiful amounts of weapons, items and accessories to compliment your character’s abilities. Each accessory possesses a unique attribute, and clever combinations will improve the capabilities of your characters. Weapons can also be optimised to focus on strength, magic and HP.

The quality of presentation within Final Fantasy XIII-2 is phenomenal which swiftly captured my interest. The inclusion of music and sound created a powerful atmosphere in specific sections of the game. I did find occasionally the use of specific tracks became repetitive but, was utilised effectively for the most part. Final Fantasy XIII-2 combines a harrowing storyline with a light-hearted connection between two protagonists, creating an emotion-wrenching experience for the player. If you were not a fan of Final Fantasy XIII, chances are this title will not sway your opinion. If you’re possibly a fan of the older releases within the Final Fantasy series or have not played the prequel, this game may present a new lease of life for you. It provides a brief summary of the prequel so this game is accessible to avid fans of Final Fantasy or those who are just beginning their journey.

Thanks for reading,

Hannah

Mass Effect 3: Multiplayer Demo

Upon discovering that multiplayer would be implemented in Mass Effect 3, it left me with an extreme feeling of apprehension. I believe many would concur that the inclusion of multiplayer within Mass Effect was not a necessity. The series is renowned for the prowess it possesses in conjuring an illustrious single player experience. With such powerful story telling capabilities and a remarkable following, would implementing a multiplayer function damage the reputation of such a successful series? I’ll be discussing the multiplayer capabilities presented in the Mass Effect 3 demo.

For those who may be apprehensive regarding story spoilers in the demo, the campaign and multiplayer modes are completely separate. Once you begin the demo, you are prompted to select a character. You must assign a class to your character before proceeding to matchmaking.  There are six classes to choose from with each class possessing unique attributes and abilities, which will aid you throughout the multiplayer experience. As you progress and gain experience points, you will unlock additional characters within each class.

Upon selecting your class, the option to customise your character is presented.  The demo allows you to customise the primary and highlight colour of your character’s armour. It also allows you to assign your character a unique name. As you level up, additional customisation options unlock such as patterns, pattern colour and lights. 

Along with experience points, you receive additional points when levelling up that are utilised to improve abilities such as weapon damage and health. As your level increases, additional weapons become available. This allows you increased flexibility when choosing a suitable kit and weapon layout. Details of a weapon’s capability and statistics are displayed which simplifies the task of choosing a suitable weapon for your unique playing style. After completing an objective during a match, you are rewarded credits which allow you to purchase packs that include additional weaponry, items and characters.

The demo allows you to create a lobby which can be toggled to private or public access. Four players are able to simultaneously partake in each match. The multiplayer sets you against waves of enemies with the primary objective of surviving. It also presents secondary objectives such as uploading data and defeating specific enemies. Completion of the secondary objectives awards you with credits, as I mentioned earlier.

There are three difficulties present within the demo, which are represented by ‘bronze, silver and gold’ categories. The demo provides two maps for you to battle the waves of enemies presented. As you traverse the map and defeat enemies, you are rewarded experience points for completing various challenges such as; achieve 25 kills or 10 headshots. There are ten waves present in the demo which become increasingly arduous as you progress.  As you complete the final wave, you are required to vacate to the extraction point and survive and combat the remaining enemies that appear for an allotted time period.

Despite my scepticism regarding the implementing of a multiplayer mode within Mass Effect, I approached this multiplayer demo with an open mind. I enjoyed the multiplayer immensely despite it being somewhat arduous at times. The multiplayer requires a consistent amount of communication and strategic teamwork to achieve success and reach the final wave. The multiplayer becomes difficult when members of the team separate and attempt to defeat the enemies alone.

I still stand by my original statement that the multiplayer mode is not a necessity for the Mass Effect series, but the multiplayer experience that has been implemented is an extremely enjoyable addition.

Thank you for taking the time to read.

Hannah