PlayStation 4

Review written by Playstation4.net staff member Adam Hanson

 Soul Calibur 4 is the fifth game in the acclaimed fighting game series that started back on the original Playstation with Soul Blade.  The series is best known for it’s weapon based combat.  The series first appearance on the PS3 is a solid fighting game with plenty of features that will attract both fans of the series and new players alike.

 Soul Calibur 4 brings back almost all of the playable characters from past games.  The game also introduces a new character, Hilde, who wields a shortsword and a spear.  In addition to the Soul Calibur series characters the game lets players play as Darth Vader (a Playstation 3 exclusvie character) and his secret apprentice from the upcoming Star Wars: The Force Unleashed.  Finally the game features a group of bonus characters designed by Japanese anime artists.  There is also an empty character slot that some (including me) will only be filled once a gamesave for Force Unleashed is present on the console.  To further add to it’s impressive roster of characters Soul Calibur 4 allows the player to customize a fighters appearance and give them the fighting style of any character in the game.

 The single player game in Soul Calibur 4 includes a story mode, an arcade mode, and a new mode called tower of lost souls.  Arcade mode is the typical fighting game in that it involves fighting a series of opponents with each fight being best of three.  Story mode has fewer battles but each battle may have multiple opponents or allow the player to have an ally character.  Despite the designation as “Story” Mode the game is light on story and the story that is there is presented mostly as text.  The Tower of Lost Souls mode is a series of battles that get progressively harder as the player ascends the tower.  In this mode the player must fight multiple battles against multiple opponents in a row (usually 2 or 3 battles with 2 or 3 opponents each) and the player’s health carries over from one set of battles to the next.  This mode allows the player to change his character (or characters since more often than not the player is given two or three characters at a time) after each section.  Playing the single player game will allow the player to unlock new characters and find new costume parts for customized characters.

 Unless the player is a hardcore completionist the single player experience of Soul Calibur 4 will not last long.  At it’s heart Soul Calibur 4 is a multiplayer game and that is where it truly shines.  Soul Calibur 4 is at it’s most fun when a group of friends get together for a multiplayer game.  The versus mode is divided into a standard and a special mode.  Standard mode does not allow for use of optional skills while special mode does.  Optional skills are skills that the player equips to a character and they offer abilities like invisibility and protection from being knocked out of the ring.  While the game only features one on one battles; each battle is usually short enough to allow new players to switch in without anyone getting too bored.  In this generation where fighting game have been hard to come by Soul Calibur 4 will provide a change of pace from the shooters that have been dominating many game nights. 

 When it comes to the actual fighting Soul Calibur 4 does not disappoint.  Each character (with the exception of the bonus anime characters) has a unique fighting style and moveset.  The game makes it easy for new players to quickly learn a few moves and execute them in combat but it also has a number of moves that will take time and practice to master.  The characters themselves are fairly well balanced though some tend to be “cheaper” than others.  Using optional skills can unbalance the game but A new damage system has been put in place where repeated guarding will leave a character open to a “critical finisher” move that will kill them in one blow.  The Star Wars characters have the ability to use unique force moves that deplete a force meter.  Armor can be destroyed during the battle adding a degree of realism to the game.  Ring outs are also more difficult now as many arenas only have one side that is not blocked off by a wall.

 The graphics are top notch.  Characters and environments are detailed to the point where it’s can be fun just watching as friends fight.  The sound effects work with the game but are generally not all that noticeable.  The character voices are good but, like in any fighting game, it can get annoying hearing the same one liners before and after battles.  The few cutscenes that are in story mode are fully voiced but as I stated before most of the story is presented in a text only form at the beginning and end of the story mode.

 In conclusion Soul Calibur 4 is the game that fighting game fans have been waiting for.  It manages to blend simplicity and complexity into a game that players of all skill levels will enjoy.  The game looks great and it plays just as good.  While the major unlockables such as characters and arenas can be unlocked quickly there is plenty to keep the hardcore completionists playing for a long time.  Even after the single player game is done the versus mode will surely be a feature at many game nights.  With all of this in mind Soul Calibur 4 recieves. . . . 

a 4 out of 5

Review written by Playstation4.net staff member John Millman

Pixeljunk monsters is one of those rare gems of a game that appear once in a blue moon often going unoticed and overlooked, (ICO springs to mind). However, this game is certainly not one to be missed. The basic premise involves building an assortment of towers in trees that are scattered throughout each level in order to deal with wave after wave of monsters that are hungry for your ugly babies that reside at your base. If anyone has ever played Desktop Tower Defense on the PC, you will be familiar with the concept.

The graphics are simple yet neat with almost static backgrounds bar the windswept trees, and all displayed in glorious 1080p. The gameplay is borderline genius, grabbing your full attention and keeping you coming back over and over and over, like a monkey with a miniature cymbal, the joy of repetition surely is in you.

The player must navigate their strange looking creature (for want of a better name)throughout levels building towers in trees with the aim of destroying monsters before they get chance to eat your ugly bouncing babies back at base. Each tower is effective against a certain type of monster. Towers range from Cannons and arrows to laser towers, mortars and flame throwers. All towers can be levelled up in order to make them more efficient, this is done by either dancing in the tower or by using precious blue gems dropped by monsters as they are destroyed. When a monster is destroyed they drop coins which allow you to build more towers to cope with the incoming waves. If a player completes a level without losing all their babies then the level is complete. If the stage is completed without losing a single baby then a rainbow appears above the completed stage which in turn allows access to secret stages where special abilities can be achieved.

Trust me getting a rainbow on every stage is a very hard task indeed, and this is where the replay value works like a dream. This is one hard game that has no doubt contributed to the ever growing bald patch appearing at the top of my bonce.

The soundtrack adds a dual nature to the game, on the one hand the difficulty of the game can at times be frustratingly challenging, while on the other hand the soundtrack is blissfully peaceful and perfectly scored creating a confusing and utterly satisfying atmospheric experience.

For the price of a pint of Lager and a packet of crisps there are months and months (perhaps even longer with the announcement of a possibility of trophy support being added in the future) of pure gameplay to be had.

There are not many negatives that can be said about this game apart from a few gripes with the ineffectiveness of certain towers, (such as the ice tower) apart from that one small gripe this game is the mutt’s nuts and an absolute must buy.

By far the greatest game on PSN by far IMO and at £3.49 (on Euro PSN) this should not be missed!! Absolute beauty in simplicity at a budget price. Amazing value, Check it out. 9/10

Review written by Playstation4.net staff member Michael Feather

Oblivion, the first in the popular Elder Scrolls series to make it’s way to next-gen consoles, was first released for the PS3 in early 2007. It was then later re-released with both the Knights of the Nine, and Shivering Isles expansions packs, dubbed the Game of the Year edition later that same year.

Oblivion has what you can expect from any typical RPG, with elves, goblins, fantastical creatures, and so on, all presented in a mode usually reserved for shooters. First-person. Despite the peculiarity of this, the game works particularly well, and the graphics are also of a good quality.

Complimenting the graphics is a cast of voice talent which includes Patrick Stewart, Sean Bean, and Terence Stamp. However, this is tempered by the low number of voice actors in comparison to the number  of races of people, and the amount of NPC’s present in the game. This can make the voices in the game feel repetitive after some time spent in the game.

Moving on to the player, the game allows a great deal of customisability for your character, including allowing to choose gender, age, race, hair colour, eye colour, etc. This customisability, while refreshing, can be daunting at first to those new to these games. However, this is not integral to the game so the player may start as soon as they are ready.

The game starts with the player’s character in prison for an unrevealed crime, leaving it to the player to decide the reason. By a stroke of luck, a secret passage out of the Imperial City just happens to be through the very cell the player’s character is currently held in. The Emperor after meeting you as he passes believes he sees something in the player’s character, and so you are asked to leave with the Emperor. The player then leads the emperor through the dungeon, eventually parting ways, and ultimately escaping the caves the player is in.

As soon as the player has escaped the dungeon, they are left to their own devices as to what, where, and when they want to do anything. If the player wishes, they can simply ignore the main quest of the game altogether and concentrate on accomplishing the many things available in the game, including becoming the leader of the numerous guilds, or simply exploring the vastness of Cyrodiil, the country the game is set in.

The game world is literally overflowing with countless dungeons, caves, and abandoned forts just waiting to be plundered. The problem with this is that after exploring these various dungeons for the long enough, the player will feel a sense of déjà vu as many of the dungeons seem to suffer from copy-and-paste syndrome. The loot also becomes monotonous as even high-levelled players will only find tiny amounts of gold, and very little in the way of rewarding treasures, and will soon tire of the experience. Even if the player manages to stumble upon a large cache of gold, and expensive items they will be hard pressed to buy anything of worth after the first few levels the player’s character has obtained. Nor will they be able to sell their expensive items for a reasonable price, as the merchants within the game only have a certain amount of gold to spend in one go. This problem is lessened somewhat if the player levels their mercantile skill to master as this allows the player to invest money in the shops, thus allowing the shopkeepers to increase their total spendable gold to an extent.

The levelling system too, has its flaws. An example being that as the p;layer’s character increases in level, so too do the other inhabitants of the game making some monsters too easy to defeat in some instances. Despite this, the system is robust, allowing the player to choose seven major skills at the beginning which unlike the minor skills, will also eventually make the player’s character level up.  There are many skills allowing the player to choose just how they would prefer their character to be, whether it be a powerful warrior, a cunning thief, a mighty sorcerer, or any other class that takes the player’s fancy.

All in all, while Oblivion has its many flaws, as do all games, they are more than compensated for with the game’s many good points, making for a truly enjoyable RPG experience on the PS3.

Review written by Playstation4.net staff member Klark Byrd

Published in the U.S.A. by Atari, Dragon Ball Z: Burst Limit has the visuals of the anime it garners its name from, the furiously fast fist pounding action and a frustratingly huge Great Ape to beat. Following on the heels of Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 3 for the Playstation 2, Burst Limit seems small indeed. BT3 featured about 160 characters with a full story line through Dragon Ball GT, whereas Burst Limit ends at the Cell Games. Don’t expect to find Majin Buu around this game.

But Burst Limit makes up for what it lacks in quantity with quality. Fighters get to choose up to three drama pieces that are unlocked in Story Mode before fighting. These drama pieces come in handy for saving your butt in the knick of time, providing you’ve met the criteria for activating them. Burst Limits visuals are so wonderful on the PS3 that it’s nearly impossible to tell it from the actual drawn anime. The game even allows for in-game transitions, such as Goku changing to Kaioken and then to Super Saiyan form. This allows the match flow to be more in line with what you’d see watching the cartoon.

One of the largest advances for the Dragon Ball Z fighting games is that Burst Limit allows you to go online and fight with anyone from around the globe. A word of warning for online – if you’re fighting someone outside of your own country, be prepared for severe lag. Lag issues aside, the online fights exactly like a player 1 versus computer match. You don’t get to control how much health either side has, but if you elect to allow drama pieces, the match could go either way. I took the game online the first day I had it and won my first match. I received a proper thrashing thereafter, but I won my first match.

My only wish for this game was that it was more inclusive. Perhaps BT3 spoiled me since I was able to have Goku all the way up to Super Saiyan 4 or fight as any of the Buu characters, but I really expected to see them in Burst Limit.
If you’re looking for a game that you can pick up, properly beat the crap out of someone and relive the glory moments of the Dragon Ball Z anime, Burst Limit is the game for you. The fighting controls are incredibly intuitive though altered from BT3 and initiating ki bursts and furious fists are easy. I also found it easier to kick my opponent in the air in this game. There’s no time to look for Dragon Balls in Burst Limit, you’ll find them on the loading screen. You can control them in certain ways by pressing buttons on your controller while waiting for the match to load. Load times aren’t too bad, but a little longer than I thought they would be.

If and when Burst Limit 2 is announced, I hope they’ll include the Majin Buu saga and improve online fighting. Don’t let that discourage you from picking up this prime fighting game.

SCORE: 8 out of 10

Review written by Playstation4.net staff member Adam Hanson

 Before I get started on Secret Agent Clank for the PSP I want to apologize in advance to anyone who has not played Daxter.  I need to do this because for anyone who has played Daxter the comparisons between the two games are unavoidable.  Both games are interquels to a long line of PS2 action games that are made by companies that were started by former employees of the companies that made the original games.  Both games feature the sidekick character from the PS2 games in a starring role.  Both games have to make some changes to the series gameplay to accomodate both the new hardware and the new main character.  If one were to say that Secret Agent Clank is the next Daxter would not be entirely false but the game does have it’s own unique charm that sets it apart from other action platformers. . . .   even those starring Ottsels.

 The concept of Secret Agent Clank was first introduced in Ratchet and Clank: Up Your Arsenal.  In that game Clank had taken a break from his hero duties to star in a TV series where he played a James Bond style superspy.  In Up Your Arsenal Clank was often mistaken by other characters for the character he played.  Secret Agent Clank features the titular robot working as a real spy for an organization named “The Agency”.  While investigating a disturbance at a museum Clank witnesses Ratchet stealing a precious jewel.  The museum guards arrest Ratchet and as they are locking him up he makes a speech about crime being more profitable than heroism.  Clank immediately knows that his friend would never commit such a crime so he sets out to prove Ratchet’s innocence.  The game also follows Ratchet who is being held in the same prison as many of his former foes and Captain Qwark who is touring the galaxy and writing his autobiography.

 The developers at High Impact Games have expanded upon the Superspy concept by designing new weapons and gadgets similar to what 007 or the Avengers (the british spies not the superhero team) would use.  Like in any Ratchet and Clank game some of the weaons and gadgets will be more useful than others but due to a smaller number of gadgets and the fact that each typically has less ammo than one of Ratchet’s weapons means that almost every gadget will end up being used in combat at some point.  There are also times when a certain gadget is required to pass an area.  The game always give the player ammo for the gadget they need though so there is really no need to use your gadgets strategically.

 The gameplay in Secret Agent Clank should seem familiar to anyone who has played Ratchet and Clank: Size Matters.  In fact the controls for much of the game have been lifted directly from Size Matters.  While all characters controls are the same the gameplay still varies depending on who you are playing as.  Clank gets most of the gameplay time and as a result he has the most diverse gameplay.

 A Clank level is a typical action/platformer level.  Most of the time the player can choose to take a stealthy approach or to run in guns (or more accurately spy gadgets) blazing.  There are some levels that end if the player is seen and others where the player is given no place to hide and therefore must fight the enemies.  Most of the time players will find themselves using a combination of stealth tactics and direct combat.

 Ratchet’s levels are straight combat.  Enemies keep spawning and Ratchet needs to keep shooting.  Some of the later levels have gimmicks such as trying to keep enemies from reaching a door or trying to defeat enemies while avoiding security cameras but even these levels are mainly arena combat levels.  These levels are like the arenas in any Ratchet game; by that I mean they are fun but not as much fun as the normal missions.

 The Captain Qwark levels are essentially boss fights.  Qwark and his foes are placed in a small and the player as Qwark needs to fight all comers.  Some of the levels resemble Ratchet’s arenas and others are straight up one on one boss battles.  Qwark has the most limited selection of weapons as he only has one pistol and his physical attacks.  Some levels offer level specific weapons in addition to Qwark’s pistol.  The Qwark levels are easily some of the least fun levels in the game partially because they are so simple and partially becuase they tend to drag on.

 The final playable characters are Clank’s Gadgebot sidekicks.  These levels are much like the Clank levels in other Ratchet games.  They combine platforming with puzzle solving.  Gadgebot levles are light on combat and are usually much shorter than a Ratchet or Clank level.

 In addition to the character levels there are minigames.  One is a rythym based minigame that makes use of timed button presses.  If the player succeeds clank is unharmed and if he fails clank takes damage.  Another minigame involves driving through an obstacle course while avoiding pursuers.  The third minigame involves flying giant clank through an asteroid belt and shooting enemy ships.  Much like the Qwark levels these minigames tend to drag on and take away from the overall experience of the game.  More often than not the parts of the story that are played out as minigames would be more fun as regular platforming levels or simply revealed as cutscenes.

The graphics are comparable to the graphics in R & C Size Matters or Daxter.  Characters and backgrounds all look great and are well animated.  The camera works well and the player will hardly ever die because an enemy was hiding just offscreen.  The sound is good but with one major flaw.  Character voices, the most important part of the sound in any game, are much quieter than everything else.  Even with the volume on the PSP turned up all the way it is still hard to hear the characters talking if there is any sort of noise around.  The subtitles help but the fact that the voices are hard to hear except in a quiet room does detract from the portability of the game.

 In the end Secret Agent Clank is a game that fans of the series will love and fans of the genre will like.  If you are not into action platformers than Secret Agent Clank will not change your mind but if you like this kind of game then it’s flaws are easy to forgive.  With that in mind I give Secret Agent Clank. . .

a 4 out of 5.

Review written by Playstation4.net staff member Adam Hanson

 I will be the first to admit that when I tried to play Civilization on the original Playstation I did not enjoy the game.  Still ten years and two consoles later I figured it was time to give the series another shot.  What I found was a game that was vastly improved in every way.  While many series improve when they make the jump to a more powerful console few show the level of improvement exhibited by Civilization Revolution.

 Civiliazation Revolution is developed by Firaxis the same people that game us the PSP hit Pirates!.  Like Pirates! the game uses real world history and open ended gameplay to create a unique experience.  The game is deep and complex and strategic and it comes together nicely.

 The premise of Civilization Revolution (referred to from here on as “Civ Rev”) is simple and epic at the same time.  The player plays as one of 16 historical civilizations and must become the greatest nation on the planet.  This can be done in four different ways.  The first method is to simply conquer every other nation by waging war against them.  The second way to win is by advancing science and launching a mission to Alpha Centauri.  The third victory method is by obtaining wealth and constructing the world bank.  The final path to success involves building your nation’s culture and establishing the united nations.  With 16 unique civilizations and 4 paths to victory Civilization presents players with 64 possible ways of playing the game.  While some players may be distracted long before they achieve every kind of victory with every nation the wealth of gameplay options should be enough to insure that most gamers will feel the purchase price is justified.

 When it comes to gameplay there are two main components.  War activities and non war activities.  Non war activities include advancing science or culture and trading with other nations.  While it is possible to play though the game without attacking a single enemy city most players will probably go to war at least once.

 If the player chooses to try and coexist peacefully they can win by advancing technology or culture.  Once new science can be researched at a time and the research will go more quickly if more cities have their populations working on science.  Culture is achieved by building certain wonders like the Shakespeare Theater or by recruiting great people into the nation.  Great people show up once certain technologies are discovered or when cities generate enough culture.  Once settled a great person can either give a bonus over time such as increasing science production by 50 percent or they can give a one time bonus such as finishing the building that is currently being produced in a city.  The player can choose to trade science and great people with other nations.  By doing this the player can gain new sciences without having to study the prequisite sciences.

 If peaceful coexistence fails or if the player is just feeling aggressive the player can opt to go to war.  Wars can be declared by trespassing on another nation’s territory or by declaring war during a conversation.  Sometimes the player is given the option of demanding money or technology as part of an agreement not to go to war.  If such a treaty is made the player is not allowed to break it for a number of turns (the number is stated in the treaty).  Once the player is in a war another nation may offer a gift of money or technology in the hope of achieving peace or they may demand a gift and offer peace as payment for that gift.  Civilizations are more likely to offer a gift if the player has stronger military units.

 In Civ Rev the player is given access to a large number of military units.  These units range from knights and archers to tanks and planes.  New military units are gained by learning new technologies.  Once the player builds units they can attack enemy units and cities or used for fortify the player’s own cities.  By defeating opponents units level up and gain bonuses to attack, defense, movement, and other attributes.  Three units of the same type can also be combined to make armies which are are much more powerful than individual units.

 The gameplay does have a few flaws.  There is no ability to make a custom map and each game has 5 nations (including the player) no more no less.  Perhaps the biggest flaw of the game is the fact that the game has a turn limit which effectively makes it a timed game.  While some players may accept this I am one of those who believes that putting in a time limit is the single worst thing a developer can do to a game.  Still while the game does have it’s flaws they don’t stop the overall experience from being fun and even the time limit is reasonable enough that any player should be able to finish the game in the number of turns allotted.

 The graphics of Civ Rev take an approach that is not as realistic as Uncharted and not as cartoony as Ratchet and Clank.  The graphics are bright and fairly detailed but many in game objects are too small to get a good look at them.  The sound is nothing spectacular.  Most things sound like one would imagine them to.  The characters speak in a gibberish that is reminiscent of Star Fox and some people may find it annoying.  Still I find that having any voice acting (even if the voice does not form any actual words) is better than just having text menus at least for this particular game.

 In the end I would say that Civilization Revolution is not for everybody.  It’s not fast paced, it does not have a strong story, and there are more technically proficient games out there when it comes to graphics and sound.  Still the game is good and while it may not be the most stunning game out there is is by no means ugly.  If the game were a girl I would describe her as not unattractive but having an amazing personality but since it is a video game I would describe it as. . . . 

a 4 out of 5.

Review written by Playstation4.net staff member Adam Hanson

                Drawing inspiration from the same adventure stories that inspired films like Indiana Jones and National Treasure Uncharted: Drakes Fortune takes advantage of the power of the PS3 to tell a compelling story of modern day pirates and lost treasure.  Developer Naughty Dog (creators of the Jak and Daxter series) manages to do quite well with their first PS3 also their first original IP since the original Jak game on the PS2.
 
                From the moment the game starts players find themselves immersed in the role of Nathan Drake the self proclaimed descendant of the famed explorer and privateer Sir Francis Drake.  At the start of the game Drake finds himself battling pirates off the coast of Panama with the prize in question being a clue to the location of the treasure of El Dorado.  From there the game takes players to a variety of locations including a jungle, a ruined city, and even a nazi submarine.  While the game has relatively few main characters each of them are well written and memorable.
 
                The gameplay is largely a mix of platforming and shooting with some puzzle and driving segments scattered throughout.  The platforming is done similarly to Assassin’s Creed where perfect timing is rarely necessary and a single context sensitive button handles jumping and climbing.  In addition to traditional platforming there are incidents where the player must quickly press a button to correspond with an on screen prompt similar to the God of War series or use the motion sensitivity of the Sixaxis to maintain Drake’s balance as he crosses a fallen log or other narrow bridge. 
 
                The game’s shooting is much more complex than it’s platforming.  The nature of the battles requires the player to think strategically and make use of the games environment both to provide cover from enemy gunfire and to use against one’s foes.  There is no shortage of cover to hide behind with some of it being destructible (wooden crates for example will break apart after they have been shot enough times) and permanent (walls, and rock formations can survive even a grenade blast).  The game makes it easy to maintain cover as players move around an object or from one secure location to a nearby one.  Shooting from a covered location can be done blindly by simply firing the equipped weapon or the player can choose to emerge from cover to aim and fire a more accurate shot.  Firing blindly often leaves the player having to reload rather than doing any real damage to the enemy so most of the time players will opt to aim and fire even if it means taking some damage.
 
                Fighting the enemy is further complicated by the fact that the enemy AI is quite advanced.  Enemies will try to flank Drake, make use of cover, and even notice when the player is out of ammunition.  Drake’s arsenal is limited to one pistol and one larger gun (shotgun, machine gun, rifle) as well as a few grenades.  Weapons are based off of real world guns with some slight changes to the names (Dragunov is now Dragon Sniper, SPAS 12 is SAS 12 etc).  Hand to hand combat is an option but Drake’s moves are limited and enemies can often gun the player down before he closes to melee range.  The game does not feature healing items but instead allows drake to recover if he is able to go long enough without taking damage.  This helps the player enter each new fight sequence fresh which is important as Drake does not have the tolerance for damage found in many shooters.  Enemies are similar in that they too can be felled by a small number of well aimed bullets.  One example of this is that a headshot is lethal for both Drake and his enemies.
 
                The graphics in Uncharted are what one would expect from a top tier PS3 title.  The characters are detailed and well animated with more points of articulation than were possible on the PS2.  Environments are similarly detailed and varied enough that players will not feel as if they are seeing the same thing over and over.  Of particular note are the game’s water effects which are more realistic than anything that has come before.  One great example of this is that if Drake enters water he will emerge wet and dry off over time.  In addition to being technically proficient the graphics are also artistically brilliant.  Every location is designed in a way that enhances the cinematic experience of the game by adding an air of wonder or fear or whatever is appropriate.  The game’s sound is similarly well done.  Every line of the script is voiced and the voice acting is very well done and on par with what one would hear in a high quality animated film.  The sound effects are also dead on with everything sounding the way it should.
 
                If there is one negative thing to be said about Uncharted it is that the game is short.  A single playthough on normal difficult level can be completed in about 10 hours of playtime.  Luckily the developers put in a number of medals similar to the skill points in Ratchet and Clank.  These medals can be obtained by finding treasures scattered throughout the game or by performing certain tasks in combat such as getting a set number of kills with a certain weapon.  Each medal has a point value and the points can be used to unlock costumes for drake as well as behind the scenes video.  Like the Jak games Uncharted makes it easy for players to replay any of the game’s cut scenes which is a great addition because the scenes are so good that players may want to view them again and again. 
 
                WIth all things considered Uncharted: Drakes Fortune is a great addition to the PS3 lineup and a top tier title that any PS3 owner should have in their collection.  With talk of a sequel already beginning to hit the net it seems that Uncharted is a great start to what will likely be a great franchise.
 
5/5

Review written by Playstation4.net staff member Jeff Cameron

 The Burnout series has been around for a long time, and has earned itself a place in many racing fans’ collections, mostly due to its insane crashes and lightning fast speed.

  I’m happy to announce that these qualities are still intact in this version, and the layout of the game has undergone a massive overhaul to ensure that Burnout Paradise will be played for years to come.

 The main difference that gamers will notice right away is that the entire menu interface has been stripped away. Instead of selecting the type of race, and then choosing your car, you now begin the game driving around the large, seamless metropolis that is Paradise City.

 Prepare to get to know Paradise City well, as you boost around the 250 miles within its’ borders, winning races, and crashing through objectives.

 Every intersection within the city is the start of an event. The race events are straightforward, get from point A to point B on the map before the other racers. There is no “set path” for you to race here, you can literally take any path you choose to get there. This has its’ good and bad points, though. On the good side it allows for a ton of replayability as you can always find a shortcut, or a quicker route to finish first. On the negative side, if you try to follow the mini map included onscreen, you’ll most likely crash many times while trying to navigate. To be fair the game includes the name of the  street that you’re currently on, as well as the upcoming intersections on the top of the screen. While you race the names of the intersections will begin to flash like turn signals to help you decide when to make a turn.

 If you do crash a lot and throw the race (and you will at first) the race will continue until you cross the finish line. The strange thing is there’s no option to return to the starting intersection of that race. You literally have to drive all the way back to re-try it again. While this may upset some gamers, there are always other events such as Road Rage, and Stunt Challenges, that can be started within a few feet of where your last race ended.

 Road Rage is basically the same as in previous Burnout titles, with the goal being to take out a set number of racers during the race, this is a fun mode, and adds even more intensity to the races.

 The biggest change to the single player is that the Crash mode from the previous iterations is gone. Instead Paradise introduces Showtime mode. Showtime mode basically throws your car into a spinning, head over heels crash, where the goal is to rack up as many pints as you can by crashing into other vehicles. Each vehicle has a monetary value assigned to it, and some vehicles (such as buses) include multipliers. The best thing about this mode is your ability to launch into Showtime at any time you want, even in the middle of a race. This mode is obviously a lot of fun, and can turn a last place finish into a million point or more streak of carnage.

 At any point in the game you can also turn on “road rules” which aside from tracking your best Showtime scores on each particular street, will also start a timer to track your fastest time down each street. This helps to provide a break from race events, and adds some competitiveness to see which of your friends can “own” each area of Paradise City.

  There are upwards of 70 vehicles to unlock, ranging from cars that specialize in stunts, or aggressiveness. There’s also a new way of unlocking vehicles. When you’ve reached certain goals, a new vehicle will begin driving around the city, and it’s your job to find it and take it down. After you’ve destroyed it, it then shows up in the junkyard, which is the games version of your garage. Overall it’s a nice touch, that at the very least changes the old formula up a bit.

 The multiplayer is now completely seamless as well. At any time you can click the directional pad and launch into “Freeburn”, or an online race. The cool thing is that nothing changes, you’ll still be driving down the same street, but suddenly there are up to 8 other players driving around the city as well.
 The game packs in a ton of multiplayer challenges such as finding ways of jumping over each others’ cars. Completing all these challenges would take an insane amount of time, and is something few will accomplish.

 Online races are set up the same as offline, this time the party leader picks the start and finish lines, and they also have the option of picking everyones car if they want. The races are still fast and frantic, and players will no doubt feel their stomachs bottom out when they take a wrong turn and blow the race.

 The graphics in Burnout Paradise are superb, and you’ll never get sick of the sight of watching your car reduced to a twisted pile of metal after slamming into a wall. The vehicles all have a distinct look, and the developers did a great job of making the different areas of the city stand out. The downtown area really looks like what you’d expect with tall office buildings, and restaurants, and areas like the waterfront, or the naval yard really help bring the city to life.

 The sound in the game really can be hit or miss. The crashing, boosting and engine sounds are are realistic, and done well, but the radio DJ- DJ Atomica gets old real fast. Throughout the game he’s tasked with giving you info on the city, and how to play, but his annoying catch-phrases, and superior sounding attitude will wear on you with time.

 The music is rather standard for an EA game, with tunes ranging from Avril Lavigne, to the Chemical Brothers. At the very least you can always switch tracks quickly with one click of a directional button.

 Burnout Paradise really brought on a lot of changes for the franchise, and they’re all worth it. The open world concept really does “open” things up, and gives you the freedom to enjoy the game however you like. When you get tired of crashing through billboards, or trying races, you just click a button, and you’re suddenly able to zoom around the city with friends or rivals. For fans of the series, or anyone wanting to try a fast paced open world racer, this is a game that was done right, and will never get old.

Review written by Playstation4.net staff member Jeff Cameron

Every once in a while a racing game will come along, that forces you to keep a white-knuckle grip on the controller the entire time. Motorstorm is that racer.

Motorstorm allows you to choose between several different types of vehicles including dirt bikes, rally cars, dune buggies, and even semi trucks, and then engage in an all out race to the finish.
Racing in Motorstorm is by no means an easy feat. The track design is really well done, with tons of twists and turns along the way. One thing you’ll notice right off the bat is that the mud will actually get churned up as the vehicles race through it, which will cause ruts and grooves in later laps.

The tracks all take place in a desert style motif, so expect to fly off a lot of canyons  and flat tops as you slam into other racers. The racing gets hectic quickly as racers will usually knock each other off course going into the first turn. One way to curb this is to use the boost feature that each vehicle has. Holding boost will provide a burst of speed, but will also heat up your engine. Bring your engine’s heat indicator to the red, and you’ll be treated to a cut scene of your vehicle exploding into a fiery wreck. The boost feature adds a level of strategy to the races, as it soon becomes crucial to use boost at the right times.
 
Even though all the tracks take place in the desert, each one feels as if it’s bringing something new to the table. Each track has multiple routes, and even multiple levels of elevation to race through. This also plays into the different vehicles strengths and weaknesses, as you’ll want to keep a semi on flat ground, well a dirt bike is much better suited for the narrow paths and crazy jumps that racing high above ground will provide.

The graphics in Motorstorm are really something that every PS3 owner should see in action. The colours in the game really pop, and seem to jump right off the screen. The vehicles are all highly detailed, and look terrific even during the many crash sequences. The tracks themselves seem to come alive as mud and rocks fly everywhere with every turn. There are also tons of obstacles littered throughout each track that help keep the atmosphere alive, so you’re not left staring at canyon walls the entire time.
 
The controls in Motorstorm work well, although there aren’t many to master. This is the type of racer where you want to use the brake sparingly. Aside from the turbo, the only thing that takes some getting used to is actually controlling your vehicle. The controls tend to feel a bit loose, and more often than not applying slight pressure to the analog sticks can make your attempt at navigating between two boulders end in disaster.

This brings me to the one only problem with this game- it’s hard. While you should be able to complete the earlier tickets easily enough, the later tickets become a trial in ones’ patience. In the later tickets it’s all too common to crash once and feel like you had no real chance of ever catching up to the front of the pack. The level four tickets will probably only be completed  by the most die-hard racers with a steady supply of Ritalin.

Once you tire of racing the increasingly frustrating AI, thousands of people are already racing online. Motorstorm has an online component that allows up to twelve racers to battle it out on any of the single player tracks. The online works very well, with practically no lag whatsoever. This will undoubtedly be what keeps gamers coming back, as its much more fun to pit your skills against real people than with the AI. The online menus are a bit on the sparse side, with the most noticeable omission being the lack of any leaderboards. Even so the online is a lot of fun, and what sane person would tire of ramming people off the side of cliffs, anyways?

Motorstorm is a frantic, adrenaline fuelled, mud-slinging, racer that rewards those that are willing to find the best shortcuts with the best vehicles. Its’ graphics are among the best on the PS3, and the online multiplayer is solid enough to keep gamers coming back for a long while. If you own a PS3, and have ever wondered what driving off of the Grand Canyon on a dirt bike would feel like, than this game is for you.