• Format: PC (version reviewed), Mac, PSN, XBLA
  
• Unleashed: Out Now
• Publisher: Lace Mamba Global/Focus Home Interactive, Atlus
• Developer: Frozenbyte
• Players: 1 – 3
• Site: www.trine2.com

Having a knight, a wizard and a thief simultaneously adventuring together seems like a fairly reasonable Halloween costume line-up or an unspecialised MMO raid party. It also sounds like the most obvious cast for a side-scrolling adventure game. In 2009, Frozenbyte struck the hearts of many with their game Trine that perfected this seemingly obvious formula. Two years on and they have made a sequel, but does it live up to the original game’s charm? If you just want this review in its simplest form, the answer is an absolutely corking “Yes and more.”

If you missed the first game then we’ll recap. It all started when a wizard, thief and knight touched an artefact called the Trine. It bound their souls together and sent them on an adventure. Part of being Trine-bound meant that players could instantly switch between characters to overcome certain puzzles and obstacles. The wizard conjures physical objects into existence and levitates them, the thief is highly mobile with her grappling hook and the knight is proficient at bludgeoning nasties to death. This aspect has not changed at all in Trine 2.

The knight makes short work of goblins but can't solve puzzles unless they involve a good bashing.

What has changed are a number of features from the original game that have been chopped to make the experience flow more smoothly. The inventory and special items have completely disappeared. You can no longer give specific characters benefits like unlimited air underwater or extra health with random trinkets. The only collectible items are experience orbs, poems and pieces of concept art. Characters no longer have an energy reserve either, meaning there is no penalty to constantly using fire arrows or spamming an area with summoned cubes and planks. This streamlining makes the game a lot easier to pick up and encourages experimentation and using abilities, instead of punishing overzealous use. It makes the game a lot more fun.

Puzzles are usually a case of navigating tricky terrain to get from the left side of the screen to the right, with the occasional door mechanism or gaping pit thrown in for good will. Whilst this might sound quite samey, each situation feels unique and can require some real brain power to solve. The one downside we found was the overreliance on the wizard and his block conjuring abilities. Summoning physical stepping stones into the world was always the most obvious (and in many cases only) way to get through most tricky areas. The thief can get herself through some situations with her grapple; but the knight seems fairly useless outside of combat or tasks that involve breaking things. That is of course the knight’s function, but we found ourselves puzzling and platforming a lot more than we were fighting.

Joining the improved mechanics are the gloriously designed environments. Level design remains as fiendish as ever, with several puzzles making you um and ah for minutes before the necessary element snaps in your brain and you discover the solution. Couple this with beautiful scenery and animated 3D backgrounds that are genuinely awe inspiring and you get a visual treat that even the fussiest of graphic grinches can’t grumble about.

And you thought the dragons in Skyrim were big...

The excellent presentation doesn’t stop at the amazing graphics; just about everything you experience serves as an immersive influence that compels you to play. Trine 2 feels like an interactive fairy tale that caters to everyone. The narrator tells the story as you go along and each character occasionally chirps in with their own bits of quirky dialogue. These serve to advance the story, but also provide the player with hints should you find yourself staring at the same chasm or sealed door for long enough.

The major new feature in Trine 2 is online multiplayer. The original game only allowed local co-op play, but the sequel has now opened the floodgates to the scary wide world of the Internet. Use the server browser or jump into a quick match though matchmaking to drop into the main adventure with up to two other players. Having three people tackle the puzzles and goblin ambush attempts is a fantastic experience and unlike the majority of current online games out there.

Multiplayer can also make it much easier in places, and it almost feels like cheating. There are so many occasions in singleplayer that will leave you thinking “This would be much easier with another person helping.” If you can trust yourself not to simply levitate your teammates on a wizard plank to the other side of the problem and then wait for the game to respawn you with them then online is a real laugh. Even if you do decide to cheat the game a little bit, it is very fun and a joy to play. You will giggle every time someone accidently summons a cube above you that thwarts your heroic jump attempt.

Stand on the knight's shield in multiplayer for a cheeky leg up.

Local multiplayer is also very well implemented. Good support like this is to be expected on consoles, but even the PC has brilliant local play capabilities. You don’t even need a set of spare USB gamepads to play on the same PC. The game supports multiple mice and keyboards which works brilliantly, if you can find the space to use them. It took us a slight fiddle in the game options to get it all working, but it wasn’t a huge feat and definitely worth the effort.

Trine 2 is an incredible game and easily tops the brilliant original. It is a charming adventure that can appeal to a very wide audience, but at the same time does not compromise on the challenge with several brilliant physics and platform based puzzles in the mixture. The boxed collector’s edition even comes with an artbook, original soundtrack and a copy of Trine 1. If you like your swords and spells applied to side scrolling adventures then it doesn’t get much better than this. Likewise, if you’re looking for an adventure game that is easy to get into and great fun to play, Trine 2 will not disappoint.

This image has threatened traditional gaming since around November 2006.

It’s been a year of worry for the traditional gamer. Whilst gaming might seem to be an ever growing past-time, some of the traditional elements which make up the industry have seemed fragile. Publishers have been busy shutting down traditional developers, especially those famed for 3D racers, but beyond too.

We have seen shops such as Gamestop starting to seriously invest in alternative delivery platforms such as their own tablet and streaming services, fearing a fast-arriving dead end to their current business model. Indeed in the UK, where GAME have been less aggressive in moving into new areas of the business, we are witnessing the start of what will be a contraction of its street presence over the next five years. HMV, too, are struggling and are being quite open about the idea that they might not be around in the next 2-5 years in any shape or form.

Alongside this we have seen traditional hardware providers, such as Microsoft and Sony, in effect pour cold water on the idea of an early start to the ‘next generation’ as it is only really now that they are generating real profit dollars from their investment in current hardware and software. Whilst they might feel the urge to produce something new in the face of the soon to be released Wii U, both companies will resist in the knowledge that they have healthy, steadily improving install bases and technology which still won’t look outdated, even compared to the Wii U. I suspect they have noticed that the current generation of hardware is actually perceived to be cutting edge by many consumers today, despite being very behind suped up PCs. Hence there is little demand to bring a new, expensive console solution to the market in these difficult economic times.

Look, look I got some new plastic! But no games or applications to use with it!

Nintendo’s own year has been a difficult one, until the final quarter came around with the upturn witnessed in the holiday season. The launch of the 3DS was undermined by a range of mistakes. A high price, which did not actually put off day one early adoption but which did kill day two, three and further afield purchases. This drop in sales and consumer relevance was then compounded by the device having no actual new software (quality or otherwise) for months after release! It was almost as if Nintendo itself was surprised by the release of the console. One suspects that this observation might be closer to the truth than some might realise. Could it be that Iwata suddenly panicked when he saw the drop off in DS hardware and software sales in late 2010 and early 2011, and thought a hardware launch, which was due for November 2011, should be brought forward? Could it be that he actioned this change of timeline, forgetting that the software development teams couldn’t speed up, pro-rata?

This would explain the lack of software, both in terms of game titles and the also slightly unfinished operating system, which is still having parts of its online functionality added by firmware to this day; but which the software team have admitted were due to be there from day one.

Indeed Nintendo have taken a bashing on behalf of traditional gamers everywhere. Analysts the world over have decided that Nintendo could be the RIM (the makers of Blackberry products) of the games industry. Everyone likes to be the one who can call the end of the world (just ask the Mayans) and analysts are as human as the next guy (really they are) and Nintendo was their punching bag in 2011. The narrative went like this – people are moving from dedicated gaming devices to iPads and smartphones. Why spend £30 on a game, when you can get freeware or £1 software? The logic was sound, but too simple. People will always buy something they want, you just need to give them something they actually want, and come the end of the year Nintendo seemed to be achieving this. The 3DS sales are now running ahead of all predictions and confidence is not only building in the platform, but in the traditional games market in general. What started as a bad story for Nintendo and the industry as a whole has started to evolve into a success story.

Of course the area of growth which has probably received the most headlines, is the continued march of the social and casual gaming market. This encompasses everything from the Just Dance franchise, to the exponential growth of the Farmville type experience. There is no question that the online ‘Sim’ style of gameplay is not only hugely compelling but ideal for multi-platform, cloud play. Users can switch from the PC to their tablets, and in theory continue on the Sony Vita, as many of these games start being released in the platform agnostic HTML5 coding language. Indeed as televisions become ‘smarter’ with their own implementation of Kinect-like experiences, merged with an appstore, we can expect to see continued growth in the use of such genres. For hardcore gamers, this can be seen as a threat, as it potentially pulls funding from the type of projects they would traditionally welcome. Indeed if one looks, as an example, at Disney Interactive, it is moving evermore into this social and casual space and further away from traditional AAA game titles.

Should we as traditional gamers be worried by this? Probably not. Firstly the world is not black and white (even though according to my dad, when he was a boy it used to be – just look at old films back from when he was a youngster he tells me) and hence some of us also play those social games (maybe less so the dance titles). After all they are really very similar to RPGs, but often the character is the ‘farm’ or ‘restaurant’. However it also means that those AAA titles that are released get an increase in funding, and hence we should see an ongoing rise in production values and overall quality. The end of year titles released in 2011 are probably the best evidence for this. The range of software in your local GAME or Gamestop is reducing, but who can dispute the quality of Batman Arkham City, Skyrim, Uncharted 3 and the top shooters, MW3 and BF3?

Let us not forget the great games that have come out on XBLA, PSN, Android/iOS and recently on the 3DS, which is starting to have some quality digital titles. If you are a dedicated gamer, and not just someone who dives in to kill some time, you have never really had it so good.

What will 2012 bring to the story? For sure, we will see the ongoing decline of brick and mortar shops. Boxed product will still exist, and we will probably continue to see the ongoing investment into ‘limited edition’ versions which will help to prolong the life of this boxed product. However for many they will only order via online, postal only services. Shops will simply start to close or become trading and part exchange locations.

Game of the Year 2012?

The year ahead, when it comes to software, is going to be a very exciting year. Max Payne 3, Grand Theft Auto 5, MW3 map packs and BioShock Infinite (have Take 2 already sewn up 2012?) are already in our consciousness. The 3DS has some superb first and third party exclusives arriving in early 2012 too, and the industry will have the US and European launch of the Vita to look forward to.

The Wii U will release. Nintendo will see this as a slow burner, as the Wii at its new price is still selling strongly. However for those wanting to upgrade it could spoil the party for the current levels of PS3 growth and Xbox steady sale projections. Why? Because for those who already have a Wii (and only a Wii) and are considering what to step up to then if the Wii U ticks a number of boxes, it’ll be the natural platform to choose. What are those boxes?

• If the Wii U has the same range of ‘adult’ software as the 360 and PS3 in addition to being 100% backwards compatible with all their Wii content.
• If it allows them to play all the new Mario titles, along with new Nintendo only IP. Expect Nintendo to make a push to position the Wii U as the first console to take MMOs seriously with a controller designed for them.

The ultimate home based tablet and server solution?

If the above happens, then who would not buy the Wii U over one of its HD counterparts? Those of us already with a Wii and 360, or PS3 will probably fail to become early adopters. That’ll be fine by Nintendo though, as once the new inevitable Mario games and Pikmin are released, and once the hardware does eventually drop in price, they know we will still invest.

What Nintendo decides to do with its online provision for the Wii U though is very exciting. Nothing is really known, but all the rumours suggest a very open online service, perhaps with multiple portals such as EA’s Origin and Steam. However, if they could be linked with a single Wii U identity (not a friend code!) it suggests a range of delivery services, offers and perhaps even streaming services being offered through the platform, alongside its own propriety content.

2012 could be Take 2's year, at least when it comes to Metacritic scores. Sales will surely follow.

As the economy continues to stumble, the games industry will clearly find that growth and expansion is stunted by the social and economic factors around them. Yet if any leisure industry will succeed in these tough times, it’ll be ours; and 2012 will be another step forward.

NOTE: Previously published and subsequently lost to an evil electronic gremlin, it only recently came to my attention that this had not been republished. The day of our Joe Danger: Special Edition review seemed as good a time as any to put it back up again.

If you’ve already played Joe Danger, you’re almost certainly excited for Joe Danger: The Movie. If you missed that game for whatever reason, check out our Hello Games interview and Joe Danger review (oh go on then, the preview as well) to find out why that title is so darned loved. Done it? Everybody ready? Okay.

No longer restricted to his motorbike, stunt rider Joe now laughs in the face of death and twiddles the nose of peril using a variety of vehicles. Yes, there’s a police motorbike in there; but in the demo levels I played there were also a minecart, a snowmobile, a pair of skis (“not sure if skis count as a vehicle!” admits Hello Gamer Sean Murray) and… wait for it… a jetpack! That got the last of you on board, I think.

The ground-based transportation used the same control method as the first game; hence you’ll still be performing tricks to fill your boost meter, wiggling about in mid-air in a vain attempt to collect all those stars first time around, ducking then jumping with painful precision, and so on. It’s still very much a racing/platforming/stunting (henceforth known as ‘raplunting’ at Critical Gamer) game, and will be instantly familiar to Joe Danger fans – yet it’s oh so different.

Firstly there’s the ‘scripting’, hence the word Movie in the subtitle. Murray was keen to stress that there won’t be any lengthy cutscenes or anything like that; but there will be what I feel the need to pretentiously describe as ‘dynamic context’ (forgive me) for what Joe’s doing and why he’s doing it. For example, one level saw Joe punching other riders in the face, knocking them off their bikes. This isn’t because indiscriminate violence is fun (well, not entirely), but because these are the baddies of the movie scene.

Another, snowy level sees Joe zooming down a mountain with targets to land on. Said targets are actually rockets slowly rising from silos; fail to land on and disable them (blow them up), and they launch. And then, one presumes, Bad Things Happen. Once you’re past the rockets the bad guys, none too pleased at your do-gooding antics, chase after you and lob grenades in your way. Red grenades you need to duck under and green you need to jump over (or was it the other way around?). You have what I estimate to be 0.3 milliseconds each time to identify what type of grenade it is and take appropriate action. Funstrating!

You’re also now able to change lanes at any point on the magic green line (as I found when I repeatedly smashed into oncoming traffic), but the biggest dollop of new was smothered over the aforementioned jetpack. Although I was assured (twice) that the controls for this were considered fiddlier than they should be and were in for some tweaking, I found it fun and easy to use. Especially surprising considering my bloody awful performance for the first five minutes or so of play using the easier vehicles.

It’s perhaps best described as like riding your bike in zero gravity. Accelerate pushes you forward in the direction you’re facing, holding brake sends you backwards; but you can go in all directions rather than just left and right, and boost works both forwards and backwards. This has a lot of potential for the risk and reward Joe thrives on, hinted at in the demo. Do you want to bypass hazards wherever possible and finish the level as quickly as you can, or brave the route full of instakill to scoop up all the collectables? There will be many more vehicles in the final game, and some – such as a promised parachute and hang-glider – will use a similar control method.

The half dozen or so levels on offer were tightly designed, sometimes bordering on evil (would fans have it any other way?), and above all fantastic fun. I was surprised, therefore, to find that they’d all been made in just three weeks; a mad rush with fantastic results to get something playable together for the game’s first public outing at GamesCom. Nonetheless, it’s not necessarily representative of the final game. It sounds like the newer elements will be pushed much further to the fore in the finished product, and certain features were of course missing at the expo. The plan, it seems, is also to assign certain types of level to certain types of vehicle. So for example, skis might be used primarily for stunt levels, bikes for race levels, jetpacks for score attack levels (I must stress here that these examples are pulled from my own fevered mind). Brilliantly, vehicles you unlock as you play can then be used in previous levels to play them in a completely different way.

Although I was at the Eurogamer Expo for nine hours, I didn’t actually have time to play very many games. Joe Danger: The Movie is the only title I went back to for a second go. It’s going to be the best raplunter you ever play. I do have one, huge criticism however; I can’t buy it yet.

• Format: PSN
• Unleashed: December 21^st (EU), December 27th (NA)
  
• Publisher: Oddworld Inhabitants
• Developer: Oddworld Inhabitants/Just Add Water
• Players: 1
• Site: http://www.oddworld.com/?page_id=778

Is it a first person shooter? Perhaps a third person platformer? Surely it must be an action RPG of sorts? We’ve had five years to think about it, and the answer is still “yes” to all. This high-definition remake of Stranger’s Wrath stands proudly on an outlandish hill of its own and continues to live up to the Oddworld name by being, quite fittingly, odd.

The dusty stage is set by a fur-faced bounty hunter known as Stranger; he’s got survival on his mind and an awesome hat on his head. For reasons unknown, Stranger is desperate for an outrageously expensive medical operation, and tracking down wanted criminals is the only way to scrape up that much moolah. Given this uncreative income solution, one might assume the gameplay hits a single note: shooting outlaws. However, that would be glimpsing only a single piece of this irregularly-shaped puzzle.

At first glance, Stranger’s Wrath resembles something like Jak & Daxter, albeit with a heftier jump. You’ll do some light platforming here and there, but it’s only a matter of time until the bad guys show up. While smacking them around with a torrent of punches is a viable option, taking the sneaky route can also pay off; either way, a mini-map that shows enemy movement is indispensable for letting you know what the odds are. Once you’ve wrapped your head around this, try clicking the right analogue stick. 

Don't look now, but that freakish chipmunk thing may be staring into your soul.

Just as you’ve shifted paragraphs in this review, the game’s genre changes before your very eyes. In your hands is a strange crossbow; what’s more, you’re looking at it from Stranger’s eyes. Enter a surprisingly comprehensive first person shooter that rarely rewards trigger-happy mindlessness. Stranger isn’t much for guns and bullets, so your ammo will be of the living variety: bizarre little critters can be hunted and plopped into your crossbow, one for each shoulder button. Anything but ordinary, the arsenal includes spiky balls of teeth that latch onto unsuspecting prey, spiders with neutralizing webs, and rapid-fire bees that sting with a righteous fury.

Using both third and first person modes in conjunction, along with the particular abilities they have to offer, is key to taking out even the most imposing cluster of cronies. Big, varied environments offer plenty of opportunity for stealth and shootouts, rewarding – even requiring – clever tactics. Mashing the triangle button drains stamina in return for health, which will keep you on your toes and ducking for cover. The unconventional controls take some getting used to, but the fun hybrid Stranger’s Wrath presents is worth the effort.

You’ll head into a neon-lit bounty store to accept missions, each of which are concluded with a boss fight that may or may not be a drawn out battle of frustration. They (and any other foe) can be captured dead or alive for some extra change, which can in turn be spent on upgrades and ammo at the local shops. Bounties will send you all over the quasi-open world (sometimes without much direction), but given a long enough stretch, Stranger will break into a dash that cuts travel time in half. This familiar pattern of seeking out new bounties and towns continues late into the game; then the plot takes a sharp, unexpectedly interesting turn.

Stranger's Wrath and HD make a good pair.

Before that point, the story holds very little with which to be interested. Aside from a few well-produced cutscenes, it consists mainly of random gates that need opening, bounties that need hunting, and obnoxious voice work that tends to repeat ad nauseum. Far more engrossing is the peculiar land you’ll be exploring. Chicken people and deformed chipmunk ammo alike live in barren canyons and along verdant riverbanks, always fearing the monstrous outlaws that lurk nearby. The art design is simultaneous earthy and alien; complimented by beautifully reworked graphics, a frame rate of silk, and sharp textures. It’s easy to forget that this was once a game that ran on the original Xbox. The music is almost non-existent and we ran into numerous audio stutters, but your ears probably gave up after the chicken people started squawking regardless. Although a day one patch is promised to fix the stuttering, it is impossible to turn off the chicken voices.

Oddworld: Stranger’s Wrath was already a fine product, but this updated version sold at a budget price is a regular steal. Putting up with some irritating design decisions will make a few sequences feel unfair, but you’ll still get in a meaty number of enjoyable hours before you reach the end. If you love Stranger’s Wrath to death but lifting your old clunker of an Xbox out of storage is giving you back problems, this is the version to own; alternatively, if you’ve never touched an Oddworld game in your life, this is a great standalone game. Just keep an open mind and prepare yourself for a severe dose of weird; you’re playing Stranger’s Wrath now.

• Format: PSN (version reviewed), PC, Mac, iPad (sigh)
  
• Unleashed: Out Now
  
• Publisher: Telltale Games
  
• Developer: Telltale Games
  
• Players: 1
• Site: http://www.telltalegames.com/bttf

With the last episode finally launching on PSN last week, we thought the time had come (no limp pun intended) to review Telltale Games’ walk-and-click series. Officially, this is not to be considered Back to the Future IV; though that’s exactly how most people will view it, picking up as it does almost immediately after the events of Back to the Future III. Telltale seem to be well aware of this, and have done everything possible to appeal to fans of the movies. From here stem the series’ greatest strengths – and most crippling weaknesses.

Naturally, Marty McFly and Doc Brown make a return, as do familiar characters such as Marty’s parents, girlfriend, and Biff Tannen. Christopher Lloyd reprises his role of Doc Brown, giving a performance just as wonderful as that in the movies. He gets most of the best lines, too; or at least, he makes it seem as though he does. Michael J. Fox appears only in a few cameos in the final episode, but A.J. LoCascio’s impersonation of a young Fox is incredible. The catastrophe of an odd-sounding Marty is avoided.

The only other original cast member is (unexpectedly) Claudia Wells, who plays an alternate version of Marty’s girlfriend Jennifer in two of the episodes. It all works surprisingly well with the heavily stylised graphics (despite a wonky sounding Biff) and, together with heavy use of Hill Valley settings in each timeline, all feels very Back to the Future. Enlisting series co-creator Bob Gale to help with the script doubtless helped, too.

Not, as you probably think, a shot of Ron and Harry having a conversation in the Deathly Hallows game.

There’s a very strong Back to the Future story here… but unfortunately, it’s fighting for space with a videogame.

While there’s no one episode noticeably inferior to the others (a rarity in episodic releases), the first arguably demands the least of the player. To begin with, it feels like little more than moving from one cutscene to the next; and by the time you can feel as though you’re ‘properly’ playing, you’re well into the second half of the (fairly brief) episode. Thankfully, this is not a taste of things to come.

The first warning sign of story looming menacingly over gameplay is that even something as simple as character movement is flawed. Walking around is awkward, particularly if you want to go around a corner and/or hit an invisible wall. This issue, barely noticeable in other Telltale games, has been amplified to an unavoidable degree here. Even Marty’s walking animation is bodged and bizarre, a disturbing amalgamation of a moody teenager’s swagger and a drunken midlifecrisiser’s stagger. Making him ‘run’ not only results in a negligible increase in speed, it also makes him look very ill.

As for the puzzles… well, they’re reassuringly numerous. Sadly, virtually all of them are heavily signposted. So heavily signposted in fact that Telltale knock you to the floor with the signpost and drag you to the solution before you have time to realise what’s going on. To make matters worse, episodes two and four each have one needlessly long and drawn out puzzle that you’ll be glad to see the back of. It’s still a fun experience; but a little challenge goes a long way.

With the game leaning so heavily on story, the script needs to be strong and, for the most part, it is. A gentle humour carries things along well, though moments of outright hilarity are sadly rare. Overall the writing and acting are very good; though a few characters, particularly the elderly Edna Strickland, suffer from their actors/actresses acting for videogames. As opposed to, you know, simply acting.

Perhaps the most pleasant surprise is the fact that, well, there are pleasant surprises; on more than one occasion, the plot takes a turn you almost certainly will not have seen coming. This does not, repeat not hold true for what are supposed to be two big twists at the end; particularly what is obviously meant to be the biggest, which became obvious three episodes ago.

Great Scott! Etc.

Of greatest concern in the final episode is a game-killing bug, which makes it literally impossible to progress (hint: save before entering the Glass House). You may be lucky enough to avoid it completely, and a reloaded save will avoid screen-smashing frustration; but at time of writing, the promised fix has still not arrived.

In a seeming desperation to appeal to as many Back to the Future fans as possible, including non-gamers, Telltale have given us a great story – but a weak game. If you’re already a fan of the movies then buy this, you won’t be disappointed. Everybody else will need to download the trial, and decide if they find Marty and his world appealing out of context.

Part one concentrated on how Sony’s choice of games for the Welcome Back package could, potentially, rescue their profit margin in the long run. Despite this, they still have a long road to travel before they can confidently claim that the PlayStation brand has survived the security breach – particularly in Japan.

Japan was one of the last countries to see online play restored; and at time of writing, Sony’s PlayStation Store service has still not been reactivated there. This is a huge problem for Sony on several levels, and they must be careful when they finally resolve the issue. First and foremost Japan, while relatively small geographically, is a massively important territory in the world of videogames. Floundering there could prove to be disastrous. Not only would they lose face (not to mention money) in one of the world’s most important videogame markets, the publicity this failure would garner worldwide would see them lumbered with a new, no less awkward PR battle to fight.

That said, Sony are defending themselves from a position of strength within Japan itself. Matt, who until recently was living in Japan – and admits that he is speculating to an extent – says:

“There has been a lot of complaining online in Japan about why they are getting such a poor offering of games in comparison to the West. But like most dissent in Japan, it’s a fairly muted protest and is unlikely to make it outside of gaming forums etc.

Japanese people tend not to complain too loudly, but they do expect a certain level of service above and beyond what we look for in the West. In this way, people would expect some sort of offering from Sony as way of an apology, but they aren’t going to riot because they got stuck with Last Guy instead of inFamous.”

To date, nothing extra has been announced in way of compensation for Japanese consumers, despite their extended PSN downtime. What is interesting here is that in Matt’s opinion, the complaining that has already surfaced amongst PS3 owners in Japan regarding their Welcome Back package will remain just that – complaining, and nothing more.

It seems fair to presume that Sony believe this to be the case as well, and so are avoiding spending more on compensation than they deem absolutely necessary. A smart move from a business perspective. Matt goes on to say:

“I think to a certain degree Japanese people look to support their own industry/companies. Sony have long had a reputation in Japan for making goods which break very easily after a set period of time. This urban myth is widely known as the Sony Timer – yet it hasn’t stopped Sony from continuing to be the brand of choice for home electronics in Japan. A company like Microsoft would never survive such failures there.

Just for the record my PS3 packed in after three years on the dot, as did my friend’s, and strangely enough my wife’s Vaio laptop also died after three years!

Sony also operates from a position of strength in Japan. The PSP is the champion of the portables and the 360 is virtually non-existent over there. Sony shares the games market with Nintendo, but it dominates the core gaming audience, and knows it.”

We may be seeing a test of brand loyalty with an entire company’s reputation at stake… but there is reason to believe that it will prove to be not so much a gamble as it is a winning strategy carefully tailored to the region. In addition, while internet hackers are the source of Sony’s current woe, their recent activities have eased the pressure on the PlayStation brand more and more.

Since the infamous PSN security breach, there has been a veritable tidal wave of computer hacks mainly perpetrated by Anonymous and, most of all, by LulzSec. As more and more videogame companies suffered security breaches of one kind or another – Nintendo, Square Enix, Bethesda, Codemasters, Sega and more – it became clear that any accusations of Sony standing alone as open to hackers were entirely unfounded. When the list of victims of hacking and DDoS attacks soon included the CIA, the Spanish police force, The U.S. Senate, SOCA (Serious Organised Crime Agency in the UK) and the IMF (International Monetary Fund), it became much easier for people to view Sony as victims.

When three alleged hackers reportedly responsible for the PSN hack were arrested in Spain, it emerged that at least one of the men was also implicated in cyberattacks on an energy company, two banks, and government websites in eight different countries. If Sony’s nightmare scenario of a second security breach comes to pass, it won’t do nearly so much damage to the PlayStation brand as it would have done within a week of the first. It is now abundantly clear that few, if any, internet services are impervious to such breaches.

By the end of the current fiscal year, we shall see how well Sony have recovered from the security breach. All signs are currently pointing towards the likelihood of the company emerging victorious from the ashes of their pre-April reputation… if they can restore 100% of services in 100% of regions before the death of summer, if the dissent in Japan quickly fades away with the return of the final services, and if they can avoid another major PR headache.

The disaster, of course, is the major PSN security breach. The triumph… is going to be difficult to evaluate until the end of the current fiscal year. What began as damage limitation could end up as a dramatic reversal of fortunes, due to a combination of smart decisions and pure luck.

First: the damage. When the PlayStation Network was taken down worldwide, that was bad enough; consumers were frustrated, and every minute meant untold dollars worth of lost revenue. A comment that hinted at an ‘outside intrusion’ was posted by an official at the PlayStation Blog, though this comment was swiftly removed. Eventually, it was admitted that Sony had taken PSN down themselves while they investigated what turned out to be the work of a hacker. Sony believed it was possible that user data including names, passwords, addresses, and credit card details had been stolen. Many amongst consumers and media alike were forthright in their anger. Why had so many days passed without this being announced?

Things only got worse for Sony. Dozens of accusations and rumours began circulating; some false, some true, some not fully resolved. It was claimed that user details had been stored as plain text; that they had been encrypted, but not sufficiently; that the hackers only had to get through a basic firewall to access all data; that the hackers had offered to sell the data back to Sony, who had refused; that the credit card details of two million users were up for sale; that Sony only discovered something was wrong when they noticed servers rebooting themselves; and more. Not only was the financial cost mounting up day by day, a huge dent had been kicked into the trust people placed in the PlayStation brand.

Once Sony had admitted the breach however, they quickly adopted a new set of tactics. Flipping from giving little to no information to issuing regular updates, they announced that they had employed outside security companies (and perhaps outside PR companies) to help them address the issue. They regularly assured their customers that the continuing PSN outage was due to their desire to be entirely confident that the system was secure before returning online; and for similar reasons service restoration would be staggered, with online play being one of the first elements to return.

They also announced a planned ‘Welcome Back’ package for customers who had registered PSN accounts active before the network went down. It is here, arguably, that the most important decisions have been made when it comes to potential financial recovery.

It was clear that Sony would have to offer some sort of compensation to its customers, and here it was. The most prominent feature of the package was, for many, the free games (for download); two from a selection of five for the PS3, and two from a selection of four for the PSP. Make no mistake, a lot of thought would have gone into deciding which games were offered. So how and why were these particular games decided upon?

Firstly, let’s look at PS3 game Infamous, which was one of the games on offer in major territories including North America and Europe. A two year old game with a heavily reduced RRP (it is now part of the PS3 ‘Platinum’ range), the profit to be had from retail sales is now significantly less than many other games in the PS3 catalogue. Most agree that it is a very good game however, and the sequel was released very shortly after the launch of the EU and NA ‘Welcome Back’ packages.

By offering this game for free, Sony increase the user base with direct experience of the first game and, therefore, also increase interest in purchasing the (full price) sequel. The mere presence of the game in the ‘Welcome Back’ package increases visibility of the franchise for everybody. They’re clearly doing everything they can to promote Infamous 2; note the time they dedicated to it at E3 2011, despite the game’s release being mere hours away.

The most far-reaching decision is the one to include LittleBigPlanet and LittleBigPlanet PSP in the package (again, for both NA and EU). The reasons above also apply here to an extent. A more recent, full price sequel available for purchase (though LittleBigPlanet 2 has now been discounted heavily by some retail outlets), minimum profit to be had from sales today, increased visibility of the franchise. The potential PR and financial benefits for Sony extend far beyond these issues however where LittleBigPlanet is concerned.

With the official unveiling of Sony’s Vita handheld at E3 came a detailed announcement of a Vita exclusive LittleBigPlanet game. This is a title that fans of the series old and new alike will of course show an interest in; and by default, they will show an interest in the new, full price format (due for release worldwide before the end of the year) as well. With plenty of time for interest to build, there’s a good chance that the Vita will have a larger installed user base by the start of 2012 than it otherwise would have; regardless of the fact that it seems LittleBigPlanet Vita itself will not be released until next year.

Sony may be hoping for a similar knock-on sales effect to become visible much earlier. As previously outlined, it is likely that sales of LittleBigPlanet 2 will see an increase due to the presence of two other games in the franchise in the ‘Welcome Back’ packages of major territories. More owners of this game means more people likely to purchase the upcoming PlayStation Move package for it. Details of this package – particularly enticing for those who enjoy creating – can be found at the blog Rocket Cheetah (a name that stems from the first game in the series), run by MM-picked level creator ‘Chimpanzee’.

While PlayStation Move has certainly not failed at retail, it has not been the runaway success that Sony were perhaps expecting. This Move pack will almost certainly encourage a significant number of people to purchase the peripheral. Not only will PlayStation Move be required for the relevant ‘Create’ features, and to play any official levels made specifically for it, it will also be required to play any user created levels that demand it. It’s important to note that LittleBigPlanet has a huge, thriving community; and a certain proportion are keen to buy anything and everything released for it.

In addition, people who buy PlayStation Move as a result of the upcoming LittleBigPlanet 2 add-on will suddenly find themselves able to consider purchasing a whole range of games that they had previously never given a second glance. The knock-on effect in terms of sales where LittleBigPlanet is concerned could be huge.

Wouldn’t offering LittleBigPlanet spin-off Sackboy’s Prehistoric Moves instead have achieved the same effect? In short, no. With no ‘Create’ mode, no online play and no community levels, this game – while great fun for existing fans of the series – would not work as a good introduction to the LittleBigPlanet franchise. Its inclusion in the ‘Welcome Back’ package would also have worked against Sony. Firstly, because it is a very brief experience and very cheap to buy, it would not be seen as an overly generous gift. Secondly, as it requires PlayStation Move, it is not a game that everybody would be able to immediately play. It would be seen as a transparent ploy to sell the peripheral.

As with LittleBigPlanet, a new entry in the WipEout series was unveiled for Sony’s Vita at E3; as was a new ModNation Racers title. This explains the presence of WipEout HD/Fury (PS3) and ModNation racers (PSP) in the EU and NA ‘Welcome Back’ packages. These last two games have been confirmed for the Japanese package as well (as has LittleBigPlanet PSP); but in Japan, Sony face a completely different – and significantly more challenging – environment…

In part two, coming next week: The battle for Japan; Why Sony should be thanking LulzSec; The likelihood of the PlayStation brand surviving a second PSN security breach; Plenty of time for Sony to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.

Sony Conference: June 7^th 01:00am GMT

Sony has had a brilliant year! …(*audible cough*). The only thing I predicted for this conference on Twitter was an on-stage suicide. Let’s see if I am correct. It better be good. I stayed up to cover this! Obvious games will be Uncharted 3 and Resistance 3.

• 3D glasses are being handed out to the audience. Oh dear. Things running a little behind as a result. At least I think that’s the reason. Wouldn’t it be fun if the conference was hacked? Someone comes out wearing a V for Vendetta mask they win the internet.
• Still more waiting. Crowd control is apparently to blame. …I don’t know either.
• Here we go. Finally. The command is given to have glasses ready, probably means Uncharted will be opening the show.
• PS3 generic advert begins, NGP seen also and Move. All to terrible dance music. A (presumably) 3D trailer than starts showing a few different games. Very…underwhelming.
• Focus then moves to N4G or whatever they chose to call it briefly before the Move again. This seems like space filler – is this really the start of the conference?
• Jack Tretton takes the stage. About time. He looks a lot more tired than usual. Get on with it, Jack.
• Straight onto PSN outage. Good man. An apology to their third party developers, retail partners and finally consumers. Glad they didn’t try to work around it. I mean it isn’t a genuine apology, it’s a well rehearsed one, but still.
• Too much talking after that about Netflix and such like. CinemaNow access also revealed.
• Jack moves to Uncharted, as expected. Evan Wells and Christophe Balestra take to the stage to display the game. As usual the game looks good. Drake is on a fairly large boat in a storm searching for something. The movement, while obviously trying to imitate the boat moving on choppy waters, seems very strange at times.
• Tension seems to build as he makes his way deeper into the ship. I sense a water themed catastrophe in the near future. He is caught by guards but quickly escapes and accidentally also makes the ship spring a leak. Who’d have figured?
• Water is slowly flooding the area while fighting continues. The ship overturns along with everything else. Platforming gameplay next and decent water effects. Gameplay ends abruptly to applause.
• There’s chat about the multiplayer, the Beta begins June 28^th. They announce a partnership with Subway in the US for some reason. Ends with a full 3D trailer. Release date is November 1^st.
• Jack’s back talking about Insomniac Games and Resistance 3. Marcus Smith is there to demo, wearing a jacket at least two sizes too big for him.
• He is playing in 3D. Shield Drones, shoot the drone to make the enemy vulnerable. Various weapons are shown off, many of them the typical weird variety you expect. The demo then skips ahead to a chase type sequence showing off some action in the background and pretty visuals. Doesn’t last long and cuts off very abruptly.
• Jack moves on to talk about a sharpshooter bundle for R3. Because you all wanted to buy it for $150 with a shooter, camera and Move set up.
• Next he talks about two ‘special collection’s. God of Wars Origins collection, remastered to HD. Same for Ico and Shadow of the Collosses. Playable in 3D.
• “Playstation is the ultimate solution for 3D.”
• He’s talking about pricing now. “Breaking the pricing of 3D.”
• A PS branded 3D display for affordable access to 3D. Interesting dual screen feature no split screen. No idea how that works but it sounds very interesting.
• This Fall people can get active 3D glasses with Resistance 3, HDMI cable for $499 (including the display I think – I hope).
• Now Jack’s wasting space with Move. From 2K Sports a couple of guys come on (complicated names) to give a sneak peak and tedious basketball simulator 2012.
• Does it really say a lot about your previous game if the only accolade it had was having Michael Jordan on the cover?
• Pro cameraman tip: try not to get other on-stage camera men on camera with their mouth hanging open gawking at the person there with them.
• Some NBA person is on stage now. Good point for a toilet break. Go now. I think I’ve heard of that guy actually, but not for good reasons. Must have been found not guilty. Moving on.
• Jack back again chatting about Move and a new title. Two more names I’m not attempting come to the stage to talk about Medieval Moves. Audience told to put on 3D glasses.
• You can slash, throw weapons or use a bow without inventory screens it’s down to the motions preformed. It seems quite responsive, far more so than the Kinect stage demos. You seem to be playing as a child skeleton of some kind. Looked a little interesting, but also aimed at the younger gamers.
• Infamous 2 next…seems a little pointless given it’s released tomorrow but I suppose they know the world is watching and are whoring as much as humanly possible.
• Further down the line there will be player made missions.
• This links Jack well into Little Big Planet and integrating Move to that.
• The next game on display is Starhawk. A trailer plays. No real gameplay but battles are shown using a variety of vehicle types on land and in space.
• Where is Jack going now? Something from 2002. A family friendly series? Oh, Sly Copper I think it was called. Hundreds of people email him about that? Really? Sly Cooper Thieves in Time coming 2012.
• Time for publishing partners. Something from EVE Online creator. A new game called…Durst, I think. PS exclusive. A console shooter directly connected to EVE Online to create one ‘why-brent’ universe (accents are fun).
• Trailer plays. First thought was “This all looks a bit Halo.” Second thought was “This all looks a lot like Halo, with a dash of Modern Warfare.” ISK (EVE currency) comes into play near the end of it. Land battles for EVE basically? Really hard to tell what’s going on. Sleep deprivation may also be to blame. Dust 514 was the name. I have no idea what I just saw.
• Closed Beta at the end of the year.
• Time for another guest, but not before a 2K trailer of Bioshock Infinite. The trailer was entirely in-game footage. Not enough people have done that this year.
• Ken Levine starts chatting about the game. Goes back to an interview he did a while back where he talked badly about Move. I assume by the squirming that he is about to announce Move compatibility. He’s babbling. Get on with it, it’s obvious.
• Yup, Bioshock Infinite will have Move in some capacity.
• From his back pocket he pulls out an NGP (and calls it that). Doesn’t show anything on it and walks off. Thanks, Irrational Games, for an irrational presentation.
• On the same blu-ray, people who buy Infinite get the first Bioshock for free on it.
• Saint’s Row 3 next. Exclusive ‘game mode’ on PS3. Out November 15^th. Implied Move for that as well, but not sure.
• Talks a little about the co-op Kirk/Spock Star Trek game, apparently it will also be Move compatible. There will be an exclusive digital-only prologue to it. Some ‘early’ pre-alpha footage is then shown. Coming 2012.
• EA content is next. Jack reveals three more PS3-exclusive bonuses to certain games. SSX – Mt. Fuji course. Need for Speed The Run – seven additional super cars. Battlefield 3 – Battlefield 1943 on the blu-ray.
• Kazuo Hirai takes the stage. The guy everyone knows and loves. They really gave him the job of announcing THE price we all want to know?
• He chats a little about connectivity and the outage. Good man. Thanks for the fans. Moves onto portable entertainment. Here it comes. Get ready for it.
• Or not. Something called Playstation Suite. For Android Smartphones. Alternate name: Playstation Steam? Hard to tell, not many details given.
• Chatting about the PSP. Then NGP. “Breaks traditional boundaries of entertainment”. Duel touch pads, duel cameras, AR experience. Here it comes for real now. Dip into your pocket.
• The official name is Playstation Vita, to no one’s surprise. “What does Vita mean?” - that all the good names were patented.
• Two analogue sticks. 5” screen. Front and rear touch pad. Six-axis. Front and rear cameras. Eh, never before seen? Did no one buy him a 3DS? 3G and Wi Fi versions. He’s building up to the price here.
• They will be partnering with at&t, to a mixture of boos and strange noises from the crowd. That’s the US though, other territories will follow.
• A feature called ‘Party’ to use voice chat no matter what game they are playing. That sounds familiar. Social connection tool called ‘Near’. That sounds familiar too.
• Scott Rohde takes the stage with him to chat about Vita and show some demos. Mentions advanced technology never seen before on any hand held. Uncharted Golden Abyss follows.
• Visuals are a clear improvement on the PSP. Large screen size doesn’t seem overbearing at all. No specifics given about specification, but they mention real time shadows and other graphic features.
• Can use traditional controls or screen when climbing. Six-axis tilts to make jumps in certain directions when hanging. Touch controls work as do the standard ones.
• ‘Painting edges’ is next, coated numerous climbable sections, like stacking up commands.
• Fairly impressive overall, but we need to see more than Uncharted.
• Next is a “Social Action RPG” compatible with PS3. Called Ruin. Some microphone problems as they come on. Guy speaking sounds nervous. Combat begins, assuming they don’t mess up something here. Looks very Diablo style.
• Other players are rivals. Isn’t describing it well,nerves are getting the better of him. Footage is fairly boring. The player is apparently attacking the lair of a rival. Player stops on Vita and picks up where he left off on PS3.
• Next on stage is Mod Nation Racers. Not exactly interesting. Also: wearing a rugby shirt to a presentation like this gets on my nerves. The player uses his finger to trace a course in seconds. Back touch panel used to make mountains, that’s fairly fun. Touching the front touch panel pushes down the land to make lakes and the like.
• More Vita connectivity with the PS3 being discussed. Titles which play on both, cross-play. Now talking about LBP and it being on Vita. A trailer of it plays. Shows some very creative uses for what Vita can do. Can share costumes with PS3.
• Still no price given yet.
• Publishing partners on Vita now. From Capcom. Street Fighter X Tekken. A very cheerful gentleman from Capcom Japan takes the stage to chat about the game via translator.
• There will be a Vita version of the game. Awkward pause waiting for applause. Audience eventually gives in.
• They also announce that Cole from Infamous will be appearing in it. They then show a video of him in action. Showing it off doesn’t last long, probably because it’s still heavily in development. There were no health bars or a visible GUI.
• Wrapping up Vita now by the sounds of it. Apparently 80 titles are in development. A video of some of them plays before Kaz returns to the stage. Wipeout. Locoroco. Some kind of snooker game. Something that looks like Tenchu. Dynasty Warriors.
• Kaz is back. Here’s the price. Come on. Nope…release date. Holiday season this year. Price! Wi-fi only model $249. 3G model is $299.
• Jack is back, Kaz is gone. Chatting about what’s been seen tonight. Points out Vita launch titles will be amazing. Won’t take much to beat 3DS.
• And that’s it folks. A little underwhelming, I was expecting a big finish of some kind.

Everyone will be talking about PS Vita, the 3D screen and of course the prices of both packages. Game wise there weren’t any real surprises.

Good news for PS3 owners: The PlayStation Store is now back online! Bad news for PS3 owners: it seems that absolutely everybody knows that the PlayStation Store is back online. So many people are trying to access it at once, there are error messages and missing content all over the place. Some people have been reporting staggeringly slow downloads, missing or broken content, or even the inability to access the store at all.

Sony is working on improving the situation as we type this however, and things will of course ease naturally as the traffic eases.

The free “Welcome Back” content is not available at time of writing, but it is promised “very soon”. Details of PlayStation Plus benefits have been revealed on the EU PlayStation blog however, including extras available only to those who were members before PSN went down. Content available to everybody including those enjoying the 30 days free subscription (when it goes live) includes Burnout Paradise, Streets of Rage 2, 20% off Beyond Good & Evil HD (starting 8^th June), and 50% off Worms.

Remember: any content that you receive via Plus but do not pay for is deactivated when your subscription runs out.

People who were PlayStation Plus members on or before 21^st April enjoy extra benefits. First of all, April content will be available for them up until the 15^th June. They also get the previously promised 60 days extra free on top of their existing subscription; plus some “extra treats” during the month. Exactly what these ‘treats’ will be has not been revealed…

• Format: XBLA (verison reviewed), Windows, PSN
• Unleashed: Out Now (PSN version TBA)
• Publisher: Atari, Inc.
• Developer: Incinerator Studios
• Players: 1
• Site: http://www.atari.com/starraiders

Now more than ever, gamers are faced with more quality games and forced to prioritize their ‘To Play’ lists or otherwise face an insurmountable backlog. Despite this common need to churn through our growing collections, we often find that reboots of classic games are still worthy of our precious time and money. We’ve seen this with recent hits like Donkey Kong Country Returns and Sonic 4: Episode 1. Unfortunately, Star Raiders, a downloadable reboot of the Atari 8-bit game, is not among those worthwhile titles. In fact, there is just about nothing this game does well.

Aside from a brief, verbal intro to the game’s bog-standard, unremarkable story, information is entirely text-based. Right off the bat, we were presented with font that is entirely too small to read without sitting uncomfortably close to the TV. This would be a minor gripe if its use of text weren’t liberal and constant—before, during, and after missions we were met with lines of itsy bitsy scribblings. The game isn’t easy on the eyes, from the bland ship designs right down to the menu’s ugly colour scheme. Even the music is little more than a boring, repetitive series of ‘beeps’ and ‘bloops.’

Contrary to popular belief, cyan does not increase readability.

The missions fail to be the epic space battles they set out to be, varying only in number and enemy types (Zylon Fighter, Zylon Frigate, Zylon Turret…). Each target feels more like a chore than a thrilling chase. And it’s hard to feel like the “best pilot in the galaxy” when your attacks do so little damage. Though players have six different guns at their disposal, we only ever found two of them to be useful. Navigating one’s ship is awkward and imprecise — negligible in huge, open asteroid fields but not when attempting to weave through tight spaces. There also seems to be little consequence for dying except that it’s a waste of three whole seconds while you wait to respawn. These problems cause Star Raiders to be occasionally frustrating – and consistently tedious – rather than an exhilarating challenge. And, much like this review, there simply isn’t much to it.

Star Raiders eventually becomes ‘fun’ in the same way grinding kills for Seriously 2.0 is—repetitive and menial but mildly entertaining once you get into a rhythm. But ugly visuals and sound, an uninteresting story, yawn inducing gameplay, and awkward controls make this game very much not worth your time. We do not recommend it to friends, family, acquaintances, or even hardcore fans of the genre; though we would recommend it to a mortal enemy or anyone else that you hate immensely.