In an uncomfortable reminder of exactly how and why manufacturers of complicated electronic products enjoy such huge profit margins, here is a story which brings the word ‘suicide’ into the world of console manufacturing – again. If the word ‘Foxconn’ means anything to you at all, it will almost certainly be due to reports of workers on the Chinese company’s manufacturing lines committing suicide. This latest story, thankfully, did not result in any deaths.

On January 2nd, as reported at Kotaku, three hundred employees stood on the roof of the Foxconn Xbox 360 manufacturing plant in Wuhan, threatening to jump to their deaths. The workers had asked for a raise; the factory’s response was to tell them to keep their jobs at the same pay rate, or leave with compensation. The majority chose to leave; but when their bosses reneged on the deal and refused to hand out compensation of any kind, the rooftop protest began. After intervention from the mayor of Wuhan, the group finally came down, unharmed, the evening of the following day. Microsoft issued this statement to Kotaku regarding the latest incident:

“Microsoft takes working conditions in the factories that manufacture its products very seriously, and we are currently investigating this issue. We have a stringent Vendor Code of Conduct that spells out our expectations, and we monitor working conditions closely on an ongoing basis and address issues as they emerge. Microsoft is committed to the fair treatment and safety of workers employed by our vendors, and to ensuring conformance with Microsoft policy.”

Foxconn’s Wikipedia entry includes a fairly brief but fully supported list of the best known criticisms and fatal incidents. Foxconn  (which has been forced to install anti-suicide nets at multiple sites) also manufactures the Wii, the PlayStation 3, the iPhone, the Kindle, motherboards, and much more.

Artist's impression

Persistent rumours of an Xbox 360 successor being in development have been whizzing around the interweb for months now, with the occasional whisper of a PS4. If industry & retail publication MCV‘s sources are to be believed, these consoles must have been in development for a very long time now; as they are both, apparently, due to be revealed at this year’s E3.

MCV claims it has been told that Microsoft “recently signalled to partners” that an E3 2012 announcement for its next Xbox console will definitely be happening. The source for Sony’s E3 plans is even more vague, with MCV saying only that “Execs at the PlayStation firm have made it clear to third-parties that they will not be left behind this time”. If true, Sony’s plans to reveal a new console in 2012 are surely the more surprising, given their repeated declaration that the PS3 ( first released at the end of 2006) will enjoy a “ten year plus” life cycle.

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.

It’s nearly Christmas. Again. The bad news is that this means you’re even poorer than usual by now, and you’ll soon have to pretend to be much more interested in what distant relatives have to say than you actually are. The good news, however, is that it’s once again time to find out what Critical Gamer’s favourite games of the year are! Also: presents.

It’s been another great year for games, though this time around almost all of the best ones have been sequels; something reflected by our choices (whether we like it or not). It was extremely close when it came to deciding which game we thought trumped all the others. Eventually however, we decided to declare that Critical Gamer’s Game of the Year 2011 (despite the notorious bugs) is:

Skyrim

Stephen K says: I knew Bethesda would have something incredible in store with Skyrim, but I was unprepared for its tidal wave of sheer excitement that swept across communities the world over. It captured the imagination of nearly everyone who glanced its way, and I could go on and on about Skyrim’s visuals, scope, and expansive wealth of content. But what really amazes me is how Bethesda finally made the promise of the Elder Scrolls series a reality. When I was back in Morrowind’s icy island of Solstheim, staring into that foggy draw distance, my imagination took over. Sparse evergreens appeared as towering forests, glitchy swipes of my sword became dramatic strokes of battle, mindless NPCs were rugged inhabitants with lives to live. And in Skyrim, all of that was true. It was adventure that welcomes everyone, retaining depth and subtlety while fixing the broken parts. Experienced travellers could rediscover Tamriel’s vast beauty once again, and newcomers had the chance to experience for themselves what it is we’ve been pretending to see all this time.

There were so many top quality games released this year however, that we’d feel ever so guilty if we didn’t talk about some more of them. Therefore we now present to you, in no particular order, nine ‘honourable mentions’ plucked from the 2011 release schedule; some personal favourites of the cheeky chappies at CG, each of which we award with a virtual medal thus:

Uncharted 3

Matt says: Uncharted 3 is another compelling entry in a series that remains the best reason to own a PlayStation 3. The outstanding competitive multiplayer returns with an array of customisable options and bonuses, and there is also a standalone co-op campaign for those who yearn for narrative drive in their multiplayer.

As good as the competitive and co-operative multiplayer is, it’s the singleplayer that steals the show with its stunning visuals, impeccable pacing and memorable set pieces. A tightly scripted adventure that boasts witty dialogue and likeable characters, it is packed full of small, human touches that bring characters and situations to life. Such moments allow Uncharted 3 to be more than just another action game, as it thrives during the quiet moments between huge firefights and narrow escapes from sinking ships. When it comes to standing out from the crowd, it’s all in the details, and developer Naughty Dog have proven once again that they understand this as well as anyone else in the business.

Arkham City

Ian says: Following on from such a huge critical success was always going to be hard going and yet with Batman: Arkham City Rocksteady achieved this. The second outing for the Dark Knight in recent years had the same high level of visual polish and quality voice work its predecessor Arkham Asylum had, but added so much more. It didn’t fall into some of the common sequel trappings and those they did mattered little when compared to the larger explorable world, excellently tweaked gameplay, and engaging plot; which culminated in one of the most memorable endings to a game in recent years.

Portal 2

Anthony says: Following on from Valve’s masterpiece, Portal 2 took the concept demo-like experience of the original and stretched it into a proper length game. It took everything that made the original Portal great, and did it better and bigger. Larger environments, sharp humour, more diverse puzzles and a Bristolian robot; it had everything. The space-hole spewing gameplay remained largely unchanged, but the introduction of environment morphing gels opened up huge possibilities in and out of test chambers. Even the marketing that preceded the game was excellent, with funny Aperture Science investment videos and a scarily complex alternate reality game that sucked us deeper into to the crazy Portal universe. Portal 2 also introduced a brilliant co-op mode featuring two mute robots that still managed to buzz with as much personality as Nathan Drake or Commander Shepard. The chaotic and often hilarious results of four active portals really made the specially designed test chambers a joy to prance around. It’s also incredibly funny to drop your mate through a portal into spiky doom, only for him to reappear and do it to you, with death carrying no consequence other than a minor restart and a round of giggles.

LittleBigPlanet 2

Luke says: Like Portal 2, LittleBigPlanet 2 achieved what had previously seemed impossible; it made the prequel look unambitious. Again, there is a brief story mode which can be enjoyed online or offline by 1-4 players simultaneously, and this time round it’s even easier. The heart of this game is the level creation tool however, which is now more powerful than ever. The LittleBigPlanet community has created and shared platform levels, puzzle games, homages to classic titles, machinima, racing games, and much more… all for free. It’s like an almost limitless number of games in one, making it an essential purchase.

Battlefield 3

Kevin says: Battlefield: Bad Company 2 was our favourite multiplayer shooter from last year, and DICE have followed it up with a tour de force experience in Battlefield 3. With the addition of fighter jets to the vehicle roster, and large open maps that are packed with destructible scenery, they have tweaked the multiplayer to perfection. This is not your usual run and gun shooter, with teamwork rather than killstreaks being crucial to winning games. In fact even modest players can reach the top of the leaderboard, thanks to the balanced points system which rewards players with extra points for capturing flags, repairing vehicles, or even laying down suppressing fire. It’s this fair system of play that encourages players to work as a team, rather than sit in a hole racking up kills. There is a campaign mode that uses the Call of Duty template, and an enjoyable two-player Co-op mode, with six different missions to take on with a friend; but these are more of a snack, and the main meal is in the multiplayer – which is a Christmas dinner that will leave you feeling full long into the new year.

Super Mario 3D Land

Steven G says: This is a masterclass in traditional platform design with graphics as good as Super Mario Galaxy on the Wii, but with the gameplay of a traditional 2D Mario title. The difficulty level is perhaps just a little too low for seasoned gamers, but there is still much to be gained even for hardened players. There is beauty in the way these levels are designed and just playing through them brings a smile to one’s face. The 3D adds to the enjoyment of the game and actually assists you in some puzzles along the way. Despite being a little too easy to finish, collecting all the gold coins and stars will take some time.

Whilst you can swap levels and powerups with other users locally and online, there is no multiplayer option such as the two player mode in New Super Mario Brothers for the original DS. The game even lacks an online leaderboard for fastest level times and other ‘achievement’ based challenges. Nonetheless, if you have a 3DS this is a superb game you need to get; and if you don’t have a 3DS, you now have a reason to get one.

Bastion

Stephen K says: Bastion is like a beautiful melody or perhaps a really good story, the kind with meaning: you just can’t forget it and you certainly don’t want to. The brusque narrator was a game-changing method for telling stories, the music resounded with an offbeat magic, and its art was a surreal mix of muted tones and whimsical swirls. But in perfect harmony with this poetic vision was a hearty framework of gameplay, just like the old days. Whacking things with weapons and then upgrading said weapons for further whackage was a skill that took cunning to perfect, requiring quick wits and swift thumbs. The plot didn’t hinder the gameplay and vice versa; Bastion was created with both aspects in mind, and the result was something special. It’s flat out impressive to see such a small downloadable title (and an equally small team) stand shoulder-to-shoulder with this year’s colossal competition. Yes, I have a feeling Bastion will be remembered for a very long time.

de blob 2

Luke says: Almost certainly an unexpected entry here, and one that many would disagree with (including some Critical Gamer staff); but I’m the boss round here, so I stick my tongue out in mature defiance and declare de blob 2 to be one of the best games of 2011. Not only does it do something different, it does it very well indeed.

Ostensibly a platformer, this game puts colour and music at the heart of the experience. At the beginning of each level, you’re stuck in a monochrome world with what really is best described as a minimalist glumtrack for music. After filling your blobby avatar with various colours and painting in anything and everything you find however, the environment is transformed into a world of rich and vibrant colours, supported by a truly wonderful soundtrack of funky jazz. Fighting your way past the conformity loving ‘Inkies’ through to the end of the game isn’t too difficult, but finding every last secret presents a challenge you’ll gleefully accept. The wonderfully crafted cutscenes are the icing on the cake and, considering the rock bottom prices this criminally ignored title is now selling for, there’s no excuse not to buy it.

Deus Ex: Human Revolution

Anthony says: We’ve all dreamed of what it would be like to have robot arms and how awesome x-ray vision would be, but Deus Ex: Human Revolution managed to put a bleak spin on the whole thing. After an unfortunate work related incident, Adam Jensen is rebuilt with a variety of cyber bits that augment his body. The result: a multi-purpose man-tool players can mould to fit their desires. Want to play the game like a ninja? Improve your skin so you turn invisible. Want to be a walking death factory? Upgrade your robo-arms so they can throw vending machines and steady your aim.

The RPG-like ability upgrade system means you can go through the game and have a completely different experience each time. Chase down secrets and sub-missions in the open hub areas, and you can easily stretch one playthrough to 25 hours. I was sucked into this game and the dystopian future it was pushing. This could definitely be played as the most entertaining stealth game of the year, whilst at the same time being an action driven cover shooter. The plethora of choices, coupled with serious consequences for your actions, makes this several brilliant games in one.

So, how do you feel about our choices? Happy? Angry, sad, confused? Hungry? Thirsty? Exhausted? Feel free to let us know (not that you’ll ever change our minds about anything). You’re welcome also to congratulate Kevin on doing a wonderful job on this year’s Game of the Year award graphics. Steal them, and he will hunt you down.

Hunt you down we say!

P.S. You’ll soon be able to find a condensed version of our choices at ‘Most Wanted’, the vouchercodes.co.uk blog. In fact, if you head to the main Voucher Codes website, you’ll be able to find offers and discount codes for literally squillions of online retailers, many of which stock some or all of the above games. The codes are all free, and you don’t even need to register with the site! Lovely. 

• Format: PS3 (PlayStation Move required)
  
• Unleashed: Out Now
• Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment
• Developer: XDev Studio Europe
• Players: 1-8 (online & offline)
• Site: http://uk.playstation.com/ps3/games/detail/item393163/After-Hours-Athletes/

Despite the eyebrow-raising title, After Hours Athletes has nothing to do with sex. It is instead a compilation of (the Move versions of) three PSN titles which emulate “sports” favoured by overweight drunkards; darts (Top Darts), bowling (High Velocity Bowling), and pool (Hustle Kings). The blurb gleefully declares “You count score, not calories”. Games which you can play whilst standing still are ideally suited to peripherals such as Move; let’s see how they got on, shall we?

We’ll start with Top Darts, mainly because it’s so terrible it’s best to get all thoughts of it out of the way as soon as possible. You would think, perhaps, that the theoretically simple task of using the Move wand to emulate throwing a dart would result in a game that’s mediocre at worst. Well, Top Darts isn’t the best game to prove or disprove this, as it complicates things more than necessary.

You position the Move controller to aim the on-screen dart at the dartboard, then mimic a throw which dictates your precision and power… right? Not exactly. First, you have to lock on to the area of the dartboard you’re aiming for. With this done, you can then take your throw. Oh no; they’ve ruined the game by making precise throws far too easy, haven’t they? Don’t worry, they haven’t. Quite the opposite, in fact. Only sheer luck or an act of God will result in the dart landing exactly where you want it to.

It takes blood, sweat and tears to be a darts champion. Mostly sweat, though.

Firstly, holding the Move controller as though you’re holding a dart becomes very uncomfortable very quickly (no fault of the game, here). It really doesn’t matter how you hold it though, as the game is absolutely determined to ignore how and where you want to throw your darts. Try to use the angle and power you’d use when throwing a real dart, and you’re almost certain to hit a completely different number – or, more often than not, veer right off into the black. Try to adapt to the unseen rules of Top Darts’ physics, however, and said rules will seem to differ from dart to dart. Worst of all is that, even at the easiest difficulty, AI opponents are infuriatingly accurate. You can practically hear them thinking their smug and electronic thoughts. Despite including a wide variety of games (Cricket, 501, Round The Clock et al), there’s no reason to subject yourself or your friends to this.

Hustle Kings, on the other hand, is very good indeed. Holding and using a pool/snooker cue (a code for all DLC is included) of course requires two hands, meaning you may be cynical about how well the games can be recreated using the stumpy, one-handed Move wand. It works very well however, primarily perhaps because you can easily play sitting down. In addition, the all-important lining up of a shot is handled superbly.

In the early stages of the offline career, you’re given a line of generous length which shows much of the predicted path of the cue ball – and whichever ball it’s expected to hit. This line changes appropriately according to the angle you hold the cue at, and what spin – if any – you apply. It’s a good way to quickly and naturally teach newbies the intricacies of baize warfare, but may be irritating for those who consider themselves masters of the cue. New initiates and old hands alike will appreciate the wealth of (appropriately tricky) trick shots and challenges however, which quickly demand you wield jumps and swerves like a pro.

If you wish to immediately ignore the prediction lines and play human opponents, you can – both offline and online. These lines can be shortened or forbidden when setting up a game.

Across all modes, both online and off, you earn the game’s ‘HKC’ currency by potting balls and winning games. HKC is used to enter tournaments or gamble against opponents, AI and human alike. It does mean that, depending on a game’s settings, you may find you’re too poor to compete; but it also encourages you to practice, and makes winning these games all the more satisfying (especially against a human opponent). Special mention must be made of the music – which is bloody awful. Thankfully, it can be switched off without sacrificing the satisfying bumps and clicks that accompany each shot.

It may be a very good game, but it doesn't lend itself to exciting screenshots.

Finally we have High Velocity Bowling, a game which seems to have been designed in a board meeting in which the words ‘wacky’ and ‘zany’ were used more than is surely healthy. Thus we have characters such as an undertaker, a mexican wrestler, female bowlers accompanied by painfully unfunny sexual innuendo, and so on. There are themed lanes, such as ‘Barry’s Lair’ (wacky!), one of which even has you knocking down bottles instead of pins (zany!).

Each character has (wacky and zany) quips they’ll come out with after a notable success or failure, which become repetitive within minutes. Despite the tedious costume of wacky zaniness, this is actually a game which takes bowling quite seriously. There are ball bags (oh come on, how old are you?) which you can fill with a small selection of your favourite balls (steady), and there are even subtle differences between certain lane setups which affect how the ball rolls. Most importantly, the basic bowling mechanic works very well.

There are trick shots, which may or may not be wacky and/or zany depending on your world view. You can play online; but there seem to be very few people doing so and ultimately, due to the game trying too hard to impress with zany wackiness, you’ll likely grow tired of the whole experience within a day or two unless you love bowling.

Once this makes the inevitable dive into the bargain bins with a price of a tenner (the RRP is only mid-price), it’ll represent good value for money. If you can’t wait however, we recommend simply downloading Hustle Kings from PSN instead. There’s even a version that doesn’t require Move.

We are heading into London to a Sony event where they are showing off the PSVita. Sony has huge hopes for this powerful, hardcore gamer-centric portable system. So they should too. As much as there is huge demand for both casual and social games on phones and tablets, it is clear that high quality, hardcore games struggle on those platforms; partially due to the economy around them not supporting the type of investment a 3DS or PSP game requires, partially due to lack of battery life, or down to the fact that FPS and third person games just don’t transfer well to touchscreens.

Hence the PSVita could become the tablet of choice for gamers. Especially 18-35 year olds. With its high res 5 inch OLED display, comprehensive touch and hardware controls and superb wireless connectivity options, it has the potential to become relevant to a subset of gamers who are potential tablet consumers who value Uncharted 3 more than Angry Birds.

However, as with the 3DS it will come down to the games. If the games can justify a shelf price of 30 pounds then consumers will justify owning the device. If the games are just cynical releases such as overpriced tablet conversions, low on content hours, or just rubbish then the device will fail. This preview event will probably be one of the last opportunities to assess that launch line up and potential prior to release in February.

Well, impressions of the hardware itself were very positive. It feels comfortable in your hands and the weight is acceptable for long play sessions. However it is not really a commuting device, due to its footprint. For long journeys and for use at locations once you have arrived, it is perfect. Nine out of Ten iPad users never take their device out and it is seen as a coffee table device when the TV is being used for something else, and the PSVita could become the tablet of choice for gamers.

The screen is remarkable, the contrast ratio on it seems better than many expensive LCD screens. Indeed whilst playing a couple of games next to their PS3 counterparts (see below) it was clear that the PSVita looked better than the Sony TV sets next to them. Playing games and watching movies will be a pleasure on this screen and will be a great selling point.

However, let’s run through a selection of the games on offer:

Reality Fighters

This game has great customisation options. Using the cameras you can put yourself in the game, altering your digital alter ego utilising various settings. It’s purely a gimmick from what I could see, but the comedy element is certainly there. There are tons of options to change the look, size and dress code of your avatar. You can also choose various ‘comedy’ fight styles.

The game has various online and local multiplayer options and it could be really fun with friends. However as a singleplayer experience or serious online brawler, it seems too lightweight and gimmicky. It would make a nice ‘pack in’ with the system or cheap digital release for launch to show off some of the features, should Sony choose to take it down that direction.

Uncharted: Golden Abyss

We only got to play a small slice of this game, and it’s very similar to a recent play-through posted on the web. Nate is stuck in a burning building (isn’t he always nowadays), has to do some climbing to escape and then he acts as a sniper, shooting bad guys off in the distance protecting his companion.

If looks sell, then this games sells the system. It looks like a PS3 title, based on the little we have seen. We hope they have some more open, outdoor levels in the real game so that we can see if the PSVita can do those graphics away from small areas of play.

Our only problem with the game, based on this very small demo, is that Uncharted feels a little too much like a ‘Sony Bend’ game and not a Naughty Dog game. If you have played any of the Syphon Filter games on the PSP you’ll know what I mean. Those were great games, but enemy AI and the ‘situations’ were a bit simple and basic. We felt we were playing through a level of those games, especially with the sniping section. It is only a demo, so let us hope the game is more intelligent, and not just Syphon Filter in Uncharted’s clothes with nicer textures and more polygons.

ModNation Racers

Sony’s alternative to Mario Kart; some of us have never truly taken to this game, simply as the handling is so spongy. However this might be no fault of the game, and simply be a result of us (like most other people) being conditioned for Mario Kart. Either way that spongy handling is still there, which is a little disappointing. It does look like nice; but to be honest the PSP version looked nice too.

What makes this version stand out is the online functionality and, more importantly, the superb track building tools which use both touchscreens. These are used in ways which are very natural and intuitive. For example on the track editor you can raise or lower elements (such as scenery or the track itself). Tap on the front screen to raise and tap on the rear screen to lower. This best demonstrated how the touchscreen can suddenly make not so new ideas far more accessible, and the rear screen takes that logic to a new level.

MotorStorm RC

This was a lively little game. To be honest, there is very little Motorstorm about it. It is not a traditional 3D racer, but one which harks back to the 16 bit days of off-beat racing games, such as Skidmarks on the Amiga. As with Skidmarks it’s very non-offensive fun. Races are very short, so the game has that ‘just one more go element’. The game is one of the first to offer the ‘buy one copy for both PS3 and PSVita’ technology. Whilst PS3 users and Vita users cannot play against each other, all online leaderboard and community features will be shared.

This will be a digital, PSN release and it will be one of the launch titles. If priced fairly this will offer compelling and honest fun gaming, something often missing in modern videogames.

Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3

Not a lot to say here. It is Marvel vs Capcom, in your hands and with terrific graphics. If you want a serious fighter in your hands you’ll want this. It is fast, fluid and looks amazing. There seemed to be a huge list of characters to choose from, and it was comfortable to play.

We think it’ll be the only (serious) fighter at launch, but it also looks like it’ll be setting the standard for the others that follow at a high mark.

Little Deviants

It’s a minigame collection. A little bit Super Monkey Ball, a little bit Face Raiders (from the 3DS) and a little bit this and that from every other mini-collection on the market!

This has been relegated to a title which is simply a tech demo to show off the PSVita’s control options. Based upon the lack of people playing it at the event, it’s fair to assume that it has not garnered a whole lot of interest.

This is because people’s assumptions seem on our experience largely true. Once again, as with Reality Fighters, this might be better as a pack-in, a Wii Sports title for the PSVita to help move units off the shelf. However if this game is priced at £30 or above it’ll surely bomb. Most of the game modes are not memorable and most people would have played something similar elsewhere. The AR games built into it are very similar to the software packed into the 3DS.

I’m sure there is more to this game, but we will have to wait till its formal release to see and experience it.

Super Stardust

A PS3 favourite. What can we say? It’s Super Stardust on the Vita. It looks amazing, the controls are superb too. Dual stick controls (as you would expect), face and shoulder button use and touchscreen controls for some weapons. Additionally you can control a camera which lets you see more of the above or across from your ship by gently tilting the Vita.

The tilting doesn’t change the gameplay and you don’t ever need to do it, but it adds real depth to the graphics, and can be useful to plan strategies if you can keep a couple of steps ahead of the game.

F1 and Ridge Racer

Both driving games were generally underwhelming. Ridge Racer looks very competent, with high res graphics, but it seems like a cynical release to cash in. Locations might be high res, but they are quite dull. F1 also looked competent; but I felt that despite the lower resolution, driving games might actually be better on the 3DS, due to that much underused 3D screen. Games where you are going at speed into the distance can really benefit from that third dimension, possibly more than extra high res textures.

FIFA 12

This is FIFA, in your hands. No other way to say it really. Well visually it is, anyway. The game, from what we experienced, lacked the new defending technology, but the graphics seemed almost the same. FIFA on the old PSP played well, despite only having one control stick – so even though the Vita has two, the difference is less pronounced than with other genres.

However, the touchscreens add some really great depth to the gameplay. Shooting can (if you wish) be controlled by swiping the rear screen, but more importantly, passing can be triggered on the top screen. Simply press where you want the ball and the player will try to pass it there, even if they are not currently pointing in that direction. It’s not a replacement for traditional button play, but for situations where you see a possible ‘play’ (even if your player and teammates are not all in the right positions, or facing the right way), then touching is a superb way of triggering a counter attack.

This could be a system seller.

WipEout 2048

This was simply blinding. It looked amazing. It was fast (locked at 30 frames per second I think the developer said – which on an OLED screen is better than 60 frames on a LCD), has all the features a WipEout game would have, and a great selection of tracks. Controls were as you would expect, in addition to tilt control, which felt really comfortable.

One of the really cool elements was the implementation of Cross Play. This meant that Wipeout HD (on PS3) users could play alongside PSVita users where the tracks were the same, both with local play and with online play. We tested this feature using local wireless and it was seamless. We also have to point out that the game looked better on that cool OLED screen.

WipEout has become a smaller franchise in recent years, but the Vita could see it blossom again and become the mainstream racer it once was.

Gravity Rush

Beautiful is not often a word associated with games, but once in a while a game comes out which is lovely to look at. It is not trying to be realistic or fluorescent in tone, but is simply mind expanding. Gravity Crash is beautiful to look at but also to play.

How can we explain it? Well it is a third person brawler (in some ways to its detriment as it could be a puzzler, like Portal with some more imagination), where you can shift the centre of gravity. Your main character can fly through the air, suspending and switching the perspective on the fly. It is beautiful and is fully realised by taking advantage of the control set of the Vita. The dual sticks, the motion controls and traditional buttons all come together to allow the gameplay to flow along without it feeling clumsy. That, you see, is why it is beautiful. The gameplay is allowed to develop and involve you, as the hardware is able to display and perform the code the way the designers have clearly intended it to be experienced.

The demo was short and didn’t explain much about the setting. All that was clear was that you play a young girl, who has a cat as a friend, who doesn’t understand where she is or how she can control gravity.

I’m sure the story will be bizarre to match the gameplay, but that’s just fine. Along with traditional IP such as FIFA and WipEout, this should be one of your launch purchases.

It comes in a BLUE box!

PSVita Summary

So to summarise, the launch line up does have some real gems. Sony will need to work with its third party developer to make sure there is a constant flow of new games soon after launch. A 3DS style vacuum of games to follow till August 2012 could kill the system, so we hope the games we saw were only the start of a constantly growing line up.

However, with FPS games not even shown off and with at least Resistance confirmed for release soon after launch, and third person shooter Unit 13 recently announced, it seems Sony are on track to offer a comprehensive selection to any early adopters.

A true tablet for gamers is what the Vita offers. The platform has the potential to offer superb £40 games, digital games at £5 and possibly ‘marketplace’ style apps for 80 pence. We also saw some of the serious apps, such as Twitter, the web browser (not fully working) and other social-orientated applications which shows that this could be a hardcore gamer’s one stop shop for media consumption, and a true player in the portable digital market.

• Format: PS3
• Unleashed: Out Now
• Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment Europe
• Developer: Supermassive Games Ltd
• Players: 1-4
• Site: http://uk.playstation.com/startthepartystw/

Start the Party! Save the World! is a new game from Supermassive Games, and is the follow up to last year’s Start the Party!, which was launched alongside the Move controller. The original was a Move-enabled mini game collection much like Wii Play with small, snack-sized games that were over before you could shout ‘Warioware’. So have Supermassive Games tweaked the formula enough to warrant this year’s sequel?

Rescuing the divers from the jellyfish is one of the better mini games.

We have to say after playing Move Mind Benders, this game pales in comparison. The game gives you a very simple main menu with two options of play, Group Play or Solo Play. The Solo Play mode gives you 20 levels to play through, and you get the option to play Survivor or Free Play. Free Play lets you attempt any of the levels at your own leisure and gives you a bit more time on the levels to help you hone your minion smacking skills, while in Survivor you need to rack up enough points in the same 20 levels to stay in the game. Survivor is manic, and it flits between levels rapidly with barely any time to think about what you are meant to be doing, but it can be quite good fun for a short while.

As the title of the game states, you have to Save the World from the appropriately named Dr Terrible. The game uses the flimsy plot that the evil Dr Terrible and his minions are attempting to take over planet Earth. It’s up to you and your trusty Move controller and PlayStation Eye to save the day with mini games that range from whacking enemies from a moving train with a mallet to saving divers from a giant octopus. The graphics are all beautifully drawn in a cartoon style with the player appearing in the background, or in say a helicopter, thanks to the PlayStation Eye camera, and it can be quite humorous seeing the Move controller turned into a mallet in your hand as you frantically wave it around whacking enemies like a demented joiner.

In this game you need to draw a circle around the invading aliens to destroy them.

The games themselves are very simplistic, with arm waving and a couple of button presses here and there, and nothing to keep you coming back to play them again. There is a high score system, but there isn’t an online leaderboard or any way to compare scores with friends, which seems like a major omission. In Move Mind Benders you at least got rewarded by unlocking extra levels, but all you get here are the 20 levels available, and that is it. Obviously the game is aimed at youngsters, with the cartoony graphics and quirky little games, but we think even the very young would get bored very quickly with what’s on offer here. Some games like Caveman Bounce, where you have to draw clouds to bounce falling cavemen to the exit, work well, but others fall flat, like the Overboard level where you need to rescue pirates who are walking the plank by catching them with a pan that you thrust through the hatches of a ship. Some of these close as you go to use them, which makes finding the right hatch a nightmare, and it feels clunky in its execution. We found this level was almost as painful to play as watching the latest Pirates of the Caribbean film, which is no mean feat.

Start the Party! Save the World! also supports multiplayer, and another person can jump into the single player game and disrupt your progress at any time. For instance, in Manic Medic as you balance a patient on your hand while the ambulance rushes to the hospital, a friend can control pedestrians at the side of the road to jump up and upset your balance. The game also has a couple of four player modes, with Quick Fire or Group Play being your choices. Quick Fire gives you a random selection of three mini games that are played in quick succession while a timer counts down. Players take it in turns to play, with the Move controller being passed around the group and the winner being the player with the highest score at the end of the round. Group play is not much different, with a selection of mini games lined up to play, and again players passing the controller around like a bong at a stoners party to see who can achieve the highest score. This lack of variety means the game gets boring very quickly, even for a group of drunk mates looking for a game to play after a visit to the local boozer.

The augmented reality works well, and can be quite comical.

The lack of levels and unlockables, along with the really short and simplistic games, means Start the Party! Save the World! has a serious lack of depth and longevity. Young children will have fun for perhaps an afternoon before becoming bored, and there is nothing here to keep groups of adults entertained for any length of time either. It really shows that the concept hasn’t moved forward from the original EyeToy, and for £15-£20 you would expect a lot more. As it stands the game should have been released as downloadable title and at a lower price point. This is one party that ran out of drink long before the guests arrived.

• Format: PS3 (PlayStation Move required)
• Unleashed: Out Now
• Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment Europe
• Developer: XDev Studio Europe
• Players: 1-2
• Site: http://uk.playstation.com/movemindbenders/

Playstation Move has never really taken off as well as Sony had hoped after the mainstream success of the Nintendo Wii, partly due to the lack of games supporting it. Move Mind Benders brings three PSN titles together on one disc, with puzzlers Tumble, echochrome ii, and a newly Move-enabled version of the classic Lemmings sparking some life into the glowing embers of the Move controller.

Lemmings is a title that most gamers will recognise immediately, and this new version of the classic series is just as enjoyable as it always was. It hasn’t changed a great deal from the original, but then why change a winning formula? You are tasked with steering your hapless green haired characters through trap filled stages by using the Move controller to choose a skill from the selection on offer, such as climbing, digging or the iconic umbrella parachute. There is a tutorial stage to ease new players in, which does help you get to grips with the different skills and also gets you used to the Move controls, which are easy to perform on earlier stages. Graphics are nicely drawn, but aren’t majorly different to the original. A few stages feel reminiscent of a Mario game, as our little suicidal friends light torches to see upcoming traps in a darkened level; even the music evokes Mario when he enters the haunted house levels. Some of the stages can take a bit of trial and error to complete, and finally completing that tricky level you’ve spent hours on can feel quite rewarding. It has to be said some of the later stages can get quite manic, and the Move controller can feel quite sluggish when you need to change skills. There were a few instances where we chose the wrong attribute, and had to start the level from scratch which was quite annoying. On the whole though Lemmings is a decent game, and we’re pleased to see it get a new lease of life with motion controls.

This level in Lemmings evokes memories of Mario's Haunted House levels.

The second game in the collection is Tumble, and this is probably the weakest game in the collection. It’s basically a cross between Jenga and Tetris, with players tasked to build towers with a selection of different shaped blocks, which vary in size and texture, or destroy towers of blocks by placing some bombs at carefully selected points on the structure. The Move controls work particularly well here, with the manipulation of the blocks feeling very intuitive and realistic. The physics are quite realistic too, and you have to be very careful with your block manipulation, or you will end up with your structure collapsing in front of you like a house of cards. There are three different height markers that you need to stack your blocks to. The lowest height gains you a bronze medal, and if you manage to reach the higher markers you gain silver and gold. These unlock new challenges for the level, like having to finish it in a set time, or stacking blocks to reach a distant target. If you earn enough medals on one zone you unlock the next zone with fresh levels and challenges. The first couple of zones are relatively simple, but things get progressively harder, and introduce things like mirrors to reflect light beams through coloured blocks; and some levels add limbo bars which sweep towards your teetering structure, that you need to stay beneath. There are plenty of fresh ideas here, and for the most part they work well, and it has that one-more-go factor. A couple of gripes are that it can take a long time for a challenge to restart if you fail it, and the camera takes an age to swing around to your ideal angle. But there are plenty of challenges in here to keep everyone happy for a good few hours at least.

Tumble has several game modes to keep things fresh.

The last game in the collection is echochrome ii, which is probably the best game of the collection. This sequel only bears a slight resemblance to the original. The goal is still to get your little marrionette character to the exit of each level, but this time your little character is now a shadow, and instead of moving the 3D levels around your character, you need to use the Move remote as a torch to cast shadows that reveal new paths that you need your character to follow to reach the exit. It’s an inspired idea and opens up all sorts of possibilities as you bend and stretch the shadows to create trampolines, doorways, and holes, as well as creating the exits by combining the shadows of an rectangular block and a circle. Some levels seem impossible to complete at first, but then the answer appears right in front of your nose, and you’re left cursing yourself for being so stupid that you didn’t see it before. The game gives you a generous time limit to complete each stage, but your man can die by falling off the level, or by being caught between moving shadows. There are two other modes available to play called Echo and Paint. Echo has you guiding your man to pick up copies of himself, which are strewn around the level, while Paint sees you guiding several marrionettes who are all coloured differently. These men paint the levels that cast the shadows. You basically have to cover a certain percentage of the level to progress to the next stage. All the game modes are played on the same stages, though there is an editor that allows you to create your own puzzle layout; but we found it just as mind melting as the main game, and it goes to show how much effort must have gone into creating the puzzles in the first place. Echochrome ii isn’t for everyone, the minimalist style and laid back gameplay could put a lot of folk off, but if you give it a go you’ll find a creatively rich experience that is quite brilliant.

It doesn't look like much fun, but echochrome ii is a great game.

Move Mind Benders could be called a cynical way of putting Move games on shelves in time for Christmas, but there’s no denying that all three of these games are very good puzzle games that will give the family plenty of reason to ditch that dusty old game of Kerplunk, and charge the Move controllers that have had their glow dimmed by lack of use.

The long-awaited sequel to Critical Talk is here! That’s right, Episode 2 of Critical Gamer’s very own podcast has arrived in all its glory, splendor, and other such exciting nouns. This time around you’ll hear Stephen, Matt, and Anthony jaw about the weird and mostly wonderful world of E3 2011.

• Listen in fascination as we discuss the differences between Tomb Raider and Uncharted!
• Ponder deeply as we try to determine the role of a handheld system!
• Ponder even more deeply as we try to determine what on earth the Wii U is!
• Throw your hands up in horror as we discover that one of our own members has never played a Zelda game!

All this and so much more in Episode 2 of Critical Talk. Click this link and download or play it now!

This episode was hosted and edited by Stephen; the music was created by Steven. Don’t get them mixed up.

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.