The obligatory end of year awards ceremony!

So here we are. Wave goodbye! Two-thousand and seven is sailing off into the distance never to return. So it’s with a mixture of sadness, nostalgia and despair that we look back at what has probably been the finest year of interactive televisual goodness ever. So let’s get cracking with our somewhat biased, unreasonable and ridiculous thoughts about this triumphant year.

Biggest disappointment of the year!

There’s only one game that truly deserves this award and I ask the team of Ubisoft to step right up and accept their award on behalf of poorly thought-out, badly constructed medieval stealth em-up Assassins Creed! We have all been looking forward to this game for a long time from those first 'is it Prince of Persia or isn’t it' glances back last year to those 'Holy crap, that city looks awesome' ramblings at E3. However it didn’t quite pan out the way it could have. Don’t get me wrong there have quite obviously been a lot worse games this year, its just I can’t help feeling bitterly let down by Assassins Creed its storyline is boring and farfetched the voice acting is absolutely atrocious and some of the missions are just downright boring. However for all its flaws Assassins Creed is a true triumph in the visual stakes and also in realizing one the best video game characters ever. So I will write ‘must try harder’ in Ubisoft’s hypothetical homework book.

Worst decision of the year!

It would be quite easy to point this award in the direction of Nintendo for following its casual audience ore even to Microsoft for that E3 conference but it has to go to Sony. Not for its poor PS3 line-up. Not for its ‘re-design’ of the PSP or even the complete lack of games for the handheld. Oh no. This award is for completely leaving the fantastic PS2 in the cold.
Somewhere in the world, someone does not own a PS2. There must be some people who don’t have them as this could be the only possible explanation for the fact that they still fly off shelves despite Sony (and all of the other publishers and developers for that matter) telling us that it is dead technology. This would be the same dead technology that managed to release some of the most ground-breaking software we have ever seen. Just go back to the beginning of the year, January saw the release of Okami (which we will come back to later) then February bought us God of War 2. Later in the year we were treated to some fantastic strategy and RPG in the shape of Odin Sphere, Rogue Galaxy and GrimGrimoire. Rhythm action fans were treated to PS2 exclusive Guitar Hero Encore: Rock’s the 80’s as well as fantastic ports of Guitar Hero 3 and Rock Band. Last-gen my ass.

Best platformer of the year.

Despite having a great year selling millions of Wii’s, Nintendo have had a pretty shoddy year as far as software goes. Sure there have been a few gems like Metroid Prime 3 and Zack & Wiki but really there was only one game that managed to keep the interest of the ‘hardcore’ crowd on Nintendo’s innovative magic wand based console. Super Mario Galaxy is the true successor to Super Mario 64 and does for the current gen what SM64 did back in 1996 and that is to completely redefine the platformer. Shigeru Miyamoto put his magic touch on the gravity-defying adventure and in a few years time we will all look back at this game as a true turning point in the life of video games.

Laziest company of the year!

Only one choice here: Data Design Interactive. I’ll be damned if any company can ever make a more shoddy line-up of games. Blatantly cashing in on the runaway Wii phenomenon the sadly UK based developer has created such turdware as Monster Trux Extreme: Offroad Edition, Anubis II, Ninjabread Man and Mini Desktop Racer. There is literally no redeeming factor in any of their games with unresponsive controls, terrible camerawork, ridiculous frame rates, low-res 3rd gen graphics, music and sound straight from the gates of hell, characters with as much life as an actor from a direct line advertisement…

Best sound in a videogame.

This category has to be split up into 2 winners due to fantastic advances within voice acting and soundtrack choices. First off is previous award winner Super Mario Galaxy. With it’s fantastically well orchestrated themes and its beautiful re-workings of classic Mario tunes Galaxy really brings back an atmosphere of happy whistle along tunes that may just get stuck in your head for days on end. Secondary winner is Mass Effect. The epic Bioware RPG features the best voice work ever experienced in a game. Never bordering on cheesy the dialogue between characters is interactive, always emotive and truly believable. Bravissimo!

The Golden Touch award.

This award goes to a certain company who manage to make £££’s out of nothing. Millions of Wii’s sold in 14 months, consoles sold out over a year after launch, millions of DS Lites sold, first party software of the highest caliber and many more get rich quick schemes in the pipeline (Wii Fit, inevitable Wii Sports sequel, Smash Bros, WiiWare, and Wii Music etc.) It’s got to be Nintendo.

The Artistic Achievement award.

Many games have been released of the highest standard this year such as the fantastic Mass Effect, the beautiful Bioshock and the enchanting Super Mario Galaxy. But it was down to one last-gen title to show that games can be as much a creative embodiment of style and substance as film, music, paint, sculpture and photography. Okami is the tale of the sun god Amaterasu personified in a wolf’s body on a quest to make the forests, towns and villages of rural Japan beautiful once again. Using a fantastic cel-shaded art style Okami managed to make gamers around the world literally say wow at the mesmerizing images produced on screen. The now sadly defunct clover studios really left us on a high and have raised the bar for beautiful interactive videography.

Best Game

Bioshock. 2K Games managed to make an experience that will stick in our heads forever. The beautiful art-deco underwater town of Rapture is more frightening that any Horror film and managed to keep me on my toes throughout whilst also managing to make me think long and hard about my decisions. There are absolutely no things in this game I would change, its story helps pave the way for more creative game developers and its stunning scenery will hopefully ignite the fire in some game artists. If someone ever tries to convince you that videogames are not important or that they will never be accepted as an art form then show them Bioshock. Absolutely perfect.

Other quick awards:

Best Bargain Priced Game

Winner: The Orange Box (PC, PS3, X360)
Runner Up: Resident Evil 4: Wii Edition (Wii)

Best Multiplayer Game

Winner: Halo 3 (X360)
Runner Up: Virtua Fighter 5 Online (X360)

Best Portable Game

Winner: The Legend Of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass (DS)
Runner Up: Puzzle Quest: Challenge Of the Warlords (PSP)

Best Character Design

Winner: Kratos, God Of War II (PS2)
Runner Up: Nariko, Heavenly Sword (PS3)

Best reinvention of a Genre

Winner: Super Mario Galaxy (Wii)
Runner Up: Skate (X360, PS3)

Most Outrageous Claim

Winner: ‘I Could Have Made Halo, I Just Didn’t Want To’ – Shigeru Miyamoto
Runner Up: ‘Gamers don’t care about HD’ – Satoru Iwata

Well there you have it, one damned long blog post and a lot of big claims. 2007 may be almost over but don’t worry 2008 holds many exciting prospects for us so get ready for the major onslaught of games.

Devil May Cry 4 – Grand Theft Auto IV – Too Human – Super Smash Bros. Brawl – Wii Fit – Wii Music – Rainbow Six Vegas 2 – Skate 2 – Halo Wars – Prototype – Noby Noby Boy – Resident Evil 5 – Gran Turismo 5 – Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns Of The Patriots – The Club – Bionic Commando – Disaster: Day Of Crisis – LocoRoco 2 – Condemned 2 – Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney – Ninja Gaiden II – Mario Kart Wii – Advance Wars: Days Of Ruin – Kirby Super Star – Fire Emblem DS – Panzer Tactics – Sega Superstar Tennis

PSYCHE!

So im over Bioshock now...its been long enough (But I still secretly cuddle it at night time). But now I am having an emotional love affair with EA Black Box's awesometastic skate. And, yes before you ask it is written without the capital letter. Its really freaking good and has given Neversoft one hell of a challenge to one up with the next instalment of the Tony Hawk franchise. The way I see it they can either go for the really arcade-style route and focus on ridiculous combos, huge tricks and high scores or they could try and chase skate's tail and go hyper realistic. Right now the franchise is stuck somewhere in the middle and unable to make its mind up. I have high hopes for Tony Hawk's Proving Ground but it is quite unfairly matched against the freshness and originality of a product like skate.


However its not just skate and THPG that are going toe-to-toe this holiday season. There is of course the massive, if not slightly delayed, clash of both Rock Band and Guitar Hero 3. But there has been one recent match up that was slightly unexpected. Halo 3 vs. Metroid Prime 3. Haha and you thought I'd finish this blog without talking about Halo.

But I dont really want to talk about the ridiculous pitting of Metroid and Halo. Or the ridiculous amount of sales that Halo 3 managed to make on the first week. But really I want to talk about this: AWESOME HALO VIDEO

Your eyes dont decieve you. Thats Halo running on a DS. And by the looks of things it was for real. IGN editors have been bragging about this for months but apparantly it was in the works but started to go downhill when Microsoft had second opinions. Which makes you wonder why they decided to pull the plug on a project that was sure to make a lot of money due to it being on the most popular console available. Could it be because Microsoft couldnt bear its premiere brand being showcased on a competitors format? Maybe. Perhaps it was that it thought it couldnt finish such a project with 2 other Halo games in the pipeline and a movie on the horizon? Probably. But maybe, just maybe it was because it would want to hand onto this idea for its own handheld console? Certainly food for thought, especially with Microsofts love of jumping into other medias (Zune going up against iPods, Windows vs. Macs and of course their famous leap into the video gaming platform.) Maybe we will know the reasons behind such a cancellation but for now its nice to dream and speculate.

Nice weather for Music

Havent done a blog post in a while....

Right now im just scaring myself shitless with a few rounds of Bioshock. This game is freeking insane btw I advise you all to go and buy it. Its probably my favourite game on the 360 so far and im guessing it will be for a long time (yeah, yeah, Halo 3 go suck my balls etc.).

Anyway only just started working again because its been a mad couple of weeks Ive been away doing the festival circuit and loving it very much. I started of 2 weeks ago at the Reading festival which was a blast. Got to hang out with a load of the guys (Becca, Matt, Tom, Stef, Lucy etc.) and Hannah and myself got to see a load of quality bands personal favourites being Devendra Banhart and Interpol.

But last weekend was even better because Me, Alan and Bean made the trek upto Scotland to see the connect music festival. It was so awesome we saw The Beastie Boys, Bjork, The Hold Steady, Bat For Lashes and loads of other freeking sweet acts. The crowd were real chilled but the evening raves owned and the drinking was sweet. Heres some classic pics:

I love that angry security guard he gave Bean evils for hours. Anyway much fun was had by all. Will try and keep my blog more regular from now on.

Where's my Mr. Game & Watch, Bitch?

Today Princess Zelda was added to the Smash Bros Brawl Lineup. Yawn, yawn, yawny, yawn, yawn. Zelda is probably my least favourite character in the smash bros series but at least we got a new announcement.

Hopefully next time we will get someone good like DK or Yoshi. Or perhaps we can get another third-party character (A sega mascot might be good, no?).

My 360 is Beautiful...

Sweet mother of abraham! Beautiful Katamari is looking like being an X-BOX360 exclusive title. The critically acclaimed series (which no-one buys?!?) has never left the sony realms before and it looks like the first next gen katamari game will only be available on the 360.

Previous installments, Me & My Katamari and We Love Katamari were commercial flops in the US and europe despite being highly playable, brilliantly original and as sugar-sweet as sugar-coated sugar. I hope to god this game does well, as it is a series that should not fade away but im thinking the majority of X360 owners will be a little more interested in some sci-fi shooting sequel. Am I right?

Oh well, Pinata meet Ball of Crap.

BUY ZACK & WIKI CAMPAIGN 2007!

Its time...

Just like back in the days of the humble gamecube (*sigh*) and the IGN 'Buy Eternal Darkness Campaign' a new campaign has begun fronted by the nintendo editors of the Rupert Murdoch video-game giant. The 2007 'Buy Zack and Wiki: Quest For Barbaros' train has started rolling and I am 100% on board with this.

This screen doesnt do it justice. Just watch the video below!

Zack & Wiki: Quest For Barbaros is a brand new point & click adventure game for Wii from the fine devs at Capcom. Dont be fooled by the ridiculous title or childish screenshots. The game is fun, long and most importantly original. Especially with the particularly light line-up of Wii games coming and the real lack of originality, please help the campaign and dont let this game go the same way as many other lost classics.

Read the article here and get ordering!

Manhunt 2 Update...

It looks like the ESRB (or the entertainment software taings board, if your in the know..) have classified Manhunt 2 and it will see the light of day in America! Hurrah!


Or Not.....


Its looking like the game will be the first ever video game released under an Adults-Only (AO) rating by the board and therefore means it probably wont be sold by bigger retailers as they do not stock AO orientated games. It is also Nintendo's policy to not accept AO games. So its looking like Rockstar has another rating to appeal against.


At least the game will see some release even if it is very limited. Expect eBay to be flooded with copies of the game and the newly announced 'Freeloader Wii' which allows other region Wii games to be played on PAL region Wii consoles. Read about it here...

Manhunt 2 Decision

So, What Am I Ranting about?

Ok, so as you may or may not know that Rockstar games (most famous for their Grand Theft Auto series of games) have been hard at work on a sequel for their 2003, Playstation 2 & X-Box game Manhunt. Although the game caused a lot of controversy for its portrayal of violence and murder, it was released with an 18 certificate in the UK and managed to sell suprisingly well, giving Rockstar their 2nd best selling series.

Of course, Rockstar wanted to continue their successes with a sequel. Plans were made and earlier in the year Manhunt 2 was announced for release on Wii, Playstation 2 and PSP. This caused quite a stir in the gaming community for 2 reasons. Firstly, the fact that a sequel was announced was quite suprising after some of the controvesy that surrounded the first game and secondly the decision to give the definitive version to the Nintendo Wii as, for those of you who dont know, this will be the first game made by Rockstar to feature on a Nintendo home console.
Production has been going swimmingly and many magazines and video games sites have been getting quite excited by a more mature-based game coming to Nintendo's, somewhat child-orientated games console.

Earlier in the week NGamer magazine (Based here in the UK) got the first review of the game and gave it a quite remarkable 92%. Their closing comments on the game being; 'As dark a game as we've ever played, Manhunt 2 is a brilliantly constructed piece of fanservice for horror enthusiasts and a masterclass in stealthy nastiness.'

Today I got the news however that the BBFC has decided to BAN the videogame within the united kingdom. This means that it is both illegal to sell or purchase the game anywhere within the UK. The Irish Film Censor's Office announced that the game would also not be available for sale in Ireland.

The Controversy

Manhunt is an incredibly violent video game that requires you to kill multiple human targets, but it does so by creating an atmosphere of deep psychological fear. I, will be the first to admit that Manhunt is hyper-gory and very very disturbing as a game to play. However I wasnt prepared for what I heard back in 2004 when a news story told of the death of 14 year old Stefan Pakeerah by his friend, 17 year old, Warren Le Blanc. Giselle Pakeerah, the victim's mother, claimed that Leblanc had been 'obsessed' with the game after the former pleaded guilty in court. However, both the police and the judge denied any link between the video game and the murder and cited drug related robbery as the motive. It later transpired that the murder did not own and had never played the game, and ironically Stefan Pakeerah did own the game despite being 4 years underage.

For the forthcoming release of Manhunt 2 both parents of Stefan Pakeerah lashed out at Rockstar games. On the announcement of Manhunt 2 Mr Pakeerah has said "I'm very disappointed. This is rubbing salt into the wounds in the month we will be marking the anniversary of Stefan's death." Although I do believe that it is slightly innappropriate for Rockstar to release the game on the anniversary of Stefans death as there has been no link between the game and the murder surely Rockstar can decide whenever it wants to release the game? Dont get me wrong, I understand the loss of a child must be devastating but I dont think the Pakeerah family are going about this the right way. Especially after it was proven that there was no link between the game and the murder.

The Decision

After some quite hefty lobbying against violent video games from the Pakeerah's and Leicester MP Keith Vaz, the BBFC has decided to ban the game today.

A full statement from the BBFC follows:

"Rejecting a work is a very serious action and one which we do not take lightly. Where possible we try to consider cuts or, in the case of games, modifications which remove the material which contravenes the Board's published Guidelines. In the case of Manhunt 2 this has not been possible. Manhunt 2 is distinguishable from recent high-end video games by its unremitting bleakness and callousness of tone in an overall game context which constantly encourages visceral killing with exceptionally little alleviation or distancing. There is sustained and cumulative casual sadism in the way in which these killings are committed, and encouraged, in the game.Although the difference should not be exaggerated the fact of the game's unrelenting focus on stalking and brutal slaying and the sheer lack of alternative pleasures on offer to the gamer, together with the different overall narrative context, contribute towards differentiating this submission from the original Manhunt game. That work was classified '18' in 2003, before the BBFC's recent games research had been undertaken, but was already at the very top end of what the Board judged to be acceptable at that category.Against this background, the Board's carefully considered view is that to issue a certificate to Manhunt 2, on either platform, would involve a range of unjustifiable harm risks, to both adults and minors, within the terms of the Video Recordings Act, and accordingly that its availability, even if statutorily confined to adults, would be unacceptable to the public."

Rockstar Games has issued a statement following the decision from the BBFC and have 6 weeks to submit an appeal and I am sure they will. The statement follows:

"We are disappointed with the recent decision by the British Board of Film Classification to refuse classification of Manhunt 2. While we respect the authority of the classification board and will abide by the rules, we emphatically disagree with this particular decision.Manhunt 2 is an entertainment experience for fans of psychological thrillers and horror. The subject matter of this game is in line with other mainstream entertainment choices for adult consumers.We respect those who have different opinions about the horror genre and video games as a whole, but we hope they will also consider the opinions of the adult gamers for whom this product is intended. We believe all products should be rated to allow the public to make informed choices about the media and art they wish to consume. The stories in modern video games are as diverse as the stories in books, film and television. The adult consumers who would play this game fully understand that it is fictional interactive entertainment and nothing more."

On the week that Hostel 2 is released nationwide to cinema's with an 18 certificate it seems very hypocritical to ban a video game with very similar content. It is argued that, nowadays the BBFC takes a less strict approach to film and has been shown by some of the more recent horror and thriller films that are released so why should a similar medium be treated so differently?
Please express your opinions on this subject I want to know what you feel.