The gods are smiling now! Two previously PSP exclusive-only games, God of War: Chains of Olympus and God of War: Ghost of Sparta are now in a single Bluray disc. Now armed with HD graphics, stereoscopic 3D and trophy support to boot. Really!? Need we ask for more?

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If you see a race car tearing down the track at 150 km/h, you wouldn’t even bat an eyelid. But if you were to add explosions, blasts and a helicopter pursuit, that’s INSANE! That’s Split/Second. Split/Second is not your usual racing game. Split/Second is a game where you will are forced to keep your eye glued to the road looking for the correct opportunity to trigger traps that will wreck you opponents. By performing drifts, drafting, flying, your ‘Powerplays’ meter fills up and when the limit is reached, you can destroy the environment surrounding the track and create havoc.

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For those who don’t know, Bleach is a very popular manga series from Japan. If you read manga, chances are you would have come across, Bleach, Naruto or One Piece. While Naruto has had 2 successful releases for video game consoles, we are only just seeing the first Bleach game.

Before I continue, sorry XBOX owners, you are out of luck. Sony owns the IP for bleach and I’m sure they will never release this on the XBOX.

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In No More Heroes: Red Zone, you play as Travis Touchdown, who’s goal is to become the top assassin. Interestingly, this game is directed by a Japanese but was released only in US and Europe in 2010 under the title “No More Heroes: Heroes’ Paradise”. The game did not see a Japan release until this month.

The Red Zone edition adds support for Sony’s PlayStation Move controller. Other additional content includes five bosses taken from No More Heroes 2, Boss Battle and Online Ranking Mode, ten additional missions previously removed from the original Wii version and a “Forbidden View” mode.

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If you have a Nintendo 3DS right now or plan to buy before 12 August, please take note that Nintendo is giving out 20 free games via the Nintendo eShop. The download starts 1st September but you must log into the US eShop before 12 August. Here’s a quick guide on how to do so.

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If you are unable to create a new character, press the Guide Button (the really huge X button) on your XBOX controller. Log out of your current profile and create a new one. You’ll be able to enjoy the game after you use a different XBOX user profile.

Let’s hope a patch will fix this bug soon.
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I have to apologize for letting this review come 10,000 years late. Killzone 3 is never too late to recommend – thankfully!

So, the game picks off 6 months after second and the Helghan army is going through their own Middle Eastern revolution between 2 rival commanders. You, and the ISA, continue to poke your noses into places where you ought not to be. That’s pretty much the synopsis of the entire plot of Killzone 3. It is as light as plots go but this is an FPS for goodness sake! If you are looking for something with immersion and character development, please stop here and wait for Dragon Age 2.

Still here? As far as FPS storylines go, this one is by far one of the better ones I’ve played so far. Despite it being razor thin. It is still an enjoyable, thrilling theme park ride from start to end. Sadly, it does leave you with a hint of a bitter aftertaste, in which you feel that the developers could have done a bit more to make the storyline more fully fleshed out. I guess something had to fall short when Guerrilla Games made Killzone 3 so breathtakingly beautiful and the effort really shines when the bullets fly as you engage into one of the many heart pumping set pieces in game.

This is the game that sets the benchmark in the graphics department for all Playstation 3 games to come. It could be months before we see the ante being upped. Perhaps with Uncharted 3 in November?

The visuals get even better when hooked up to a 3D television. I had the rare opportunity to give Killzone 3 a go on a 3D telly. If you are one of the lucky few in Singapore to own such a television, dump that Avatar Blu Ray, because Killzone 3 is the reason why 3D gaming has the potential to shine. Gran Turismo 5 delivered a rather passive experience for 3D gaming but the FPS genre is where 3D should really sink its roots in. Killzone 3 is testament to that fact.

With a game that played so well with a Dual Shock just a mere 2 years back, the burning question in the minds of many, probably would be: “How well does the game play with the Playstation Move? And does it justify it’s cost?”

The answer to both would be a resounding, “Yes!”. Forget about all the pseudo mouse and keyboard controllers for the Playstation 3. The Move has to be implemented in all FPS games for the PS3. For once you have experienced how well the game controls with the Move, you may never want to return to your Dual Shock ever again.

While many may claim that in the hands of a pro, a Dual Shock will work just as well. The Move just makes things more direct and natural. Just point to the direction where you would like to lay sweet pain on the enemy and depress the trigger. It gives many who have been apprehensive to make the jump to FPS gaming on the console due to the ‘awkward’ control scheme a good reason to check Killzone 3 and the Move control scheme out. While, this method is not entirely new, wand controller FPS-es has just made the jump to High Def.

Using the Move does come with a few drawbacks. There is a great reliance to find the calibration sweet spot in other to get the controller to perform at optimum level. It may take some time for you to actually find the perfect settings but I assure you once that hurdle is passed, it’s smooth sailing until your forearms start to ache.

Aching forearms are inevitable. I’m sure you could have seen that coming. Sadly, I doubt that even with the use of the Sharpshooter, the amount of extended game time you would get from using the Move would be shorter as compared to sitting down on the sofa with your Dual Shock.

Killzone 3, the Move and 3D gaming are just the creme de le creme of modern FPS gaming on the PS3. Sadly, not many gamers would have the luxury of being able to fit these 3 pieces of a beautiful jigsaw together but it’s individual segments shine in their own special way.

Lastly, the multiplayer rocks as always. Were you expecting anything less?

Completed Killzone 3 on singleplayer. Spent roughly 10 hours on multiplayer. Resulted in a very sore right arm.

Get Killzone everything and cheapest in Singapore from the store now!

Contact the author of this post, Gerald Chan, at geraldchan@qisahn.com. Follow his tweets @changerald

Dead Rising 2 is just one of those games that never tires even after a repeated playthrough. At writing, I am currently starting into my second run and I am still finding new things to do within the game! There are multiple gameplay choices and even more crazy and whacky ways to cull the gen pop of zombies. Despite taking my time to discover as many weapon combinations as possible in the first run, I realized that I had only barely scratched the surface of possible weapon combinations after checking the web. Furthermore, almost everything you get your hands on can be used to fend off the zombie horde. Obviously guns do better than most weapons, but where’s the fun in that?

I’ve never played the first Dead Rising but the unique aspect of the game would be a timer that counts down for various objectives in game. While the macro objective would be to save your daughter and clearing your name, you do not really need to adhere to the story in order to complete the game. There is no real game over to the game, except succumbing to zombies, just that the ending you receive may be less than ideal. The timed aspect may be a downer for some but as you progress in the game, you realize that the opportunity of explore presents itself from the second time round. So, the fun really gets to start from the second run onwards.

The most quirky feature of Dead Rising 2 would be the weapon crafting system. Ever wondered how well a blade attached at the end of a broom does against zombies? Dead Rising 2 gives you the opportunity to test various weapons out on the poor zombies. While some weapons fare better than other and some are in game just for pure comic entertainment, an element of strategy appears when you have limited inventory space which curbs the urge to stock pile various weapons at the same time. Each weapon has a limited amount of uses as well. So, it is equally important to scavenge for weapon parts along the way before you end up having to melee zombies with your fists. Thankfully, over the course of the game, as you level up more inventory slots open up, giving the player to rain down even more pain to bust zombie brains.

Like many zombie games, the bulk of the enemies would be the grey matter gobbling risen but in most part, the evil masters and the hands at work are devious humans. All the ‘bosses’ that you would meet in game are not some form of zombie brethren but a crazy sapien who took the opportunity of the apocalypse to wreck some havoc on their own. I’ll have to say that while each boss fight is avoidable, they are all unique and have varied attack mechanics. While some are really cheap, it brings an immense amount of satisfaction when you are able to figure out their attack pattern and finally down the boss. No doubt my love for such forms of boss fights hails from Mega Man, where no boss encounter is as simple as it seems and patience wins the day. As far as the generic variety of enemies go, all of the zombies are a push over. If you have played the earlier versions of Resident Evil, you will find it more of a chore to cull the population and would eventually prefer to rush past them as you navigate towards the in-game objectives.

My one and only gripe of this game would be the immense amount of load times to be found. As the game is split up into various zones of casino mall, you would have to encounter load screens in between. While games like Mafia II and GTA are able to preload each section before you come to it, the load screens found within Dead Rising 2 put a damper to gameplay sessions especially if you are unable to invest long stretches of gametime. Despite installing the game, the loads are too much for my liking.

Dead Rising 2 is one game that you have to pick up to try on the next generation console. Unlike the other zombie game (Left 4 Dead) you pretty much can take your own time to do things at your own leisure as compared to running from point A to B in a frenzied fashion, which is a good change. The high replay value and the ability to have a partner hop in and out in game makes an already hilarious session even more fun with an added player to wreck more havoc!

By the way, Chuck Green’s chin reminds me too much of Batman, anyone noticed?

The game is now out in store! Available for both PS3 and Xbox 360.

First game play took roughly 17 hours. Rank S ending achieved. Purchased copy from store for review purposes.

Contact the author of this post, Gerald Chan, at geraldchan@qisahn.com

After blasting my way through Mafia II as if I had a Pitbull on my rear, I’ll have to say that it was a very ‘different’ kind of mob themed game. Being different has many connotations but the good thing is that Mafia II comes out on the right end of the stick and does almost everything right.

It’s easy to draw comparisons between this title, GTAIV or even Red Dead Redemption. 2K has a whole stable of 3rd person free roam titles in perhaps every setting imaginable that would work out. That being said, Mafia II does try very hard to stand out from the crowd and stand out it does.

The very first thing that I noticed upon firing up the game was that every character was supported by a top notch voice actor. There is much emphasis on how well a game should look these days but when you are trying to set out to craft the perfect story, you do need to have the powerful backing of a solid voice acting cast, and Mafia II is not skinny on this department. Every character has a distinctive vibe to himself and the cast allows their personality to shine through. Anyone who has watched a mob movie or tv series knows that it takes hard work to create the characters that have made the Italian gangster a compelling character to portray and the benchmark is there to be met. The voice actors behind Vito and gang have easily met the mark and surpassed it. It took me a rather long time to realize that in video games, the voice actors pretty much carry the weight of the entire game other than the gameplay itself. Although a more complete package would ultimately do better, it’s memorable lines that gives players something more to carry on. Remember how the mannerisms of Duke Nukem have done so well to last through the years?

Graphically, I didn’t notice any grass missing as I was too busy zipping around in my car most of the time but apart from the greenery, the game does dusk beautifully. The weird thing is that I noticed the sunset after it’s rays shone out from behind the buildings and made driving during such set pieces a chore. As I was on turbo mode pretty much for most of the game, maybe you could tell me if there are actual night-day cycles within the game. If not, take your foot off the accelerator and take the time to enjoy seeing the sun set. Overall, this game is very pretty and with no noticeable frame rate drops or clipping which plagues many of these games. The attention to detail in Mafia II is top notch as every locale that you visit throughout the game is filled with every imaginable possibility. The streets and stairways have litter giving Empire Bay the semblance of a real functioning city. No wall is just a wall, and for that I guess it’s a hats off to GTA for that.

Other than dialogue and graphics, it all boils down to how easy it is to put a trigger to someone’s head. If GTA was the wild west, I’d say Empire Bay is pretty much the safest city in video games. The whole damn city is crawling with cops and it is as if the city has a sixth sense to know if you are about to commit a crime. In certain set pieces in which you would need to jack a car to get away, there would be a copper lurking around the corner just to catch you in the action to make matters worse. Give me a break already! On the flip side, the law enforcement is also not the brightest AI to be found in the game. They see speeding as a bigger crime and when someone rear ends you, the blame falls on your head; weird! Beating a red light however, is forgivable. All the brains must really have gone to the families than into law enforcement.

Gunplay in Mafia II is the most enjoyable that I’ve ever had in a long time. Weapons and ammo are supremely abundant. If you find yourself running out of bullets, you probably are a terrible shot. The game allows you to focus on gunning wiseguys down rather than holding up stores to fund the ammo that is used during missions. The biggest gripe that I have with combat sequences is that the AI has the uncanny ability to shoot at you despite the player being behind cover. On many occasions, I’ve been shot on while taking cover behind a wall and the enemies are on the same level as I am with no clear line of sight. I’m not expecting Gears of War kind of cover but this is absurd. Overall, not much complaints though as the shotgun is one overpowered weapon in your arsenal with it’s accuracy and power even at very long distances. A minus point for realism purists.

Like many reviews before this, many of you might have noticed that the strong selling point of this game would be it’s powerful narrative. It’s true, this game is one of better ones that I have tried of all the games that have come out this year. In comparison to Heavy Rain, Mafia II is right about there. The only problem is that there is a lack of character development and the amount of time you spend with each cast member is rather short. This aspect could have easily been fleshed out with more side missions but the devs decided that a more linear path would serve the game better, which I have to agree to a certain extent. Many games these days seem to want to add plenty of value to extend the playtime but usually at the expense of the main story. Even GTA IV suffered from this (btw I’ve never completed GTA). With so much to do and so little time, you do get a sensation of aspects of the game being tacked on and long drawn which adds to the fatigue that obstructs you from completion.

For Mafia II, it’s pretty much the same story with other 3rd person free roams – dude asks your PC to do something and you get things done. Sadly, not much change here, but I’d like to see PCs have a bigger decision factor in the main storyline which is why Heavy Rain did very well with it’s multiple paths. Anyway, in Empire Bay it’s very much you getting Vito to do his task in the fastest manner possible to move forward the story which thankfully does not make the player spend too much time commuting from one end of the city to another. A big problem with games of such nature.  I’d have to commend Mafia II for getting the right mix of action, commuting and dialogue  at a perfectly measured amount.

Trust me, the entire storyline is really different from what we have been fed on by the media and it’s a real step apart.

Review copy for the PS3 was provided courtesy of Take2Asia.

Contact the author of this post, Gerald Chan, at geraldchan@qisahn.com