With Tom ill, Kieran steps into the hosting seat again this week (despite suffering from a serious case of man flu himself).

He is joined by returning podcaster Sabbi Stone and Mr Adam Radcliffe and together they take you through the latest and greatest in gaming news, site updates and community feedback.

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2009 was a great year for games. We had Batman: Arkham Asylum, Uncharted 2: Among Thieves and Left 4 Dead 2 amongst others, and this year seems to be a continuation of that. It’s incredible to think that already this year we’ve managed to get our hands on Mass Effect 2, God of War 3 and Super Mario Galaxy 2, with games from the Halo, Call of Duty, Assassin’s Creed, Fallout and Castlevania series all still to come.

With a constant flow of big titles coming out there’s fierce competition and with that comes fairly big titles losing out on sales and somewhat slipping under the radar. No game this year sums this up more than Alan Wake.

Despite all the time, money, effort and publicity pumped, and is continuing to be pumped into Alan Wake, it’s safe to say the game didn’t sell well…. not at all really. This could be down to a number of things. The fact that the game came out on the exact same day as Red Dead Redemption (which sold TONS by the way) obviously had something to do with it but to place the blame for the game under selling solely on the fact it came out on the same day as another popular game is just being plain delusional. Perhaps people got tired of all the hype and delays over the years that when the game actually came out not as many gamers were interested. Who knows? But you can’t change what has already happened.

Pinning the blame of poor sales solely on Red Dead Redemption is perhaps a little bit ignorant

So Alan Wake sold badly and this has thrown the possibility of a sequel, that the game so richly deserves, into doubt. But whilst the gamers didn’t flock out in their masses to pick up the game, I was one of the very few who actually did and for me Alan Wake will go down as THE most underrated game of 2010. Despite no one buying it and it’s reviews seemingly missing the point, the fact remains that everyone that I personally know that has played it has loved it, and that includes me too. Alan Wake was refreshing, compelling and intelligent, something that games rarely are these days, so when it was announced that, despite it’s sequel being in jeopardy, 2 bits of DLC were being release, I embraced the news with open arms.

With “The Writer” DLC yet to come, Alan Wake’s first piece of downloadable content “The Signal” sports as much attention to detail and polish as the original game itself. Attempting to bridge the gap between the first game and a possible second, The Signal picks up right where the original game finished, this time giving previous Alan Wake players the opportunity to experience the involvement of some of the more mysterious and unknown characters of the original, namely that of diver, Thomas Zane, thickening the plot and adding depth to an already weighty story.

The Signal allows you insight into the role of the mysterious, Thomas Zane

If you were one of the very few that played Alan Wake and enjoyed it, you will undoubtedly enjoy The Signal as essentially it’s just more of the same. The gripping, psychological storytelling that made the original game so compelling is still there, at times coming across a little more harrowing than the original and the same combat mechanics are there.

That’s not to say Remedy haven’t made SOME changes of course. As someone who played the original on normal difficulty, The Signal felt a lot more difficult, a lot more like the full game’s harder difficulties. More enemies attack you at once and in more confined locations too, perhaps the whole sense of the DLC feeling more harrowing is down to the fact that throughout The Signal you are constantly fighting for survival; not only are there more enemies and less places to hide but equipment, such as ammo, seems in short supply adding more focus on rationing and survival. The intention of making The Signal just that little bit harder is then hammered home by the fact that there is an achievement for not dying or restarting from a checkpoint.

Possessed cars, trucks, people, debris, poles, bits of machinery, it's all out to get you and it's everywhere

What, I hear you cry, the DLC contains more achievements? Indeed, achievement whores, it does. In fact The Signal comes with a whole host of new features which is a testament to the effort being put in to the I.P considering Remedy could’ve gotten away with just tacking on some DLC with minimal effort. But no, The Signal reeks quality and attention to detail. There are more achievements to unlock, collectibles to collect, more of the overall Alan Wake story to experience, a new unique end boss to fight, and a brand new world to explore (still set in Bright Falls, but the environment is much harsher and much more dangerous this time around).

Despite the DLC not costing a single penny/dollar/whatever the currency in your country is, (THAT’S RIGHT, IT’S FREE! So long as you kept your downloadable token when you bought the game new, because we all bought the game new right?), it’s also not very short either, giving more bang for your buck (wait, no, that doesn’t work does it?). Whilst being feature packed, The Signal is about as long as your average chapter length in the original game. One play through, neglecting achievements and collectibles, will clock in at around an hour on it’s own, which means that although The Signal is a piece of downloadable content, on it’s own merit, it provides at least 2 -3 hours worth of play to unlock and collect absolutely everything.

Alan himself was even shocked by the notion of The Signal being free

The Signal contains all the trademark features that made the original, full game different and so special, and it all ends so perfectly leading up to The Writer (sadly though, that piece of DLC won’t be free, 300 odd MSP though so still not bad). And as David Bowie’s “Space Oddity” (yes that’s right, SPACE BLOODY ODDITY), plays over the credits, you draw the first breath you’ve taken in an hour, an experience.

Review Round Up

Graphics: 4/5 – Facial animation is still a little bit weak, but the way they’ve changed the environment in conjunction with the progression in story is great. Contains all the polish and attention to detail as the original, full game.

Sound: 4/5 – Space Oddity FTW!

Gameplay: 3.5/5 – The Signal is harder and more harrowing than the full game, but nothing has changed drastically, more of the same. Something a little bit different would’ve been nice though.

Longevity: 4.5/5 – For a piece of DLC, it has a lot of replay value.

Overall: 4.5/5 – Overall The Signal gets 4.5 possessed toasters out of 5.

[starreview tpl=16]

- Kieran Roycroft

Are you afraid of vampires, ghosts, demons and succubi? YOU ARE!? Well forget about going to the wonderful land of Castlevania for your holidays this year because you’re a pansy. But if you are like me and actually prefer to go on your holidays to places where the likelihood of certain death by werewolves is above 90% then there is no better place this winter. 1200 Microsoft points gets you flights and accommodation, but if you do fancy spending Christmas in Dracula’s castle, a word of warning. when packing your bags make sure you include a whip, for killing various creatures and monsters, meat which you can keep hidden in the walls and lots of sources of caffeine, because unfortunately you will not be sleeping on this little get-a-way.

Harmony of Despair is the latest 2D action-adventure game from Konami, and the 36th game in the long running series, if you include all the Japanese releases too. However Harmony of Despair is the first game in the series to truly embrace online multiplayer. After 25 years not much has changed but unfortunately there is a price to pay for the inclusion of multiplayer and this has resulted in a rather substandard addition to the franchise.

From the moment you jump into the game you immediately know you’re going to struggle without the aid of your comrades or some random strangers on Xbox Live, in fact I would say it is almost impossible to do it all by yourself, without getting very frustrated from death, after death, after death, after…well you get the picture. It’s a frustration which is increased tenfold by attempting to join a game because finding a match in multiplayer can, at times, be a little tedious, not only because it can take a while just to join a match, but when you do finally join one, people seem quit out because they have no say in which level they are going to play.

The game's matchmaking increases the frustration

Despite Harmony of Despair being the first in the series to truly adopt multiplayer capabilities, the core gameplay still remains largely untouched. Running around a castle full of an endless variety of colorful enemies, trying your hardest not to lose all your health despite having little to no items, killing bosses as you progress, it’s still all in there. This time however, you can choose between five of Castlevania’s favorite characters from previous titles, Alucard, Soma Cruz, Jonathan Morris, Shanoa, and Charlotte Aulin are all present, willing and able. If you’re not a fan of the series those names won’t mean much to you, but each character possesses different abilities and personal skills relevant to the game they were featured in, which is an excellent addition as each character offers up a different way of playing the game.

Castlevania games have always had some memorable enemies and Harmony of Despair is no different. They are all just as unique, familiar, fun to destroy and as infuriating to beat as they have always been. Predictably you start with low powered weapons and armor and as you progress and obtain better weapons and armor, so does the difficulty of enemies. But a great addition lies in the form of the game’s ability to auto-save either after you die, or after the completion of a level which means that whatever you find to level up around each stage will be right in your inventory upon the next attempt, making the game more convenient. Speaking of inventory, there may as well not be one, that is to say that you can’t access it on a whim like in previous titles. To change your weapons, armor, healing items and your spells, you need to find checkpoints located around the map in strategic positions, which negates the convenience of auto-saves and adds a sense of grinding as you backtrack around the map, slowing the game’s pace right down.

From skeletons, flying eyeballs, knights, angels, minotaurs and skulls, the variety of enemies is huge

As well as including a vast array of different characters from the Castlevania universe, Konami have made some other notable new additions. Unlike in previous installments of the franchise, the entire map is revealed to you from the start of each level, meaning that the pleasure you would normally get from discovering each percentage of the map is absent, replaced entirely by the need to find more loot, which is an unwelcome change. However it does make it easier for you and up to five other vampire hunters to keep track of not only where you are going but also where everyone else is in regards to the boss, which is pretty important since all team members don’t have to be present to fight the boss, after all you don’t want to miss out on fighting a boss do you? Aside from that, a newly included time limit also feels slightly alien, but is essential to keep up the pace and adds a little challenge and more replay value.

The excitement of exploration has been killed off by the unveiling of each map at the start of the level

In terms of presentation, Castlevania - Harmony of Despair is your typical, classic Castlevania game. The music is more Transylvanian than ever (more Transylvanian than The Cheeky Girls in fact), and inspires a peculiar, spooky atmosphere. As always boss fights are accompanied by some epic boss music to compliment each levels final confrontation. Weapons, magic and special moves are all executed with stylish sound effects and the little voice acting that there is, is as cheesy as it comes. This is of course accompanied by some brilliant retro/modern graphics that is a real tribute to the Castlevania games of old.

Harmony of Despair is a graphical love letter to the earlier Castlevania games

Unfortunately, Harmony of Despair itself plays a lot like Castlevania on a diet, “Castlevania Light” perhaps? A lot of the core features which make the previous Castlevania games so great have made way in order to implement multiplayer, and whilst the game plays like your average Castlevania game and the multiplayer is fun, it seems devoid of charm and isn’t all that impressive. To get the most out of the game, playing with your friends rather than six randoms over Xbox Live is essential. But even then, with that many people in the game, the enemies pose almost no challenge at all considering the combined damage from six people which makes for a less engaging experience. As well as taking out core features of the franchise, Konami have added a few new features into the mix, but you can’t escape the feeling that Harmony of Despair feels much more like a big fan service in preparation for the upcoming Castlevania: Lords of Shadow, rather than a fully fledged Castlevania game with a life of it’s own. It feels just like a little something to hold us over until the “proper” new game arrives.

Review Round Up

Graphics: 4/5 - The presentation of this game is delightfully nostalgic and most of all gloriously colorful in HD no less. A tribute to the Castlevania games of old.

Sound: 4/5 - Harmony of Despair has brought back many recognizable tunes from previous Castlevania games which marry perfectly with level maps and are terribly Transylvanian. They haven’t skimped on the sound effects either, its like audio ecstasy and the voice acting is as terribly cheesy and unintentionally as funny as always.

Gameplay: 3/5 – Disappointing to say the least, it lacks charm and can soon become repetitive. Single player is a bit of a drudge and the new multiplayer aspects only really shine when your playing with friends. The new gameplay mechanics such as the time limit work well but also have drawbacks and, I say this as a fan of the series, feel out of place in a Castlevania game. However other fans of the series will no doubt find enjoyment and having the most significant characters in the series all in one game is rather novel and fun.

Longevity: 2/5 - There’s no mistaking that this game is hard, its longevity is reflected in its challenge, not it’s length. With only six levels, you won’t be playing Harmony of Despair for long unless you have plenty of fellow vampires hunters who like you, always want to beat their last high score or find all the loot. It feels much like a precursor to the forthcoming Castlevania: Lords of Shadows.

Overall: 3.5 Bloody, splintered, stakes to the heart out of 5 - Castlevania - Harmony of Despair is the first time a Castlvania game as truly embraced multiplayer and is another great addition to a series. By giving the fans something which they have been patiently waiting for, a traditional Castlevania experience with Multiplayer, it has seemingly done its job but will Harmony of Despair go down as one of the truly great Castlevania games? No.

[starreview tpl=16]

- Adam Radcliffe

For anyone who has never played a side-scroller Metroid game, the gameplay is relatively simple; run around a large map collecting upgrades and furthering the story, normally by defeating large bosses. The upgrades to your weapons will often provide you access to new areas previously rendered inaccessible. This formula is used in Shadow Complex, and works perfectly. Starting off with nothing but a flashlight, you slowly work your way up through weapons and armour until you become some kind of unstoppable cyborg ninja, capable of disintegrating people with a punch. Seriously.

The story in SC is actually inspired by a novel, written by science fiction legend, Orson Scott Card, but isn’t particularly well implemented into gameplay. You take on the role of Jason Flemming, a guy who decides to go cave-exploring with his girlfriend of two days, Claire. However, when said girlfriend is captured by home-grown American terrorists called the Progressive Restoration, Jason decides to risk life and limb going to save her, killing several hundreds of people in the process. I don’t know about you, but I feel that one day isn’t enough time to get to know someone well enough to then commit multiple homicide to save them. Despite this strange plot setup, it’s a relatively good story line, but some of the cut scenes seem unnecessary and at times the dialogue is downright stupid. The game also features a ridiculously obvious plot twist, which most will see coming after about ten minutes in.

But what makes SC different from other games? Well for one, it’s visually impressive. The realistic graphics work well with the gameplay, and it also allows for some incredibly cinematic sequence, such as the first encounter with a quadrupedal tank, or the climatic screen filling showdown at the end of the game. There are also some more artistic sections. For example, at one point you battle your way through a section to face a boss. After defeating the boss, you return back through the same section, only this time, it has become completely flooded with water, meaning you have to swim back, brushing past your fallen foes and other debris. These sections, although few and far between, make a nice change of pace from the constant gunning down of foes.

Where SC lacks slightly is in its consistency. At the start of the game, you are armed only with a pistol, and have to use the environment to your advantage to get the drop on your enemies, and pull off stylish headshots, and at first this feels brilliant. You feel totally badass dropping down behind a guard unnoticed, then punching him off a ledge. But towards the end, the game drops these steal kill moments in favour of hordes of enemies. Whilst it’s true you have immobilizing foam and missiles by this stage, it seems strange that it turns into such a run-and-gun affair. SC also features a levelling up system, where you gain experience for killing enemies and discovering new portions of the map. Each time you level up, you are told that your accuracy, precision or agility is increased, but I honestly could not detect anything particularly changing. I was the one doing all the aiming and jumping, so if anything, my gaming skill was getting better. Shocking, but plausible.

REVIEW ROUND UP

Graphics: 5/5 Save the world whilst in nice surrounds, even if the surroundings are an underground maze filled with armed terrorists

Sound: 2/5 As much as I love to hear the same Hollywood soundtrack over and over again… I actually don’t.

Gameplay: 4/5 Should probably be marketed as some kind of badass simulation, at least for the first half.

Longevity: 4/5 Absolutely tons for the completionist to find here, from gold bars, to armour upgrades, to pass keys.

Overall Score: 4 shadowy headshots out of 5

Bottom Line; A modern take on a classic gameplay style done well, with enough to keep you coming back for some time.

[starreview tpl=16]