SPIDER-MAN 3 (Playstation 3)

They say there are only two certainties in life - death and taxes.
In the world of gaming, you could also add to that - every Hollywood action blockbuster will be quickly followed by a console game.
Yes, Spidey’s back.
Activision has wisely released Spider-Man 3 for the Playstation 3 and Xbox 360 systems to coincide with the silver-screen released of the movie of the same name.
Sadly, there is a limited cross-over between the game and the movie in so far as the storyline - but then again, none of the other three incarnations of the game have ever managed that either and all three proved a hit with gamers.
As with its predecessors, Spider-Man 3 is set smack-bang in the heart of New York City, a city wracked with crime, violence and idiot drivers.
Like in the movie, Spider-Man, aka Peter Parker, returns to fight for truth, justice, and brightly coloured tokens that can be found littered around the rooftops and alleyways of The Big Apple. Ok that last bit isn’t in the movie.
However, as in the film itself, Peter Parker does have a major chip on his shoulder and is more than happy to slap, punch, kick and generally physically abuse as many crooks and crims as humanly possible.
You’ll also get to play Spider-Man in his black suit, as he tries to rid the city of villains such as the Sandman, the new-look Green Goblin, and Venom.
And much like other Spider-Man games, there’s a host of other bad-guys to practice your fighting skills against, such as Scorpion, Lizard and Kingpin, who all make welcome returns.
For those who have played previous Spider-Man games, gameplay remains pretty much the same. The controls to spin webs and swing your way through the city is basically retained.
Graphically, the game hasn’t changed that much, which is a little disappointing considering this is the first Spider-Man release for the next-gen PS3 and 360.
That said, the background and surrounds are more detailed than before.
As with Spider-Man 2, the game itself is littered with minor missions strewn throughout the city which help you hone your abilities and build up your strength, dexterity and a host of improved skills, with overall main missions forming the base of the Spider-Man 3 storyline.
Aside from all that, the basic premise of the game is combat - beating up villains of varying strengths and abilities. Some are easy, some are much more difficult, particularly as you move through the game.
The combat system is also nothing new for fans of the series. And as with previous versions of the game, this is another area that can become frustrating, particularly with the in-game camera system, which never really lets you see exactly what you need to see. It‘s either too close or not centred, and the constant movement of the camera can make seemingly innocuous situations all-the-more difficult.
That said, if you are a fan of the Spider-Man console series of games, you’ll find this new incarnation as enjoyable as ever.
The soundtrack is a major drawcard, with the film’s cast - Tobey Maguire, Thomas Hayden Church (Sandman), James Franco (Goblin) and Topher Grace (Venom) all providing the voice-overs for their respective characters.
Sadly (or perhaps not), Kirsten Dunst’s character hasn’t been written into the script.
Overall, Spider-Man 3 doesn’t offer a lot new to the series, bar two or three new villains, but no doubt fans will be in a spin to get their hands on a copy.

WE RATE IT
Graphics: 7
Sounds: 8
Gameplay: 7.5
OVERALL: 75%

FORZA MOTORSPORT 2 (Xbox 360)

Forza fans in Australia have been subject to inhumane torture as we watched the rest of the smug world bathe in itsown glory — posting lap times, photos, livery designs and doing business in the online auction house buying and selling their own custom vehicles — as if the constant delay in release date wasn’t painful enough!
Earlier this month we were set free from our tormentors and given the chance for retribution with the Australian release of Forza Motorsport 2 for the 360.
When Forza came to the original Xbox it was far and above the biggest and most popular racing sim on the platform.
It created a fierce rivalry between Sony’s Gran Turismo 4 on the PS2 and, despite GT’s numerous sequels and domination of the racing niche on consoles, Forza was still able to elbow its way in when it revolutionised car racing on the Xbox.
This was mostly due to the fact that Forza catered for a wide range of motor racing fans, from the tuner freak through to your hardcore realistic simulation nut, by offering big variations in difficulty.
On one end of the scale drivers can push their skill to the limit by tackling Forza’s advanced real world physics and turn off all electronic driving aids, (this means no traction control, no stability management, no ABS and manual gearbox).
For gamers after an easier, more simple driving experience, all assists can be left on together with the option to switch to cosmetic damage only, no fuel and tyre wear, easy AI opponents and even a suggested line which guides you around the track and indicates where to brake and accelerate.
Jumping into the new game, full simulation mode is where Forza 2 first flies its colours. Despite having fantastic driving physics, the cars in Forza 1 had a somewhat generic feel, while immediately in 2 you notice a vast improvement with each vehicle possessing a distinct feel on the road and behaving how you imagine they would in real life.
The main thrust of Forza 2 is online gaming where you can compete in races all around the world and, as mentioned, trade vehicles and post pics taken with the new photo mode.
For those without an Xbox LIVE account, a solid career mode is still on offer, together with arcade races, time attack and free run modes.
The career mode hasn’t changed much, but one new introduction is vehicle reputation.
As you win races with individual cars they gain rep and in return sponsored discounts are offered in the upgrade shop.
As in Forza 1, race earnings can be spent on flash new rides and on upgrades for your cars. The upgrade shop has improved markedly, with a massive range of fully licensed aftermarket parts all with a comprehensive description of what you’re buying and what they do.
Alongside the parts is the paintshop which has had a solid make over as well.
It’s difficult to think of any substantial complaints about Forza 2 and the only one worth a remark would be the lack of tracks with only a dozen on offer, although shortened variations and reverse courses are included as well.
The graphics are beautiful and, despite lacking some close-up detail in the track environment, Forza 2 runs at a slick 60 frames a second, creating an awesome sense of speed.
The 300-plus cars are meticulously modelled and look fantastic on and off the track.
Any gamer who has even a fleeting interest in car racing must have Forza Motorsport 2 — no other game offers such an in-depth racing experience.

WE RATE IT
Graphics: 9
Sounds: 8.5
Gameplay: 9.5
OVERALL: 92

GOD OF WAR II (Playstation 2)

As a game company, how do you follow up with a sequel to a game that is regarded by most as the finest ever.
That’s the conundrum that faced Sony Computer Entertainment when it made the decision to produce God Of War II for the Playstation 2.
It’s predecessor, God Of War won accolade after accolade when it was released in 2005.
The game won game of the year honours at almost every industry award presentation, and in 2007, IGN named GoW as the greatest PS2 game of all time.
So when GoW2 was released this year, it truly was a case of trying to living up to expectations.
Fortunately for Sony, those expectations have been met and surpassed with flying colours.
GoW2 is arguably the finest game ever produced for the Playstation 2, sadly at a time when its lifespan is coming to an end.
GoW2 picks up the storyline of the anti-hero Kratos where it left off in the original.
To cut a very long and complicated story as short as humanly possible … after disposing of the former god of war Ares, Kratos now finds himself stripped of his powers by Zeus himself, trapping them inside the Blade Of Olympus.
His only way of redemption, and to regain his godly powers, is to set forth on a journey to seek out the Sisters Of Mercy, who have the power to turn back time so that Kratos can set the record straight, so to speak.
Armed with his main weapons, Athena’s Blades (basically short-swords on the ends of chains, which are strapped to his arms), Kratos sets off on a long and at times, rather difficult quest to find the Sisters Of Mercy.
But like many action RPGs, he will first have to cross paths with many foul creatures, solve a number of in game puzzles, and ultimately defeat a number of heroes, monsters and bosses, including Theseus, Colossus of Rhodes, the Barbarian King, Perseus, Icarus, and finally Zeus himself.
Graphically, the game is as good as anything ever produced on a sixth-generation console machine.
In fact, at first glance, it would be forgiven for believing it could have been a PS3 game.
The background settings are highly detailed and visually satisfying, giving the player a feeling of enormity on a scale never-before-seen on a PS2 game.
Gameplay itself is fairly simple to take on board, but later in the game you’ll be required to undertake some nimble-fingered combinations, particularly when battling against boss creatures.
Overall, the attention to detail put into GoW2 is nothing short of breath-taking, and any fan of RPG gameplay can only marvel at the time and effort that has gone in to the production of this wonderfully addictive and immersive game experience.

WE RATE IT
Graphics: 10
Sound: 9.5
Gameplay 9.5
OVERALL: 97%

LOST PLANET: EXTREME CONDITION

In the world of sci-fi shooters, Halo has always ruled the roost.
Then Capcom’s LOST PLANET came along and set a new benchmark on the new seventh-generation console machines.
It added depth to the genre, and it also set a new point of reference for how hooters should look on the Xbox 360.
Now, Capcom has added its world-class filly to its PC stable with the release of LOST PLANET: EXTREME CONDITIONS.
The storyline remains the same as before …
Mankind, through his own misgivings, has been forced to look to the stars for other planets to call home., and
And E.D.N. III looks like the best possible option so far.
While it‘s not paradise, mankind believes he has found a planet that could one day sustain life.
There’s just one small problem _ it just happens to be inhabited by giant flesh-eating creatures known as the Akrid.
The solution _ send in a team of soldiers to eradicate these killers so that the NEVEC Corporation can begin its top-secret plan to terraform the planet for colonisation.
The battle against the Akrid has been hard and taken many lives, including that of Wayne Holden’s father, who was killed by the legendary Akrid known only as ``Green Eye’’.
After surviving the fight against Green Eye, Wayne wakes some 30 years later, his frozen body found by a small band of Snow Pirates, led by brother and sisters Rick and Luka.
By joining them, you take the role of Wayne in a bid to uncover the secrets of the evil NEVEC Corporation, and take revenge on the Green Eye, who killed your father many years ago.
For all-intense-and-purposes, the PC version of Lost Planet is a direct replica of its Xbox360 brother. It looks the same, it feels the same … it even sounds the same.
Dang, if you use an Xbox360 Controller for Windows, rather than the clumsy option of using the mouse and keyboard, it even plays the same.
In fact, by taking full use of a real-time loading system, it runs better on the PC than 360.
So why isn’t it as good as its console cousin?
Put quite simply, its live-only play is its Achilles’ heel - you can’t play Lost Planet: Extreme Condition without being linked to the game server via the internet.
While it doesn’t sound overly problematic, consider that any drop-out, reduction in bandwidth from your machine to the server (if you ain‘t got broadband, forget about it), or power failure and you cannot play the game.
That said, it’s still a wonderful game, with stunning backgrounds, visually appealing graphics, and thoroughly enjoyable missions and skirmishes against some of the most diabolical creepy-crawlies you will find anywhere.
Overall, some hard-core gamers may find the 11 missions somewhat restrictive, but an extended multi-player system that can now connect PC gamers with Xbox360 gamers over Xbox LIVE service allows for almost unlimited gameplay.
If you don’t own a 360 and enjoy a decent shooter, then Lost Planet: Extreme Condition may be the answer you’ve been looking for.

WE RATE IT
Graphics: 8.5
Sound: 9
Gameplay: 8
OVERALL: 85%

FLATOUT ULTIMATE CARNAGE (Xbox 360)

Numerous arcade racing games are available acrossall platforms today and most of them tend to blend in with the crowd.

Flatout Ultimate Carnage, however, stands bright and tall, which makes it a memorable and thoroughly enjoyable destruction racer. The third installment in the Flatout series combines arcade racing with a real world physics engine to fantastic effect.

Cars are made up of 40-plus deformable parts and each track has more than 8000 destructible objects— more than any other 360 game.

Both vehicles and objects take visual damage with real-time environment mapping plus dynamic shadow maps for every 3D object on the track, and improved particle effects like dust, smoke and water splashes to create stunning and smooth visuals.

Flatout’s frame rate is also impeccable and rarely suffers. Included in the mix and unique to Flatout are the hilarious ragdoll characters which, with big enough impacts, are catapulted through the windscreen. The ragdoll is also used in side games like high jump, stoneskipping, ring of fire, field goal . . . I think you get the idea.

Vehicle andr agdoll driver are put to the test with side-splitting action. Your run of the mill single-player modes like career, single race, time trials and destruction derby are all included as well as local and online multiplayer.

Choose any one of 48 cars to tear up 39 tracks, all the while debris and cars fly in all directions creating random events that will have you laughing out loud.

Due to hit stores August 1, interms of replayability and downright hilarious action you can’t look past Flatout.

WE RATE IT:

Graphics 9.4

Gameplay 9.5

Sound 8

OVERALL 8.9