Hands On Review: Tomb Raider

The Eurogamer Expo provided a hunting demo of Crystal Dynamics upcoming reboot, Tomb Raider. (The demo was on the Xbox 360).

Being a long-time fan of Lara Croft and her adventures, I was definitely looking forward to giving this a go. But was it good? Thankfully, it looks promising enough.

The demo sees us guiding Lara around a stormy jungle-like setting. Finding a fellow crew members backpack, packed with a few essentials, Lara then sets off to find them. You will get to navigate her across high beams, climb a crashed aeroplane and take part in plenty of the acrobatic style manoeuvres that Lara is well known for.

Once you make it to a sheltered area (which will become your first camp), it becomes clear that this shipwrecking business has made Ms. Croft not only tired, wet and beaten, but also rather hungry. The next objective is to retrieve a bow and arrow to use in the next portion of the demo-hunting. You will have to briefly shimmy up and around platforms to make it to the bow, dangling from a decomposing corpse in a tree. Once this is over, this is where the demo's gameplay changes somewhat.

Lara is tasked with hunting deer in her landscape. By pulling back on the left trigger and aiming with the right, Lara will fire a bow into the target. The first arrow I shot went straight through the animals neck, whilst the second went in the front of it's head. However, rather strangely, the animal continued to run around, even though both of those arrows should have been fatal! It took a third and final fatal piercing to the backside to send the animal crashing to the ground though. 

Once the meat has been taken, Lara can continue on her journey. The walkie talkie in her possession has started to pick up a signal, and her fellow survivors are near. Now is the time to make that long, perilous journey to rejoin them. This is where the demo ends, and in truth, I wanted more. It was fun, and engaging. You cannot help but root for Lara when you see her being beaten every step of the way. You want to help her through to the end, and this is the aspect I enjoyed the most. Seeing Lara as something more than a hardy tomb raiding gymnast makes her feel more human.

The graphics are fantastic, and the gameplay feels incredibly fluid, especially as the cut scenes seamlessly blend into the action sequences once they have finished. It may have only been a brief glimpse of what is to come, but Tomb Raider seems to be on the road to a great game. Bring on March 2013!

Resident Evil 6: Demo Review

The Resident Evil series has undergone several transformations since it's beginning in 1996. Resident Evil 5 saw a shift in gameplay, adopting more of an action stance than the slow, tense gameplay of the previous titles. Resident Evil Revelations, a 3DS exclusive, introduced the original RE horror once more whilst still embracing this new action-heavy style, creating perhaps one of the best games in the series so far.

And now, we have Resident Evil 6. Due for release in November 2012, the game is split into three campaigns, all offering different experiences. Thankfully, the demo, which was released today on PS3 and Xbox 360, allows a taster of all three, making this essentially three demo's in one. Good stuff? Well, read on to find out! 

Leon Kennedy's Campaign

Leon's demo takes place at Tall Oaks University. The opening cut scene shows  Leon being confronted by the President...in zombie form. Hesitant to kill the President of the United States, his finger wavers on the trigger, but of course, we all know what he must do. After killing the President with a headshot, it's down to business. 

This segment of Leon's campaign felt very much like an old Resident Evil setting. Zombies are how they used to be-slow, shambling and moaning. It's also incredibly un-relentless. The undead crowd around you constantly in hordes, and there is barely enough ammo to go around. Like the earlier Resident Evil games, ammo conservation is a neccessity here. 

A new addition is the melee system, which helps to offer Leon and his partner Helena a chance to recover when ammo has depleted entirely, or a reload is in order. Knife kills are gory, satisfying and essential, especially as the ammo is quite sparse here. Like Resident Evil 5 before it, 6 will allow both players to share items together. This means that every time one of you picks up ammo, both of you will receive it. Also, online co-op is supported as well as offline, which I found out when a random player took over the NPC as Helena (sorry, I had to play as Leon first time round!) halfway through the demo. 

The aim of this portion of the game is to simply escape the campus. Leon's campaign combines the traditional Resident Evil style tension with a few "on the rails" style sections (most notably when driving the police car). 

Chris Redfield's Campaign

Chris' campaign appears to be completely different from Leon's.  Set in a war zone in Eastern Europe, Chris and his team are tasked with taking down the virus ravaged enemies in a series of winding streets. You'll notice straight away that unlike Leon's campaign, Chris's is an all-out action assault. Adopting more of the action gameplay of Resident Evil 5 than the slow tension that of the previous titles like Leon's campaign appears to be, you'll be using plenty of ammo on a colossal B.O.W., as well as gun-wielding zombie enemies. Also, these are different enemy types this time, which helps to keep things refreshing. 

Whilst Leon's campaign was incredibly low on ammo, Chris's one has plenty. It's quite enjoyable going from one extreme to the other, actually. This does mean that the suspense felt in Leon's campaign isn't really that present. When ammo is in full supply, and you've got a buddy playing through it co-op with you, the difficulty does not really show too much. 

Jake Muller's Campaign

The third and final demo is Jake "Wesker Jr" Muller's campaign. Whilst Leon's had the traditional Resident Evil feel, and Chris's went for action, action and more action, Jake's feels like the middle ground. 

In this demo, you are introduced to a new character, Wesker's son, whose blood contains the cure to the vastly spreading virus. Teaming up with Sherry Birkin, who fans may remember from Resident Evil 2, the duo are working on escaping a desolate city. 

Like the other two campaigns, Jake's also features it's own enemy type. Grappling with g-virus style enemies, whilst battling tar-like creatures and pouncing beasts, the demo certainly keeps you on your toes. Jake also seems like he will be a pretty interesting character, so I am looking forward to finding out more in the full game. 

My Favourite Demo?

Whilst I highly enjoyed the action in Chris' campaign, I'd definitely say that Leon Kennedy's demo was by far the most enjoyable. It packed the most suspense, and harks back to the earlier days of the series when the slow, shambling zombies were just as, or perhaps more than, creepy than those seen in recent instalments. 

So there you have it, over 60 minutes of gameplay to try out! As a Resident Evil fan, I was bound to like at least a little aspect of it, and thankfully I was not disappointed. Whether you're looking for old Resi gameplay, or the new action heavy format, both are present here. It's worth downloading and playing all three just to get a taster of things to come. 

Resident Evil 6 Demo Coming 18th September

Capcom have announced that a demo for Resident Evil 6 will become available to download from the 18th September.

Owners of Dragons Dogma have had the privilege of playing the demo a lot earlier, after receiving a demo download code when purchasing the game. 

Xbox Live Gold members (Xbox 360) and PS3 owners will be able to try out the online co-op mode as well as part of a scenario featuring the three main characters. Silver Xbox members will have to wait until the 25th September before they get a chance to try out the demo.

Resident Evil 6 sees the return of series regulars Chris Redfield and Leon S. Kennedy as they, alongside others, take on another bio-terrorism attack that is spreading across the world. Resident Evil 6 will be released on the 2nd October for PS3, Xbox 360 and PC. 

Tomb Raider Demo Footage: Hunting

Square Enix release some brand new footage from their upcoming game, Tomb Raider, at PAX 2012.

This new footage shows gamers how to hunt in Tomb Raider. Tomb Raider, a reboot of the series starring Lara Croft, retells the origin story of Lara, putting her in intense situations with little means of survival. Shipwrecked on an island, Lara must overcome obstacles, hostile natives and her own fear to become the hardened survivor we know from the previous Tomb Raider games. 

Check out the new footage below. Tomb Raider is due to be released on the 5th March 2013 on Playstation 3, Xbox 360 and PC. 

Crysis 3 Interactive Video

An interactive video for Crysis 3 has been released. The video allows you guide Prophet to infiltrate the control towers on the dam. Whether you choose to take the stealth option or storm it in a more action packed style, well that is up to you. Depending on the choice you decide upon, the video will change. 


Check out the video below, posted by Xbox360achievements.org. Crysis 3 will be released in 2013. 

Dead or Alive: Dimensions Demo Coming This Thurs

The latest demo to hit the eShop on the Nintendo 3DS will be Tecmo Koei's Dead or Alive: Dimensions. The demo will be available to download this Thursday, along with new purchasable release Kid Icarus of Myths and Monsters, and Fun! Fun! Minigolf TOUCH!

SSX Demo Review

The 21st February marked the release of the demo for EA's latest snowboarding title, SSX. Being a fan of the previous titles in the series, I downloaded this on my Xbox 360 and gave it a go. Here's what I made of it.

Those familiar with the SSX series will feel quite at home here. SSX is back with more downhill mountain races with plenty of crazy trick pulling thrown in to the proceedings. Whilst the graphics have improved quite significantly, I got the feeling that not too much had changed. Some may feel that this isn't particularly a good thing-too much of the same thing can get a little tired, but for SSX there are plenty of small changes that manage to distinguish this from the previous offerings, thus providing a somewhat refreshing experience.


The demo opens with a tutorial section which explains the different controls needed to pull off tricks and go for the gold. For someone who has played SSX Tricky and SSX 3, I picked this up rather quickly, and noticed that controls have changed ever so slightly in this edition. Now players can tweak their tricks to make them more complex by simply pressing the corresponding buttons together. For example, pressing x and y at the same time as moving the analog stick to the left will spawn a cool looking board grab move. For SSX veterans, the new control system may seem a little daunting, but thankfully there is an option to switch to the classic SSX controls if you desire it. Unfortunately I felt the tutorial went on a little longer than I wish it was, and being the impatient person I can occasionally be, I was wishing for the opportunity to try these tricks out freely on one of the courses. Thankfully I realised that the tutorial can be skipped...perhaps a little too late at this point though.

Thankfully, the tutorial is over and the demo can continue. EA provide two new races to try out on the Rocky Mountains and the Himalayas. One of these entails racing alongside some computer snowboarders to get to the finish line first with the most trick points racked up. Another is a solo-ride trick race where players will get to freestyle some tricks, and interact with the environment (such as the grinding pipes) as they glide down the snowy mountain.


The most enjoyable aspect of the SSX demo was the ability to pull off some excellent tricks. Things feel a lot more forgiving and fluid this time around. Landing tricks seems to be a bit more successful than on the previous games (often you'll pull off an elaborate trick only to land awkwardly and lose your points). However, this certainly does not make the game a much easier experience. SSX Tricky and 3 both included an option to repeatedly button bash until your rider stands up, allowing you to quickly recover from a fall during a race. This time around this option has not been included, so although it may be easier to land a trick, when you do fall, you could be tumbling for quite some time before you can compose yourself and re-join the race. 


The "Tricky" system makes a welcome return in this demo. Fans of the older titles may remember that the tricky bar can be filled up when they succeed in pulling of tricks. The more elaborate your trick, the faster your bar will fill up. Once the bar is full, Run DMC's "It's Tricky" plays (a dub-step style remix version this time around) and players can then try off the rider's signature move to rapidly boost their score. The tricky bar seems a lot easier to fill this time around, although you lose it a lot faster too. 

As for controlling the rider, it may take a little getting used to, as I found that I zig-zagged a lot down the mountain at first. Once you get the knack of it though, it becomes enjoyable and quite easy to grasp. The SSX demo also had access to the Leaderboards, which in the demo allows you to race against time trial ghosts your friends have set previously. 


The SSX demo is worth trying. The races are fun, but it is the ability to pull of tricks at almost every opportunity as you traverse down a mountain that makes this so fulfilling. Fans of the previous games should find this one just as entertaining. It's just a shame that EA insists on putting a rather lengthy and un-skippable trailer at the start of the demo, which will appear every single time you decide to load it up. It's a little frustrating, but it doesn't tarnish the enjoyment of the gameplay thankfully. 


The SSX demo is available to download now on the Xbox 360 Marketplace and Playstation 3 Network. SSX is due to be released on the 2nd March 2012.

Mass Effect 3 'Take Earth Back' Trailer

BioWare have released a new cinematic trailer for Mass Effect 3. The "Take Earth Back" trailer shows the assault on Earth by Reapers, which is quickly followed by Shepard leading an attack against them. 


You can check out the trailer below. Also, the Mass Effect 3 trailer is up and ready to try out on the Playstation 3, PC,  and Xbox 360. A section of multiplayer is also available in the demo, so rope a friend in!


Mass Effect 3 is released on the 6th March in the US, 8th March in Australia, and the 9th March in Europe. 

SSX Demo This Week

The demo for EA's upcoming snowboarding racer SSX will be released on Xbox Live Arcade and Playstation Network from today.


The demo will feature Zoe as the main playable character, whilst Mac is available to those who refer a friend to the demo. As well as being able to sample four events, players can also try out two tutorials and a lesson about skydiving.


SSX will be released on the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 on the 2nd March 2012. 

Metal Gear Solid 3DS Demo Coming This Thursday

Nintendo will be releasing a forth demo into their demo section of the Nintendo 3DS eShop this Thursday. 

The long-awaited Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater's demo will allow players to test out a stealth mission in the Russian jungle with Solid Snake. Players will be using camouflage, Solid Snake's trademark cardboard boxes and stealth to take out enemies. 

The full game will be released on the 8th March 2012.

Crush 3D Demo Released on Thursday

A new demo will be available on the Nintendo 3DS eShop this Thursday. Crush 3D marks the third available demo in the store, following on from Cooking Mama 4 and Resident Evil Revelations. 


Crush 3D is a puzzle platformer from Sega, which allows players to play through 80 3D levels levels. Certain points cannot be progressed in 3D however, and players must "crush" the 3D levels to make them 2D in order to complete it. 

Cooking Mama 4 Demo Review

The Cooking Mama series is known for it's wacky, Wario Ware style gameplay, and now the demo for the forth in the series has been released on the Nintendo 3DS store. 

The demo sees players join the cute looking Cooking Mama as she creates one of the variety of dishes that are available in game. For the demo, players will create a pizza from the dough making stage, right up to the oven. 


Each recipe is split up into five sections, where the player will use the Nintendo stylus to sieve flour, kneed dough, assign toppings to the pizza, and more. Much like the previous Cooking Mama games, the top screen is used for guidance, and the bottom screen is where each different cooking skill is simulated. At times it seems a little hard to get used to some of the motions, which can result in a disappointing end result if the timer reaches zero and you're still struggling. Mama may accept your failings, but those psychotic looking flames shooting out of both of her eyeballs beg to differ. 

Many of the tasks require a steady and slow hand in order to complete it well. The sieving section is the best example of this. Players will be required to tap ever so lightly on either side of the sieve, and alternate until the flour has been sieved through into the bowl below. It's incredibly easy to tap just that tiny bit harder and cover the whole screen in flour. This will then have to be cleared by blowing into the microphone. I found that I had to do this several times in this section, but then perhaps I'm not the greatest at dexterity games! 


Although personally I found the gameplay a little frustrating at times (some of the flicks of the stylus did not seem to register as accurately as I'd hoped first time), I cannot deny how addictive this game becomes by around the middle portion of the recipe. The demo only provided a small taster of the game, so it would be great to be able to try out a few more of the sections, such as "Let's Help!", where players will help Mama clean the house in a variety of ways. 

Fans of the previous instalments in the Cooking Mama series will not find any faults in this demo, and the 3D, although not incredibly necessary for the top screen, is a nice touch. The demo is available to download via the Nintendo 3DS eStore from now.

The Darkness II Launch Trailer

The Darkness II is already shaping up to be a great sequel, after impressing many with it's demo. Now 2K have released the launch trailer for the game, which, thankfully, is an impressive one.


The trailer features Jackie, the anti-hero of both instalments, dual-wielding and fighting in plenty of slow-mo shots. The trailer revels in it's action sequences, and shapes Jackie as a perfect badass. 


Give the trailer below a watch, and let us know what you think. The Darkness II is out on the 7th February in the US and the 10th February in Europe. The demo is currently available to download and play via the Xbox Live Marketplace and the Playstation Network. 

The Darkness II Demo Out Next Week

2K has revealed that a demo for The Darkness II will be released on the Xbox 360 next week.


Xbox Live Gold subscribers will gain the demo first, on the 17th January, whilst Silver members have to wait until the 24th January. 


I grabbed a go at the beginning of The Darkness II when I was covering the London MCM Expo in May last year, and was impressed with the gameplay. It looks like it is shaping up to become a huge improvement on it's predecessor. 


The game is due out in February 2012. 

RAGE Demo Released

RAGE has been available for a month now, but if you haven't checked it out yet, a demo will be available on Xbox Live next week. Playstation 3 owners will be able to download the demo from the 6th December. The 2GB demo features both driving and shooting segments.


RAGE is a first person shooter set in a post-apocalyptic world similar to the Mad Max series, and games such as Fallout 3. 

Hands On: Rayman Origins (Xbox 360)

A demo for Rayman Origins has landed on the Xbox Live Marketplace and Playstation Network just ahead of it's 15th November release date. Having played the original Rayman games (which, if I am being honest, I was terrible at), I decided to download the demo on the Xbox 360 to see what this upcoming game has to offer.


Before I continue, I must confess that for some reason, it appears that I am awful at Rayman Origins also, but this did not dampen my enjoyment of the demo, which I went on to complete, after several deaths of course. The demo can be completed either alone, or with up to three other players. The game adopts a drop in-drop out formula, so all four players do not have to be tied into a level for it's entirety if they do not have the time to play it through. 

In the demo, you will play three of the 60 levels in the game, which demonstrate the usual Rayman gameplay, as well as some excellent visual treats. The demo levels comprise of a jungle themed area, a food world, and one ocean world level. Rayman Origins features some bright, vibrant and rather gorgeous 2D visuals, which look brilliant in HD. The game retains the old-school side-scrolling platform format of the previous games in the series, and the Rayman feel is thankfully, still here. The demo is definitely a lot more enjoyable when played through with a friend. The demo was quite a tricky one at points, and having a friend jump in on the action helps make these tricky moments a tiny bit easier to deal with. 


I found it impossible to play through this demo of Rayman Origins without a smile on my face. Not only did the gameplay make me hark back when I was jumping, gliding (and dying) through a variety of levels in the Playstation One Rayman days, but the cheerful 2D visuals and charming music also helped with this. 


Reviews of Rayman Origins have been excellent so far, and the demo promises a highly enjoyable multi-player experience when the full game is released in under a weeks time. Grab the demo now and see what you think. 

Hands On: Disney Universe (Xbox 360)

Disney announced details for two family friendly releases this year, one being the Kinect title Disneyland Adventures, with the other, a non-Kinect, more party game based platformer called Disney Universe. Today I downloaded the demo to give the latter a go.

Disney have avoided using their animated cast as playable characters. Instead, Disney Universe introduces blue creatures that resemble a cross between Sackboy from Little Big Planet and Bomberman in familiar Disney character outfits. These little blue guys can be dressed up in up to 40 different costumes, based on animated hits from the Disney and Pixar spectrum. For instance, there are a variety of costumes, such as Nemo from Finding Nemo, Stitch from Lilo and Stitch, Scar from The Lion King, and in the case of the demo, Jack Sparrow from the Pirates of the Caribbean series. 


The game is comprised of 6 different worlds, which make up about 24 levels in total. Each world follows a different Disney theme, and the demo allows players to try out, very briefly, part of the first world, a Pirates of the Caribbean themed adventure. Players will take control of a costumed Jack Sparrow, who, throughout the demo, must collect Mickey coins, defeat enemies, assemble parts to make levers, jump obstacles and  so on. Simply put, this is standard platformer gaming. 

The demo level is made up of a variety of very simple objectives, which players must complete in order to progress through the level, and eventually clear it. There are a few bonus tasks included which allow players to pick up power ups, such as a plasma gun, and a fireball-shooting firearm. Enemies are very easy to defeat, and the combat involves repeatedly pressing the X button in the direction of the enemies. In other words-it's a bit of a button-basher. The game does try to keep things interesting by mixing up the gameplay though. When players are not attacking enemies, they're interacting with the environment to either complete some tasks (in one incidence, a bridge must be lowered by constructing a lever first), or unlock a few secrets, like the hidden power-ups. Arcade machines also occasionally pop out of the ground where bonus rounds can be completed for a few extra Mickey coins. Sadly though, it all gets a little boring after a while, so I can only hope that the full game keeps things much more refreshing. Judging by the trailer though, I doubt it. 


The graphics are bright and cheerful looking, but are no means perfect. Up close, the graphics have a tendency to get rather pixelated. However, they serve their purpose in re-creating a familiar Disney setting (in this case, a Pirates of the Caribbean style world). The Pirates of the Caribbean soundtrack is one of the most pleasant aspects of the game. It's yet another way in which a Disney fan can associate the surroundings with this popular Johnny Depp series. 

Whilst this incredibly brief demo was a lot of fun to play through, unfortunately, there is not much originality on show here. This gameplay has already been used before, (the Lego series thrives on this element of platforming/task completing), and unfortunately, it's been done somewhat better also. However, seeing familiar Disney settings and cute character costumes adds a lot of charm to the proceedings, so there is no doubt that Disney fans will find this a lot more enjoyable than most. Those wishing for a simple, light-hearted and fun multi-player platformer will probably enjoy this too. There is no doubt that Disney Universe is aimed at a younger audience though, who will perhaps enjoy this simple gameplay with a friend or two. I wish that the demo was a little longer though, it would have been nice to at least sample a small section of another world. 

Rayman Origins Demo

Ubisoft confirmed on Friday that the demo of Rayman Origins will be released on Xbox Live Arcade and the Playstation Network next week. In the demo there will be three playable levels, along with an alternate costume to play with. 


Rayman Origins follows Rayman and his friend Globox, and two teensies as they fight Darktoons and other evil creatures that have infected the Glade of Dreams. With the help of his friends, Rayman must stop the nightmares that have started to consume the world, and restore the Glade of Dreams back to it's peaceful state.


The trailer for Rayman Origins' shows great promise for the game, which you can view below.

Hands On: Dynasty Warriors 7 XL

The Dynasty Warriors series hasn't changed much in it's huge span of games. The format pretty much stays the same, and the games are often criticised for their extreme repetitiveness. So, do developers Tecmo Koei bring anything new to the table in Dynasty Warriors 7 Xtreme Legends? Well, I found out the answer to that question when I got a chance to play the demo at the MCM Expo last month.


It appears that Tecmo Koei have decided to create a more narrative-based approach to the game, which I felt, from the brief ten minutes of gameplay I sampled, made the game feel much deeper and involved than before. Before going into a mission, I was placed into the Resident's Castle, where players are able to interact with NPCs before moving on to their mission. Throughout the town there are soldiers, townspeople, merchants, blacksmiths and more who will aid you in upgrading or buying new items for your chosen character, or they'll simply offer you a few pieces of advice. You are responsible for improving and redeveloping this castle as the game progresses, which I felt was a nice addition. 

After wandering around the Resident's Castle for a while, it was time to experience some of the action. I was immediately placed into the heat of the battle, where it all felt incredibly familiar to me. The controls are exactly the same as they were in the previous games (although I've only ever played them on the Xbox 360, rather than the PS3, like this version). Musou attacks still create a massive amount of damage to enemies, and the map system is still in place.


What people seem to overlook whilst criticising the Dynasty Warriors series is that, yes, although it is rather repetitive gameplay, it's incredibly satisfying mowing down countless enemies almost constantly throughout an entire mission. 


To refresh what can be seen as an over-used formula, Tecmo Koei have added in a few changes. The first of these allows players to move and attack at the same time, which seems to make the game flow much better this time around. New characters have been added alongside the usual assortment of Dynasty Warriors regulars, and each character has been given a new costume. There are also two brand new game types, in addition to the regular Challenge and Legend modes, all of which come equipped with online leaderboards. 

Unlike Dynasty Warriors 7, all characters can be played on all levels, and they will have the ability to switch between two weapons whilst fighting. This focus on a greater level of narrative also promises for a more in-depth storyline for each character, and the inclusion of an encyclopaedia and gallery in the main menu further hints at this. The graphics look like they've been given a good polish also. 


So it looks like Dynasty Warriors 7 Xtreme Legends is showing some promise. Yes, it's the format is pretty similar to previous Dynasty Warriors titles, but the changes in place this time around prove that the team have put in a considerable amount of effort to make this look like a much deeper, less rushed package than before. 

Hands On: The Darkness II

On the 29th October, I was one of the writers who covered the Mcm Expo for MCM BUZZ. Thankfully, a large amount of the writing focused on the video games section, and I gained several opportunities to attend panels, play some demos, etc.

The Darkness II's demo was available to play during the weekend, and so I got myself a chance to give it a spin.


Please click the link below to read my hands on review over on the 'Buzz!

Hands On: The Darkness II